#i think he fully intended to not go back to the Fatui at all after he had gotten what he wanted

[primowishes]

//Regarding Scaramouche, what do you guys think happened between end of Inazuma quest and the (brief) events of A Winter Night's Lazzo. At the end of the Inazuma AQ, he absconded with the Gnosis (and during the Labyrinth Warriors event following it, Childe was specifically looking for wtf Scaramouche went with it, so none of them knew for the time being where he was, also mentioned in Childe's voiceline about Scaramouche). But in A Winter Night's Lazzo they are once again aware of his whereabouts, at least through Dottore.

Do you think he got tracked down? Or was he unable to take on the Gnosis fully as he probably planned to and sought Dottore them out himself? Or whatever else, I suppose. Personally, I think it's the second one.

[haileyywrites]

Summary: Scaramouche after getting hold of the gnosis of his creator prepares to leave Snezhnaya for good, but is confronted by one of his fellow Harbingers. One who he could almost trust...

Pairings: Scaramouche/the Balladeer x Harbinger Reader!

Notes/warnings: Gender neutral reader! POC friendly! Little angsty, little fluffy! No other warnings really.

Scaramouche had never intended to stay loyal to the Fatui or the Cryo Archon, even when he was taken in by them when all others turned their backs on him. He didn't care for them or their goals, he was only seeking after his own ends and the Fatui were the easiest way to gain them. Most of all he did not care for his colleagues. Most were crazy, annoying or otherwise intolerable and insufferable - it didn't matter as long as he didn't have to interact with them much.

Betraying them wouldn't be difficult in the slightest, if anything it was a reward for enduring them f6ir as long as he did. Though he would never admit it to anyone... even himself, he did hesitate in the end - because of you.

You were annoying for sure, but nothing like the other Harbingers. You were by no means a saint or even a good person, but you were not crazy like them. In a way you were like him, he didn't interact with his fellows and you tented to keep to yourself. You did get along with everyone as well as anyone could with the likes of them... But still preferred to be on your own.

Your unexpected bond was created one snowy night, with the fake stars lighting up the sky and moon rising in the distance. You stood underneath the roof of the courtyard to avoid the snowfall and simply admired the nightly scenery. You turned your head to face the direction of approaching footsteps to see the Balladeer approaching with a scowl, which was far from uncommon. It was as if not scowling all the time would somehow kill him.

“Something wrong number 6th?” You asked halfheartedly.

“Why do you care.” He barked back.

“I don't. Just felt like the polite thing to say.” You replied with honesty.

He scoffed, “Exchanging pointless pleasantries is a waste of everyone's times.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” You leaned against the railing to look better at the sky.

“What, never seen the sky before?” He scoffed again.

“Just because I've seen it a thousand times doesn't mean it's any less beautiful to me.”

“Whatever.” He said as he walked off.

For whatever reason these nightly unplanned meetings became an almost everyday occurrence. He didn't require sleep and you were simply a night owl or just insomniac. Things progressed slowly as both of you didn't trust each other and wished to keep everyone at an arms length at all times. You both had your reason for it and for being here, but it wasn't loyalty or faith. If you weren't loyal to an Archon whose bidding you were actively acting out, then who could you be loyal to?

Though you got closer to him and made your way into his non-existent heart he never fully let you in, he just couldn't let anyone betray him and his heart. You knew he couldn't and never tried pushing him to do so, you feared it would push him away from you. So you remained a little more than strangers and colleges despite all that happened between you two.

You knew he would one day leave with the gnosis of his creator and betray the Fatui along with the Tsaritsa, but you thought it would be so much later in the future. You never gave it much thought before the very day it happened, you always thought you'd have more time and he would tell you before hand... A foolish thing to think and believe.

"Were you going to say anything?" You caught him mid packing.

"Should I have?" He asks in a monotone voice.

"I suppose not." The dissapointment in your voice is hard to miss.

He paused to say something to you, but in the end didn't. Perhaps it was for the best anyway...

"Did you... ever consider taking me with you?" You manage to ask despite your nerves.

He stops again and turns to look at you, but doesn't know what to say... There is something he wishes to say in reply, but he hesitates too long for you to take back your words.

"Forget it, it was a foolish question. I will be on my way then." You turn to leave and he doesn't stop you.

You want to stop and demand he take you with him, that he at least answerers honestly to you! But you don't. He won't let you in and he won't trust you, do there is nothing you can do...

"Goodbye, 6th." You say before walking out of his room without waiting for him to reply.

Your shoes clicked against the marble flooring as you walked away, you couldn't hear anything besides it. You remained as silent as you could - foolishly hoping to hear his door open with regret, that he would ask you to come with him like you had suggested... But you didn't. It never happened. You walked away and he left like the wind.

A/N: :'D

[erabundus]

@ironbloodcd &&. said... you’ll never leave me ,  right ? - from the homunculus

it's  been  quite  a  while  since  he  last  had  time  to  visit  his  FOLLOWER.  it  isn't  anything  personal  —  the  balladeer's  life  doesn't  have  room  to  accommodate  leisurely  trips.  each  day  comes  with  a  litany  of  responsibilities  and  unpleasant  tasks,  from  grueling  experiments  meant  to  inch  him  ever-closer  to  the  divinity  he  hungers  for ...  to  overseeing  the  fools  who  make  HERDING  CATS  look  effortless.  it's  only  a  matter  of  time  now.  he  possesses  no  heart  to  store  his  loyalty  in;  naturally  that  also  means  he  holds  no  attachment  to  the  fatui.  the  moment  they  cease  to  be  useful,  kunikuzushi  fully  intends  to  toss  the  entire  group  to  the  wayside  —  just  as  they  would  surely  do  to  him.  (  that  is  simply  the  nature  of  this  world;  he's  become  quite  familiar  with  it.  )  yet  until  that  day  finally,  finally  comes,  he's  obligated  to  play  the  part  of  the  obedient  pawn  —  now  more  than  ever.

he  doesn't  think  much  of  his  absence.  it's  natural  for  gods  to  test  the  DEVOTION  of  their  followers,  isn't  it?  kunikuzushi  wouldn't  ask  the  homunculus  to  walk  a  sea  of  hot  coals  or  stain  his  hands  with  innocent  blood  —  and  to  assume  that  he  would  is  to  misconstrue  what  sort  of  DEITY  he  fashions  himself  to  be.  just  a  bit  of  patience  is  his  only  request,  and  he  will  pay  back  that  loyalty  a  hundred  times  over.

in the meantime, tiny shows of appreciation will have to suffice.

❝  here.  ❞   the  tray  slams  down  on  the  table  with  a  clatter.  he's  relatively  certain  eating  in  the  lab  is  heavily  frowned  upon,  but  what  the  doctor  doesn't  know  won't  INCONVENIENCE  him.  he's  found  himself  with  a  scrap  of  free  time,  and  decided  to  take  the  opportunity  to  pay  the  homunculus  a  visit.  he  isn't  going  to  apologize  for  his  absence,  but  he's  still  taken  the  OPPORTUNITY  to  bring  him  a  meal  nonetheless.  kunikuzushi  almost  wants  to  laugh  at  the  irony  —  a  god?  giving offerings?  he  doesn't  even  know  if  his  follower  needs  to  eat.  he  doesn't  know  if  he  can.  however,  he  has  spent  enough  time  immersed  in  human  customs  to  realize  material  offerings  are  oft  attributed  disproportionate  worth.  a  bowl  of  soup,  warm  and  rich  and  crafted  with  the  finest  ingredients  the  fatui's  deep  pockets  can  buy.  a  thick  slice  of  bread,  toasted  and  lightly  drizzled  with  olive  oil.  it  still  isn't  an  apology;  he  would  prefer  to  think  of  it  more  as  a  reward.

he's  not  anticipating  the  homunculus'  response.  and  perhaps  that's  his  own  fault,  too  wrapped  up  in  his  own  delusions  —  he  thought  he  would  be  GRATEFUL  for  this.  (  the  sixth  refuses  to  acknowledge  the  feeling  of  disappointment  that  itches  at  the  back  of  his  skull.  )  ❝  what  kind  of  absurd  question  is  that  supposed  to  be?  ❞   absurd,  he  calls  it  —  even  as  the  reasonable  part  of  him  concedes  that  the  other  has  every  reason  to  be  concerned.  he  has  been  absent  for  some  time.  the  inquiry  hits  too  close  to  his  own  INSECURITIES,  jostling  old  wounds  that  have  festered  instead  of  healed. after all ... if he left him, he would be no better than his mother.  ❝  i  can't  die.  ❞  kunikuzushi  says  instead,  trying  ( failing  )  to  smother  down  those  ugly  emotions.  ❝  where  would  i  go?  ❞

they're  similar  —  perhaps  too  similar,  and  that  is  entirely  the  problem.

❝  ...  ❞   gaze  averts.  he  seems  to  deflate  —  not  unlike  a  bird,  fluffed  feathers  going  abruptly  flat.  ❝  i  won't.  ❞  his jaw  works;  the  declaration  feels  half-finished,  yet  kunikuzushi  can't  bring  himself  to  say  anything  more  on  the  matter.  he  won't.  he  won't  be  like  her.  he  won't  be  like  her.   ❝  ...  are  you  going  to  eat  this  before  it  gets  cold,  or  am  i  wasting  my  time?  ❞

MORBID CURIOSITY

[fullmetxl]

Characters: Scaramouche / Wanderer & Gender-Neutral Reader Tags: Spoilers for the 3.2 Archon Quest, Character Study, Romance(ish) Summary: Because who is He now, if not a discarded puppet? He’s mine, you think with pursed lips and burning eyes. And I won’t give him up. — Scaramouche is defeated. You intend to save him. A Scaramouche x GN!Reader one-shot that explores the 3.2 fight and its aftermath.

Read it on AO3.

Scaramouche :

“No!”

Electricity sizzles in the air, a sound so deep and deathly that it leaves all those who listen to it shattered.

But the Dendro Archon, Lesser God Kusanali, Buer, the God of Wisdom is unrelenting in her pursuit. She does not listen to the pleas coming out of the prototype of a man. She extends her small hand, beckoning the Gnosis forward and out of the carcass in front of her.

“No, wait.” His pleas increase tenfolds, tone shaking with all the emotions he can muster.

Everything he has ever felt comes crashing down—the love of a mother’s touch, the betrayal of being casted aside, the grief of losing a friend, and the anger… so much anger. It all comes undone before him, before his very eyes.

Nahida looks up at him, green eyes glowing with an understanding of things that were, things long past. Her bright eyes shine with empathy and wisdom.

Why does she pity him? Him, a God made anew?

He grits his teeth, emotions flowing out of him like a river cascading down a mountain. He leans all his weight forward, arm fully extending out. “Please.”

But Nahida never stops. She continues to extend her hand, the Electro Gnosis a mere distance away from her grasp—the purple-pink hue so reminiscent of The Sacred Sakura, once a beautiful sight. But just like the blooms that descend upon Inazuma, so too must everything come to pass.

And yet, he can’t give it up.

That power should be his. Is his, by right. Was that not the reason he was created in the first place, after all? Was that not why his own mother created him in her own image, a vessel for Godhood?

Because who is He now, if not a discarded puppet?

“That’s mine, don’t even try!” he cries out with all that he has, pushing himself forward, his whole weight placed on his mere volition—his desire to be what he has always meant to be. As he does, he feels the tubes that had been holding him back slowly come loose, the strings pulling his fate snapping.

No, no, no.

This can’t be how this ends.

“I'll never go back…” he whispers frantically, pain leaping out of him. Images of a dark void filled with nothing but cold loneliness and grief come surging back.

Shakkei Pavilion, the tombstone enacted for him.

He won’t go back.

But without a Gnosis, without a heart of his own… It's all been meaningless, hasn’t it?

The Gnosis finally falls into Nahida’s hands, and with it, his vision begins to pulsate violet. Electro energy splinters through the course of his veins. He feels the connection with his true purpose fade away.

His body falls and everything becomes a blur. Tears cloud his vision.

He has already given up.

Without the Gnosis, he’s finished.

The existence of what once Kunikuzushi was small and ugly. He is no longer The Ballader or Scaramouche.

And if he’s not a God? Then he’s an empty carcass, filled with nothing but shattered dreams.

A broken marionette.

When oblivion comes crashing down on him, it envelopes him like a mother would embrace her babe, dark and tender.

Everything drifts away.

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

You:

They call him Scaramouche, The Ballader. The Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers.

You know him as Kunikuzushi.

“No, wait. Please.” His voice comes twisted and ragged, a burst of emotions echoing in the chambers.

You have seldom heard him reach this breaking point. When he was young and made anew, perhaps. But these emotions have not flowed out of him in a very long time.

My mother discarded me because I cried too much, he once confessed to you when he had first been brought in, before he assumed the title of The Balladeer.

Perhaps that is why he chose not to feel.

Your heart twists in your chest, but you stay put. You must not be seen, after all, least you want to attract the Traveler’s attention. The Traveler cannot know who you are or know that a Fatui Agent has entered this sanctuary. You glance towards the blonde standing near the entrance, its floating companion nearby.

Harbingers aren’t afraid to make a dramatic entrance when they need to but you are no Harbinger. Your talents lie in stealth and secrecy, and so, you stay put.

There’s also the fact that you aren’t here on official business. You are here because of Kunikuzushi and nothing else. Though Il Dottore may have chosen to leave him behind, you aren’t ready to cast him away so quickly.

He’s mine, you think with pursed lips and burning eyes. And I won’t give him up.

You hear the fall, the crash and you almost jump out of your hiding spot. Your knuckles turn white as you dig your nails into your palms.

Dust fills the air.

You listen as Lesser God Kusanali and The Traveler chatter away, and amber light surges through the sanctuary. You glance back, watching a golden Knowledge Capsule—or what appears to be one, anyway—floating in the air.

“That’s right. This… is the last memory of my predecessor,” you hear Lesser God Kusanali explain, her eyes glowing like emerald orbs, infinite and wise.

Lesser God Kusanali, the Traveler and the little floating entity that you think referred to itself as Paimon begin to fade, their bodies transporting to another realm.

As soon as you are certain that they have teleported far away, you walk towards where the would-be-god stands. Beneath it, a rubble of debris stands, a cloud of hazing fog. You squint, trying to make sense of what you are seeing, your nose dry from the dust.

And then, you see him.

A broken marionette, twisted on the ground.

You are kneeling next to him in an instant, your eyes reeling in his body in a frantic and desperate search. You find he is alive and sigh in relief. He is wounded, several cuts on parts of his body, but there’s not much blood. Rather, the more pressing issue is the fact that he fell from such a height. It is likely he suffers a concussion.

You glance up from where he descended, scowling. Such a height would have killed most mortals.

Then again, Scaramouche isn’t human.

“Scaramouche,” you murmur under your breath, voice soft and hand softer still.

“Balladeer,” you say in an almost frantic prayer. You lift his head onto your thighs, caressing the beads of sweat away from the creases of his forehead, gently tucking strands of hair back.

“Kunikuzushi…” You graze your fingers over his soft skin and call upon your vision, trailing down his cheeks softly.

Kunikuzushi doesn’t awaken. Instead, he appears to be crying, silent tears streaming down his face.

You caress the tears with your thumbs, closing your eyes.

“I would save you.”

A plea to him, a promise to yourself.

You feel your powers unravel before you.

Light beckons forward, shines through you as your healing touch cascades down and trickles down onto Scaramouche’s pale skin. He glows white, like fireflies flowing together in a harmonious dance in Liyue Harbour on a cool autumn night.

You let your magic fully encompass him.

What you find is pain. So much pain. Insurmountable levels of pain.

You’ve known all along how much pain Scaramouche carries with him. But right now, it engulfs you, ensnares you and you have to bite your lip to not cry out from the pain.

So you you just push more healing magic into him, a wave of nausea settling at the pit of your stomach.

How long you let your vision embrace him, you know not. But by the time you come back to your senses, you are drenched in sweat, your hands trembling from the effort.

“You are helping him,” a voice lulls you back to reality and you snap your head towards the chirpy voice.

Lesser God Kunali stands in front of you, her child-like features both ethereal and dainty. You shudder, reaching for your weapon but she shakes her head.

“At ease, Snezhnayan spy. I mean you no harm.”

You exhale, eying the Dendro Archon cautiously. You are a good judge of people and though you have never encountered a God before—only a would-be-god vagrant from Inazuma—you find no lies in her expression. You allow her to approach the two of you with a nod.

“I am Nahida,” she says as if it were a casual thing in the world.

“I know who you are,” you mutter back, dark eyes looking towards Scaramouche. You feel her presence next to you as she sits down, hands reaching above.

Green energy flows out of her, slowly and surely, and you can’t help but admire the sheer power she exudes.

Still, you keep your guards up.

“He is in pain,” she points out.

You nod once, continuing to push your healing magic into his wounded body. She places a hand on top of yours.

“And you are tired.”

You scowl, jerking your hand away from hers.

“Don’t presume to know me, Buer. I will not relent until he opens his eyes again.”

“You bear him much love,” Nahida points out and you don’t say anything to confirm or deny her allegations. “I wonder,” she begins, tilting her head curiously, “What caused him to stray away from this love to seek out Godhood?”

“You know nothing,” you snarl, glaring at the Dendro Archon with such venom that you even surprise yourself. “He is not a puzzle for you to figure out, a pastime for you to waste your time on. He is mine, mine to do with as I please, you hear me? And I will not have you try to twist him into a story that fits your narrative.”

“I see.”

You eye Nahida, finding her with a serene expression on her face, looking up at the machine that once bore Scaramouche.

She stays silent for a long while, listening to your healing magic fluidly encompass Scaramouche, a steady hum echoing in the sanctuary.

“He almost did it, you know. Reach Godhood.” She breaks the silence. “But a God filled with anger is a curse for the people of Teyvat. I could not let him be.”

You lick your dried lips, eyes flickering to her form, and speak, “He is relentless and stubborn. I have never known him to stray away from a goal once he set his mind to it. But I am glad you stopped him, I do not think this outcome would have been the right one for him.”

You know such words are selfish and unbecoming of even yourself. But whether they are uttered out loud to a God or just thought in the privacy of your mind, it is how you feel.

