#rhinedottir x you

[mothergold]

How about Rhinedottir?

| At Dawn |

Pairing: Rhinedottir x Reader

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Only one bed trope, Reader has a vagina, Reader goes by no pronouns, Rhine goes by She/Her pronouns, Fingering, Foreplay, Reader is centuries old, Implied Mutual Pining, 1.6k words. 

Prompt: “Quit acting like I have the plague.”

A/n: Mootie... the way i nearly screamed when I saw this ask. /pos

It took some time to find a place to stay for the night, but thankfully you did find a room in a nearby inn. Rhine promptly paid for the room and the both of you moved upstairs where your room was located. Upon opening the door you and Rhinedottir immediately shed your clothing and other belongings. You were half naked and standing off at a random corner of the room as you watched how Rhine stripped herself, removing the various bags and weapons that rested at her waist. It wasn’t until she was down to her undergarments that she noticed your staring

You couldn’t help but gaze at her body littered with various scars, burns, and blemishes. Her body told a story, and an unpleasant one at that. One that you were fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, had almost always been a part of. It was moments like that in which you really wondered how or why you were necessary to Rhinedottir’s research as well as the seemingly endless adventure the two of you had been on. Thinking back to all those years passed you began to worry that bringing you along might’ve been a mistake. Then again, Rhinedottir never made mistakes. 

“Is something the matter?“ Rhine asked in a rotten tone. 

You looked at her then quickly averted your gaze.

Fuck.

“No, nothing’s wrong. Just.. tired, but-“

“But what?” Rhinedottir interrupted.

You took a deep breath before gesturing to the only bed in the room. “There’s only one bed..” 

Rhine looked at you and then the bed, proceeding to roll her eyes and wave her hands in the air as she groaned. 

“Such a childish thing to worry about.” She mumbled to herself. 

Moving to one side of the bed Rhine pulled back the covers in one swift movement and looked to you as if to signal you to climb in bed, but you just stood there awkwardly, hands clasped in front of you. 

“Quit actin’ like I have the plague.” She snapped.

Rhine gave you a stern look before climbing into bed. You let out a shaky breath as you nervously followed, nearly stumbling over your own two feet. Once you were finally curled up underneath the blankets she put out the lamp on her nightstand, then turned onto her side so that her back faced you. She was right, it was ridiculous to be bothered by something as simple as sleeping in the same bed together. After all, you’d done much worse things than this before.

You tried your best to adjust to the position you were in and get as comfortable as you could, but it was difficult. For every time you moved you could feel Rhine’s cold skin against yours, sending shivers down your spine. Your heart was pounding in your throat and you could feel all the blood in your body travel down to your nether regions. It took everything in you not to whine from the sheer intensity of what you were experiencing. You wanted so badly to pin Rhine down and have your way with her, but you knew how well that would end had you decided to do such a thing. 

It was in that instant that you committed yourself to taking care of your little problem after you were sure she’d fallen asleep. Rhine had never been one to snore or make much noise in her sleep so it would be hard discerning just when she’d truly been sleeping, but it was a risk you were willing to take. 

A couple hours had passed when you finally decided to make your move. First, you looked around cautiously, looking long and hard at Rhine’s form before determining she was indeed sleeping, before slipping your hand carefully past the band of your pants. You let out a quiet sigh as you started rubbing small circles against your swollen bud, your head feeling increasingly hot as every touch prolonged. As you were getting into the groove of things you’d stopped from time to time to make sure she was asleep before continuing. This went on until you were comfortable doing it without having to monitor Rhine’s state every few minutes. 

Everything was going smoothly, too well even, and that suspicion was confirmed upon feeling a hand grab your wrist, and quickly looking up you were met with Rhine’s eyes piercing into yours. Her eyes were filled with the same lust you recognized in your own gaze. She was much more tame and reserved when it came to her carnal desires, or so it seemed, but that did not make things any easier for you. 

“If this was all you wanted then all you had to do was ask.” Rhine said bluntly, totally ignoring how utterly ashamed you felt. 

You tried to reason with her, say something, even push away her heavy hand, but she was stronger than you. She managed to grab both your wrists and pin them above your head as one of her hands traveled past the band of both your pants and underwear, and used two fingers to lightly circle your bud which was aching with desire. You gasped at the feeling of her skin against one of your more sensitive spots, biting your lip to suppress the moans that threatened to escape your throat. 

Rhine removed the hand that held your wrists to grab your face, circling your clit faster. “Relax and quit fighting it.” She paused to kiss you passionately, pulling away just as you were about to kiss her again. “I know you want it.” 

God, you hated how right Rhinedottir was. You had wanted it for a long time. Had it been years? Decades? Centuries? You had lost count a long time ago, but that didn’t make the yearning lessen even a little. Even in your dreams the sight of her caused you to become weak. It was unlike you. You weren’t weak by any means, even Rhine could attest to that, and of all people she would know, but something about Rhine nearly sent you into hysterics each and every day, and that night in bed with her did not help in the least. You knew this meant practically nothing to Rhine, if anything she probably didn’t even bat an eye at your want for her. 

Regardless, you found yourself writhing underneath her, falling for her with every kiss she pressed against your neck. She was alluring and deadly, like a poisonous frog that lured you in with its beautifully bright patterns. Every touch was electric, magnetic. It wasn’t until Rhine pulled your pants off of you completely and slipped two fingers inside of you that you realized just how fucked you were. Her skin was intoxicating already as was, but as you felt her finger you slowly, building up into a quicker pace, you noticed you were experiencing more than just lust. There was passion, loyalty, and then of course obsession.

As Rhine fingered you through your loud whimpers and caressed your warm face you felt yourself start to melt into her touch. How embarrassing it would be to lose yourself in front of the person who’d taught you everything you knew. Would it be another thing for her to teach you? You wondered, but your ponderings were shut out from your mind the minute you felt yourself being stretched out further. She’d added another finger no doubt, and taken total control as she fucked you at a fervent pace. 

“Please.. It’s too much.” You whined, but she ignored you.

Rhine said nothing as she effortlessly curled her fingers inside of you, hooking up into that exact spot, and brought you to your eventual release. Out of instinct you covered your mouth to quiet your voice, but Rhine quickly ripped them from you. 

She looked at you with an intense gaze. “You’ll stop that if you know what’s good for you.” 

It was shameful that those were the words that finally caused you to relax and fully embrace your high. You let out a pathetic whimper as your face twisted in pleasure, your body overwhelmed with pure euphoria. You felt ashamed for moaning in contentment as Rhine fucked your cum back into you with three fingers. She watched with an unreadable expression as your back arched and body shuddered from her touch. After a few lazy pumps inside of you she slowly pulled her fingers out of you and looked at you with a stern expression. 

“Open.” She said, holding up three fingers covered in your cum.

You hesitated for a moment before moving in to wrap your mouth around her fingers. Looking up at her you sucked and swirled your tongue so as to gather up every last drop of your cum, and it was then that you noticed a side to Rhine that you hadn’t seen before. It was brief but you saw how her eye twitched slightly and the way she averted her eyes from yours did not go missed by you. She was embarrassed, and you enjoyed it. You wouldn’t say anything. No, you couldn’t ruin her pride, but it was a fact that you could at least relish with yourself. 

Looking at Rhine you smiled softly, which quickly earned you a roll of her eyes and a groan as she got back underneath the covers. She said nothing, only turning on her side, back to you as she willed herself back to sleep in hopes that a night of rest could help her forget whatever the fuck had just happened. But you? You would not forget, no amount of time could ever erase the memory of what occurred that night. Laying back down you turned your back to her as well, smiling and holding your hands close to your chest as you thought about how her cold skin turned warm against yours.

[sgrimp]

More of the [Albedo was created using Dainsleif’s DNA and everyone misinterpreted it except for Dainsleif, who was unaware of the entire thing] headcanon

[latinokaeya-moving]

i said this yesterday on twt but at the end of the windblume quest when alice is talking to the lil gang and she mentions rhinedottir so casual/offhandedly as someone who used to be her good friend RIGHT IN FRONT OF ALBEDO, rhinedottirs Literal son that she Canonically abandoned… i fucking screamed

[pearlywritings]

Even scarred one is loved

synopsis: snippets about your partner or you having scars

pairing: Albedo, Ayato, Diluc, Kaeya, Kaveh, Tighnari, Zhongli x reader (separately)

tw: fluff, hurt/comfort, lighning scars, in Albedo’s part Rhinedottir used to be reader’s mentor, dragon features in Zhongli’s, in some parts scars are on the character, in some on reader

word count: 4k+ words in total

a/n: has been lying in my drafts since that summer event with Diluc and Kaeya's letters...

Albedo

The Chief Alchemist’s skin is a porcelain perfection. Milky white, smooth, spotless, flawless. The man can easily be mistaken for a marble statue and put on display in a museum - showing the chilling beauty of his visage. That’s what the body of a homunculus is - impeccability, when even the biggest and deepest of wounds disappear with time, no traces left behind.

