#i like to think that alhaitham doesn’t express his love with words as much as quiet support and actions

[rissaito]

it’s another one of those long nights at work… 💤

[versadies]

in a world of boys, he's a gentleman! (various x gn!reader)

SALUTATIONS. in a world of boys, he's a gentleman!

ADDRESSED. alhaitham, zhongli, wriothesley, and neuvillette (x gn!reader)

STAMPS. the little things they do around you that remind you that chivalry is not dead <3

CONTENT. ooc!neuvi (?), ooc!wriothesley (?), fluff/no-angst, established relationships, possibly cheesy (i like cheese), and possible grammar errors. some of the things mentioned can be applicable to others!

POST-SCRIPT. can you already tell that these four own my heart? i love them sm ( >-< )!!! also made new banners for a change hehe

LINKS. masterlist \ taglist

Although ALHAITHAM is someone who prefers to focus greatly on himself and prioritizes his own well-being over others', that does not mean he is selfish nor inconsiderate. Which is why it is not far-fetched for someone like him to do the little things that proves the fact that chivalry is not dead.

Though of course, he does it in his very own way. You just have to be very observant to notice it. 

For instance, whenever you two are sitting in front of the table, he’d cover the edge whenever you lean down to get something that fell from the table, ensuring that you don’t bump your head from the furniture and get hurt. 

Another instance is when you’d rant on and on in his presence, thinking he’s not listening to you due to his earpieces that’s used to cancel out meaningless noises. When in reality, he’s actually listening to you —  because to him, your words are always something of importance to him whether he’d admit that or not. 

It doesn’t even matter if you’re talking about your day, complaining about prices, or even expressing your concerns over things you shouldn’t even be concerned about; he’d listen without a word if not necessary, because if it’s important to you, then it’s important to listen about it. Though of course, the only exceptions are when you’d actually talk about something he doesn’t care about, such as gossip.

Meanwhile, in the bustling marketplaces of Sumeru, there’s bound to be scammers preying on oblivious consumers, and Alhaitham sees to it that you won’t fall for such things. It’s partially one of the reasons why he always tags along with you whenever you shop for groceries or for other things.

If a scammer tries their shot, they’ll only be greeted by a stern warning glare from the scribe as you look through the displayed products, only for your lover to drag you to a more appropriate stall that’s much better than the suspicious one. 

During the later stage of your relationship when you moved into his humble home, he made sure to have enough space for your things, and even sacrificed some of his own possessions for the sake of yours. 

Speaking of sacrifices, there are also times when he’d sacrifice his leisure time that he values in order to hang out with you. Despite your assurances that he doesn’t have to spend time with you if he wants to be alone, he doesn’t care and still hangs out with you anyway. 

In his perspective, it’s not a sacrifice, because spending his spare time with you is much better than spending it alone. 

It’s the little things that remind you that he does care. Though, you couldn’t help but try and confront him about his actions since you want to hear it from his mouth. 

When you do though, you’ll only get a deadpan look from him and a few words:

“Isn’t that the bare minimum of what boyfriends should do anyway?”

ZHONGLI is no doubt a traditional gentleman when it comes to not just you, but also towards anyone around him. Of course, you’re still special in his eyes. After all, you’re his darling gem who is above any other treasures that he’s come across in this lifetime.

He always checks up on your well-being with care and tenderness that often causes your legs to become jelly-like. He never fails to bring heat to your face from how sweet he is!

Like your average traditional gentleman, Zhongli gives you his coat as soon as he sees even a slight sign of you feeling cold from Liyue’s breeze, caressing your arms with his glove-covered hands while he’s at it. Not that you’re complaining, especially from how good his cologne smells from his coat that just made you a little in a daze.

He’s willing to open doors for you to enter first, no matter your gender. He doesn’t want your hands to get dirty from door knobs that have been through things that only Celestia knows what, so he insists that he shall open them for you. In a way, it sounded a bit over the top, but how can you say no to such a kind man like your lover?

He sees to it that you’re the first one to be seated before him, pulling out a chair for you before sitting next to you. It’s almost essential for him to sit next to you, as if you’re a light that he finds himself drawn to. 

When it comes to eating together, he offers you a bite of his meal that he either made or ordered, wanting you to try the delicious meal that’s made with precision and passion and appreciate it with him (though it usually ends up with him giving you more bites of it like a grandma would to her grandchild). Whenever he does this, he makes sure to blow the food first before giving it to you, not wanting your tongue to get burnt by accident. He even goes as far as putting his hand beneath the spoon to ensure nothing will spill on you and your clothes. 

Traveling is also to be expected when you’re with Zhongli, with you two visiting different areas of Liyue for a variety of reasons such as work, vacation, leisure time, etc. Whenever you two travel, he’s always there to give you a hand, especially when climbing up and going down. 

He’ll even go as far as putting his coat down on the ground for you to sit on to avoid your clothes becoming dirty should you two ever need a break, not wanting you to get too exhausted from your trip. 

Of course, we cannot forget how Zhongli has a sharp memory, so he knows the exact day for your relationship milestones and would never forget it. Expect him to celebrate things such as your first date-sary, monthsary, first kiss-sary, and the list goes on until you eventually tell him that most people (if not all) wouldn’t celebrate most of these things. 

That doesn’t stop him from greeting you with such occasions though ^^

It’s clear to see that the consultant loves you dearly and wants the best for you. The same goes to his dear friends and peers around him, and you couldn’t be all the more grateful to have such a man like him as your lover. In fact, his amber-hue eyes that you always seem to lose yourself to shines much brighter when he’s kind. 

“Why are you smiling? Is there something on my face?” He’d ask you when he catches you admiring him from your place. 

“Nothing. I just want to admire how perfect my boyfriend is.” You sigh dreamily, looking at him happily. “How are you such a perfect spouse?” 

He chuckles in response, now putting down his tea. “I beg to differ. Especially since the most breathtaking person in front of me is more worthy of such title.”  

It’s no lie to everyone in the Fortress – both inmates and guards alike – that WRIOTHESLEY adores you, even if he wouldn’t outright admit it. Though his words are nothing but silent, his actions speak louder. Out of the very few people that the duke trusts, you’re the one that comes to mind, and the same goes for you towards him. He’s quite honored that you trust him enough to let him become your spouse, and what better way to express that than actions? 

You’re rest assured that he always has tea saved for you whenever you come and visit his office. When you do, he always makes sure to pull out a chair for you to sit on, pour your cup with your drink of choice before pouring his tea on his own cup. 

For a man such as him, he’s observant and is quick to notice when someone is uncomfortable – in this case, you. As soon as he takes note of your discomfort or uneasiness, he is quick to comfort you and assure you that all’s well as he either swiftly takes you away from the scene or finds a way to help you go through it. 

With that in mind, Wriothesley understands if you find yourself preferring the world outside over the Fortress of Meropide. He gets it! He’s content with you just visiting whenever you can. He knows not everyone would be keen on staying in the stronghold prison for a long time, especially when they have no reason to besides visiting their spouse. 

Unless you’re an actual criminal, then that’s when you entirely have no choice but be stuck in the fortress and with him until you’re free to go. 

Speaking of criminals, danger lurks everywhere in Fontaine. You certainly can’t blame your lover for being quite protective with you, often telling you through his letters to be careful with going out at night and to not fall for any scammers or tricks by possible criminals that are still out there. He’s aware that you’re more than capable of protecting yourself from danger, but it doesn’t stop his worries even for one bit.

It’s not common for the Duke to come out from the Fortress and visit the city. When he does, there’s a huge chance that he’s seen with you, holding your hand as you two go on with your day as a couple. He does not show affection in public much, but that doesn’t mean holding hands would hurt! 

To others, he always seems so calm and collected on his own, but in comparison to how he acts with you, he’s much more content and relaxed, as if he’s in a utopian paradise that he feels at peace in as your laughter and voice soothes his unfaltering spirit. 

Should you ever ask for a mora of his thoughts from how distracted he was during your time spent together, you’ll only gain this response:

“Hm? Oh, forgive me for being distracted. You don’t have to worry about it.” He’d say casually, hiding the fact that he’s simply distracted from thinking about how much he wants this kind of experience to last forever.

Given that NEUVILLETTE is unfamiliar with human customs and feelings, the same goes for his unfamiliarity in the romance department. He didn’t think he’d end up courting someone, let alone form a personal relationship – especially since he avoids such things. However, you’re somehow an exception.

His experience in the court is unfortunately not enough to help him with his goal in winning your heart, yet somehow, he finds himself in a relationship with you. Though inexperienced and busy, he still has his perks that makes it up – such as his mannerisms.

Just like Zhongli, he’s quite a traditional gentleman. Not only will he help you sit down by pulling out a chair and remove your coat, he’d even make sure that none of your clothes, accessories, and even your hair would get caught in the furniture’s ornamentation to avoid the same inconveniences that he goes through in his daily life. 

He tends to hold your hand when the two of you go through the seats of the Opera Epiclese to watch a performance, dragging you to the best seat in the middle of the front row as he helps you become comfortable. After watching your first performance together, he never thought that watching a performance could be so enjoyable when you have companions to share the joy with. Where were you in his entire life?

On another note, Neuvillette is the type to carry your bags whenever the two of you go shopping or when he sees you holding something heavy, wanting to ease your burdens and struggles swiftly as he insists that he should help you. You should be able to have your hands free like a dove in his perspective. 

It shows that he’s willing to help you with anything you need, whether it’d be giving wise advice, getting something, lending a shoulder for you to cry on, and anything else so long as it eases your struggles. 

Given that he’s still exploring human customs and feelings, he entrusts you to guide him through it, and this means that he’s open with new things that he hasn’t tried before so long as it doesn’t clash with his busy schedule. 

He doesn’t mind doing particular activities with you, be it pot-making, watching documentaries, playing classic games, and the list goes on! If he has you by his side to try everything, then he’s okay with it all. 

Speaking of activities, Neuvillette has taken a liking for walking in the rain. He even fantasizes about going out into the rain, wanting to feel the raindrops pouring on him as he walks down the streets of Fontaine. 

Despite enjoying such joys, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t consider your comfort with the weather. Knowing how humans are with not wanting to become wet from the weather, your lover is there to help you in holding an umbrella that he’d bring should he hear any forecasts of rain beforehand. 

He makes sure that the entire umbrella is on you and stays that way, and he simply wouldn’t forgive himself if he sees even a few drops on your clothing that he could’ve prevented despite your assurances. 

If you ever expressed your concern of him getting drenched and possibly sick from the rain, he’d simply reassure you that it’s nothing to worry about, telling you that he does this very often whenever it rains. 

“Don’t worry about me, ma moitié.” He says with a tender gaze as he continues to walk side by side with you, holding the umbrella above you. “I will not get sick easily from the weather, nor do I mind having my clothes drenched. I want you to worry about yourself more.” 

PENPALS. @scaraslover @saving-for-xiao @dawgimsohot @ragnvdnr @chiruru @aqualesha @renamichii @mrkamisato @shenhesl0ver @serami00 @serenareiss @hiqhkey @emperatris-rinaka @bystander36 @irisxiel @ladycoleigh @034ven @dear-dairiess @owozi8 @hadesaedes @chiro-chiro-kun @hersscherofyatta @mariusvonhangme @yuzuricebun @nejibot @hoshikistarlette @solaaresque @crowbird @lordbugs @flowersforayato @headintheclouddd @estelwrld @giyusimpsassemble @irethepotatosblog @moonlightaangel @alice0blog @shotosbrainrot @sniffoat @chihawari @mxsomn @kuni-kuzushii @jiminscarmex @mitsukii14 @ylimeprive @sachispet @loreleis-world @sn-owo @starforecasts @someonetookmynamelmao @ceylestia @astrequa @ymikkos @reallysporadicarcade @melodyyamino @dudufodd @somberrock @yevenly @lemontum @nghing @shaiah @miss-lady-witch @yashe @imkaaayy @badlywrittens @0rah-s @totallynotaraidensimp @garlicforthewin

[primofate]

Confessions Series - Part 1: Overheard [Genshin Impact Male Characters]

Note: Welp I had the itch to write again so here I am. Though sleep deprived because baby keeps waking up every 3 hours to feed... I wanted to do this haha. Based on @soulprompts “I love you” prompts. What other character should I do?

Warnings: haven’t written in a while please excuse and tell me about pronoun slips, I’m sleep deprived, not proofread, some are just concepts of liking someone, having a crush on them, while some are full blown love confessions. SOME ARE ANGSTY, chose only the male characters I wanted to write for instead of forcing myself to do all of them.

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Alhaitham, Ayato, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Itto, Kaeya, Scaramouche, Xiao, gn!reader  

Other works in this series: (Part 2 - Description)

Scenario: Talking to a friend about how you feel about him. Unbeknownst to you, he was listening, hidden round the corner. What does he do?

Aether

“He’s sweet,” You simply answer when asked what you like about Aether. “I mean, he’s a simple guy. He’s not a mystery, it’s not hard to read him nor to get along with him. I guess that’s one of the reasons why a lot of people like him.” 

“Uhuh,” your friend drawls, their head lazily resting on their hand. “but you don’t just like Aether. You seriously LIKE him,” 

You’re rendered speechless by the statement for a second, tripping over your first words, “Well--I mean--” and as if realizing you’re making a fool of yourself by speaking in garbles, you recover. “Yeah, I guess...” You don’t know why you admit to it, but it’s not like your friend didn’t already know.

What he does:

Is tempted to immediately walk up to you and reconfirm the conversation.

Stops himself for a minute and replays the whole conversation in his head, probably once, twice and maybe a third time.

Second guesses himself, but when he finally goes through all possible options, he realizes there’s no mistaking the overheard confession.

All the while, Paimon is nagging him to go talk to you. “You didn’t hear wrong! Stop thinking too much, hurry and go!” Ends up being pushed out into the open by his flying companion.

“Erm...Ahem” he coughs into his fist. “I...didn’t mean to eavesdrop...Y/N, sorry, but... can we continue this conversation somewhere else? Somewhere...a little more private?” and the shy smile he gives you is a tell tale sign that he had most likely felt the same.

Albedo

“His schedule is always busy. He has his hands full with Klee, on top of all the work he needs to do,” was your excuse to your friend when asked why you haven’t confessed to the alchemist yet. “I don’t think Albedo has time for this type of thing, you know? He doesn’t need a distraction.”

What he does:

His logical side agrees that he doesn’t need a distraction.

But the other part of him doesn’t mind if its you.

Pauses for a moment, thinks about it for a second, before confronting you about it just minutes later.

“...Schedules can be made flexible, Y/N,” you jump at his sudden voice. “Just as distractions...can sometimes be a good thing,” Albedo stretches a hand out to you. “...Care to test how good of one you can be to me?” 

Alhaitham

“Y/N, Alhaitham is FAR from stupid. There’s no way he hasn’t figured out that you have a crush on him,”

“Shush!!” You swerve around to your friend, ducking a little, as if that would help you become invisible. “People could be listening, besides, if that’s true, then it’s even worse. It means that he knows, and probably has no interest in me, so let’s just forget about it, ok?” 

What he does:

..................................No he doesn’t know. Sure he’s smart but............he could be dense when it came to these things. That, or he just didn’t know what to do.

Does not confront you about it immediately. In fact he turns around and walks away without being spotted, opting to think about his next steps instead of just rushing into the conversation.

Lo and behold a few days later he’ll show up in front of you with his usual stoic expression.

“Y/N,” he starts, and you freeze on the spot, looking up at him, blinking. 

“Y-Yes?” You haven’t seen nor heard from him in days and as usual, you attributed it to him being busy. Little did you know that he had been mulling over how to talk to you.

“I heard your conversation with (your friend) the other day,” straightforward was his answer to everything, even in this particular situation. 

It takes you a few seconds to internalize his words. You’re not even sure which conversation he means. You talk to (your friend) a lot. Your brows start to furrow in confusion, until he clarifies. 

“...I wouldn’t say that I completely have no interest in you,” he starts, and your shoulders tense up, now realizing which conversation it was. You could feel your cheeks start to burn, all you wanted to do was run away. 

Alhaitham holds back a sigh, “...Anyway, here is no place to talk about this... I’ll meet you at Puspa Cafe tonight, if you’re free,” 

You’re FAR from stupid too, and knew exactly what he was trying to do.

Ayato

“Besides why would the Lord Commissioner even look at someone like me?” you hiss at your friend who was trying to persuade you that Ayato also had the hots for you. It just seemed a little delusional to you.

“He takes the chance to rile you up every time he sees you. He’s obviously doing it on purpose,” your friend counters. You roll your eyes up to high heaven.

“He does that to everyone...” you conclude, knowing that Ayato had the habit of--though you don’t know if intentionally--giving his servants a scare. 

“Alright, alright, you don’t have to be so jealous,” your friend quips back, you send them a quick glare before going back to doing your own work.

What he does:

Doesn’t even bat an eye. Smirks as he hears the whole story. 

Confidently reveals his presence to the two of you, chuckling.

“Jealousy doesn’t usually paint a beautiful colour,” he starts, the overly pleasant smile on his face. You straighten up immediately, eyes changing into saucers when you realize he had heard the whole thing. You open your mouth to explain, but he beats you to it.

“But I must say it looks a little different on you, Y/N, almost charming,” The side of his lip quirks up the slightest bit into a subtle grin. You bite your lip, there he is again trying to rile you up, maybe (your friend) was right. 

“...Is there anything I can do for you Lord Commissioner?” you ask, trying to stray away from the subject. He only chuckles. 

“You’ll find that there are a LOT of things you can do for me, Y/N. Start by accompanying me to tea, hm?” He wasn’t really asking, it was almost a command. 

You wished your friend snickering on the side would just shut up.

Cyno

“...He’s a little intimidating don’t you think? I don’t know why you like him so much,” your friend comments, slacking off on their pile of paperwork. You roll your eyes at them. 

“Maybe because he works hard, unlike other people,” you shake your head a little. 

“As General Mahamatra he’s supposed to work hard. Just admit that you have weird tastes.” your friend counters, still procrastinating on their share of work.

“Okay, so what if he’s a little vicious in his ways? He’s just doing his job. Now, it would help me if you started doing yours as well,” 

What he does:

Doesn’t know what to do.

Stands hidden for quite a long time. The subject has already moved on and away from him.

Torn between revealing himself now or later. 

Can’t think properly so exits from the situation and comes back later that same day, when you’re still working with your friend.

As he approaches your table, your friend notices him first. (Your friend) nudges you with their elbow, tilting their chin up to let you know that someone was approaching. 

You pick your head up, and feel yourself go rigid when you see that it’s Cyno. At first you think to yourself that he might not be here to talk to you, maybe he’s just about to walk by...but he stops in front of your table and you’re left to wordlessly look up at him.

There’s a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever.

“...I value the high praise that you give me,” he starts and you immediately want to duck under the table and hide.

He heard. 

“O-Oh, G-General Mahamatra, you heard that...It’s...nothing, hard work deserves to be praised...” you avert your gaze down to the papers you were working on, pretending to continue and be busy with them. 

There was an awkward pause, your eyes darting up towards him for a second, checking if he was still looking at you, before breaking away again and furiously flipping through papers.

“...Do you want to play some TCG?” 

“Huh?” You end up with an incredulous look on your face, trying to gauge if he was serious. His face is still blank, but the usual tenseness in the way he carried himself gave way for a barely seen relaxation. It was hard to spot, but it was there. 

You ended up sighing a little in what you could only describe as relief, giving him a lopsided smile. “Sure, but go easy on me, I haven’t played in a while,”

“That’s fine. Perhaps a daily practice session will do you good,”

Dainsleif

“Mysterious, aloof, disappears into thin air... A man like that? You probably should stay away, Y/N. You don’t know what he dabbles in,” (Your friend) warns, looking at you with genuine concern. 

“Perhaps he has some secrets...but I don’t think he’s a bad guy at all. I’ve spent some time conversing with Dainsleif here and there,” you continue to wipe the tables, not noticing that the man you were talking about had long entered the tavern already and was now standing behind the two of you.

“At least he’s handsome, there’s that,” (Your friend) adds. 

“Sure, but that’s not the only reason I like him,” you laugh.

What he does:

Wonders if he heard the conversation right and overanalyzes what you mean by “like” him.

Either way it stirs a strange emotion in him, one that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Prefers to get things over with and thinks there’s no harm in confronting you immediately.

You hear someone clear their throat behind you. Thinking that it was a customer you turn around with a pleasant smile, only for it to slowly dwindle down into a shocked expression.

Dainsleif.

“Y/N,” he nods his head towards you casually. You gulp, force a smile, and nod back. “Hi, you’re early today,” just as your friend slips away from the conversation. Dainsleif doesn’t even spare them a glance.

He doesn’t have much to say about your comment of him being early. He doesn’t particularly know why he was early today either. Perhaps...fate would have him hear the conversation between you and (Your friend).

“Yes, well, it looks like there were benefits to being early today,” he meets you eye to eye, the intensity in his gaze almost makes you blush from your neck all the way up to the top of your head, but you fought the giddiness back. 

“...What can I get you?” there’s a shiver that threatens to run up your spine, wondering if your deflection was successful. Dainsleif closes his eyes momentarily, before opening them with a strange sense of courage. 

“Your company,”

Diluc

“It’s been years,” (Your friend) says, the two of you looking up at the massive oak tree of Windrise. They glance at you from the side of their eye before continuing. “Are you still in love with Diluc?”

There’s a breeze that passes, almost melancholic, and partly whispered of sorrow. “...I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving him.” You pick your hand up to rub at your arm. “Jean, Kaeya, Diluc and I...So many things have changed since we were kids...but I don’t think that spot for Diluc will ever go away,”

“Does he know, at least?” (Your friend) asks and you half scoff. 