“Interesting,” Nahida continues. “You say this despite your allegiances to the Fatui Order?”

“Yes.” You glare at her again, a lofty element to your tone. “Just because I serve the Tsaritsa doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything the Harbingers do. I serve Her will, not theirs.”

She nods with a small smile. “Tell me, what would you do for him, if you could?” she asks.

You glance away, voice more soft. “I would give him a heart, if I had one to spare.”

She sighs, a content exhale.

“Come, you are tired. And I have it in me to help you, Fatui Spy.”

You shake your head, coughing lightly as the fatigue begins to grip you, your insides twisting in pain.

She once again places one of her child hands on top of yours. This time, you don’t refuse the touch. “His wounds are deep—both psychological and physical. He will not awaken now, he will need time. And you need to rest. Let me create a shelter for the both of you.”

“Why?” You give her a suspicious glance.

“I see truth in your heart. And that is the greatest Wisdom of all,” she explains as she stands on her two feet, her white curls falling gracefully.

You hesitate, glancing back at Scaramouche, whose pain still seems as deep as the sea. Your healing touch has only grazed the surface.

As much as you hate to admit it, Nahida is right.

“I promise, where I take you, no Fatui or mercenary can find you. You will be safe,” she says.

You stop healing Scaramouche and rise on your feet, looking down at the child.

“Very well, Buer, God of Wisdom. I will take your offer. But stab me in the back and know I will make sure your people never have an Archon to ever pray to,” you threaten as you give her an icy stare.

Though you know you are far from being able to execute such threats given your exhaustion, you fully intend to make it clear to Nahida that going back on her word is not an option.

“A contractual way of negotiating. I almost feel like I am in Liyue. I accept,” she says with a hum, placing one of her hands on Scaramouche’s leg, the other reaching out to you.

You take her small hand into yours, sitting down next to Scaramouche. You feel your body begin to tingle, green energy encompassing the other of you.

As you look upon Scaramouche one last time, you notice his pale face, the way it glistens with tears of hope and pain.

Kunikuzushi. Scaramouche. The Ballader. Or whatever you may choose to call yourself in the future.

Please, just.

Don’t die.

[that-vigilant-yaksha]

Requested by Anon: can I request hcs with xiao, albedo, and childe x reader (separately) about the reader asking them to play truth or dare, just the two of them? it went slightly towards nsfw because the reader teases the character a lot and thus SEXUAL TENSION!!

Pairings: Albedo x GN!Reader ; Childe x GN!Reader ; Xiao x GN! Reader

Warnings: Sexual Content! Nothing graphic but mentions of sexual acts

A/N: My first request! Thank you for asking! I had so much writing these. Teasing these beautiful boys and how they might reacting to it during a game of truth or dare.

You were bored. The reality didn’t match the fantasy you’d had when you decided to accompany Albedo up to his camp in Dragonspire. He actually wanted to focus on work, instead of you.

Which honestly, you shouldn’t have been surprised by. The man was obsessed with his work.

Sitting on a stool, you simply stared at his back as he pondered over the pinned papers on the board. How could one man look so sexy while reading? But you were still bummed that he wasn’t paying attention to you.

“Hey, Albedo?”

No response.

“Albedo?”

Still nothing.

Getting off the stool, you snuck over him, admiring and hating how focused he was. “Albedo!” You nearly shouted his name, throwing your arms around his waist, pressing your face into his back. “Let’s play a game!”

He agreed to play only to satiate you, because although his work meant a lot to him, he also had such a hard time saying no to you. You’ll have to explain the rules to him, as he’s never played before.

Once he has a basic understanding, Albedo plays the game seriously. He leans toward truths in the beginning. He asks strange questions, sometimes pertaining to his work. It was cute, and you let him get away with it.

But when it was his turn, you teased him endlessly. Truths were riddled with leading questions, and dares were filled with some kind of touching or kissing. You started out small, daring him for a kiss or asking for the truth of how much he thinks about you when you are apart.

Albedo isn’t stupid. While at first, he isn’t fully aware of what you are doing, he quickly puzzles it out. He’ll play dumb, calculating the best way to deal with you being so brazen.

And when he does. Oh, you are in for it. You leaned toward dares, wanting to see how far he’d take it. You’re obviously fake innocent smile as you waited to hear what he’d dare you to do only fueled him to make the dare something dirty.

“I dare you to touch yourself.”

You.exe has stopped working.

You were not prepared to hear those words come from his lips. But he was staring at you without an ounce of joking, completely serious. Your silence prompted him to tilt his head. “I believe that’s within the rules, yes? Are you refusing my dare?”

Oh, you were in for it. It was freezing up in the mountains. And he wanted you to expose yourself and masturbate? The thought did thrill you, and you realized that this was an inevitable outcome.

You comply with the dare, and things only become more heated between the two of you. Dares becoming the only thing you both chose, becoming bolder with each one.

“Perhaps next time you’ll think again before attempting to fool me, hmm?”

Occasionally, late at night, you could find Childe at Northland Bank, on night duty. He needed no assistance from the other Fatui, as the single Harbinger was more capable than a dozen of his subordinates. You weren’t supposed to bother him while he was working but you’d caught him talking to himself in different voices, showing how utterly bored he was.

 In your hands was a bottle of wine and some snacks you’d swiped from Wanmin Restaurant. Childe wasn’t the best influence on you, apparently. You tended to do some shady things after spending more time with him. “I come bearing gifts.”

Childe is absolutely thrilled that you came. He hates having to be on guard, all alone. He’s a sociable person. “Oh, I see you brought some wine and food too.” You were always a treat to be around, and the Harbinger found himself wanting to spend time with you.

The two of you spend a little time talking and drinking, snacking, and more drinking. The wine had gone to your head a little, and you thought perhaps his guard was a little down after an entire bottle. “Wanna play a game with me?”

He’s ready when you suggest a game of truth or dare. He’s played with his younger siblings often and he loves the idea.

Childe takes the game very seriously but wasn’t ready for you to take such bold actions against him. He finds it utterly adorable that you are trying to trick him. But he allows it for a little while.

He’ll pretend to not notice that your dares are getting more and more intimate, and he’ll play dumb when you ask him to tell you the truth on how much he cares for you.

It’s the tipsy side of you that is unaware that is totally playing with you, biding his time before he could turn the tables on you. Childe is the puppeteer, and you are simply the marionette, but you were always unaware.

I dare you to kiss me anywhere but on my lips. A test. To see how far the harbinger was willing to go. You'd expected the neck, maybe. Where he'd find that sweet spot to nibble on. Or he might try for your chest, as a way to return your taunts.

The world flipped, and you were flat on your back against the floor. Blue irises staring at you with such intense lust. His mouth hovering above your most sensitive part of your body.

"Ah, the look on your face is so adorable. I could just eat you up."

And he follows through with his promise. Both of you secretly glad that he always works alone. Otherwise, someone might overhear all the pretty noises you make for him.

You liked taking overnight trips to Wangshu Inn, begging Boss to go along with your little white lie that the inn was full, and you had no room to stay in. Which meant you made a plate of Almond Tofu and went to the top floor to find the resident Adeptus.

“Xiao, I made your favorite,” You said, casting a glance around the seemingly empty balcony. He was here. You could tell, since you spent so much time with him, despite his constant complaining about tainting the human world.

“You are trying to bribe an adeptus? Humans are so brazen.” But he lacked the typical irritation that he had when speaking to anyone else. He could fake it all he wanted, but you knew he liked being around you.

You snickered, offering him the plate. “Inn’s full, so you’ll let me stay with you, right? You wouldn’t want me to sleep out here in the cold and get sick, would you?”

Xiao sighed, but accepted the dish. “I would not wish to see you fall ill. I’ll allow you to stay the night, as long as you behave.” He hadn’t intended the words to be received as you took them. 

The more you thought over it, the more you wanted to twist them just a smidge. Alone in his room, you sat on the bed and waited for him to finish eating. “Xiao, let’s play a little game! To pass the time.”

What is this game you speak of? It sounds childish. He doesn't partake in silly human games.

But your bottom lip sticking out in a pleading fashion paired with your big puppy dog eyes, and the adeptus caved, unable to say no to you.

"I surrender. Explain this game to me."

 Honestly, bless this man. He tries so hard, but he is taking the game way too literally. You have to explain again that he can ask whatever and dare anything. It's easy to take advantage and get away with a lot of teasing.

You start out with daring him to let you sit in his lap and touch his hair, and for the loner Xiao, this is considered a treat. It's rare that he lets you be so affectionate.

 You up your game and start asking for lingering hugs and kisses. Just give a few wiggles in his lap and you'll have him turned on. He's a bit embarrassed but finally catches on after some questionable dares. Why were you wanting him to kiss your thighs? Not that he minded because he quite liked them.

It's so cute how unaware he is. He's got a band of pink across his cheeks, finding it harder and harder to resist you. Until he finally understands what is going on. Bless him for being so naive to human teasing.

"I see." He'd ponder his next move and be brutal about his execution. You choose dare simply to see how he'll react. "My dare for you is this. Strip, completely."

 You eagerly comply, doing it ever so slowly. Revealing your bare skin bit by bit. His golden irises watching every moment.

 Xiao is quite annoyed that you managed to confuse him for so long and get in a lot of teasing. He plans to skip your turn for a while, giving you more and more risky dares until the game ends but the night has only just begun.

[rheawritessometimes]

A Bad Deal

{ Childe x GN!Reader }

{ Summary } A continuation of "Childe gets an owie." Series Masterlist

{ Warnings } Mention of Injury, Physical Intimacy, Undefined Relationship, Questionable Behavior, Bad Writing, Please Let Me Know if Anything Needs to be Added.

{ Notes } I realized when I decided to write this that I didn't title the last fic, but the best works are always untitled. Not really I'm just forgetful. This time Childe can have mercy. I was so surprised with the response to the last fic, the amount of people who liked it was a huge surprise. Also, the comments on it were so kind. So obviously I needed to write a follow-up right away. I hope it's equally as enjoyable. Set up for a continuation if people like it. Masterlist

{ Word Count } 1,940

Getting Childe back to Liyue was a simple affair, he wasn't hindered by any pain he might have been in. The Snezhnayan wasn't one to complain about pain, even if he wasn't numbed up. He seemed to be in a cheerful mood, chattering animatedly as you walked. The fact he intentionally moved closer to you so that your shoulders occasionally brushed did not escape your notice. Neither of you said anything about it.

Luckily the Golden House wasn't very far from the harbor and the path was clear of any monsters, for which you were thankful. You were more than capable of handling most monsters on your own, but you were worried Childe would jump into combat and end up hurting himself more than he already had been. He was capable as a fighter but you thought him to be too reckless.

The visit to Bubu Pharmacy was entirely uneventful, it was confirmed that Childe had two broken ribs on his right side and he was given some medication for the pain. There wasn't much else to be done other than recommend regularly icing the area and no strenuous activities. That was expected, broken ribs were good at healing naturally, given rest. You wondered if it would even be possible for him to take it easy as a Harbinger, but it seemed the other Harbingers weren't as active as him so perhaps it was possible.

"I think I can just take it easy for two weeks and then go back to business as usual," Childe remarked as you began down the stairs. You looked at him with a frown, wondering if he was serious. This man had no regard for his long-term wellbeing.

"You need to rest for six weeks, at least. It's better for you to recover entirely before you get back to... whatever it is you do," you said with a stern tone. Sometimes it really did seem like Childe was a child. Haha.

"I'm a busy guy, I can't take that kind of time off," he argued, not seeming concerned by that in the slightest. It was true that broken ribs weren't the worst injury to work around, but it still wasn't wise to be so careless.

"Well, you're a valuable asset to Snezhnaya, surely you'd be allowed time off to recover. The Tsaritsa must be at least that understanding," you reasoned, now realizing you were walking along with him not sure where you were going. You didn't even know where he lived, it was clear he didn't spend his nights on the streets at least.

The Harbinger hummed thoughtfully, clearly scheming. You wondered what excuse he would come up with. Probably something about how he was 'very strong and can recover quickly'. You could almost scoff at the mere thought, it seemed entirely in character for him.

"Alright, I'll request time off to recover," he said, grinning cheekily, "if you help me while I recover."

You raised a questioning brow, that was something you hadn't predicted he was considering. Still, you cared enough for him to want him to fully recover, and helping him out wasn't beyond your abilities. Aside from one attempt to destroy Liyue, he had been pretty harmless.

"You'll rest for the whole six weeks?" you asked, still skeptical. You weren't sure it was possible for him to stay away from a fight for that long.

"Yep, I promise."

"Alright, deal."

Childe offered you his hand to shake, and you took it. Looking back on it, it was probably not the best idea to solidify your agreement in the land of contracts. Not when the terms hadn't been thoroughly discussed, at least.

"Great, you can stay at my apartment while I recover," he chirped, opening a door to what you assumed to be his apartment. You hadn't even realized you'd arrived in front of the building, too busy trying to convince Childe to take care of himself.

You opened your mouth to argue but quickly closed it when an ominous feeling washed over you. For some reason, it felt like it would be unwise to break your agreement. You silently cursed your past self, maybe you were the careless one.

Your displeasure must have been showing on your face because Childe laughed after seeing your expression. You clenched your jaw, but decided it would be better if you didn't say anything, he was certain to tease you if you rose to the bait.

"Second floor," he said as you walked down the hall, gesturing to a stairwell. He huffed once as you were going up the stairs, and you could only assume the numbness was beginning to fade. A wave of guilt washed over you at the thought. You broke his ribs and forced him to take off work for six weeks, so you were probably out of the running for friend of the year.

You could immediately tell which door led to Childe's apartment when you got to the second floor, there was a Fatui guard standing outside of it. He looked entirely out of place and you could imagine he was bored out of his mind just standing there. When he noticed your presence he eyed you suspiciously but said nothing, instead bowing his head to Childe.

The Harbinger completely ignored his subordinate, opening the door to his apartment and ushering you inside. Once the door was closed he ran a hand through his hair, letting out what sounded like a sigh of relief. It was probably nice to be home and finally able to relax after all that walking around with broken ribs.

"Your guard doesn't seem to like me," you remarked absently as you scanned his apartment. It was clean and surprisingly spacious, but a little bare. The floors were hardwood and there was a large carpet in the middle of the living room, with a sofa and some other furniture atop it. There were no houseplants to be seen.

"Yeah, I don't bring many people home," Childe laughed in response, plopping down on his couch which had no throw pillows or blankets. There was a wooden coffee table in front of it, but not much else around it.

"Oh, are you having relationship troubles?" you quipped in response, lips quirking up at the corners. He scoffed indignantly at your words.

"Have you seen this face? Of course not, I'm just waiting on the right person," he stated, lying sprawled across the couch. You shook your head at this, moving to the kitchen in hopes of finding some ice. Childe didn't say anything about you snooping around his kitchen, so you assumed there was nothing he felt he had to hide in there.

After gathering a dish towel and some ice, you came back with the make-shift icepack. He hadn't had a proper icepack in his freezer, which surprised you considering his line of work. Maybe later you would head back up to the pharmacy to get some.

"Ice your side for now. You should wash up and get changed soon," you told him after you handed him the icepack. While there had been no blood the fight was physically straining, so he probably needed to clean up. You realized after saying this that you had no change of clothes here, you'd need to go back to your place to get some things if he planned on having you stay here for six weeks.

"Okay, mom," he joked in response, you could only roll your eyes at this. He left the icepack laying on the right side of his chest, not bothering to hold it in place. You didn't bother to nag him about it, it was close enough.

"I'm going back to my place to get some stuff, I shouldn't be gone for long," you announced, turning to leave the apartment.

"Wait!" he shouted, sitting up suddenly, the icepack sliding down into his lap. "You owe me a kiss!"

You turned to look at him, a bit surprised by him shouting. You had forgotten about that entirely, but you did promise. So you walked over to the couch and leaned down to press your lips against his. You had intended for it to be a brief kiss, but his hand gently held your wrist and the other went up to brush against your jaw.

With a sigh you deepened the kiss, allowing yourself him to indulge for a little while. You were surprised by the slow pace he set, but certainly not displeased. He gently bit your bottom lip before pulling away, opening his eyes and giving you a smug look when he noticed your face had become a bit flushed.

"Get washed up and put clean clothes on while I'm gone," you said as you pulled away, trying to seem as unflustered as possible. It wasn't very effective, if his laughter as you fled the apartment was anything to go by.

Gathering everything you thought you would need from your apartment was entirely uneventful, you tried to pack everything you'd need for six weeks into a duffel bag but it was hopeless. You were bound to forget things and a duffel bag isn't much space, so you decided you could just come back whenever you needed something.

The Fatui guard stationed outside Childe's apartment was not shy about giving you a dirty look as you approached. It was safe to say the Harbinger probably didn't often have company. The guard seemed particularly suspicious of your bag, like that was the thing to worry about when it was commonplace to materialize weapons out of thin air.

"Stop," he ordered in a booming voice as you neared the door. You followed his order, halting outside the door. You proceeded to stare him dead in the eyes as you knocked three times on the door.

It swung open shortly after, Childe stepping out of the way to let you in. The way the guard clenched his jaw made you feel very smug.

"You don't have to knock, just come in," he said, and you were silently very thankful for those words. It was a little something extra to rub it in. Perhaps your loathing was a little misplaced, that man was likely not one who had attacked you in the past. But, he did still give you a dirty look and was none too polite, so there was something. Sometimes people are petty, and that's okay.

Once you were inside the apartment, you noticed Childe had showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. The white t-shirt and grey sweatpants were rather different from his usual look, but it strangely suited him rather well. Maybe everything looks good on him because he's a pretty Fatui boy.

"How are you feeling?" you asked, shifting the weight of your bag as you followed him to the kitchen.

"Good, doesn't hurt much. What do you want for dinner?" he asked, opening the cupboards to survey their contents. How casual the atmosphere was made it feel awfully domestic.

"Um, I'm fine with whatever you make," you replied, banishing the thought from your mind. You weren't really sure about your feelings on the matter yet so you would push them all off to the side and sort through them some other time.