You, on the other hand, are anything but. Sure, you are pretty, but the canvas of your body carries a hideous scar, a curse you got as a reminder of getting too close to what had to have stayed unknown. You should blame your mentor, really - if not for Rhinedottir’s deeds, you would’ve lived and died as a normal human.

…or would've become a monster, like everyone else. But here you are, in clear consciousness, with memories, so, you guess, the Gold saving you actually kind of pays off everything else she did.

Doesn’t mean you are proud of it. What it means is a lot of explanation to do if someone sees, and you prefer not to be bothered and reminded of the devastating events of the past, so you try to avoid neck and chest revealing clothes like a plague, no matter how many times Lisa pesters you about it.

When Albedo asks to draw you naked, you are, for the first time in centuries, shocked. Sure, you worked out your relationship, discussed and tried some intimacy, but the notion of having your skin exposed for long, of his eyes lingering on it for minutes, or hours even… It makes you nervous. Under the clothes you wear - a big, tree-like scar reaches its branches to your neck, spreading its trunk all over your chest. Your mentor, a true scientist to her guts, found you in a grave state and decided that it was better to curse the heart, before anything could happen to the brain.

The man’s fingers are gentle, when he pops the buttons of your shirt open and carefully slides the fabric down your shoulders. The dark night on your skin reflects in his cerulean eyes and something sparks in their depths. You should not, but you feel embarrassed and silently bite your lip, when he leans forward to press his cold lips to your collarbone.

“You are so beautiful…” he whispers and your heart - the one you believed was hardened forever before you met your lover - leaps in your chest. “Allow me to show what I see, [...]”

A word of endearment caresses your ear in the sounds of your native language, and at that moment you understand - Rhinedottir succeeded indeed. She did create a humanoid form of life, but it became capable of feeling and understanding feelings like a real human would. It can’t be any other way, not when he is looking at you like this, not when he is leading you to a sofa and makes you feel comfortable, not when his touch against your cheek is reassuring and attempts to chase your worries away, not when he picks a sketchbook, where you know the only pictures existing are of you.

Not when he draws the reminder of your doom like it's indeed the fraction of a starry sky painting your skin.

Ayato

Ever since you saw a long ugly scar across his back, it has been making you restless. The discovery happened when your lover invited you to attend the hot springs with him. It was a new step in your relationship, on the very border of entering its intimate part, and you were excited to accept his offer and remained elated for days before and on the day of. That is until his back was bared to you at some point and you saw it.

Ayato didn’t say anything about it, relaxing in the hot water and busying both of you with a conversation and savoring the finest tea and some sweets (which kept you slightly guarded, until the head of the Kamisato clan didn’t tell you these weren’t cooked by him). With all of that, you had no opportunity to ask him, not that you felt like you could - you are close and in a relationship, but who knows how willing he is to talk about it?

It’s been a week since then, and the sight of the scar occasionally appeared before your eyes. You must’ve gotten quieter and brooding, because Ayaka comments on it, when you pay her company in Inazuma City to do some shopping.

“Y/n, is something worrying you?” You look up from examining embroidered silk and tilt your head in question.

“Why would you think so?”

“Well… I noticed how your thoughts seem to stray away and I wondered if everything is okay. Maybe I can help?”

You hum. Ayaka is his sister and you grew to be good friends. It wouldn’t hurt asking her, right? Surely she must know something about that. And if she doesn’t? What if she knows nothing about the scar, about her brother having been hurt in the past? Ayato cares for her and would like to not expose her to things like that, even if she is a grown up woman and a skillful sword user. You need to be careful.

“Say, Ayaka…” you start, cautiously choosing your words. “Does your brother have a…tattoo on his back?”

“A tattoo?” She looks at you confused. “No he doesn’t, our clan doesn’t have a tradition like that. And I don’t think it’ll fit with the scar.”

Oh, so she does know.

“The scar?”

“Yes, the scar. You know the Kamisato clan had many enemies, and still does, but in the past it was so much worse. There were multiple attempts to,” she pauses, as if searching for the right words, “remove him from the picture… One of them nearly succeeded.”

“Is that so…” Ayaka nods and, hiding her saddened gaze, returns to looking at the fabric, thereby drawing the brief explanation to an end. Suddenly a strong urge to return the Estate fills your heart. To talk. To listen. To offer comfort and caresses if he desires so.

But as Ayaka drags you to the next store on your list, you think that you'll wait. Until he decides he wants to tell you the whole story, until he knows that he can trust you with his life.

Diluc

The room is silent. It is the dead of the night, and even so at least three people are not sleeping at this ungodly hour. You give Adelinde a grateful set of eyes, when she returns to you and your husband's bedroom with a bowl of clean water and several towels, placing all of that on the table near the armchair you've been standing close to.

"Are you sure you don't need my assistance?" She asks you quietly, glancing between you and the half-undressed man slumped on the piece of furniture. This woman is a real treasure, you think. It is true that this is her job, but she's always been doing far more than her responsibilities require. And that’s exactly why you are not going to deprive her from her sleep any longer.

"No, Adelinde, it's fine, I got this. Please, return to your room and have some sleep."

The head maid gives you a nod and then a small bow.

"As you wish. But if you need me, please, don't hesitate to wake me up."

"I hope it won't come to this. Good night and thank you again."

"May this night be kind to you."

And so she is out. With a sigh you glance at the man who remained quiet during the whole ordeal. Diluc knows he is in big trouble. He promised you to be careful, heck, he promised you to cut off his nightly outings, and here he is, exhausted and arm bleeding. He expects you to scold him or to whisper-yell at him, anything that would indicate you are angry with him, but you do none of these things. Instead you grab one of the towels, wet it and start wiping the blood off.

As you do so, you can't help but let your eyes wander all over the skin of his bared upper body. 

Scars.

So many many scars. Big, small, wide and thin, old and fresh… Each told a story and you knew a handful. Yet this time you asked for none, busying yourself with cleaning his wound to treat and bandage it.

"Diluc," his name finally leaves your lips and fiery eyes snap open - he nearly drowsed off.

"Yes?" A croaked sound he is almost embarrassed of.

"Thank you for returning alive."

You do not care that this raid has probably given him a new future scar - all you care is that he came back, that he made it out despite everything.

"But I'd really like you to stop pushing yourself this much. I am grateful you've already lessened your workload and dedicated more of your free time to me, though I want you to become dedicated to yourself too. You do tend to forget about it."

The redhead's heart clenches. He knows he cannot promise you to stop completely, but he can try and get less injured whenever he is out fighting.

After all, there are too many scars already to add new ones to the collection.

Kaeya

Fluttering of crystal fly wings. These little beautiful creatures can be found whenever in Teyvat but the first time the Alberich boy encountered them was in the vineyard of the Dawn Winery. Gleaming in both sun and moon light they felt like little sparks, slowly floating in the air, looking too tempting not to chase after them. And he used to chase after those a lot, smiling and laughing and looking at the bright world like any happy child would.

Your butterfly kisses remind him of crystal flies, caressing his face with a subtle tremble of their wings as they try to fly away. The memories of the past overtake him, making the man feel warm and cozy, as if it's not a candle lit on the bedside drawer of your bedroom, but a tender sun, licking his cheek with its affectionate rays.

Until summer heat is replaced by the blazing fire in his memory and the surging pain in his right eye. The eye you've been delicately touching with your soft lips for the past several minutes. The eyepatch is lying on the sheets near his right hip, right where you put it, after taking it off with your deft fingers. Fingers that delicately cradle his face in their loving hold, not letting him shy away from you, letting you kiss an old scar.

No words are exchanged as you sit in his lap with his palms resting on your sides, digits creasing the material of your nightwear. Kaeya is nervous. You've come to him without any explanation, and before he could climb into your shared bed and hold a blanket up for you to join him, asked to shed the shirt he's always worn to sleep. The man knew what you wanted to see - not the many scars littering his body (they weren't all that surprising to you), but the traces of burns on his back, the ones he hid from you for the longest time, not ready to tell the story, afraid to face the past. He didn't blame the one who gave him those, he could never truly, however the day he got them scarred him much deeper than skin.

Yet he did as you asked, slowly, with stiff fingers, but eventually the fabric was no longer covering his body.

You didn't ask him any questions, you didn't even say a word, as you took his hand and softly spinned him around to face his back. Your kisses could do nothing to the damaged skin, they were long healed naturally, but his inner turmoil of emotions was soothed by your display of affection.

More relaxed and less anxious he didn't protest when you made him sit on the edge of the bed and climbed into his lap. Maybe he did tense a little when you reached behind to untie the string attached to his eyepatch, maybe his fingers grabbed at your clothes a little bit too roughly, but he didn't stop you, until the little piece was off and away from his face and your lips replaced it.

He knows he doesn't deserve you, but Celestia be damned - he doesn't want to ever let you go. The only one he entrusted his heart like this, allowed you to unwrap the carefully built facade and reach to what is real about the man Kaeya Alberich is. And knowing you love him with all these ugly scars littering his skin? Makes him believe you'll still love him after seeing how scarred his heart is.

Kaveh

“Say, would you like to go shopping for our next date?”

