#paimon is there too because we love and appreciate her

[hydrachea]

You ever so starved for platonic content of your newest babygirl you take the matter into your own hands and write something for the first time in almost a year?

Betaed by my loveliest partner in crime @feroluce!

[rikiflrts]

At The Usual Spot.

synopsis. after traversing through teyvat for what seemed like decades to find your twin sibling, you decided to take a break from the hustle and bustle as you allowed yourself to bask in your innermost desires, which you were reluctant to do—falling in love. you settled in fontaine with paimon a little over a year ago to take a breather, and that’s where you meet the charming magician who, for some reason, you couldn’t take your eyes off of. it was almost like he hypnotized you, except he didn’t. it was true that he was one of the greatest magicians who’ve ever existed in teyvat, but who would’ve thought that his greatest act yet would leave the most bittersweet aftertaste? you already lost your sibling, and now...you've possibly just lost the love of your life.

contents. gn!reader, fontaine arc is altered here but there are some minor spoilers, flashbacks are italicized, suggestive-ish themes, use of french words, slight profanity. angst.

words. 13,134

reblogs are very much appreciated !! ଘ(˵╹-╹)━☆

being a traveler was no joke. you had to venture into multiple regions and chew on any information you could get from the archons—most of them couldn’t even give you a concrete answer as to where your twin sibling was, even though you knew that they were connected to your blood kin somehow. one of the archons was a drunk bard who couldn’t be taken seriously in a nutshell; another was a man who had his lips sealed due to a contract; then followed a woman who made puppets to rule her kingdom so she could isolate herself from the world; then there was a small flower girl that shrank and had amnesia; and then there was this archon who hosted jury trials in the opera house as a form of entertainment.

you’d think that most of them could at least help you gain intel since they’re considered as highly ranked entities that serve their people through systems, but ironically enough, the only person who was really able to help was the flower girl who changed lives.

no, literally, she changed lives. look at the wanderer, for example—she took him under her wing, and now he’s a changed man. well, not really, but at least he was friendlier.

you met a lot of people who have helped you along the way, but in order to make a living, you took up commissions and went on various adventures. it was a routine;  you enter a new region, you meet the archon, you help them solve their issues, and then they tell you to skidaddle and move on to the next region. 

you’ve been going at it for what seemed like years. you’re burned out, and your mind needs a break from the constant demands that people keep weighing on your shoulders.

paimon said it herself. you needed a break. you were so much of a people-pleaser and a workaholic that you didn’t even notice your own mental health declining.

“this can’t keep going on, traveler! paimon knows how badly you want to be reunited with your sibling, but paimon is worried that you might end up collapsing due to exhaustion!!” the emergency food says worriedly as she tugs on your sleeve. the pitch of her voice went up a bit higher, which indicated the intensity of her tone. she was really concerned about you.

“paimon, i can’t stop now. the sooner we move, the faster we can find them.” you say adamantly as you gently remove her hand from your sleeve before flattening it out so that it doesn’t wrinkle, “i’ll be fine.” you say in an attempt to reassure you with a solemn look on your face, but paimon responds by stomping her feet mid-air. “paimon can’t stand seeing you like this traveler!! please, just take a break!” 

you sigh at her stubbornness, which is ironic because you were being stubborn too.

“alright, i’ll take a break-” you got cut off mid-sentence as paimon squeals in excitement, “YOU WILL?? HOORAY! paimon thinks we should stop by at the tavern so we could reple-” “paimon.” “oh…ehe. sorry, continue...” she says sheepishly with an apologetic smile after realizing that she was getting ahead of herself once again.

“as i was saying, i’ll take a break, but only once we set foot in fontaine. two weeks should be enough.” you finally continued, to which paimon responded with bright, gleaming eyes. “really??? do you promise that?” paimon asks eagerly as she holds up her pinky, indicating that a pinky promise should be made to seal the deal. you couldn’t help but laugh at her childishness.

“pinky promise.” 

true to your word, you did plan to take a break once you arrived in the hydro archons’ kingdom. you were aware that your presence would cause an uproar among the masses since word has gone out that a blonde traveler fought with heaven and earth just to do justice to the people on land, and apparently, a publishing company called the steambird was the one that made that silly headline.

because of that, you were forced to keep a low profile for the time being to avoid everyone’s attention shifting onto you.

and that is why, as of now, you were wearing a hood that covered your distinct, blonde hair as you got boarded off at the romaritime harbor. the deep waterfalls that extended through the horizon made a lightly deafening sound as you could vividly hear the impact of the water crashing down onto the ocean repeatedly in a continuous cycle. 

ignoring that unbearable rhythm, you hummed to yourself in contentment as you looked around—there were dogs adorned with jewelry and articles of clothing, transportation vehicles that followed specific currents, and mechanical guards with human-like forms wandering around the harbor—it was a sight to behold. the rumors were true after all. fontaine is way ahead of its time.

“this seems like a curious place to reside in…” you mumble to yourself while looking around you as you walk up to what seems like an elevator, unbeknownst to the ash-blonde male who was about to collide with you.

“ouch!!” “gah-!”

you were quite a high-alert person, but you got so distracted with sight-seeing that you ended up bumping into the stranger before falling to the ground. 

“archons…” you winced in pain as the impact of the fall made its way to your bum. you were too focused on making sure that you fell unscathed to see the man in front of you. 

“oh heavens!! ma chérie, are you alright?” he spoke with a hint of concern. you still didn’t look up at him. judging by the way he talks alone, you could tell that he was a lively person who could achieve anything he set his mind to. his intonation was enough for you to decipher what kind of person he could possibly be. but alas, it appears that you were the only one who fell from the impact, though, which explains why he lowered himself as he offered to lend you a hand to stand up. 

“yes, i’m alright.” you say politely as you take his hand to stabilize yourself as you stand up. once your feet were finally placed back on the ground, your eyes met his mischievous violet orbs. “I apologize for bumping into you, mr. …” you trailed off, realizing that you don’t really know who this man is. he wore interesting clothes—that of a magician. you didn’t really want to assume what he does for a living though, so you chose to call him the first thing that came to mind. “mr… hat?” you say awkwardly as you bow lightly to avoid his eyes due to embarrassment, which earned a hearty chuckle from his delicate figure.

“mr. hat, you say?” he chuckles once again before continuing. “ah! where are my manners? allow me to introduce myself. my name is lyney, and i am a renowned magician here in fontaine.” he places one hand to his chest and the other behind his back as he bows down in almost a curtsey as a form of greeting.’ so he IS a magician…’ you thought to yourself. you were about to let your mind wander once more until he continued.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” he paused for a moment and grabbed your hand gently before continuing,  “oh legendary traveler.” he locked eye contact with you as he kissed your hand lightly. as if the kiss wasn’t enough to fluster you, he even found out your true identity. you got taken aback by his direct nature, but you paid little-to-no mind to his formality. “how did you know???” you leaned into him and whispered as fear was written all over your face. you started to panic as you looked around to see if anyone had heard him.

‘is this man always this…brazen?’ you thought to yourself.

“well…” he trailed off smiling as his eyes shifted his focus onto something else. your gaze followed his, which made you realize that the hood that hid your face neatly from unwanted gazes had fallen to your shoulders.

so much for keeping a low profile.

you widen your eyes and internally curse yourself for being so careless. you’re so out of it today. paimon was right, you really needed to get some rest.

just as that realization crept onto you, you heard a snap! illicit from the magician’s fingers and before you knew it, your hood went back into place, hiding your golden locks as if he performed a magic trick.

you witnessed all kinds of bizarre phenomena; harnessing visions was one thing, but sincere gestures and instances like this felt surreal to you. it was as if the inner child in you slowly crawled their way out of hiding as you reminisced about the magic shows you watched as a child with your twin during previous expeditions.

the nostalgic but fleeting feeling left a bittersweet taste on your lips.

you looked at him in awe, to which he replied with a smirk. “what? cat got your tongue?” he teases you with an amusing look on his face. “very funny.” you dryly laughed at his pun as you tugged on the hem of your hoodie to attempt to hide your face even more.

lyney noticed your odd behavior and asked, “are you hiding from someone, by any chance?” you stared at him blankly for a couple of seconds before replying, “im not really hiding from someone per se, im just trying to avoid getting too much attention.” you then briefly explained what you were going through and that you wanted to rest for a while in this new environment before going back to your daily routine.

“i see. so you’re not a fugitive that’s on the loose right now, correct?” he jokingly says as he traces the brim of his top hat. your gaze unconsciously followed where his fingertips landed, which gave you the opportunity to appreciate the feline crest that was embroidered on his clothing with delicate detail. “hey, im just trying to take it easy.” you said in defense as you pouted lightly since you didn’t like what he just accused you of, finally tearing your eyes away from the mischievous magician who stood before you.

meanwhile, lyney over here finds you intriguingly adorable. it made him want to tease you more.

“im just making sure. you now stand on sacred grounds of justice under the hydro archon herself. it wouldn’t be a favorable place for you to be in had you done something illegal, no?” he smirks, violet orbs still staring straight through your soul as he slightly tips his head forward—almost like a playful form of provocation. 

“you must be mistaken, monsieur lyney. i wouldn’t do something as disgraceful as that, so rest assured.” you say in a matter-of-a-fact tone. it was a good thing katheryn taught you a few french words before you headed to the hydro archons’ region. It’s just like what she said: when in fontaine, do what the fontainians do. 

lyney’s eyebrows perked up in surprise as he heard you call him by a formal honorific in his native language. see, normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal because the word monsieur was commonly thrown around for formality and respect. but for some reason, hearing that eight-lettered word roll out from those lovely lips of yours made his heart do a summersault. the fact that you also said it in their thick accent made him all the more amused.

“but of course, i was only teasing you, mademoiselle!” He laughs it off which makes you sigh in relief. you broke eye contact with him as you shifted and ruffled your clothing for a bit as you felt the cold wind slip through the gaps of your cloak. it was getting cold, you should get going soon.

you were about to bid farewell to the fiery-spirited magician, but when you looked back up, he was no longer there. 

“huh…” in a confused state, you tiptoe yourself upwards to see if he had walked far, only for you to be startled by a voice behind you.

“looking for me?” lyney whispered cheekily in your ear. you yelled shortly after he did this out of surprise before hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “don’t do that next time, you scared me!! why are you even there anyways??” lyney only smiles as you look at him with widened eyes. “how’d you like my disappearing act?” he avoids your question. 

“i wouldn’t really call that a disappearing act. i bet you just took the opportunity to silently sneak behind me while i wasn’t looking.” you rebutted with a scoff. “oh but ma chérie, magic is all about the art of deception. it wasn’t a real magic trick, i admit, but the gesture was simple enough to have you on your tiptoes just to catch sight of me once more.” his words almost felt as if it had different meanings, but you shrugged it off. “in your dreams, magic man..” you tease him by sticking your tongue out childishly, finally going along with his flow. 

“haha. you really are an adorable little one, now aren’t you?” He says amusingly as he lifts up your chin with his index finger. “who are you calling litt-” he hushes your lips with the same finger before winking. “ah-ah-ah.” he says with a smug look in his eyes. 

honestly, you were about to throw hands at this man because he was being so touchy with you despite just meeting, but then you felt the sharp coldness melting on your skin as a comfortable warmth enveloped you. 

“how did you do that…” you look at lyney in a bewildered state as he only chuckled at your innocent reaction. “i only used my vision to balance your body temperature, ma chérie. im pretty sure you of all people know what visions are.” he says humbly as his touch breaks contact with your skin. you felt a burning sensation in the spots where he lingered, and you didn’t mean this literally.

“no but the control you have over your vision, it's… it’s amazing. thank you.” only then did you let out a heart-warming close-eyed smile that lyney ever-so loved as he witnessed the sight. the atmosphere was just right. night has fallen but the moon did not fail to illuminate your skin as it gave you a radiant glow; you were as clear as day. the animosity of the cold season lingered through all parts of the romaritime harbor—he could warm up the place easily if he wished to with his pyro vision—and yet your smile was enough to denoise the unseasonably cold weather. 

lyney determinedly thought to himself as he pondered with his thumb and index finger cupping his chin. that’s it. you have to be there. you just have to be. 

as if on cue, lyney snaps his fingers in realization once he musters up the courage to be bold. “traveler, you have something on your hair.” he points innocently at your hidden locks. you could’ve sworn that nothing was there before but you felt a light-weight object cling to the strands of your hair. you looked at him cautiously before slowly taking it out of your hair. 

you thought this was an insect or a prank of some sort, but to your surprise, it was a beautiful flower that had hues of yellows and blues mixed in with the soft petals of pink romantics. the night sky gave it justice as it lightly twinkled with the stars.

you really didn’t know what to expect from this man, he was unpredictable. “is this…” you trailed off, not knowing what to say. you were too busy adoring what the magician presented for you to realize just how much he was savoring the sight of you being absolutely starstruck by his favorite flower. “it’s a rainbow rose. i’m giving it to you as a token of our camaraderie tonight.” 

“that’s too kind of you.” you say shyly to which he responds by nodding his head. “nonsense. here, let me just…” lyney gently takes the rose away from you as he places it inside of the open pocket of your attire. “there. it looks beautiful on you.” the man says with sincerity as he takes a step back and basks under the sight of you; a delicate rose, with his delicate rose. 

you feel warmth creeping up to your cheeks and think that maybe it’s just lyney’s vision trying to balance your temperature, but in reality, you were actually just starting to get really flustered by the man who stood before you. 

“cut it out.” you giggled as you rolled your eyes playfully. he chuckled in response and took a bow before taking off his top hat and placing it to his chest while the other hand rested behind his back. “traveler, that rainbow rose is of significance to me as it symbolizes love and passion in its’ purest form.” he starts off, eyes glimmering with curiosity as he warmly gives you a smile. “with that being said, i would like to invite you to tomorrow night’s show. i will be performing at the opera epiclese. your presence would truly honor my night.” 

the tension in the atmosphere almost made you believe that he was asking you out on a date, except you had to throw away those scandalous thoughts because you knew that none of those delusions were true. there was no way this was a date, he was going to perform in front of a huge wave of people after all. he just asked you to attend if you could. it’s not like he has an alternative motive anyway.

upon pondering seriously about his invitation, you signaled him a light nod that you’ll be able to make it, and this made his face light up. you were here to unwind for a bit, so why not enjoy a magic show by an attractive- uh, you mean, by a renowned magician? and besides, you were curious to see what he can do on stage. by the looks of it, he seems to know what he’s doing most of the time.

“so you’ll come??” stars have formed on his irises as the pitch of his voice goes slightly higher due to excitement. you find yourself giggling at his eagerness, to which he realizes that he was losing face so he clears his throat before smiling shyly. “yeah, sure. i’ll be there.”  your confirmation made him see stars that night indeed. he knew it was the right decision to give you the rainbow rose before asking you to attend his show. 

“just make sure you don’t perform a lousy disappearing act again.” you jokingly said while nudging his arm, which made him hum in response as he repositioned his top hat back on his head. 

“i’ll do something greater than that, ma chérie. just wait and see.” he says ecstasticly. “if you say so, magic man.” you laughed at his response. you thought little of his statements here, but who knew they would bear so much meaning as you connected the dots in the future?

“anyhow, as much as i hate to leave, i sadly have to disentangle myself from you tonight as i still have some preparations to make for tomorrow’s show. i’ll see you there at 8 pm sharp, traveller.” he says as he kisses your hand. “haha.  see you too, lyney.” you say in response.

And with that, the magician disappeared into the severance of the night as you stood still, star-struck by what just transpired before you.

“lyney huh…” paimon appeared out of nowhere and teased with a smug look on her face. you only gave her a deadpanned stare in response. “no.”

“but traveler!! he said it himself! the rainbow rose symbolizes love and passion!! what if he’d fallen for you?” paimon whined as she ushered the idea of lyney possibly developing an interest in you. “he also said that he mastered the art of deception or something. maybe he did that for lip service. you know, like how magicians put on a false mask to put on a show.” you rebutted as you rolled your eyes. “It’s not like he’s interested in me.”

“but what if he is?”

“...”

“traveler?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...OH MY GOD WAIT IS IT THAT MAYBE YOU’RE THE ONE INTER-”

you laugh bitterly to yourself as you recall your first encounter with lyney. you remember it as clear as day—paimon teased you all night; from the walk to the elevator, to the ride on the aquabus, and to even your way towards hotel debora. she did not shut up at all. at first, she insisted that lyney had a crush on you, but after picking up on your reluctant responses to her questions in regards to the enigmatic ash-blonde, she ended up assuming that maybe it was you who got smitten by the young magician, not the other way around.

you denied every accusation she threw at you. you were just speechless, that was all. nothing more, nothing less. it was your first time ever to have been treated the way lyney treated you. you didn’t even know if you could call it flirting since he probably does this often.

but if he does it often, then that wouldn’t make you special.

no, this doesn’t bother you at all. he could give another girl a rainbow flower for all you care. 