"Oh, right. There's a spare room down the hall across from the bedroom. You can put your stuff in there," he said, looking over at you standing in the doorway with your bag. You were already walking away when he added, "Or you're welcome to stay in my bedroom with me~"

"You wish."

Maybe six weeks with Childe wouldn't be too bad.

[tartagilicious]

snezhnaya does not believe in broken hearts > childe

→ pov: there is no pov i’m in love with another fictional man. I’m a little rusty writing wise because of school, but someone said childe enemies to lovers and who i am i to say no to that 🥴 so, here’s his boss battle with a ✨twist✨

→ ib: this comic on twt, pls go support it i love it and cry whenever someone mentions it. also, like the comic, childe’s delusion form won’t have a mask just so it’s easier to write his expressions!

→ *there are a good amount of lines that are taken directly from his battle in the game, so beware of detailed spoilers!

You can trust him. But, don’t get too involved. The battle he pursues is dangerous; it’s not something a normal person can withstand.

Whether you realised it or not, every moment you had spent with him began to carve out a hole in your chest, bittersweetly wearing away every layer of protection you had unconsciously built up. It wasn’t a well-done job by any means; the edges it left were particularly jagged, but the softness Childe still managed to pull from them left you stunned every time it chose to peek its head out.

“Don’t be so on edge, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

It suddenly became a daily routine to expect him at some point, whether it entailed him coming upon you doing a commission in the middle of the mountains, or you crossing paths in Liyue while some type of street food balanced precariously in his grip.

Yet, what you failed to notice was that most times, he would take care to place another of the same delicacy into your hand, as if expecting to see you. Childe would meet you in the middle of the mountains not by chance, but rather by a sense of curious boredom, wherein your company was the only suitable way to pass the time.

Subsequently, the only question remaining in a scenario such as this, was what the other meant to each of them — were you truly able to push your obligations aside, or were you only getting close enough to have enough leverage to strike?

On any occasion a disarming laugh left his mouth, or he lent you his support without question, you failed to remember that you were pitched as enemies in the first place. You inevitably no longer felt the same wariness towards the harbinger over time, but it only made you that much more guilty to know just how easily you had begun to trust him.

Yet no matter the hopeful sentiments your sputtering heart provided you, you knew one thing to be true that would always remain so: you would never be on the same side.

“You’ve already fulfilled your task as guide, so why do you still linger here? Haven’t you already seen enough trouble for today?”

You had entered the Golden House apprehensively, perhaps hoping even over the Exuvia’s safety that you wouldn’t meet him there. But coming upon it and hearing the one voice you had been dreading, you begrudgingly came to terms with the fact that you would have to face reality eventually.

“Huh?” Paimon is startled by the sudden disembodied voice. “Who’s there?!”

Childe reveals himself by coming up the stairs you had just now ascended, his saunter maddeningly casual. “If you were Fatui, I imagine that you would be entitled to a generous reward from the Tsaritsa yourself.”

The way he tilts his head with such fake amiability grates across you like nails on a chalkboard. “But now you’re nothing but dross -- and you’re in my way.”

“It looks like I was just in time, then.”

Childe laughs. “Although I’m deeply grateful to you for helping me so effortlessly find this secret location… don’t you think that trying to stop me now would only be a wasted effort?”

“Stopping the mora mints, hiding away the Exuvia,” He laughs again, and your hand instinctively makes a small stretch for your weapon. “And sending you. The Qixing are really pulling out all the stops this time.”

“So you were planning to take the gnosis all along?” You ask flatly, your words swallowed by your own hesitation just after you’d barely gotten out the last word. Even though this mishap wasn’t very detectable, shame burns the back of your throat at the honesty of the reflex.

“As one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, it’s my duty to see the will of the Tsaritsa fulfilled. And she will get which she desires.”

You shake your head, fully grounding your hand and preparing to draw your sword. “Not if I don’t allow you to get near the Exuvia.”

“I’m not looking for your blessing, ___.” Childe narrows his eyes and takes note of this action, the implications of it drawing up a wanton sense of disappointment he had long been expecting. This varies little from your own dismay, unbeknownst to him. “There’s nothing you could do to stop me anyways.”

“The time for discussion and diplomacy has already long passed. I mean, if it were up to me, I would have skipped that stage to begin with… but, I’m willing to do as the Tsaritsa deems fit.”

“Either way,” An eyebrow arches as an equally intrigued smile pulls at the corner of his lips. “It seems we’re now coming upon my favourite part --  a simple pleasure, and one that I am oh-so delighted to be sharing with you.”

it’s as if a pin drops, and he grins. “The battle.”

You now stand at a fork. Two paths stare at you with expectant eyes, both equally enticing; but the drawbacks of the indulgent solution unfortunately long outweigh those of their obvious counterpart. It’s a decision that must be made on behalf of Liyue, not the hurt of a single heart.

Paimon scoffs, drawing you from your thoughts. “So you’re the type that goes looking for trouble, huh?”

Childe’s laughter rings out, and he throws his head back as if he had heard something particularly funny. “I guess you could say that!”

“When Signora offended the deities outside of the cathedral in Mondstadt, she swiftly left the scene once her mission was accomplished. Instead of confronting you directly, she chose to rely on the snow and ice to make an escape.”

“I would take that as far more than its face value. When she faces a worthy opponent, she will prioritise her mission, weigh the outcomes, and consider the consequences of her actions…” He explains, trailing off with an inexplicable smile. “But as for me, the greatest pleasure of being a harbinger lies in the opportunities I have to cross blades with such opponents.”

“That doesn’t mean we’ll let what happened in Mondstadt ever happen again.”

“Oh? So you do intend to fight me? Good.” Childe’s excitement baffles you and pumps adrenaline into your veins simultaneously. “I won’t kill you, ___, I’ll just play along. To feel the thrill of battle!”

“Besides,” He puts his hands out in an aimless gesture. “You could never defeat me, not even in your wildest dreams. But hey, try to relish in the fight anyways, because if you ask me… without that, what else is there?”

“I could never defeat you?!” His words get the better of you and you laugh in disbelief. “You’re completely delusional.”

He returns the laugh delightedly, igniting a fire of mixed emotions in your chest. “Fighting talk, I love it! Now, let’s see you live up to it.”

You draw your sword at the drop of his last word, taking a step back in preparation for what was to come. Childe, meanwhile, stands watching you with a brewing sensation of glee.

“This chance isn’t easy to come by, so show me all you’ve got.” Arrows infused with water begin to fly in your direction, though you avoid them in haste. “So very few ever get the chance to square off with a Fatui Harbinger, so come now, amuse me. And don’t you dare disappoint.”

You find yourself gritting your teeth at the arrogant words, taken aback at his challenging tone. “You say your colleague has found me praiseworthy, but tell me to only amuse you? That’s a disappointing downgrade.”

A lapse in the time Childe has to shoot gives you enough time to approach him, throwing out a strike of your sword that he catches with his own weapon moulded by water.

“It’s by no means an insult, ___, I’m merely proposing a challenge.” He looks at the way your blades grit against each other and grins. “And it seems you’ve accepted it.” You jump back with the force of his attack to propel yourself. A barrage of geo-aligned magic is summoned beneath your opponent with a stomp to the marble floor.

However, he sidesteps it in a similar fashion, and through a quick exchange of harsh blows, both of you stand back to scope things out. Still, the one aspect that continues to overshadow the rest of your thoughts is the way that Childe’s personality has changed under the scrutiny of battle.

The playful tone he normally sports is long gone, now replaced with a deeper and more realistic one; perhaps even slightly more menacing. It’s as if he’s been flipped into a completely different person.

He laughs maniacally as he uses his hydro vision to drive waves of water out towards you, fully intent on at least knocking you off your feet. The burst of elemental energy ends when Childe leaps back onto the ground. This gives you the leverage you need to go in with another geo attack, this time catching him off guard and launching him to the side.

Childe coughs at the force of the action, his lips curving up into a smile. “Good! No wonder signora was so wary of you.”

His body is encased in an impenetrable bubble of water in an instant, a flash of deep light lashing out from the centre before revealing Childe once again. His swords of water have since been infused by electro energy, and his clothes are darker -- the most noticeable difference, however, is the Fatui mask that had previously been slung over his hair now laid properly over his face.

“Well, that just means I can go all out! Brace yourself, this is about to get tough…” He takes a few preliminary steps. “Show me what you can do against the might of a Harbinger!”

The strikes do indeed get faster. Childe toughens up against seemingly every one of your attacks, dodging most if not all of with even more ease than before. you grit your teeth as you rush to keep up with the frequent blows thrown at you. But, in a panic and reflexive drawback, you retract your sword and desperately block with your arm instead.

Silence entraps the incredibly large room as your sword clatters noisily to the floor. Both the cloth running up the expanse of your arm and wrist piece are slashed considerably, all to reveal a shallow but long gash.

The sensation of electro wastes little time in taking effect, burning up your arm and inducing an inevitable cry of pain as both of you take a step back. Malleable emotion hangs in the heavy atmosphere, waiting to be addressed or otherwise plucked down from their higher place.

Though, his reaction in that split second shows that he might not be just as lost as you’d thought.

Childe has little courage to speak up on any of these topics, but in whatever way he chooses to ignore the berating voice in his head, he can’t push away the sensation of regret swimming in his chest. Watching your face briefly contort in pain you try so hard to hide, yet standing close and being unable to do anything about it -- it’s more real than any understating word his brain could ever feed him.

“What are you doing just standing there?” You suddenly taunt, your voice slightly hoarse as you turn to hide the blood that seeps into your clothing. “I thought you said that you were going to go all out.”

Childe knows that you're right. He had said that, but what would it mean for him to continue? Brawling with you brought the same drunkening high of adrenaline he’s been chasing since he escaped from the abyss all those years ago-- although hurting you wasn’t any sort of intention he’d ever had.

“...I’m only offering a moment to buffer, but I must say -- you’re not bad. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive.” Childe desperately swallows back anything extra that pops into his head and twirls his electrified staff. Personal desires are the last thing he can afford to pay attention to. “But, that’s about as far as you’ll get.”

You sloppily intercept a rough attack that threatens to send you flying backwards, gritting your teeth as you push back with the force of your Anemo power. It goes well for all but the way your arm begins to falter under the stress. Your head naturally follows your body’s trajectory, yet in your panic, the stroke your toed boot makes across the floor leaves a trail of blistering geo behind.

The elements present react immediately, resulting in a blinding explosion. You’re thrown off too quickly and land unsteadily, pain shooting up your arm as you exhale shakily -- you’d never had the misfortune of experiencing a hydro and electro vision working together before now.

“___, are you okay?” Paimon asks frantically, your tiny hands trying their best to locate the heart of the wound on your injured arm. “That cut looks deep, do you really think it’s a good idea to keep pushing yourself?”

You shake your head in dismissal as your eyes move with the clearing dust. “It’s fine, but my sword--?”

Once the haze disperses, you spot your sword almost instantly -- however, you also find Childe’s staff sticking haphazardly into the marble floor right next to it, its owner nowhere to be found.

A laugh sounds from behind you. “I really didn’t think you had that card hidden up your sleeve!”

Your heart drops into your stomach when you whip around to see Childe standing beside Rex Lapis’ corpse, his grin wide like he’d already won the match between you.

“You were just playing us to get close to the Exuvia!”

“Oh, quiet down. Don’t be so quick to judge. You’ve seen this world, you of all people should know...” Childe steadily gathers a ball of electro energy in his palm, the lightning fusing around his gloved hand before materialising. “That this should have been expected!”

The sound is deafening as Childe forces his hand into the Exuvia, opposing elements colliding and responding in turn. “I’ll be taking Morax’s gnosis now!”

Shockwaves come out like tides as the entire room shakes under the pressure of the single action. You’re quick to shield your injured arm from the battering wind, while Paimon latches onto the ornament covering your elbow.

Yet, much to everyone’s surprise, the hand that emerges and unfolds under the glaring light is very much empty.

Childe is taken aback by the particles of light that float from his gloved hand, laughing in frustration as well as bewilderment. “I see. Well, this is most unexpected.”

He turns to look at you through his mask, taking in the equally as surprised expression that moulds your features. But the detail that begins to surface ignites a different, and entirely real type of irritation in him, is the way that your eyes begin to change.

“Morax’s gnosis is far from another old antique,” Ningguang had prefaced this when you had visited her in the Jade Chamber, her words stable and forward. “It is a sign of Liyue’s reigning power, and also a symbol for the people to look towards; as not only a god, but also the keeper of peace. This is not something that would be hidden carelessly.”

“Many people throughout my years as a Qixing have tried to outsmart the layers close to the gnosis, however, none have succeeded. Its protector is someone of utmost secrecy whose identity I must not reveal, not even to you.”

She had sighed, placing a warm yet distant smile on her face. “But, I believe this method will continue to deter unwanted hands, along with you in their capable stead.”

Your eyes widen as you take an instinctual step back. You’d found it nearly impossible when tasked with feeding the Harbinger outdated details, though your heart feels heavy in realising that it had gone to show how much Childe truly did learn to trust you.

But, it had worked, hadn’t it? Because of this, the exuvia was somewhere far away -- in capable hands, as Ningguang had phrased it. Yet you feel little want to celebrate this small victory, immediately reminded of the situation it’s caused as Childe’s vision flares up around him, warping his figure in your eyes.

“You… You beat me to it, didn’t you?” Childe doesn’t miss your sense of victory being quickly replaced by fear, but in a fit of irritation, he takes no time in disregarding it.

He leaps haphazardly into the centre of the room, forcing you to careen out of the way as his electro vision fries the air around you. It becomes stuffy and unbearably hot in the enclosed space entirely too quickly. But, throughout the sudden drastic change in their atmosphere, you can’t help but notice the second transformation that Childe has gone through; yet rather this time, it’s much more drastic.

Once the air dissipates, Childe leaps back to the floor once again, his heavy military boots marking his step indefinitely. The attire he wears is fittingly close to armour -- presenting a deep blue and purple suit that fits like a second skin.

“Not a bad trick,” His spear of water that had since been lodged in the marble floor flies into his hand, twirling to rest on his shoulder as his voice stabilises. “But, this is going to cost you!”

The same weapon is pushed into the ground with overflowing destructive power. It quickly runs veins out like web beneath your feet, electro charge roughly and abruptly breaking the floor to reveal another space below.

You're dragged down indiscriminately amongst the falling debris, roughly colliding with the sharp edges before hitting the ground once again. Your arm, still slightly bleeding and swollen, screams at the harsh impact. Though having landed on your stomach meant that other parts of your body had absorbed most of the shock, natural reflexes had forced you to receive some of the heavier damage in your arm regardless.

There wasn’t a lot that you could do about this, however, other than pick yourself up again and hope that Childe was still too high up to see your pain clearly. Thankfully, lo and behold, a purple light just then begins to descend almost hauntingly through the smoke. It blinks out briefly before revealing Childe again as every messy part of the room is blown away by an incredible elemental power.

You hold up your uninjured arm to combat against the strong wind, wincing as your body is forced back.

“You got to the gnosis ahead of me, didn’t you?” Childe’s staff finally rests in his hand, however, the aura he gives off alone is enough to make you antsy. “Did you simply move faster? Or… did you leak the information regarding the Golden House to me on purpose?”

“...You’ve outsmarted me, ___. But that doesn’t mean the information won’t be in my hands by the time we’re done.” Another electric current fills the room as he moves to make an attack. “So, fight hard knowing there's something of such value on the line.”

Your eyes flicker around the room for your sword as you say, “How do you know that I have any of the information you need? That’s betting a lot on nothing.”

He laughs, the familiar sound chilling.

“You don’t have to be omnipotent to take a best guess. Besides, I’m confident enough in knowing that you’re smart enough to play me, so a battle between friends to determine that isn’t too much of a stretch, is it?”

You spot the sword and take a hesitant step towards it, attempting to return his words as a distraction. “It’s strange to call me a friend and threaten to put a knife in my chest in the same sentence. I thought you said that you weren’t going to kill me?”

Childe pauses, debating his next words carefully. “...Conditions are ever-changing.”

“If they were going to change so drastically, you should have told me earlier. Maybe then I could’ve figured out how to explain something I don’t know the answer to.”

“Don’t play dumb with me, ___.” His delusion’s deeper tone makes even the most playful of his words sound threatening. You stand your ground, though, knowing that no matter what your apprehension presents, nothing will change the fact that your weapon is only a mere step away.

“I know that you can tell me.”

You know I can? The supposedly comforting statement bounces around in your head, creating a ringing in your ears and a painful drumming against your temples. It’s not that simple, you think. There's little he wouldn’t be able to get from you if gone about the right way, however, as long as the information remained important, it would stay unattainable to even him.

You grit your teeth, feet twisting boldly into a position that’ll make it easier to leap in the direction you need. “I won’t tell you anything,” The leap is short and filled with almost too much strength, but you make up for any shortcomings by turning to block the incredibly close blow Childe had thrust out to stop you.

You push your sword against his with the force of all of your irritation, jaw clenched as your words come out in a single breath. “Because I know that I don’t have anything to say to the person that betrayed me.”

Unsurprisingly, words like those are some of the last that Childe wants to hear at that moment. No amount of guilt tripping or humiliation was typically enough to get to him, however, your simple declaration hits him in a spot that he’s long tried to bury.

Childe scoffs, pretending that he hadn’t blatantly hesitated. “You’re not fit to be here if you’re shaken by the betrayal of someone like me. Take it from me and give up while you’re ahead.”

You’re stunned by Childe’s brutal words for a brief moment, leaving him an important window to more easily knock your weapon away, out of your weakened hands. His blade meets your throat with little hesitation, the cool water stinging against your overheated skin.

Childe’s eyes wander to the way your body turns slightly to protect your injured arm, and disregarding the way his stomach twists, he shakes his head. “What’s wrong, ___? The way you are now won’t be able to defeat me.”

He looks at the way you hesitate and the already putrid feeling in his gut turns rotting. You make no more effort to fight back despite your strength, nor move the weapon lying firmly right over one of your weakest points.

“I might end up killing you if you don’t tell me where the gnosis is.” Childe tries to push you further, but is taken aback when your brows knit as if frustrated. You know very well that he’s someone with bad intentions, yet why do you continue to yearn to see the good in him? To see the carefree person you’d known before today?