“I’m not sure, I get the feeling he does, but doesn’t act on it. Which is why...maybe the only way to solve this emptiness is to leave Mondstadt altogether.” 

“Out of sight, out of mind huh?” (Your friend) claps your back, and turns around to start walking away with you.

What he does:

Internally a mess of emotions. Doesn’t know where to start. 

but he’s just standing there and he’s stuck watching (your friend) and you turn around to come face to face with him. 

He looks at you, a wave of memories and emotions flashing through his mind all at once, it almost overwhelms him. 

“D-Diluc,” you stutter, heart freezing in your chest. You see him take a steadying breath in, prying his gaze away from you and over to (Your friend).

“(Your friend), could you give us a minute?” he asks. (Your friend) obliges, passing you a quick glance before going ahead on their own. Another breeze runs by, ruffling his long red hair. 

“...I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” you start, and yet he doesn’t say anything, prompting you to continue talking. “...You don’t have to think about it too much, it’s just silly--”

“I wasn’t sure,” he cuts you off, eyes drawn to the ground now. “I wasn’t sure...if you really felt that way.” 

The statement somehow exasperates you. “You weren’t sure? All those times I stayed by your side when everyone else left--” then it hits you. “Or were you scared, Diluc?”

The quick grimace in his expression tells you the answer. His reply comes a few seconds later, “I was, I still am,” but he picks his head up, and finally looks you straight in the eye. “...but this time...” his fists clench on his side. “This time give me the chance to show you how much I really care about you,”

He was not going to lose you too.

Itto

“Seriously?! Itto? Arataki Itto? Are you for real?” (Your friend) announces to nearly half of the food stall, the other customers swerving around to look at the two of you. 

"Oh, say it a bit louder why don’t you?” You roll your eyes at your friend and continue eating.”

“Sorry. I just--Out of all the people you could choose, your huge crush is on that big brute??” your can tell by the look on your friend’s face that they think you have weird tastes.

What he does:

Butts in without even thinking of the conversation. Has no clue what’s going on.

“Crush?!”

You and your friend startle, swerving around to see none other than the oni with his hands on his hips. “Y/N?! You planning on crushing me?!” then he guffaws with laughter, slapping his knees in the process. “Yeah right, you’re no match for me!”

Your previously gaped open mouth slowly closes and your shoulders relax, sighing. You’re a little disappointed he doesn’t get it at all. Your friend shakes their head with a long sigh. “You stupid oaf, we don’t mean it that way...” 

Itto’s head tilts sideways, a genuinely confused look on his face. “No? Then... Watcha all talkin about?” 

You grab your friend’s arm and pull them forward the slightest bit. “It’s not important! Actually, we better get going--”

“Y/N has a CRUSH on you, idiot! Y/N LIKES you!” Your friend explodes, patience long gone. 

Itto blinks at the confession, his eyes darts towards you, “...Oh,” then there’s the slight tugging at his chest, he can’t help but beam and smile silly. “Yeah? You’re not too bad yourself Y/N! I like you too!”

You’re not sure if he really understood the confession in its entirety. 

Kaeya

“It’s all just fun and games with Kaeya. It doesn’t mean anything,” you laugh sheepishly, yet you rub the back of your neck a little.

“...Do you want it to be just fun and games?” your friend chides, and there’s a moment of silence. The two of you just sitting there already knowing the answer, it’s almost uncomfortable, until your friend sighs. 

“...Let’s change the subject,” 

What he does: 

responds immediately. Will not wait a second longer to come out of his hiding place and ask about what he just heard.

“How about let’s not?” Kaeya emerges out of nowhere, slipping into the seat next to you at the cafe. His poise is confident and instantly his head lazily places itself into the palm of his hand, gaze lingering at you. 

“Snowflake, I had no idea you felt like that,” his voice is smooth like ice and you bite your lip to keep yourself from saying something stupid.

“...I didn’t say anything though?” you countered, trying to evade the conversation. Your friend watches on with interest. 

“Silence speaks volumes, Y/N,” Kaeya scoots even closer to you, your shoulders touching each other. However, he maneuvers his arm around to lay on the seat behind you. “So if you’re opposed to what I’m about to do, better speak up,”

He leans closer, inch by inch, he waits for you to say something.

You stay silent.

He grins.

Scaramouche

“Hat guy? He’s brutal. But who am I to comment on your tastes, Y/N. You’ve always been weird,” (Your friend) chides, watching as you go over the bookshelf again. 

“Stop calling him that,” You murmur under your breath, more focused on finding the right book for your research. “That’s not his only distinctive feature, you know,” you continue, still engrossed in looking for a book.

“Oh? What else are his “distinctive features”?” (Your friend) drawls, rolling their eyes. 

You hum a little, then plop on the ground cross-legged, wanting to get a better look on the last row of books of the Akademiya’s library. “...His eyes,” you simply answer. “They’re a beautiful shade of violet-blue...He’s always glaring at someone half of the time but he actually has very pretty eyes,” 

There’s silence and you finally get the peace you need to concentrate. However, that silence is broken by a voice that you know all too well.

What he does:

is amused.

thinks its cute pathetic.

will still look angry but will have a hard time actually being angry.

will be cocky.

“My eyes, huh?”

It’s hard to completely turn around in your sitting position, so you do the best you can to turn, side eye landing on Scaramouche’s form. He has his arms crossed as usual, but there’s a smug smirk on his face. “Didn’t know it was that fascinating to you, bookeater,”

It was supposed to be an insulting nickname for you, who always had your nose in a book, but you took no offense to it at all.

You didn’t know what to say, so you continued staring at him. He being the anti-social person that he was, just stared back. There was a big gap of silence before he felt that it was becoming too awkward. 

“...What’re you looking for?” he blurted out.

“...A book...”

“Are you stupid? Of course you’re looking for a book. I meant what’s the title?” There his usual sneer was back again and he unfolded his arms to look at you unimpressively. 

“...A History of Inazuma: Volume 2...” you meekly replied, slowly realizing that he actually heard you praising him.

“You’re in the wrong section,” the exasperated sigh he gives out causes you to wince, and you turn away back to the bookshelf as if to shield you from all this embarrassment. 

“If it’s about Inazuma, you should just be asking me,” you blink as your peripheral catches sight of an outstretched hand. You tilt your head to see that he’s offering his hand, but his face is blank.

“...Well? Come on. I don’t have all day,”

You bite your lip to keep yourself from smiling, something about the way he said it sounds threatening, but also slightly playful. But that’s just the way he was. 

You accept his hand, and he pulls you up easily.

Xiao

“Oh so that’s why you’re coming over more frequently...” (Your friend) grins, and you wave your hands around to tell them to quiet down. Adepti had good hearing after all.

“Well, I’m also coming over cause Verr Goldet needs more help these days in the kitchen. You guys are getting so much customers these days that Yanxiao has a hard time by himself,”

“Uhhuuhhhhhh, sure...was it also Verr Goldet who told you to try and master the Almond Tofu recipe from Yanxiao? Cause you’re awfully hell bent on trying to learn that recipe, according to Yanxiao,” 

You fall silent, feeling heat crawling up your neck. “I--” You start, searching for an excuse, but realized there was no escaping this one. “I just want to do something nice for Xiao, that’s all,” you innocently quip. “I...I know I can’t help him much, but maybe just cooking his favourite dish will help, even a little,”

(Your friend) smiles a little, knowing that the adepti probably heard everything. “That’s nice of you, Y/N. You must care about him a lot,” 

What he does:

once upon a time he would do absolutely nothing. because getting involved with humans is something he shouldn’t do.

But now he bides his time, and observes if it’s safe to open up. 

He wouldn’t outright thank you at first, but he’ll slowly show up in front of you a little more everyday.

He’s rather awkward, so at first he only nods his head as thanks when you leave the bowl of almond tofu on the ledge.

Eventually when he realizes you’re not going to stop cooking for him he goes the extra mile to do something simple for you too.

He places a stalk of your favourite flower on the ledge, right before you come to put down his bowl of almond tofu. 

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[azullumi]

jealousy — various characters ☆彡

summary — how does jealousy feels for him and how does he deal with it?

characters — kaveh, tighnari, thoma, cyno, wanderer, alhaitham, ayato, kazuha, diluc (w/gender-neutral reader)

tags — kind of fluff, jealousy, possessiveness, i want to kiss diluc so bad, not proof-read; headcanons

words — 1204

note — this was supposed to be longer but my brain is fried and bondee anyone? :D if anyone wants to be neighbors, just tell me

KAVEH — It's obvious when he gets jealous, you could just immediately tell if there's envy and jealousy brewing in his mind whenever he sees you with another person—specifically someone who is obvious with their intentions to you but you're oblivious to it—because of how he shows his emotions and is usually expressive about it. Rolling his eyes as he replies once you have touched upon the topic of what he felt as he knits his eyebrows, and everything, he's conveying it all. However, he would still refuse at the end of it, he won't even admit to it but you'll know. He’ll even lean more on the petty side, making remarks like how you should ask that ‘friend’ you’re so close with but once you’ll go and turn around, he’ll ask you where you’re going and tell you to not leave. 

TIGHNARI — He’s very much open with his emotions to you and doesn’t hide anything from you so when he's feeling something, whether it be sadness, happiness, or anything, you’ll know it immediately. This also applies to that bitter and burning feeling in his chest. At times he doesn’t verbally convey to you about what he feels, he shows it through the subtle actions he makes—wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you close, showing off that you’re taken and you have him whenever he sees you talking with someone who is showing clear interest to you and giving off a scary presence that he’ll only show towards the people he’s scolding. “I don’t like them,” he’ll say as a remark while donning a calm demeanor, and you’ll either think it’s just that or he’s trying to say something more.

THOMA — Gets extremely affectionate and sweeter than usual. He'll silently beg for more affection from you by being more clingy than he already is—he’ll be all over you like some sort of object or item taped or glued on your body, as if he’s part of the design of your clothing because of just how much he’s sticking to you. The intimacy, fondness, and love that you receive from him on a daily or usual basis? You’ll get triple that amount once he gets jealous, the intimacy and closeness being there but overwhelming. He’ll even bluntly tell you, rubbing it all over your face, that he’s jealous, that he’s really and extremely jealous while pampering you with kisses and what can I say besides you have to deal with it?

CYNO — He places so much faith in you, trusting you and being confident with himself thus he doesn’t get jealous easily. However, when he does—on rare chances— he’s grumpy and much more intimidating than usual. Even if he's known to have a good control with his emotions, dealing with it properly, and placing it where it’s supposed to be, when he gets that feeling, all of those are thrown out of the window and somehow, he find himself twitching his eyebrow and giving death stares to the person acting way too close to you. He does get clingy though, staying closer to you, lingering touches, intertwined hands, and longer gazes, and everything, as if he’s trying to say something through his caresses and strokes on your skin.

WANDERER — Understanding and patience is what you need. He gets irritated or irked off once he gets jealous and you’ll first think if he’s just having his mood swings or something. He’ll leave you thinking and confused, basically not admitting that he’s jealous and would get more irritated if you won’t be able to guess or know what he’s feeling. He just refuses to talk about it, rolling his eyes and turning his back away when you'll ask him if he's jealous or what, and you can’t help but scratch the back of your head upon recognizing the feeling being expressed by him. He’ll be salty for a few days, just give him a little bit of time—he secretly wishes that you'll woo him and give him more of your attention and time instead.

ALHAITHAM — He doesn’t even know it—or more like he just ignores and fans off that feeling in his chest which will slowly grow, as moments pass by. He's the type of person whose jealousy will start really small, letting it pass, until it becomes something he can't completely turn a blind eye to. At first, he could have an inner monologue wherein he’s in conflict with his emotions and thinking him being jealous is impossible but then he imagines you with someone else and he’s irritated. He reasons that perhaps he was envisioning you with Kaveh that’s why he’s displeased so he thinks of another person and the annoyance persists. He tries to create logic out of what he is feeling before giving up and admitting that he is, indeed, jealous.

KAMISATO AYATO — The clingy possessive type of jealousy is what you’ll get from him. Through his actions and simple words, he'll tell the other party to stay away from you before he'll have to deal with them himself and you could and probably would think 'awww, that's so sweet and cute to see that he's jealous.' Not when you'll come home and he's all over you, lips all over your skin, kisses all over your face, and hands all over your body. However, once the two of you are in bed and you have already fallen asleep, he'll admire you for a little bit longer before pulling you close as if he's afraid that you'll leave him, was he being too much? Well, he just can’t help it when he holds so much adoration and love for you.

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA — Communication is the key so when he’s upset or jealous over something, he’ll tell you about it. Not in a way that it feels like he’s reporting some sort of news or topic to you, straightforward and clear—”I am jealous because of this guy that was starting at you,”—but in a roundabout way: asking so much questions, going back and forth a certain event, his mouth lingering on the topic that made him jealous without saying he’s jealous. He just gets repetitive, hoping that you’ll realize and thankfully, due to the fact that he keeps on talking and speaking over something, you’ll eventually realize what’s going on and once he sees that you do, he just laughs nervously and says: “I’m being childish, aren’t I?”

DILUC RAGNVINDR — He silently looms his jealousy over. Silence, silence, silence, that's the only treatment that you will get from him at first except for the short responses and such as he’s busy dealing with his own emotions, his mind muddled with the thoughts that he shouldn’t get jealous over something so small or petty. He just doesn’t know how to act and what to do, resulting in you receiving the silent treatment from him. However, he would then succumb to his emotions after minutes, suffering more from what he’s giving and not talking to you than the feeling of jealousy itself which will lead to him eventually telling you about what he felt and seeing how adorable he is, how he tries to maintain his demeanor and composure, kissing him would be inevitable.

© azullumi — do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor translate any of my works.

[saetoru]

[ SILENT TREATMENT ] ALHAITHAM.

alhaitham is a smart man—he likes to think it’s one of his best strengths. in fact, he likes to take pride in his capacity to come up with a quick solution to most of the things life throws at him…except maybe this.

you’re mad—livid, actually—and for the first time in what feels like his entire life, his brain fails him on how to fix the issue at hand. perhaps that’s largely because he doesn’t quite know why you’re mad (you insist he should know), but there’s also the fact that you refuse to be rational and discuss the problem, and that’s not his fault.

but expressing as much lands him on the couch for the night, and now not only are you even more upset with him, but his back hurts too. it’s only added insult to injury that kaveh finds this ordeal thoroughly amusing, and alhaitham thinks it’s times like these that throwing out the leech of his roommate is his best option—the guest room could be his right now if not for a certain irritating blonde, and the bed would be much better for his back too.

“still getting the silent treatment, i see,” kaveh grins, a little too enthused for alhaitham’s liking at his predicament. he glowers, taking a sip of his much too bitter coffee—usually you make it for him, but between the sharp look you send him when he approaches and your insistence to avoid him, he safely assumes coffee is out of the question to ask of you for now.

and because he doesn’t need kaveh to have more leverage to laugh at him, he forces himself not to make a face as he swallows the bitter drink in his mug.

“and i don’t see how it’s any of your business,” alhaitham grumbles, watching as kaveh rummages through his fridge with his food in his home.

“it’s not,” kaveh hums, pulling out ingredients that he most certainly has not paid for with his own wallet, “but it’s undoubtedly entertaining to witness. if i were you, i’d have definitely figured out why i’m on the couch by now.”

“you have to actually date someone before you can be sent to the couch,” alhaitham raises a brow, feeling the slightest bit of satisfaction as he watches kaveh’s features twist into anger, “but seeing as you have no love life—”

“well, i know why you’re on the couch,” kaveh interrupts, crossing his arms as he glares down the scribe.

now that—that catches alhaitham’s attention. why does kaveh know why you’re mad at him? why have you told kaveh and not him? and why hasn’t kaveh told him by now? how dare kaveh eat his food and sleep on the bed that could be his right now and keep this information from him?

“you do?” he blinks, staring at the blonde in bewilderment before scowling, “so then tell me, why have i been sent—”

“that’s for you to figure out, and him to keep to himself,” you interrupt, making both heads turn to you as you enter the kitchen.

and truthfully, as pathetic as it might be, alhaitham is slightly relieved you’ve spoken to him after days for the first time—even if it’s not exactly the words he hopes to hear. he eyes you as you walk into the kitchen, watches as you pull out two mugs and walk to the coffee machine. and then he pauses—why do you need two mugs?

“kaveh,” you say a little too sweetly, “would you like a cup of coffee?”

almost like he knows—and alhaitham is sure he does because of the amused glance he spares—kaveh nods with an appreciative smile.

“i would love one,” kaveh grins, and alhaitham glares daggers at his roommate, tightening his grip on his own coffee mug.

“okay,” alhaitham sets down his drink, staring intensely at the back of your head as you pretend not to hear him, “what’s got you mad? it’s been days, and it’s very counterproductive to avoid the—”

“you’ll have to figure that one out on your own,” you say coldly, “you should know what you’ve done wrong. i’m not spelling it out for you.”

“you should be quite a spelling expert with how long you keep that nose buried in books,” kaveh adds, and there’s enough mirth lacing his tone that it takes alhaitham everything from splashing his (awful) coffee at his roommate’s face.

“perhaps you’ll find value in reading some romantic novels here and there,” alhaitham shoots back, “since that’s your only experience with romance anyway.”

“maybe you can take your own advice,” you huff, “you need some romance pointers yourself.”

at that, kaveh snickers and alhaitham turns to look at you with slight betrayal in his features, watching as you slide what he’s sure is a delicious and not bitter mug of freshly brewed coffee to the blonde. you’re not supposed to side with kaveh—and you’re certainly not supposed to make kaveh coffee in the mornings, yet here you are, doing everything in your power to remind alhaitham that you’re still angry. it’s been days, and he’s is still as clueless today as he was the first day, still just as confused with what it is exactly he’s done to upset you this thoroughly.

and then, like the gods have blessed him through a certain big mouth, he hears kaveh’s loud voice, “you could certainly take a few notes how not to forget about dates—”

oh. right. he was supposed to take you for a date—the first date since he’s become acting grand sage, the first date since his schedule’s effectively become a lot less flexible and a lot more difficult to squeeze in a moment with you outside of collapsing in bed beside you after a long day. alhaitham watches as you shoot a sharp look at kaveh, shutting him up with just one look as he rubs the back of his neck.

“kaveh,” you hiss, cutting him off and glaring at him as he shoots you an apologetic look once he realizes he’s accidentally spoken too much. but it’s too late—alhaitham seems to blink in realization, slowly rising to walk over to you across the kitchen.

“so that’s why you’re mad,” he mumbles, “i didn’t mean to forget our date. i’ll take you on one tonight,” he says, making you raise a brow unimpressed.

“and?” you press, making alhaitham’s brows furrow.

“and…i won’t forget again,” he nods slowly, as if sure of himself and his ability to finally fix the situation.

you, however, only scoff, rolling your eyes before shoving past him, making him blink in surprise as you hiss, “you can stay on the couch in that case.”

“but—”

“you’re supposed to say i’m sorry, genius,” kaveh calls from the side, and only because alhaitham doesn’t want to sleep on the couch anymore (and definitely not because he realizes kaveh is right), he grabs your wrist and pulls you against his chest.

“i’m sorry,” he says—and it’s awkward, it’s a little stiff and almost sounds forced, but it’s gentle all the same and sincere as he presses a kiss against your forehead. and much to your dismay, you can’t stay mad no matter how hard you try—because it’s alhaitham, and he’s difficult and in a world of his own, but he’s your alhaitham, somehow lovable under all that irritating know-it-all attitude of his. “i won’t forget again. i guess being acting grand sage takes its toll even on me.”

“you better not,” you grumble, letting him wrap his arms around your waist, reluctantly letting yours snake around his neck. “it won’t be the couch next time if you do—i’ll make you sleep outside.”

“honestly, it’s what he deserves for taking my keys—” and after days of tolerating kaveh’s amusement at his expense, alhaitham thinks it’s sufficiently satisfying watching his roommate go silent after the harsh look you send him over your shoulder, quickly leaving the kitchen with an excuse to finish work mumbled under his breath.

“can’t we send him outside instead?” alhaitham mumbles, burying his face into your neck.

you only hum, threading your fingers through his hair and pressing a soft kiss to the side of his head, “if anything, i should send both of you.”

thank you miss bub my luv for reading over this and helping me figure out this mediocre idea of mine jfjdfs

© hanmas do not plagiarize, repost, translate to other sites, or recommend on platforms outside tumblr such as tik

[papiliotao]

꒰ 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 !! ✩࿐

pairings: albedo, alhaitham, childe, cyno, heizou, kazuha, scaramouche, and xiao x gn!reader (separate)

content: fluff, very light angst in xiao’s and childe’s (they still ends with fluff though), kissing, established relationship

summary: in which your boyfriend tells you that he loves you, but instead of returning his sentiments, you decide to mess with him by not saying it back.

a/n: i said that i’d post soon like two weeks ago... oops. nonetheless, i hope you have fun reading this!

₊˚ପ ALBEDO

“What’s the matter?” Albedo asks, tilting his head slightly as the words fall from the tip of his tongue. Vivid teal eyes fill with hints of concern that dance through his irises loftily in a flurry of iridescent petals.

Albedo is worried, but he doesn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing. For now, he’ll test the waters of an unexplored ocean and scope out the situation, hoping that he’s just reading too much into things.

“Nothing,” you answer, tilting your head innocently as if you don’t have a clue what Albedo’s talking about.