“you are soooo in denial!~” paimon cooed. you had enough.

“JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP FOR ARCHONS’ SAKE.” you yelled in annoyance as you stared at the pitch-black ceiling of the room you booked for the night. instead of feeling intimidated by your tone, paimon only giggled at your reaction.

you are not in denial. there’s no way the celestial gods would allow an outsider like you to fall in love with her children. you had set your priority straight; it’s to find your sibling and get them back—but then again, it’s been years. you’ve wandered endlessly on wide expansions of land, and have traversed multiple regions. you’ve helped people in their kingdom in hopes that your sibling would make themself known sooner or later, but only disappointment cascades over you as you gain little-to-no intel about where they could possibly be. 

you take a deep breath before letting out an exasperated sigh. 

‘get it together, snap out of it.’ you say to yourself as you try to rid traces of him from your mind. 

your mind then wanders to the night of the designated show. you arrived five minutes just before his performance started and to your pleasant surprise, the guard stated that your seat was to be found in the front row since you were one of the esteemed VIP guests, as requested by the great Lyney himself. you were touched by this gesture and thanked the guard for his hospitality. 

upon finding your seat, a series of spotlights have been angled to the center as the curtains slowly unveil a familiar silhouette who had a welcoming stance. he bowed to the audience as he introduced himself to the crowd. “welcome one, and all, to the opera epiclese! i am the star of today’s show, lyney!” he says with a proud stance as he enters the spotlight with open arms. “and over here is my sister, lynette, who will be working as my wonderful assistant. please, let’s give her a warm welcome!” lynette looked at the crowd with a blank but endearing stare. she bowed as her twin introduced her to the audience. they had strikingly similar features; had they swapped clothes, one could easily be fooled that one was the other. 

“now, some of you may be thinking: two vision holders who can freely manipulate elemental powers performing magic is not true magic at all.” he begins by catching the audience’s attention by using his pyro vision to mimic a fire-embued bow as lynette uses her anemo vision to mimic a bullseye. the arrow scorches through several wind currents before it hits the center of the target. the crowd clapped harmoniously in response. 

“so, i would like to take a moment to assure you that elemental powers will have nothing to do with what you will witness on the stage today.” he continues. as if on cue, one of their assistants came up to them to retrieve their visions. 

the lights grew dim as lynette was nowhere to be seen. 

“a magician’s greatest skill is making things disappear or appear; the possibilities are endless.” he starts as he takes off his top hat to bow courteously to the audience before throwing it up in mid-air and then catching it. he flipped over the hat to show everyone that there was nothing in it. he hums in contentment as he notices that all eyes are indeed, now on him. he now steps back and puts his hands off the hat. the people around you gasp in astonishment upon seeing the hat float by itself without any form of support to keep it still.

lyney lightly tapped it and sure enough, a few playing cards fell to the ground. there was a mixture of “ooh’s” and “ahh” in the crowd as he did this two more times. he chuckled to himself before pulling a new set of playing cards out of nowhere; making it disappear, then reappear, then disappear again. 

he then grabbed hold of his hat and attempted to put it back on his head, but for some reason, there was a stem firmly placed vertically inside the tophat. lyney acted clueless as to what was blocking his headway, only for him to pull out a rainbow rose.

you feel your breath hitch as he scans the trial room for a brief moment only for his gaze to be locked onto yours. a smile creeps onto his lips as he finally sees those captivating eyes of yours. 

with a snap of a finger, lyney shows the audience the rainbow rose he pulled out of his hat before making it vanish completely into thin air. the audience was too amazed to comprehend where the rose could possibly be until the spotlight shuns upon you as lyney gestured you to stand up which then revealed that the flower we thought, had disappeared—had reappeared tucked in between your hair as it rested on the outer lobe of your ear. 

the crowd squealed in excitement; others had already started spewing rumors about lyney conjuring up this show only so that he could express his adoration for you with that flower, but this could only be far from the truth. 

you could’ve sworn that this rose wasn’t there at all. you hadn’t picked any up on the way to the opera epiclese, nor have you brought with you the rainbow rose that he gave you last night.

how was he able to execute this? you wondered as your heart started beating. since you were flustered with all the attention garnering your way, you decided to sit down shyly. lyney was able to catch onto your body language which caused him to internally chuckle to himself due to the way you were acting.

you were so cute and shy, just for him.

“these little tricks? you’ve seen them all before.” he started as he segued to a different stance, “so it’s time for something truly extraordinary, don’t you think?” he asked the audience and everyone in the trial court seemed to be fully participating.

you were too, it’s just you’re too occupied with the unwavering beating of your chest.

the night went smoothly as he performed a truly extraordinary trick; he had prepared a water tank that was hoisted high up. the lynette who disappeared a little while ago was now inside the heavily locked water tank. the trick was basically to have lynette be able to break free from this near-death experience. the two of them succeeded with flying colors though, and this made the crowd go crazy for them. the only thing left in the tank was lynette’s clothes, but when she reappeared in front of the audience, she was dry, unscathed, and wore the same usual clothing, except with fewer wrinkles. they did a few more acts, and after the final trick, the curtains fell as the twins bid adieu, earning a standing ovation from everyone, including the hydro archon herself.

it was truly a sight to behold, and you enjoyed every bit of it. 

just as you were about to exit the premises, lynette came up to you and ushered you backstage as per lyney’s request yet again. you quietly obliged as she led you to the showman room where performers can touch up, get dressed, and get ready. 

why would lyney want to see you again? you pondered as you unconsciously twirled the loose strand of your hair as you were being led by lyney’s opposite.

“i’ve brought the traveler, lyney.” lynette said with a yawn as she opened the door, only to reveal a hopeful magician spinning on an office chair out of boredom. he stops almost immediately as lynette announces your not-so-grand entrance. “perfect! thank you, dear sister.” he grins as he jumps off of his seat to walk towards you. “now if you’ll excuse me, i’ll be taking a nap.” lynette said groggily before closing the door and leaving the two of you in the room.

“she’s leaving already?” you ask in a slightly dejected voice, feeling a bit disappointed that you weren’t able to befriend the interesting feline who looked exactly like her brother. 

“she’s been up all night diving with our younger brother, freminet. they were collecting some materials for the magic pockets that we distribute to people in the romaritime harbor.” he explained shyly as he adjusted one of his black gloves.

“i see…” you hum in approval as you look around the room. there was a black victorian coat rack next to the vanity mirror that had light bulbs bulging from the sides. the walls were painted with a light hue of white and brown; the contrasts gave depth to the ceiling which had a quite grandiose-looking chandelier. lyney could only watch as your eyes traveled the room with curiosity. 

“so, what did you call me here for?” you asked breaking the ice since he wasn’t stirring up a conversation as you thought he would. lyney gestured for you to sit on the couch to which you obliged, but you didn’t expect that he’d sit next to you despite having way more room on the other end. “i wanted to ask if you enjoyed the show tonight,” he says while fidgeting with his glove. it was rather odd to see someone as confident as him fidget in nervousness under your presence, but you didn’t think much of it. maybe he just got intimidated by you.

“of course i did, you two were amazing !! oh, and by the way, thank you so much for inviting me, let alone giving me a VIP seat. the show and the view was great.” you giggled as you recalled the chain of events that unravelled just a little while ago. the magician sighed in relief as he heard you excitedly talk about your favorite parts; he listened intently as you reinacted some of his tricks. you did poor attempts of course, but seeing how you really did love his performance warmed his heart. 

“do you like magic, traveler?” he asked while pouring you a cup of tea. “i do. my sibling and i used to stop over specific regions from different galaxies to witness all sorts of magic. well, that is until we got separated.” you mumbled out the last part as sadness lingered with your words. lyney handed you your cup and you bowed lightly as a way of saying thank you. “i’m sure you’ll find them soon, traveler.” lyney’s brows furrowed in sympathy as he looked at you with concern, his hand laying on top of yours to reassure your worries.

“i hope so.” you smiled sadly. “now, now, ma chérie. turn that frown upside down!” he says as he cups your cheeks with his gloved yet soft hands. “what do you think you’re doing.” you laughed as you looked at him in the eye. your cheeks formed a pinkish hue, and lyney was the first to notice it seeing as how he was teasing you like this. he chuckled as he leaned in close, “you’re too beautiful to be upset.” he whispered as he stared straight into your soul.

your eyes widened lightly in surprise upon hearing him compliment you. you’ve been called beautiful on several occasions, but why is it now when your heart decides to run laps? 

“i… i beg your pardon?” you stuttered as your voice lightly cracked from embarrassment. your cheeks grew a darker shade of red as lyney broke out a laugh as you weren’t able to deliver your words properly. “ma chérie, you’re just too cute.” he chuckled while holding back his tears. you tore yourself away from his grasp and pouted. “okay, now you’re just messing with me.” you huffed as you crossed your arms in discontentment. lyney teased you further by pinching your cheek, “oh come on, how could i not with these cute reactions of yours.” he cooed while mimicking your pouty face. 

you rolled your eyes and hit him playfully. “do you normally do this to people you meet on the outskirts of the harbor? is this a normal occurrence for you?” you asked absent-mindedly, not realizing what direction this conversation was headed. lyney blinked his eyes twice as if to process what you just said before smirking to himself. “no, i suppose this is a first for me.” he smiled cheekily as he leaned on the sofa, placing one of his elbows on the cushion as he rests his chin on his elbow, body completely facing you.

“and what about you? do you usually allow yourself to be reeled in by men you just met on the outskirts of the harbor as they make their advances towards you?” he asks continuously, which makes you arch your brow as he finishes his sentence. “no. this is a first for me too.” you say as you eye him cautiously. “wait so… does this mean that you’re flirting with me?” you tilted your head slightly to the side as you unconsciously leaned in. lyney noticed your body language, and he was amused as to where this was going. 

he, too, leaned in, but this time, to your ear. you feel his warm breath tickle your sensitive skin as he teases you, “i don’t know, am i?” you rolled your eyes at his childish retort before hitting him lightly on the arm. “lyney!” he only flashed you a sweet toothy grin as he inched a bit closer to you, but you scooted further back as he did so. 

“okay. fine, you got me ma chérie.” he chuckles as he put his hands up in the air in defeat. “let’s say that i am, in fact, flirting with you. what are you going to do about it?” he whispered close to you with a smug but suggestive look on his face. you begged to differ this time though, as you wanted to flip the table on him. with a smirk forming on the creases of your lip, you grabbed a hold of his cherry-colored bowtie as you lightly flatten the fabric. lyney’s breath hitches as you catch him by surprise. “you’ll have to do a better job than that if you want to find out, monsieur lyney.” 

let’s just say that things got heated and got slightly escalated ever since then. he became part of your daily routine. he always made sure to visit you in the afternoon whenever he was available. word had spread out that the renowned magician often spent his time with you more than with his own twin, lynette; to be fair, she didn’t mind at all. she preferred it this way. she thought it was refreshing to see her brother annoy someone other than her as she was worried that he would only depend on her company until archons knew when.

besides, she lowkey schemed with paimon to set you two up together anyway.

after your two-week break, lyney brought it upon himself to accompany you on your adventures. he would help you during your commissions and has been nothing but supportive throughout your journey. he even went as far as making you a top priority guest when you told him that you needed to speak with the hydro archon for any form of possible intel that you could gather. you heard that it was hard to request an audience to the furina, and you couldn’t thank lyney enough when he went the extra mile to get you closer to your goals. 

there wasn’t where the two of you wouldn’t be seen out on the streets of fontaine; you were inseparable. it’s not like the two of you were lovebirds who did PDA either, but from the locals’ perspective, all they see are two youthful souls—one is excessively trying to shower them with affection while the other is still in denial. you happened to be the latter. 

to be fair, the concept of love never really struck you. of all the years you’ve lived through since you were born, you only know of love from familial means or via forms of friendships. you never had the time for trivial matters. but for some unforeseen reason, this man, who gave you rainbow roses every day as a symbol of his affection for you, this man, who often extended his hand to you to hold on whenever you felt anxious, this man,  who jot down notes of what you like and dislike so that he’s reminded of how to please you, this man, who made sure to put your safety above his own even though he knows you could fully fend for yourself, this man, who didn’t even need to ask you what you’d order because he knew it at heart, was now ordering your go-to meal at café lucerne as you wait for him patiently under the shade. 

he expressed his adoration for you on several occasions, but you weren’t the type to assume things, so you merely brushed off some of his advances. a couple of months have passed since you first set foot on fontaine, and now you were having an afternoon snack session with ‘your partner in crime’.

you’d be lying if you said that you hadn’t fallen for the charming young man, but you were too scared to even explore that kind of field as you knew nothing compared to him. 

oh but was he gentle. he was patient with you even though he would get ahead of himself sometimes and overwhelm you with his overly affectionate personality. you knew you’d already fallen. you were just in denial. you thought that once you’ve explored fontaine enough, you would bid him farewell as you move on to the next region. part of you thought that maybe it was all just an act too; he did say that he mastered the art of deception—and yet, then again, who were you to even question his motives when he’s been nothing but sweet and supportive towards you?

that’s right. he would never do such a thing, would he? 

you glanced over at the male who was on his way to your table as he held the tray with your food, a smile plastered on his face. “i got you your favorite, my treat.” he smiled cheekily as he carried your order and placed it on your side of the table. “thank you,” you replied with a warm smile.

this man would never hurt me. you thought sincerely as you watched him cutely munch on his favorite snack-o-bites. “these turn out perfect no matter how many times they make this, i swear.” lyney groaned in delight as he ate his food. you couldn’t help but look at the young magician in front of you with loving eyes, as if you were put in a trance.

lyney, yet again, noticed how your eyes looked at him with so much warmth, with made him lightly blush. “take a picture, it lasts longer.” he teased to illicit a reaction out of you, but an idea erupted from your systems as if a light bulb had suddenly appeared out of no where. 

you rummaged through your belongings and sought out the kamera that you got from a wandering trader during previous expeditions. once you found it, you showed it to lyney and he almost spit out his food. “my..! a kamera!” he said in astonishment as he examined the mechanical object. “you’re right, taking a picture would last longer.” you say as you press a button, which automatically linked to the shutter. lyney was unprepared and he whined that you take another one, but you thought he looked cute in the candid photo that you took. 

he got his revenge by snatching the kamera away from you and taking candid photos of you too, except he didn’t show you the shots he took. he hid the pictures in his top hat and they disappeared to archon knows where. 

you spent more time with lyney that afternoon until the night was starting to fall. as usual, you expected to temporarily say goodbye to each other as you had other things to attend to during this hour, but lyney stopped you from your tracks by grabbing hold of your arm.

“wait.” he called out to you, which made you turn your head back to face him. “mhm?” you hummed as you looked at him with expecting eyes. lyney was fidgeting and he looked askance. it was almost as if he was itching to tell you something. “what is it, lyney?” you asked the ash blonde as you lay your hand on top of his, wondering what was going on in his mind right now as he avoided eye contact with you.

“lyney?” you called out to him for the umpteenth time, snapping him out of his trance, his attention now darted to you as he flashed you an apologetic smile. he hesitated for a bit to answer, until he finally responded, “it’s nothing, ma chérie. i apologize, i just stalled for a bit because i wanted to see your face one more time before you go.” he said in his usual ecstatic tone, but something about it put you off. was it the way he adjusted his glove? he usually does this whenever he’s nervous about something. you were about to ask him about it until you saw his twin walking towards you.

“lyney. let’s go.” lynette alerted the magician as she tapped him lighty on his back, which startled lyney. “lynette–! don’t startle me like that…” lyney sighed as he rubbed the back of his palm. lynette peaked over his shoulder and tipped her head forward to you as a form of greeting, “traveler.”

“lynette, good evening.” you smiled at the girl. lynette nods in acknowledgement before side-eying her twin sibling. he looks back at her and squints his eyes with a frown, earning a furrowed and confused look from lynette. lyney bit his lower lip due to impatience which made his sister sigh.

you had no idea what they were doing but you only guessed that they were telepathically communicating with one another. 