You don’t respond, unmoving beneath his heavy gaze for all but the way your hands begin to slowly hover up towards the sword pressuring your neck.

Why can’t you stop?

Your shaking hands take the blade lightly in your grip, the vision-adjacent water searing your battered skin. A droplet of sweat slides down your cheek yet all you can focus on is the way Childe’s eyes instantly delve into panic.

“If you’re going to kill me, you should hurry up and save us both the suffering.”

The sudden powerful statement sounds unreal coming from such a weakened person, blood running down your fingers as you force his sword away.

“What makes you think that your death would cause me any harm?” Childe’s heart thumps wildly beneath his clothes as he lets his weapon be redirectioned, but his brows furrow. “I used you. Do you have yet to realise that?”

“You think I’m so inept that I would believe in someone so fast?” Your fingers go to nestle in the fabric of your skirt, the clothing acting as a temporary shield from the pain. “It was no secret that you weren’t someone to be trusted.”

“Then why lead me here if you’re so confident in yourself? Surely you don’t think that picking a fight with me was a sound idea?”

“You came here yourself. I was never looking to fight.” You mumble truthfully, taking your hand away from your skirt to reveal your palms stained with blood. “...I only said what I did because I don't like hurting those I care about.”

Childe stands paralysed in shock upon hearing such honest words, his mouth opening and closing as he rushes to process their meaning. What could he possibly say to that?

You hadn’t left a single mark on him despite believing that you were fighting for your life, whereas he had prioritised outside matters over listening to his internal backlash -- he had hurt you in a simple twisted warning.

“___, you--”

He’s barely able to get a sentence out before you sigh, going up to him with little hope before wrapping your arms around him.

Childe exhales unsteadily, his weapons then evaporating as his torso and arms instinctively straighten up. Moments of complete stillness go by unhindered. But, you wait patiently for any type of response from the man in your arms.

“...___.” He finally mumbles this from above your head, voice incredibly soft. “What do you think you’re doing?”

You’re at a loss as for how to respond, because truthfully -- the answer is mostly lost even to you. All you can do is drown in the silence that you’ve created, heart picking out the worst parts of the way his posture stays tense.

Childe groans abruptly, his delusion slowly beginning to break down to reveal his normal clothes. “Come on,”

As if something restricting him had suddenly been removed, he staggers and sinks to his knees, body going limp at the sudden lapse in support of his vision. Though fortunately, you follow him even while he goes down.

Your arms struggle to support the sudden weight as his chin lulls forward, colliding with your shoulder just as your knees hit the floor. He’s not entirely weak, you think, noticing the way he purposely tries to shift a lot of pressure off of you. Though you don’t know much about his delusion, it seems viable to assume that the form had just exhausted a decent amount of energy.

You feel the heat of his hands hesitantly coming upon your sides, but much to your disappointment, they quickly retract before he mumbles, “You’re a fool.”

“I know.” You whisper. “But, it’s too late. I can’t give up on you now.”

Childe scoffs, the sound muffled by your shoulder as he brings his arms up around you. He embraces you so tightly that it’s as if you’ve struck something inside him.

Those words are so unfair, they almost give me hope.

[cinnamonest]

Alright, first things first. Since I was asked so kindly by that other anon the other day, I shall give some more Ragvindr/Alberich sibling content. This won’t be the only content I submit tonight, but I’ll number asks that go together separately.

So, first off, I would like to just put it out there that it’s no coincidence that this particular darling is so especially naive, stupid, innocent, and vulnerable to becoming the perfect prey for a yandere. Oh no. You were raised with that outcome in mind. That’s right, it’s due to the way daddy Crepus raised you when you were young, raised all his kids really. He looked at his sons, both bio and adopted and just knew they would grow into fine yanderes and trained and guided them as such, but you, you could never. From the minute he first held you (whether that be when you were born or when he first adopted you) he knew you were too sweet to be anything other than the perfect little darling. So he raised you to be oblivious and affectionate, to not know how to do much other than basic cooking and household chores, to not question things too much, to rely heavily on him and your brothers. It was all to prepare you for your future yandere (which he secretly hoped would be one of his sons, and thus he may or may not have planted some ideas into their heads about that before he died; reinforcing in them how sweet and innocent their little sib is, how they need to be protected from the world, for her own good, how any other man would simply corrupt them or be unable to care for them properly, the way they deserve to be cared for, how only they were worthy of having their sib’s perfection)

Now picture this, you are Diluc’s bio sib, but leave the Winery after Crepus dies. Maybe you go with Kaeya specifically, maybe you don’t, maybe you just didn’t want to be alone in the Winery while Diluc went on his years long quest for vengeance. Either way, you don’t live there anymore, and while it kills him that he abandoned you and thus ceded ground on winning you over to Kaeya, there’s not much he can do at this point. Meanwhile, even though you don’t live with Kaeya, (haven’t yet been kidnapped by him) you did indeed grow closer to him while Diluc was gone. Close enough that he feels completely comfortable asking you to come with him to some big party for some important holiday in Mondstadt which is being hosted in the Knights of Favonius HQ, as it’s the only building big enough. You’re so innocent you think he merely invited you as his sib rather than the date he truly intended it as but he’s willing to allow you the misconception for a little while longer. He knows that soon there will be no room for doubt, or refusal, of his intentions. Of course in your daily letter to Diluc (one of his many conditions for allowing you to continue living off of the winery grounds) you mention the party and Kaeya’s invitation. Jealousy burns within him when he reads that. He doesn’t know what exactly Kaeya’s planning, but he knows that traitorous bastard will ruin you. So even though he dislikes parties and loathes the knights, he resolves to go, to protect you. In the meantime he starts looking into things he can do to bring you back home with him where you belong.

Time-skip to the day of the party. You show up with Kaeya and you’re having a good time even though you’re hanging off his arm nearly the entire time because you don’t know most of these people. You apologize to him that you’re keeping him from enjoying the party, but like the good big brother he is, Kaeya replies that he doesn’t mind at all and in fact couldn’t fully enjoy himself if he didn’t know you were safe, and the only way he can confirm that is if you are right next to him at all times. “After all, you never know where danger could be lurking, can’t be too careful.” He says with a grin. Meanwhile, Diluc is in the corner of the room lurking, gritting his teeth as he watches this snake with his oblivious sib on his arm, unaware of the danger they’re in. You don’t realize Diluc is there, he never told you he would be and you know your brother hates parties so you had no reason to think he’d be there. Kaeya however knew the other was there from the moment that you two arrived and is absolutely loving the fury and jealousy he can see on his face. He dances with you, hugs you, wipes a bit of food off your face, all the while making sure to remain in clear view of Diluc so he can taunt the other with your closeness. But then someone comes up to Kaeya, telling him he’s needed for some urgent Knights business. He sighs but then guides you over to a corner (the one opposite from Diluc’s unbeknownst to you) and hands you a drink. Telling you to just sit here and drink that and don’t move, he’ll be right back.

(1/3) 💌 anon

From here we have 2 different routes. I’ll start with Diluc’s. Even though Kaeya told you to just sit and drink your beverage, you've already finished it and you’re bored. Surely exploring and mingling can’t be too bad so long as you stay within the party room right? So you put your now empty drink down and start to wander around the party. It doesn’t take you long to spot a very familiar shock of red hair and quickly go over to the other corner to greet Diluc. He smiles slightly as he sees you approach. He was about to go over to you himself, but it seems you’ve come to him willingly and saved him the trouble. ‘What a good sibling you are.’ he thinks to himself as you finally reach him and give him a bright smile, saying how pleasantly surprised you are to see him. You chatter to him about the party and how much fun you’re having, so distracted by your story telling that you don’t realize he’s subtly leading you away from the party hall and towards the back entrance of the Knights HQ. Right by the entrance he turns to you and says, “It’s awfully late. You’re normally in bed by this time aren’t you? I know this is way past the bedtime you used to keep back home.” You didn’t realize until he said it, but come to think of it, you are rather tired. “I’ll take you home then.” You start saying about how you don’t want to trouble him and how you should at least wait for Kaeya before leaving so he doesn’t wonder where you are, but you barely get through half your sentence before you fall into your brothers arms, fast asleep. When you come to, you're tucked into what you recognize to be Diluc’s bed back at the winery. He’s sitting at his desk a few feet away from you, and turns when he hears you wake. Your memory is a bit fuzzy, but Diluc tells you that you fell asleep while he was taking you home yesterday so he simply carried you the rest of the way back. You thank him but question why he didn’t simply take you back to your apartment in Mondstadt, when that was certainly closer than the winery. At this he gets up and comes to sit next to you on the bed, gathering your hands in his. “That’s not your home anymore. It never was. It was always here at the Dawn Winery. And it always will be.” He says gently. You’re about to question what he means by that when he continues. “I was looking through Father’s old papers the other day and found something interesting. I didn’t realize it at first, because this paper wasn’t filed with the rest of his will, but upon his death he left complete, total, indefinite custody of you, to me. Meaning, I have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of you, forever. And as your older brother, protector, and primary caretaker, I don’t think that it is a good idea for you to continue living in Mondstadt. You’ll be moving back into the Winery with me so I can watch over you, as Father wished.” You try to protest but he simply shushes you and kisses your forehead before getting up and walking to the door. “I know it is a sudden change but I promise you’ll soon come to see that it’s for your own good. Now, I have some important errands to run. You just stay here and rest and try to adjust, alright? If you’re good and don’t try to escape while I’m gone I’ll ask Adelinde to make your favorite for dinner.” And with that he exits the room, locking the door behind him. As he walks down the hall he thinks of all the things he has to do today. He needs to bring all of your things back from your apartment, buy you some new, more suitable clothes, start trying to get those anti-incest marriage laws repealed (a well placed donation or two to the right people should get the ball rolling on that front), and then thank Kaeya for drugging your drink last night. It really saved him a lot of trouble.

Now for Kaeya’s route. Obedient thing that you are, you don’t think to question or disobey your brother’s order. Yes you’re a bit bored, but just thinking about how worried Kaeya would be if he came back and you were missing has you staying in place, just watching the crowd and sipping your drink as asked. (Unbeknownst to you, Diluc attempts to approach you at this point but is mysteriously blocked by some of his business partners who desperately need to talk to him). As you sit though, you find yourself growing sleepier and sleepier. You close your eyes, only intending to rest them for a few moments, but when you open them again, you’re resting on a bed in a completely different room that you do not recognize. Suddenly the door opens and in walks Kaeya who smiles at finding you awake, before closing the door behind him. “Well good morning sunshine!” He teases before his expression changes slightly, gaze tinged with concern. “Do you remember what happened last night?” You try to recall, but doing so makes your head hurt, so you tell him no. He walks over to sit next to you on the bed and promptly wraps his arm around your shoulders, his free hand grabbing one of yours. “Well apparently you weren’t paying close enough attention to your drink sweetheart. An agent of the Fatui snuck into the party last night. They recognized you and drugged your drink when you weren’t looking, intent on kidnapping you to use as blackmail against Diluc and I. I came back to you barely conscious, about to be escorted out of the party by that shady agent. We of course arrested them, but we thought that it would be safer for you if we brought you to my apartment here in head quarters. It’s certainly better protected than your apartment and we didn’t want to risk them trying again.” You don’t remember any of the events described, but Kaeya has no reason to lie to you. You’re obviously horrified at what almost happened and begin simultaneously thanking your brother profusely for saving you and also apologizing for the trouble. He chuckles “Any amount of trouble is worth it if it means you’re here safe in my arms.”

But then his face drops into a minute frown. “I am a bit disappointed in you though. I thought you could be trusted to look after yourself for a little while, but clearly that is not the case.” The disappointment in his voice has you fidgeting and ready to start frantically apologizing again, but he cuts you off before you can. “I’m not mad. This happened partially because of my mistake. I should have known this would happen. You’re just not responsible enough to take care of yourself. You need a man to take care of you. That’s why Father left you in my care in the first place.” You ask him what he means by that and he sighs. “Well, in his will Father left not only full and indefinite custody and responsibility for you, but also your hand in marriage, to me. I wasn’t going to claim either of those things, as I thought you should be given a chance at independence. But as last night showed, clearly you aren’t capable of that, so I’m going to fix my mistake and do what I should have done years ago and take care of you properly.” You start trying to protest but Kaeya’s grip on your shoulder tightened and the increased intensity of his gaze shut you up. “Now now, are you really going to try and fight me on this? I gave you a chance at self-sufficiency. It’s not my fault that you couldn’t handle it, now is it? I know this is upsetting but I promise it’s for the best. You trust Father don’t you? And you trust Big Brother Kaeya? Then trust our judgement and just listen and obey me ok? I promise if you do that, everything will be alright.” He plants a kiss on your cheek, then gets up and heads to the door. “Now I have some things to take care of, so just sit tight. When I get back, we can start looking through some catalogues for wedding dress styles you like.” He says with a bright smile, before closing the door behind him. As soon as he knows for certain he’s out of earshot of the door, Kaeya laughs to himself. His plan went off without a hitch. He’ll have to go thank Albedo for that drug later and he can’t forget to visit Diluc. The expression of pure rage on his face when his older brother saw him taking their precious little sib to his room was absolutely delicious. ‘Wonder how spectacular it will be when he receives his wedding invitation?’ He thinks idly to himself as he exits his private wing of headquarters.

💌 anon (4/4) Last of the Ragvindr/alberich sib stuff for tonight but I promise there will be more of this stuff from me at a later date. And this isn't the last of the content from me for tonight either. God this was annoying to send. Hope that you got the whole thing (last few words of the last sentence of the previous ask should have been "safe in my arms")

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Hey so uh I just wanna know what did I do to deserve this blessing anon???? This is so thought out and detailed and perfect I??? This is another one of those posts I have to just lay down and take in

PLEASE send in any content you want anon I am!!!! excite!!!

[fanfiction-funtime]

Genshin OC: Louis

Based on Interactions with @genshin-obsessed

And Pocket, in the original it was Signora who traumatized him sexually(I'm sorry if it offends you but I feel uncomfortable saying the r word), but I don't think she's that evil so in this fic it will be slightly different, but still as messed up.

_____________________

Louis is an inventor from Fontaine, perhaps the brightest in all Teyvat. After unknown circumstances he was forced to flee Fontaine to Liyue, where unfortunate circumstances lead to him to meet Kazuha. Kazuha rescued him in his moment ot need, and inside of taking the life debt Louis offered the samurai merely took his friendship. Now he works as the fleets greatest engineer, repairing and upgrading the ships of the fleet with never before seen technology.

But one has to wonder, what ever caused him to leave Fontaine? And under what city did he meet Kazuha?

__________________

Physical description: a fifty year old man in the following outfit

In this hat

Both his arms are burnt all the way to his shoulder, so he hides them with finned gloves

(Also: I consider Kazuha to be an adult, so if you know about the shipping plan with the Interaction thing with Pocket it's not weird)

He has teal eyes, long silver hair, and a twirling pencil thin mustache.

_____________________

The rise

Louis created his first groundbreaking invention at the mere age of six: a torch that ran on gas!

When he presented his invention it was met with grand....disdain.

People called it a scam, that what he said was impossible. He was laughed and ridiculed, to the point he disappeared from the public eye for many years.

Until fifteen years later.

At nineteen he skyrocketed into the market of invention, using something noone could dispute nor deny the grandeur of: he created a gun!

_____________________

To forge an empire

It was not easy to make it in the invention markets of Fontaine, even with patents one could not stop competitors from making their own form of their products.

So Louis had to be the best damn inventor of all of them! It was why he got his vision, his ambition, his soul demanded it!

And so he did. He hit every corner of the market with high quality inventions every week, from gas ovens to full plate armor, from fans that spun themselves to moving walls! It was once said in Fontaine that if someone wanted the very mountains to move at the push if a button, all they needed to do was pay Louis to make it.

Hundreds took their children to him to for apprenticeship, master craftsmen begged to work for the genius half their sons' age and twice their own skill. It wasn't long before his inventions were being sold by merchants all across Teyvat.

_____________________

A defiled heart of glass

As happy and successful as Louis was, there was something he longed for, something no amount of ambition, success, nor money could ever get him: someone who truly cared for him.

He had believed this to be true for years, until one evening ball,

He met a woman.

She approached him as he sat surrounded, yet completley alone. She walked up to him and said, "you look lonely, would you like to go somewhere else?"

She said it without any ulterior motive, no sucking up, just a genuine want to hang out with HIM. No as Louis the inventor, but as Louis the man who enjoyed inventing.

They walked away from the party, saying to abyss with any who found it rude! And went around the town as two friends, absolutely enamored by eachother's hopes and dreams.

They were friends for five years when Louis finally confessed his love for her, how she would listen to him, and care about him, something he gave to her in equal share.

But a mere year into their relationships he found out his lover's secret: she was Fatui.

One night he found her coming home through the window, in her complete uniform no less. She was afraid, afraid he would leave her for what she was. But instead, all Louis did was wipe her tears and day, "how can I help?"

Do began his secret dealings with the Fatui. He used his bright mind to create countless machines of war for them to use, guns that did not need loading, gas powered suits of armor that gave strength well beyond that of a human, anything thr Tsarista wanted she would get. Because whatever the Tsarista wanted, his love wanted.

His darling love, Signora.

Or so he believed.

Ten years into the deal he was discovered by the Fontaine government and quickly proclaimed a terrorist. He had to flee Fontaine, so he went to where Signora was at the time, Liyue.

When he met her in Liyue he fully intended to propose to her, but when he got on one knee to do so, all he recieved was a sharp freeze through his chest.

And his glass heart shattered, on the stone cold ruins of an empire.

_____________________

Meeting the samurai(tw: this is where the bulk of the messed up happens)

A quick death, however, was not to be his end.

Signora hated him, despised him, for the time she "wasted on this useless, lovesick freak" as she put it.

So she let her mages do to him as they pleased, and left.

And they took full advantage.

They tortured him, violated him, broke him in every way they pleased.

They even convinced him that it was his fault, that he should enjoy what their doing, that he should thank them.

Then left him for dead.