The question takes you by surprise as you exit the bathroom of your bedroom you’ve been sharing with the blond architect ever since your relationship got more serious and you offered him to move in with you. The gorgeous man is standing in front of your full-length mirror, his back to you, undoing the numerous clips that keep his hair out of his face daily. The crimson of his eyes flashes, as he meets your stunned gaze in the reflection.

“Why so sudden?” You ask - nervously, he notes, fidgeting with the material of your night clothes.

“I noticed how you always wear overly closed clothes. I thought we could look for something more revealing?”

The way you shudder doesn’t go unnoticed by him, confusion now etched in his facial expression.

“What’s wrong, my flower?” You sigh, lips drawn in a line. He uses such a delicate word to address, but you are anything but.

“Does it bother you? The way I dress, I mean.”

“Hm? No, of course not,” Kaveh shakes his head, turning to face you. “You look pretty in whatever you wear. But you must be uncomfortable, walking around wearing so many layers when it’s scorching outside. Just the other day you were so dazed, I was afraid you’d pass out before we reached home.”

Even now he can’t help but question the rather covering night clothes, especially compared to his bared upper body. He was sure to discuss it before you started sharing the bed, and you never showed discomfort about it, but somehow always avoided the topic of your own choice of night wear.

As he is pondering over the topic in his head again, you chew on your bottom lip. It was foolish of you to think he’d never notice your strange behavior in regard to how you dress, or rather started dressing after getting together with him.

But it’d be unfair to keep your lover in the dark, after he was so open to you, right?

“Hey, lovebird?” Kaveh snaps out of his thoughts, when you call him, settling on the edge of the mattress and patting the place by your side. The blonde immediately joins you, eagerly accepting your hands sliding into his, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“Does anything bother you?” He beats you to it, making you sigh again, feeling how your heart is wildly thumping against your ribcage.

“Promise you won’t feel differently about me?”

“Never,” the firmness and the speed with which he confirms your statement brings some comfort to your worrying self, giving you strength to proceed.

“You know I used to work closely with matras, yeah?” He nods. “This job isn’t particularly harmless, so I, um,” gulping you search for any indication of - you don’t even know what - in his eyes. Whatever it might be, there is none, only softness hidden behind the ruby gems, pouring in gentle waves, caressing your being, making your heart flutter, and words abruptly leave your mouth.

“I have scars.”

“And?” Your eyes widen, when he cocks his head to the side, looking at you with a clear lack of understanding.

“‘And?’!? Kaveh, come on!” You groan, looking to the side. “I mean look at you! You are absolutely gorgeous, and I know how much you appreciate fine things, which I am not…”

“Is this the reason why you’ve been dressing like this and changing in the bathroom all this time?”

“...yeah…”

“Oh, darling,” a warm smile brightens up his face and he leans forward, kissing your cheek. “First of all, you are not a ‘thing’. Secondly, I am such a fool for not noticing sooner. I assure you, you are already so amazing and I can’t imagine some scars scaring me off. Truth be told, I fell in love that moment I saw you handling that lying bastard to the ground.”

“You mean that day you looked at me with literal hearts in your eyes, scrolls tightly held to your chest and mouth open?” He immediately grows bashful, but the smile gets bigger - you are teasing him, that’s a good sign.

“Yeah, yeah, that. What I am trying to say is that in my eyes you are already wonderful. We can take it slow, but would you trust me and show them one day?”

The way you lean into him burying your face in his neck tells him everything, and yet the blonde is delighted to hear your quiet answer.

“Of course.”

Tighnari

Tighnari curls his tail around your hip tighter when another clap of thunder disturbs the night. His ear twitches, sensitive to the sound which easily shakes him out of sleep, eyes immediately trained on the window to make sure it’s closed.

When a flash of light rips through the dark clouds that overtook the sky, the man’s pupils narrow in slits out of pure instincts, and he makes a sound of discontent, drawing your body closer to his. Which, as he quickly realizes, wasn't the brightest idea, as you start squirming and groaning. Tighnari curses under his breath, when you yawn and attempt to stretch in his hold, eyelids slowly sliding up, revealing your precious orbs he loves so much, to the curl of his toes.

You owlishly blink, directing your gaze to your lover’s face, then blinking again, trying to get rid of the veil of sleep and make out his features in the dark.

“‘nari…” you rasp, reaching to his cheek, tenderly touching it with just the fingertips. “Why are you still awake, dear?”

The fennec man opens his mouth to give you some excuse, to lure you back to the dreamland, but another burst of electric light and the loud rumble accompanying it cuts him off, forcing his body to stiffen. You crane your neck to look behind you. The understanding quickly dawns on you and, humming, your body moves.

Tighnari’s eyes slightly widen in panic when you sit up, leaving the lock of his arms, letting only his tail rest on your thighs. But even it soon ends up on the mattress when you stand up and wobble to the window. A soft rattle of closing curtains for a moment blocks another clap of thunder, and you returning to his side not a few seconds later soothes his nerves.

“Still hits badly?” You ask softly, reaching for his hand and sliding your fingers between his. He can only nod, dropping his forehead to your shoulder and squeezing his digits around yours.

“I know it’s hard,” you press a sweet kiss to the top of his head, right between his droopy ears, “but I also know you’ll overcome it. And I will be with you all the way.”

“How did you manage?” He finally speaks for the first time through the night and he sounds so tired.

“You mean this?” Even in the darkness he sees how you tug on the hem of your shirt, revealing multiple scars, akin to the tree limbs, tracing the path the electricity took as it traveled through you. That electro-wielding scam really got you in the past, Tighnari knows it took a lot of time for you to recover - both physically and mentally. He was there to see it, as you were sent to the Gandharva Ville for rehabilitation, way before you two started dating.

He nods again, curling his tail around your figure once more.

“Well,” you glance at his shoulder, where under his own shirt, the similar scar is hidden, one that has an even ghastlier story behind it, “truth be spoken? Under your care and with your guidance. You were the one to drag me out of depression and fear, and I am ready to do the same to you.”

The man hugs you tighter, tucking your head under his chin and sighing shakily. He knows eventually the scar will just be a scar, something to match with you and have a story to tell to the stupid rangers and passersby of Avidya Forest for the sake of caution… It’s your willingness that counts though, filling his heart with warmth and making him forget of things surrounding him.

Tonight, despite the foul weather outside, he will be able to sleep. With you by his side.

Zhongli

The life among mortals was peaceful and fulfilling, and the retired Archon enjoys to fullest everything it has to offer. But sometimes he can’t help himself, leaving the house in the city he shares with you, his spouse of many centuries, if not thousands of years. He takes a long stroll to the land of the adepti, where he is always welcome to stay and reside, unbothered if he desires so.

In the mountains, on peaks hidden behind the clouds, the stoic man can allow his control over this mortal form slip, revealing horns, adorned with gold, long tail of earthly color and long fluffy trail of autumn-colored fur on the tip of it, eyes, more reptilian than human like, shining like finest cor lapis, and scales covering some of his skin.

Often you find him on one of the mountain tops, basking in the sunlight and squinting like a content cat would do. Your lover prefers to shed some of his clothes, baring his skin and scales to warm rays, making them shine beautifully - both because it makes him happy and because he knows you can join him, thus the dragon does want to show off to you.

This time you sense him on Mt. Hulao and upon arriving there spot the half-dragon Prime adeptus resting near the lake, having abandoned his long robe (he does change his attire whenever he is out of the city) and resting on his side. Quietly walking closer you see how the tip of his tail lazily grazes the surface of a cool lake nearby and smile. The next moment the water splashes just barely miss you as you jump to the side when the very same tail whips into your direction.

“My love, I see you are playful today,” your husband grins contently, not opening his eyes but retrieving his tail so you could finally come closer and sit with him.

“I am sorry, the gem of my heart. Simply couldn’t help myself,” your presence is welcomed and the gentle touch of your hand against the side of his neck sends pleasant shivers down his spine.

A comfortable silence falls between you two. Zhongli relishes in your loving caresses, while you make sure to glide the tips of your fingers everywhere you spot the scales of who he really is.

In his human body, Zhongli’s skin is flawless. It doesn’t bear any reminder of hardships and war times, when he fought, injured and got his own wounds, but his other self does. You remember the last time you saw him in his full beast glory - while beautiful and shiny, his scaled body was scarred. Like this, in his adeptus form you could witness some of the scars as well, each reminded you of this or that ghastly cut delivered by his enemies and with time healing into nothing but long lines of imperfection. Yet you do not hate them, nor does your husband. They simply tell the stories of the past, and make you both remember that despite any obstacle or danger he faced, he always made it out in the end.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Cupid- Dainsleif x Fem!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: April 16th, 2024

Description: Rhinedottire and Halfdan play cupid.

Notes: It's missing Dain hour. When will my husband return from the war?

Word count: 1 082

Back to directory

Y/n let out a forlorn sigh as she stared out the window. Below the alchemy tower the knights were training, and she was leaning against the glass to watch. Somewhere behind her she heard a much more irritated sigh as Rhinedottire watched her friend stalk the Captain from their window. She let it continue as she finished separating the petals from the flower stems.

