#puppetgear

[coconigiri]

puppetgear 𓂃 niko ෆ wanderer

the terrace surrounding the sanctuary of surasthana sits at the highest point of sumeru city, nestled safely within a dense thicket of adhigama trees. it’s more often than not that NIKO [wheelchair-bound, enigmatic, twilight-born] finds himself seeking moments of reprieve up here on his own — solitude from this racing world and a heart full of hectic melancholy. tonight, though, new year’s eve; nearing the date of his birth, niko is not alone beneath the moon pallor. he entertains the company of WANDERER [eternal, sharp-tongued, fragile], his lover of few months, and former rival of many more. 

the two sit by the terrace’s edge, sharing in the silence between them that has grown out of being tense and into something more warm… but still, a bit stiff. they watch the stars twinkle down at them as if to tease and poke at the rope of awkwardness pulled taut between them, they watch the passersby on streets below squealing and laughing and rushing to get a good view of new years fireworks, they watch each other out of their periphery: 

niko nervously adjusting his gloves and twisting at the knobs of his meka leg, fumbling around with too much energy and nowhere to put it. 

wanderer and his pose so casual, aloof, resting his chin upon his palm and heaving a sigh, as if this is the last place he wants to be. at least, this is what he tries to convince himself of. tries, and utterly fails.

NIKO: [faintly, breaking the ice] thank you… for being here with me. for my birthday… and for new year’s eve. it’s, um… nice.

wanderer pinches his brows in annoyance, but it is rather a pretence for how endearing he finds niko like this. nervous and anxious. to trust wanderer enough to be all soul and vulnerability in front of him.

WANDERER: nice? [biting his tongue, exhaling forcefully through his nose, keeping to his resolution of trying to avoid mincing his words around niko] sure, it’s nothing.

niko doubles down and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. he too bites his tongue, uncharacteristic as he swallows down the crass names he’s used to addressing his former rival by.

NIKO: i just, well… i mean it’s nice being here… with you… like, you’re nice…

wanderer spares niko a quick glance, caught off guard by the sincerity of his response. for but a moment, his eyes soften, his heart aches, but he is quick to mask it with his usual bravado.

WANDERER: you already said nice two times. no wonder you’re not in the haravatat darshan.

silence settles between them again, a fragile kind of silence full of unspoken desires. niko swallows hard, and turns his wheelchair to face wanderer. he inhales deeply, flexing his fingers along his armrest, his pulse rushing to his head and dizzying him.

NIKO: [steeling himself] okay. wanderer?

WANDERER: [skeptical] what is it now?

NIKO: [continuing, struggling for words and breath] i… can i—

WANDERER: what — you’re gonna confess your undying love for me again or something?

niko sputters upon hearing wanderer’s teasing words, sounding out a garbled, confused whimper in response. he can wade in grief, he’s used to pools of it, but this… love… it’s almost unbearable, even after months of it with wanderer. he thinks it’s something he’ll never fully get used to.

NIKO: [grimacing to mask his embarrassment] ew, no! i, um… [exhaling softly, voice turning gentle] it’s just…

the look he gives wanderer is almost pained — brows knit, and stars melted in his eyes. longing and yearning that cuts wanderer deep, through centuries past. it’s a silent plea of sorts, he can tell. niko’s bad head with wanderer’s bad heart. together, though, they have something worthwhile. something worth saving.

WANDERER: [growing flustered under niko’s soft gaze] c-cut it out. don’t look at me like that, it’s weird.

NIKO: [quickly, in a single breath] have you… have you had your first kiss yet?

wanderer blinks, eyes blown wide in confusion. he opens his mouth to speak, but the words get lost somewhere between his heart and his lips for a brief moment. WANDERER: [mumbling almost bashfully] even if i did, it’s none of your business.

the words fly through one of niko’s ears and right out the other as he braces himself for what he’s worked up the courage for for months — turning his head from wanderer ever so slightly, and reaching a trembling hand out to hold his slightly larger one in his grasp. niko thumbs at wanderer’s puppet joints, a habit the latter had come to notice as something the former does when afraid.

NIKO: [straining, voice shaky with anxious jitters] can— may i kiss you?

WANDERER: [gritting his teeth and fisting his free hand in an attempt to soothe the fast quiver of his heart] how are you planning on kissing me if you’re facing the other way? dumbass.