For days he sat slumped on a stone pillar, riddled with holes, barely holding on to life.

'But why?' He had wondered. For he had believed their lies, that he deserved this fate, 'this is a fitting end.' He believed, a fallen emperor, dying on the long dead corpse of an equally grand empire to his own.

'So why?' he wondered, 'why do I keep fighting?'

Then one day a wandering samurai found him and took him in. Louis begged the man to let him die, "I deserve this. She said so...I deserve this....why else would she have done it?"

But the samurai did not falter, he carried the man to the nearest settlement to be healed.

When asked why, the samurai responded, "if you weren't so hurt, I would throw you on the wall and shout you down! WHAT IN THE ABYSS MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GIVE UP!? BECAUSE SOMEONE SAID SO? BECAUSE SOMEONE GOT UPSET WITH YOU? SO WHAT!?" The samurai grabbed Louis' vision and held it to his face, "YOU HAVE A VISION, A GIFT FROM THE GODS, GIVEN BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DREAM! THERE IS SOMETHING YOU WANT ISN'T THERE? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WANT THIS? WHO WOULD BEG TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO FULFILL THEIR DREAMS?!" the samurai began crying, "do you know how many have had that stripped away? All because someone said they should? Well they still fought. They all fought. And so many died." He placed Louis' vision back on its holder, "so don't you dare give up, and don't you dare die just because someone said you should!"

It wasn't the help Louis needed to fix himself, but it was enough. Enough to help him go on.

_____________________

Vision: shards of a broken dream

Despite what he told the public, Louis did not spend those fifteen missing years because he was discouraged, but because he was betrayed.

Louis was approached by a well known inventor, who said he would help Louis' invention get the recognition it deserved!

Louis should have listened more carefully, because the man never said anything about helping HIM get the recognition he deserved.

The man stole his patent for the gas lamp and rebranded it as his own invention, and threw Louis to the curb.

Were Louis any other person he would have curled up in the warmest alleyway he could find and die, but Louis was not any other person.

Instead he began to create, he spent years and years trying to perfect gas power, then the gods saw his ambition and granted him a vision, a vision of flame.

The vision ignited at an inopportune moment however, and caused a massive explosion that nearly killed the then twelve year old boy.

Inopportune to anyone else, that is.

For in the flames of pain he saw the truth, the overwhelming power that is explosive force.

Then with his still burning hot hands he got to work, forged casing after casing to try and capture the gas that had shown him the light. He spent weeks forging a small metal pellet that could not only survive the blast, but also remain strong enough to pierce through nearly any armor. Then he created the keystone of his work, his masterpiece, the first gun.

And he used the first bullet to take revenge.

_____________________

Abilities:

Main- power of gas: throws a glass container with flammable gas, applying a swirl like effect to a large area that effects all enemies.

After using it, the player can use the ability again to strike a piece of flint that will create a giant explosion that only effects enemies.

Ultimate- culmination of ambition: Louis creates a large explosion blasting enemies away, the camera then zooms in on him holding up two pistols. After the animation ends Louis replaces his Catalyst with dual guns that deal 5X damage and attack twice as fast for ten seconds

Weapon type: Catalyst

Vision: pyro

Passive: glass heart- party members gain 5% extra friendship experience when Louis is in the party.

Special dish: ice cold jelly- a simple spin on the classic mint jelly, Louis adds a special cooling agent to it that increases the cold of the mint exponentially.

(Tagging: @storytravelled, @golden-wingseos, @genshin-obsessed)

[sakuratragedy]

Emperors Consort | Chapter 2

Fandom: Genshin Impact Pairing: Zhongli / Childe, #Zhongchi Tags: R18, A/B/O Dynamics, Royalty AU Summary: aka "Emperor's consort doesn't know the difference between being a concubine and being a consort" Tsaritsa wants her child to have a good life after serving her on the battlefield for so long, so she makes a deal with an old friend. In exchange for her military might, he will marry her son. Childe who has no formal omega training has to do his best to cover up the fact he has no idea what he's doing. Do your best to be a good omega Childe!

He remembers the familiar ache in his back and knot in his shoulders from the last time he travelled from the mother country to Liyue. The arrival at the harbour was busy per usual. The sounds of Liutian and foreigners alike moving around the harbour, the voices that speak of trades and exchange greetings merge together creating a mess of noise. His fellow Fatui agents unloading the luggage they brought (limited to a single case per person), dressed in their fatui garb ready to split ways after unloading and receiving orders from the youngest Harbinger.

Tartaglia dressed in his civilian clothing and did a quick scan of the harbour. It didn’t look like much had changed much over the years he had been away. He had been wearing his Harbinger uniform up until he could see the outline of the harbour from the ship, before remembering he was not there for a quick mission.

He was there to potentially get mated (and possibly married).

“I’m sure you know what to do.” Childe says without having to turn to look at his agents, but he knows they were listening. “Independent action until necessary, don’t cause any trouble that I can’t get you out of.” He glanced over his shoulder to watch his agents nod at him. Usually they would disappear by now, going their own separate directions but they stood there behind him. Childe raised his brow when he still felt their presence behind him and fully turned to them.

“Speak.”

“Sir, are you truly going to become the emperor’s omega?” He recalls her name, Ekaterina, who was there during his last stay in Liyue years ago.

“It’s part of Tsaritsa's deal with the emperor. Who am I to disobey her?”

“What about your position as a Harbinger, sir?” a skirmisher asks, timidly rubbing the back of his head for speaking so boldly to his superior. Childe gave a half-glare at the taller male before he rolled his eyes.

“I’m still a Harbinger. This ‘mating with the emperor’ shit isn’t solid.” He does air quotations with his fingers. “What is important right now is the mission. If you find out what the emperor's big dilemma is before I do, please relay it back to me.” His agents clung to every word he uttered as if he spoke the gospel, memorising it down to each syllable to avoid missing anything and honestly, he loved it.

Surely this ‘mating and marriage’ could turn optional if he finishes the mission earlier than intended. Childe starts running through various possibilities that could happen to him when he finally starts living at the palace to prepare himself from being caught off guard. If he revealed himself to be a Harbinger right away, the emperor would put him to work immediately. They would solve the problem faster than usual. -

‘Because I’m talented and strong, it would be done in no time.’ Childe thinks to himself.

And in the end the emperor would have to mate and marry him to uphold the Tsaritsa’s end of the bargain. But… if he pretended he was just a useless omega prince, would the emperor be more willing to let him go?

He smirks at the idea before turning to his agents.

“Do not tell anyone that I’m a Harbinger.” He watches them nod once at his command.

“Dismissed.” He smiles and they disappear in the blink of an eye.

‘This could be fun.’ he thinks, his smile stretching holding more mischief from his clever plan. ‘I’ll be back home in no time.’

“You’re the Tsaritsa’s son.” a voice snapped him out of his devious thoughts. He turned to his left, seeing no one. A little cough in the direction he was looking at made him glance down meeting eyes with a small girl, much shorter than himself that she had to tilt her head upwards to meet his eyes. Her mouth was curled into a distasteful pout, likely irritated at the obvious height difference.

Childe couldn’t hold back the smile that grew on his face. She was so tiny. The girl might have mistaken Childe’s smile as a mocking one and grew more irritated, her brows furrowing together.

‘She’s a fighter.’ he thinks as his eyes travel further down, intrigued by the sword attached at her hip decorated with extravagant carvings. The guard was shaped like a lion's head, beautiful listening gold in the afternoon light and the little eyes seemed to glow fiercely with amber gems. Analysing her figure, he realizes could probably beat her if they fought. He should be nice to her, since fighting weaker people did not bring any pleasure.

“I’m speaking to you.” She doesn’t mask the irritation in her voice when she glares at him. He continues to watch her with curious eyes, eyebrow raised as she moves her light purple hair behind her shoulder in one elegant toss of her hand before crossing her arms at her chest. Without having to look for too long, he knows this confident girl that came to pick him up at the harbour must be associated with the Liyue Qixing from the elegant air that she carries.

“Yes, I heard you.” Childe responds. The corner of his lip turns upward again when she rolls her eyes openly at him before turning her face away. Never in his life had he seen someone so openly irritated at him. This girl did not care the slightest that she was in the presence of one of Snezhnaya’s ruthless fighters, let alone foreign royalty.

“We’re leaving for the palace now. Follow me.” she says quickly before turning on her heels and walking away. She seemed to be in a rush to leave Childe behind, but her plan did not go about the way she planned as Childe has longer legs. He took a few big strides and caught up to her walking pace, which seemed to irritate her further. Either way, it was not hard to keep up with her.

He glanced down at his walking partner, seeing her bite her lip and her gloved hands are little balls at her sides as she walked made him chuckle.

“I hope you know I already don’t like you.” She says as she turns on her heel to open the door to the carriage. While different from Snezhnaya carriages that were fully covered and the cushioning surrounded by velvet to keep the warm, he found it cute how Liyue carriages were open, fancy carvings on the wood let air through the carriage. He traced the red wood, admiring it for a bit too long before the girl behind him made noise.

“Just get in already!” He laughed again when he climbed into the carriage, tears brimming his eyes from the way his stomach hurt.

“You’ve amused me like no other. What is your name, young lady?” Childe smiled bright and wide, feeling actual excitement of having someone openly hate him. He reached out to shake her hand, while his other hand wiped away the stray tear at the corner of his eye.

The girl huffed, her cheeks turning pink from either the humid air or his constant teasing. Her gloved hand grabbed his own.  

“Keqing.”

-

“Good morning Taru…” He sat up from his canopy bed decorated with gorgeous red and gold silks stretching his arms over his head.

His room was heavily decorated in exquisite furnishings such as porcelain vases detailed in gold and little statues of long dragons with clouds surrounding them made of marble would decorate the tables. Soft and expensive furs and fabrics draped on his bed. A single round window made of wood with intricate circle and square motive carvings framed all four sides of the window placed just a little further from the door that led out onto his huge balcony beside his bedroom.

“Good morning Qiqi!” Childe smiled at his attendant. He holds his hand out, waiting for Qiqi to give him the item that she was holding. He felt his heart melt when the little girl approached him at his bed and shyly placed a small purple flower in his palm. Childe pauses to look at the delicate plant in his hands.

“What is this?” He asks curiously. The small flower looked a little rough around its edges, but he can tell from the way Qiqi protectively held it before passing it to him that she tried her very best to be gentle.

“Violetgrass…” She fiddles with the hem of her dress, swaying her body from left to right waiting for him to accept the present she had given him.

“I love it. Thank you Qiqi.” He gently sets the violetgrass by his side before he carefully moves out of bed. He kneels in front of her to hug the smaller girl, which she happily hugs back. He feels her little hands grab the back of his silk pajamas, not being able to fully circle around him just yet.

“Let’s start the day, shall we?” Childe pulls away gently from the hug. Qiqi nods in agreement before she leaves him to find the ladies that will prepare his clothing and accessories for the day. As several sets of hands roam his body, brushing his hair and tying robes onto his clothing, another lady reads aloud the schedule that has been fixed for him by Keqing. He shuts his eyes, feeling his head tilt in one direction as a maid brushes his untamable hair. He can feel her frustration as she brushes before deciding it would be best to place little decorative pins in the shape of beautiful flowers into his hair to compensate for the mess underneath. She clips small flowers into the curls of his hair, twisting as they were little branches for the acrylic flowers to sit upon.

The first three days of Childe’s life in the Liyue Palace were very similar, a blur . Qiqi’s presence was the only consistent thing that happened during his time at the palace. Every morning when Qiqi wakes him up, she would bring something small and interesting she thinks that he would like.

The Qixing (Keqing, specifically) had presented him with Qiqi as his personal attendant while he stayed in the palace. He had discovered through the smaller girl that she works part time for Baizhu, picking herbs for hours on end occasionally never coming back to the palace for three days. But since she now waits on the foreign prince, her herb picking hours have been reduced from twilight till the sun broke through the clouds the next morning.

“Don’t you need sleep?” He asks the first day he met her. She was such a small and young girl, how could anyone make her work her bones off from dusk till dawn. Keqing stands further back from them, letting them introduce themselves before she has to haul him elsewhere.

“Qiqi is okay. Adepti are okay.” Childe didn’t know what that meant and he believed her, but it didn’t stop him from feeling a little guilty. Small kids should be getting proper rest and not scaling the side of dangerous cliffs for herbs that the doctor was capable of getting for himself.

He didn’t think that he had to make a complete 180 change from the last time he was in Liyue. Ever since Childe stepped foot on that harbour three days ago, he hadn’t touched his belongings he brought with him from Snezhnaya. He hadn’t worn any of the clothes he brought, as the attendants would dress him in Liyue’s traditional clothes specifically made for Liutian omegas.

-

“Why do I have to wear a dress?” Childe asks as he looks himself in the mirror, the silks and cotton flowy against his skin. The light blue robes detailed in a darker shade of navy blue and gold stitching complimented his eye colour. Several attendants were surrounding him, taking his measurements not missing out a single inch of his body as Keqing stood before him. She monitored the way the ladies moved gracefully about him as if they were in a dance, fleeting touches not more than 2 seconds, a stretch of tape here and there, a little tug of his clothes once in a while before the touches leave him. He watches the redhead in the mirror through the floor to ceiling mirror, the one that looked like him but he could not recognise from the gorgeous silks and cottons that decorated his imposter.

“All omegas, especially those from noble lines wear hanfus.” Keqing explains as she pulls the skirt down. Golden accessories such as clips and small delicate chains started to decorate his hair, neck and ears, Keqing was presented with different silks by the same attendants. He doesn’t say anything when she holds it up against his face, before giving the fabric back and nodding in approval.

“Plus, it’s pretty. Alphas love pretty omegas.” A beautiful woman walks in wearing her own white and golden hanfu, carrying herself like she was a goddess walking amongst men. The way her skirt flowed as she walked towards the two, the slim and elegant smile on her lips as she walked over to them. She gave a little twirl, her gorgeous skirt flaring out like a dream of silk and cotton as she arrived before the foreign prince and blushing noble.

“Don’t you agree?” She asks, leaning a little towards Keqing.  Keqing took a step back, face colouring as she looked away in embarrassment. Childe watched as the omega teased the purple haired alpha by inching closer as the other backed away. Gorgeous amber eyes gleaming with mirth, her smile hidden behind her paper fan as she basically teased the alpha. She carries a similar paper fan in her hand, wearing a similarly fashioned hanfu and yet, they couldn’t be any more different.

“Yes. You are very pretty.” her voice barely an audible gasp could be heard, but it was a sufficient response for the fair lady.

From the way her presence alone can suffocate a room, begging its attention to be turned to her and the way comfortably glides around the palace. It was safe to assume that this was the emperor's regina.

“I am Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. It’s nice to meet you.” She gives a little bow of respect that Childe awkwardly returns back. Those titles that came after her name did not hold any meaning to Childe as he didn’t understand what that meant, it was possible he would forget after this meeting.

“You look pretty as well. I think this colour suits you wonderfully.” Ningguang says as she pulls lightly on the baby blue fabric the attendants had put around his arms not for any particular purpose other than decoration, but Childe being who he is naturally assumed he could turn it into a weapon and strangle someone with it if he was given the chance.

‘No, that’s a bad Ajax.’ He thought to himself. ‘No thinking about strangling.’ The voice in his head speaks in a firm tone as if he were speaking to a naughty child. His face sulks a little. When the attendants pulled away after what felt like hours, he was greeted with a sight he had never seen before. He was dressed in beautiful silks and cottons that could give him the illusion of being beautiful.

The style of hanfu was very similar to the long flowing one Ningguang wore, except the colours of his hanfu were softer in comparison to the dramatic whites, bright reds and golds the other omega wore. He didn’t catch himself in time, accidentally openly gawking at how well the attendants had dressed him. When he caught himself and shut his mouth, his eyes met with the Tianquan. She smiled at him, looking genuinely excited that he looked decent in those clothes. He can’t help but feel out of place. The attendants presented a variety of earrings carefully placed on a tray to Ningguang. She hums and carefully picks up one that she thinks would suit Childe best. A single red gem hanging from slim golden chains, smaller red flowers littering the chain in delicate placements.

“Why do you not wear your pheromones?” She asks as she assists Childe by putting on the earring. “You seem to have many scent blockers upon your neck.” She reaches for them, but with Childe’s fast reflexes, he’s immediately off the chair and covering the back of his neck with his hand. He leans against the vanity, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he feels and tries to steel his rapidly beating heart.

Ningguang blinked.

She didn’t even see him move.

“The Tsaritsa said not to take them off.” He says quickly followed by a forced laugh and smile, hoping that she would not press any further concerning the three scent blockers covering every inch of the scent glands on his neck, preventing any pheromones from accidentally leaking.

She was silent, hands still in the air from where she was holding Childe’s other earring.

“Alright.” Ningguang put the other earring down on the tray that the attendant held. “I suppose she would only want you to take them off during your heat.”

Childe nervously laughs and agrees with her.

-

Presented with portions more than Childe had ever seen, he had been eating a lot of food since he arrived at the palace compared to his home life in Snezhnaya. Childe had never been one to eat for pleasure, as he was the type of prince who found pleasure in pain and fighting, challenges and battle scars.

If Childe was to eat any more food, he felt as if his stomach would simply burst open and a flow of various ingredients would stream from it. But being the kind prince he is, he smiles and opens his mouth, consuming the food that was given to him.

It was an unusual sight for sure. He sat amongst the chefs at their designated dining table in the kitchen of the palace. Their sturdy wooden table plated at least three different kinds of chicken meals featuring different parts, cooked several different ways. He was seated on their wooden bench that could fit five people per side and ate from delicate porcelain wares and golden spoons and forks.

‘Why so spicy?’ Childe holds in the scream he wants to let out, his cheeks glowing a peachy red hue as he chews slowly, the burning sensation in his mouth moving further down his throat as he swallows. He can’t be anything less than regal as a foreign prince, carrying his image by sitting upright with his elbows off the table, but in that moment he feels helpless to the spice. His mouth opened slightly, pink lips huffing out hot air attempting to ventilate the scorching sensation.