“Enough ogling, back to work,” the chief alchemist said as the last petal settled into the small basket.

Her voice startled Y/n, making her jump and scurry back towards the work bench.

“I wasn’t ogling,” she muttered, picking out a stem and ground it down with petals from a different flower.

Rhinedottire watched her fellow alchemist pummel the ingredients with a flush on her face. Y/n scraped down the mortar and dumped its contents onto a piece of paper.

“Is he shirtless today?”

“Gold!”

The woman laughed as she took the paper and folded it over, setting it under a book to press the paste down.

“Well? Is he?”

Y/n didn’t make eye contact as she removed the heavy recipe book and unfolded the paper. She picked up a ruler and began sectioning the paste into squares.

“Yes…”

With a faint smile, the chief alchemist slowly nudged the basket of flower petals towards the edge of the work bench. The woman’s smile widened when Y/n looked at her in confusion, and she held eye contact as she pushed the basket off the edge. Y/n’s eyes widened as the petals fluttered across the floor.

“Oh no…” Rhinedottire deadpanned, picking up the basket. “I knocked over those petals we needed, Y/n, be a dear and go pick some more.”

“Gold, no, come on.”

“I have no idea what you mean, you make it sound like I’ve asked you to do something absurd. Now, I believe those flowers are planted near the training grounds. Take your time, you might have to root around the bushes a bit.”

With a groan, Y/n grabbed the collection basket that Rhinedottire had previously used and left the workshop. As she got closer to the base of the tower, she could hear Captain Dainsleif coaching some knights through a sparring match and the sound of wooden swords hitting each other. She pushed open the door, wincing at the bright light.

Y/n followed the garden path on instinct as she watched the knights train. Dainsleif was correcting someone’s form when out of the corner of her eye, Y/n realized she was being watched. Halfdan smiled at her, waving discreetly, and then focused back on his Captain.

“Captain Dainsleif, sir!”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps a demonstration would be valuable?”

The alchemist tripped over her own feet, letting out a startled yelp and catching the attention of the training knights.

“Sorry, tripped on a rock.”

Y/n pointedly looked away, clearing her throat.

“I suppose a demonstration wouldn’t hurt,” Dainsleif said.

As Halfdan prepared to go against the Captain, Y/n stepped over the garden border and settled down facing the training area. She began to part the bushes, looking for any remaining flowers, occasionally peaking up at the match.

Y/n would never understand why the alchemy tower was beside the training court, but she definitely couldn’t complain. When she wasn’t submerged in research, she’d taken to watching the knights train. It was purely out of a fascination with the strength they demonstrated, getting to ogle Dainsleif was just a benefit. 

Looking up once more, Y/n caught Dainsleif tripping Halfdan up causing the elite soldier to land on his butt while the Captain pointed the wooden training sword at his throat. Both of them were breathing heavily, and Y/n found herself staring at the way Dainsleif’s back muscles  moved with each breath. 

“I yield,” Halfdan panted out.

“You did well.”

Dainsleif extended a hand to his friend and helped him up. The second the Captain turned even slightly in her direction, Y/n looked back down.

With only a handful of smaller flowers, Y/n picked the basket back up and stepped out of the garden. Y/n was halfway back to the tower door when a second pair of footsteps joined her.

She looked back to find Dainsleif jogging to catch up with her.

“Hello Y/n.”

“Hi Dain,” she smiled, stopping and turning to face him.

Behind him, Y/n could see the rest of the knights distractedly cleaning up. One of the knights caught her eye and immediately rushed off.

“I noticed you’ve been watching our training sessions recently.”

“You what?” Y/n’s voice broke, and she cleared her throat awkwardly.

Dainsleif pointed up at the window where Rhinedottire was currently standing. The woman smiled and waved before disappearing back into the workshop.

Y/n cursed herself for not realizing that she was also being watched.

“It’s really not all that high up, but I digress. I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in some one-on-one training.”

The alchemist choked on her own spit.

“Why-why offer that?”

“Well, I’ve been meaning to offer for a while, but I wasn’t sure how interested you would be. After all, I would hate a repeat of our first meeting.”

Y/n felt her teeth grind in annoyance. Their first meeting had not been her finest moment as he’d been escorting her to collect some ingredients and had to save her from a small slime. It was definitely embarrassing, especially when Dainsleif had approached her the next evening at a tavern by calling her slime food, but it had sparked an almost more embarrassing crush.

“I guess some self-defense training wouldn’t hurt.”

“Excellent, how does tomorrow afternoon sound?”

“I’ll have to make sure Gold doesn’t need me, but that should work.”

Dainsleif smiled, and Y/n felt her stomach flip.

“Then I’ll come by tomorrow, please enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You too.”

Y/n watched him return to the knights and put his shirt back on, the realization that he’d been half naked during that conversation causing her face to heat up, before heading back up to the workshop.

She’d barely stepped into the room when Rhinedottir addressed her.

“I don’t need you tomorrow afternoon, don’t worry, so enjoy your date.”

“I knew you must have done something,” Y/n huffed, dropping the mostly empty basket onto the table. “Hope it was worth the wasted flowers.”

“You can consider my repayment an invitation to the wedding.”

[hismourningflower]

「 worth your weight in gold | kai's 2024 birthday! 」 albedo & zhongli x gn!reader | hurt/comfort, insecure reader | birthday fanfiction. ↳ additional tags. reader with insecurities & needing reassurance, probably ooc albedo and zhongli?? reassurance + doubts (albedo), body insecurities (zhongli) ↳ happy birthday to me part two! zhongli's part was much more than i anticipated hshdfhhf

data has been uploaded! - send an ask to join the taglist; specify genshin, honkai or both! @lovingluxury, @dumbificat, @starryshinyskies, @ryuryuryuyurboat, @ainescribe, @soleillunne, @sangoqueenkoko

the jade's guidelines | genshin masterlist | bday m.list | previous work

ALBEDO has an undeniable lack of human understanding. he stays cooped up at the summit of dragonspine, breathing air in that's sharp and stabs at his lungs with every intake. there's hardly any time for the chief alchemist of the knights of favonius to breach his lack of understanding - there's a much more important job for him to do.

unfortunately this in turn rubs off on you, his beloved partner; he cherishes you, treats you like a fragile gemstone every time he holds onto you as if you're the one made of chalk instead of himself. despite this, he's never been good at showing it. while you stay in the safety - and warmth - of the city of mondstadt, your boyfriend is much more content in the harsh climate that is dragonspine.

you are completely aware of albedo's situation, hell you knew when you dived head first into this relationship with the chalk prince himself but sometimes, just sometimes, the empty feeling would be a bitter taste in your mouth that you were unable to bring up to him. you didn't want him to think it was completely his fault - no, of course not. he'd sat you down and explained everything about rhinedottir, his master.

it's a rare sight for you to be seen venturing close to dragonspine, especially without the permission granted from your overprotective boyfriend but the only present you wanted among the numerous gifts you'd received for your birthday was spend the day with him. you had no choice but to just show up at his tiny camp tucked into the nook of the mountain, sheltered from the winds when you knew that sending a letter would just take too long.

albedo is more than surprised to see you when he returns from a walk and after the initial light scolding is over, his ocean blue eyes sparkling with worry as his gloved hands squeeze your hands tightly, he finally pulls you into his chest to hug you, breathing a short "happy birthday" into your hair.

"bedo," you mumble into his chest, cold fingertips brushing over the details of his clothing layers as he hums in response, encouraging you to continue, "do you love me?"

there's a brief silence that makes you nervous. perhaps this shouldn't have been the day you asked this. suddenly, albedo makes an amused noise - you assumed it to be amused from the crack of a smile that decorates his face as he pulls away to look you in the eye. gloved hands cup your cheeks, a warm touch to combat the bitter cold as he glances over every single detail of your face.

"every star will burn out in the night sky before my love for you dies, darling," he muses, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of your nose and you feel his warm breath fan over your skin, "perhaps i need to say it more?"

you nod, a sheepish smile cracking on your face as you look away in embarrassment from all your doubts and needs for reassurances. albedo clicks his tongue, his fingers under his chin as he turns your face back towards him and this time, he presses his lips to yours as if washing away your fears.