NIKO: [reflexively] i-i’m not the dumbass, you are!

wanderer watches with amusement at niko’s weak outburst — the slight pout of his lips, the glaze in his eyes that almost makes him look like he’s tearing up, the sweaty feel of his palm beneath his own.

niko squeezes his eyes shut impossibly tight and leans forward, slowly, tentatively, his other hand gripping the edge of his wheelchair for leverage. each centimetre feels like a kilometre, and if he thinks too hard about it, he’s almost certain his lungs will give out on him. he folds his fear into a perfect flower and presents it freely to wanderer — in the palm of his hand, the purse of his lips as he leans closer, closer. wanderer watches niko, his characteristic sharpness softening into something unreadable. his hold on niko’s hand tightens even without him realising it.

WANDERER: for archon’s sake. [muttering to himself beneath his breath] you’re seriously going to make me wait all night?

before niko has the chance to open his eyes and retreat back into his shell, wanderer leans forward with no hesitancy, closing the gap between them. his hand is gentle as it cradles niko’s cheek, and the latter finds himself giving his heart in soft surrender at the loving gesture.

it begins as a slow kiss, full of unspoken promises and apologies between two individuals of love and slaughter. It feels to wanderer almost as if niko is pouring himself into him when he begins to grow a bit desperate, softly moaning and getting greedy with his lips, and in this moment, he makes sure that he will never let a drop of him hit the ground.

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK AND NIKO !! thank you for giving a certain 🍙 nonnie permission to write ppgear’s first kiss heh .. :’’ @puppetgearing i hope this was okay and the details are correct 🥺 i took some liberties with the setting and making their first kiss on niko’s birthday, but if you wanted me to switch things around to make it more lore accurate i’d be moooore than excited to do so !!! this is only a piece of the revenge for that pfp you so graciously gifted me ): more coming your way !! i heart you !!! happy birthday & a happy new year to youuu !! 🎉✨💝🎂

[humblebeeowo]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @puppetgearing! I hope its a absolutely wonderful birthday and full of love and wonder! Mwah mwah!

He shuddered in place, being the first to stop in his tracks after the mission they’d just been on. A weird feeling flooded over him.

He had been careless. Of all the damn times to get hurt, it had been with him of all people.

His wheelchair moved forward slightly as Wanderer had stopped to look at him. “Problem? We don’t have the time to stop as Im sure you’re aware.” He said in a very condescending tone. His normal self, honestly. Niko had gotten distracted by the same man before. And a bullet grazed him, making him bleed. And he’d covered it up, thinking it a lesser offense than what it was. That man’s laughter… How stupid of him to have lost himself to that., Niko thought.

Niko’s eyes narrowed and he was about to retort when he hit a rock with his chair and his vision blurred. His head buzzed with a deep ringing as he suddenly slumped forward, and his world went dark. He could hear muffled, screaming, crying out his name.

As Niko suddenly slumped forward, Wanderer’s first thought was that of course he was just messing with him. But when he didn’t immediately sit back up, his eyes grew wide in horror. “HEY! Don’t mess with me! What the hell are you doing? Oi! Niko! Can’t you hear me? I said get up! Damnit!”

As Niko’s world grew dark, he could feel arms around him, lifting him from the chair, and wind beneath him.

Wanderer could feel the blood soaking through to his own shirt, and panic threatened to steal him. But he remained as calm as his mind allowed and flew to the closest person he knew could help. Nahida.

He could hear her gasp as he entered the room. “Oh dear. Put him down here."She gestured to a couch nearby. " And please, tell me what happened. How did this happen?”

Wanderer looked lost as he sat Niko down. His thoughts were a cluster. He didn't hear Nahida's words.

“ Is he going to be Okay? Is he gonna die? Is it gonna be my fault?” the words fell from his lips like vomit.

Nahida looked up at him as she worked over Niko's body, having already removed his top half of clothing to better see his wound.

Wanderer stared down at Niko's body, his eyes caught on the wound.

And he realized then that he was shaking slightly. And anger replaced his worry. “You don’t get to die now, idiot. Not from a bullet!!! Not before I tell you-“ He trailed off, and growled as Nahida looked up at him.

“No... He won't die. It luckily isn’t a deep wound. He has lost a lot of blood, but he will be fine. I’m contacting Tighnari now. You don’t have to worry, he will be Okay. But I think you also should get seen. This was a traumatic experience.” She looked at him with gentle eyes and he grimaced at her worry.