“ He’s so thin. Xiangling is there anything else to eat?” A woman much older than him sat to his right, watching him as he steadily ate the steamed chicken dish in front of him cooked with chilies, thinly sliced gingers, and soft wolfberries. A man to his left took away his bowl of rice when he brought the spoon of chicken and rice to his mouth, filling the bowl with more soft fluffy rice before setting it back down before him.

“ I can make chicken feet with dark sauce! ” A young girl says as she rushes around the large kitchen holding a cleaver in her hand. The other chefs laugh fondly when ingredients start flying about the kitchen, some entering pots and nearly missing the pans. The cheery girl hums an upbeat tune while the cleaver cuts fast against the wooden board.

“ His face is red! ” One chef says to another.

“ Youths are so cute. ” The woman decides to fondly pinch his cheek, making him turn to her, rosy blush dusting his face. Childe couldn’t concentrate on the actions of the chefs in the kitchen, too busy blinking away the tears that stinged his eyes from the intensity of the chili.

“ Should eat more though. Get fatter and bear healthy kids.” The same woman wraps her hand around Childe’s slim wrist, seeing how she could easily wrap her thumb and index finger around it.

He exhaled a breath through his slightly parted mouth, the heat never leaving him. While his eyes were clenched closed, the young girl dropped a large bowl of soup beside the spicy chicken he had yet to clean off his plate.

“Eat up!” She says in a language he could understand since he had arrived in this kitchen an hour ago and beams a bright smile at him. He weakly smiles back with as much politeness he could muster in that moment, knowing he couldn’t get out of the situation he was currently in.

-

The end of Childe’s three busy days had been the most exhilarating despite the slow start. From the moment he woke up, the ladies had brushed his hair and dressed him per usual but this time under the watchful eye of the tiny purple haired Qixing. When he was dressed, she extended her hand towards him accompanied by her sharp glare. He didn’t think much of the gesture, placing his hand on top of hers before the alpha escorted the two of them through the maze of open aired hallways leading to the emperor’s palace in silence.

“Stand here and don’t move. Don’t go anywhere.” Keqing said when they had reached the altar, removing her hand from under his. He took a look at her and nodded in understanding. She nodded back, turning away to take a seat just behind him. From the sound of a drag of the chair against the floor, he can tell she pulled a seat closer to her own in that moment he wasn’t looking.

He had stood before the entire Liyue Qixing, seven heads of noble lines seated behind him as he stood what looked like an altar, listening to a man speaking in pure liyuan before him. From the dramatic gestures to his loud booming voice that echoed the hall, he could guess the man was a preacher of some sort. Occasionally he would jolt awake from the way the preacher’s voice would boom.

“ In the consort’s next heat, may the archons bless that an adepti child be born. ” Childe’s polite smile is beginning to fade into a more awkward and strained one. He feels like he had been standing there for ages from the way his back began to hurt from how straight he stood, combined with the heavy weight of the seven pairs of eyes staring holes into his back.

“ The emperor. ” The loud man gestured to the large double door he had entered through, but all Childe could do was stare in confusion. The man spoke such pure liyuan it was difficult for him (someone who only ever heard informal liyuan from his one year stay) it was as if he was trying to process the thick accent along with the pure pronunciations. He tried to interpret the preacher's words with the minimum amount of liyuan he learned during his one year post at Liyue Harbour when he was 21.

‘It’s too fluent.’ Childe furrows his brows in frustration. ‘I don’t understand.’ While he was trying to deconstruct the words the preacher was saying so he could get a hold of what he was on about, he failed to notice two pairs of footsteps that entered the room. One pair had stopped walking just behind him while the other walked up beside him.

“ Two worlds will collide in a united front, to unite two countries, two perspectives, two worlds. ” The preacher made a particularly big gesture before intertwining his fingers together and locking them.

‘Honestly, I should have thought about getting a tutor 3 years ago.’ He tried his best not to show such a confused expression, but failed when he heard a chuckle beside him.

“He said ‘two worlds colliding in a united front’.”

“Ah, thank you.” Childe turned his head to thank the figure beside him before looking away in fear of getting scolded by Keqing, and looking back because fuck getting scolded by Keqing.

‘This man is so handsome !’ Childe practically screamed in his mind, so loud that he was afraid the other man could hear him. He was scared the whole hallway could possibly hear him from how loud his thought was. He didn’t care that he was openly staring with eyes as large as dinner plates at this point.

The prince was suddenly very aware of the taller man standing beside him on the altar.

‘He’s taller than me. No one is ever taller than me.’ Childe snuck another sideways glance, trying to hold back the embarrassment from showing on his face. He clearly was embarrassed, he himself knew it and is accepting of the fact. He tried to steady his breathing when he felt his heart hammer at his chest. He did not prepare himself for the possibility of the emperor being (hot) his type.

‘His jawline is so sharp. He’s so tall. Is it because he’s an alpha? He’s got such pretty eyes.’ Childe’s mind was busy collecting as much information as he could get from simply looking at the emperor, he didn’t realise something slipped from his mouth.

“Pardon?” He turns his head to fully look at Childe, watching as the prince’s fair cheeks bloom a bright red when he realizes some thoughts may have slipped out as real words.

“My apologies, it’s nothing.”

Throughout the ceremony, Childe kept sneaking glances at him. Well, he couldn’t help himself no matter how disciplined he was. This man was so much eye candy he had to openly stare. When the other man noticed him staring and when he caught his eyes, Childe whipped his head to look away.

“Are you nervous?” he hears a soft voice beside him. He looks up to see him glancing with a gentle expression. Childe felt himself blush. The emperor is so handsome, you would never believe he was 40 years old.

“Yes, a little. I can’t really understand what he’s saying.” Childe admits truthfully before he felt him blush rise to his ears. Why did he admit that? Was his face really able to let down his guard?

The emperor chuckles a little before he smiles and looks forward at the officiater. “We’ll get you a tutor. It is an easy language to grasp once you figured out the basics.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem.” He smiled.

‘Fangs!’ Childe’s mind shouted in glee when he saw the sharp teeth but his face kept a calm appearance. He realises he’s been too jumpy during the ceremony and not concentrating at all. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down. ‘Of course the man has fangs, he’s an alpha.’ He nods, thinking logically and completely missing the side glance followed by a fleeting smirk the other man gave him.

The preacher hands Childe and the emperor a small cup each filled with fragrant rice wine.

‘Do I drink this?’ He looks at the clear liquid in the goblet before looking up at Zhongli, meeting his eyes for the first time in the hour they had been standing beside each other. Zhongli’s eyes never tear away from him as he slowly puts his own cup to his lips, waiting for him to do the same.

Luckily Childe catches on and drinks the wine, Zhongli doing the same.

-

“ Congratulations on getting married. ” Ningguang says in pure liyuan dialect, bowing at Childe and the emperor. Her voice carried a smoother tone when she spoke in liyuan compared to when she spoke to Childe a few days ago. He snuck another glance at Zhongli without fully turning his head, trying not to seem too interested in the man.

‘Well, if he hears my thoughts I’d be doomed.’ Childe fully regained his composure after being let go by the preacher, some of the Qixing nobles leaving the hall as soon as it was done with the exception of Ningguang and Keqing, who stood further back towards the door waiting for them to finish their conversation with the emperor. He stood beside the emperor, waiting for him to finish his exchange with his regina before introducing himself, but while that was happening he was running through his mind figuring out how to make a good first impression.

“ Be quiet. ” He says, but the smile that graced his face when he faced her was gentle, yet it held some mirth. The smiles they exchanged held deeper meaning, as if it holds years of bonding that could not be overwritten by the involvement of a second love. Childe feels envious somehow.

Zhongli fully turns to him, with that handsome smile still on his face and Childe finds himself being entranced. He could finally get a good look at the well dressed man who wore layers upon layers from his dress shirt to his vest and his outer coat, this man was covered from head to toe leaving not an inch of skin exposed for imagination to run wild.

“Childe, this is Zhongli.” Ningguang introduces them before Zhongli could open his mouth to speak. “Call him xiansheng.” Zhongli turned to her with disbelief on his face while she giggled mischievously behind her gloved hand.

“You don’t have to call me - “

“Xiansheng?” He feels shy when he attempts to copy Ningguang’s pronunciation. He was rewarded with a thumbs up from the fair lady, but he noticed Zhongli take a step back from him.

“That is good pronunciation, Childe.” Zhongli says.

“My real name is Ajax.” He blurts out, feeling his cheeks get hot from how well this man could play him without having to do anything. He hasn’t actually said his original name for years, not since he had been adopted by the Tsaritsa. He felt as if he could have gone a lifetime without hearing that name again.

“Ajax.” And yet, he wants to hear his name on this man's lips more, drink it up like it was wine and honey. The smile that comes after the syllables of his name were addictive. He feels high, overwhelmed even, as if he had not been breathing oxygen up until he hears his name uttered from this man's lips.

If he could look at that smile for the rest of his life.

“There’s plenty of time for you both to get to know each other,” Ningguang says, but the holes that Keqing had been staring into her head had increased in intensity since earlier. “But not right now.” She smiles, a little nervous about the purple haired noble that was clicking the heel of her shoe against the carpeted floor.

Unfortunately, Ningguang went unheard by the two males. Zhongli looks at Childe like he is the only person in the hall, and Childe looks at him like he was the only person in the universe as they spoke, low and quiet unwanting others to hear their meek conversation.

“Are you really 40 years old?”

“No, that might be an exaggeration.”

“I knew my siblings were joking - “ “I’m 57.”

Childe blinked, his hand moving away from his mouth, to look at the emperor with disbelief. He shook his head, feeling whiplash from the information. The corners of the emperor's lips quirk upwards, amused as he watches the ginger process the information.

“You’re older than the Tsaritsa.”

“Indeed. I’ve known her for a very long time, we are good friends.”

“Ahem.” A loud noise was made, finally attracting the attention of the prince and the emperor. They turned to look at the smaller girl, her fist at her mouth before she crossed her arms. Ningguang stood a little behind her, averting her gaze. She did try to warn them, they couldn’t blame her for their scolding.

“Childe has to meet his tutor and Lady Ningguang and I have a meeting to tend to.” Keqing says bluntly. It seems her clear dislike was not hidden from anyone, not even with the exception of the emperor.

“Oh? I thought we were going on a date?” Ningguang piped up, making the purple haired girl go red in the face, but keeping her usual stoic demeanor. Keqing had her hands balled up in fists when the lady teased her, but couldn’t deny that it had embarrassed her in a good way. Zhongli raised a curious brow at his Qixing before nodding.

“I understand. You may go.” He says to Keqing and Ningguang. They both bow at their direction, before taking off. Childe was in the midst of turning away to follow them but was stopped by a gentle touch of a hand on his wrist. The touch was so gentle, it made his heart flutter. He looked at the gloved hand that caught him, before looking up at the emperor’s face.

“Xiansheng?” He says curiously. Zhongli hesitates, so the both of them were simply studying each other's faces. He looked like he had a lot to say to him, his mouth opening slightly before closing, and opening again and biting his lower lip.

“Till we meet again.” He finally says. Zhongli looked the way that Childe felt, shy. Childe couldn’t suppress the twinkle in his eyes and the smile that crept upon his face.

“Till next time, xiansheng.”

-

“In Liyue customs, an empress is bred from young, training from a youth until a young adult to be able to take the responsibilities that come with being the empress. Among these responsibilities are overseeing the imperial charity, funding for - '' The words blur and jumble into a ball of sounds as Childe stares at the pen and blank paper in front of him.

Why did he have to learn about the empress anyway? Couldn’t he skip to the parts that he didn’t need to learn since he was a meer concubine to the emperor? He twirls the fountain pen between his fingers, careful to not fling ink out and spray it all over the parchment.

“Childe, are you listening?” He looks up at his tutor. The blue haired boy much much younger than him is sitting at the end of his desk with a thick book placed on his lap.

“Yes, Xingqiu, I’m listening.”

“Good. How many years must an empress candidate undergo training before she can become the official regina?” He places his elbow on his knee, leaning his head on his hands as he watches the foreign prince in amusement. The prince clearly hadn’t been listening to him, instead choosing to spend his time concentrating on not spilling the ink from his pen as he twirled it between his fingers like a baton.

“Sixteen years.” Childe answers effortlessly, avoiding eye contact with his smug tutor. Xingqiu’s head lifted from his hand, a little shocked that the prince actually was paying attention to him.

“Good. We can move on to the inner workings of the emperors palace and its hierarchy.” He clasps the book shut with both hands, placing it onto the ever growing pile behind him before picking up another heavy volume with gold engravings on the spine. The red head looked at the book before his gaze trailed up to his teachers face. There is no way this boy was older than sixteen, and yet he’s sitting on the corner of his desk acting like his boss. According to Keqing who assigned Xingqiu as his tutor, the boy comes from a long line of nobles that had been famed to teach Liyue etiquette to both the descendants of emperors and empresses.

“A summary of the hierarchy would be Emperor Zhongli of course, followed by his son Xiao - “

“His son?” Childe asks, curiosity getting the best of him. ‘I didn’t know Zhongli was married.’ He put a finger to his chin and leaned back into his chair, hiding his troubled expression behind his hand.

“Yes, the sole prince of Liyue and only son of the emperor, Xiao. He is twenty this year, but isn’t taking the throne.” the blue haired boy shrugs as if the information was not anything special before flipping to another page of the thick book. Childe still lost in thought was thinking about the possibilities of Zhongli’s wife and himself having a child together, but still allowing the emperor to take a concubine for the sake of his country.

“He’s the current head of the Liutian army.” His tutor realises that he was no longer paying attention and raises a brow. He figures the prince must have some troubling thoughts to forgo listening to him altogether.

“He’s adopted.” Xingqiu says. He wants to burst out laughing when the information clearly did not reach Childe’s ears, but chooses to muffle his giggle behind his hand. He watches the prince's furrowed brows and smiles gently. Might as well continue reading from the book if the prince was not going to pay attention to his detailed explanations. “After the prince would be the eight heads of the Liyue Qixing starting with the Tianquan, who oversees the law and governance.” Xingqiu continues, the sun setting through the window behind him colouring the room in an orange hue.

- ‘The emperor has a son, which means he has a wife’ was the one thing Childe really took away from his first tutoring lesson with the young noble. He lies down on his bed staring at the ceiling above him, feeling the air gently blow through his open window surrounding him in comforting cold winds. It felt nowhere near as cold as Snezhnaya, but it would have to do for the night. The prince tended to do his thinking in the dead of night while the wind rustled through his fluffy hair.

‘The previous Tsar before mother had over eight omegas as concubines, but mother has never taken a husband.’ He thought, rolling onto his side and propping his head up onto his arm. Through his window, he could see the gorgeous garden filled with trees and white stone walls that sat between the emperor's palace and the palace he currently resides in. Deciding to get off his bed, he walked over to the window letting his long robes drag across the floor, tucking the long fabric under his legs while he situated himself on the bench beside the window.

‘Maybe mom is right? Would I actually have to work hard to impress the emperor?’ He furrows his brow in thought which he found himself doing very often since he had arrived at the palace. Childe thought himself to be the adaptable type, able to mold himself into any situation and conquer the harshest of conditions.

And yet, being treated like a soft and gentle omega was the strangest thing he had ever experienced in his lifetime.

‘Are soft and gentle someone Zhongli likes?’ Childe gets off his bench to walk over to the floor to ceiling mirror in the corner of his room. He looks at himself in the mirror with the robes wrapped tightly around his waist, and yet it was still loose enough to slip off slightly. He wasn’t very much the image of an ‘omega’, having more sharp angles than soft curves, and he is tall nearly the same height as the emperor. Overall in comparison to other omegas he had seen around the palace they had been the exact opposite of him.

Small, soft types with curves and usually very pretty with large doe eyes.

‘I’m more handsome than pretty.’ Childe thinks as he grabs his hip bones with both hands. ‘Sharp.’ He continues to pat his body, feeling the toned muscle and bone on him from years of working for the Tsaritsa. His hands trail to his toned stomach and rubs it in circles with the palm of his hand. He had always thought the best feature of his Harbinger uniform was that it had normally exposed his stomach, which was a part of him that he was proud of. It was sexy to say the least and it aided him agility wise on the battlefield, but now he wasn’t sure. Were omegas supposed to expose themselves like that?

‘I could make the effort. Zhongli is kinda handsome, I guess.’ He rolls his eyes, as if he had now been openly gawking the first time he met the emperor. ‘And helping the Tsaritsa is my priority.’

“Damn, I’ve never been this body conscious in my life.” He walks away from the mirror, but turns to look back at himself, eyes directly dropping to the shape of his ass in the mirror. He laughs a little pathetically before running a hand through his hair.

“This guy doesn’t know me, so it wouldn’t be too hard to hide the fact I was practically a tyrant back home!” With full confidence, he turned to face the mirror and crossed his arms, beaming at his prettier doppelganger in the mirror. He met his eyes, smile falling a little. Who was he kidding, he felt so out of place.

“Right?”

[bottledemotion]

Our Dance Beneath the Moonlight (Diluc X Fatui reader)

- Gender neutral reader

- 1.9k+ words

- warning/s: a tiny bit suggestive but only stated/seen through words not action

- spoiler from one of the quest which is from the “Darknight Hero”

Their first meeting started with the click of their weapons together.

It was in the dead of the night where it all began. It was peaceful, not a single citizen can be seen on the usually busy street of Mondstadt, even the guards who was supposed to be on patrol in the night cannot be seen nor find on the street, all busy and occupied from the sudden slime attack on the docks, leaving the city unprotected for the night. No cicadas and frogs are singing together to fill up the silence of the night, nor the usual muffled loud, boisterous noises from each tavern. All are asleep and oblivious of the danger they're under on, too preoccupied with their own little world behind closed doors.

So it was peaceful and quiet, too quiet in fact.

Perfect for the people on the night to strike. 

Or so they thought, for they forget that there's a hero that roams around in the dead of night from Mondstadt, someone who others call them the "Darknight Hero".

Which is why there were no eyes to witness the fight between a Fatui member, face hidden to the hood from their black coat, and a certain hero of the night from Mondstadt.