Your boyfriend is perplexed, but he’s not an idiot. He’s often been regarded as a genius, and he’s spent almost as much time reading the sentimental words engraved into your heart as he has conducting his experiments. Albedo is absolutely captivated by you because you never fail to leave him fascinated and awe-struck. So naturally, he’s managed to pick up on all your subtle habits and all your strange quirks.

And right now, the expression on your face tells him that something is off. A missing brushstroke on a panoramic painting. A sour note in an otherwise enchanting composition. A sparkling daydream where you feel just a little too lucid.

You know exactly what he’s talking about. You’re just feigning ignorance.

Now all Albedo has to do is figure out why.

“I see,” he whispers under his breath in a tone so soft that even a light breeze would whisk his words off to neverland.

Albedo’s gaze remains fixated on you, his eyebrows scrunched and eyes narrowed.

Then a barely-audible chuckle leaves your lips. You stifle it in an instant, but Albedo has committed the melodic sound of your laugh to memory.

And suddenly everything makes sense.

You’re trying to get a reaction out of him, but sadly for you, you seem to have forgotten one key detail. Albedo is used to solving issues in a calm manner, his temperament akin to aquatic drafts that gently caress the surface of a crystal ocean. Cool and controlled.

“Ah, I understand now,” he says, and your eyes widen. The expression on your face rivals the beauty of a night sky dotted with various asterisms. You’re utterly ethereal. The corners of Albedo’s lips turn up, graced with a smile that shines with the light of a million stars. “You thought you could fool me, but unfortunately, you just gave yourself away.”

A pause. The tension within the air thaws, and the atmosphere becomes light-hearted once more.

“I’m not mad,” he clarifies, staring you dead in the eye, “but I would, however, appreciate it if you could make it up to me.”

₊˚ପ ALHAITHAM

Alhaitham is unfazed.

He sees right through you. You didn’t seriously think this was going to work on him, right? It didn’t take him long to get used to your antics when you first got together, and although you haven’t tried to play as many pranks on him as of late, it’s difficult to erase the devious grin you don whenever you’re up to something from his mind. Nor has the sly look in your eyes slipped from his memory.

Your boyfriend’s ability to read you is almost prophetic — a prediction of the future, yet no stars are read and no omens are required. He makes his predictions based on logic and logic alone.

And unfortunately for you, you don’t possess the same capabilities.

When you ignore Alhaitham’s honeyed words, turning your back to walk away with a coldness reminiscent of the farthest outreaches of the galaxy, he simply shrugs it off and heads to your living room to read a book. He sinks comfortably into a plush armchair, knowing full well that you’ll be back in no time.

Just four pages in, and Alhaitham hears the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallways, filling your shared home with a familiar sort of music. It’s only a few more seconds before he feels a tap on his shoulder — a touch that brings him back to reality entirely, away from the realm of scholarly pursuits.

“Is there anything you need?” Alhaitham asks, meeting your gaze with eyes tinted a turquoise found only in the most pristine of diamond waters. He remains as stoic as ever, not allowing so much as a single hint of emotion to show through his front.

You stare at him, dumbfound, for a few moments. Alhaitham knows what you’re thinking. He’s normally so observant — nothing ever slips past him, and yet this time, he failed to acknowledge the fact that you didn’t respond to his ‘I love you’. Besides that, it’s rather rare for Alhaitham to allow those words to leave his lips in the first place. He prefers to reserve them for tender moments, times where it feels like the only beings present in the vast universe are the two of you. You expected him to be more alert, and yet, Alhaitham has subverted all your expectations.

And it’s all part of his plan.

But then your eyes widen, filling with a light signaling that you’ve just experienced an epiphany. Alhaitham can tell that you’ve realized what he’s up to, and that your little scheme has backfired entirely.

“About earlier,” you start, assuming that Alhaitham already knows what you’re referring to.

Alhaitham smiles.

“What about it?” he questions you, acting oblivious even though both of you know Alhaitham would never be that clueless.

“You acted like you didn’t notice on purpose, didn’t you?” You’re pouting, but your irritation is clearly feigned. Alhaitham knows you like the back of his hand, and although messing with you produces some entertaining results, he would never go so far as to hurt you.

A rare smile graces Alhaitham’s face, as stunning as vivid ribbons of celestial light that compose an illustrious aurora. He’s not typically one to express emotion, but he can’t help himself. You’re just far too irresistible, and if there’s one thing he has a soft spot for, it’s you.

“My apologies,” he speaks in his usual calm tone. “I just couldn’t help myself — not when I knew I’d be able to bear witness to such an adorable display of anger.”

₊˚ପ CHILDE

The silence that hangs in the air is tangible — a thick veil of unspoken words, all consolidated into glacial fractals that cause the atmosphere to glaze over. An icy sort of tension permeates the moment, crystallizing the ambience and morphing it into something fragile.

And everything shatters when your boyfriend speaks.

“[Name],” he frowns, gazing at you with periwinkle hues devoid of illumination. He sighs, swallowing his pride. “Say it back. Please.”

A blank look fills your eyes, morphing once-lively galaxies into monochromatic jumbles of nonsense. For once, Childe can’t tell what you’re thinking, and that scares him. Either you’re messing with him, and you’re an exceptionally good actor, or you’re being serious.

“Say what back?” you say, cluelessness filling your tone filling your tone.

Childe is dumbfounded. It’s true that he tells you he loves you quite often, but he didn’t think that you’d become so accustomed to it that his words would no longer hold any weight. Although he finds it slightly odd, he supposes that even the most precious of glittering gemstones becomes mundane when fortune is the norm. But that doesn’t mean he’s any less disappointed.

“You really can’t tell?” he sighs yet again. He averts his gaze, looking anywhere but at you.

You shake your heart, and yet as you do, he catches a subtle flash of gilded lightning flash through your irises, setting your expression ablaze with hints of mischief. It vanishes as quickly as it appeared, but Childe knows what he saw. The initial melancholy that gripped his heart with cold fingers borne of frost dissipates, and in its place, amusement arises.

Silence. Shock. Disbelief.

And then he bursts out in a fit of sonorous laughter, the sheer volume of each chuckle rivalling that of an intense tempest.

Your eyes widen. It seems that you didn’t expect to be found out, but Childe has known you for long enough to be able to read your emotions. He’s spent an eternity exploring every nuance of your personality — every subtlety and every quirk, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And he loves every part of you.

That’s why he never fails to express his adoration whenever the opportunity is presented in evanescent moments like these. Although times like these sound like they’d be rare, they’re not when he’s by your side. Every second is filled with bliss, and despite the instances where azure skies are painted a dull grey and sapphire oceans turn tumultuous, he always knows that everything will be alright.

“I should have known,” he says. “You were just teasing me.”

Busted.

In less than a minute, your boyfriend has exposed all your plans, and you have no choice but to admit defeat.

“I was,” you admit, hanging your head.

Childe laughs, but once he settles down, he cups your chin in one hand and lifts your head to meet his gaze. With a surprising amount of tenderness, he closes the distance between your lips. Inch by inch.

You lean in as well. Time slows, and he forgets how to breathe. Even though he was the one who initiated the kiss, he finds you utterly enchanting. The beating of his heart speeds up, becoming erratic, desperate for the sensation of your soft lips pressed against his.

And then it happens. Although Childe had been looking for a verbal affirmation of love, this is even better. Fireworks seem to burst in the edges of his vision, painting the world in vivid shades of phosphorescent crimson and rose.

₊˚ପ CYNO

“Say it back. There’s no need to continue on with this prank of yours because cy-no you’re only joking,” he says. His voice is as monotone as ever, as tranquil as cerulean seas beneath a sky dotted with snowy white clouds.

His words provoke no response from you. You simply stare at him, too shocked to speak.

“Do you get it? Because Cyno is my name, and ‘cy’ sounds a little bit like ‘I’ while ‘no’ sounds like ‘know’.”

Cyno watches as your features scrunch in a twist of disbelief, embarrassment, and fear. He internally chuckles, secretly delighting in the adorable expression adorning your face.

Your reactions are always priceless, worth more than the most precious of gold and the most luxurious of diamonds. Because basking in the splendor of your smile is true opulence.

“Okay, okay,” you giggle, the embers of mischief within your eyes flickering, “you win. Please stop with the puns. I can’t take it anymore.” Your tone is playful, light.

The corners of Cyno’s lips turn up slightly as a smile graces his features. He’s well aware that your exasperation is feigned — nothing more than an exaggeration fabricated in order to tease him a little. Besides, if you didn’t like his sense of humour, you wouldn’t even be dating him right now.

“Victory is mine,” Cyno speaks triumphantly in a tone full of a hyperbolic sort of grandeur.

He feels light-hearted for the first time in a while, and it’s in that moment, that fraction of a second, that Cyno realizes something.

Your presence is liberating.

When he’s with you, he’s free from the troubles of daily life. With you, the responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with his status are put on hold, allowing him some time to truly experience what it’s like to be unburdened. With you, he’s not the General Mahamatra, one of the most renowned figures within Sumeru. 

He’s just Cyno.

He feels his grin widen as he opens his mouth to speak once more.

“I love you,” he repeats his words from earlier, his tone one of pure adoration and bliss. The beating of his heart picks up, setting a new tempo that seems just right for the moment, a perfect backing for a myriad of silent declarations.

That seems to do the trick because you admit defeat without hesitation and utter the same words back with an extra one following in tandem.

“I love you too.”

₊˚ପ HEIZOU

“Oh? Do you not love me anymore?” Heizou confronts the problem head-on, feigning sadness. A smirk spreads across his face when he sees your confused expression, but he manages to erase it in an instant, deceiving even the eyes of his partner.

You should have known better than to play a prank of this sort on him. After all, Heizou’s always been one to turn your tricks against you.

As soon as your eyes widen and your jaw drops, Heizou knows that he’s won. To his relief, you don’t notice the way his verdant pools of peridot sparkle with mischief. You’re too absorbed in your panic to sense that anything is off.

He has to continuously stifle bouts of laughter. Heizou finds your reactions slightly too cute.

“N-No! I didn’t mean it like that!” you blurt out in a tone laced with desperation. “I’m sorry. I should have known that you would have noticed something was off. You’re always so perceptive,” you speak sheepishly, averting your gaze. “I just wanted to see how you’d react if I didn’t say it back…”

Heizou chuckles.

“You’re too cute, darling,” he muses, staring you straight in the eyes. “Fortunately for you, my intuition told me that you were just messing with me.”

You groan.

“Of course you figured it out,” you sigh.

Heizou can’t help but mentally agree. He’s already used to solving mysteries, and the fact that the two of you are so close doesn’t quite work to your advantage. Your boyfriend knows you like the back of his hand, and unfortunately for you, he enjoys the thrill of piecing together the puzzles you craft in an attempt to elicit reactions from him.

“I think I deserve a reward for cracking this case,” he says, pointing a finger at his lips.

When Heizou sees your eyes light up, glowing with the opalescent radiance of a nebula, he knows he’s about to get what he wants.

With one quick movement, you lean in nervously to place a shy kiss on Heizou’s lips, clearly still embarrassed by your failure. When you pull away, you take a few steps backwards before gazing deep into your boyfriend’s eyes. In that moment, Heizou realizes that the sentiments swirling through your irises — feelings embodied by the warm hues of a dying sunset — are nothing but sincere.

₊˚ପ KAZUHA

Kazuha knows you’re teasing him. From the subtle grin you’re trying to hide to the mischievous light dancing within your star-flecked irises, it’s not difficult to discern that you’re teasing him.

But despite everything, he decides to play along.

“I love you,” he repeats, gently taking your hand in his. He plants a gentle kiss on the back of your hand, a charming habit more than a calculated measure.

Kazuha glances up at you and smiles — a gentle expression that lights up your day with rays of golden sunshine. In a single flash, your cheekiness vanishes, and instead, an awestruck gaze paints itself across your face.

Kazuha suppresses a giggle. Far too often, he finds himself enamoured with you, especially when you’re flustered. He attempts to memorize the sight before him, engraving every dip and curve of your facial features into his memories.

You’re just far too endearing for him to resist, and besides, you’re his muse. Kazuha isn’t exactly sure how he knows it, but somehow, he’s certain that someday this moment will undergo a metamorphosis within a hall of crystallized memories, transforming from a fond recollection of the past to strings of eloquently phrased words — a haiku.

You look absolutely captivated by him, and although he didn’t intentionally try to send your heart into a frenzy of vivid daydreams and rose-tinted adoration, he’s glad you find him so attractive. A few seconds pass before you give in.

“I love you too,” you whisper breathlessly, grinning at Kazuha before leaving for the day. As soon as you’re out the door, Kazuha chuckles, eyes containing the essence of autumn mingling with a bright moonglow, swirling with amusement.

“I love you more.”

₊˚ପ SCARAMOUCHE

Scaramouche is confused, but he tries his best not to show it. He’s fairly certain that the two of you haven’t argued recently, so why is it that you’re not reciprocating his affections?

Although Scaramouche acts like he doesn’t care sometimes, he knows all your small habits. And as your lover, he finds it odd that you aren’t uttering those three powerful words back. That coupled with the fact that it’s rather difficult for him to express his feelings makes him desperate for a response.

“Are you forgetting something?” he grumbles, not wanting to seem too desperate. Deep down, his emotions cause whirlwinds of conflicting thoughts to swirl in his mind.

He watches as you blink — slowly, gradually as if you want to stretch seconds into eons. A frown etches itself into his forehead, and he feels irritation begin to overtake his heart. Storm clouds, tinted an ominous grey, overwhelm the ambience.

Finally, after what feels like forever, you shake your head.

“I don’t think so,” you tell him.

Scaramouche’s features twist into a pout, and he crosses his arms in front of his chest. Yet at the same time, your boyfriend is embarrassed beyond measure. He feels his cheeks heating up, and he’s absolutely sure that shades of pink reminiscent of a sunrise have begun to dust his pale cheeks.

“Fine,” he breathes out, rolling his eyes and turning away. “Forget it. I’ll see you tonight.” Scaramouche tries to brush it off casually, attempting to erase the odd experience from memory.

He want nothing more than to hear you say those three words back, but he’s far too proud to admit it.

He nearly walks away before he feels a firm grip on his shoulder.

“Wait,” you say. “I was just kidding.”

Scaramouche groans. He turns around in order to face you.

“How irritating,” he sighs. He brushes his hair, silken strands spun of midnight, away from in front of his eyes. Scaramouche can’t believe you were able to sense his vulnerability.

You giggle upon seeing Scaramouche’s grumpy face.

“You owe me for this,” he states.

“I know,” you whisper, stepping closer to him and leaning in.

Scaramouche feels his breath hitch, and before he knows what’s happening, the sensation of your warm lips against his overwhelms his senses. Sparks fly in the edges of his vision, and soon enough, a passionate fire is set ablaze in a grand display of crimson elation.

Although you didn’t say anything in response when he told you he loved you, your wordless exchange of adoration speaks volumes.

I love you.

₊˚ପ XIAO

Xiao sucks in a quiet breath as you turn away from him. It’s not often that he expresses his affection verbally, and the fact that you’re barely responding to his declaration of love is unnerving.

He looks down, strands of seafoam obscuring his gaze, blocking eyes of honeyed amber from your line of sight. However, he raises his head after only a few seconds, attempting to ignore the feeling of unease creeping up on him, freezing his very being with a subtle chill. It’s barely there — a pain nowhere near the sting of a frostbite — yet it still eats away at him, reminding him again and again that something is wrong.

But although Xiao wants to ask you if anything’s bothering you or if he did something to upset you, he can’t. Translating his emotions into words feels far too difficult, especially because in all honestly, this situation is probably no big deal — or so he tells himself. Your nonchalance contrasts with his overthinking, causing doubt to well up within his mind.

In the end, he allows you to leave, wallowing within an aquamarine sea of thoughts. The world has been painted a watercolour blue. Although he refuses to admit it, melancholy overtakes Xiao’s heart, as he’s now both confused and lost.

Did he upset you?

The idea doesn’t seem too outlandish. Xiao’s never been good at interpreting emotions or expressing them, and it’s one of his greatest insecurities as your boyfriend. He’s gotten better over time, but there are times where he still worries about being too oblivious to your feelings.

Unfortunately for Xiao, you’re out for the day, so there’s plenty of time for negative thoughts to ruminate in his mind, festering until they reach the point of becoming a soulless black hole, draining every bit of confidence from him.

As the skies outside the glass windows of your shared home begin to tint with a rosy blush, and a golden light paints the world in shades of ephemeral warmth, Xiao becomes restless. You’ll be back any moment, and then, he’ll have to face you. Anticipation causes his heart to beat in a frenzy as the minute of your arrival approaches.

And sure enough, you return at the exact time you always do.

As soon as you walk through the door, Xiao walks over to greet you, gauging your reactions. When you see him, the corners of your lips turn up in an ethereal smile, and the rest of your face lights up.

Your delighted expression takes Xiao aback. He didn’t expect such a pleasant greeting after the events of this morning, but he brushes it off, allowing a grin to dance across his features in tandem, reciprocating your look of absolute adoration.

“I missed you,” he whispers, stepping closer to you in order to gently take your hand in his.

To assure himself that you’re here in the moment. That nothing’s wrong.

He sighs contently when you don’t pull away. The solace of your intertwined fingers is akin to the tidings of a viridescent spring after countless days of pure white dusting a panoramic landscape. It’s a breath of fresh air after eons spent hyperventilating in the frigidness of a crystallized wasteland, silently fading away amongst seas of sparkling snow.

Xiao can finally breathe again.

And when he laters asks why you didn’t return the three precious words he uttered under his breath earlier that day, as the sun had just begun bathing the world in aureate light, your answer causes his face to heat up.

It was nothing more than a prank.

disappearing back into my gremlin cave for another fifty years now!! thank you so much for reading!

[jellalism]

Genshin men x Reader: Telling the secret

You tell him you’re interested in people of the same gender. How does he react?

Characters: Albedo – Alhaitham – Ayato – Baizhu – Chongyun – Childe – Diluc – Gorou – Heizou – Itto – Kaveh – Kazuha – Kaeya – Tighnari – Venti – Wanderer – Wriothesley – Xiao – Zhongli

Genre: Comfort

Reader's gender: Gender neutral

Word count: 1345

Content warnings: None

Notes: For the purposes of this fic, I take every character here to be straight but supportive. Except Baizhu; I cannot for the life of me imagine him as heterosexual. I put ‘gay’ in between brackets; you can replace it in your mind with whatever your sexuality is. All the characters' reactions are platonic.

Read below or on AO3.

Albedo’s expression doesn’t change. “I see. I’ve heard of people like that. I never had the opportunity to meet one, however… Until you, apparently.”

“Maybe you’ve met one before, and you just didn’t know it?”

He smiles. “You’re right, I shouldn’t make assumptions. In any case, thank you for trusting me with this. That means a lot.”

Alhaitham is unfazed as he looks up from his book. “Okay. I imagine you may be worried about my reaction. But you don’t need to be. I think those who judge others for something harmless like loving someone of the same gender are foolish.” He says it matter-of-factly, like there is no doubt in the world.

“Thanks,” you say and sigh from relief.

“No need to thank me,” he says as he turns towards his book again. “Like I said, it’s foolish to judge people for being [gay]. I’m just doing the bare minimum.”

“But still... you take the effort to reassure me. Thank you.”

He looks up again and gazes at your face for a few moments. “Maybe I underestimated how much this means to you.” He closes his book, makes his way towards you and pulls you into a hug. “You’re a friend of mine. Don’t forget that. If anyone in the Akademiya gives you trouble over your sexuality, let me know. I can cause trouble in return.”

“That’s quite unusual, isn’t it?” says Ayato. “But unusual doesn’t mean wrong. Everyone has their own tastes. I hope you can find someone who makes you happy. And if you need help finding someone, let me know. I think it might be fun to play matchmaker.” He smiles mischievously. It might be prudent not to let him choose a date for you.

Baizhu looks relieved. “Well, finally you told me. Doesn’t it feel like a relief? You know, it’s not healthy to keep all kinds of secrets bottled up.”

“I know, but… this isn’t something easy to share.”

“Oh, I know, y/n. I’m gay myself, but it’s something I’ve learned not to share with just anyone. It makes my work easier. In any case,” he continues, “thank you for trusting me. I think this brought us closer together, hasn’t it?”

Chongyun looks surprised. “That’s possible? I didn’t even know! That’s so cool!” His eyes are full of excitement and curiosity. “How did you know? And do you have a partner?” He wants to know all about it.

After a while, you have to explain to him that some people are homophobic, and that he needs to keep your sexuality a secret. “People think it’s bad to love someone, just because the other person is of the same gender? That’s absurd. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret!”

“I didn’t see that coming, comrade, but don’t worry!” Childe winks. “You won’t get any judgment from me. And besides, a bond of comradeship isn’t broken so easily.” He ruffles your hair. “You’ll be stuck with me for a long time.”

Diluc weighs his words carefully and takes a few moments before he starts speaking. “Thank you for telling me this, y/n. I can see that it means a lot to you, and I don’t take your trust in me lightly. Your secret is safe. And—” he takes the time to choose his words carefully “—I don’t judge you, of course. You’re a dear friend, and this won’t change that.”

Gorou is a little surprised, but not much. “Don’t worry about it! I’m an army general, homosexuality abounds here. If I were homophobic, the army would be the wrong place for me,” he says with a chuckle. “That said, not everyone got the memo. Even here there’s plenty of homophobes. But if anyone gives you trouble, let me know. I’ll be sure to have a stern word with them.” He stands up straight, full of confidence. Gorou really is someone you can count on.