"my darling sweetheart baby i know, i know the past haunts you i know let me kiss your fears away."

an archon in the disguise as a mere funeral parlour consultant, ZHONGLI has seen his fair share of souls and their unique personalities. he was indeed extremely grateful that you just happened to be one of those souls, beautiful and rich with a kind heart he'd never fail to love.

in his golden eyes that resembled the cor lapis of his country, every inch of you was perfect; beautiful, divine, worthy of worship from the most devoted. he'd never get enough of you, your scent, the way you spoke or the way you laughed. he could hear a million laughs - perhaps he had heard a million laughs, each as different as their owner - but yours was always his favourite.

it was melodic, soothing and could work as a siren's song to him, luring him into the depths of the vast ocean that sat on liyue's doorstep, unexplored yet not untouched. he would jump from the highest cliffs of nantianmen, feeling the breeze in his dark hair for the sake of that cherished laugh. he would pull the sun out from behind the clouds and over the horizon if it meant he could see the way your eyes sparkle in the golden light that basks over you.

zhongli could utter these things to you time and time again, hellbent on the way he feels about you but you'd always brush it off. you knew he was an archon or rather an ex-archon in his words and that he'd always have vast and expressive ways of saying the most simplest things, such was the habit of a man who had roamed teyvat for as long as your boyfriend had.

sometimes, looking in the mirror was too difficult. you wonder if your reflection felt the same when it saw you, eyes traipsing other curve and insecurity of your body that you felt just didn't sit right. maybe it was the way your teeth looked when you smiled too wide or the bridge of your nose or the hip dips you'd place your hands over every day just to see what your body looks like without them distracting your gaze.

warm amber eyes would sit and watch every single time. perched in a bamboo chair you'd tucked into the corner of your shared bedroom, a rich fabric blanket from inazuma draped over the arm of the chair as you stand before the floor length mirror. after too many months of watching your clear unhappiness and seeing you shrug off his devotion, zhongli finally approached you from behind.

your eyes watch the way your boyfriend approaches in the mirror's reflection, dark hands decorated with golden veins brushing against your hips as he holds you in place, his chest pressed to your back. you loved to see him without his gloves around the house, his long coat discarded somewhere else as you admire the way the dark fades as it travels up his arm.

zhongli makes a noise as he follows your gaze to his arms. how come you could love the things about him that he wasn't fond of but not your own special touches? your body had been through a hard life, travelled countless different paths until fate intertwined with his and brought you to him. it was going to be scarred, worn and used as you experienced life. it made you all the much more beautiful to him.

"i know what you're going to say..." you sigh, finally lifting your gaze back to his. he quirks a brow, a little amused that you could read his intentions well.

"do you?" he hums, pressing a kiss to your head as he leans forward, peering at your reflection over your shoulder. you click your tongue, looking away embarrassedly from the experienced man.

"i'm dragging myself down again." you mutter and he nods without a hesitation. his weathered hands squeeze your hips, a warm breath leaving his lips that you feel faintly on the back of your neck.

"i am more than happy to repeat my thoughts to you, dear," he clarifies as you close your eyes, a little too embarrassed to meet his eyes as he speaks in that soft timbre voice, "until you learn to listen to me. i'll kiss every imperfection you claim you have, trace every stretchmark and scar until you learn to love yourself too."

there's a silence except for the bustle of liyue harbour outside of your shared home, the population finally moving past the excitement of lantern rite as the annual holiday comes to an end. your breathing is gentle, relaxed and zhongli feels content with your reaction.

"you know... i've walked teyvat for centuries, experienced countless of events and met individuals beyond anyone's comprehension and yet," zhongli leans to press his cheek against yours, his arms snaking around your waist to hold you closer, "i breathed the same air as you, walked the same streets of liyue harbour as you, shared the same bed as you... and for that i am the most honoured man alive."

artists critique their own work, lingering on every minor detail but to the eye of the beholder, it's a masterpiece, a work of art to be framed and admired for centuries to come. we are those works of art, seen as beauty by everyone but ourselves.

"between seas, galaxies and moons i was lucky i stepped on the same land i dreamed under the same stars as you."

⊹˚₊‧───────────────‧₊˚⊹

© thexianzhoujade 2024. | do not re-upload, copy, translate, etc. my works on any form of media.

[life-is-unreal]

Stranger Danger~ {Genshin Impact x reader} Chapter 1-5 (non teyvat chapters)

0.5- Note from the Author

*Hiiii :))) <3. This is my first fanfic so please don't judge it. Some bits are a bit cringe (SRRY!!!), you will be referred as Y/N and You. The MC will be a female so if you're not, just read it as a he/his. Btw, this story is a bit of a chat fic (Idk the proper name) but don't worry as it's mainly normal. (My grammar sucks so sorry in advance).

*this is my work from wattpad :D I'm not gonna post the OC descript or any images. Skip directly to Teyvat chapters if you wish :D

Wattpad: LifeIsUnreal

Tag list (I think that’s how u do it):

@dragontammerz

Chapter 1 - The Crimson Witch

Italic- thoughts

No! Please. Please wake up! Barbatos...please save him. I beg you...

"Rostam... Look at me, open your eyes. Please, it's over..."

You twiddled your fingers as you stared at Rosalyne strangely from a distance. It's such a pity that she died in Inazuma. Everything wants to kill you in that place, how the hell do people survive there? "Barbatos, I beg you." The woman sobbed, crumbling beside her lover.

"Miss Rosalyne, we've already checked his pulse. It's not there." Wrong move mister, wrong move. Her tear-filled eyes met with the knight's eyes. "Where is Barbatos? Surely he can save him?" She was met by the cold silence. You marveled at her from a random knocked-down barrel, the breeze mixed with blood and swayed her hair as she kneeled amongst the battlefield beside her lover. Her scholar uniform was stained with blood from interactions with dead bodies.

"Where is Arundolyn? Bring me to him!" She screamed. "Miss Rosalyne, he's severely wounded-" Rosalyne screamed even louder, clutching her head. She's deranged in a beautiful way. "No. Why? Why!" She whispered brokenly. You shifted your spot slightly, you could already feel small heat waves coming off from her. "She's going to go crazy soon." You muttered, checking your phone. Ah, Shit. No battery "When the hell is that portal going to pop out again?" you grumbled. It's been quite a few days since you've been in Teyvat. You literally had to save up your battery and camp outside. "I literally didn't finish my homework." After she gets batshit crazy, she's gonna ruin Monstadt, set it on flames, and get recruited by Pierro. I wonder if Khaenri'ahn's descendants are still chilling around. I mean some of them definitely survived. Meeting them would be cool, like imagine if I met Rhinedottir. And imagine if Lumine or Aether has already become the Abyss prince or princess.

"Who are you?" You yelped from shock as you felt some hair touching your skin. "Uh, Hi?" You gulped as you looked down to your feet. The knights were all tidying up the bodies and cleaning up so nobody noticed Rosalyne moving to you. Rosalyne's eyes narrowed, looking you up and down.

"Um, my name's Y/N." you giggled awkwardly. Her aura was still unbearing, "Rosalyne. Girl, chill. It's not exactly Ven- I mean Barbatos's fault since he was like, asleep during the cataclysm. As for the knights of Favonius and Arundolyn, well Rostam and the Grandmaster lead the war so you can't blame Arundolyn, and I mean a lot of knights died. Plus, I'm pretty damn sure that your lover wouldn't be really happy if you went batshit crazy due to him dying. And like if you wanna have your vengeance or something like that to the knights or citizens- well, I mean he died protecting them so uh yea."

Rosalyne opened her mouth confused. You took notice of this and babbled random things out, "And um, if you see random suspicious people coming up to you to join their cult refuse 'kay? They might like use you or something. Oh, and um, have some candy." You quickly shoved a bag of candy into her hands. My favourite lollipops. You sniffled slightly.

The woman's eyes shot open wide as she stared at you alarmed. "Bro you good? Oh wait, damn I'm disappearing. Wait that's fucking cool." Yup, you were dissipating right in front of your very own eyes.

Long after you disappeared, the platinum blonde finally reacted, "Y/N?" she muttered. Weird name. "I...didn't tell you my name. Barbatos? Asleep? He's indeed unqualified as an archon then, and those warnings...they're oddly specific but of course. Why would I listen to a random stranger who's been stalking me?"

The first thing that you did was to charge your phone. That random ass boar almost stomped on it. And fuck, I'm starving. You were literally living off the kindness of Monstadt citizens like you can fight but a visionless person in Teyvat can't really survive in the wild like you're pretty damn sure some random slime could kill you if it wanted to. They're so damn cute thooo.

A small noise captured your attention as your phone gained one single percentage of power. "Holy shit, it's only been a minute." You gaped at the widgets in amazement. I was there for a week or longer and damn.

After lying down and procrastinating for a long long time on your bed you decided to do your homework. Wtf is this. The hell am I going to do a 60-question paper. Oh, wait, I've got friends.

"Yooooo guys." You were met with two very disgruntled teens. Yvonne sighed, "Girl, it's bloody 12:35, what do you want? Credit card number? Cheque?"

"That's very tempting but I need the answers for the math assignment."

"Wait what." "What."

Yeleris raised a brow. How tf do you raise a brow? "You're supposed to be the smart one here. I was depending on you to do your homework so I could copy it. But then, I don't see why you and I should care since we're still going to get at least an A with our grades so far."

Yvonne gaped, "WDYM THERE'S A MATH ASSIGNMENT?!"

You sighed, "We're fucked if we don't do this, it's like 20% of our grades and I'm pretty sure Yvonne's gonna fail since she skipped like 20 classes alone this term. AND Yeleris, we all know that you're a genius at Science and that includes Physics which is literally Math but with weird ass words."

"Okay, I actually agree with that."

"I DON'T WANNA FAIL!"

"Weeeeell, you wouldn't have to worry 'bout this if you spent less time on shopping sprees and skipping class to do random stuff."

"YELERIS! That's mean."

"Achoo! Damn it, who's cursing me at 12 am in the morning jeez."