The hero took a leap back after their weapons- claymore and sword -connected to one another, his untamed red locks tied up to a low ponytail followed his quite graceful movements, like he was very used to it. Once the distance between them widens, he prepared his stance. He lowered his body like a predator ready to pounce on its prey. His hold from his claymore tightened as he raised its weight above and placed it behind him, ready to swing it to their way at any given moment which he will do without hesitation.

He watched them. His narrowed red ruby eyes never left the figure in front of him. He watched the slight subtle movements they make, the breath they each take, the swing of their sword that managed to take the brute force of his claymore danced from their black-gloved fingertips and air with a nonchalant grace. From the way they smirk at his way, he can tell with full conviction that they're doing those on purpose, mocking him, teasing him.

He gritted his teeth.

His enemy's smirk widens.

And to that, both immediately move forward. Their distance lessened, and both parties met each other halfway. The click of their weapons clashed to the dead silence, creating a loud echo between them. Their silent steps from the tiled roof under them and the clash of their weapons together are in sync like they're dancing together, both reciprocating the raw passion to fight and dominate the other give back to every slash of their weapon that met the other.

One could say this is how rivals truly show their hate to the other. A fight in a form of a dance. Both started on different sides, making them wary to one another, making their distance between them widen, vast and bumpy like an ocean. Despite the distance, both are willing to cross the bumpy waves of the ocean to meet each other halfway with the clash of their weapons and eyes boring to the other, eyes full of loathe and hate they didn't bother to hide.

The full moon and stars above them watched the scene unfold, being the only witness of their dance. It's moonlight cast its light beneath them, making their weapon and half of their face facing the moon be lighten and clearly be seen at night.

As their distance lessened with the collision of their weapon once again, both finally saw the other's face clearly, or what they could see and identify to the other. 

Both are wearing a masquerade mask that covers the upper part of their face. One holds the symbol of a Fatui member proudly holds while the other bore a plain black one with golden patterns whirled and curled around forming different patterns on both sides of his mask. His ruby red eyes can still be seen under his mask, while the other has been covered from the dark transparent silk that every Fatui member holds, hiding their eyes from prying eyes. The hero's stare changes its course. From the mask they wore, went to their (S/c) cheeks, then to their nose and slowly descended to their soft looking lips that looks oh so tempting to caress if only it has not been formed into a smirk that shockingly and annoyingly reminds him of a certain captain from the Knights that he didn't want to remember at all.

His thoughts interrupted when the person in front of him whistled.

"My my, checking me out in the middle of the fight? Are you like this to every person you fought with?" They asked. Their voice is soft, a whisper but full of teasing in it. Making his nose scrunched up, eyebrows creased, mouth twisted into a frown.

Even the way they talk reminds him of the annoying bastard.

The hero leaps away from them again, making his enemy laugh. 

He gritted his teeth and prepared his stance again. "Time to end this." He sneered at them.

The enemy chuckled and readied their stance as well. "I'd like to see you try Darknight Hero~" they taunted.

His eyes immediately turned into a glare that's so cold yet hot at the same time. He can feel his elemental skill dance on the tip of his fingertips, brushing its way there until it wrapped itself to his weapon, covering it to flames. His eyes never left his target who remained unfazed to the deadly flames directed to their way. 

He didn't give them a chance to catch up nor think. One moment they're far away from each other, the next he's standing in front of them with his claymore full of flames swinging in their way.

He can feel the caress of their breath from the soft gasp escaped from their lips before colliding his weapon to them.

Or so he thought.

Because as soon as he slung his claymore, he immediately stopped, almost colliding it to the tiled roof which he now realized they're stepping on all this time. He immediately stood up straight to look for his enemy, which he saw, distance immediately widens between them in a blink of an eye, literally.

His enemy clicked their tongue. "As much as I'd like to be beaten up by you in other ways rather than that." Their words cut off from a sudden laugh came out from their mouth when they noticed the scrunched up look of the Darknight Hero it made from their comment. "I have to go now."

They turn their back on him, making their cloak do a dramatic wind effect from their movements.

They turn their face to their side to face him, but not properly. "My work here is done, so long, pretty boy. Let our faith cross path again~." 

And from that, they ran away from their dance like Cinderella who's wish starts to disappear now that it struck 12 am.

Like from Cinderella’s story, he chased after them but for different reasons, and none of it are good.

"Hey!" He shouted and reached his gloved hand on them. His gloved fingertips managed to caress the edges of their hood but didn't reach enough to pull it. Instead, the wind did the job for him as they jumped their way to another building, blowing the hood away to reveal their (H/l) (H/c) hair that dances with the wind from their movements.

His enemy didn't stop running though, nor tried to pull the hood back up. Instead, they kept running, fully intended to escape the scene.

The hero tried to catch up with them, but fatigue started to take its toll on his body after a busy day at work this morning and the lack of sleep on these past few days.

So with a huff, he gave up and watched the Fatui member slowly blurred in the distance until he can't see them anymore. A bitter feeling crawled up to his spine, making him shiver, and hand formed into a fist.

Is this what defeat taste like?

"Master Diluc!" 

The hero clicked his tongue and turn his attention to the person who called him, only to see three new figures approaching him, worry written on their faces.

"We took down all of the monsters. Are you okay though? What happened?" One of them asked, a blond haired traveler whose purpose is to find their other kin.

"Yeah! You're about to beat the monsters up when you immediately run away!" Another one asked, a nosy, high pitched fairy who always float and stick around to the traveler.

"Did you see another enemy approaching the city? Or is it because the Knights of Favonius immediately came from that area to aid us?" Their last companion asked, a cheeky bastard bard who always asks if he can get a taste of his dandelion wine from his tavern which he sometimes always refused.

Diluc huffed. "Both." He simply answered.

"Really?! Where's the body though?" The fairy asked as she turned left and right to look around the scene.

"They manage to escape." Diluc gritted out and crossed his arms to his chest.

"The enemy managed to escape? No wonder you look so worn out as usual. Did the enemy manage to take your brute force? Or is it because of fatigue finally catching up to you?" The bard teased. He can feel his smirk present to his face as he said those.

"Someone managed to take his brute force? No offense Tone-Deaf Bard but Paimon thinks no one will ever manage to take the brute force of his flames." The fairy- Paimon -said.

"Seriously, what happened?" The traveler asked

Diluc remove his stare to them and brings it back to the road that the Fatui member ran off from. He remembered the (S/c) skin, the soft-looking lips and (H/l) (H/c) hair of his enemy. Printing those from his mind so when they meet again, he won't hesitate to attack them no matter the circumstances and area they are on.

"It's just fatigue catching up to me." He replied yet didn't turn his way nor attention to them. The world around him got blurred and drowned, so he didn't see and hear the bard sigh from his reply and the traveler's grow of concern and worry for him that they started talking about something that became static from his ears.

All of his focus turned to the enemy he fought moments ago. The person who manage to hold its stand on the entire fight despite wielding a sword on a fight whose enemy they faced holds a claymore. The person who manage to dodge his elemental skill in a blink of his eyes.

He wonder how they manage to do that. Questions start to whirl around his mind but he brings those thoughts on the back of it when he makes up a goal, a mission, a promise.

To defeat them in a fight. To make them submit to their dance.

He can't call himself strong when he didn't bring down an enemy who's blade is thinner than his.

"Calm down Traveler! Paimon sure he'll get them next time!" He heard the small fairy said.

"Right Master Diluc?"

Diluc turned his attention back to them. His usual stoic expression plastered to his face, the only difference to it is the sudden glow from his eyes, fire full of passion and determination. Making the witnesses of its expressions change, all hold curiosity and questions at the sudden change of it.

"Yeah, I definitely will." 

So with that, he can't wait to see them again.

He can't wait to see their faith cross paths again with the collision of their weapons together beneath the moon and stars.

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

A.N: I just wanna write two individuals having a sword fight under the moonlight while trying not to get love at first sword fight, which in Diluc's case, failing but he's not aware of it cause......it's him sooooooo-.

Sorry if some of the characters came out OOC, still trying to grasp their characterization ^ ^"

Thank you for reading!

[kazuzuha]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ part three

part one ; part two ; part four ; ...

this work is protected by copyright. copyright © kazuzuha ™ 2021

It took me another two years to find a new goal and remember my past one - the latter being that of me exploring the world, meeting new people, seeing the archons, eating new foods, feeling the wind of the highest mountains in Teyvat...

Interestingly, this goal that I had forgotten coincided with the one I had now; running away.

That was all I had in mind in the time gone by, all that truly kept me breathing in that suffocating place. My own mindset was an opposition to my mother’s, her traditional perfectionism trying to mold me into someone flawless, yet, not better than her. My own set of unbearably high standards wore me down, then were further pushed by her hand which ignored the fact that our pressures came from the same place. But I knew. I knew. 

It was at fifteen that I fully understood that knowing you are in an unhealthy situation does not call upon the Archons to help. 

Father was not around, busy with climbing ranks and taming the snowstorms. If he knew of my ambition, he would have agreed to that marriage proposal I had been given years ago, suspiciously immediately after the Tsaritsa’s interest in me was expressed. It was not that my father did not love or care for me; the opposite stood true. However, he was unaware of how deeply the mental scars inflicted by my mother ran. She was a good wife, a great wife for a Snezhnayan especially. But she was not a good mother. All I had tried to explain, he had already known of, but from a completely different perspective; words convoluted, actions exaggerated - after years of hearing second-hand stories about his child, his image of me became exactly what my mother intended. Therefore, hoping and begging for his help would be redundant. I had to get away on my own two feet.

That being said, I still needed outside help and financial freedom. I made acquaintances amongst my peers, though being taken into a circle of Snezhnayan kids was a difficult task; due to my family’s high standing and my mother’s foreignity, I was either avoided or sneered at. No one dared say much, but those that did were not speaking in welcome. The odds would be stately against my success, if it were not for my observance. Most children were homeschooled and the only way to meet others my age was at a very occasional party or in organised training. There were certain aspects that I saw were well accepted in their eyes; strength, resilience, beauty and charm. I trained in strength, my mind forced resilience, the beauty and charm part could be subsistuted by wealth and social standing. It should have worked. Unfortunately, I did not consider my gender.

After beating a boy twice my size in combat, I was not revered as I had previously expected. I was not suddenly accepted into a friend group, was not offered the bitter alcohol they hid under their shirts. I was a foreign girl they could not touch, could not win against. And that pissed them off. The spreading of rumours seemed like a simple childish act at first, but the way people began to view me was set in stone before they even met me, painting me as unattainable, arrogant. A sense of déjà vu made me realise that I was once again losing an exit out of this place. But I was a quick learner.

Instead of my peers at the training grounds, I looked elsewhere. Tagging along with my father under the pretense of learning his strategies, donning my most modest dresses and tint on my lips, I met the younglings of aristocracy. They recognised my situation as their own, shunned for being better than everyone else. The mindset of superiority deeply ingrained in their small heads made it laughably easy to appease them and get piles of information that I made sure to memorize. My graceful actions, soft-spoken words and dainty visuals… all crafted to fit the perfect standard of a young girl beloved by the Tsaritsa. 

Manipulation was effortless to replicate and after shedding a false tear over an acquaintance’s loss of a parent, the apprehension of the lack of my care about using others sent shudders down my spine. I hated it. I hated being forced to do the same I had been an object of. Most of all, I was horrified by how good I was at it. A secret account provided by a lovesick fool who turned out to be the son of the main manager of our biggest bank. Five sources of income through illegal trade business from Fontaine. A shy girl who wished for one good friend, the daughter of the biggest weaponry corporation, owning over fifty industrial factories in Snezhnaya alone. In less than two years, I was the biggest shareholder of two major companies. 

All I needed was a good public reason to leave and never come back - if I had run away in the middle of the night, the powerful people around me would send hundreds behind me without a second thought. The only ones who can facilely leave are the Fatui - Tsaritsa’s dogs - and, of course, her Harbingers. I have seen my fair share of Fatui, especially when I was still dealing with the mess that was the illegal trading with Fontaine’s machinery. They were soldiers, but they were also people; until you gave them enough power to be drunk on. As for the Harbingers, two of them I had met on multiple occasions; the man I had momentarily seen at Tsaritsa’s side on that balcony was presented as Dottore, or Doctor, though his unhinged expressions pointed to him being a rabid predator, not a healer. He was a shadow; never seen, but always… there. The second Harbinger was my father’s old acquaintance known by the title La Signora, or more favourably, The Fair Lady. As a visionless female aristocrat, I was expected to marry quickly and provide many future soldiers to the armies of Snezhnaya. When I was younger I did not understand the disgust and abhorrence I felt at the thought of my set future. Without dreams, I only wandered. It was not surprising that I began to look up to the notoriously powerful Signora, especially since the silver shade in our eyes was of the same empty shine. Fascinated by her bold disobedience of our land’s customs, I caught myself imitating her walk; young and impressionable, sure, but I also knew that without a Vision, I would never be able to stride as freely as she could. 

That is why I spent so much energy and time on getting Mora. In complete honesty, I could have left Snezhnaya a year into my socialisation. In only a few months, I had enough financial security to start a business in the faraway Liyue which flourished past my expectations. Despite resigning myself to using others, the human mind sometimes cannot help but create bonds of affection to others and so, after the first time hearing “comrade” or the late-night conversations with a painfully vulnerable and lonely teenager, I could not help but want to stay longer, although merely subconsciously. I began finding reasons to stay; perhaps visiting Liyue to oversee my business after a scandal was not a good enough plan to leave, perhaps I should save just a bit more before I go on a long journey, what if the branch deal suddenly fails, I need to manage this project myself… The excuses piled up, my very few friendships strengthened and then, I thought; living here for the rest of my life would not be the worst. This idea was proven wrong time and time again, the glares like daggers in my back, enviness of others putting poison in my cups, the bloody display of the rare bunny I was gifted by a prominent and popular merchant, my mother’s slap at the word “Liyue” leaving my mouth.

I was woken up by news of the forgotten childhood marriage proposal being reconsidered.

“My clever girl is all grown up now!” my father spoke loudly, his fork sounding on the golden plate as the guests around him followed his proud tone with interest. Turning to his closest comrade, another one of Tsaritsa’s most trusted, he spoke as if confiding a secret though all invitees could hear him clearly: “Nobody is ever going to be good enough for my dove, but I’m considering accepting that proposal. They’d make a good match, both of their heads full of coins.”

Booming laughter ensued as my smile froze on my lips. He had never discussed this with me beforehand, so why now?

As if he had read my thoughts, Father’s eyes found mine, his bright and naive, sure that I would simply go with it as I had with everything until now. I decided to keep the illusion intact and made myself smile wider. 

“Girlie that plays with coins, hah! If that’s what he needs to tie him down, I’d get on my knees myself,” the other man spoke, raising his glass towards me and eliciting another round of hollers. 

Not one to stay quiet in rage, I spoke with a light, pretty tone: “Sorry to say this old man, but I’d prefer for the man to kneel down for my hand himself. Your legs might just give out from how long you’d have to be begging on the ground for him.”

The hidden jab of my not even knowing who the man proposing was went past their ears.

“As expected!” the man yelled over the ear-wrenching laughter, slapping my grinning father on the back, while another man, whom I recognised as my only female friend’s absentee parent, spoke up; “She’s really your kid, through and through. Shame you didn’t make a boy, too, with that spunk he’d be one of Tsaritsa’s best warriors by now.”

“No kid of mine would be any good as a soldier,” Father countered, the alcohol in his glass disappearing. “Us Silvers use our heads.”

After he playfully headbutts his comrade, the conversation moves elsewhere and I take my leave. Again, I find myself on the balcony, heaving deep breaths, desperately trying to calm my racing pulse. Vaguely, I think about my wild expression and how others would react if they chanced upon me at this moment, but my unbearable fear does not allow for a stoic attitude. 

Ah, right, I wanted to run away.

It is needless to say that I got my plans in order just that night.

I only let my closest friends know of the finality of my departure, sent a personal letter to the Tsaritsa and prepared an entourage of people who wanted to permanently leave Snezhnaya as well.

Tsaritsa’s reply was swift and curt; a permit to leave for business. There was not any mention of a permit to return, but that was exactly what I had been looking for.

I mentioned my journey East to my parents at a rare shared dinner, as if passing news. My mother would have dragged me by my hair if we had been alone; having my father present was imperative. With my mother’s forced silence, I explained that, due to the scandal - which I had painstakingly created myself - I wanted to take charge of the business in Liyue Harbour for three months until I found a capable enough manager to take over the decision-making.

“It is unsavory for women to make the main decisions in a business,” I sighed, massaging the side of my head as if troubled by this gravely. My father nodded, sympathetically, while my mother coldly glared at my theatrics. It was not her that I needed to convince, anyway; she would follow whatever her husband decided. Holding Father’s hand, a physical contact of seldom, I continued: “I want to get this over with quickly, that is why I am going myself. After all, the marriage should not be put off for too long, should it? You told me a few days ago that you wanted a grandson, after all.”

I left three days after that.

The tearful farewells were done in secret, only polite nods were given in the public eye. More people have come to bid me a good journey than I would have expected, my ties reaching further than those of the usual Snezhnayan. I decided to speed up my leave before anyone else could notice.

White mountains and the creaking of snow beneath the heavy feet slowly turned into browns and greens and sloshes of mud. We stayed the night at a guesthouse in Fontaine, the waterfalls washing away the prints of our path. I wished I could have run away immediately, but arriving at the Liyue headquarters was a necessary evil to maintain our facade; if we did not send word, it would have been no different from an escape without planning. 

The warm water felt wonderful against my cold skin, accustomed to the harsh weather of the land of Cryo. It was a few hours after sunset and only the sounds of nocturnal butterflies were present. The unchanging moon shone down, reflecting its light into the lake, its shape sometimes a copy, sometimes a caricature. 

TBA

[willnotdothefandango-a]

@caelumsaltator​

Scaramouche, truly, is hard to think up ideas for gifts. With as much time as she spends with him, you’d expect otherwise. But no – she knows at the very least what he doesn’t like. Which makes things slightly easier when she left to do some shopping at the markets around Teyvat. It wasn’t difficult to slip out, knowing her Harbingers wouldn’t need her presence for a few hours. Well, for the most part. She wished there was no bloodshed between them to be discovered upon arrival.