Heizou saw it coming. “A little bit of intuition already told me that much. But I didn’t want to creep you out by letting you know earlier. And don’t worry about it: I haven’t told anyone, of course. I’ll keep any secret for you. Except criminal ones.”

“That’s just one more reason you’re always welcome in the Arataki gang,” Itto says enthusiastically. “We’re made up of outcasts! We welcome anyone who’s gone through hard times. And you, compadre, definitely qualify.” Before you know it, he wraps you in a tight hug.

Kaveh seems completely fine. “That’s beautiful. Love is a beautiful thing. You know, I really admire people like you. In loving the same gender despite what other people think, there’s a certain dedication to love.”

Your face flushes.

“Aww, are you embarrassed? No need to be.” He steps towards you and hugs you gently. “Thank you for telling me. You’re amazing, you know that?”

Kazuha doesn’t say a word, just immediately goes in for the hug. His mouth close to your ear, he softly says: “I hear in your voice that it’s been weighing on you. I’m sorry that you had to carry that on your own. I wish I could’ve borne it with you.” He gently rubs your back to reassure you. Everything about his reaction is full of love and warmth, and your tears threaten to spill over.

“Ah, I see.” Kaeya has a mischievous expression and seems on the verge of making a teasing comment. But when he looks at your anxious face, he becomes more serious and concerned. “This… has been hard for you, hasn’t it? I’m glad you told me, y/n. You’re a dear friend of mine, and your trust in me only makes our bond stronger, if you ask me.”

Tighnari is quite direct about it. “Don’t worry, I’m not homophobic. I’m a forest ranger and a scholar from Amurta. If anyone knows just how natural homosexuality is, it’s me. Does that alleviate your fears?”

“What, you think the God of Freedom would somehow have restrictive ideas about sexuality? Absolutely not.” Venti shakes his head vigorously, as if mere words are not enough to dispel the notion. “In fact, I know some songs about same-gender lovers.” And he strikes a chord on his lyre, starting a song.

Wanderer does not care one way or another. “Oh, so you’re like that? Well, it doesn’t concern me. You can just do whatever you like.”

“But…” You want to say something, but the words don’t seem to come.

“What?” He seems annoyed. “I won’t spill your secret to anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about. Not like I’d have anyone to spill it to, even if I wanted to.” Then, with a softer voice: “You’re one of the few people who cares to spend time with me, after all.” You’re not sure you were supposed to hear that.

“Ah, I see. So that’s what has been weighing on you. I had been wondering.” Wriothesley says matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry to hear you didn’t feel safe enough to tell me until now. But I’m glad you told me now. I won’t betray your trust; you can count on me.” His expression tells you all you need to know: it’s full of love for you.

Xiao has lived a long time and seen many things. “It’s ridiculous to me that some mortals still have not gotten over the fact that some people are [gay],” he says, gazing out over the Guili Plains. He turns to face you, looking you straight in the eye with his intense gaze. “Listen to me. You did not deserve the hardships that people have given you over this. If anyone bothers you, let me know. They will listen to an adeptus.”

Zhongli places his hand on top of your head in a reassuring way. “I was aware some worry was weighing you down, but I did not know what it was. Worry not; things such as this don’t faze me.” He places a kiss on your forehead. “Love is beautiful, so I would never wish to oppose that. If ever you encounter trouble, you can depend on me.”

[mondaymelon]

— 𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗮𝘂: 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀. ♥

:feat~ alhaitham, kaveh, cyno, tighnari: (warnings~ obsessive behavior + teensy bit of angst)

ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ (open!) : @manager-of-the-pudding-bank, @iamdedinside, @ilyuu

Lately, you've been playing a lot more Honkai Star Rail…

ALHAITHAM is jealous.

Which is new to him, as someone who just about has everything he could need. Everything, that is, except for you.

It’s nearly been a week since you last logged on.

And that scares him. He knows he should trust you, but the mere thought of you leaving him is enough to make the acting grand tremble. You are his light, and without you, he is dead - nothing.

It’s cold.

He misses your warmth. Your happy laughs and snide remarks he witnesses as you play and read through dialogue, seeing your bright smile through your front camera, all of it  unbeknownst to you.

But, all this time, did that mean nothing to you?

Oh, but all of a sudden, is that you? You’re finally back! The scribe can’t hold back his smile, eyes sparkling as you start to load in. He can feel your comforting presence, something that invigorates him, such a simple thing, yet it fills him with the will to live.

Ah, but something is different.

Who’s this Dan Heng you keep mumbling about with such a… dreamy expression?

No, that couldn’t be right. That look was reserved for him only. How could you think of someone else with that gaze?

Oh, so this is what jealousy feels like.

KAVEH is baffled.

Confused. I mean, is it really all that much to make a fuss about? Sure, you haven’t logged on in a while, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

He’s confident that you won’t leave him! Because, after all, you said it yourself… something along the lines of “SDFJSDFKLSDJFLK I LVOE KAVEH SO MCUH FDJSGLK” ...Or, at least, that was what you had texted over the chat feature to one of your in game friends.

He adores you, so it’s only natural that he praises every word you speak!

Ah, but what’s this new game on your device?

Honkai… Star Rail? 

I-Is this what you’ve been spending all your time on? Time spent without him?

But why?

It’s only then that Kaveh notices.

The new way you’ve begun to act whenever you occasionally log on, the way you’re growing distracted, the way you sigh as you collect your daily commissions, the way you barely glance at his way, almost tired of the game that he’s in… 

It’s okay, Kaveh tells himself, staring at the ground. The room is dark, and he hasn’t eaten in days, body shaking.

They’ll come around again.

They always do.

CYNO is reconsidering.

All his life, he knows that what he’s been doing is in the light of justice. All his life, he’s known that he is in the right. All his life, he has not doubted his path.

Yet…

“My Eminence, where have you gone?”

The world was so barren without you. You were incomparable, the pure life that radiated from your being gave him a sense of elation that he had never experienced before. It was a honey-like feeling that was shamefully addicting.

Was it his fault that you had left? He should’ve changed for you.

Perhaps he had missed your subtle signs, perhaps you were upset at him - he had to have done something wrong, otherwise, why would this have happened?

“I’m sorry.” His distraught hands hid his expression, his crystal tears, as he knelt before his shrine to you - a secret oblation that he held in his heart, with things he treasured. A lock of your hair, a page from your notebook, a jewel pendant that you had left behind… they were such items that he disgracefully cherished.

“I’ll do better, I promise. I’ll do anything.”

So please, let me see you one more time.

TIGHNARI is acceptant.

He’s knowledgeable in so many things… the wildlife of Sumeru’s rainforest, countless antidotes… he knows the forest like the back of his hand. 

Despite that, he comprehends you more. He knows what makes you smile, what makes you irritated, all of it - because he loves you, even though he knows he shouldn’t. 

You’re someone that’s off limits to a person who’s as lowly as him, as insignificant. Truly, he doesn’t deserve to even be in your presence, but it’s too impossibly warm to resist. After all, the savior is just that benevolent, and your radiance blinds him.

He’s not good enough.

That’s all that can ring through his head when he’s with you. And it’s true to him, because you are perfect in his eyes, and in the eyes of the world. Yet his heart still dares to shamefully race whenever you smile.

So it only makes sense if you leave.

At first, it did come as a surprise, but not much of one. Because he knows he deserved it, and that he was never worthy of your attention in the first place.

Still, his heart aches. But if you’re content, then so is he. Who is Tighnari to argue with your divine judgment?

So, he understands. He understands that you grew tired of him.

Ah, but still, he dares hold a small shred of hope that you’ll come back to see him again.

Is that so sinful?

(a/n) i love the sumeru men too much please send help

[desafinado]

𓆩♡𓆪 oblivious crushes hcs

their crush on you is as clear as day, but you seem to be wearing sunglasses

°｡⋆ kaveh, alhaitham, kaeya x reader (separately)

°｡⋆ fluff, maybe a bit ooc alhaitham, lots of touchy/clingy :( and some angst in kaeya's part

note: i haven’t gone too far into sumeru yet D: (purely bc of laziness and college) so that’s why alhaitham might be a bit ooc… but! i hope yall enjoy, i had fun. (ps. this was inspired by my short convo with @kana-dayo , i hope u don't mind the tag just tell me if you want me remove it!!)

kaveh ♡

it threw for him a loop the first time. you were both walking down the port at sunset when he asked if you liked him, and you said of course you love him and you couldn’t ask for a better friend.

he thought you had rejected him when and was genuinely heartbroken for a day, until you visited the next day acting as if everything was fine.

he did not know how to proceed, but he did with caution… when he realized, you genuinely did not understand, he decided to build up the romance before asking you again.

he started making it known to you (and everyone else in the room) that he wanted to spend time with you.

“alhaitham, if you could give us a moment or tw-” “no.” “we’re having dinner out then, dear, lets go.”

of course, he would never do anything that might make you uncomfortable, the moment you express any discomfort or hesitance, he backs off.

that being said, you have never really done such, most times you’re even encouraging him

“kaveh… hugs now please :( “

and how can he not deny you?

speaking of which, he also tried to make more gentle subtle touches, taking your hand when you both walked, placing a hand on the small of your back, hugs that lasted just a second too long.

by the end of it he was extraordinarily clingy, one of his favorite moments is when your head is on his lap and he gets to caress your head.

he acts nonchalantly about it, and so do you. little did you know was that he never did that with anyone else.

“what do you mean kaveh doesn’t like hugging? we spend hours cuddling on the couch..”

to be honest he doesn’t really think much of it either, touching you is like second nature to him. you don’t mind either, because for some odd reason, it just feels right.

he’s almost certain that you like him too, but he’s too afraid to confirm it. he’d much rather stay like this in some sort of limbo between friends and lovers.

but eventually, it eats him up. he needs some sort of closure, even if it meant the collapse of his lovey-dovey facade.

everything’s in place. he had gone through all the scenarios, he knew you were in a good mood, and alhaitham was all the way in sumeru city. everything was perfect for him to make his move, all he needed was you.

“kaveh, what’s all this?”

a picnic blanket was spread out on the grass, a strawberry shortcake, sandwiches and wine laid on top. kaveh stood before it, his familiar smile inviting you to come closer. “ah, i have to admit, it is something a bit special so, please have a seat.”

you follow his advice and gently rest on the blanket, careful not to disturb kaveh’s work. he does the same and sighs. “hm… is this an anniversary or celebration of some sort? did you finally pay off your debt?” you start to ask excitedly, getting a bit ahead of yourself. kaveh simply shakes his head, chuckling softly.

“no, dear. on the contrary, if this all falls through, it could be my funeral.”

you give him a curious glance, tilting your head. he takes both his hands in yours and squeezes them gently.

“nothing that serious, do you remember when i asked you if you liked me?”

“yes… and i still do, if that’s what your concerned about.”

“when i said that, i meant to ask if you liked me as more than just a friend.”

…

…

“you mean… like family? like sibli-”

“no, no, dear god no. i mean like… lovers.”

your face turns red at the mention of that word, lovers. it implied romantic love, of course; you weren’t that dense. he’s looking straight into your eyes, awaiting a response, but your lips feel as though they’ve frozen in place. a few more seconds of silence pass, and his lips purse into a heavy frown.

“ah, i’m sorry, if you don’t… i just couldn’t go on like this, pretending that we were something more, living in ignorant bliss. i truly am sorry.”

“no, wait. kaveh…”

you finally build up the courage to speak, letting go of his hands and caressing his cheek. if there’s something you can’t ignore, its the way he’s putting himself down.

“i-i like you that way too, i just didn’t want to believe it either. i… i didn’t want to delude myself into that, so i never entertained the possibility that-”

his tender lips find yours in a kiss, interrupting your rambling along with any doubt the two of you had left. just like all of his other touches, the kiss felt right, familiar, and simply satisfying.

alhaitham ♡

feelings, specifically love, are a far too strong force that many times they most certainly overcome any logic of even the most robotic of personalities; enter alhaitham.

normally, he would be upfront about these sorts of things, giving them the ultimatum. letting them choose to accept or reject his feelings.

but this time, he didn’t want to give you that chance. he needed you to accept him, he couldn’t imagine any other possibility.

so what does he do? he takes a chance with the whole concept of “romancing” in order to win your heart.

he makes an effort to be around you more, he’ll listen to your long winded rants about the most random topics.

“so, why do you care about this again?” “i just do, i’m not quite sure why honestly.” “that’s understandable, please go on.”

he’s never been one to care about how others might perceive him, how others might react to his actions, but he cares so much about you and he wants you to trust him.

once he notices the way your lips curl up when he enters a room or the way you look at him when you feel a bit overwhelmed, he takes this as a sign that he can try being a bit more touchy.

he never really understood the appeal of it, until he felt how warm you were, how your skin brushing against his made him feel a bit more understood and loved.

and you don’t mind one bit, in fact, you’re happy that he has you to lean on (literally and metaphorically)

but you imagine his roommates' surprise to find alhaitham on the couch cuddled up with someone he had never even met.

“wake them up, and you will sleep outside.”

he truly believes he’s being subtle, but everyone (well those who have the courage to) teases him about it.

he brushes it off, but warns them not to tell you or else…

however, when he starts moving onto more overt and blatant shows of affections, he is sorely disappointed to realize that you are not catching on.

he’d gift you flowers before every outing, call you cute nicknames, and even be more honest with his own feelings.

a polite smile, a thank you, and enthusiastic nod was all you ever responded with.

he was disappointed in himself, he thought he must’ve done something wrong, that he must’ve made you uncomfortable.

he needs to confront you about this in his own way, for his sake and yours.

“it’s you…”

his voice rings out like a bell in a cathedral, snapping you back into reality. he had requested for you to meet him at one of the gazebos near the akademiya. stars had been showered upon the night sky, and it was all you could look at, until alhaitham’s voice, of course. you turn around and chuckle at his awe-stricken face.

“glad to see you too. your letter sounded quite urgent, is something the matter?”

upon seeing you, he can’t control his movements, rushing towards you and taking you into a dramatic hug. you’re quick to hug him back, offering him any and all support he might need. he buries his head into your shoulder, taking in your scent, and touch, enjoying it while it lasts. his voice almost cracks as he speaks.

“yes. i’m sorry for making you uncomfortable with my… advances. i understand if you never want to see me again.”

the shock is almost enough to knock you over, but you simply pull away and look at him with deep concern. you didn’t know where he was coming from, and you had never seen him like this.

“advances? what sort of advances?”

“the romantic ones?”

“oh! towards who? i don’t mind at all, really.”

its his turn widen his eyes, he closes his eyes and pauses. he needs to pick his next words carefully, he really wants this to be a swift death, no point in dragging his heart against the pavement.

“towards you…? the one i love is you.”

he finally admits, hoping you finally understand. he’s run out of words to say, ways to express his unwavering love for you. you flicker between his eyes and lips, confirming if what he says is true, and what he feels is real; after a moment, you speak up.

“i’m sorry, i never… i knew you were opening up, but i didn’t stop to think…”

you calmly take him back into your arms, letting his head rest back on your shoulder. you stroke his hair slowly, trying to soothe him. “i was already so happy that you seemed to be opening up to me, i didn’t realize you meant it in that way. i didn’t want to push it any further than necessary.” he allows you to touch and pamper him, allowing himself the privilege of your tender care.

“i see. so you weren’t comfortable with it? you’re not comfortable with me…?”

“no, alhaitham. i’m more than comfortable with you, and i’d do all those things with you again.”

you blush, understanding the implications of what you had just said. you just opened yourself to him, laid yourself out for him to accept or reject. you close your eyes, bracing for what comes next, when you suddenly feel yourself being lifted up and spun around gently.

“alhaitham!”

“that’s all i needed to hear, darling. from this day on, we can do all those things and more… again and again, everyday.”

kaeya ♡

he likes to tease, that is no question. making others red in the face, in anger or embarrassment, is a pastime of his.

but why is it that you of all people, his one and only crush, remain unaffected?

its not like you even have a snarky remark back or try to hide your embarrassment, you simply let it pass as though it was the cool summer breeze against your skin.

“oh my… shouldn’t you take me out to dinner first?” “uh why?”

you surely enjoyed his company and the silly jokes he’d make, even though there would be times you just didn’t understand what he was talking about.

other than that, he’d often be extra chivalrous towards you, holding the door for you, taking your hand as you walk down the stairs… but i mean that’s how knights just are, right?

though you can often feel his overprotective step out, especially when it comes to your safety, you once again chalk it to him in his cavalry captain mode.

only his closest friends and allies can detect the minor difference in his behavior around you, except you, of course. it doesn’t bother him, because it only solidifies his love for you, how serious he is about you.

sometimes he truly is just amazed with the way your mind works to rule out all romantic possibilities, its like the notion of love does not even exist to you.

he doesn’t mind it one bit, though. if anything, he wishes to be the person who introduces you to love.

he knows he can reveal his feelings at any moment, but he wants you to figure it out for yourself, that epiphany of love is something he feels everyone should experience…

that is until he catches you blushing with another person.

“oh yeah! they’ve been talking to them the entire night… they’re really hitting it off, i don’t-”

every word after that is just muffled noise to him. he didn’t understand the feeling coursing through his vein. it was a poignant mixture of jealousy, sadness, and disappointment in himself.

he immediately steps out of angel’s share, not even bothering with a drink to drown his feelings. he thought he was special to you, the way you were to him.

that’s when the creaking of the tavern doors catches his attention, revealing you.

“oh, hi.”

your voice was timid in the chilly night atmosphere, the silence between you and kaeya almost deafening. he huffs and crosses his arms, trying to pretend as if he hadn’t just felt his heart rip, shatter and

“hey, so what are you doing here? i know you’re not one for taverns, most specially on a wednesday night.”

he doesn’t miss a beat, starting his investigation. your eyes widen at his unusually stern demeanor; its not like you haven’t seen this side of him, but you don’t know have a clue as to where it's coming from. you start to sober up, feeling the excitement and adrenaline of the bar leave you. “honestly, i had nothing better to do… and i was trying to get out of my comfort zone.”

he raises an eyebrow at your seemingly simple explanation; you didn’t have any reason to lie, and to be fair, it wasn’t like he had a right to know anyways. his posture relaxes as gives you his arm, gesturing for you to take it; you, having no reason to deny him, take his arm in yours. you both start walking down the streets, no definite destination in mind.

“Is something wrong, kaeya?”

the glazed look in your eyes is something he can’t ignore, and he knows you won’t ignore his furrowed eyebrows either. he sighs letting the cold air entering his lungs, as if numbing himself before the storm truly begins.

“yes, actually there is. could i be a burden to you?”

“kaeya… you know you can always talk to me about your feelings, you’re no burden to me.”

a bitter chuckle escapes his lips, acting as if he truly had nothing left to lose. “that’s why i love you, you know? ah… i thought i’d be saying this in a drunken stammer or you’d hear from rosaria or lisa, but i’m more sober than ever and… i love you so much it hurts.”

suddenly, his touch feels much colder than it ever has, sending a shiver down your spine. you pause for a moment, the adrenaline and heat rising back up.

“k-kaeya, wait… i love you too. i’m-”

“you needn’t spare my feelings or lie. perhaps it was my fault for letting my pride get the best of me, and now you’ve been swept away by someone else, someone who makes you blush.”

your eyebrows curved into a straight line, clearly baffled by kaeya’s assumptions. yes, you were a bit oblivious when it came to love, so you feel like you’d take note if “someone swept you away”.“kaeya, i have no idea what you’re talking about, but if you’re referring to my demeanor in the bar, i was…” you face only gets redder by the moment. “i-i don’t hold my alcohol very well…”

kaeya pauses for a second, his lips parting in a small o-shape. he feels like such a fool for jumping to assumptions so quickly, but he quickly regains his composure realizing something far more crucial, a smirk plastered onto his face.

“i see. so you like me after all? and i’ve finally managed to fluster you”

“n-no, you didn’t! the alcohol just hasn’t-”

“aha, so you do love me? dear, just say the word, and i’m all yours.”

requests are open!! please do not reposts on other sites.

[whoistartaglia]

sweet talk

based on sweet talk by saint motel.

alhaitham x gn! reader

alhaitham is not one to pull his punches, not even with you.

presently, you lounge in alhaitham’s office, seated incorrectly, with your legs over the arms of the chair and back against the other side, in front of alhaitham’s desk. the scholar watches as you flip nonsensically through a scriba, your eyes barely skimming the page, before you toss it on the desk. it lands in the middle of a hurricane of documents and open books, and nearly topples over an inkwell.

“can i assume this book too has lost your interest?” alhaitham says, picking it up himself. he fights the urge to roll his eyes. a romance novel, of course. when you first came marching in his office, ignoring the plaque on his door of “leave me alone” (though in much more “professional” language), you claimed the novel was a dissertation, and that you needed a nice, quiet place to work. the library, you claimed, was too packed with students studying for finals and working on their own reseatch papers. alhaitham allowed you to begrudgingly take residence in his office. yet flipping through the novel know, alhaitham realizes he should have known better.

“naturally,” you reply, hopping off the chair. “i’m so bored and there’s nothing to do.”

“what about your research?”

you make a face like you bit into a lemon.

“i would rather read that entire book to you upside-down and backwards.”

now it’s alhaitham’s turn to make a face. his is bitter like he downed a black coffee, no sugar, no milk, except that you know better; alhaitham probably has those on the daily and enjoys them.

alhaitham pretends to think, then snaps his fingers when the idea comes to him.

“you could always leave,” he says, quite pleased with himself.

you roll your eyes. “ha-ha. very funny.”