“are you two doing good?” you took a step forward and looked at the twins with worry. Lynette looked at you for a good two seconds before speaking up, “traveler, listen–” she was cut off immediately by lyney, who oh-so-dramatically looked at the clock before exclaiming “oh would you look at the time, we are running late lynette!! we must hurry!!!” he yelled in a panicked frenzy as he packed up his bags before running to who knows where. lynette could only play along with her sibling as she waved you goodbye. “apologies, traveler. we have urgent matters to attend to.” she bowed before turning her heel and running after her brother.

“...what was that about?” you mumbled to yourself, feeling a lump of uneasiness form internally. you could only watch the siblings run off into the distance; the farther they got, the harder it was to spot them as their figures turned into dots.

something about this felt wrong.

something about this felt really wrong.

although lyney had offered to lend you a helping hand on your adventures, you can’t help but notice how there would be times when he’d zone out. he would stare intently at an inanimate object, his eyes clouded with an unexplainable expression. whenever you try calling him out, he snaps out of it as if he wasn’t disassociating a few minutes ago. 

you loved spending time with him, but oftentimes you felt as if he was wearing a mask. he would never tell you what troubled him even though you, yourself have been vulnerable in front of him on several occasions. you’ve already talked so much about yourself only to realize that lyney hadn’t shared any of his past with you either. he only listened to your stories.

this realization made a wave of guilt wash over you—you didn’t want to seem like you didn’t care about him at all—so you tried asking about him too whenever you got the chance to. with no luck, you got nothing out of him. indeed, he answered your questions, but it was too vague. it’s like he was hiding something a whole lot more the more you pry into his life. 

you couldn’t fully understand the magician. he would always put up a high-spirited front with that exhilarating personality of his, and yet something about his unwavering happy-go-lucky personality grew wary of what the ash blonde was really thinking from time to time. 

unlike his sister, he was evasive when it came to personal questions. lynette was the blunt and honest type, but for some reason, lyney’s so-called ‘honesty’ felt as if it was laced with a heavy lot of sugarcoating. he hasn’t done anything wrong to upset you. in fact, he seemed like the perfect candidate for a love interest had you ever even thought about entering a relationship with him. and yet here you are, left alone in the pouring rain after lyney left you abruptly for unknown circumstances. 

lyney was accompanying you during a commission sent by navia, the spina di rosula president, and things were going well. all you had to do was find clues in regard to the innocence of callas, the late founder of the organization. just as you were about to head back to their headquarters to retrieve and report the data you’ve gathered, lyney abruptly excused himself and left the scene. 

you had no idea what came over the young man, but you only assumed that he had other urgent matters to attend to. he has already done more than enough to help you, after all. so who were you to stop him from leaving?

even still, ithe way he left was rather off-putting. during your way back, you noticed that he felt out of reach; he zoned out often and looked restless. you have no clue as to what triggered him into this state—you asked if he was doing alright, but he only smiled in response and gave you a false thumbs up so you could stop worrying about him. 

you couldn’t recall the first time he started acting distant despite being so close to you. but one thing you knew for sure was that he had a couple of failed attempts into telling you something only for him to change his mind and change the topic immediately. 

you and your deluded self thought that maybe he was trying to confess to you, but you weren’t dumb enough to know that this situation couldn’t be applied to the way he was acting toward you. lyney sure did act head over heels for you, and you admit, you were smitten by the young man who often performed magic shows in the opera epiclese, but you just couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness as you talk to him sometimes.

being with him is like painting on a blank canvas with a transparent medium. you see so much room for endless possibilities, and your imagination envisions all kinds of art forms that you could interpret onto the canvas. you stroke your brushes to create the perfect picture you’ve idealized but then, you come to a realization that none of the strokes you’ve made were rendered. you shrug the idea off, thinking that this isn’t a big deal, so you try again. the result remains the same. no matter how much you paint, nothing blooms out of the canvas, and yet it still stands proudly in all its glory. you try dipping your brush in vibrant colors, but no matter what you do, nothing slips through the seams of his never-ending depth of hollowness.

there were times when he’d be hot, but then he’d grow cold. he’d shower you with warmth one day only to leave you questioning what you’ve possibly done wrong the next as he acts indifferent. you were starting to get bothered by this, and you wanted to confront him if he continued this further because your mind was going all around the place.

is this what it’s like to fall in love? you were a traveler. an outsider, even. you had to embrace different cultures and embark on journeys with unfamiliar faces everywhere. you, too, were scared, but you had no choice but to plow through just so you could see your sibling again. never in a million years did you imagine yourself being so…caught up over a man.

without even noticing it, your mood depended on his. lyney was like a firework; he was so beautiful and yet so out of reach. no matter how much warmth he showers your way, no matter how much color he brings into your life, he will remain distant despite being so out in the open. the closer you try to get, the more you get burnt with the reality of his facade. 

everything about him bothered you; the way his lips curled into a smile, the way his eyes sparkled with passion every time he performed his magic shows, the way his laughter sounded like symphonies resonating in an orchestra, the way he treated you gently and cares greatly for his people, the way he made it known to the crowd that you were his rainbow rose, the way he touched you gently with his soft and meticulous hands as he dived into your soul with his hypnotizing eyes… 

fuck. 

you were no longer in denial. 

you adored lyney. you liked everything about lyney. you longed to see him again, you longed to be within his vicinity once more. only he was able to break your walls and make you spiral like this.

was this why your heart felt so restless every time you were separated from each other? the last time you felt this way was the day you washed up ashore in mondstat with your sibling nowhere in sight. ‘that explains a lot…’ you sigh to yourself as you feel your heart breathe in relief as you finally admit to yourself the feelings that you kept hidden for so long. 

you brushed aside the worries that crept onto you earlier. ‘there’s no need to be negative, maybe he’s not ready to say what’s on his mind yet’. that’s right. you shouldn’t rush him into opening up. being there for him is the least that you could do for him, so you figured to be more patient and supportive towards him. 

you could only hope that your sincerity would reach him.

a few days have passed since you last encountered lyney at café lucerne. your days at fontaine were coming to a halt soon as you needed to depart to your next destination; natlan. you’ve stayed in fontaine for almost a year, and you hadn’t noticed how quickly time was passing by. it was all thanks to that young magician who made your stay here worthwhile though. 

you’ve gained a sufficient amount of intel. luckily enough, the hydro archon was accommodating to your inquiries. the abyss seemed to have a strong chokehold on your sibling though, as deinsleif reappeared to venture with you in one of your adventures to unveil the secrets of the prophecy that lay within fontaine. 

the grind never stops—or so paimon says.

you were scheduled to leave a few days from now, as requested by katheryn. you were in love with lyney—to which you can finally admit to yourself proudly—but this wouldn’t stop you from finishing what you’ve started. you’ve rested long and well enough, as well as succumbed to your hidden desires. it was time to move to the next region.

you already told the twins about the date of your departure, and they wished for your safety. lyney still looked restless. he looked even more restless than the last time you’ve seen him to be honest. he asked lynette to leave the room for a bit so he could talk to you alone in the meantime.

he had a frown on his face but you only smiled meekly at him, reasoning that you’re a traveler for a reason and that you shouldn’t overstay. he knew this all along but asked for one condition. 

“can we meet up one more time before you go? just you and i, and maybe even lynette, with no one else intervening,” he asked with pleading eyes as he trailed his finger on your hands gently. you shivered from his touch. 

“of course, where would you like to rendezvous?” he chuckled at your terminology. “at the usual spot. 7 pm sharp.” you smiled before holding out your pinky promise, mimicking paimon’s actions the day before you departed for fontaine. “deal.” he smiled back and intertwined his pinky with yours. 

“i’ll give you a show that you’ll never forget even as you go on your adventures in far and distant lands. you won’t have a choice other than to think about me.” he determinedly states as he locks his violet hues with your crystalline orbs. you laugh at his sentiments, unbeknownst to the weight that his words hold.

“i swear to archons lyney, if you perform one more lousy disappearance act,” you teased as you let out a melodic laugh. lyney scoffed playfully before responding, “that wasn’t even considered as an act! i can do something way better than that.” you raise one of your brows, intrigued by his statement. “oh yeah? like what?” you mused, crossing your arms as your body unconsciously leaned forward toward him. 

lyney gives you an unreadable look before he quickly snaps out of his daze and shakes his head lightly. he faintly smiled before saying, “you’ll see.”

some time has passed, and it was already the night of your supposed meet-up. the day that followed would be the day when you bid adieu to fontaine. 

you pushed through the grand entrance of the opera eclipse; it was the usual spot. the very spot where you first felt your heart yearn for lyney, and the very place where you had your first kiss stolen.

you came alone as requested. paimon stayed behind at the hotel to catch some z’s before your long journey tomorrow. 

oddly enough though, a different guard asked for your identity for security. he wore the standard protocol uniform, but it was an unfamiliar face—barely recognizable. he wore a black-feathered mask that covered the tip of his nose, almost like the kinds you’d see at masquerade balls. lyney did mention that this night would be different from his previous shows.

“you must be the traveler, come in. your seat is on the front row, right in the dead center.” he said in a low but welcoming voice. you tipped your head as a way of showing your thanks as he led you to your seat. the lights were dimmer than what you were accustomed to. what caught your attention more though was the fact that everyone in the theatre wore the same mask as the security guard. there were only a few people including you, but they were scattered throughout the area. they all had their attention focused on the stage.

weird. maybe this was part of the show.you start growing anxious as to what kind of show that sly magician would perform today. the last time he asked you to come here alone led to a steamy makeout session in the middle of the stage with the spotlight centered on the two of you. just the two of you, with your lips on his. you had no idea how he was able to keep people from entering, but he reasoned that he needed to occupy the area on his own to make safety measures for his “equipment”, but all he did was savor you and your sweetness.

you shake your head lightly at the memory, your cheeks turn a bright red. 

your heart starts pounding with every second that passed. the show still hadn’t started yet as the curtains blocked the view of the main stage, but you really couldn’t help but wonder what lyney had prepared for you today. 

was he finally going to confess? maybe even ask you to be his? could it be that he orchestrated this show only as an excuse to take you by the hand and court you properly before you depart for tomorrow?

your lips unconsciously curl into a smile as you daydream about the what-ifs in your head. it was cut off shortly though by a familiar voice you heard from the loudspeaker as it reverberated in the room.

“once upon a time, there was once a blonde traveler who traversed through teyvat for what seemed like decades in hopes to find their long lost sibling.” lyney began with a story-telling tone laced with his voice. your ears immediately perk up at his narration. a bright light shone upon the stage which revealed shadow puppets of you and paimon’s figure wandering around the globe to match his lines. you marveled at the sight.

“but after region hopping for so long, the blonde traveler decides to rest in the land of justice where they meet a peculiar magician who accidentally bumped into them by the harbor.” the shadow puppets reinacted your first encounter with each other, which made you giggle in response. 

is this how he’s going to confess to me? you wondered amusingly, feeling touched by his efforts as you listened further to his dialogue.

“the magician noticed the traveler trying to hide their identity, and he used this to his advantage to tease them. the traveler, now shocked, asked him in a state of panic how he found out. he laughed in response and pointed out that their hood slipped off, and that he could easily recognize them, even from afar.” the shadow puppets played the same exact scenario and waited for the next signal.

“he then invited them to watch his show at the opera theatre. little did the blonde traveler know what they had in store for them.” you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion with the last sentence, curious as to where this was going.

“he fell for their wits, and was charmed by their unwavering bravery. even as they brushed his advances off, he never stopped doting on them.” he was practically confessing at this point, and you felt your cheeks grow warm.

“the magician performed all sorts of tricks; making things appear and disappear was an easy task for him as he excelled in this expertise,” as if on cue, the curtain slowly unveils lyney’s figure with a microphone in hand. he took a deep breath as he locks eye contact with you before continuing, “but the only thing that he cant get to disappear is the thought of you.” 

your eyes widened as you behold the sight in front of you. lyney wasn’t wearing his usual attire, he was wearing a black tuxedo suit. his red bowtie was still evident, but his noticeable top hat and cape were nowhere in sight. he was breathtaking. 

“he fell in love with the traveler for each day that passed by, and he could tell that the traveler was starting to develop feelings for him too.” he extended his arms and got a pair of scissors, his swift hands gracefully cutting over the edges of the folded paper which then revealed the two of their silhouettes dancing with your arms around him. 

you recall when that event happened. it was during that one time you visited the siblings in their home but only lyney was home despite lynette calling you over for dinner. you figured that they must’ve schemed this because lyney didn’t question nor look for them as you arrived, you only spent the night dancing to some tunes and learning more about each other.

“everything was going all according to plan,” he paused for a bit as he took out the same exact mask that everyone was wearing from his pocket. “until he got sick of playing pretend.” his intonation changed from an exhilarating tone to a monotonous underglow. it was heavy and merciful. “true to his word, he did perform something even greater than a lousy disappearance act.” he scoffed before continuing, “in fact, it was all premeditated. all the traveler had to do was wait and see, just as he said.”

“just make sure you don’t perform a lousy disappearing act again.” you jokingly said while nudging his arm, which made him hum in response, his eyes glowered as he repositioned his top hat back on his head. 

“i’ll do something greater than that, ma chérie. just wait and see.” 

your smile fell as you recalled his words. from the looks of it, the atmosphere had a thick tension that made you uneasy. his words contradicted the way he behaved around you previously. for some reason, you didn’t feel safe here. your gut was telling you to leave, that something bad was about to happen if you’d stayed and listened longer, but your feet remained in place as you watched the performer in front of you, still at a loss for words as the weight of the air suffocated you.

“i can see that look on your face. you’re confused—terrified, even.” he trails off as he takes a glance at your disheveled state before chuckling darkly. “so let me clarify everything before the actual play begins.” he flashes you a close-eyed smile before placing one hand to his chest and the other is extended as he bows down to you in a curtsey.

“lyney…” you called out to him, barely above a whisper. you tried to get up from your seat to reach out to him, but you were abruptly stopped by the impact of your wrists being bound to the arms of the chair. “lyney, this isn’t funny. cut it out.” you say as you break out an awkward laugh, trying to break free from the cuffs that binded you from your freedom. 

you heard minor scuffles around you which made you turn your head to see where it was coming from. the sight made you widen your eyes; the few people in the opera house was now lined up in two columns by the main door. “lyney, you’re scaring me. what’s going on??” you asked the ash blonde. he doesn’t even bother to spare you a look as he remains still in his curtsey pose.

“lyney!!” you yelled out. this must be a silly prank, right? there’s no reason for him to scare you like this…right??? right. this was just part of the show. none of this is real. none of this is real. none of this is real. none of this is re-

“ma chérie.” lyney spoke with authority in his voice before finally shifting his gaze towards you. his eyes were slit that of a feline as he hushed you with his presence. he sighed as he finally stood upright, fixing the collar of his suit in the process as he spoke, “i was tasked by father to approach you. he told me to get close to you by using any means necessary and find out your weaknesses. do not get me wrong, i enjoyed our adventures. I enjoyed having you keep me company as well.” 

“but what i haven’t told you the first time we met was that i, too, have hid my true identity from you. allow me to introduce myself again. i, lyney from the house of the hearth, humbly greets you.”

your eyes looked at him in horror as the image you carefully crafted of him your head shattered. your heart ached at the deception he conjured for you. “you’re a fatui…?” your voice croaked in disbelief as you desperately searched his eyes for the truth. your mind wavered as you clung onto your delusions, hoping deep down inside that this was all just a skit, but his silence spoke volumes.

“so everything was a lie…?” tears brimmed from your eyes as you looked at the man whom you loved with so much heartbreak. he bit his lip in contempt as he saw you in that state. lynette then emerged from the shadows and gave her twin sibling a pat on his back before he faced away from you. he couldn’t see you cry, it would weaken his resolve.

“not everything, traveler.” lynette spoke on behalf of her sibling. she, too, wasn’t wearing her usual attire. she had her hair down and her ribbon was placed neatly on one side of her head. she was wearing a beautiful black dress that reached just below her knee and she was also wearing the same exact mask that lyney was wearing.

“this idiotic brother of mine took the words by any means necessary quite too literally. he was not supposed to be intimate towards you. father graciously forbid him from overstepping his boundaries.” lynette deadpanned as she glanced at her brother. he was trying so hard to keep up a front; he was slightly trembling, but only lynette can tell. “he fell for you gradually even though he was the one who initiated everything. believe me when i say that all of his efforts for you were sincere.” lynette says firmly as she places her right hand in her chest. it was a mannerism that she often did whenever she was being honest, but you could only scoff at her words.