“Fine. I’ll talk to someone later. But not now. I wanna be here…. I just don’t wanna walk away from him...” He’s important to me. I love him. Scattered and unsaid words. But he wouldn’t say them. Not now. Maybe one day. But today, he would just sit silently and watch over him. Just for today, he would care. Just… for today.

[scarameownya]

sometimes...

i just miss you

divider by cafekitsune ♡

[unriding]

hi evie !! how have you been ? :33 i hope you dont mind me borrowing you and moze for something ehehe <3

[unridings]

˶˙ᵕ˙ )ﾉﾞevie’s little side blog ; intended to house fic recs as well as act as my own personal writing archive. miscellaneous + art reblogs may pop up sometimes too . . !! please tag this url for your writing ❤︎ my main blog — interactions and follows will be from @unriding (๑⃙⃘´༥`๑⃙⃘)

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[hanaeriin]

✦₊ HANAE ノ twenty-two ,, asian ,, she/her ,, haruka's hanii ,, reno's bride ,, kinich's dove & dan heng's wife ♡. sporadic updates ,, selfship friendly ,, certified yapper ,, multifandom + sfw & dc friendly — wind breaker centric ,, occasionally write for others﹕» request : open. ageless & blank blogs will be blocked.

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[cubtales]

𑄼ల۫    𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐗𝐈 — tales of a starchased love ⊹ ₊

their tunes. their tales. them. ❤︎

the lady and her knight. slowburn. soulmates. love letters. fell first, fell harder. "if it's you it's okay." silent promises. more than just "partners". long hugs. forgotten kisses... est. december 12, 2023.

𝒞herised tales : 𝐈 .. 𝐈𝐈 .. 𝐈𝐈𝐈 .. 𝐈𝐕

𓈒 ୭ৎ ۪ ݁ "you know, i think . . love is overshadowed in it's own category . . it's often tossed away to the ground as a weakness or famed proudly as someone's strength." she murmured, her nimble fingers working their way through the dark crimson locks of her lover. he who soon responded with a solemn but sleepy hum of acknowledgment as he rested beneath her heart, his fingers tapping along to the beats of it's lullaby. another day had begun for the lady and her knight, and they had planned to spend it in the arms of one another. even if the morning sun was peeking through their ivory curtains like a mischievous kitty, ready to coax their owners out of their adobe.

after a small break of admiring and cooing at her rose's breathtaking appearance, she continued. "it really makes the soul wonder, which side should they choose? will they drown in the sea that society has named 'enamoration' ? or will they stay in the dull sand of it's beach from afar? admiring but only dipping their toes in the feeling we call love?" his star pondered outloud, the question she had proposed sounding like gibberish in her own ears. soon, the little lady's movements paused, causing the knight to slowly perk up in a manner similar to a puppy, taking her slight hesitation as a cue. ".. i reckon everyone happens to drown in that sea at some point of their lives,, that is until they allow the waves to crash them on shore.." he offered, green eyes cracking open to watch her pondering face, his hand caressing her cheek with the gentleness of a fawn. the knight's tired gaze softening to something sweeter the moment she nuzzled into his touch.

"how about you? .. would you let them?" his briar rose murmured. "never." her cathedral rose stated, lifting her palm and pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles.

"infact, i fear i've sunken far too deep."

[vxnus-seraph]

STARS ALIGN — weekly selfship appreciation post ! ✦︎ a self ship service featuring a random id registered under us every monday, making them the star of the week! if you wish to be featured, register today!

🏻 the stars of teyvat have aligned to shower light on @puppetgearing!

. . . AIR THICK WITH INCENSE REMINISCENT OF JASMINES AND ROSES, heat comes in sweltering waves of varying frequencies; easier under the moon's watch at night, but taking on a vibrant and dangerous intensity by morning. it reached its peak along with the sun, becoming almost health-threatening by twelve in the afternoon.

at this hour of the day, the bazaar seemed more a mourning ground than its usual lively self. even nilou and sethos, who were known for their bubbly natures and notable presence in the bazaar's lively atmosphere, contributing well to its charm, turned towards the coolness of their homes at these hours; choosing instead not to challenge the elements and seek polite respite from the summer heat.