“i wasn’t joking,” alhaitham replies, tossing your novel to the corner of his desk. “you are always welcome to go, [name]. right now especially. i’ll even walk you to the door.”

this has the opposite of alhaitham’s intended effect. what he wanted was your sour expression to deepen, lips puckering and brows furrowing, not the absolutely sweet and beaming smile that has replaced it.

“what a lovely idea!” you say, clasping your hands together. “unfortunately, i will have to decline your generous offer for a walk today. i feel i’m just too tired.” you make a point of sitting back down, on his desk this time, and dangling your feet off the edge. you look over you shoulder to grin at him, and it doesn’t even falter at alhaitham’s visible confusion.

this isn’t the first time his harsh words haven’t the slightest negative effect on you. the scribe, for all his intelligence and determination, can’t figure out why. if he said those same words to anyone else, they would have run out of his office with their tail between their legs. but not you.

short of telling you to piss off and go away, alhaitham does not know what could actually deter you—and even then, he feels him saying that would only further encourage you. between this and his research, alhaitham can’t tell which is the harder nut to crack, though he’s leaning towards the former.

“i’m going to take a break,” alhaitham announces, standing up and heading towards the door. the latter is at a standstill, and he’d rather return to it later than brute-forcing his way through it now.

“great idea,” you say, hopping off the desk. “where are we going? on a walk?”

“well, i am,” alhaitham says, “but didn’t you say your legs were hurting?”

“oh!” you pause and think very quickly. “they’re all better now—unless you want to carry me. then i have no objections.” this earns you an amused snort, but you figure that if alhaitham really doesn’t want you to come, he wouldn’t be opening the door in front of you like he is now.

“is there anything i can say to deter you?” he wonders aloud.

you think for a second, walking out of the office. alhaitham keeps pace next to you as you travel down the halls.

“i’m not sure. you could always send the matra after me. but even if you told me to drop dead, i wouldn’t care.”

“i didn’t realize i was such a sweet talker,” alhaitham mutters, more to himself than to you. you simply smile up at him, and when you ask him to repeat himself because you didn’t hear, alhaitham just smiles and shakes his head.

alhaitham isn’t one to pull his punches, and he likes to think it’s the same with you. but you smile so sweetly that the sourness and bitterness from earlier fades, and alhaitham finds himself wondering if there was ever a punch to be pulled in the first place.

[byizoyas]

© byizoyas

SFW | soft hcs when they get jealous (in a relationship) with alhaitham, itto, cyno

✰ ALHAITHAM

› alhaitham doesn’t express his feelings a lot, he just does it when needs be or when he wants to

› but as much of a careless loner he likes to think he is; he actually does care, especially when it’s about you

› and even though you get his full trust, he doesn’t like a lot to find other men around you

⸻

you argued with alhaitham about three days ago and none of you texted back since then but as much as you missed him, you knew you wouldn’t be the one doing it, since you weren’t so in the wrong during your debates.

college was hard without alhaitham to encourage you and comfort you, but you were doing pretty fine. even found a working partner for the latest project your teacher gave you.

usually, you did your homework with alhaitham but since he didn’t intend on coming back for now, you had to take care of yourself.

and that’s how you ended up in the college library with your new working partner.

you usually didn’t talk a lot in class, and he didn’t either so you guys didn’t know each other a lot —not to say at all— but somehow, the conversation was flowing.

you kept on laughing to his jokes and he laughed to yours.

only after hours of talking and studying together did you notice your boyfriend on your left sitting with his roommate. kaveh was talking to him but alhaitham seemed to barely listen to him, with his eyes stuck on you.

the eye contact kept going for a few minutes before he went to you.

‘hi. could we talk ?’ he only said, not addressing a single look at the man sitting before you, and instead keeping his eyes on you waiting for your answer.

you agreed, following him into a little room not far from the library. alhaitham locked the door, probably so you could freely talk without the fear of being interrupted in the middle of your conversation.

‘you didn’t text.’ you started saying since alhaitham wasn’t saying a single word for the two minutes you’ve been spending inside of that office.

‘i… was busy.’ he only said.

you shrugged your shoulders. you’ve been waiting for him to initiate the conversation he needed to have since he came to disturb you and your new friend. but he wasn’t saying a thing. instead, only looking at you with a stoic face as if he was waiting for you to speak more.

‘still hard to express yourself huh ? see you.’ you waved at him before going towards the door to go back with the other student you’ve been working with for the past few hours.

‘i despise seeing you with him, who obviously likes you.’

‘i do not like him !’ you yelled at him, turning back to face him thinking it’d give more impact to your confession. ‘i like you ! fucking dumbass !’

‘i love you y/n’

these words weren’t expected. it was indeed the first time ever he said it to you, and you couldn’t blame him since you guys started dating really not long ago. but imagining alhaitham confessing his love in a tight room next to the college library was still hard to believe; even while you were living it right now.

‘i love you, and i don’t want to lose you to that asshole.’

you didn’t find strength to say anything; instead only kissing him.

he was jealous. you told yourself your whole life, that you would despise a jealous man, but to have the man you were feeling undying love for, feel threatened to the point of confessing right away; was absolutely astonishing.

✰ ITTO

› so you’ve been in a romantic relationship with itto for a while now and he pretty much never expressed any jealousy

› itto is just super confident and he believes you when you say you love him

› but there are times where he finds it hard to compete with the others, as if they were better people for you than him

⸻

a few days ago, itto called you, suggesting he’d organize a whole festival for your incoming birthday. he couldn’t help it, that man simply loved you too much to not prepare anything for you.

as much as you liked your friends, the idea of spending a whole night with all of them wasn’t your preferred option; especially after you thought of a romantic date with your lover.

and as much as seeing him all happy and enthusiastic about it was melting your heart, you didn’t feel like keeping your thoughts to yourself.

‘itto ?’

‘mh ?’

the two of you were hanging out, walking around inazuma streets. the sun was high in the sky and hitting your skin a pleasant warmth.

‘did you find something you want ? because i worked hard to buy you a gift you’d like !’ he exclaimed in the middle of the street. and the few people turning around to look at you pretty much always seemed judging. except for grandmas who thought you looked cute together.

‘no itto i- don’t want a birthday party’ you quickly said.c stopping you in your walk so you could avoid itto’s face. you spent all night imagining his face turning into disappointment and couldn’t bear to see it.

‘what ?! how could you not tell me before y/n.’ he screamed. more than disappointed, he seemed worried that you might not enjoy your day as much as he wanted you to.

after that, it took a few twenty minutes for him to stop repeating how sorry he was for not seeing it before. and you ended up talking about complete opposite things.

and when you finally got to start thinking about your birthday plans; your phone rang; ayato’s name appearing on the lockscreen.

his calls were pretty rare, so you only showed the name to itto for him to understand why you were picking a call instead of focusing on him for your special moment together.

‘ayaka and i have been planning a huge party for your birthday. i hope you’ll be free on [second day after birthday date] to celebrate you.’

‘well i-’ you started stopping him in his idea, but he quickly interrupted you, which was so not his usual behavior

‘don’t say no. i’m almost begging you to not cancel. ayaka has been working on it for months now, and she truly wants you to be here, y/n, please think about it.’

after his begging, which was, once again, typically not like ayato; itto obviously asked what was going on with that sudden call.

‘the kamisato have been organizing something for my birthday…’ you started saying. obviously, you didn’t like he idea of refusing his plans to agree to others. but ayato insisted a lot and that was what you said to itto, hoping he would understand

but he only nodded. ‘i see.’

you felt bad the minute you talked about it. now itto’s face was truly not giving his usual good vibes.

‘you think their party will be better than mine ?’ he asked, looking at you before looking away ‘cause i would’ve done better. for you.’

you smiled after hearing these words, especially knowing that itto wasn’t one to speak words he didn’t mean.

was he jealous ? you asked yourself. ‘itto, i wanted to spend my day with you only.’ you said, to reassure him a bit, but it wasn’t a lie. you truly wanted to be with only him, in his loving arms and all.

‘you did ?’ his eyes suddenly full of sparkles looked back at you. but he coughed, quickly taking off that genuine happiness expression from his face. ‘i mean, as you wish y/n.’

you chuckled to yourself before throwing yourself into his arms, which welcomed you right away. ‘i only need you itto.’

you stared fondly at him before his lips crashed onto yours. ‘i’m glad to hear that. your birthday will be the best of your life, your birthday date (me, he added) will make sure to.

‘i’m looking forward to it.’ you only replied, offering your full trust to him and stealing him another kiss.

✰ CYNO

› cyno jokes around a lot,this is one of the multiple things you like about him too

› but he also takes some things RLLY seriously; to the point where it’s written all over his face that he’s not joking at all

› so when you’ve seen him walking towards you; with that face you learnt to recognize right away after spending so much time together with him; you knew exactly where it was going

⸻

you’ve been talking with a friend of yours for an hour now, yet time didn’t seem to move that fast to you.

it’s only when you’ve seen cyno from afar that you realized; you failed him. you indeed planned to go to the cinema together, but since you arrived earlier and had to wait, you went to a cafe on the other side of the road.

‘am i bothering you ?’ he only said after walking to you and your friend.

you were both sitting facing each other, while cyno was standing next to the table almost between the two of you.

your friend looked at him before his eyes rolled back at you, his gaze expressing confusion as he only let out a hesitating sound.

‘[friend’s name] he’s cyno; my boyfriend who i was supposed to join fifteen minutes ago now… i’m sorry.’ you whispered the end of your sentence while looking up at your lover who was still not talking much.

obviously he didn’t appreciate finding you laughing with another man while he, was outside waiting for you to come which you never did.

sure he could’ve waited, but you guys didn’t get to see each other for a moment now since cyno had a job taking almost all his time; and he was missing you a lot.

‘you should get going then.’ your friend only said, smiling and waving at you while you stood up with your stuff in hands.

cyno said goodbye to the other man, coldly though, but at least he had been polite. you walked next to him and held his hand when walking out of the cafe.

‘how was your day ?’ you asked trying to make conversation since cyno would obviously not be the one to.

‘could’ve been better. i’m starving.’ he said it as if it was the only problem and perhaps his working day truly was hard to handle; but you knew something was off.

‘what’s the matter cyno ? he’s just a friend.’

he looked right ahead as he kept on walking despite the serious conversation that you just started.

‘i know. that’s the problem.’

‘how is it the problem ?’ you exclaimed as if you didn’t expect such response from him.

he stopped walking and looked back at you after you two crossed the road. ‘you kept on laughing at his jokes. how is it you don’t laugh at mine then.’

now the atmosphere really lightened around you. you felt pain until he said this; because tou truly didn’t understand what you did wrong.

but cyno loved his jokes. he was proud of them, and every single one of them had the goal to make you smile at least but generally you just teased him with the fact no one laughed. and it didn’t pain him; until he saw you laugh to another man’s jokes.

‘it is my job to make you laugh; so if he’s only your friend and does it but i don’t, what makes me better.’

‘cyno… you can’t be serious now.’ you chuckled but got closer to him, placing your head on his shoulders when wrapping your arms around his chest.

‘i love you.’ you only said, as he caressed your cheeks. you didn’t get to hear him say the same words to you, but the way he pulled you closer to embrace you was enough.

[dreamerinthemoonlight]

A Letter to Family

Request: Hii ! I'd like to request Kaveh being comforted by a usually quiet but extremely affectionate S/O? :,D basically hurt/comfort !! they get a bit shy and embarrassed expressing themself a bit but is extremely caring and extra soft/affectionate to Kaveh whenever he's stressed out (and drunk-) happy new year too! ♡

A/N: I tried for shy and embarrassed, but I'm not sure how close I got. I prioritized the affectionate part over the embarrassed part

Summary: Kaveh writes a letter to his mother. You comfort him when he can't find the words to say

Kaveh x gn!reader

And rode off into the sunset to live happily ever after.

You close the book you were reading only to frown. The tip-tapping and muttering you usually hear this time of night is non-existent.

You set the book to the side and make your way up the stairs to Kaveh’s workroom.

As is so often the case, he’s left the door open for you to come and go as you will.

You stop just inside the door. Your boyfriend is bent over a project of some sort, the feather in his hair drooping while several strands of hair fall from his braid.

He scribbles notes on a piece of paper before scratching them out in a fit of frustration.

Judging by the pile of crumpled up paper to the side, this has been going on for quite some time.

You approach Kaveh and before he can grab another piece of paper, you cover his hand with yours.

Kaveh looks up at you, his red eyes wavering. “Y/n…”

“You can take a break, you know. Whatever project you’re doing doesn’t have to be done tonight.”

Kaveh shakes his head, but leans back in his chair. “I’m not working on a project. I’m writing a letter to my Mother.”

You tilt your head, waiting for him to continue his explanation.

“I want her to meet you. Whether she comes here or we to take a trip to Fontaine for her to meet---if you want to. I did---”

You put a finger over his lips. “Shhh. No fritzing. I wouldn’t mind. I know you miss her. And I want to meet her.”

“I just… can’t think of the words. I don’t know what she’d say about the debt and Alhaitham. Or the events of the extravaganza.”

“I think you think too much. Your mother loves you. Just as I do.”

You tuck a piece of hair behind Kaveh’s ear and straighten his feather. “Take your time writing. Write from the heart. And don’t be afraid.”

Kaveh laughs and wraps his arms around you. “What would I do without you?”

“Be miserable and constantly bicker with Alhaitham.”

“Hmmm. Very true.”

“If you want I can keep you company while you write. I can bring up a chair and the book Alhaitham lent me.”

“Please.”

You bring up a chair and the aforementioned book, and sit with him until he’s finished.

By the time he’s done, it’s well past midnight.

He folds the letter and seals it, setting it to the side so he can send it off tomorrow.

“Done?” You ask.

“Finally.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“You think she’ll agree?”

“She loves you, Kaveh. Why would she not?”

“If you say so.”

You stand and take Kaveh’s hand. “I do say so. Let’s go to bed now. Otherwise you’re going to have a hard time staying awake at your meeting tomorrow.”

Kaveh lets you pull him along, wincing at the mention of his client meeting tomorrow.

The two of you curl up in bed. Just before you drift off to sleep, you hear a soft thank you and feel a kiss pressed to the top of your head.

Once again, all's right with the world.

[ghostlyyraccoon]

fast as you can

ship: kaveh x alhaitham

word count: 11534

warnings: minor violence, short mention of sexual assault 

chapters: 1/1

ao3 link: x

summary: “I returned to the tavern after I brought you home, found the man whose name you told me and punched him square in the face. Are you happy now?” Alhaitham leaned closer towards Kaveh. “Do you believe me?” There was a strange intensity to his eyes.The unexpected honesty had Kaveh utterly confused. For a moment, he was quiet as he ran his fingers over his temples.“I don't understand why you would do this for me. Is it to put me in even more debt? Don't I owe you enough already? Tighnari is convinced you did it for my sake.” He let out a dry laugh. “Unless you're like, secretly in love with me, there'd be no-” Kaveh's words, uttered without much thought, got stuck in his throat when for the shortest of moments, a conflicted expression ghosted over Alhaitham's face. Kaveh felt like the air was being pushed out of his lungs.“W- what was that?!”

.

Alhaitham considered himself a sensible man. He knew how to navigate his feelings, no matter how incomprehensible they tended to appear to the outside world. Oftentimes, his behaviour was seen as either rude or uncaring, yet Alhaitham rarely bothered to correct these assumptions. After all, there was some truth to them that he did not care to debate. He tolerated a set amount of social torment in a day and refused to even entertain the thought of willfully prolonging the experience.

At his house, it was a different story. Alhaitham’s homelife, once quiet and serene, had been turned upside down the moment Kaveh moved in, desperate and hellbent on keeping his new living arrangement a secret. Kaveh’s refusal to let anyone know about his circumstances was truly fascinating to Alhaitham, considering how the architect tended to complain about him to anyone within hearing range the moment a droplet of wine touched his lips.

Kaveh was currently at Lambad’s tavern, doing exactly that. Archons, he would have kept going if Lambad hadn’t called for Alhaitham to come and escort his tipsy roommate back home. Perhaps the fact that Kaveh had gotten involved in a slight brawl with another patron mere hours prior had worried the staff enough to reach out.

The Acting Grand Sage arrived less than half an hour later, the expression on his face unreadable as he nodded at Lambad in silent greeting before paying Kaveh’s tab.

“We are leaving,” he said as he passed by Kaveh, who was lounging on a couch, legs crossed and wine glass in hand. He spared Alhaitham a quick glance and rolled his eyes, refusing to move. When Alhaitham noticed that he had no intentions of getting up, he turned back around and gave him a quick once-over. For a moment, there seemed to be a silent conversation between the two men. They stared each other down, neither of them willing to budge.

“I am waiting,” Alhaitham finally said. “Unless you want to sleep on the streets tonight. If that’s what you’re aiming for, then be my guest.”

Kaveh scoffed and took another sip of his half-empty wine glass before pointing it in Alhaitham's direction. “Did you forget that I have a key? It was you who gave it to me, I might add!”

“Oh? You mean this key?” Alhaitham opened his palm and Kaveh was greeted by his lion keychain dangling off Alhaitham’s ring finger.

“Oh, you little-” Kaveh crossed his arms and leaned forward. His eyes were glowing in the tavern’s low lighting. “And why should I have to listen to you? Just because we live together doesn’t mean I have to go along with everything you say. What do you think I am, your lapdog?!”

A couple of patrons turned their heads around and exchanged curious glances as Alhaitham ran his hand across his face. He wasn’t wearing his earpieces and his expression looked fairly irritated. “Last chance,” he forced out, his tone more quiet than usual. With that, he waved Kaveh’s keys in front of his face again, an eyebrow raised expectantly. Kaveh leapt forward to reclaim what was his and almost got intimately acquainted with the sticky tavern floor in the process.

Kaveh was stumbling down the dimly lit streets, fuelled by two bottles of wine and a certain kind of delirium that only came for those destined to black out soon. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet for the majority of the walk and was most likely sulking due to his night out having been cut short.

After a few more wobbly steps, he unexpectedly began to talk again. “Say, Alhaitham,” he started. “Tell me one thing. Am I not…desirable? With my reputation, one would think there’d be admirers lining up at my front door. Yet all I get stuck with are these desperate good for nothings.”Despite his state of intoxication, he barely slurred his words, so it didn’t take Alhaitham much to understand him. After all, he’d left his earpieces at home and was now unwillingly suffering through the world at full volume.

He shot his roommate a quick side-glance. “For starters, you’d need a front door of your own for that, don’t you think?”

“You-” Kaveh started, but stumbled over his own feet before he could keep going. Alhaitham, attentive as usual, quickly wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him up before he could hit the ground. Kaveh’s body felt almost feverishly hot against his own chilly skin.

“You are infuriating!” Kaveh exclaimed, out of breath. He hit Ahaitham’s arm thrice in quick succession until the man let go of him again. “I am trying to tell you about this respectless bastard who tried to come onto me, getting all handsy and such! He wouldn't even take a no!”

Finally, Alhaitham turned to look at him. Knowing Kaveh, he’d let that man know exactly how he felt about the unwanted advances. Judging by his reaction, there was little need to worry. Despite knowing that, there was a feeling he couldn't name roaming in his chest.

“Knowing you, that man would’ve run away sooner or later regardless,” Alhaitham added from two steps behind. He pushed the unnamed sensation aside and bookmarked it for future review.

Kaveh gasped.“I don't even know why I try to talk to you. You-! You have the emotional sensibilities of a sumpter beast!” His cheeks flushed red with anger as he stared at him in disbelief. Alhaitham scoffed, but refused to say more.

“And another thing!” Kaveh turned back around, an accusing finger pointed at Alhaitham. “I could get a partner if I really put my back into it. It’s just that I’m too busy at the moment! That is all!”

“Is that so?” Alhaitham said stiffly, furrowing his brows. “Let me know when the time comes and I’ll extend my congratulations to the happy couple.”

Kaveh simply clicked his tongue and started walking faster. The rest of their walk was painted in silence. In spite of his apparent nonchalance, Alhaitham was deep in thought,  reflecting on his roommate’s words.

Then Kaveh stumbled a second time and despite his colourful words of protest, Alhaitham pulled his arm over his shoulder and kept him steady until they reached their house.

When Alhaitham finally unlocked the door, Kaveh was already hanging off his shoulder, threatening to fall to the ground. He wrestled him past the doorstep and as soon as the living room was in sight, Kaveh freed himself, stumbled the last few steps forward and crashed on the couch. His head hit the pillow and it was immediately clear the man was gone. Alhaitham watched him from several steps away.

Kaveh's cheek was pushed against his hand and his shirt had wandered, exposing freckled shoulders and a tanned chest. His last job in the desert had turned his skin into the softest shade of brown.

Alhaitham silently moved closer and leaned down, one forearm braced against the couch’s backrest. He tilted his head to the side as he watched Kaveh’s breathing calm down. His hair, pale like wheat, was looking far from pristine with the way it was spread out over the pillow and covering a good part of his face. His lips, plump and wine-tinted, were slightly parted.

Alhaitham allowed himself a good look. The soft sound of Kaveh’s breathing filled his ears. The room was so quiet he could almost hear his own heartbeat.

It was calm moments like these where he was most certain he was losing the rational part of his mind. He knew far too well what his feelings for his roommate meant, knew against his own judgement that the feelings he harboured were far from the camaraderie one should feel for a former classmate. Against better judgement, he’d been aware of the fact that he was in love with Kaveh for the past seven years.

For a split second, he found himself reaching out. With much more care than one would expect from him, he pushed a strand of hair out of Kaveh’s face, careful not to have his fingers touch his skin.