“that doesn’t change the fact that you two deceived me!!” you yelled in protest as you struggled to break free from the binds that kept you tied down the chair. “had i known you were part of the fatui, i would’ve never allowed myself to have my life here in fontaine revolve around you two!” you yelled angrily as tears rolled down your cheeks,  “had i known you were part o the fatui, i would’ve never allowed myself to be held by you…!” you continued. your words shot daggers into lyney’s heart as it ached as much as yours did. 

“ma chérie, i apologize for making you second-guess about everything. i had no choice but to do this. father was getting impatient, and this is my only way of repaying him back after everything he’s done for lynette and i.” he admitted, finally facing you. as if his deception didn’t hurt enough, his cold gaze towards you seemed to hurt more ten times fold. 

“If that was the case, then why did you have to make me fall for you…?” your voice weakened as tears profusely streamed down your cheeks. lynette was taken aback by your emotional demeanor. she was an observant but quiet person, so she knew just as much as her brother knew that you weren’t the type to pour your emotions out like this. she felt a pang of guilt through her chest as she side-eyed her twin sibling. he was holding back his tears as well, but he didn’t falter.

“if keeping an eye on me to find out my weaknesses was all that you were tasked to do, why did you have to make me like you so much that it hurt???” you exclaimed as you sniffled. this really wasn’t your look. you hated how you were pouring your heart out to the twins who had ulterior motives towards you all along, but you couldn’t help it. you were hurt, you felt betrayed, and more importantly, you felt conflicted with yourself. you were spiraling internally as flashbacks of him and you played like a broken record. 

you looked at lyney for a brief moment, still hoping he’d take back everything he said just now. you still clinged on so tightly to what you thought he was rather than focusing on who he really was right now as he stood before you. 

lyney let out a sigh as he bowed down, “i have no excuses. I apologize, ma chérie.”  you scoff as you feel yourself getting irritated by his response. “don’t call me by that endearment anymore.” you whimpered as you lay your head on the headrest, feeling defeated. 

that’s it?... you’re not going to say anything else?! you let out a breath of disbelief. your eyes filled with tears, your body carrying the weight of the sorrows of your heartbreak. 

this hurts. oh lord barbatos, please, i can’t do this anymore. how can the blissful feelings of love do a 180 and pierce you with no remorse after you’ve committed to the feeling? please rid me of this unwanted emotion, it hurts. why did it have to end up like this? have i softened too much to have my guard lowered down to this extent? why must i bear the consequences of heartbreak when i’ve been the one who’s peace has been threatened…?

you were speechless. you hated this. you can’t believe that you allowed yourself to be caught by the fatui all because you lowered your guard down and fell in love. this was absurd. you can’t even find the energy to fight off these restraints that held you down because your energy has depleted. it's as if he sucked out the life force remaining in you out of you.

upon seeing your quiet state, lyney called out to you with a worried tone as he took a step and reached out to you as he spoke, “ma chérie, i-” “i hate you. don’t you dare call me by that stupid endearment ever again.” you bitterly spoke, avoiding to look him in the eyes. “i apologize, i was supposed to tell you everything soon but-” “so that explains why you kept zoning out before…” you say in deep thought, feeling a wave of emotions flow into your system.

“yes, please believe me, i wanted to come clean, but i feared you would avoid me if i did and i got scared. i-” “you had so many chances to tell me. had you told me sooner, i would’ve understood you better. but no, you just had to put on a fake play for me to witness.” 

“i’ll give you a show that you’ll never forget even as you go on your adventures in far and distant lands. you won’t have a choice other than to think about me.” he determinedly states as he locks his violet hues with your crystalline orbs. 

“so this is what you meant by giving me a show i’ll never forget, huh?” you laugh dryly with venom trailing behind your words. 

“traveler…” lyney reaches out to you once again to try and reconcile but he stops midway as he sensed a threat coming towards their way. 

“GUARDS!! SEIZE THOSE PREPOSTOROUS TWINS IMMEDIATELY!” the hydro archon barges in and yells with an army of policemen. they quickly cuff the false crowd as they enter. you sigh in relief upon seeing paimon flying beside furina as she searches for you in the room. “over there furina, the traveler is seated in front!!” paimon exclaims as she points to you, they immediately rush over to where you are. 

you look back on stage to give one more glance at the twins but just as how they were clever magicians, they were gone before you knew it. 

paimon and furina quickly rush over to you. “traveler!! are you alright?” paimon worriedly says as she hugs you. you meekly shake your head as tears are still spewing from your eyes. Furina looks over your broken-down state and notices the shackles that bind you. “let me help you with that.” furina says as she uses her vision to break you free. “th..ank you” you whisper softly, chest heaving from the hurt.

“you poor thing… we’re sorry we hadn’t come sooner.” furina embraces you into a hug and pats your back before continuing, “those phonies ran away before we could catch them!! this is so infuriating!!” paimon stomped her feet in the air as she brushed the loose strands of your hair. 

“how did you two know i was in danger…?” you sniffed as you touched the light bruise marks on your wrists. “freminet told us everything. he’s now being held under my protection from the fatui.” furina says as she lifts you up from your chair. “so even he knew about this…?” you say in disbelief, heart weighing even more burden than it already did.

“it’s a good thing they didn’t take you away yet. their ‘father’ or rather, a high-ranked harbinger was supposed to walk down that door to take you to archon knows where but lyney hadn’t given her the signal yet. she’s still here somewhere, we just don’t know where.” furina explained. “what?” you furrowed your brows in confusion. 

he had so many opportunities to send that go signal, and yet why didn’t he? you were lost in thought as you thought of possible reasons as to why he didn’t call his “father” as soon as he got you distracted. but as your mind was going around in laps, a voice erupted.

“pardon me, i think this is for you.” one of the guards excused himself as he stood by furina and handed you an envelope. you opened it and saw the card had the silhouette of you and lyney dancing together on the main cover—it was the same one he cut out earlier on stage, except there was a queen of hearts logo on the opposite sides. you felt your heart ache as you flipped the other side to see his small writing. 

“to my dear chérie, i’ve wronged you in many ways and left you with so many questions. indeed, our encounter was not fate but was strings pulled together to make whatever we had happen. i am no innocent man, but i’ve never shed blood other than mine. would you forgive this poor soul of mine for deceiving you? a magician i am, but at the end of the day, im just lyney; the same lyney who hand-picked rainbow roses just because it reminded him of you.

i grew tired of playing pretend. i fessed up to father how i could no longer carry out the mission as i knew i would only hurt you deeply—it hurts me too that i have to do this to you. father wasn’t pleased with this. he demanded that i cut off ties with you immediately after seeing my weakness becoming your entirety. believe me, i’ve always wanted to tell you the truth, but how could i after seeing that bright smile of yours? how could i shatter the excitement in your eyes as you looked at me oh so lovingly? you were too good for this world, and i wouldn’t want to be the cause of your tears; even now as i write this, my heart aches at just the thought of you trembling once you find out that i’ve conned you into winning your heart.

i understand that you no longer wish to see me again after i’ve wore countless of masks to hide my true intentions to you for every minute we spent together, but just know this, mon amour. 

te rencontrer a été le meilleur miracle qui soit jamais arrivé dans ma vie. j'avais l'habitude de regarder les roses arc-en-ciel de loin, admirant la beauté de tout cela, jusqu'à ce que tu descendes du ciel et apportes de la couleur à ma toile vierge. les roses arc-en-ciel ne pouvaient plus se comparer à votre beauté irisée. même le soleil devient jaloux de votre rayonnement. je t'aime et je t'aimerai toujours.

let your tears no longer cascade on that delicate skin of yours. when our paths cross once more and if destiny allows me to, i’ll tell you everything you’ve always wanted to know. at the usual spot, from years on end.

until we meet again, ma chérie.”

lyney was truly a magician at best; he disappeared into the seams of the night and left no traces of him behind as you grieve for his absence and sins. you often joked around at how he shouldn’t do a lousy disappearance trick the next time that he performs in the opera epiclese, but it seems as though he took those words to his grave as he proved that he can commit to greater feats. 

and that feat involved having you rid of him from your life. 

[lyss-sketchbox]

Have you played through Natlan a little bit yet? Because I love it except for one thing. Does the Archon quest feel...off to you? At least the first act. Specifically the character introductions and character acting?

Funny thing actually i JUST finished it last night!

Well uh spoilers ahead

I think its... alright-ish? Act 1 basically sets you up with the basics, the characters, the culture, the traditions, and lore so we know whats up. Cool. We are literally being fed information because we are tourists and i can excuse that.

Idk how to feel about traveller and paimon literally going 'ah look, an opportunity has arised, its time to do our thing and help with this major event'. I mean yes thats how its always been but mentioning it doesnt... help... it just points out a flaw.

The characters are fine enough imo. I really expected Mualani to have this super hyper attitude and squeaky voice we usually get from an 'everyone loves me' character but shes suprisingly mellow and i appreciate that alot. (May change with Citlali though and im not looking forward to it)

I do not like how it is very Tell not Show. Because you know what keeps being shown? The fact that Kachina is A CHILD. Maybe she's not an actual child who knows but hyv is clearly infantilizing her. Case in point:

The chief of the tribe literally asked you for ID because you are strangers hanging out around her. He literally said 'a good feeling isnt gonna be enough for your parents to trust these people'

After the chief knew who the traveller is, he said he could trust Kachina to go to the Stadium to sign up and not get into trouble. She HAS to participate because she has an Ancient Name and you can barely trust her to go to the stadium???

Kachina mentioning how she can't keep excusing her age for being a bad warrior. So she KNOWS shes young and either she or other people in the past has excused her for her performance because of her age.

The genuine actual side by side of her first match up. You know a child vs a massive buff man. Maybe it's just me but her kit is clearly not made to DPS and hyv making us fight these opponents with only her kinda makes it feel so much like a drag.

Everyone around her keeps saying oh shes actually really good, she almost made it last time, shes super powerful just lacking confidence. Well we dont really... see it. When the tournament started and we play as mualani and kachina all i can think about it 'yeah mualani is gonna do all the fighting here' and it adds to the idea that kachina literally did the bare minimum. But then suddenly we get a really cool cutscene of her defeating a 3 times winning veteran. It is not believable to me.

Also now that she's won we are literally sending her off to fight the abyss where she has a REAL CHANCE OF DYING but we gotta be ok with it because she can get resurrected? Are we not supposed to be concerned that we are sending a child to war with a real chance of her dying?

It is such a tonal shock and the traveller or paimon barely says anything about it so WE are supposed to be fine with it too? It probably is culture shock but like... SOME people still sees Clorinde as a killer despite doing her job as a duelist, how do you think those people will think seeing THIS tradition.

As for the bit where we go with mualani while we wait for kachina to come back from war, it was... alright i think. But the manufactured 'chillness' is there, like you can tell theyre trying their hardest to potray this tribe as the chill surfers one. Its also obvious they want us to like Atea. While she looks a lil overbearing i appreciate that they were being subtle about her 'my life isnt gonna last long so i am doing this dangerous task', they had to explain it anyway for mualani but i think them not stating out right at first that 'woah you werent going here because you can use the hotsprings again!' is a good choice, that is a good show not tell i think.

For now though the entire thing simply feels off because i feel like there's no stake at all for us. If kachina loses? Then she doesn't get sent to the war, thats kind of a good thing seeing how she did ended up 'dying'. We've met the archon but for some reason hasn't asked about our siblings or anything and the only reason we are staying is because its the right thing to do. Thats it. I think it's just... alot offered to us but none with actual value to the traveller personally.

While you can argue that fontaine is exactly like that, that we only stayed to help lyney with his trial and everything else because its the right thing to do. Lyney is fatui. Neuvillette is a dragon. And furina is an absent archon. Theres an air of mystery around how fontaine works and these people have MASSIVE connections. You almost want to stay to see how it'll turn up, what information will show up.

Natlan on the other hand revealed basically everything to us in the first 2 acts. Natlan gets abyss attacks because they dont have strong leyline connections. The fatui wants the gnosis and literally will just fight the archon for it. The archon is chill and kind and is the reincarnation of the original archon because we were told that. The facking traitor from night-wind is obviously the Ororon guy lmao. So what IS left to speculate? To look out for?

Like wow she's gonna carve us an Ancient Name? Why lmao. What for? We can purify the abyss we are not dying in the Night Kingdom.

Shrugs idk feel free to fight me on this. I am just a lil jaded because i literally cannot take the archon seriously when shes literally just called 'Archon' with no special title or anything

[eisdendrobium]

unpreferred sexual orientation

pairings : ayato x reader summary : you find out the yashiro commissioner you have a crush on may like guys.. notes : rushed, not proofread, fluff to angst, just a tiny bit of angst :D

"happy birthday!" you hand out your present to him and you could see his face turns bright red and slightly shocked.

"reallyy? ehh... no i can't accept this" he wave his hands in front of him like a little child which made you chuckle.

"c'mon take it ayato, you've worked hard these past months, look at it as an appreciation gift" you offer him the gift again.

he grumbles "uhmm.... fine then" he snatch the gift from your hand and opens it excitedly - though he tries to hide it but the sparkles and little smile plastered on his face totally gave it away.

inside is a small drawing of him holding his sword, smiling widely, along with a small teddy bear. ayato picks up the drawing of him and you could see the entire milky way inside his eyes.

"did you draw this?" he turns the drawing towards me and smiles brightly.

you smile sheepishly and rubs the back of your neck "yeah.. hehe, it's not the best drawing though.. you look better in person" you wink and see his face turns the same shade of his di heart. "joking!" you add and laughs which made him chuckle along, he place the drawing back inside and picks up the stuffed bear and jokingly deadpan you.

"really [name]? do you think i'm a girl?" he folds his hand in front of his chest "i mean....." he just rolls his eyes and chuckle "whatever"

he tidies the present before look back at you with a soft smile, a slight shade of pink could still be seen on his cheeks. "thanks [name], i love it, really." he thanked softly, looking into your eyes.

those eyes that took away your breath each time you stare into them "no problem, ... and stop looking at me with those eyes" you point at his eyes

"what eyes?" he looks at you and bash his eyelash more which caused him to get hit on the chest by you.

----

"you know [name], ayato here have a little crush on his lovely assistant thoma" paimon joked as she looms over ayato, trying to tackle him side which he shrugs off with an annoyed look on his face.

"what?" you chuckled looking at them.

both of them stood up straight again and you couldn't fail but notice the slight red tint that dusted on ayato's face.

paaimon chuckle "yeah, he accidentally told us when we were on mission" ayato glared at the floating thing "quiet paimon"

you let out a small chuckle as you look at ayato "is it true ayato? are you... gay?" you joked and you could see ayato's face turns a deeper shade of red.

"n-no! i'm not gay, i'm still deciding" ayato looked away when he said that, breaking his composure as he feelsa bit uncomfortable and embarrassed by the topic.

"really now??" paimon wiggle her eyebrows "because you have this little hearts in your eyes whenever you talk to thoma" he points at ayato's eyes with a sly smile

----

that afternoon ayato accompanies you home, "...soo, about thoma"

you look up to see ayato tense a bit along with a slight blush covering his face "what about him?" he answered curtly

you ignore his tone and continues what you were about to say "do you really like him ayato?" you ask softly, trying not to push on his buttons.

silent covers the atmosphere as ayato thought for a while "...yeah." he answered quietly.

a small smile makes it way to your face as you stare into his downcast eyes, you could tell that he's slightly embarrassed about the topic "it's quite alright you know? thoma is a great guy, and i sure see the chemistry between you two, i think he likes you too if i say so myself" you giggle, trying to lighten the atmosphere

ayato's eye lit up as he shift his gaze towards you "you think so?" he asked.

"yeah! i could totally see the sparks in his eyes whenever he talks to you" you smiled

"well it's nice to know that you don't judge me [name]" he said softly, stopping in front of your house "take care alright? i'm heading back now" you nod and bid him goodbye before entering the house.

as soon as the door of your room closes a heavy sigh left your mouth, soft tears you were holding back starts to run down your face, your attempts to wipe them away fails as they kept on pouring down.

he likes another guy, there's no way he'll like you back.

you don't even know which would hurt more, him liking another-prettier girl or him liking another guy.

you didn't want to make him feel worse about himself if you cried your feelings to him today, so you tried to be supportive about it, and you did. But why does that aching feeling inside wont go away? why does that little heart of yours wouldn't accept the fact that you're not his preferred sexual orientation?

what is there for us after this? is this the end? should i move on?

you know you should, but he's so nice, so caring, there's just so much about him.. there's no way you could just forget about all of them and move on.. right?