Again.

When she does return, she’s quick to return to her room. Even as fingers ache, the gifts are each wrapped in bright, yet subtle wrapping. A few gifts were already in long boxes, to which she found a blessing. The others? A little bit of a struggle. Lumine’s perfectionism for wrapping them as neatly as possible tested her once again this year. And once again, she overcomes it better than ever.

There’s one spot within the place they call home she knows she can find Scaramouche. Though many wonder, there are safehouses for the Fatui set up all around Teyvat. This one’s close to Inazuma, with its buildings in the distance. Though more hidden than the usual, it’s still a spacious place.

“Scaramouche,” she calls, pushing the door open with her foot to the living room. Without skipping a beat, she takes a seat beside him and holds out the presents.

The first box, small and colored red, holds three expensive teas she knows he loves to drink. Though made in small batches, she bought all that she could for him when she found it again. If possible, she would of bought out the entire stock. Ah, but that’s a little ambitious. The second was split into two boxes. As a whole, it was a lavish. Its intensity matching his usual wardrobe. Base color dark blue, she made sure to pick out accessories and the other colors that were embroidered upon the base layer matched him. The third and final one was a simple letter. Handwritten in a gentle script are words that are, in layman’s terms, a reservation to the tea house. Fully paid for in advance, and she truly went to the nines with what the listed selections were going to be.

It wouldn’t be Lumine if she didn’t.

“Merry Christmas.” Even if he doesn’t celebrate it like the others, she still wanted to give him something. Bring some good tidings to them while there’s a lull in activity.

He knows his subordinates (or, well–poor excuses for them) aren’t stupid enough to let someone who isn’t meant to be there onto this property. Though it is indeed a safehouse, it hardly looked it, and resembled more a vacation home than anything. It kept onlookers away, and with the lower-ranking Fatui guarding the perimeter–Scaramouche normally had time to himself, and thank god for it–Time to actually hear himself think.

With very little effort, his trained ears catch the sound of bare feet moving across the tatami flooring, and more than ready to throw a bolt of thunder the other’s way should they be someone he doesn’t deem welcome–The thought is for naught, upon hearing the voice that joins the sound of the shoji sliding back. Seated on a cushion, Scaramouche finally turns enough so that he can face his unexpected guest who was….carrying quite a few intricately packages.

“–Princess?”

Dressed outside of his usual grand attire, the Harbinger instead donned a simple indigo yukata that he normally wore once he had some privacy. It’s rare for her to visit at this hour, but once she seats herself down beside him on the neighboring cushion without much warning–He understands that these gifts are intended for him.

What he didn’t quite expect was that all of them were his. Though he shoots her something of a cautious look, ever wary, he finally begins to unwrap the presents and finds himself….pleasantly surprised, as well as filled with a new sense of understanding. Perhaps there’s some gratitude buried in there as well, even if he feels a twinge of annoyance recalling some events that had happened not too long ago.

Hmph. And here I was wondering why no matter how much I threatened the shopkeeper, he wouldn’t sell me more. She must have bought up the majority of the little stock he had.

But color him surprised: She managed to track down all three of the types he favors, and he himself knows it’s quite expensive, and the fabric he finds in the next box is no better. Just a small square of the embroidered material could cost a month’s worth of wages, not that it ever truly bothered him given his vast amount of wealth. The kanzashi and obi were of the same quality, enough that he can’t help running his fingers along their surfaces to admire them. And this tea house reservation....It’s a place he’s been meaning to set foot in for quite some time, actually. Perhaps the princess is far more observant than he outwardly gives her credit for. 

Carefully stowing each present away, setting the paper aside--He takes a hold of one of the teas she purchased for him, a particular favorite of his that he frustratingly continues to run out of due to the frequency at which he drank it. Hardly helped that high-grade matcha took an incredible amount of labor to create, so he could only acquire a little bit at a time.

--He supposed she deserved a reward.

“–Once a tin is opened, it’s best to finish it quickly while still savoring the flavors. Sit down.”

Removing an intricate lacquer box decorated with wisteria and cranes, he carefully lifts the lid after setting it down to reveal a tea ceremony set of the highest grade of Inazuma ceramic, the mottled green bowls within glimmering in the moonlight. Carefully setting the area up after bringing a small table of polished wood over, and pushing his hair behind his ear--Scaramouche glances towards Lumine

“It would be a waste for me to try and finish an entire batch by myself. --You.”

Snapping his fingers, an agent immediately entered the room, descending onto one knee and awaiting orders. He spares to them a cold, piercing glance that wipes his affable smile off his lips when he makes his instructions clear as crystal. Surely even an idiot couldn’t fail to follow something so simple, no?

“Fetch mizu yokan, kingyoku, and dango from the small shop on the corner of the street near here. Use the funds to purchase it, I don’t care how much it costs. Just make sure they’re the from the freshest batch or you’ll pay dearly for it later.”

With a shudder, the Fatui agent bows, before disappearing into the night to fulfill their assigned duty as quickly and efficiently as possible, lest they suffer the 6th Harbinger’s wrath. Turning towards another part of the room, he slides the shoji back with a quiet clatter of wood, revealing the well-tended garden in the center of the building. It’s best to have a pleasant view during this event, after all.

“As repayment for these gifts...Well, I think you’re capable of appreciating the elegance of the Inazuma tea ceremony.”

[nekasu]

raidenshoogun​:

Continued from here

@nekasu

Ei was both innocent and downright rusty when it came to romantic situations. She had never been in a relationship before, since all her life she had been dedicated to fighting for her sister, then grieving over the loss of everyone she had been close to. She planned to follow Neka’s lead with a lot of stuff when it came to romance. Well, that was if their relationship blossomed.

She had never seen the fatui as much of a threat. As long as they didn’t tamper with eternity, who was she to meddle in their affairs? Of course, if Neka ever married her and he wanted them disposed of, she would do it in a heartbeat, because from the moment they would have been connected in such an intimate way… she didn’t intend to let him leave. She wanted that love to remain eternal.

The electro archon intended to show him the difference between herself and her robot, but right now, she needed to see what direction things were leaning in. It was difficult for her to figure out how he felt, though. Did he have a mutual interest in her? Ei sure hoped so. He was the first person to have gotten her interested.

Suddenly, Ei was feeling conflicted. Was her offer overboard? Surely sleeping beside her wouldn’t be that much of a big deal? Perhaps she needed to dress up for the occasion. She made a mental note to pick up a nightgown he would find absolutely stunning. “Good, you may put your stuff in my room whenever you’re ready~” inside her Plane, she could feel how wet she was getting. Oh, yes. She fully intended to get things going.

His question surprised her. He would dominate her if she asked? Now this intrigued her. Ei stood, coming closer. Once she was before him, she made it a point to drop to her knees and place her hand on his chest. Closing her eyes, she had summoned him into her Plane of Euthymia. The minute he was within it, Ei was before him. “Demonstrate it.” She demanded quickly. “I want you to dominate me. Prove to me that you will.” She was unaware that with most romances, most people take their time. But that isn’t what concerned her. She wished to experience this man.

.

Neka, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking about marriage with her just yet, since not only had they just met, he knew that lusting after someone as powerful and revered as the Raiden Shogun would result in a quick end to his journey. He’d probably have a more merciful end if he slapped Signora across the face and laughed at her. Not that he’d ever be against the Electro Archon if she were to propose to him first, and would be happy to accept once he’d gotten over his initial shock.

Only a sheer idiot of a mortal would dare try to dominate a god without their express permission, and yes, while Neka did feel himself desiring the beautiful flower in front of him, he was nowhere near arrogant enough to claim he could so easily best her like that. “Wait, what--” Neka started to say as a sort of unnatural darkness started to envelop the both of them. Was this how she planned on killing him?

The darkness wasn’t to last, however, and Neka soon found himself on a vast, flat plane that seemed to stretch out to the horizon in every direction. What had he gotten himself into? The sky wasn’t Teyvat’s, that much was certain, and he had no way of getting out. He was truly at her tender mercies now.

This woman before him now, she was different than the one he’d just been in front of a moment ago, wasn’t she? The latter had given him an uneasy familiarity to The Balladeer, but this one...she looked identical, yet the aura was different. Maybe it was due to this odd place she summoned him to? Questions could wait for now, but she’d given him an order, and paradoxically one to dominate her at that. Neka’s heart was almost beating out of his chest for any number of reasons, but it was too late to back down and disappoint her now.

Walking over to her, Neka cupped his hand under her chin and held her face forward so she’d be looking at him and him only. “You’re different from what you were a moment ago, aren’t you?” Neka asked, but to show just how in charge he was, he didn’t give her a chance to answer before immediately kissing her deeply on the lips.

[rheawritessometimes]

The Deal

{ Childe x GN!Reader }

{ Summary } You make a deal with Childe. Series Masterlist

{ Warnings } Swearing, Mention of Injury, Medication, Mention of Violence, Physical Intimacy.

{ Notes } The second part of Let's Make a Deal with minor edits. Masterlist

{ Word Count } 2,091

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Getting back to Liyue was a simple affair, the road was clear and Childe wasn’t slowed down by any pain he might have been in. The Snezhnayan wasn’t one to complain about pain, even if he wasn’t numbed up. He seemed to be in a cheerful mood, chattering animatedly as you walked. The fact he intentionally moved closer to you so that your shoulders occasionally brushed did not escape your notice. Neither of you said anything about it. You could tell it was intentional because Childe was not sneaky about the way he looked at you to gauge your reaction.

Luckily the Golden House wasn’t very far from the harbor and there were no monsters along the way, for which you were thankful. You were more than capable of handling most monsters on your own, but you were worried Childe would jump into combat and end up hurting himself more than he already was. He was capable as a fighter but you didn’t trust him not to worsen his injuries.

The visit to Bubu Pharmacy was entirely uneventful, it was confirmed that Childe had two broken ribs on his right side and he was given some medication for the pain. There wasn’t much else to be done other than recommend regularly icing the area and no strenuous activities. That was expected, broken ribs were good at healing naturally, given rest. You wondered if it would even be possible for him to take it easy as a Harbinger. It seemed to you that the other Harbingers weren’t as active as Childe, but it could simply be a difference in duties.

“I think I can just take it easy for two weeks and then go back to business as usual,” Childe remarked as you began down the stairs after leaving the pharmacy. You frowned at him, wondering if he was serious. This man had no regard for his long-term wellbeing.

“You need to rest for six weeks, at least. It’s better for you to recover entirely before you get back to… whatever it is you do,” you said with a stern tone. Sometimes it really did seem like Childe was a child. Haha.

“I’m a busy guy, I can’t take that kind of time off,” he brushed off your argument, seemingly unconcerned by the fact he was injured. It was true that broken ribs weren’t the worst injury to work around, but it still wasn’t wise to be so careless.

“Well, you’re a valuable asset to Snezhnaya, surely you’d be allowed time off to recover. The Tsaritsa must be at least that understanding,” you reasoned, noticing that your words made his brow furrow. You wondered if it was because you had implied that the Tsaritsa would be unreasonable should he not be able to get time off to recover. You supposed it didn’t matter, so long as Childe actually took some time to heal.

The Harbinger hummed thoughtfully, clearly scheming. You wondered what excuse he would come up with. Probably something about how he was ‘very strong and can recover quickly’. You could almost scoff at the mere thought, it seemed entirely in character for him.

“Alright, I’ll request time off to recover,” he said, grinning cheekily, “if you help me while I recover.”

You raised a questioning brow, that was something you hadn’t predicted he was considering. Still, you cared enough for him to want him to fully recover, and helping him out wasn’t beyond your abilities. Aside from one attempt to destroy Liyue, he had been pretty harmless.

“You’ll rest for the whole six weeks?” you asked skeptically. You weren’t sure it was possible for him to stay away from a fight for that long, but he wasn’t one to go back on his word.

“Yep, I promise.”

“Alright, deal.”

Childe offered you his hand to shake, and you took it. Looking back on it, it was probably not the best idea to solidify your agreement in the land of contracts. Not when the terms hadn’t been thoroughly discussed, at least.

“Great, you can stay at my apartment while I recover,” he chirped, opening a door to what you assumed to be his apartment. You hadn’t even realized you’d arrived in front of the building, too busy trying to convince Childe to take care of himself. You didn’t even know Childe had an apartment in Liyue, but you supposed that should have been obvious. He clearly wasn’t living on the streets.

You opened your mouth to argue but quickly closed it when an ominous feeling washed over you. For some reason, it felt like it would be unwise to break your agreement so early on. It wasn’t as though you had explicitly agreed to stay with him, but you did agree to help him and that would be helpful. You silently cursed your past self, maybe you were the careless one.

Your displeasure must have been showing on your face because Childe laughed after seeing your expression. You clenched your jaw, but decided it would be better if you didn’t say anything, he was certain to tease you if you rose to the bait.

“Second floor,” he said as you walked down the hall, gesturing to a stairwell. He huffed once as you were going up the stairs, and you could only assume the numbness was beginning to fade. A wave of guilt washed over you at the thought. You broke his ribs and forced him to take off work for six weeks, so you were probably out of the running for friend of the year.

You could immediately tell which door led to Childe’s apartment when you got to the second floor, there was a Fatui guard standing outside of it. He looked entirely out of place and you could imagine he was bored out of his mind just standing there. When he noticed your presence he eyed you suspiciously but said nothing, instead deciding to ignore you and bow his head to Childe.

The Harbinger completely ignored his subordinate, opening the door to his apartment and ushering you inside. Once the door was closed he ran a hand through his hair, letting out what sounded like a sigh of relief. It was probably nice to be home and finally able to relax after all that walking around with broken ribs.

“Your guard doesn’t seem to like me,” you remarked absently as you scanned his apartment. It was clean and surprisingly spacious, but a little bare. The floors were hardwood and there was a large carpet in the middle of the living room, with a sofa and some other furniture atop it. There were no houseplants to be seen.

“Yeah, I don’t bring many people home,” Childe laughed in response, plopping down on his couch which had no throw pillows or blankets. There was a wooden coffee table in front of it, but not much else around. It made sense that the apartment was relatively bare, it’s not like Childe would be staying in Liyue permanently.

“Oh, are you having relationship troubles?” you quipped in response, lips quirking up at the corners. He scoffed indignantly at your words.

“Have you seen this face? Of course not, I’m just waiting on the right person,” he stated, lying sprawled across the couch. You shook your head at this, moving to the kitchen in hopes of finding some ice. Childe didn’t say anything about you snooping around his kitchen, so you assumed there was nothing he felt he had to hide in there.

After gathering a dish towel and some ice, you came back with the make-shift icepack. He hadn’t had a proper icepack in his freezer, which surprised you considering his line of work. Maybe later you would head back up to the pharmacy to get some.

“Ice your side for now. You should wash up and get changed soon,” you told him after you handed him the icepack. While there had been no blood the fight was physically straining, so he probably needed to clean up. You realized after saying this that you had no change of clothes here, you’d need to go back to your place to get some things if he planned on having you stay here for six weeks.

“Okay, mom,” he joked in response, you could only roll your eyes at this. He left the icepack laying on the right side of his chest, not bothering to hold it in place. You didn’t bother to nag him about it, it was close enough.

“I’m going back to my place to get some stuff, I shouldn’t be gone for long,” you announced, turning to leave the apartment.

“Wait!” he shouted, sitting up suddenly, the icepack sliding down into his lap. “You owe me a kiss!”

You turned to look at him, a bit surprised by him shouting. You had forgotten about that entirely, but you did promise. So you walked over to the couch and leaned down to press your lips against his. You had intended for it to be a brief kiss, but his hand gently held your wrist and the other went up to brush against your jaw.

With a sigh you deepened the kiss, allowing yourself him to indulge for a little while. You were surprised by the slow pace he set, but certainly not displeased. He gently bit your bottom lip before pulling away, opening his eyes and giving you a smug look when he noticed your face had become a bit flushed.

“Get washed up and put clean clothes on while I’m gone,” you said as you pulled away, trying to seem as unflustered as possible. It wasn’t very effective, if his laughter as you fled the apartment was anything to go by.

Gathering everything you thought you would need from your apartment was entirely uneventful, you tried to pack everything you’d need for six weeks into a duffel bag but it was hopeless. You were bound to forget things and a duffel bag isn’t much space, so you decided you could just come back whenever you needed something.

The Fatui guard stationed outside Childe’s apartment was not shy about giving you a dirty look as you approached. It was safe to say the Harbinger probably didn’t often have company. The guard seemed particularly suspicious of your bag, like that was the thing to worry about when it was commonplace to materialize weapons out of thin air.

“Stop,” he ordered in a booming voice as you neared the door. You followed his order, halting outside the door. You proceeded to stare him dead in the eyes as you knocked three times on the door.

It swung open shortly after, Childe stepping out of the way to let you in. The way the guard clenched his jaw made you feel very smug.

“You don’t have to knock, just come in,” he said, and you were silently very thankful for those words. It was a little something extra to rub it in. Perhaps your loathing was a little misplaced, that man was likely not one of the Fatui who had attacked you in the past. But, he did still give you a dirty look and was none too polite, so there was something. Sometimes people are petty, and that’s okay.

Once you were inside the apartment, you noticed Childe had showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. The white t-shirt and grey sweatpants were rather different from his usual look, but it strangely suited him rather well. Maybe everything looks good on him because he’s a pretty Fatui boy.

“How are you feeling?” you asked, shifting the weight of your bag as you followed him to the kitchen.

“Good, doesn’t hurt much. What do you want for dinner?” he asked, opening the cupboards to survey their contents. The casual atmosphere along with the mundane question of what to do for dinner made the whole situation feel awfully domestic.

“Um, I’m fine with whatever you want,” you replied, banishing the thought from your mind. You weren’t really sure about your feelings on the matter yet so you would push them all off to the side and sort through them some other time.

“Oh, right. There’s a spare room down the hall across from the bedroom. You can put your stuff in there,” he said, looking over at you standing in the doorway with your bag. You were already walking away when he added, “Or you’re welcome to stay in my bedroom with me~”

“You wish.”

Maybe six weeks with Childe wouldn’t be too bad.

-

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