Chapter 2 - Wow, a pretty lady

Hello, my name is Skirk.

The rain was absolutely deafening, a black rain signal had already been issued the day before. You loved rainy days, there's no school when the black rain signal is issued. But then, here you are, under a tree for absolutely no reason.

"Where the hell am I?" You gaped at the grassy fields and scorching sun.

You quickly took notice of a teleport waypoint next to you. "Isn't only the traveler able to use this?" Yup. The waypoint was blue even though you definitely did not touch it.

After scanning the area multiple times to make sure that there weren't slimes or hilichurls you finally sat down. You almost got suffocated to death by a hydro slime, if you were a character, you're definitely going to be a level 1 character with the worst stats possible. 

It's literally so unfair, like a slime could kill you and they're like the most harmless and cute things ever in the game. Except for the geo slimes, they're hard to kill.

"Holy motherf- ARGH." A fucking boar was charging at full speed and the target was you. "WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM?"

After climbing up a tree and killing the boar by throwing random stuff that you could find, you decided to stay exactly where you were. Why? Simple, you could literally see two pyro whopperflowers and a horde of geo hatchlings. Like hell you're coming down the tree.

Why the fuck are they coming closer?! Oh wait shit, they want the fucking boar. Don't look up. Dontlookup. Dontlookup. Oh fuck. As if on cue, one of the whopper flowers noticed you. "Oh hell no."

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" You clung desperately to the tree as it started to shake. The whopperflowers were literally burning the tree down and the wretched geo hatchlings were pummelling at the tree.

To your horror, the relentless attacks finally made the tree give out as it fell down, crushing you under it. Immediately, you screamed in pain. "What the hell did I do to y'all?"

Something that you didn't notice was that their attacks stopped the moment you fell to the ground. Suddenly, a shriek interrupted the silence. You whipped your head around, just to see the cryo whopperflower absolutely obliterating the pyro whopperflower. I thought the pyro whopperflowers were the strongest. You looked to your left after hearing screeches and it was chaos. 

The hatchlings were killing each other, you saw one of them tearing the other's scale and pulling its eyeballs out brutally. A few minutes ago, they were cooperating to destroy the tree and now they're committing amicicide.

"Holy shit." Although you usually refrain from swearing, this scene made you quite disgusted. They're literally tearing limbs and organs down. You attempted to get the branches off you. "How is a tiny thin tree so bloody heavy?" You sighed, throwing your head up. Holy- "WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?"

 Above you, inches away from your forehead was the cryo whopperflower. Seeing that it made no move to attack you, you decided to do the dumbest thing in your life. 

You cleared your voice and decided to ask in the babiest, honey covered words that disgusted you that such a sickenly sweet voice could come out of you. "Whopperflower dearie, will you pretty please help me to lift this tree?"

Why the fuck did I just say that. You closed your eyes in dread. I dug my own grave, Yvonne would literally laugh her ass off if she was here.

"Krrr. Krrr." Huh? You hesitantly opened your eyes and to your surprise, the whopperflower was subdividing the tree and it looked quite happy. You stood up slowly, noticing how something slimy stuck onto your shoe. That whopperflower -. 

Under your shoe was a dead geo hatchling with icicles imbedded so deep into his impenetrable skin that its scales were cracked and on the verge of peeling, and a few meters away were more geo hatchlings stacked up on each other, some disfigured, some with their organs spilling out and some with their bodies frozen or charred. Next to it was a pyro whopperflower, unlike the others, it was still alive.

It slowly hopped to it's feet- roots weakly. "Krr." The cryo whopperflower's eyes narrowed, shooting icicles towards it. The pyro whopperflower ignored it's half frozen petals and continued to nudge forward until it finally reached you.

"Uh, hi." The cryo whopperflower blocked your view as it growled menacingly at it.

"Yo chill. It's not trying to attack me." You seemed to finally accept the actions of the weird whopperflower as it slowly snuggled into your arms. To your amazement, the whopperflower began to heal almost immediately after touching your arms, only leaving a few minor injuries.OMG.IT'S SO CUTE AND WARM. Oh wait, it's still injured. 

You glanced at the cryo whopperflower. "Help me take out the bandage in my bag please." Begrudgingly, the creature fumbled with the zippers and took out the white bandages, slowly wrapping it around the head of the whopperflower.

Suddenly, both whopperflowers got into a defensive stance as they blocked your view once again.

"How interesting."

A girl slowly approached you. "They seem pretty protective don't you think so?" She giving me HSR vibes.

She grinned, her smile not matching her youthful face and lifeless eyes. "Sorry for not introducing myself. Let's start from the beginning. Hello, my name is Skirk."

You gently nudged the whopperflowers away. "Nice to meet you, my name's Y/N."

The name was weirdly familiar and you were pretty sure you've seen her before. "So you saw everything?" You asked, bending down and tearing a jagged scale from the ground. The girl giggled at your horrible choice of weapon. A sword materialized in her hand as she played with it. "You mean... The scene where you're clinging on the tree for dear life and screaming incoherent, inappropriate words? And then falling down from the tree?" She snickered, walking closer and leaning down to your face, watching your ears turn pink. "Then yes, I saw all of that."

She began to shoo the whopperflowers away. "I'm not going to kill some random stranger. So let me talk with her." Skirk then reached out to pull your body up to a standing position. Damn, she's taller than me. "You don't seem to look like someone from Liyue."

You inspected your clothes. Uh-huh, a hoodie and a skirt. To them, I'm wearing stuff even weirder than the traveler. "I'm an adventurer." She probably knows I'm already lying but I've got two whopperflowers that killed a horde of geo hatchlings.

"I'm just an apprentice that's in Liyue in search of some geohatchlings and I was about to take these until the cryo whopperflower killed all of them." She sighed, "You wouldn't mind if I took these would you? Don't fret, I'll exchange something in return." So basically, I'm getting something for free. "Do you have any uh, weapons?" You bit your lip. Yes, you couldn't fight anything to save your life but having a weapon was still better then fighting with absolutely nothing.

Skirk looked taken aback. "You don't know how to fight?" She asked incredously. "Yeah? Is it not normal." She blinked, "Everyone is taught to fight, some people even start from as young as four!" So, I'm weaker than a toddler. Damn. "I- You know what, I'll give you a catalyst completely free of charge since you absolutely have zero fighting skills. Now pick something else before I make up my mind."

Sugarmommy vibes.

In the end, you got a catalyst, an electro crystal and a bag that had infinite capacity.

Skirk left a few minutes ago to go aboard a ship to snezhnaya, saying something about meeting her apprentice. So now you were all alone with two very worried whopperflowers. 

"Krrrrr. Krr." The two of them circled around you, lifting your arms to see if Skirk had harmed you. I wanna keep them so bad. "I have to leave anytime soon man." They deflated almost immediately, their petals drooping down. I'm feeling so bad now. Please don't do this to me man. 

You cleared your throat. "Okay, listen up. I don't know when I'll come back and where. It could be hundreds of years or tomorrow but if you see me, ya'll can have my hairbands so tie them around your petal or something and I'll know that it's you ok? I'm pretty sure you guys respawn every now and then so it'll be ok." They perked up and began to tie their petals with your smiley face hairbands. Why they look so cute with it.

"Now come and watch the sunset with me."

Chapter 3 - Text Buddies

(very short chapter)

Approximately 13 minutes ago, you decided to do the Fontaine Archon quest since you completely forgot about it until you remembered that Skirk seemed to have her debut somewhere in there.

Picture your shocked face when you saw the way that Skirk casually yeeted Childe into some random portal.

Considering that she mentioned that Childe's her apprentice, she went to Snezhnaya to visit Childe, and considering that she looked like she was in her early teens when you met her, it's definitely been at least 3-4 years after she met you that she's met the traveler.

I take it back. She could've killed me the second she met me and stole the hatchlings. She wouldn't even need to trade the inventory bag and the catalyst. You checked the catalyst on the web and it was the "Lost Prayer To The Sacred Winds", it was a goddamned 5-star weapon. You were confused at why Skirk would even give you such a precious weapon but you decided that she just thought that you were interesting.

The moment that you touched the catalyst, your phone lit up and opened Genshin. As a firm nonbeliever of ghosts and spirits, you decided it had to be a "you" problem. Seeing that the phone automatically got into the inventory icon, you finally saw your catalyst and electro-crystal in a new category that wasn't named yet.

Purely out of curiosity, you placed the catalyst into the bag that Skirk gave you, and the catalyst's equipped tag disappeared. Oh wait, does that mean that I get to level it up? You immediately leveled it up to lv90. Oh hell no, I'm in the character menu. Right above your team was you, however, it was just a blank circle with your name on it. Clicking into it led to your stats, talents, artifacts, etc.

To your relief, your face wasn't on the screen but when you read the stats, you decided that you were truly weaker than a lv5 slime. Okay, Name: Y/N, Max HP: 1000. Okay, better than the traveler, Attack...20?! What?! Defence: 72. Not bad but Idk why I need that. EM: 0, Stamina.. WHAT?! 31?!