"ayato just confessed to thoma! they're dating now!" paimon's loud pitched voice squealed down the street along with a shocked yet confused "huhhh?" from itto.

so it is the end then.

a/n : reblogs are greatly appreciated! and please feel free to comment what you think about this fic ^^

[kimigia]

my problem with owari no seraph's writing, from someone who's been reading it since 2016

finally decided to revive this blog after it sat untouched for years and collected copius amounts of dust.... just ignore my old posts LMAO

anyways, i have a small list of issues that i think i've already posted about before? but i wanted to compile them all, and add on anything i haven't mentioned before.

*small spoiler warning for recent chapters & light novel*

the countless neglected side plots and characters. i understand that every side story will eventually get its time to shine... but when? i don't think i'd have such a problem with it if the comic updated more often, but i understand that kagami has other scripts to write and it takes yamamoto time to draw the beautiful art. but it's been years since we last saw characters like lacus welt, rene simm, seishiro hiragi, chess belle, makoto narumi and horn skuld. i definintely think it's a huge shame that after being present for like, 50 or so chapters, they just... disappeared. hell, last time yoichi's plan to get revenge on lacus was mentioned was over 5 years ago. again, if the updates were faster i wouldn't have such a problem with it taking so many chapters to finally get to the side storylines. but i just feel like it's been way too long at this point... this has already been stated before, but the lack of mistuba, kimizuki, yoichi, and sometimes shinoa's respective stories being addressed is also really annoying. it feels like they've been completely forgotten and neglected and like the comic is just 'mika & yu + extras''. i want to see yoichi get his revenge on lacus, i want to see ferid's backstory, i want to see mitsuba's relationship with her sister branched out more, i want to see chess and horn and how they're relevant to crowley's story, i want to see where narumi ran off to, i want to see kimizuki's storyline with his sister, and i know these will be addressed eventually, but like... when? to add onto this, i feel like new storylines keep being added on without old ones being addressed. the whole thing with mika turning into a demon, turning into a sword, finding out the first's past, and all of that. but then again, it took us years to finally figure out the first's past, so i trust that these side plots will also eventually get addressed! it's just very messy, and all over the place.

2. the same lines being repeated over and over again. i swear to god every couple of chapters they go through the same dialogue of "we're going to revive everyone and save all of our family members and save the whole world" and i just feel like nothing really happens after that? just from chapters 100-130 it's been mentioned SO many times and i just. if i'm missing something i'd appreciate it if someone could just tell me at this point because i really don't see why the almost exact same dialogue has to be said so often. i am perfectly aware that the whole storyline revives around the importance of companionship, friendship, and love, but it just seems futile for the same exact thing to be stated so often. i think when it's SHOWN rather than just being told is really nice, like how krul and ashera's backstory was played out, or how the love between paimon and bael was shown. we can draw our own conclusions and interpret the story differently based on what we see rather than being spoonfed the same information over and over again. ashera basically cursed his sister because he couldn't fathom living without her, and bael ended his life because he couldn't fathom living without paimon. i think when the love and importance of the character's relationships with each other is shown like this, rather than the same dialogue being restated chapter after chapter, the story flows much smoother.

3. the lack of character development. again, if i've somehow missed it then please just tell me because i can't find it anywhere. specifically in yu's case, because it's been YEARS. i will say, in the early volumes of the manga i definitely saw him undergo a huge change, because before he got put in the demon army he had a very sour attitude and refused to make friends. but after he found his new family, he did a complete 180 and made it his life's mission to live for them and do anything to save them, mika included (later on) but again, that was years ago and since then i've honestly been unable to see much change in his behavior. despite the numerous times guren has shown himself to be a shifty, shady person that's hard to trust, it doesn't go through yu's head. even after they had that huge fight around chapter 112, his anger towards guren wasn't even about the fact that guren planned for his family to be murdered by ferid! he rarely listens to mika, and he generally just goes off and does whatever he likes. i UNDERSTAND that this is just part of his character and personality, but my god is it frustrating to watch... i will say though, him bowing to krul and requesting her help to save mika was a nice surprise that i didn't anticipate. i'd really like to see more of that! more of him listening to other characters who desperately try to help him, etc.

4. the way female characters are written and treated. i understand that this is a shounen manga, but the only female characters in the series being used for fan service gets on my nerves a LOT, especially since they're not really that well written in the first place. also the dialogue and interactions between them... i really really hate that majority of the conversations between just shinoa and mitsuba are played off as boob jokes or something when they could be having legitimate bonding moments and building their friendships. like i'm not gonna lie, shinoa is an absolutely FASCINATING character to me. but i want to see the girls interact with other girls outside of topics that have to do with a man or just making boob jokes!!! (i've only read volume 1 of the catastrophe manga,) but going off of that, the way there could've been so much more attention paid to sayuri's character for example but a lot of the spotlight on her just consisted of either a. her boobs being shown or b. somebody talking about her boobs. i'm not gonna lie, one of the first pages of the manga being a naked 14 year old girl was ....?? anyways. and how could i forget about chess and horn! they're vampires that're hundreds to thousands of years old, and they can't even fall in love or feel romantic desire, but the whole blushing thing while getting down on their knees to suck crowley's blood from his finger? chess getting jealous of horn for being able to suck his blood? hello? like... come on. i will say though, i really like how krul's character is written. in my opinion, she's an example of a well written female character.

an additional note that's not criticism: my opinions on the new art style are kinda 50/50... i feel like for the adult/older characters, the tiny eyes and sharper/more realistic features can make them look kinda weird sometimes, especially their front profiles. but for the younger/child/teen characters, i actually really like it and i feel like it suits them! not having their eyes take up half of their faces anymore looks good, and it can also be interpreted as physical growth.

anyways, there are so so so many things that i legitimately love about owari no seraph, so this isn't me just shitting on the entire series. i'm gonna follow it through to the end, and i'm excited to see how that goes! i just think the writing could use.... some work.

*please excuse any typos*

[strxnged]

CHILUMI: # a chasmic mistake.

— teaser and table of contents.

summary. lumine is determined to bring the eleventh harbinger down after his crimes against liyue harbour, but the ends to which she will follow him are tested when he descends into the chasm. how much longer will her anger hold up, and how much longer is childe going to tease her for it?

word count. ~20.8k. genre. adventure, enemies to lovers.

posting schedule. every friday starting july 7th, 2023. NOW COMPLETE.

I -- descent. 3.4k II -- establishment. 5.1k III - protection. 2.8k IV - envy. 4.2k V -- notion. 2.5k VI - defense. 2.9k

more info ↓

warnings. blood/violence, action as in combat, nyctophobia, insanity/confusion, sfw physical contact, cursing (as in d—n, h—l, one instance of b—h), cursing (as in magic/mind control), crying. canon divergence (from right before inazuma), paimon got booted for the extent of the fic and is only mentioned ~3 times.

author's note. I DID IT!!! I FINISHED IT! i haven't posted anything for tartaglia before this point because i couldn't handle short form fics for him lol. so here we are. i believe that this is the longest thing i have ever posted on tumblr so i understand if it's too much for some to read on this particular platform. just know that i love them and love this fic it is my dear dear child and i am excited by the fact that someone else might read it and enjoy it too.

taglist. reply to this post if you would like to be added! @wondermumbles @luvhyun3 @ay-asterisms

comments & discussion are ALWAYS appreciated! thank you for your interest in my fic :)

[thetopazdragon]

I really vibed with the last guys ask for a Tartaglia x reader. If you could.... could hook a sister up with a Tartaglia x Fem!reader? I'd really appreciate hun <3

Sure!! And you dont gotta be shy abt it anon!! I'll write whenever I have time and (knock on wood) I am currently free of writer's block!!!

(Also go check out my best friend kimasworks because they write fanfics too)

(Tartaglia (childe) x Fem!Reader)

Where to begin...

Tartaglia, or Childe as you had come to know him, was always someone who was flirty with everyone (and I mean EVERYONE)

So whenever he flirted with you, you never took it genuinely as flirting to entice romance. You always laughed and shrugged it off, even when he made you as red as the mask he wore on his head. You never understood why he seemed so... disappointed when you told him he was "funny", and it seemed to get on his nerves when you laughed his flirting off as just him trying to get attention.

Childe had always loved you, ever since he laid eyes on you. He would stare from the sidelines, watching how you moved, how you talked, how you fought. It made him all the more attracted to you.

When you had finally (albeit reluctantly) became friends with him, he was overjoyed that he could be your friend. He was highly aware that you mistrusted him, but that didn't deter him from his goal: Make her MINE.

He would admit any day that you had gotten after him more than a few times for being possessive. After all, he wanted you desperately to be his. Still, he never had the balls to even consider asking you out. Every time he tried, his mouth would feel dry, his palms would sweat furiously under his gloves, his knees would tremble, and he would fully clam up.

You yourself had always found him a little endearing, once you got past the part of him that was indeed a Fatui harbinger. Sadly though, you always thought he was just a playboy, as he flirted with almost every woman he saw (whether to get a deal or just get a reaction you may never know). You fully believed (by paimon's words) that he was just trying to fluster you to satisfy his lust for attention.

But one day, he had had enough beating around the bush. He asked you to meet him in Wanmin Restaurant, as he wanted to "talk". You, believing you were in trouble, prepared for a fight, but Childe got in a nice, formal outfit, and even bought you Rainbow Roses all the way from Fontaine.

When you arrived at the restaurant, Child was outside waiting for you, bouquet of roses in hand. You looked surprised, as you had been expecting a fight, not a date. Childe smiled sheepishly, and you realized that you were a total idiot.

"Is this- Is this not a fight-? I thought we were going to have to battle again-" You asked, looking up at the tall boy as you stood before him.

Tartaglia burst into laughter, his tension easing. "Would I have brought roses to fight you??"

You hid your face in your hands, embarrassed for your behavior. Even at that moment, the dots all connected. The flirting, the possessiveness, the staring and grinning like an idiot, the absolute adoration he showed you. It was all genuine.

"B-but- When you flirted with the other girls I thought-" "I was practicing.. I wanted to make sure I knew what to say to you so I didn't make a fool of myself!"

Childe laughed, his laugh easing all tension. He took your hand, gently giving you the flowers and looking at you like you were the only woman in the world.

"I could never NOT be genuine about how I feel for you, Traveler."

After that night, you both planned weekly dates, whether it was going out and just having fun or getting each other out of trouble, you both enjoyed it. On your 3rd date, Childe finally gained the courage to ask an important question. You had just defeated your 17th whopperflower of the day, and as you collected the nectar, he held you from behind. When you stood, he smiled and held you closely, his hands on your waist. He never imagined how wonderful it would feel to feel your hips under his fingers.

"Traveler..? May I... May I kiss you?"

(i think yall can imagine your own answer! Thats all, folks, and please send in an ask to request a story!!)

[raechenblut]

Take care of yourself until I find you again

Disclaimer: This occurs during the Archon quest after Lumine and company encounter Il Dottore.

Tags: light angst, fluff, established relationship

Relationship: Tighlumi, Luminari (TighnariXLumine)

___________________

Her heart seemed to stop suddenly when Collei told her that the ranger had left.

They were hot on her heels. She was being watched in some way she couldn't control and it only upset her. Not for her, actually, there was no mortal who really made her feel in real danger. Her problem was that, if they had her in their sights like that, they would think of touching her loved ones in order to subdue her.

Just imagining that Tighnari had been touched because of her was tearing at his insides and squeezing her lungs. She did not hesitate for a second to run to the Dhyai garden praying to any god who might hear her and take pity on her.

Finding Haypasia in better shape made her very happy, really, but she felt that nibbling her cheek wasn't enough to try to calm her horrible uncertainty. She felt that time was running out for her, she wanted to scream, run, fight, whatever so that this situation would not get out of her hands.

Then everything happened so fast. A bitter meeting, a vision of a horrible omen, and suddenly, in front of her, he was.

“Lumine? Are you?"

Her head was spinning and her chest began to pierce her. They had apparently been running and the shock of her consciousness shift had taken her by surprise.

“Tighnari…? What happened… I-?” She had a hard time processing the fox's strong grip on her, but she didn't hesitate to reciprocate as she felt the warmth of his body coming through like vital medicine.

“Archons Lumine. You almost scared me to death." He stroked her head and her back as if to reassure himself that she was unharmed.

"What are you talking about? It is you who worries me.” She pulled him closer to her, not wanting to let go. "They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"Tighnari arrived just in time and helped us stop the ambush while you were not in your body." Paimon spoke up so she could give Lumine an update on what had happened, the problem was that she wasn't really understanding what the hell she was talking about.

All Lumine knew was that Tighnari was in her arms, they were together and safe, so she didn't try to probe further as she enjoyed the feel of him there with her.

He kissed her forehead, breathing in her scent like a balm to his nerves before pulling away from him a little so he could cup her face and gaze at her.

“Don't be so reckless again. If you're in trouble you can call me, you know?"

She laughed, irony at its best. "It was I who was looking for you, but the General Watchleader was too busy with his duty." She itched, already more relaxed. She was giving herself the opportunity to tease him for the sheer happiness of seeing him safe.

"Part of it is a relief that we were looking for you, otherwise we might not have had the fortune to have you around to save our skins." Paimon floating next to them, although not so close to hinder the moment the couple was having, she even found the scene adorable, as if she were reading a chapter of some light novel.

The fox sighed in defeat. Lumine was right, sometimes it was hard to track him down when he went to work.

"Agghh... I'm an idiot, right?" He smiled with her, infected by the light in her golden orbs. "Just... promise me you'll be fine."

"I will if you promise the same." She likewise cupped his face, taking a moment to caress his cheeks in appreciation of his pretty face, as if wanting to map every inch. “Please, Tighnari. They are looking for me, and if they harm you because of me, I will never-”

Whatever she had to say about her stopped on her lips the moment he silenced her. A soft kiss, it didn't last long, just long enough to give her blonde the necessary comfort. He wanted her to feel that he would never allow anything or anyone to tear them apart.

"I'll be fine, calm down." He smiled at him, firm in his words.

And she nodded. She knew him, he was too smart and sometimes arrogant, it would be hard for anyone to even keep track of his tail. She could trust him.

They should part for now, but she promised herself that once this was all over, no one was going to be able to keep from sinking into him and that beautiful tail of his.

[xnoctifers-eveningx]

I'm disabled and a college student so I'm often unable to fully engage with my craft on a daily basis but to feel connected in my day-to-day life I've found ways to intertwine the mundane and magical aspects of my life and practice!!

Enchanting everyday items to help with everyday things. I've enchanted my favorite pencils and laptop to help me stay motivated to do my schoolwork and art throughout the day.

Sigils!! I have sigils on my doors, journals, phone case, in my shoes, under my pillow. I've sewn sigils and seals for my guides on my backpack so they're there with me everywhere :)

Kitchen magic!! Cooking things with certain ingredients and intentions to help you through the day. I'm a big fan of herbal teas, I have this ginger blend that I LOVEEEE using to help when I feel exhausted or blue.

Devote mundane actions (self care, cooking, making art, singing, learning, etc) to the divine/spirits/energies. I love to play my guitar and sing for King Paimon even if it's just for a few minutes and I know he loves to listen too.

Set aside 10 minutes a day before bed to reflect and meditate, check in with myself and guides. Sometimes 5 or 10 minutes is all I can set aside in a day to meditate, but it helps with creating a routine and check in with how I'm actually feeling then and there.

Sharing snacks, meals, and drinks with spirits. I like to place little candies on my altars every once in a while, even the smallest offering shows thought and is appreciated.

Gardening. Planting, growing, caring for, and bonding with plant life is magical. It doesn't take more than 10 minutes a week for me to water the plants in my window but it is an amazing experience to slowly bond with these spirits just by caring for and learning about them.

Creating personal, flexible celebrations and holidays that can easily fit into my schedule. I try to do something for Hekate every new moon, even if that is just lighting her candle that night because I'm too exhausted to go out to the crossroads.

Most importantly for me, I know there are constantly spirits around me, like bugs, rabbits, plants, and people. Every time I'm briefly outside or on a walk, there is an altar all around me showing the love of the earth. To me the mundane is also the magical so we are never disconnected, this mindset has helped be free myself of the guilt associated with not engaging in the 'daily-practice grindset'. Magic doesn't have to be multi-step elaborate spells, it can be prayers, chants, charms, creating art, devoting time to one idea, bonding with the world and spirits around you, or really anything you make it to be.

It's been really beneficial to me to find more passive ways to charge up spells so I don't drain myself or have to devote a lot of time and energy to one setting. My main workaround for this is spirit work but also

Charging sigils by putting them in your phone case or drawing them on your body. A fav of mine is to put a sigil in my shoes and walk on it until it disintegrates, allowing each step to manifest it in the right direction. This has been especially beneficial for protective sigils.