it is not very surprising, thus, when nahida desires to refresh herself with perhaps coconut water, cucumber or even a fresh fruit but it is certainly surprising when wanderer himself chooses to 'execute the task' as he prefers calling it, repeatedly citing his promise to serve the dendro archon; highlighting his purpose in this new life, and entirely refusing to accept it as anything else at all, especially not care for the goddess.

it is also not very surprising when a foreigner, quick-eyed, with a robotic contraption by his side, irascible by nature and intensely troubled by the extreme heat passes through the bazaar in the desolate atmosphere, with nothing to entertain the eyes except for the architecture, a few vegetable and fruit vendors and the calls of toy-sellers with their vibrant flutes and balloons.

'sire, you look troubled! why not buy a coconut to relieve your thirst?'

niko's eyes still on the vendor, scanning the coconuts lined neatly on his cart before his companion spoke. 'indeed you must niko! they look rather refreshing. sumeruans love these in the summers!'

if niko noticed the way his robotic companion's voice cracked suggesting malfunction, he chose to ignore it for the sake of his own sanity, not finding any motivation to gather the energy to check what was up.

💐which was a mistake, by the way. wanderer, from the background: stop foreshadowing! 💐🍒🌟 (collectively): 🤨😒 ( s i m p )

at the suggestion, niko moves towards the cart, beginning a bargain with the vendor.

'it should be 50 mora, at most. 100 is too much!'

'nothing is too much for a refreshing drink in the summer!'

'100 mora is. and whether or not it is refreshing is up to me—'

another vendor chimed in from the side- 'oh ho! why not calculate the cost using the weight of the coconut—?'

and then niko fought, and the coconut vendor fought, and the fruit vendor chimed in; and both niko and the man decided that the fruit vendor was too much, and both thought collectively: 'holy lord, if this man says another word i'm going to throw the balance into his face.'

but both missed the loud robotic chiming over their collective shouting, aggressive bargaining and glares. eventually the chimes became louder, slowly taking on an aggressive beep and—

'mister can you please stop that thing—'

and for various reasons all at once, perhaps the heat, the foreign sounding 'mister' which meant the vendor was treating him as a careless foreigner, and his referring to his companion as a 'thing', niko suddenly exploded, pointing an accusative finger—

'why mister, so you think i am but a mere fool from outlands but i must remind you that i, nikolas dumont, am—'

bang!

a loud crash followed, drowning wanderer with smoke leaving him hanging in the middle of the air as he glared—with whatever little remained in his sight after the robot covered his face, anyway—at niko, gaze unamused and carrying patronization.

'i realize that it was a great mistake from my side to not have installed heat-resistant software to my companion, archon of dendro but i greatly regret—'

nahida's voice carried both worry and comfort, coming gently yet with an air of worry. 'it's alright niko, mistakes happen you could not have known. i'm sure wanderer has forgiven you as well, haven't you wan—'

both turn towards him, wanderer retaining his aura and glaring harshly at niko, appearing more like an injured cat than 'menacing' in any way. nahida smiled awkwardly, 'of course, it'll take some time but i'm sure he'll come around...'

but under the shade, dying sunlight filtering through the window as it illuminated both of their features with a warm glow, they wonder with yearning if the other was truly as luminous as they appeared, or if it was simply a trick of the dying sun and of the sweltering heat messing up their minds.

[z3vie]

evie. twenty. capricorn. this is just a side under an entirely separate main ( meaning it is not connected to my main : unriding ), and is intended to only be a place to host events & such !!

you do not have to follow since i will be logged out after posting. i will be over at @unriding until the next event (•̀ᴗ•́ )و

most recent event here — COMPLETED JANUARY 9

[scarameownya]

theyre gonna be turn into plush and once they arrived ill go through the most insane posting ever to known to man

[wriokitty]

OMG I HOPE U DONT MIND IF I SEND U ONE--

ok so my selfship's first meeting is funny (at least to me)

niko moved to sumeru cause he wanted to study at the akademiya, he was walking around the market and is dying of the heat, mekal (his robot partner) who is currently in his hat mode malfunctioned due to low heat resistant since niko didnt calculated how bad the heat was, thought that wanderer's flying around was an incoming elemental attack and opted to jump straight onto wanderer's face

niko tried to apologise to him but wanderer made a off handed threat about destroying mekal and niko got so mad they ended up having a verbal fight in the middle of the market 💀

He sees it in slow motion—Mekal flies before he can stop him, slamming straight into the stranger’s face. There’s a loud, wince-inducing thud before everything goes silent.