You threw a pillow across the room, "WHAT THE HELL? HOW IS THE TRAVELER STRONGER AT LVL1 ?! AND I'M AT LVL 3?!" Something that Genshin has gladly bestowed on you was that your starting point was at lvl 3 whilst everyone else was at lvl 1 but you were still weaker than everyone who's at lvl 1.

"STAMINA 20? I MIGHT DIE FROM LOW STAMINA BY CLIMBING A ROCK OR SMTH?"

"Ooooooh." Holy moly, 1608 attack and 33.1% Crit Rate. Damn. Ilysm Skirk

Ding. 3 Unread messages.

You raised a brow, lol, who uses that app anymore, only old ass people use it, like Zhongli would use it if he had a phone.

The sky has darkened and the bustling city slowly lit up with billboards decorating the skyline. You stretched in front of the brightness, the darkness of your room disappearing as the humongous screens started changing. Mihoyo, that billboard advertisement is expensive asf and you decided to put hsr and not Get Shit Impact?

Ding. 102 Unread messages. Wtf.

                                                                                                                                                                                Yo.

You finally picked up your phone.

                                                                                                                                                                       Srry bt dat.

Can you please speak English?

???

I don't understand what you're saying.

Oh I said "Sorry about that"

Lol, sorry.

Anyways, is there anything that you need me for?

From your description, it says "Teyvat here I come"

Oh, that was last year when me and my friends still used this app.

It's quite outdated now, I just update my description whenever I feel like it.

Can you tell me about Teyvat?

I don't understand the things online.

... wtf, this guy is creepy, theyve got no pfp and they don't understand text T-T, Pls don't be my mom...Act cool, act cool

Hm?

You want to start Genshin?

Genshin?

Bro's asking abt Genshin without knowing what it is, did bro just get his/her phone?

Genshin Impact?

Teyvat is the world that exists in the game??

Game?

My bafflement jeeeeez

Yea, Genshin.

Teyvat has 7 nations.

They have like 2 mcs (maincharacters) and the player chooses them and boom, their sibling disappears and they need to find them so they just travel around Teyvat whilst helping random people for no reason

Poor Lumine has traveled half of the world and the gods won't tell her shit. Just leave Aether and his abyss shit and go marry someone or smth. Bro's a prince and you're a traveler, he's living his life in the abyss.

Main characters...

Oh wait, is this some old person who just downloaded this app to find people chat? Oh wait shit, my bad, lemme channel my nonexistent inner angel.

Oh, sorry, I should've explained more clearly. :)

You see, the two main characters are called Lumine and Aether, they're travelers who go in and out of worlds, but they were trapped in Teyvat because of the Heavenly Principles.

If you're like me and choose Lumine, Aether will become the Abyss prince and wake up a few hundred years earlier than Lumine and go around the world. Then after Lumine wakes up, she fishes out Paimon and begins her journey around Teyvat searching for her brother who she found quickly enough but for some reason Aether wants her to find him after she visits every nation.

That...

Is a nice plot.

You know a lot.

I may have started it just a year ago but I know a lot of lore :D

Thank you.

?

For chatting with me, nobody answered me and only you replied

OMG. I feel bad for this old person,

:D my pleasure XD

I think you need to sleep now.

Good night.

You too!!! Good luck with the game XD

Chapter 4 - Lockdown

The rain poured and the sirens blared, the rain outside had already flooded the first floor of the dormitory.

"I know my luck sucks like hell but come on, we literally just came." Moniqa scowled as she lifted the satin curtains. "They even locked the gates, what, after two days are the winter holidays, they expect us to stay in here?" The strawberry-haired girl tossed her phone onto her bed. "I literally only came here to take my stuff back." Yeleris rolled her eyes, "I don't even have stuff here, like literally. I went to the mall and met Y/N and I brought her back to our dorms since it's cold as fuck out there," she flopped onto your bed sighing, "none of us even live here, it's just registered because of projects."

You peered through the window, the water had almost completely flooded the university and two floors beneath you, you could see several students blocking the doors with sandbags.

"My housekeeper said that only our area is raining." Moniqa's eyes narrowed, "quite weird wouldn't you say? This rain is quite- sudden, wouldn't you say Miss President?"

Your brows furrowed a bit, " Yea, I checked the school group chat, everybody's talking about the weird weather." You turned around, noticing Yeleris in the corner, staring emotionlessly at her laptop. "You're that annoyed? Princessssy?" Moniqa snickered, noticing her expression.

Yeleris stared at Moniqa blandly through her luscious eyelashes. "We're in a lockdown."

Silence. "WHATTTTTTT THEEEE FUUUU- " Yeleris thwacked her head with her laptop. That laptop is hella expensive, its case is limited edition and she bonked Moniqa with that?!

"Hey," you scrolled through your phone, noticing how everything was loading slower and slower. "Is it just me or does the WiFi suck and mobile data ain't doing what it's supposed to be doing?"

Moniqa gazed quietly at you, "I know who might be able to tell us some stuff." 

You hurriedly followed her out of the building, hissing as the ankle-length water splattered against your bare thighs. It was freezing cold, the three of you waddled into a nearby dorm building, it was one of the newly renovated ones that had stairs to it and didn't have any sandbags around.

"Who the hell are you- oh, it's Moniqa." you raised you brows at the man that towered over you. "Oh, hello Miss President." you scowled, being the president of several clubs are pretty nice but having everyone call you that even your friends could be a little annoying. 

"Is Lorelei here or did she go back home?" He rolled his eyes at the question, "She was planning to leave but the rain got a tad to bit large and she didn't want her eXpeNsive sHoes wet, but yeah, she's in her room, 109 I believe, one floor up."

Thud. Thud. Thud. "Lorelei, it's Moniqa." "..." "Lorelei?" "..." "I'll buy you boba." "...ugh...coming."

A short strawberry-blonde girl greeted you by the door. "You guys are lucky that my roommates aren't here. Get in before I change my mind," She tossed Moniqa a small booklet. 

"No snacks?" Lorelei squinted at her, "that's only for new customers."

She turned to you, "Oh, you're new, there's some snacks on your right." You smiled lightly at the short girl, not because of her kindness but because she has that one type of candy you love that the school doesn't sell. 

"Ahem, since you're a new customer, I will gladly give you an introduction to my services," she tossed a small bottle of peach juice to you, "I am Lorelei Stirling, sophomore, I basically give people info that they want on people on campus, test results or rankings of everyone, not the normal ones that the school gives you of course, and a ton of other stuff, in or outside school. Ummm, that's pretty much it, I'm the head of my dorm and pretty much everyone in this building helps me in gathering info, so we're like an association that tells you everything the school doesn't tell you and some news outside of school that the public doesn't know."

She smiled sweetly at you, "Of course, things come at a price but for you, Miss President, I'll give you a discount. If you want any info in school, the price range will be $10-250, and outside of school will be $10-400. Anything special? The price will be decided by me. Now how does that sound?"

"WhAt? You told me it was $20-600 for in-school and up to 800 outside?" Moniqa snarled. Lorelei rolled her eyes, "First of all, your cousin pissed me off when I was in freshman and you're loaded which means you don't really care about the price of stuff. And anyways, the quality of my info never changes. If I hated you, I would've given you double the price. You'd like that?"

She turned back to you, smiling, "My phone number is on the bottom of your drink, you can call me when you need my services. But considering that you guys literally waddle here like ducks meant that something went wrong with the wi-fi and the data at the same time right? So please tell me what you want before it reaches the point where you have to swim back to your dorm room." 

-...-...- Unknown's pov Somebody's gotten it. It's someone in y/s, the after-effects are growing, I need to find the host. Many things have already been infected with RH-o1, the amount of things that have been leaked will soon make Earth change drastically.

I need to find the diary, quickly, #%^*><\$&%* It has all the leaks, it materialized the moment this world was tainted.

I've been trapped here. We all belong on different paths, one is reality, one is $&@/"-, hopefully, I'll survive, I asked $&":$!(& to help me change how the time flows.

I've just gotten here but every minute feels like decades. My sister is out there somewhere, perhaps the paper that she took gave her a better fate than mine. We don't belong here, before I die, I will send her out. I swore to &&"-).

The sheer amount of rules in this place is driving me insane, if only I was like &&"-), she's insane but her type of insanity doesn't affect her logic and abilities. Why did I have to get the hardest one? Why me?

Chapter 5 - Fish blasting

"Are you sure that she can fix the Wifi?"

Yeleris nodded, eyes glued onto her book.

Moniqa giggled, "Lorelei may be annoying and bratty but she does have the skills that made her the head of her lil association in her sophomore year, my friend told me that two years ago, there was also an association like that one but it was taken down quickly because they dug a bit too deep and the high ranked members were all kicked out of the school. I'm pretty sure one of the high-ranking members who wasn't kicked out was her older sister. I heard that she had some blackmail on the school and she threatened to leak them if they kicked her out."

Ding.

All eyes swiveled onto the pile of devices that were charging in the corner.

Ding,dingdingidndinidgndingd- "SHE DID IT!"Moniqa lunged towards her phone, "FINALLY, I WAS DYING FROM BOREDOM-" Thwack. Yeleris towered over her, "Can you shut up."