Asking a spirit for help

Using running water or fire

Placing a spell out in a harsh storm (does this count as working with the spirit of the tornado alley)

Make a batch of magically charged oil you can reuse to anoint spells without having to take much of your own energy

When performing spells, call upon the spirits of the ingredients and use their energies rather than relying on your own

Living spells like protective/warding plants

what do busy witches do to feel connected to their practice? i feel like i have so much to do in a day that i rarely have time for research, nevertheless magick. any advice?

[keylimeimagines]

ɢᴏʀᴏᴜ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴄʀᴜsʜ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴs

Reader (or Y|N) is NOT the Traveler! They can be A traveler, but they are not THE traveler we play as in the game! 2nd-person pronouns will mainly be used unless otherwise, where I will use they/them pronouns in order to have it remain gender-inclusive (as per usual)

If you want to request something, you can check my pinned post for rules, characters, and fandoms that I write for at the moment! I do change some of the characters and fandoms that I will write for at times, so I suggest you check it often! I hope you all enjoy my comeback post <3

I am so in love with this doggy general <33 He is LITERALLY the cutest ever

Yae Miko has definitely called him out on his crush on you, along with other things Gorou does NOT want to admit-

“I’d say that you’d like to imagine Y|N brushing your tail gently while you have the softest smile on your face, don’t you? You can deny it all you want, but your tail says otherwise.” and then cut to a Gorou who’s barely retaining his composure.

In fact, he tries his best to not only avoid her himself, but also to get you to avoid her as much as possible. He does NOT want Miko to call him out in front of you.

No matter how much he tries to hide his feelings for you, his tail always gives it away. Whenever he hears your voice or smells your scent (in a non-creepy way), his tail just gains a mind of its own as it wags furiously.

He goes to Kokomi for help, as well as the other soldiers (claiming that he’s asking for a friend), but they all know what’s up.

His main love languages are quality time (despite how busy he normally is), words of affirmation, and physical touch. He really likes receiving gifts and words of affirmation too! Considering that you two aren't dating (yet), he’ll show his affections subtly, as in congratulating you for your accomplishments, giving you cake so that you two can eat together, holding your hand to lead you somewhere, etc.

Speaking of holding your hand, he actually gets very, VERY flustered when you initiate any kind of physical touch, whether it be a long-lasting hug or simply your hands brushing each other.

He appreciates any and every gift you give him, no matter the actual, objective value of it. You could literally give him a rock and he’d still think it’s the best thing in the world

He often rants about you (in a good way) to the Traveler and Paimon, and he could literally go on and on about you for hours if he could because he is literally so head over heels for you <33

“I know this is probably weird to say about a friend, but I just love everything about them! From their hair to their eyes and their voice? Oh, don’t even get me started! They’re always so kind to me, and their laugh is so sweet, and they look so adorable when they're happy and-” literally just say that you’re in love with them it’s literally so obvious

You’re one of the only people who gets to pet his ears, although not in public! As much as he loves you, he still has his “tough general” reputation to keep up (also he would probably die if Miko ever saw him being vulnerable)

GOD FORBID IF YOU’RE THE FLIRTY TYPE- he would quite literally (not literally but you get my point) pass away if you flirted with him! He already loves you so much, but this is going to break him.

He offers to train you if you’d like! Specifically with a bow, not only because it’s what he’s specialized in, but he also wants to be closer to you (figuratively and literally)! He thinks it’s pretty romantic <33

The Traveler and Paimon desperately try to get you two together, much to Gorou’s dismay (it’s not like he doesn’t want to be with you! He’s just really nervous tbh)

This is actually how he confesses in the first place! One of the Traveler and Paimon’s attempts to matchmake you two didn’t go so well, so while Gorou was trying to explain what’s going on, he ended up confessing on the fly, as only a few moments after, he realized what he just said and metaphorically crumbles inside. Thankfully, you feel the same way (I mean, you ARE reading these headcanons for a reason)! Think of the scene where Lumity finally becomes canon in “Knock, Knock, Knocking on Hooty’s Door” from The Owl House!!

Also, after you and Gorou confess your feelings to each other, the Traveler and Paimon definitely high-fived each other behind a tree or a bush for another mission done successfully!

Overall, Gorou’s a sweet and caring individual, and now, you have a doggy general all to yourself <33 treat him well or else /lh

[the-ragbros-are-okay]

can i just say that i am EXTREMELY unwell especially after kaeya visited dawn winery

lisa knew EXACTLY what she was doing when she told kaeya that he was the perfect person for the job so props to her bc if i can't reach through the screen and start their reconciliation arc then damn am i glad to have lisa start it for me

kaeya saying "...But I haven't been back there in a long time. This could be quite difficult to accomplish in just a single trip" they are missing each other and yet they won't talk to each other :( they are dumb <3

ALSO lisa saying "...and you know how diluc thinks better than anyone." YES HE DOES!!!! YES LISA HE DOES!!! YOURE SO RIGHT FOR THIS!!!!!! even though she's trying to extort diluc she's starting their reconciliation arc <3

kaeya saying that he'll head out right away with nearly no hesitation is so. he misses diluc so much :((((( also he was glad to have the traveler going with him bc going by himself would be so nervewracking and and and

walking up to dawn winery and paimon asks kaeya a question but he's so lost in thought that he just doesn't hear her. hey what if i cried. because. the last he was there was probably That Night, at least it seems that way from how he's talking

also can we just appreciate diluc's face when he sees kaeya:

this isn't disdain, it's just general annoyance at him and they're brothers, your honor

kaeya immeditely commenting on how cold diluc was being and then proceeding to follow it up with "...almost enough to make me feel unwelcome here, master diluc" because the last time kaeya was here he WAS unwelcome, at least, diluc really made it seem that way. and, for a time, maybe he was unwelcome

kaeya certainly believes he's always been unwelcome, which is shown later in the scene (we'll get to that)

"Don't forget that this is my home, too. I'm fairly certain that taking a trip home during festival season is a universal custom, common to all the cultures of Teyvat." NOTICE THE PRESENT TENSE HERE. "this is my home, too" damn right kaeya, it is, and even if he just said that to get on diluc's nerves, it at least WAS his home. one that he's felt unwelcome in for four years

kaeya being like "bitch the knights r poor and youre literally the wealthiest person around" and diluc is like "okay so what smh" they are BROTHERS

"everyone's just doing the best they can for Mondstadt" for Mondstadt. kaeya saying that to diluc's face, basically telling him that he's doing this for the good of mondstadt, and defending the knights of favionius in the process??? yes king, slay

kaeya guilt tripping him has me ROLLING ON THE FLOOR

"Anyway, speaking of the knights, everyone dearly hopes that you'll rejoin our ranks again one day. Then we'll be one big, happy family again."

TALKING ABOTU BEING A FAMILY AGAIN. AND A HAPPY ONE AT THAT. kaeya's telling diluc that everyone misses him and wants him to come back and then not-so-subtly sneaking in the part about family... i am. crying. he also looks SO happy while saying that??? that's such a sweet smile :(

"give that silver tongue of yours a rest" diluc knows EXACTLY what kaeya's doing and i think if kaeya kept saying things like that, diluc would be more likely to cave in, and diluc doesn't want that bc he still has these walls around him. also diluc just knowing kaeya's doing that on purpose shows how much he still knows him

diluc giving the knights wine :))

also yes paimon stay sober <3 please

okay the interesting part here that the traveler and paimon mention:

klee talks about razor finding his mother, since she's thinking about her mother all the time and loves her so much, and she wants razor to feel that same love from a mother that she has

kaeya talks about razor growing up too fast, and that he's still looking for his father. that. that is self explanatory. plus with the way he's saying it directly to diluc, i--

anyway, onwards

THEN DILUC SAYING THAT HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT KAEYA'S SAYING, I"M

"Always eager to help, and never forgets to return a favor. That's the Master Diluc I know."

this quote is interesting for multiple reasons. for one, it shows that when kaeya thinks of diluc, he sees the part of diluc that he knew when they were kids, which carries over to say that he doesn't think about That Night, and that he doesn't blame diluc for what happened then (which is only proven more by Hidden Strife)

DILUC ASKING THEM TO STAY FOR A MEAL AND KAEYA DECLINING BC HE DOESNT THINK HED BE WELCOME

ADELINDE COMING UP AND SAYING "NO STAY HERE" BECUASE DILUC WAS JUST GONNA GIVE UP ON TRYING TO SPEND TIME WITH KAEYA probably bc diluc thinks kaeya resents him for what happened and he doesn't want to push too far :(

kaeya. diluc himself invited you. they are so dumb <3

adelinde cares for him so much and him breaking out of his normally silver tongued ways and just saying "oh, uh..." bc he doesn't know how to respond to that!!!!! he's learning that he's welcome there and that they still care about him and that they want him to be there and to stay!!!!

DILUC AHAHHAAHH "What happened to your swagger? Lost for words?" diluc coming in with THE best line so far. that brotherly jab <333

kaeya immediatley being sheepish and looking kinda embarrassed at his own slip up and then diluc guilt tripping him back with "surely you wouldn't dream of disappointing adelinde?" as if kaeya was already having a hard time saying no to diluc hsjhsghskfd

they all had dinner together at the table just like they used to :)))) i am filled with SO much joy at this

also the fact that kaeya and diluc were bantering at the dinner table PLEASE my heart cant TAKE this

yes!!!! yes kaeya you can and should come back more in the future

you KNOW kaeya was giggling n shit when he left Dawn Winery like. yeah

[kazewhara]

Congrats on 2.6k!! It's so great to see your blog growing, especially because it's one of the most inclusive genshin blogs that I have found thus far. Seriously, so many of your fics are gn and I really appreciate it, as I'm sure many others do as well. May I participate in your event? If so, I would love to see a drabble and/or headcanons for Aether and the Siren!MC like the ones you have done for Xiao and Kazuha.

🌿 — eclipse !

✧ — pairing: aether x siren!reader

✧ — format: hc/drabble

✧ — warnings: apathetic feelings towards death (reader)

✧ — tags: siren!reader au, brief fluff, angst, canon divergent, secret-keeping, chance meetings, implied one-sided feelings (aether -> reader)

✧ — notes: thank you so much! and you certainly can participate! i've been meaning to revisit this au, but i was never sure how to.. i'm gonna have fun with this <3 (update: oh god this is so long i am so sorry) but i hope you enjoy this!

✧ — 🌥 — ✧

so i want to approach this one differently from kazuha and xiao. in this one, you're still a siren, but you live out a human life.

it sounds cliché, i know, to have a siren walking amongst normal people in broad daylight with no one suspecting a thing, but your life is just a little bit different.

the archon war had its effects on both people who lived on dry land and underwater. due to some serious long-standing issues, you were exiled from your home and forced to roam the land above the waves. the ocean is far too dangerous for you to navigate alone, so this was the next best option.

you experienced the worst withdrawals; it took you literal decades to get used to having legs, and you nearly succumbed to the universe in your desperate attempts to breathe through your nose as your gills slowly shriveled due to lack of usage. you carry a myriad of scars from having been mauled by monsters. you were easy pickings for them -- a free target.

but one day, as you were being attacked and preparing yourself to finally meet your end, someone saved you.

he is like the sun, you think as you watch your savior cut down a rabid monster before you. he is ferocious; powerful in the way he swings his sword mercilessly. he is nimble; he skillfully dodges every attack that comes his way and counters with a practiced ease. he is tenacious; even when knocked to the side by a monster's hand at full force, he still get back up and makes his next move.

and when it's all over, when he approaches you with his chest heaving, his long hair thrown over his shoulder, and sweat glistening on his sun-kissed skin, you understand that he is made of gold.

his lips are moving and sound is coming out, but you don't recognize much of what he's saying. in all your years, you'd never come across an actual human before. you've only ever heard about them in the scrolls that you would read as a hatchling. you blink dumbly when you hear him finish speaking. you did learn some of their language as was required of you. would you happen to know any now?

"do you think they understand what we're saying?" a smaller looking human materializes in a flash beside the golden man. you jump back with a startled noise and the little being puts her hands out. "oh no, paimon didn't mean to scare you! paimon's sorry!"

the golden man frowns. you don't like that look on his face; it doesn't suit him. "i don't think they can understand us." he steps closer to you and on instinct, you stumble backwards. you trip and fall onto your backside with a cry, which only makes the golden man approach you, his hands hovering over your body. "are you alright?"

you recognize that phrase. you open your mouth to answer, but no words escape you; you make a wheezing sound instead. you shake your head desperately. "not... okay..." you rasp.

the golden man looks up at the floating being and says more words you can't understand. "paimon, we need to get them to a healer. now." he reaches out and touches you so lightly, you wouldn't have thought he was capable of fighting so capably. when you jump, he pats you gently. "i won't harm you," he says softly. "do you understand?"

you take a moment to process. is he saying that he's not a threat? well of course he's not -- he saved you, after all. you nod stiffly. "understand," you echo.

the golden man's lips curl into a smile so gentle, you feel your insides warming. like you were being warmed by the sun. your troubles start to fade. "we're going to take you to the city to get you some help." he speaks slowly to help you understand him better. "will you let me help you?"

the only word you recognize is 'help'. you agree immediately. finally, after all these years of suffering, you're going to get some help. if not that, then maybe someone can put you out of your misery -- anything to bring an end to this hell.

the golden man helps you up onto your shaky legs and guides you by the hand to your new destination. even through his glove, you can feel how warm his hand is.

aether helps you to mondstadt where he gets barbara to help you. her healing works wonders, particularly because she uses hydro, and you're completely dehydrated. so dehydrated in fact, that barbara has to stay by your side constantly for almost two days before you're stabilized.

these humans wouldn't let you out no matter how much you protested. they likely didn't take you too seriously because you couldn't speak the language -- all of your disgruntled complaints came out as indignant cries and frustrated clicks and chirps.

(you resorted to cursing the humans in your native language whenever they spoke to you.)

you're not allowed to walk yet; you heard a human say something about 'leg' and 'damage' and figured that, since you're the only injured person here, they must have been talking about you. you're bedridden until they say you can walk again. (fine by you. any excuse to not use these horrid legs.)

your savior comes to visit you every day. and every day, he has a smile on his face and he speaks to you in this new language. you make an effort to try and learn it -- you have to if you want to be able to thank him properly. he's patient as you stumble over your words with your thick accent, and he's kind enough to help you sound words out.

you learn that his name is aether and the little being's name is paimon. you quite like those two.

days become weeks, and soon enough, you have a pretty decent understanding of the language. by the time a month passes, you're walking and talking rather casually with aether. by two months, you're leaving the city to accompany him as he does simple commissions.

at the dawn of month three, aether finally asks about your past. sort of.

you're on the outskirts of the city of mondstadt right by the lake. dandelions sway in the wind nearby and you can hear the distant sound of a bard singing a sweet song. you close your eyes and sit on the grass beneath a cedar tree. you can hear the rippling of the lake before you. nostalgia threatens to take you under.

"there you are," a familiar voice comes from behind you. it's aether. you'll always recognize that voice. you spin to see him leaning on the cedar tree with a smile. "i was wondering where you'd went."

"i was feeling..." you frown for a moment. "what is that word?"

"which one?"

"when you feel like you can't breathe." you gesture to drive the point home and rest a hand on the side of your neck, feeling your now dried-up gills. "i felt that way, so i decided to come out here."

aether's expression falls just a bit. "i guess 'stifled' would be the correct word." he walks over and sits beside you, his knees pulled to his chest. he looks out at the lake. "whenever you feel that way, you come here. you must really like the water, huh?"

oh, how you yearn to be submerged in water once again. you long for your tail and the scales that once decorated your skin; for the spray of bubbles that would trail after you with how fast you were swimming. you miss slapping your tail on the water's surface and hearing your friends complain. you miss...

"i miss it." you answer softly. you're not close enough to touch the water now, and it's probably a good thing. if you do, you fear that you might just throw yourself in.

"miss it?" aether asks. "were you a sailor before?"

you gulp. you never told aether anything about your past because he never asked. he was just kind like that -- he never pried, never poked or prodded to try and weasel information out of you. he wasn't like that human with the eyepatch. you don't like him much.

but you suddenly feel reluctant to explain your past to aether. the only indications of your non-human status was your ears and your sharp canines. in place of ears, you had fins on either side of your head. you've never been self-conscious about them, but now that you're around humans, you find yourself lowering them so as to gain as little attention as possible. you also try your best to not open your mouth too wide -- you don't want people asking more questions than they already do.

so you lie. "yes." you reply. you don't want to explain your story to aether, lest you remember the waking hell you finally wormed your way out of. you don't know enough about sailors to keep up such a flimsy lie, but if it holds up, then you won't correct yourself.