“What am I supposed to do with you,” he mumbled, then stopped himself and opted to flick his fingers against his forehead instead. Kaveh’s eyebrows pulled together in annoyance and his nose scrunched up. Even in his sleep, he swatted at Alhaitham’s hand, mumbling a string of words that were most likely insulting in nature.

Alhaitham smiled before leaning down further, their previous discussion still fresh in his mind. “What was that bastard’s name?” he whispered into his ear.

“-k-m…” At first, Kaveh’s reply was too muffled to understand. It took Alhaitham a moment until the name sorted itself in his head. Then, Kaveh stirred again. “Akim,” he repeated before burying his face deeper in the couch pillows.

Akim, huh?

Alhaitham straightened his back again and searched the room. His eyes stopped at a blanket lying near Kaveh’s feet. It was a gift from an old woman he’d involuntarily helped out, and was irritatingly scratchy. It had the most horrible feel to it, but for some forsaken reason, Kaveh didn’t seem to mind it one bit. Alhaitham gathered the blanket and quickly threw it over him so it fell somewhat clumsily onto his body. Kaveh mumbled another string of words he couldn't understand as he adjusted the blanket so it covered his entire body.

Ahaitham had made up his mind. On his way out, he grabbed Kaveh’s set of keys. There was some place he still had to visit tonight.

He threw his sleeping roommate one last look as he grabbed his soundproof earpieces and pulled the door shut.

Truthfully, Alhaitham had been aware of his feelings for Kaveh for years now.

The first time they met was shortly after Alhaitham’s grandmother died, leaving him an orphan with no immediate family to call his own. The grief was still fresh as a wound the day they met at the House of Daena.

Kaveh, in his own way, had somehow managed to lift his spirits during that time. Alhaitham was barely respondent and borderline rude, yet Kaveh had been there and somehow managed to befriend him along the way. Perhaps this unexpected act of kindness was the last nail in Alhaitham’s coffin. At first, the realisation was nothing but an obstacle to him. It was a riddle he couldn’t solve, a language that failed to come to him naturally. For years thoughts of Kaveh plagued him at night, resulting in him spending restless hours pondering over what could’ve possibly triggered them.

Months passed and everything was fine until it wasn’t. After the complete disaster that was their joint project, they stopped meeting up, stopped talking altogether. One big fight was all it took to tear down the shaky constructs of their friendship. It was one sentence too truthful, uttered without consideration for the repercussions.

Ever since that day, Kaveh refused to look him in the eye. When communication was necessary, he stubbornly insisted on only talking to him through other people. It was incredibly childish and perfectly Kaveh. And although Alhaitham refused to take back what he'd said, there was a part of him that understood why things had to turn out that way.

Despite himself, he missed the camaraderie they’d had. For several weeks he was moody and irritable until he came to accept that his problem wasn’t only the friendship lost, but also the realization that somewhere along the way, he’d fallen for his temperamental senior. As soon as he accepted his feelings for what they were, it turned from an unwanted surprise into a simple acknowledgement of facts.

Alhaitham hated soup, noisy crowds and had fallen in love with a man who had cut off all bonds they'd previously shared. It was reason enough to keep his distance and leave the relationship a broken, unstable thing. Maybe they were too different after all.

Perhaps it would’ve felt more heartbreaking if Alhaitham hadn’t known from the start that it would never work out.

After all, if there was one person in Teyvat unfit to be with Kaveh, it would be him. Kaveh dreamed of a big romance, dreamed of someone sweeping him off his feet into warm and welcoming arms. In the end, that was something Alhaitham would never be able to provide.

Perhaps it was a bittersweet concept to others, yet Alhaitham had never seen it that way. Since he’d considered his chances to be nonexistent right from the start, the disappointment gradually remained at a low point.

A sudden, loud noise disturbed the busy bustling of Lambad’s tavern.

A man stumbled backwards, pressing his hands closely to his nose. A stream of blood was running down his face, for his hands weren’t enough to stop the blood flow.

Alhaitham shook his hand, now speckled with blood, and looked down at the man below him, fist red and knuckles torn. “Don’t try that again. Next time, you won’t be so lucky. Understood?”

The man tried to retaliate, but quickly lifted one hand to protect his face when Alhaitham raised an eyebrow at him. “U-understood.”

He stared him down for good measure, then turned to leave. Lambad was calling his name, but Alhaitham had already turned his earpieces on, paying the world no mind anymore.

Maybe Alhaitham was losing himself in his own way after all. This had nothing to do with him, yet he’d still gone out of his way to rough the man up. His only saving grace was that even if word got out, Kaveh would never believe it. He had never been one to believe in the goodness of Alhaitham’s heart. Admittedly, it was a proper stance to have. After all, he was indeed particular about who he helped out, but when he did, he rarely cared to keep track of the favours people owed him for it.

The walk home was quiet and Alhaitham had to calm his heart that was beating to the tune of his music, before returning to his passed-out roommate.

Kaveh awoke to one of his arms dead asleep. Shooting up from the couch, he spent his first minute awake shaking the life back into his buzzing arm. The uncomfortable feeling was enough to momentarily distract him from what was to come.

As soon as his hand felt as if it belonged to his body again, the nausea hit him. Judging by his debilitating hangover, he'd definitely overdone it yesterday.

Slowly, he started dragging himself to the bathroom, feeling remotely pathetic and spent. The process took him much longer than expected since he had to stop and reconsider his life choices every few steps to make sure he didn't end up throwing up all over Alhaitham‘s atrocious carpet. Once he arrived without any further incidents, he held onto the sink as if it was a lifeline. Kaveh stared at himself in the mirror. His hair looked like a rat’s nest and his eyes were rimmed red.

When he tried to remember how he got home last night, he hit a wall. Even trying to retrace yesterday‘s steps did him no good. Perhaps he’d overdone it more than a little, he quietly had to admit to himself. No matter how hard he tried to remember, his brain wouldn't budge. The memory gap remained, annoying as it was.

He’d worry about it later. First, he had to get ready in time to meet up with Tighnari. They had scheduled a meeting weeks before, and there was no way in hell he’d miss out on it just because of a little hangover. It was rare enough that both of their busy schedules aligned for once.

Kaveh took a quick shower and left the bathroom, feeling slightly more alive again. He checked the time and cursed. If he ran, maybe he’d still make it in time.

Kaveh was sitting, massaging his temples as he tried to nurse the violent hangover he'd woken up to. Tighnari was sitting across from him, throwing him a slightly judgemental look as he stirred his tea. “You know,” he started.”I’d feel bad for you but you should definitely know better.”

“Yeah yeah, rub it in, won't you,” Kaveh complained. The server brought his order and Kaveh poked at it with a finger. It looked good, but the smell made his stomach turn a little.

Tighnari sipped on his tea and fixed him with a curious gaze. “So tell me, how did your night go? Judging by your half-alive state, I’d say not so well.”

Kaveh took a careful first bite and waited to see if his body agreed with what it was being offered. Once it felt safe enough, he dug in with vigour. Yesterday he'd opted out of eating before visiting the tavern - a fatal flaw as it turned out.

“Oh you won’t believe it,” he started between bites. “So picture this. Everything is going great. The wine is lovely, the company even more so. I am having an amazing time until this guy comes in and starts to flirt with me, trying to feel me up. That ugly bastard just wouldn’t take a no!” Kaveh swallowed his food. “He only got the message once I slapped him right across the face.” A quick chortle escaped his lips. “Left a pretty good mark if you ask me. Anyway, after I managed to shoo him off, naturally, I sped up on the drinks. Really, there was no saving the night after that, so who would blame me. And then everything goes black. I’m pulling up a blank slate right here.” He tapped the side of his forehead twice, then groaned as he buried his head in the crook of his arms. “It’s not fair. Let's just hope I didn't do anything stupid.”

Tighnari watched his friend and refilled his cup. Of course, he’d gotten somewhat used to his friend’s nightly escapades, but that didn’t mean they were any less troubling to listen to.

“Are you okay? If you want to, I could ask Cyno to find the guy.” There was genuine worry in his eyes.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve been through worse.” Kaveh pushed his hair out of his face. In his hurry, he’d forgotten to pin it back. “ I appreciate the offer, but there's really no need. I just wish I’d hit him a little harder. Would have done him some good, I think.”

“About that,” Tighnari started. His ears twitched in anticipation. “Word has it Alhaitham beat someone up at the tavern last night. Do you think that could be related in some way?”

“Huh?” Kaveh’s head shot up and he almost dropped the spoon he‘d been playing with. “What?! Alhaitham beating someone up?! Nonono that can't be. What sort of reason would he have?  What would someone have to do to him, dog-ear one of his books? Come on, Tighnari. This is Alhaitham we're talking about here. Al-hai-tham! ” He made sure to drag out his name. “This is ridiculous. Is everyone losing their minds? I mean, really.”

He racked his brain for last night’s memories, but came up with nothing new. Kaveh scoffed in annoyance.  “He wasn't even at the tavern last night. I was there the entire time, I would definitely know. Alhaitham, beating someone up. Yeah right,” he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Tighnari stole a piece of Kaveh’s food and plopped it into his mouth. “Would you though? He always gets called when you overdo it. Archons above, it's beyond me why he still comes to pick you up so often. Kaveh, you’re my friend and you know I cherish you, but I’d definitely have abandoned you after the third time or so.” Tighnari leaned forward and his ears twitched playfully.

“Hey, rude! Aren’t you supposed to be my friend?!”

Tighnari’s tone turned more serious again. “In all honesty, I can't think of anything besides you that routinely gets Alhaitham to act out of bounds like that. I think it’s pretty safe to say that he normally doesn’t care enough to get involved like that.”

Kaveh scoffed once more, but stared at an indent in the table as he felt his cheeks heat up.

“Yeah, there's no way. Even if he did, he was probably just in a bad mood because he got sand in his shoes or something. Or he just read an incredibly bad application for funding. I'll ask him, you'll see! Alhaitham, doing something like that out of the goodness of his heart… yeah, right. What's next, he'll start behaving like a normal human being?!”

Kaveh threw the door open so hard it almost hit the wall.

“Alhaitham!” he yelled as he burst into the house, looking for his roommate. “Alhaitham! I need to talk to you!”

He didn’t have to look for long. There Alhaitham was, lounging on the couch. It was his day off, so he looked fairly relaxed reading his book, not even looking up as Kaveh came bustling in.

“What's the ruckus about this time?” he said, head still turned towards his book. One finger hovered over the pause button of his earpieces.

Kaveh sized him up with a strange look on his face, then stepped forward and quickly snatched the book away from him. Alhaitham looked up at him, irritation clear in his eyes. He reached for the book, but before he could grab it, Kaveh put it even further away.

“Let me check something,” he said. It was more of a demand than a question.

“Return my book and we’ll see about that,” Alhaitham shot back as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Listen to instructions for once in your life and you’ll get it back.”

Alhaitham seemed to consider his options for a moment. “No.”

“Alright, then,” Kaveh muttered under his breath. Instead of continuing to run in conversational circles with Alhaitham, he lunged forward and grabbed both of his hands by the wrists, pulling them close. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Embarrassingly enough, Kaveh was more than acquainted with Alhaitham’s hands and would notice even the slightest change in appearance. He’d always harboured an artist’s adoration for them. Long fingers, almond-shaped nails and soft-looking skin seemed to make for the perfect muse. In the confines of his room, he’d painted them more times than he was proud to admit. Not that he'd ever told anyone about it. Actually, he’d much rather die and turn over in his grave before admitting to such a thing out loud.  

He inspected the hands he knew so well with furrowed brows. Alhaitham’s skin was as smooth as he had always expected it to be. When his thumbs ran over split knuckles, Kaveh looked at his roommate with raised eyebrows. Of course, Tighnari just had to be right.

“What the hell, Alhaitham! When Tighnari told me someone saw you getting into a fight at the tavern, I was so sure they must've been mistaken. Feeble scholar my ass.”

Alhaitham tried to pull his hands away, but Kaveh only tightened his grip and pulled them closer.”Don’t you have anything to say?!”

“So what if I did. I don't see how that's any of your business, Kaveh.”

“When did you even get to Lambad’s? You weren't there when I was.”

Alhaitham raised one eyebrow. “You do know the owner calls me whenever someone needs to drag your semi-conscious carcass back home, don’t you? Did you really think you got yourself home in the state you were in?” His hands were unmoving in Kaveh’s and he threw him a taunting look. “Everybody, clap for the genius that is the Light of Kshahrewar,” he replied, his voice dripping in sarcasm. It made Kaveh want to throw a fit. How could one man be this infuriating? He dropped Alhaitham's hands as if he'd been burned. This was as close to an admission as he'd get from him.  

“Not only are you a bastard, you’re an ass too! Unbelievable! And to think I was worried about you! Why can't you just communicate like a normal human being?”

Alhaitham shot him a deadpan look as he tried reaching for his book again. Clearly, he didn't want to talk about the issue at hand. But that didn't mean Kaveh would just let him have his way. He moved Alhaitham's book even further out of reach.

“We are not done talking.”

“Says who.”

“Well, I do! And I’m your roommate, so you’ll have to listen to me!”

“Remind me how that works again?”

Kaveh stared him down, exasperated. When he received no further answer, he clicked his tongue and turned on his heel. It was clear from the way his steps echoed through the hallway that he was mad.

What Alhaitham didn't expect however, was for Kaveh to return shortly after, disinfectant and bandages in hand. He plopped down on the sofa, one leg pulled up, the other on the ground.

“Come here,” he said, suddenly quiet. A peace offering.

Alhaitham didn't move an inch, but turned towards him with a raised eyebrow nonetheless. Kaveh rarely ever did things quietly. With him tended to come a boatload of irritating noise.

“Must you always be so difficult?! Come here, Alhaitham,” he repeated himself, this time more demanding.

“What for?” he asked stubbornly, earning him a groan from Kaveh.

“Just stop asking! Here.” Kaveh scooched forward, taking one of Alhaitham's hands and putting it on his leg.

The confusion was almost comically clear on Alhaitham's face. Before he could open his mouth again, Kaveh pressed an alcohol-drenched cotton ball to his split knuckles. His tongue darted past his lips as he ogled the injury once more before carefully applying bandages.

When he was done, he squeezed Alhaitham's healthy hand. “There. Wasn't that bad now, was it? You know, it wouldn't kill you to trust me from time to time.”

Kaveh had always been too kind for his own good. This breached dangerous territories. Alhaitham knew he should thank him, but being open felt like reaching into his chest and exposing a beating piece of his heart he wasn't willing to give up just yet. It was a derailment of what he knew that made his blood run cold.

Carefully, he flexed his fingers as he pondered his next move, decidedly ignoring how warm his cheeks felt after that small touch. Years of little to no touch had made him a degenerate when it came to physical affection, it seemed.

Alhaitham cleared his throat. “You didn't do half bad,” he finally admitted.

“Yeah yeah, you're welcome.” Kaveh made an exaggerated hand movement. “It was nothing.”

But Alhaitham knew better. To him, it was a lot more than that. People generally did not treat him this gently. Archons, people rarely ever touched him. They kept their distance, careful not to gaze over Alhaitham's meticulously built walls. Mostly, he was thankful for it. His fortress was a lone, but sturdy thing. It was safe and most of all, consistently reliable. Leave it to Kaveh to knock it down in the breath of a moment.

“You feel like telling me what happened now? Although I find you terribly insufferable, I don’t know you to be violent without a good reason.”

And Alhaitham decided to give him an inch. He tilted his head back and let his back hit the couch. “Find it out yourself if you're so curious,” he taunted, looking at Kaveh from under his eyelashes. Kaveh returned the gaze with a newfound fire in his eyes.

“Oh, I will. Believe me, I will!”

He pointed one last accusatory finger at his roommate. “This conversation is not over!”

For once, Kaveh made his way down to Lambad’s tavern without the goal of getting absolutely hammered in mind. Today, he was on an important mission.

It should be fairly easy to find the answer to his questions as long as he asked just the right people. After all, Lambad’s tavern was always filled to the brim. There had to have been at least a handful of people who bore witness to Alhatham’s little throwdown yesterday.

Kaveh didn’t have to search for long. Upon entering, first things first, he was faced with a man staring at him, one eye swollen shut and his nose bent in an awkward ankle, most definitely broken. The man opened his mouth, then closed it again when he made eye contact with Kaveh, bearing striking resemblance to a blowfish. His eyes darted to the ground almost immediately.

Suddenly, a memory pushed its way through Kaveh’s hazy brain. Hands trying to grab his waist, attempting to touch where he certainly hadn’t allowed him to.

“You little-” Kaveh started, leaping forward. Before he knew it, he was already grabbing Akim by the collar, pulling him closer to his face.

The scumbag named Akim lifted his hands in defeat, flinching away from him as he scrambled for words. “Your partner already taught me a lesson. I get it now! What I did was wrong and I am sorry. I've had one too many, Kaveh. I was drunk, drunk I say!”

Kaveh's anger came in hot white flashes. “That is not an excuse you- wait. Say that again?”

“I've had one too many?”

“No, the other thing! Did you just say my partner beat you up?” An idea, perhaps even an inkling of what might have occurred started to form in his head. However, it made absolutely no sense to him, no matter which way he turned it. There was only one person Akim could logically be talking about.

“Partner, boyfriend, lover, whatever you’d like to call the Acting Grand Sage.” Akim shied away from his probing gaze. “Knocked the living daylights out of me. Who knew a paper pusher like him could have that much upper body strength? I mean I should’ve known, the man is built like a t-”

Kaveh’s breath hitched in his throat. “The Acting Grand Sage beat you up?!” His voice raised in pitch. “You think Alhaitham and I are…” His cheeks reddened and Akim threw him an almost amused look.

“It's the talk of the town, even more so after he hit me in front of the entire tavern. Honestly, my bad for trying to shoot my shot despite it.”

“You- I- He…Ugh!” Kaveh brought out and let go of Akim’s collar. “It's not like that!” He took a step back and pushed his hair out of his face in exasperation.

“So I still have a chance?” The man’s hopeful smile was disgusting. Without any warning, Kaveh picked an abandoned glass off the table and threw the drink in his face. “You wish!” He left the man behind, dripping from head to toe and looking properly pathetic.

Kaveh made his way towards the bar, grumbling to himself, where Lambad watched him with a certain kind of curiosity.

“Mister Kaveh.” He nodded in greeting. “A bit early to see you here. Might I ask why you are antagonising my clientele this fine midday?”

Throwing himself onto one of the barstools, Kaveh leaned forward, fixing Lambad with a serious gaze. “He deserved it,” he concluded. “I’d keep an eye on him, he's definitely a pervert.”

“Hmm of course. I will keep it  in mind. The Acting Grand Sage did already take care of that for you yesterday, didn't he?”

“Did everyone see?!” Nervously, Kaveh tapped his fingers against the counter. “Tell me what happened. Please, it’s… important.”

Lambad sighed. This was far beyond his pay grade.

When he returned home, Alhaitham was still where he’d left him. Kaveh approached, ready to confront him, but soon realised that Alhaitham had fallen asleep. Kaveh tutted his teeth. Whenever he complained to Cyno and Tighnari about how Alhaitham acted like a lazy cat in his free time, they refused to believe him. Yet here he was, once again dozing on the couch, the sunlight kissing his closed eyelids. He was lying on his side, both arms pulled close to his face. Like this, Alhaitham looked closer to the irritating junior Kaveh had met all those years ago. In many aspects, he was still the same. The attitude problem definitely remained, just as his lack of respect for his seniors did.

Kaveh knelt down, inspecting Alhaitham's face. “Hey, Alhaitham,” he said, voice firm. Alhaitham, being an exceptionally heavy sleeper, did not stir. The man was near impossible to wake and even more disagreeable than usual upon waking up. But Kaveh would have to risk it. After all, he wanted answers and he wanted them now.

“Wake up,” he said, shaking Alhaitham's shoulder. The man stirred, but only buried his head further into his arms. Irritated energy was coursing through his veins and Kaveh kicked the bottom of the couch. After all, Alhaitham hated when he made a ruckus. He'd show him what a proper ruckus looked like.

“Come on now, time to wake up!” He shook Alhaitham once more, this time more violently.

Finally, his eyes opened the tiniest bit. “What is it,” he grumbled and they fell shut again. Instead of waking up, he got a hold of Kaveh's arms. The architect promptly lost his balance and toppled over with a squawk. Curse Alhaitham and his stupid strength.

Still having a death grip on Kaveh's arms, Alhaitham turned onto his back, uttering something Kaveh interpreted as. “Just be quiet.”

This was why Kaveh never bothered waking him up. It was an entirely impossible feat and not worth sitting across from a grumpy Alhaitham not even coffee could soothe. Additionally, Kaveh was now partially draped over Alhaitham, unable to move. Determined not to give up, he swung his legs over Alhaitham's body, straddling him. He still couldn't free his hands, which were held tightly against Alhaitham's chest, but at least now he felt like he had the upper hand again.

“Alhaitham!” he said, this time louder. No response. “I'm not your pillow, let go of me!”

“Alright, if you're gonna be like that.” Kaveh leaned down until his head was almost in the crook of Alhaitham's neck, right next to his ear.

“Wake up, you bastard,” he whispered into his ear, sweetly, softly.

Finally, Alhaitham awoke with a startle, his eyes blinking against the light of the dimming sun.

“Kaveh?” Alhaitham was still drunk with sleep and his voice came out sounding both raspy and soft. Kaveh’s heart did something funny in his chest. Perhaps he'd made a mistake after all. He'd never heard Alhaitham utter his name like that.

Kaveh leaned back, dumbfounded, already having forgotten about the position he'd put himself in, and watched the way Alhaitham's eyebrows pulled together as he let go of his hands and yawned. He opened his eyes and suddenly stilled. For a moment, there was confusion on his face as he sat face to face with Kaveh. Neither of them said a word.