Mekal, like it feels the mistake its made, slowly floats back to his side as Niko stands, watching the stranger blink and gather himself.

“I’m really sorry about that—”

“What a worthless creation,” scoffs the person, adjusting his large, and rather unique hat as he scowls. “Better off being destroyed if it can’t even function floating properly.”

“Huh?” He thinks, if double takes were an art, Niko could claim himself an expert with the way his head almost gets whiplash from the way it snaps. “What did you just say?”

“Is your hearing as bad as that thing’s sense of direction?”

“Thing? This is Mekal and Mekal took me a long time to develop and get properly functioning—”

“Well, maybe you should’ve spent longer. Because clearly, your development has some flaws—”

“Flaws?” He scoffs, lips curling into a deep, tightly pulled frown at the audacity. What an insufferable and painfully unpleasant individual. “I don’t make flaws, I simply underestimated the heat in Sumeru—”

“Well,” the stranger with a horribly hideous hat spits, “get used to this heat because anymore run ins with that thing in and my face, and it’ll run into something much rougher.”

Niko glares. With a huff, he turns, looking over his shoulder as he hisses, “oh don’t you worry. You will not be seeing this thing ever again.”

lol little does he knowwwww HAHA

[q-library]

LIBRARY

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— IT WAS LOVE

18+, MDNI

will contain nsfw and dark content - likely will not be tagged (but always feel free to ask me to tag certain content and i’ll do my best!)

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meguru bachira / rin itoshi / sae itoshi / yoichi isagi

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GENSHIN IMPACT

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dabi + touya todoroki / hawks + keigo takami / katsuki bakugo

WINDBREAKER

hajime umemiya / haruka sakura / jo togame

[sweetlikekou]

HES STILL GOING YOUR HONOR I REPEAT HE IS STILL GOING

[cubtales]

XIXI BELOVED !!!!! im so so glad youre here again :[[[[ i was so sad when i couldnt find argenti's lovely rose, im so glad you're back 🥺🥺

NICKKK ! ! ( ๑o̴̶̷᷄﹏o̴̶̷̥᷅๑)ノ" banging my head against a wall bcs how could i make you sad ? ! this is a crime equivalent to treason.. hand cuff me. (ᵒ̴̶̷̥́-ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀)

[vxnus-seraph]

PUPPETGEAR — wanderer x niko !

wanderer : stubborn, headstrong, and proud, the wanderer would tell you he never puts time into things he doesn't care about. but, when asked why he spends so much time with niko, his bristling gives him away. surely, it's reasonable to assess your rivals, isn't it?

niko // @puppetgearing : native to fontaine, niko first comes upon the wanderer amidst sumeru's oppressive heat when his robot companion's malfunction leads to a fight in the market. from that moment on, no matter how they may deny it, it's clear that there's more to their relationship than meets the eye.

💬 about the ship

tropes: rivals to friends to lovers, tsundere x tsundere, trauma bonding, slow burn

aesthetics: steampunk, clockwork, shadows (greens, browns, blacks), conflict and vulnerability (poetry, puzzles, etc.)

ship status: main ship

💿 voicelines ↷ [ about : the person closest to their heart ]

wanderer : niko? what introduction does the strangest yet best twist in your life need? i.. usually avoid such verbal openness, but had niko not been there, i wonder what ruin i must have led myself into.

niko : oh! well he's as brooding as he is mischievous, and even when he's not in the mood to play around, the tension between us is enough to create sparks. while i am extremely fond of him, i certainly wonder what i look like from his eyes.

[silentgravesdontexist]

HAPPY MONDAY, FOLKS!!!

'Ya girl's slightly hyped up more than usual today 'cuz my 7AM class was just cancelled! Horray for that! Well...I probably still have a quiz tomorrow on that subject but that'll be tomorrow's problem.

Anywho~

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. May it have been what you needed— a relaxing/thrilling/fun or perhaps all of the above! It's kinda unfortunate that the weekend has come to an end, but on the bright side, it's another new week with your loved ones.

Please do stay hydrated, eat your meals (including the veggies), get proper sleep, and don't forget to be kind and patient with yourself.

Have a good week, everyone! Mwah!