"why didn't you say so earlier?" aether pushes your shoulder lightly. "i know a pirate captain in liyue. why don't we pay her a visit so she can take you back on the sea?"

the sea... you look at aether, your eyes wide. "would she really?" you fist at the grass, your heart flipping with joy at the thought of being in the ocean once more. you inch closer to him. "can you take me to her?"

surprised by your enthusiasm, aether raises his brows. his eyes search your face and for some reason, his cheeks begin to turn pink. "uh, yeah! yes, i can. how about i take some commissions in liyue, and we can go when it's all done?"

you can't help but let out an ecstatic crooning noise and lay yourself back on the grass by aether's side. "thank you! thank you so much!"

aether looks down at you, his face still pink. his eyes are so kind and so bright. you've told him on a number of occasions and he often looked at you the way he's looking at you now. you peer back up at him curiously, wondering if you said something wrong. he looks away suddenly and clears his throat.

"you're welcome." he says. "it's nice. um... seeing you so happy, i mean."

aether keeps his word like always.

it's your first time in liyue harbor and the overwhelming scent of the sea brings you to tears. this place, though foreign, is still somehow so familiar to you. liyue harbor is the closest thing you have to home right now.

he guides you to the docks where an enormous ship floats. people are loading and unloading huge boxes of stuff and you just look on, fascinated.

aether leaves you standing on the ship for a moment as he goes to retrieve the pirate captain he spoke of. when he returns with her, you're surprised to see such a tall woman. she's golden, much like aether is. loved by the sun and scarred by time. they must be good friends.

her name is beidou, you learn. she's a little loud, but she's friendly.

beidou takes you for a quick tour of the ship and introduces the crew to you. it's a lot of information and it makes your head spin, but it's not unpleasant.

"y'know, i've come across a few adepti before, but none of them -- whoa, careful there, juza," beidou ducks under a box that a crew member comes by with. "none of them have features quite like yours. you're very pretty."

you flinch and the fins at the side of your head stick up with surprise. both aether and beidou chuckle at your reaction. no one has ever told you that before. "do you really think so?" you ask meekly.

beidou nods with a smile. "absolutely! where'd this one even come from, aether?"

aether's eyes soften as he looks at you. "the sea, apparently." neither of them notice the way you go completely still. he keeps talking. "they said they were a sailor before we met."

"oh, a sailor, huh?" beidou gives you a once-over. "you wanna join the crux fleet? there's always room for one more."

you're not sure what this 'crux fleet' is, but you assume it has something to do with this ship. you nod hesitantly. "i suppose so?"

beidou's grin widens. what a bright human. "then you two stay put; i'm gonna go find juza." and before aether can tell her to stay put, she's off to find that juza human.

aether sighs and heads over to the edge of the boat and rests his arms on the rail. "so? what do you think so far?" he asks. "do you want to sail with her?"

you start to say yes, but when you walk over and see the way he's looking at you, you hesitate. there's a strange sadness resting just beneath the surface. did he not want to ask that question? you tilt your head curiously. "it would be nice," you answer honestly.

aether's smile is bitter. "right..." he looks at you for a moment longer, his expression unreadable.

he's been acting like this a lot more lately and you're not sure why. he's been giving you lingering looks and his face has been pinker than usual whenever you're around. you're not upset about receiving his attention -- he is like the sun and you could never hate being in the presence of such warm light -- but his behavior is a little bit concerning.

"aether, is everything alright?" you step closer and rest a hand on his arm. "you have been acting... odd."

aether's eyes drop to your hand. "have i?" when you nod, he sighs. "i can't hide anything from you, can i?"

you shrug. "you once called me an open book. i still have yet to understand why, but i know that you are one as well."

"touché." he laughs. he lets a beat pass. "when you look out at the water, do you... ever feel like leaving?"

"all the time," you answer honestly. "why?"

that must be the wrong thing to say, because aether's expression sours. he covers it up, but not very well. "if you... if you want to stay here with beidou then--" he stops abruptly and looks behind you at a crew member carrying a large box. "be careful-- no, wait--!"

it happens very quickly. one second you're listening to aether tell someone to be careful, and the next, you're falling off the side of the ship into the water below. the crew member who aether was speaking to turned sharply to face him, knocking you over the side in the process. you hit the water with a rather loud splash, and everything goes quiet.

it's so quiet. you blink your eyes open. they sting -- it's been such a long time since you've been here.

the changes happen slowly, painfully. the webbing between your fingers returns and your fingernails return to their usual pointed shape. your entire body screams with agony as your gills force themselves open once more. if you thought you were living in hell before, you were wrong -- this is hell.

the feeling of your scales re-emerging from your skin on your shoulders; the feeling of your eyes readjusting to the water, your eyeballs completely clouding over; the feeling of your legs disappearing and your tail growing back. your body creaks and pops in the most painful ways imaginable. nothing could have prepared you for this change. it's been centuries since you've been yourself.

when it's all over, you gasp and look at your hands. you turn them over a few times, inspecting the webbing. these are... your hands. you finally have your hands back! you excitedly look down to see your tail -- it's there! it's really there! your scales are still a little dry because you're still adjusting, but you're finally back to your old self! you can finally go home and--

you freeze. you can't go home. that's why you were on dry land to begin with. home is where aether is now.

"aether." you mutter to yourself. you completely forgot about him just now. you quickly swim to the surface and look up at the ship where you find at least ten sets of eyes looking down at you. you see beidou and aether, both of them looking ready to jump into the water themselves. the commotion aboard stops and everything goes still.

aether calls out your name from aboard the ship. you lock eyes with him and see the very expressions you never wished to see on his face. repulsion. disappointment.

fear.

he calls your name again. "is that you?" loud chattering starts all around him. you don't know what they're saying. "please, answer me! is that--"

"i have to leave." you call back. you wince at the sound of your own voice. it's loud, echoic. you're reminded of what your people were most known for -- what you haven't done in many a moon. the chattering stops and all eyes are back on you. every human aboard that ship is entranced by you; captivated by your presence. "i cannot stay."

all seem to be in a daze except aether, who looks hurt. "why not? what's happening? why is everyone quiet? what are you?"

you feel like crying. you never wanted him to see this. you lied just to avoid telling him about this. now that he knows, you have to let go. but you don't want to say good-bye to your savior. anything but that.

aether is your teacher, your best friend, your confidant. aether is your sun.

but you're a creature of the moon. he wasn't made for you to be close to in the first place. your eclipse has lasted long enough.

you take a deep breath and channel an energy you haven't tapped into for centuries. it still comes naturally to you, even now. when you speak, your every word is laced with it. your power is meant to numb the mind of whoever hears it -- typically, it's used to lure human prey into the water. but you're using it to keep them away.

even from here, you can see aether's eyes clouding over. it's working. "you must forget about me." you croon at him. "live on as though i was never here."

one by one, the sailors leave the edge of the boat and return to their tasks, but aether doesn't budge. this is normal -- there's always one who resists. "aether," you call his name. "please. forget."

it takes a few more seconds, but soon enough, aether turns back and picks up a conversation with a sailor. you finally dip beneath the waves and start towards the east. your tail aches from having not been used for so long, but you'll adjust eventually.

the moon has chased the sun long enough. like this, everything is as it should be. you're in your rightful place, and he's in his. each celestial body continues on their paths, never to cross again.

✦ oh god this was so long i am so fucking sorry i'm sorry

✦ but hey,, remember what happened last time i ended a siren!au like this? wink wink nudge nudge

[emmebearpaw]

And we back in the fucking building again

Oh we're in time prison too! got it!

Not taking pictures in this domain, don't know if i dig the puzzle but i credit it for being unique. Like the finding tiles part but the light up section feels superfluous? Plus the controls are slower than i'd like. The domain itself is very pretty though.

Love Itto calling Xiao "Little dude"

He said, seconds before we all die.

Ehwyuheyuwehgwuegugyuwge

"Can I keep her" as if she's not the lead of my party. x2

Yeah it's a magic door with our worst fear or whatever. It's trauma bonding time.

Yeah sorry about my oceanid, a little excitable, forgot to put it away for the cutscene

And immediately writing this down for my thoughts on being a yokai in Teyvat

Yeah it's a magic door with our worst fear or whatever. It's trauma bonding time. Also i feel like I should have better words but ough baby hurt shinobu emotionally!!! do yanfei next!! please please please

Paimon. She has Trauma.

YEAH!! Also the little yelp she did <3. I should read some angst or Hurt/comfort later. Anyways, appropriate reaction to arguing.

ah, beautiful sky texture glitch and my dog is here.

Don't worry. My total crash counter so far is 2. Just in case you were concerned I could get through more than an hour of playing genshin without a freeze. Yanfei he was a literal ghost of course he was somewhere else. Oh nevermind you were talking about our first encounter with him (2x)

Yanfei how did you do that.

Love the effects on xiao's voice before this section btw. very much feels like interrupted radio

Uh oh!

Lore time babyyy

Yanfei appreciation corner

We should have been able to sense his self sacrifice he tries to pull at the end of this adventure when he asked about writing a Will and then says this. Thank you Yanfei for being reasonable, because Yelan missed the implications for her first reply.

YOU AREn'T DEAD YET. YOU DON'T GET ONE YET.

Yanfei you are one of the best 4* (especially early game).

There's the Trauma

Time to go do the last chunk of the quest!

fuck it i'm liveblogging perilous trails. Yes this take a while as i took a nice break in the middle to go work on my cosplay but i'm taking too many pictures. Anyways let's goooo

Shinobu is also hereeeee woot woooooo. I'm her #2 hype man right after the collective arataki gang.

Yeah man i help lift it like, 5 minutes ago.

And it's time for a like 3 hour break let's gooooo Edit: it was a 24 hour break lmao Anyways back into it. Welcome to superhell, yanfei and Yelan have better things to do than start the nickname game

this is a yanfei appreciation post. she's like a bug <3

We should all start saying "for the sake of shinobu" like she's jesus christ

the gang's all here to look at portals together! And he's gone, nevermind.

I love when they let the traveler emote. This is not a face

Ah. Magic super hell.

lmao shinobu

this is a yanfei appreciation zone.

I once read a fic about every country sending representatives to fontaine after hearing that the traveler got arrested to attempt to diplomacy/prison break them out and tbh i want to find it again. Yanfei should be in Fontaine, she would thrive there.

Part 2 coming soon it's time for dinner

[tratserenoyreve]

your genshin impact train recently is tempting me to start playing again, I haven't even seen enkanomiya yet. also the genshin lore rabbit hole is a mood, I once got like that about paimon and whatever the heck is going on with her.

it’s funny cuz i’ve abstained from talking about the game at all until i finished the storyline that’s currently available and like right towards the end of that journey was the 2.3 update and so many plot things just suddenly clicked.

god, don’t get me started on paimon. i love paimon, her and aether’s chinese VA’s are really good and i enjoy hearing all their profile convos (yes i chose aether as my traveler twin, yes i know he is statistically weaker than lumine, yes i max ascended him first and he has never left my main team). paimon is a lil weirdo and very suspicious while also being the traveler’s new adopted baby sister.

like, paimon taught the traveler teyvat’s language and has dedicated herself to being their guide. a lot of her and the traveler’s conversations are really enlightening and enjoyable! i particularly enjoy the “Transience”, “Storing Weapons” and “Kamuijima cannons” dialogues. their banter is nice and it’s pretty evident that the Traveler really genuinely appreciates Paimon’s companionship.

thing is, the Traveler likes to lie to people. a lot of it is through omission, and there are many occasions where the Traveler is shown to just. Not tell Paimon things about themself. they are very careful in not revealing too much about their own history outside of “i have a twin who i lost and i want to find them again so we can leave together”. like, the Traveler just lets people assume things about them and gets uncomfortable when random npc’s get a little too close to the mark, one quest that comes to mind is xavier in inazuma making movies and how, when he calls the traveler a “star”, they get a bit nervous until he clarifies with “like a movie celebrity”.

while the Traveler trusts Paimon, they don’t trust Paimon. and i gotta wonder why that is, especially when a member of the Abyss Order insinuates that Paimon may one day turn on the Traveler. it’s like the star-twins have experienced difficulty before when people learn what they are. heck, when albedo is asking the traveler if they have any other limbs or powers, they lie. because, we know from the intro of the game that the twins did have something humans do not: wings. six wings each, to be exact.

Paimon is also oddly avoidant on clarifying what her deal is. the only person to ever acknowledge her as strange has been albedo and like??? that’s so funny and odd.

people who skip over paimon and the traveler as characters are really missing out.

[liliesinrequiem]

The Truth

A/N: I’m back! I’ve been working on this for a while and kept changing it up. I think I’ve reached a version where I’m rather happy with it. I hope that y’all enjoy <3!

Pairing: Diluc x Reader

Summary: You have figured out that Diluc is the Darknight Hero. Now you have to confront him about it.

CW: Mentions of blood

You slightly moved the chair side to side as you waited for your husband to return. The white cloth in your hand only made you more upset than you already were. You put it down and spread it out on the desk. The bright candlelight permitted you to look at the design clearly. 

There was no mistaking it. The brilliant oranges and reds that made the owl on the handkerchief were undeniably the same colors that you had procured early on in your marriage to Diluc. It’d been a lot of negotiating back and forth to get the threads in the exact color that you wanted. You had sewn an owl, the animal that he greatly admired, in an array of colors that also reflected that of his vision. It’d been some trial and error (and many messed up handkerchiefs) to be able to create a product that you liked enough to be able to give him. 

The handkerchief had been a birthday gift for him. 

You were surprised that he even still carried it around when he had countless other handkerchiefs. Archons, you even thought that he’d long forgotten about it. While you felt happiness in knowing that he still used it, you could not separate the fact that you were upset with him from it. 

“The Darknight Hero?” you asked out loud. The words rolled off your tongue so easily and yet, you felt it difficult to consider. Not because you thought that Diluc was incapable of actually being the hero. It made a lot of sense that the man that did not like the Knights of Favonius was also the one taking matters into his own hands. 

What made it difficult to consider was how he had been hiding everything from you. What would happen if he went missing and no one knew where he had gone? How could you sleep at night not knowing if you could have done something? The idea of Diluc being injured in his activities made you spiral into despair. 

“Oh, Diluc…..” You wished to understand his reasoning in doing things at times. If only for a minute, you wished to understand why he had hidden it from you. The only reason you had even come to the conclusion was due to an array of increasingly odd actions by your husband and a rather fortuitous meeting with Kaeya. Diluc had been unable to have meals with you with greater frequency. He’d been spending less and less time in the manor. Yes, he was a busy man, but he always made time for you. You’d wake up and he was gone and go to bed with him still not being home. He’d become so much more evasive with you. 

What culminated in everything was an odd conversation that you overheard. Whether Kaeya had intended for you to coincidentally arrive as he was speaking with Lumine and Paimon about an odd handkerchief that they had picked up from the Darknight Hero, you were not sure. It just seemed to fall into place too conveniently. You didn’t question the fact that he even handed you the cloth by the end of your meeting. You understood what he meant. 

You heard the door knob of the office being turned and gripped the cloth tightly. All the emotions that you had been mulling over threatened to flood over. Your shoulders sagged when you saw Adelinde walk through the door. “I made you some tea,” she said. She placed the tray and you quietly thanked her. You made no move to drink the tea and Adelinde remained. 

“Will you rest soon?” she asked. “I can stay with you, if you would like.” You looked out the window and saw that the moon was high. Based on your estimations, it was late. It was probably a bit past midnight. The early hours of the new day were approaching. Where was he? Was he facing something horrible? Would he make it home tonight? You prayed to Barbatos that he was safe.

You turned back to look at Adelinde. “I’ll rest soon,” you answered, “I’m sure he’ll be home soon. But Adelinde...go to sleep. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be alright.” She only nodded and stopped at the threshold of the door for a brief moment. You knew that she did not want to leave you alone, but she would be unable to convince you. You were going to stick around until he came home. 

Time seemingly passed as the tea in the teapot turned cold. You had barely touched the tea in the cup that Adelinde had served a while ago. The moon seemed to be moving down more and more. The exhaustion of not having slept yet was getting to you. You’d put your head down on the desk to rest your eyes a bit when you heard the door opening once more. You looked up and half-expected it to be Adelinde, but you felt your heart stop when you saw it was Diluc. You remained quiet as he entered and dropped his sword on the ground. 