“What are you doing s-”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

They both stopped again until Kaveh remembered why he wanted to talk to him in the first place. He cleared his throat and turned his head away defensively. “I was just trying to wake you up. It’s not my fault you are impossible to wake up.”

“More importantly,” he continued. “Do you mind telling me what business you had at the tavern last night?”

Alhaitham sat up as much as he could, looking much livelier than he normally did after having been awoken so crudely. For once, there was some colour to his cheeks. “Actually, I do mind. Didn't I tell you to find it out yourself? What happened to that, gave up so soon? And to think you call yourself a creative genius.”

“I haven't! I just wanted to hear it from your mouth!”

Kaveh crossed his arms and looked down at Alhaitham. His eyes were narrowed.

Alhaitham blew his bangs out of his face and looked up at his roommate, who was still breaching his personal bubble. His eyes were still half-lidded from sleep, making his expression look remotely standoffish.

“I returned to the tavern after I brought you home, found the man whose name you told me and punched him square in the face. Are you happy now?” Alhaitham leaned closer towards Kaveh. “Do you believe me?” There was a strange intensity to his eyes.

The unexpected honesty had Kaveh utterly confused. Slowly, he untangled himself from Alhaitham and slid over to sit down on the couch instead. For a moment, he was quiet as he ran his fingers over his temples. His thoughts were racing.

“I don't understand why you would do this for me. Is it to put me in even more debt? Don't I owe you enough already? Tighnari is convinced you did it for my sake.” He let out a dry laugh. “Unless you're like, secretly in love with me, there'd be no-” Kaveh's words, uttered without much thought, got stuck in his throat when for the shortest of moments, a conflicted expression ghosted over Alhaitham's face. Kaveh felt like the air was being pushed out of his lungs.

“W- what was that?!”

“What was what?” Alhaitham replied, his voice lacking its usual bite. “You need to be more specific if you’re expecting an answer.”

A certain kind of nausea started to fill Kaveh’s guts. “I saw that. That look on your face, you… You must be joking.”

The look on Alhaitham's face was a truly unfamiliar sight. In the 10 years they’d known each other, Kaveh had never seen anything like it.

“This is just a cruel joke right? You've heard me lament about how lonely I am, so this is how you choose to tease me.”

Alhaitham seemed to have regained his composure. His lips parted and Kaveh waited impatiently. It was uncomfortable to see him at a loss for words.

Then finally, Alhaitham looked back at him before averting his eyes again. “It’s beyond me why that would be your first assumption,” he said calmly. “I may be blunt, but I'm rarely intentionally cruel, you should know that.”

“Then tell me that I got it wrong. Geez, don't sca-”

Alhaitham interrupted him before Kaveh could brush off his words. “You didn't. Your assumption was correct. I guess the secret's out now.” Alhaitham let out a dry chuckle.

Kaveh just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, all possible replies dried out on his tongue.  “Am I having a stroke?” he brought out, unable to keep his eyes off Alhaitham’s face. Red eyes met turquoise ones. “Do you want me to believe you of all people would fall in love? With me?”

The question caused more pain than he expected. Perhaps it was an unfair thing to feel hurt over. After all, Kaveh couldn’t have known the impact those exact words would have on him. Still, he recoiled and Kaveh pulled back his hands just as quickly.

“You'll be fine. This is none of your business anyway.”

Alhaitham stood up and pushed the hair out of his face. “For what it's worth…” He didn't turn back around. “I never planned on telling you. Maybe… “ He pulled a grimace. “Forget it.”

“It’s none of my business?! Oh no no, you are not going to get away with this, because I’m not buying it! You-” Kaveh watched Alhaitham, trying to find any change in his behaviour. He seemed just the same, if it weren't for the rigid set of his shoulders and his guarded expression.

“I thought you didn't care,” Kaveh whispered, all his anger blown away in an instant.

“I guess you thought wrong then.”

Kaveh couldn't keep his eyes off him. His heartstrings were aching with a familiar pain.

“You… you've known for a while,” he concluded and Alhaitham nodded. His hands were digging into his thighs hard enough to leave marks. Kaveh didn't dare to step closer, his body frozen in place.

“Obviously.”

“For how long?”

“I don't see how that matters.”

“It matters to me! Alhaitham, of course it matters! How. Long.”

It was obvious Alhaitham didn't want to answer. After a moment of silence however, he caved in. “After we cut contact.”

“After we-” Kaveh's eyes widened. “Seven years?! And you said nothing?!”

“Naturally. You didn't talk to me. Nothing would've changed if I’d thrown another set of obstacles your way.”

“I-”

“You wouldn’t have listened. Nothing would have changed,” he repeated, putting more emphasis on his words. There was a scary level of conviction to his words.

Kaveh's head felt as if it was about to combust. His heart was beating with an anxiety that was yelling at him to escape while he still could. Certainty could be such a frightening thing. “I can't do this right now,” he forced out, caught up in the mess that were his own emotions.

Alhaitham nodded solemnly and sat down again, his hands now pressed flat against his thighs. For once, he seemed reluctant to fight about the issue. “I certainly won't stop you.”

“I'm going to Tighnari’s. Don't come after me.”

“Suit yourself.”

Kaveh rushed to his room to gather a few of his things. His heart was beating to his chest as he threw all his necessities into a bag. When he returned to the living room to retrieve his keys, Alhaitham was staring out of the window, arms crossed and lips pressed into a straight line.

And although there was some part of him yelling at him not to leave him like that, all Kaveh could do was run.

Alhaitham didn't turn around when the door fell shut behind him. As soon as he was alone, his expression dropped. This was the outcome he’d expected, yet it still hurt. It was a foolish, nonsensical thing to grieve about.

His heart ached, the feeling uncommon and new to him. It wasn’t the dull heartache of unrequited love he’d grown accustomed to, but something much more open and fresh instead.

Alhaitham slipped his ear pieces back on and put on instrumental music to soothe his bruised heart. The mellow beats did little to calm his troubled mind.

With a sigh, Alhaitham switched the music off again. Perhaps this was the perfect time to get serious about his temporary position as Acting Grand Sage. A lot of work had piled up and by now it was quite obvious that no one else was ready to step up just yet. Being busy would be a welcome distraction. Despite his efforts, there was nothing and no one waiting for him at home anyway.

Perhaps it was always supposed to end this way. After all, fate had never been particularly kind towards either of them.

Kaveh arrived in Gandharva Ville completely out of breath. He came to a stop, hands braced on his knees, and had to catch his breath for several minutes. As his gaze was turned towards his own feet, they were suddenly joined by a small set of sturdy boots. Kaveh’s head shot up and he was greeted by unruly green hair and big eyes. Tighnari’s little pupil, Collei, mustered him with a worried expression. “Mister Kaveh?! Are you- are you alright? Hold on, let me get you some water, here!”

The young girl unbuckled a flask from her belt and handed it over to him with shaky hands.

Kaveh took a big gulp and relished in the feeling of cold water making its way down his parched throat. He straightened his back and looked up. Kaveh was greeted by the bluest sky he'd seen in a long time. It was a day too perfect for his beaten mood and for once, he found himself wishing for rainy clouds and dark skies.

“Thank you, Collei. You are too kind. Is Tighnari home? I really need to talk to him.”

“Of course, yeah! I'll bring you to him, follow me!”

He followed her through the forest and not too soon after, they arrived at Tighnari's house.

“Master!”

Tighnari's head poked out of the doorway. “Yes, Collei? Oh- Hello Kaveh. I expected to see you sooner or later. Come in, tell me what happened.”

“Tighnari, can I stay here for a couple of days? Please?”

Tighnari put his hands on his hips and sighed. “That bad, huh? Well, come on in first. You can tell me all about what happened with Alhaitham after you’ve settled down a bit.”

“How did you-”

Tighnari sighed deeply. “One way or another, your problems always revolve around him.”

Kaveh opened and closed his mouth. “I complain about other things too!” he retorted, fairly offended.

Tighnari's ear twitched. “Let me be the judge of that.”

After he got settled in, Kaveh and Tighnari sat down at a cozy dinner table. Without saying a word, Tighnari pushed a bottle of wine towards Kaveh.

“You look like you need it.”

Kaveh accepted it gratefully. “Tighnari did the Archons send you?” He poured himself a glass, then settled down. After his first few sips, he pushed the glass away and cradled his head instead, lost in thought. Tighnari poured himself a glass as well and watched his friend with sharp eyes.

“Alhaitham told me he's in love with me.” Straight to the point. The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could even think about stopping them.

Tighnari spilled a bit of wine and cursed. “He did what now? Kaveh…”

“For seven years, Tighnari! He's been keeping this from me for seven years! Can you tell me why he has to be like that?! And he only admitted to it because I straight up asked! If I hadn’t said anything, he would have-'' Kaveh interrupted his stream of words to take another small sip. “He would have kept it all to himself, just like that!” He nursed his drink and pushed out his bottom lip. “He’s so unfair, Tighnari.”

Tighnari furrowed his brows and sighed deeply. “So you finally realized it.”

“Finally? What is that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me…” Kaveh looked over at his friend. Was it that obvious?

“So how did you answer him?”

“Well, I- I mostly didn’t! I ditched him and immediately ran over here!”

With great restraint, Tighnari managed to suppress the urge to put his head in his own hands.  Calmly, he folded his hands and leaned forward. “Let me summarize what happened, just to make sure I've got everything right. Alhaitham-”

Kaveh nodded.

“-confessed to you. You got mad at him, left without giving neither answer nor rejection and sought me out? Is that correct?”

Kaveh bit his lip. “Well, if you put it that way…”

“If I were you I’d go back home before he does something stupid.”

Guilt started to fester in Kaveh's bones. “I can't do that.”

“And why not? You can't just hide away forever. Running away from him will only get you so far. Didn’t you just start to rebuild your relationship? ”

“I can't because… because I just can't. It's complicated. He hasn't thought this through.” Kaveh crossed his arms and averted his eyes.

Tighnari didn’t know that everything good he touched eventually withered and died. No matter how irritating he was, he would never put this on Alhaitham, regardless of his own complicated feelings.

Tighnari fixed him with a deadpan stare. “You said yourself that it's been seven years. I think he’s had ample time to mull it over. I'm not trying to push you here, but I think you know very well that the actual problem lies elsewhere.” Tighnari tapped the table and faced him head on. “I just don't want you to ruin something before it's even had the opportunity to grow and bloom. Although Alhaitham is even more prickly than a cactus, I think you know him better than anybody else. Take your time to think it over, but don't just run away. You love him too, don't you?”

Kaveh lowered his head and wrung his hands. “Sometimes I despise how smart you are.”

When Kaveh returned with a made up mind and slightly improved mood, three days had already passed. Surprisingly, he was greeted by an empty home. After searching the entire house up and down, he came to the conclusion that nobody was home. Apparently, Alhaitham himself hadn’t been home in quite a while.

Just as Kaveh put down his bag, a frustrated sigh leaving his lips, the doorbell suddenly rang loud and clear. Kaveh opened the door without any hesitation. Perhaps Alhaitham had simply forgotten his key?

The man standing in front of the door was very clearly not Alhaitham. Still, the man’s face was familiar. Kaveh recognized it from somewhere. Then, it suddenly clicked. This man was Panah, the Mahamata who’d had the displeasure of getting tasked with helping out the Acting Grand Sage at the House of Daena.

“Senior Kaveh, thank Lesser Lord Kusanali!” he exclaimed, sounding both exhausted and out of breath. “Please come quick, we need your help. It's about the Acting Grand Sage. He hasn't left his office in days! Talk some sense into him, none of us are getting through to him! He just won't listen!”

Kaveh's eyes widened. So that was where Alhaitham had been hiding. What a fool.

“Yeah, he tends to do that. Let me grab my keys and I’ll be right behind you.”

Kaveh took the elevator up to Alhaitham's temporary office. To be quite honest, he had no idea what to expect. Despite his genius, Alhaitham was rarely one to do more than the bare minimum. This sudden change was so concerning and out of place that Kaveh couldn’t help but suspect that he was partially to blame for it. Perhaps if he hadn’t run away like a coward, things would’ve been different by now.

Alhaitham was sitting at his desk, the shadows beneath his eyes dark and pronounced as he stared down the document lying in front of him. The light of an almost burnt down candle dipped his features into an ominous light. The quill he was holding had left droplets of ink spattered on the tabled underneath his hand.

“Didn't I ask not to be disturbed?” he asked without lifting his head.

Kaveh walked over to his desk, hands stemmed on his hips. “Finally starting to take this thing seriously after all?” he asked before adding softly. “What are you doing here, Alhaitham?”

The scribe lifted his head and considered Kaveh. “Well, look who's found his way back,” he said drily. “The runaway architect.” He took a look at the clock. “There's still plenty of time left to escape if you ask me. Might make it worth your while.” Okay, so maybe running away had been an even worse decision than first anticipated.

“Alhaitham,” Kaveh started, but found himself at a loss for words once he got a closer look at the Scribe. “You look horrid.”

“Thank you for that astute observation. Now leave.”

Kaveh's eye twitched. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I refuse.”

Alhaitham stared him down. “I said leave, Kaveh. Is that so hard to understand?”

“I am not leaving until you're coming home with me,” Kaveh retorted.

“First you run for the hills and now you want to play martyr? What a kind and empathetic soul you are, Kaveh.” Alhaitham’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, but there was a strange tone buried underneath it. “Maybe you can fix me after all.”

Kaveh slammed both of his hands on top of Alhaitham's table. “Why must everything always be doused in sarcasm with you! Am I not allowed to show that I care about your wellbeing?!”

Alhaitham's gaze was exhausted as he cocked his head to one side. “It's beyond me why you'd do that.” His usual drawl lacked its sparkle. “I never asked for your kindness and I certainly won't start now. Go and offer your charity to somebody else.”

They stared each other down, neither wanting to give in. Alhaitham's eyes drooped with tiredness and Kaveh could tell he almost had him. So really, who would blame him for playing a little dirty. He sat down on the table, arms crossed and back turned away from his roommate.

“How mature,” Alhaitham's voice sounded from behind him.

Kaveh shrugged his shoulders. “And what about it? I don't see you acting your age either, so why should I?”

Alhaitham sighed heavily. Minutes passed, and the scratching of quill on parchment turned from erratic to slow until finally, the quill dropped onto the table and it stopped completely. Kaveh turned back around. Alhaitham's head hung low and his breathing was slow. He had passed out from exhaustion.

“Oh geez,” Kaveh mumbled. “What have you been putting yourself through?” He walked around the table, kneeling down next to him to take a closer look at his face. Despite his slumber he didn't look peaceful.

“Let's get you home,” he whispered, brushing Alhaitham's hair back in place before pulling his arms over his shoulders and taking hold of his legs, carrying him piggy-back. “If you let go I'll never forgive you,” he grumbled. For once, he found himself thankful for Alhaitham’s annoying tendency to sleep like a log. Alhaitham's head dropped onto Kaveh’s shoulder and the hold around his neck tightened. The weight of Alhaitham on his back was almost reassuring, grounding.

The people at the House of Daena, once preoccupied with their various research topics and assignments, were watching Kaveh with eyes as big as dinner plates as he carried the dead asleep Acting Grand Sage towards the exit.

“This,” he pointed at himself, then back to the bystanders, “never happened.” Kaveh lifted one finger in warning before he left. “There's nothing to see here. You didn’t see anything .”

For some reason, he was certain his insistent words would do little to keep the rumours from spreading even further.

If the people of Sumeru city weren't already gossiping about Alhaitham and Kaveh's relationship, seeing Kaveh carry Alhaitham home would certainly give them ample reason to start doing so. For once, Kaveh didn't mind. More so, he found himself busy keeping the suffocating feeling of guilt at bay as he threw various onlookers with far too curious gazes a hard side-eye. Alhaitham the bastard continued to remain dead asleep and only tightened his hold on Kaveh’s neck.

“Are you trying to choke me out in your sleep?” he chuckled quietly. “Are you that cross with me?”

When they finally arrived at home, Kaveh's arms felt about ready to pop off. For a moment, he hovered in the living room, unsure of where to put Alhaitham down. After a moment of consideration, he carried him over to his room. Alhaitham’s room was more spacious after all.

As he stood before the bed, he found himself faced with a small problem. Alhaitham's grip on him was still fairly strong and Kaveh didn't want to wake him just yet, not after the stunt he just pulled at the House of Daena.

So he did the one thing he knew would work. Kaveh maneuvered the both of them onto the bed with as much care as humanly possible. His back cracked during the effort and he sent a quick prayer to the heavens, hoping he didn’t pull a nerve.  

Normally, he'd never do this. Sure, he’d think about what it might be like to be in the same bed as Alhaitham, but he’d never act upon it. But it was only the two of them now, and their relationship was already strained. Something like this wouldn't do much except maybe embarrass them even further. Kaveh was tired of it all.

Finally, he had managed to turn himself just so he could let go of Alhaitham without jolting him awake. It was a bit difficult with the man still holding onto him, but Kaveh managed. He wedged his hands in-between Alhaitham's, creating a bit of space for him to move. He turned around, hands still on Alhaitham's arms, and was met with Alhaitham's face very close to his own.

Kaveh gulped. Curiously, he let his eyes roam over Alhaitham’s face. He was filled with the sudden need to trace his nose with gentle fingers. One hand started to wander as he fought the urge, looking for the little dip near Alhaitham's wrist where he was certain to find his pulse instead.It was a fluttering little thing, and he let out a breath of relief upon finding it.

Kaveh hated to admit it, but he was scared. Scared of change, scared of holding on just to be forced to let go again. Ever since his childhood, he'd been nothing but a force of destruction. Kaveh feared his own disastrous feelings would ruin Alhaitham just as they had done to so many before him.

For once, he pulled himself closer and let his eyes fall shut. Alhaitham's grip tightened and Kaveh let his head fall right into the gap between his shoulder and his neck.

And if there were tears staining Alhaitham's shirt, at least there was no one around to witness them fall. Alhaitham’s pulse, a delicate thing beneath Kaveh’s fingers, lulled him to sleep.

Kaveh didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep until he was awoken by movement.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled as he buried his head further into his pillow. That was until his pillow moved in a way a pillow definitely shouldn’t move.

“Kaveh,” a voice came from under him. It was a voice he knew far too well, so he opened one eye and was greeted by Alhaitham's chest right in his field of vision. He hadn't been sleeping on a pillow, after all. His head was nestled comfortably against Alhaitham's surprisingly soft chest.

“Alhaitham!” His eyes widened in shock and he quickly untangled himself from his roommate. “You're awake?! It’s not-”

“What it looks like? Yes, I thought as much.” Alhaitham pulled his knees close to his body and rubbed the skin behind his ears.

“Are you… okay?” Kaveh asked quietly. The distance between them was nauseating and he didn’t dare reach out.

“Don't ask me that. Don't bother,” Alhaitham forced out. His eyes were fixed on a set point of the wall. There was a dog barking outside, again and again and again and his skin was crawling. His fingers interlaced behind his neck and he took a deep breath, then exhaled audibly.

Kaveh reached out, but before he could reach him, Alhaitham recoiled. “Don't touch me.”

“Alhaitham.”

“No.”

“Alhaitham, I-”

“I said no.” He took another deep breath and avoided looking at Kaveh. “Why did you do that?”

“Do… what?” Kaveh asked despite knowing fully well what Alhaitham was referring to. It was too late to run from this conversation after all.

“You returned, brought me home, went to bed with me. Did it slip your mind or were you simply not listening when I said I don't want your charity? Or is leading people on perhaps a new hobby of yours?” There was a bitter tone hidden behind his words.

Kaveh pressed his lips together and considered his roommate for a moment, searching for the truth between the lines. Alhaitham was always so incredibly hard to read. He took another look at him, took note of his straight spine and unsteady hands.Then, something clicked. Kaveh practically jumped up and left the room with quick steps. Alhaitham turned his head to the side and said nothing. An expected wave of déjy-vu came crashing over him. He snapped out of it when suddenly, there was a voice next to his ear.

“Hold on,” Kaveh mumbled as he slipped Alhaitham's earpieces over his ears. He tried to flip them on, but couldn't find the right button. Alhaitham's hands rose to cover his, aiding him in finding the switch.

For a moment, he kept them there, eyes closed and his breathing finally calming as they breathed together. His hands were soft against his own and he didn’t mind the sensation.

“Better?” Kaveh asked when Alhaitham opened his eyes again. The man read his lips and slowly nodded before releasing Kaveh’s hands. After a few more minutes he pressed a few buttons on the side of his earpieces, adjusting the levels of noise cancelling once more.

The signs had been there, yet Kaveh had failed to pick up on them until he noticed Alhaitham’s state of unease. Kaveh had managed to peer past his meticulously crafted walls. Alhaitham looked overwhelmed and exhausted.

Before he could cringe at the thought, he forced out his next sentence. “I think we really need to talk.”

Alhaitham exhaled loudly and nodded. “We should.”

They sat down next to each other on the edge of the bed. The distance between them felt suffocating.

“So,” Kaveh started. “You like me.”

“Against better judgement, I do.” Kaveh watched him with expectant eyes and he sighed. “I am not delusional to my limits as a person, I know that this isn't anywhere near the realm of possibilities. I never thought so.” He knotted his hands together. “I didn't plan on telling you,.”

“Why did you even open your doors for me if I’d bring you nothing but heartbreak?” Kaveh asked, gaze on the ground.

“One could say you did make the house more lively.”

“Be honest with me.”

Alhaitham sighed and pushed his hair back. “It was the better alternative to not having you in my life at all. It was better than knowing you’re out there somewhere, struggling, refusing to ask for help. I wouldn’t have offered you half of my life if I didn’t want you here.”

“But why?”

Alhaitham moved closer and finally turned towards him. His eyebrows were pulled together. “You have this aggravating tendency to put everyone's needs before your own. How has that been treating you?”

Tears welled up in Kaveh's eyes. The memory of their last argument about the topic still stung. One fear was still present: What if this conversation would end the same way their previous one had?

“How dare you bring that up again,” he uttered. “And what about you?” he continued, voice shaky. “I don't see you putting yourself first either. You never even gave yourself a chance.”

“Should I have? You not talking to me and running off were pretty good indicators of why this wouldn't work.”

Kaveh glanced over at him. Slowly, he slid his hand over his, holding it tight.

“I-”

“Don't force yourself,” Alhaitham interjected, his hand solid as a rock under Kaveh’s.

“Ugh, would you just listen to me?! Who are you to decide what I’m feeling? I was afraid, okay?! There you have it, happy?”

Surprised, Alhaitham finally looked at him.

“You're crying?”

“I am so fucking terrified,” Kaveh admitted, wiping at his tears with his sleeve. “Of what this means, what it could mean for us. I don't want to lose you again. You're infuriating and arrogant and most of the time, you drive me up the wall. But I still-”

Slowly, Alhaitham reached up, wiping a tear away with a curious expression on his face. Kaveh pushed his cheek against his hand. A tear, shiny like a pearl, rolled down the back of Alhaitham’s hand.

“I still…”

“You are looking for someone loving, kind, yet you haven’t formally rejected me.” A statement voiced in confusion, not a question. “Your mind makes little sense to me.”

“As does yours. Did you know half of Sumeru city thinks we’re a couple?” Kaveh suddenly asked. His body was buzzing with anxiety.

“I was aware of the rumours,” Ahaitham answered nonchalantly, as if he’d known about the rumour ever since it’d come up the first time.

“You were?! Why didn't you say anything? And how can you be okay with that, when you're-” In love with me . The words got stuck in his throat.

“Why should I? Let them think what they want.”

“You- You’re infuriating. You are really infuriating and I am going to kiss you right now.” His eyes searched Alhaitham's. The man looked back at him, caught off guard. It took him a second before he recovered and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“Will you now? I'll believe that once I see it.”

“You little brat. Don't you patronize me.”

Kaveh put his hands on Alhaitham, one gently against his chest, the other cradling his jaw. “Trust me, I will,” he uttered softly, his eyes never straying. With a tilt of his head, he closed the distance between them until there was no space to separate them left.

Alhaitham's lips were soft, pliable, and he kissed back with enthusiasm. He buried one hand in Kaveh's hair, running through the blonde tresses. Their lips slotted together, slowly and carefully. Kaveh pulled himself closer. It simply wasn’t enough. He needed more touch, more stimulation, more of Alhaitham pressed against his skin.

Alhaitham made a small noise and Kaveh pushed him back onto the bed. His back hit the mattress and Kaveh swung one leg over his body, straddling him once again. Alhaitham hugged his waist with one arm. His hand wandered and disappeared under the soft linen of Kaveh's shirt, tracing tight muscles and sharp shoulder blades.

Kaveh broke the kiss to let his lips wander from the corner of his mouth to his jaw down to Alhaitham's neck. First, he pressed an experimental kiss to the sensitive skin before mouthing at it, pulling the skin through his teeth and sucking softly. Kaveh was desperate to leave a mark, any kind of sign that this wasn't just a dream. With one hand, he pushed down Alhaitham's shirt to gain better access to his skin, while the other ran over his chest. Alhaitham shuddered beneath him.

“Kaveh…” he murmured.

His heart squeezed upon hearing his name leaving his roommate’s lips in that tone. He etched another mark into his skin before looking up. Alhaitham was watching him from under his lashes, his face flushed and breath heavy. For a moment, there was nothing but them, entangled in Alhaitham's bed. Kaveh felt tears prick at his eyes. He cradled Alhaitham's face and kissed him again. A soft whimper escaped his lips and Alhaitham pulled back to check up on him.

“Are you okay?”

Kaveh shook his head and buried his face in the crook of Alhaitham's neck.

Without saying another word, Alhaitham hugged him carefully and pressed a kiss to his head.

“Are you regretting this?” he asked reluctantly.

Kaveh shot up and Alhaitham pushed himself up into a sitting position as well, eyes flitting to the side. Kaveh was still straddling him, an unbelieving look on his face as he stared down his roommate.

“No!” he answered quickly. Alhaitham relaxed visibly. “I’m just… happy? Too happy maybe? I can't fully tell.”

“But you're crying.”

“And you're still trembling.”

Alhaitham wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him closer again. He brushed Kaveh's hair out of his face and ran his thumb over his cheekbone, then pushed it against Kaveh’s lips. Slowly, he leaned in closer and replaced his finger with his mouth, softly, carefully. It was so considerate Kaveh felt like he could burst into tears all over again.

“Tell me what this means,” he mumbled against his lips.

“Everything. It means everything.”

They parted again and Kaveh started tracing the sharp edges of Alhaitham's features, feathery touches from his temple down to his jaw. Shyly, he looked up at Alhaitham and took a deep breath. The words seemed to be stuck in his throat.

“Let's assume I say I like you,” he said. “What then?” He could feel his heartbeat accelerating.

“Let's assume I say I don't believe you. What would you do then?”

Kaveh furrowed his brows. “You're just trying to get me to kiss you again,” he concluded.

“Am I now?” A smile crept up on Alhaitham's face.

“You definitely are,” Kaveh shot back. “Have I ever told you that I find you incredibly insufferable?”

“Plenty of times. You’ll just have to put your hypothesis to the test then, maybe that will convince me,” Alhaitham replied and there was a drawl to his voice that Kaveh couldn't help but find both attractive and annoying.

He shut him up with his lips and felt the rumble of Alhaitham's laugh against his mouth. It was an infuriatingly attractive sound. Kaveh nipped at his lip in retaliation before pulling back again.

“Do you like riling me up this much?”

“Only when I’m getting something out of it.”

“I hate you.”

“Hate me all you want. That’s fine.”

“Hold on. No, it's not! When have you ever been the moderate type? You're alright with that? Okay then, what if I say I love you then? What about now?”

Alhaitham's eyes widened in surprise just as Kaveh's mouth fell open.

“Uhm-” He started to laugh awkwardly. “What I was trying to say was-”

“I can work with that,” Alhaitham replied, a rare smile on his lips. It sent a shiver down Kaveh's spine. “No complaints.” His grip on Kaveh's waist tightened before he pulled him down with him again. Kaveh searched for Alhaitham's hand, interlacing their fingers as he pinned it down next to his head and leaned down to capture his lips again.

This time, he wouldn't run or hide. Kaveh was desperate to stay right where he was, entangled with Alhaitham in his bedroom.

[pearl-blue-musings]

I had thoughts

Warnings: fem!reader, cockwarming, teasing, alhaitham being alhaitham, slight breeding, one spank, slight dumbification

Alhaitham x fem!reader

He didn’t even have to look up from his book to know you were leering. With his free hand he motions you over and you giddily skip toward him. Alhaitham momentarily pauses his reading to look up at you in one of his bigger shirts, smirking to himself as he realizes you weren’t wearing anything underneath. He shifts his position so you can easily sit in his lap with your head resting in the crook of his neck. Your arms wrap around his waist as he has one holding his book and the other rubbing up your thigh in a calming manner.

It was nice for about 15 minutes until you shifted in his lap. Alhaitham hitches his breath slightly but doesn’t show it in his facial expression. You already feel yourself getting wet against his groin. You try to hold back a moan but you can feel him start to harden underneath you. You smirk to yourself as you start to praise yourself for your choice of being without underwear. You move your hips a bit to get a reaction out of him but he doesn’t react how you want him to. You pout and start to undo your boyfriends pants. His sharp eyes look down from his book and he clicks his teeth. “Needy?” His voice is breathless as you focus on freeing his cock. You nod as it springs free, licking your lips as you see the tip flushed and leaking.

You place your hands on his shoulders to support yourself as you line up your hole with his cock. You’re already wet and wanting him inside. You slowly slide down his cock and both of you sigh in relief. Your head falls against his chest as you adjust to his size. Alhaitham has one hand on your waist and the other still gripping his book. He bites his lip before digging his nails into your hip. “Don’t you fucking move,” he growls out.

“But I want you,” you keen, wriggling your hips to feel him throb inside you. He tuts you and thrusts his hips up into once, making you moan loudly. He shushes you and continues to read on.

“You’re being a distraction, sweetheart. I know you want me and I do too, but let me finish reading.” He hides a flustered smile and thinks of an idea. “Darling,” he coaxes, “why don’t you help me finish reading this, hmm? I know you like when we read together.” He flashes you that all knowing cheeky grin as you whimper underneath him. Your nails dig into his shoulders as he grows inside you. You turn your head, continuing to pout as you nod against him. He hums and points to the line he’s still reading.

“According to previous studies done, the Avidya forest contains intricate life forms that require further studies for their usefulness in modern med-ah!” That sneaky bastard, rutting his hips just when you were almost done with the first sentence. You may enjoy reading some of his journals and studies, but right now you want him to fuck you. You do your best to finish reading the journal, your walls tightening around him as Alhaitham does everything in his power to get you to falter. The only times you really messed up were when his free hand wandered too close to your clit or would squeeze some of your skin.

After about 30 minutes of pleasurable anguish, you’re at the last page and finishing the conclusion when a whimper escapes your lips. The last word rolls off your lips and you feel yourself spilling all over him. “P-please,” you sputter, “fuck me, Haitham.” God he loves the way you shorten his name when you’re needy like this. He puts the book down and places his hands on your hips, fingers spread to grab as much skin as possible as he begins to rut into you. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as every part of him fills your senses. All you can think about is him making you cum, feeling his seed fill you up as hus balls slap against your ass. You’re a bumbling mess in his lap and his thrusts are erratic, the sounds of squelching and moaning fills his study. You’re pretty sure Kaveh can hear the two of you but you don’t care.

Alhaitham digs his nails into your back to pull you closer. “You wanna cum now? You think you’re such a good girl? Coming in here and distracting me from my work,” his voice raises on that last word as he smacks your ass, his voice low and demanding in your ear. “Being such a horny little thing for me, cockwarming me? You must be so desperate to cum aren’t you?” You nod, barely able to say words. “Too dumb to speak? Then cum, sweetie. Cum for me.”

His words hit you hard as you orgasm around his cock, screaming his name as you finally come down. His grip tightens as he fills you up with his seed before letting go. Alhaitham slowly runs his fingers up and down your back as he begins to whisper in your ear. “You’re alright, you’re alright. You’re here with me in my study.” He waits for you to calm down more before he softly asks, “would you like to have a bath? This wasn’t planned, but you did exert yourself a lot and I’d hate to have this room smell like this.”

You chuckle against his chest. “Of, of course you’d ruin the moment like this.” He gently tips your head up to place a chaste kiss upon your lips. You hum tiredly and start to move. Aware that your legs would be wobbly, you gently get up but are brought back down when you meet Alhaitham’s intense stare. He taps your legs to have them wrap around his waist. He walks the two of you to the bathroom where he starts the hot water.

“I didn’t wanna lose a single drop. You still wanted to start a family right?”

[vivalabunbun]

To start off, I'm sorry I'm such a boomer on Tumblr that even after years of using it all I know is how to follow, like posts, and post something myself 😭😭😭 So I don't blame you if you don't have the slightest clue of who I am. But on my part, I have been following your works for a while now and I just *absolutely* adore how you write.

I keep finding myself coming back to reread your fics despite already remembering the exact plot by heart after the first or second go 😭😭 I love how you characterize, not just Alhaitham, but the other character in the story extremely well. You explored all of their potential aspects and presented them all so naturally, and I can't imagine how much work you have to spend behind each fic you wrote. Especially with Alhaitham. Your Haitham is my canon Haitham, to simplify the progress of explaining how well you wrote him to me.

Your writing is poetic and expressive. It just pushed all the right button in me. And I absolutely ****love**** the little science-y facts and nerdy little details you put in your fic. Not to mention your taste is almost if not identical to mine too 😭😭😭😭 I'm very picky with Alhaitham's portrayal in his fanfics, yet yours made me completely settle my standards and patiently waiting for your next fic instead of searching for more.

So, I have been meaning to do a little something for my favorite writer-slash-storyteller. And here is a little Mareya fanart ✨ It's not much but I hope its up to your liking

P/s: I think that you have the tendency to get anxious about your work? I just wanna say that it's okay, you and your work doesn't have to be perfect everytime and always better than the last. Regardless of what you wrote, me and the others will still always support you 🌱 I know it's not much and it probably won't get rid of the doubts in an instance, but I will remind you of that as many times as needed ✨

P/s 2: House of Daena succs, background succs x2 ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡

I feel so honored that you drew my lil story teller 🥹😭🙏 Thank you so much!!! It’s so good and the background is 💕💕💕

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support 🥹🥹 your words are like a nice hug

I do have a tendency to doubt my writing bc sometimes there’s just so many things I want to say/ try but it doesn’t work out all the time.

How I portray Alhaitham is always a concern bc I want to explore him but not be so ooc, but it look like a lot of people feel satisfied with the middle ground I’ve been tiptoeing.

Thank you for looking forward to my next works 🥹 life has been… life so my rate has slowed but hopefully my past pieces still evoke the same joy

Ahh I love your art style 🫶✨

[69misato69]

Kashmir (Alhaitham & Transfem Kaveh) ✦ 1.5k, angst, fluff and comfort

archive of our own ✦ twitter

masterlist pinned on my profile !

being an ally to the trans community is a full time job and acting grand sage mr. haytham has never called in sick

cw: dysphoria

“Kaveh, are you home?” Alhaitham called out from the entrance as he took off his shoes, only to be greeted by giggles and laughter coming from the living room the second he took off his headphones. He peeked through the door, finding Nilou and Kaveh sitting on the floor as his roommate slid a vermillion-colored lipstick along Nilou’s lips. 

She noticed Alhaitham from the corner of her eye and turned towards the scribe with a warm smile, “Hey Haytham!”

Alhaitham smiled back, making his way towards the two and looking down at the tubes and bottles splattered around them. “Hello Nilou. Good to see you. Would you like anything?”

Nilou was the only guest of Kaveh that Alhaitham actually liked. She was calm, collected yet cheerful, every time she visited she would arrive at the door with plates of food stacked between her arms for all three of them to enjoy. 

“Ah, no thank you. We just ate. But there’s some butter chicken in the kitchen if you’d like? Kaveh told me it’s your favorite so I made some.” she chirped.

Alhaitham looked at her in amazement, “Thank you. I’ll be sure to have some at dinner.” 

Kaveh was still placing different shades all over Nilou’s face, though the process seemed arbitrary, it would always turn out stunning in the end. 

“Kaveh, any particular reason why our house looks like a science lab?” Alhaitham inquired. 

The two bursted into laughter at the piles and piles of make-up surrounding them. “They gave Nilou a bunch of free shit so we tried them all today. Some of them are horrid, though.” Kaveh explained. 

Alhaitham hummed, he settled on the divan, reaching for his headphones and the book he was recently occupied with and turned the pages while occasionally looking up at Nilou and Kaveh. After almost an hour of putting on more make-up and eventually cleaning up the floor, Nilou gestured towards Alhaitham. 

He took off the headphones to find Nilou overly excited and Kaveh embarrassed beyond words in front of him. 

“What do you think, doesn’t he look pretty?” 

Kaveh’s smile froze on his lips.

“You…” Alhaitham paused, “You both look delightful.” 

Nilou expressed her gratitude, getting ready to leave for practice. They walked her to the door, Kaveh placed a kiss on her cheek, “Love you, have fun at practice.” 

Nilou waved at both of them, “Love you too! Bye, Haytham!”

Alhaitham closed the door and turned at Kaveh to get a good look. He lifted her chin gently, examining the dark eyeliner and the red shade that ran along her lower lash-line. 

“You like it?” Kaveh asked with flushed cheeks. 

Alhaitham released her chin from his grasp and leaned down to press a loving kiss on her lips, “Yes. You look beautiful.” 

Kaveh looked down in embarrassment and her eyes trailed onto the bag on the floor. She quickly reached to grab it, “Oh, Nilou forgot her clothes.” she said in a state of worry, ready to rush out. 

Alhaitham held onto the bag, “No, that’s mine.”

Kaveh let it go with a relieved sigh. 

“I saw it at the bazaar and I thought you would like it, so I decided to get it for you.” 

Kaveh looked baffled, it wasn’t at all like Alhaitham to buy something impulsively, let alone as a surprise. Even for anniversaries or birthdays, though he didn’t place much importance on them but knew that Kaveh did, he would pick out a gift weeks in advance and ask Kaveh if she would like it. 

Still vexed, Kaveh took the bag and reached inside to feel a soft fabric. 

Cashmere.

It was Kaveh’s favorite, everyone knew that if she could get their entire house covered in it, she would. Though, it was a rare find in Sumeru, the only goods relating to clothing were those that entered the nation as imports from Fontaine. 

Kaveh gasped. She carefully took out the bundle of fabric, twisting it around to figure out what it was. Eventually, as its skirt draped out to the floor, Kaveh realized. 

A dress.

An absolutely stunning, ruby gown that matched her eyes, hairpins and earrings. 

“Haytham…” she struggled to find the words. 

“It is a flexible fabric but they only had one size, so I’m not sure if it would fit.” 

Kaveh folded it neatly and headed for their bedroom, “I’ll try it on.” 

She laid it on the bed, still stunned by how beautiful the color was. Normally, she would never imagine a dress made of cashmere, it was more suitable for sweaters and coats, but the way it was woven so tightly, it looked so comfortable yet elegant. 

Kaveh undressed, reaching for an undergarment with a slight filler to strap it around her chest and reached inside her underwear to tuck. Alhaitham was waiting outside patiently. 

Kaveh cautiously stuck her neck from inside the dress trying not to ruin her make-up and pulled down on the lower part until it sat over her shoulders and hips. 

She walked out to the hallway where they had a full-sized mirror, finding Alhaitham standing right in front of it. His eyebrows raised as an endearing smile formed on his lips. “How does it look?” Kaveh asked nervously. 

Alhaitham moved away from the mirror and stood behind her, “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Kaveh gasped, absolutely adoring the way the fabric hugged her body, rolling exquisitely around her curves and complementing her eyes. 

Alhaitham hugged her waist, peppering kisses all over her hair and the back of her neck until he heard a sniffle. He pulled away, turning Kaveh around by the shoulders. Her eyes were glossy and her chest heaved dramatically from holding back. 

Alhaitham cupped her cheek with a puzzled expression, “If you don’t like it I can just return it.” 

A single tear broke loose and streamed down Kaveh’s chin, “No… no it’s not that. I love it. Thank you.” 

A tear from her other eye followed, unable to resist the heartbreak weighing on her chest. 

“Then why are you crying?” Alhaitham wiped them off, inevitably coating his fingers with the remains of the eyeliner. 

Kaveh attempted to hold her breath and fight it off, but everytime she tried to speak, more tears came tumbling down like heavy rain falling on the earth. 

“I love it but you—hic—shouldn’t have spent Mora on something that—”

Kaveh’s lower lip began to tremble.

“Something that—” 

Alhaitham held her hand reassuringly, “Something what?”

“Something that I can never wear.” Kaveh barely spurted out right before she began sobbing uncontrollably, as if her heart was being ripped apart and torn into pieces. Her eyes burned from the eyeliner running down, creating dark streams along her puffy cheeks. 

And then it dawned on Alhaitham, how Kaveh always had to keep herself a secret, locked away from the outside world, even from those she held near and dear to her heart. And everything she loved to see herself in would always be kept away, preserved until they would all rot away before ever seeing the light of day. 

Alhaitham brushed the strands of hair covering Kaveh’s face, “You will.” he cooed, “One day. If not here, then we’ll go somewhere you can.” 

Kaveh held onto his hands desperately, unable to see clearly anymore as her vision turned cloudy. 

Alhaitham kissed her forehead, “And people will know me as your husband, because you’ll be so successful there as well, so no one will even know my name, hopefully.” 

Kaveh chuckled in between sobs. 

“But every now and then, I’ll get to flaunt my beautiful wife.” Alhaitham pulled her closer as Kaveh leaned on his chest. She cried and cried until she couldn’t anymore. Alhaitham’s fingers brushed through her hair as his hand rubbed all over her back in soothing motions. 

He picked her up and made his way into the bathroom, sitting Kaveh down next to the sink before he lightly wetted the tissues and cleaned her face. Kaveh sat still, closing her eyes because the burn was too much to handle as Alhaitham worked his way around her eyelids. 

“Why don’t we have a date tomorrow? I’ll cook.” he asked with a hint of hope in his voice. 

“Dinner?” Kaveh asked. Alhaitham hummed. 

“Candles?” Kaveh asked again. Candle-lit dinners were always important in the household. 

Alhaitham chuckled, “Yes, candles.”

Kaveh smiled, she could finally see clearly again now that the make-up was taken care of. It was very rare that Alhaitham would show his true emotions on his face, but right then and there, Kaveh could easily see the affection and slight worry in his expression. 

She intertwined her fingers with his, placing a kiss on the back of Alhaitham’s hand, “Thank you.” 

It was the first time she had ever seen tears on the corner of the scribe’s eyes after years of dating him. 

“Please know Kaveh,” Alhaitham pulled her in for a tight embrace, “...even if the world was against you, I would be against the world.”