Your husband looked at you in surprise and said, “(Y/N)?” You noticed that he looked extremely tired. His outfit seemed to be in disarray. The coat was dirtied with mud and you could only wonder if the red stains on his white shirt were his or the monsters that he had killed. His hair was disheveled. While you were concerned about his well-being, you had come too far to not confront him. “What are you doing up?” 

“Waiting for you,” you said. “How’s the Darknight Hero doing?” You dropped the handkerchief onto the desk and you watched how your husband reacted. Immediate recognition of the handkerchief lit up on his face. He looked at you with a frown.  

“(Y/N), it’s late. Why don’t we talk tomorrow?” Exhaustion weighed on his voice. It was your turn to frown. 

“No,” you said softly, “I want answers, Diluc.” You had spent so much of the day going over many things in an endless loop. You wanted to know everything. His shoulders dropped and you bit your lip. You had no desire to argue with him. You just wanted to know. You stood up and moved around the desk to be standing in front of Diluc. “Are you the Darknight Hero?” 

Your heart beat loudly as you waited for an answer. Then, “Yes.” The simple response was all that you needed to fully accept it. You closed your eyes and sighed deeply. You looked at Diluc. 

“Why didn’t you tell me, Diluc?” you asked. “Do you not trust me?” Your voice cracked with the last question. It’d been the one thing that your mind had been circling back to the entire day. Lumine and Paimon knew that he was the Darknight Hero. Kaeya had figured it out. How many more people knew this information? How come he hadn’t told you?

Diluc gripped your hands, a surprising move, and said, “(Y/N), I do trust you. But I don’t want you caught up in all of this. I don’t want to cause harm to you. I…” He did not finish his sentence. You remained quiet. While you knew that he had good intentions, you hated that he had hidden a lot from you. You let go of one of his hands and placed your hand on his cheek. 

“Diluc,” you said, “Isn’t it more dangerous for me to not be aware of what you are? Knowing all of this now, I can be more alert about everything. As much as I appreciate it, I would like to know who my beloved husband’s enemies are. What if you’re seriously hurt and we don’t know where you went? You can’t just rely on yourself, you fool! Look at you right now! Ready to keel over. Were you going to try and wrap up any wounds on your own?” You pointed to the darkening red stain on his white shirt. He looked down at it. You also noticed that he had gotten paler than when he came in.

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“I don’t think that it was okay to hide this from you, Diluc. But….I understand why you did. Just..just tell me the next time that you head out to do whatever the Darknight Hero does. It’d be better to know than to be left in the dark. If anything happened to you…” You trailed off. The idea of anything bad happening to him made you greatly upset. 

“I will,” he said. Suddenly, he seemed to lose his energy as he fell forward and into your arms. You panicked a little, but calmed down when you felt him gripping your waist gently. He was still conscious.

“Diluc, let’s sit you down. I’ll get some bandages and work on your wounds, okay?” you said as you sat him down. You were aware that he had some first aid in his office and looked around through one of the drawers and pulled out the bag. You hurried over to him and started to help him out of his coat and his shirt. You pulled out the cotton pads and poured out the wound cleaner. You kneeled to work on his wound.

“I’m sorry for causing you distress,” he whispered. You didn’t stop wiping away at the blood that came out. Your thoughts kept swirling around as you worked. Your concern for him being the Darknight Hero was well-warranted, it seemed. Your mixed feelings had mostly disappeared because he had admitted who he was. Your worry had only gotten worse as you worked on stopping the bleeding.

“I love you, you know? Of course I’d be worried about what you’re doing when you’re avoiding me! I’m just happy to have been able to catch you tonight. How would you have dealt with this?” you said. You pressed the cotton pad and breathed a sigh of relief when the bleeding stopped. 

“I love you too,” he said. You smiled softly and pulled out the bandages to wrap them around him. His hand held onto your shoulder as you worked. Though he did not speak, he did wince at times as you wound up the cloth. You finished wrapping up the bandages, stood up, and kissed Diluc’s forehead. 

“Now, how about we go to bed? You need rest.” 

[ellitx]

Chapter 13: Fidelity

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

previous || next

art belongs to _suucrose

word count: 2.9k

           In sun and clouds, the church spire reached into that every stretching blue. It was as if it spoke of the love of the community towards their god, that it too lasted in any weather and called on them to join and put their faith in him.

           When Aether and Paimon walked along the nave, the church choir was different compared to the other choirs that didn’t sing hymns. Their voice was almost like angels, high notes soaring over the clouds, graceful notes dancing on the staves, and they sang for the Anemo Archon only.

           The two waited to finish their practice before looking for a certain deaconess that might help them gather more information they needed. It wasn’t long before Barbara noticed them and approached the two with a welcoming smile.

           “Hello, Honorary Knight. What brings you here today?” 

           Paimon flew over her and leaned closer for a much better closeness to ask. 

           “We would like to ask you something about Barbatos!” She exclaimed fervently whilst she placed her small arms in front of her chest. A bright smile was then donned on the deaconess’s face, her blue eyes sparkling in delight at her words.

           “Oh! Are you two perhaps interested in serving Mondstadt’s very own Anemo archon as well?” Her tone had an obvious enthusiasm in it. Aether already felt bad that’s not what they were here for, and be that as it may, he still has to prioritize in searching for his lost sibling.

           “That’s not the case. We wanted to ask if by any chance the Anemo archon has a lover.”

           Barbara’s small pink lips parted trying to utter a single word however a short chuckle was what came from her mouth. It surprised them and was confused if they said something odd. Her delicate hands were now placed on her mouth to stifle her laughs, apologizing in between them, as small tears form from the corner of her eyes.

           “Sorry for suddenly laughing. I wasn’t expecting that’ll be your question. But to answer that, there are no stories or mentions if Barbatos had a lover or not in the past. If he did, it would’ve already been written in the books and be sung by the bards everywhere. You celebrated the Windblume Festival, right?" 

        The two gestured their heads as a yes. "Since you already know it's a festival about love and freedom, wouldn't the Windblume Festival be celebrated for both of them instead of Barbatos only? But just as I have said before, there were no tales about the God of Freedom having a lover.”

           Something clicked inside his head though it didn’t last for long as it suddenly fades away like a speckle of dust. 

           “That’s true…” He turned to look at Paimon who was all troubled and disturbed.

           He continued to listen further if there’ll be more clues but it seems like that’s the only information he’ll get for now. His companion looked at him then held her aching head to alleviate the small ringing echoing in her ears.

           “Paimon’s running out of brain juice and my head is hurting the more Paimon thinks about this…” The throbbing in her head told her it was time to rest someplace quiet, to ride out the pile of confusion within her brain.

           Aether nodded and massaged his forehead in hopes to ease the pain. Why does he suddenly feel so lightheaded? He shook his head and pushed himself forward to carry out his plan on giving the pendant back to you. Words of gratitude were what Barbara received from the blonde and she waved them a goodbye to continue her choir practice with the other members of the Favonius Church.

           “Are we going back to the lair?” Paimon asked. Aether hummed in affirmation as they stepped outside of the parish. The harsh sunlight caused him to squint his eyes and cover his face with his arm. Was it always this hot for this season? The sudden change of the climate made him so lightheaded than ever. 

           Paimon detected how pale he looks as if he’d been painted with white-wash— even his lips were barely there. It was as if his heart had suddenly stopped beating and all the blood had run down into his boots. He swayed just for a moment, then with one step backward, he crumpled like a puppet suddenly released of their strings.

—

  Birds trill, sweetly high, the chorus as playful as the birds themselves. With closed eyes, Venti imagined their music to color, painting stairs in the same way grapevines grow - this way and that, in a beautiful harmony that isn't quite random. 

           Along with your soft humming, it made the ambiance much more relaxing and calm for him. In the calm of the day, his heartbeat is the steady drum to your melody and he seeps into the moment, allowing himself to drown in your beautiful voice.

           You rubbed the petals of the red flower between your fingers, watching your skin take on the sunny hue. Venti had spent the entire afternoon lying down on your lap and listening to your canorous tunes that made him forget about everything— as if you two were the only ones in this world with no one to intervene in such a peaceful moment he has with you.

           You watched the petal rotate and awed in admiration as a flower’s petal is able to spin like wind wheels. 

           “Hey, Venti,” You called out to him and peered down to peek at his sleeping face. Your lover hummed in drowsiness before opening one of his eyes to look at you. Dragging the flower close to him, he shifted to get a proper look at what you’re holding.

           “What flower is this?”

           You’ve always been a curious one. Even before you were in a coma. It’s like you have a passion in you to know every single thing about this world. From small creatures to rare species of beings in the wildlife, anything that catches your interest and you're eager to know more about it.

           Your drive to find answers is one of your unique traits he’s grown to love the more he’s with you. You create yourself in that fire of ongoing need that focuses everything that you are. And you do it because it feels as if the finding of the answer is your personal mission, your reason for being, your way of belonging and giving.

           It came to him if your curiosity will cross the line. Will it come to you that he’s been hiding his identity from you? Or will you still continue to live life with him in pure denseness? Either way, if you managed to find out he’ll find a way to have you forget what you witness. 

           For now, he has to be cautious and prevent you from exploring the outside world. Especially if that traveler is around in his land. It’s no good if you meet him. With the help of the humming winds to let him know what’s happening, it occurred to him that he has to just patiently wait and prevent you and Aether from crossing paths.

           Venti held your soft hands in his palms and took the flower from you. A small and gentle smile appeared on his face as he leaned forward and pressed his temple against yours, placing the plant close to your chest.

           “It’s Windwheel Asters.” He answered and observed how your eyes sparkled in joy when you watched the petals continue to spin.

           “I haven’t seen these before.” 

           Venti lightly chuckled and placed the flower between your hands as he returned to resting himself against you, but this time his head was now on your shoulder. “Windwheel Asters cannot grow in places with no wind nor plagued by strong storms, only where the wind is gentle and nourishing.” 

           “Really?” You laid your head against his and fiddled with the stem. If these floras are really unable to grow in harsh winds, then it means Old Mondstadt’s storms have truly vanished without any traces left. 

           Peace and harmony at last. 

           Freedom is finally with you.

           You lifted your hand up against the sunlight and marvel at how simple it is. It may not look as fancy as the cecilias nor does it resemble feathered wings of a dandelion when blown away, but you found yourself liking this more than what Venti had given you.

           It’s not like you don’t appreciate his efforts for collecting every cecilias and dandelions in this region to create a wonderful garden for your eyes to fancy with, you still are grateful for it though you do wonder why did he not include these asters in the collection?

           “I kind of like this. It reminds me of you.”

           Now that made him fully awake.

           “Me?”

           The color-infused cheeks dimpled with the blossoming smile, your eyes shone in a way that only deep happiness can bring. It was the blush of roses, that peek of champagne pink. Nodding your head to him, you brought the flower close to your face to cover your flushing features.

           “You were always fighting for freedom. If it weren’t for you, we won’t be able to see the skies and birds you’ve always wished for. I really admire your perseverance and passion to fight against my father to have the city liberated from his hands. Thank you. Thank you for revolting against him. Thank you for giving everyone freedom they’ve longed for.”

           You suddenly felt your throat tightened and your breath hitching every now and then. With your shoulders shaking and chin trembling, you fear he might see you in such a vulnerable state. You lowered your head even more and let your hair cover your face. Even if you hide it from him, Venti can still see small drops of liquid falling from you until it turns into a small puddle on the back of your hand.

           “[Name]…?”

           “Even though I’m Decarabian’s daughter, you never looked or treated me differently. Even after the war has ended, you never leave me. And now father, mother, and the knight… they’re all gone and y-you survived. You still stayed with me until I woke up…  I… I was so scared that once I awoke, I won’t be able to see you.”

           You were wiping your cheeks every few seconds and gulping down the lump sitting on your throat. Sniffling quietly, the tears still threatened to spill from your eyes. Your lover gently clutched your hand and used his other hand to lift your chin up to look at him.

           Your eyes were red and swollen. It shatters his heart seeing you like this as your tears split over and flowed down your face like a river escaping a dam. Using his finger to dry your damp face, he brushed his lips on your temple and laced your fingers together.

           “I should be the one thanking you.” He muttered and brought your intertwined fingers up to his lips to kiss the back of your hand. “Without your support, I don’t know how things would end up. If he— if I hadn’t saved you back then, you’d be locked up in that tower. Things would go differently, wouldn’t they? I can’t bring myself the idea of leaving you there when they were chasing after you.”

           He pushed you until your back was leaning against the rough trunk of the tree. His other arm was propped beside your face before he rested his head on your shoulder and nuzzled closely.

           “Thank you. Thank you for always being here with me.” Even though his voice was muffled, you can hear him loud and clear through your teary state. A shaky smile came from you as you caressed his hair lovingly before leaning forward and wrapping your arms around him.

           “I love you. I love you so much, Venti.”

           He has lived long enough to know that what you share he can’t replicate it with another. This love, this feeling, is just you and him. He could travel the world and the seven regions to create new ballads; he’d still come right back at you if he wanted true love. 

           He has protected you for years, he’s your confidant, a true friend, and even a lover. The trust he gave you, you gave him, is what keeps both of you safe in this world, in this life. So whether his heart beats another day or another hundred years— it’s always yours.

           Meeting Venti was more of a coincidence than a fate. Yet it was the first time in your life you felt like you could be yourself around him. Memories of meeting him have become the same as the dream you play time and time again. You felt good with him in a way you haven’t been before or since.

           Hearing those three eternal words from you is surreal for him. His heart would beat madly and his stomach churn in such a way excitement and happiness is filling his entire system. He wants to hear from you again.

           Just once more so he can finally have you all to himself.

           His chest was burning hot and so was his heart that rapidly beats in great euphoria. He can sense your emotions when you cry but this feeling… it’s much more different than he had felt before. A burning desire. He’s so smitten of your entire existence. All words coming from you were all his, he grasps each phrase and corresponds with his own loving and affectionate words.

           He was brought out from his trance when he felt how warm his palm is, and it’s when he became aware his hand was now placed on your cheek just like how he brings your hand to cup his face. 

           Venti felt his face heat up at such a simple gesture and when you give a short and quick chaste kiss on his lips, he recognized the first brightest and sweet smile for this day was painted on your graceful visage.

           “I love you.”

           His wish was heard when you repeated your confession at him. Is it finally working? Were his efforts finally paid off? Before Ludi Harpastum was the Windblume, a festival where they offer windblumes to their loved ones and to the Anemo Archon. Every year, every time Mondstadt celebrates Windblume, his first priority is to give you cecilias.

           He collected them for you every year. He tends them very well until they bloom— until your eyes opened. For him, windblumes are the cecilias. A symbol of elegance, purity, and just as ethereal as your gentle heart. It may be different from what that really means as interpreted by the people of Mond, but for Venti, he feels freedom when he’s with you, he feels loved when he’s with you and it’s the reason why he gathered so many flowers for you while you were asleep.

           The arrangement given to him by the former Dendro Archon— she proposed the idea to him to gather flowers for you every time they feast Windblume. He can still clearly remember her words, her voice echoing in his head saying that even she may part from this world. 

           Her predictions for her own life were accurate. As if she already expected this to happen to her and that’s why she’s planning ahead to list all the preconditions to him to keep you safe and harmless. Barbatos can’t keep relying on her on everything and that is why he put a lot of effort into maintaining the garden.

           Yesterday night was the time of the ceremony. Venti prepped everything to make it perfect, he wanted it to be successful. A mimic of a dance he once saw when he and you were together ages ago, it was a secret you both hid but he knows this. Barbatos knows what happened during that time and pretended as if he weren't there.

           But now that he was able to dance it with you, one would call him shameless for stealing you from him. The heavy weight on his shoulder was now lifted away, finally free from the guilt he’s been feeling for centuries. His inner battle with himself is fully resolved, inner conflicts vanished, a conflict between his love and longing for you.

           Your words eased Venti and made him assured you love him back as well. If you haven’t said a single word about your own feelings, he’d be living in an illusory fantasy that you were only shy to tell him you love him very much. But ever since the bond has been created, all he hears is I love you’s from you for his ears to delight in.

           “I love you,”

           You repeated once, a faint brush of your lips against his made him shudder. Soft, gentle, and shy just like your personality. Twice when you parted away, grasping how he tastes like apples before meekly leaning on him once more for a kiss but with more vigor. Your hand clutched the front of his shirt when you felt him hold you the small of your waist to pull you against him.

           “I love you.”

           Thrice was words of tenderness and desire from you to him. At that moment, you felt your body flushed warm. This was a person you wanted to be with than you’d ever felt before. 

           Venti has always been the one you could love forever.

@trust-the-oxygen​