You typed a few letters down,

.-.-.-.

Totallynotlazy

Is this Lorelei

Loreleisnotgrumpy

???? Who you?

Totallynotlazy

Y/N, you gave me your number in your room.

Loreleisnotgrumpy

? I wasn't there tho? Do you mean my twin Lorelie?

Loreleisnotgrumpy has added you as your friend

Totallynotlazy's name has been changed to Y/N

Loreliesnotgrumpy's name has been changed to Lorelei

Y/N

Can you give me some info on the rain?

It's not normal, in fact, it's kinda acidic?

Lorelei

WhAt?

I mean sureee but I need some time since, yk it literally just rained. Btw, I'll give you the price after I get the info because I'm actually nice and Lorelie told me to give u a discount so just wait for my messages.

Btw, how'd you know it's acidic?

Y/N

Me, Yeleris, and Moniqa had to go to your dorm because of the Wifi not working to ask you to get it fixed but as you said your twin was there and she fixed it for us.

Lorelei

Huh, Yeleris and Moniqa? They only came to me once and I never told them my dorm number and Anthony wouldn't tell random people my dorm number. Ig that your roommates had deals with my twinny rather than me.

Y/N

Prob. Anyways, when we got back, our skin was red and some bits were bleeding and I tested the PH.

Lorelei

Hmmm. I'll get you some info by the end of this week, I'll give Lorelie your number. Don't tell random people about Lorelie though, she's a bit bratty and hates a lot of people, and she likes acting like me. She'd get angry if people knew that she was pretending to be me

Y/N

Ok, tysm

Lorelei

Have fun XD

.-.-.-.

The lovely violet sky was soon covered in a sheen of eerie red, after effects of the blood rain. The WiFi had stopped multiple times in the last few hours, only recovering due to the twin's perseverance of fixing the WiFi for the enormous amount of money they were given by hundreds of people.

The power outs were so frequent that the night became very dark, only a few gleams from torches and phones, and soon you drifted into a deep sleep, unaware of your surroundings.

Patter. Patter. A silhouette was outlined by the faint moonlight. "Y/N...The time isn't right yet. You weren't supposed to have visions yet. Why did I have to be the only one in the dorm that's reincarnated? The apocalypse is in a year but since you've gotten your powers so early, does that mean that the timeline has been messed up? Lorelie wasn't supposed to be there too. Has she reincarnated? Perhaps transmigration? A time traveler?" The girl muttered.

"The rain, it's supposed to be acidic in a few days, the acidity is also stronger. What's happened? The future is changing. Butterfly effects, if I can come back, others can come back too. My sister is still finding the records of the apocalypse, we would all die without the records..." The figure opened your phone, "Genshin...maybe the world of Teyvat has something to do with all of this as you were in Teyvat for a year or two, but- who's this?"

-.-.-.

"Y/N WAKE UP." Moniqa shrieked as she woke you up. I finally wasn't in Teyvat, Moniqa scared the shit out of mee. "What?"You stretched happily, "Bro! It's raining fucking blood!" WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKKKK You rushed to open the window. You cautiously placed a small cup outside the window. "Hey." Yeleris beckoned the two of you to the TV. '

"It's global." "No shit, Sherlock." You took the cup out and closed the window once again. "The rain here seems a lot darker than the TV." You turned to Moniqa, "Moni, you have a lot of small seedlings you got from the gardening club right? Add some of the rainwater in one, I want to see something."

~time skip~ (2days)

"Pretty sister! Pretty sister! Are you ok?" You rubbed your bleary eyes. The loli smiled down at you, "Pretty sister, are you ok? Klee was soooo worried about you." she smiled innocently at you, cherry pink eyes glinting under the morning rays.

"Hello Klee, I'm fine." You sat up, "Sweetie, where are we?" The girl laughed, clapping her hands together, "Is pretty sister a visitor? This is Cider Lake!" She grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the water.

She's unbelievably strong... "Since pretty sister is a visitor, Klee will show you around Mondstadt and we can go fish blasting with Dodoco!!!"

"Klee?" You poked her weakly, "Is something wrong pretty sister?" You pointed behind you, "You sure you want to do it in front of the city?"

You've woken up after you and Klee blasted the majority of the fish population of Mondstadt. At first, it was only Cider Lake, but she soon decided that it wasn't enough and she started putting bombs all over the nation, one on some poor lad's roof in Springvale, one besides the anemo hyptostatis, one near the statue of seven and a lot of other places that you couldn't remember. It was only until a knight of Favonius saw Klee putting bombs in a merchant's stall did you leave.  You did not want to be brought to Jean, so you hid on top of a tree as Klee was dragged away. She made a heart in the end which quite literally melted your heart and soul into a puddle.

The next few days passed like a flow, the rain never stopped but day by day, the water had slowly turned back to it's usual colour, in fact, the small samples of rainwater collected before slowly turned transparent just like the rain.

It wasn't until eight days later did you notice something was too eerie with the rain.

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

Teyvat Chapters 1-10:

https://www.tumblr.com/life-is-unreal/757207106530213888/stranger-danger-genshin-impact-x-reader-teyvat?source=share

[corvus-ix]

MC/Reader x Pierro

- This is mostly HEADcanon & their loosely based from Taking Over the Abyss fanfic from Wattpat by corviiknight

- Also a little Gold/Rhinedottir in the mix

- I'mma post this here to clear my note for my other drafts cause f### it, my notes are a f###ing mess

MC: I learned some very valuable lessons from this.

Young Pierro: I’m guessing they are all horrible distortions on the lessons you actually should’ve taken away.

MC: Death isn’t real, and I’m basically God.

Young Pierro: MC, NO—

—————————————————————————

Random Khaenri'ah: Why is the Royal Mage(Pierro) and MC sitting with their backs to each other?

Gold: They had a fight.

Random Khaenri'ah: Then why are they holding hands?

Gold: They get sad when they fight.

—————————————————————————

Young Pierro: Do I need to repeat myself?

MC: No thanks, there's a reason why I ignore you the first time

—————————————————————————

MC: I should have listened to that Pierro

Random Khaenri'ah Alchemist in distress: What did he say?!

MC also now in distress: I DON'T KNOW! I DIDN'T LISTEN!

—————————————————————————

MC: Oh just so you know, it’s very muggy outside

Young Pierro:

Young Pierro: MC, I swear, if I step outside and all of our mugs are on the front lawn…

MC: *Sips coffee from bowl*

Young Pierro: *sign*.

—————————————————————————

MC: I am immortal until proven otherwise

Young Pierro: MC, NO—

—————————————————————————

MC: I am an idiot

Young Pierro:

MC:

Young Pierro: If you’re waiting for me to disagree with you, it’s going to be a long night.

—————————————————————————

MC: Change is inedible.

Young Pierro: Don’t you mean inevitable?

MC, spitting out mora: No, I did not.

—————————————————————————

MC: I’ve done a lot of dumb stuff.

Gold: I witnessed the dumb stuff.

Young Pierro: I TRIED TO STOP YOU FROM DOING THE DUMB STUFF BUT GOT DRAG IN ON THE DUMB STUFF!

—————————————————————————

MC: Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing. Everything is going to be fine!

Young Pierro: How can you still say that?

MC: Because sometimes, when things get tough, denial is all we have.

—————————————————————————

MC: You’re ‘the second worst thing to ever happen to those orphans’, what does that mean?

Gold: It means i was second worst thing to happen to those orphans.

MC: But what’s the first worst thing?

*Awkward pause*

Gold: MC, they… they weren’t always orphans.

MC: *hiding behind Young Pierro*

————————————————————————

Young Pierro: This is such a bad idea.

MC: Then why are you coming along?

Young Pierro: One of us need to be able to talk the knights out of arresting us when this inevitably goes wrong.

—————————————————————————

MC: Did you know that atoms never touched each other

MC: And since we’re made of atoms were never touched anything in our lives.

MC: So to answer your questions, no I did not punch that man-

Young Pierro: *sigh*

—————————————————————————

*MC staying up late again to finish a deadline*

Young Pierro: Go to bed! It’s 2 in the morning! If you don’t you’re going to hate yourself in the morning!

MC in a dreadful tone: Jokes on you! I’m going to hate myself regardless!

—————————————————————————

Young Pierro in great distress: Why didn’t you tell me!?

MC: Oh, maybe because I wanted us to fail.

MC losing her sh#t : OBVIOUSLY I DIDN’T F##KING KNOW!!!

—————————————————————————

Young Pierro: What did you do?! I told you to distract them not knock them out!

MC:

MC: There’s no pleasing you sometime

—————————————————————————

MC: The brighter the rainbow, the gayer the strom cleric

Pierro: WHAT???

—————————————————————————

MC/Reader & Pierro HC

- I like to hc most of their dates mostly consist of MC teaching & showing Pierro a lot of things (mostly about MC hyper fixation)

- Pierro not understanding most of & try to learn much about it after the date

- For some reason I can see them doing library dates

- Also Pierro teaching MC royal/noble etiquette & MC purposely messing & teasing Pierro during the lessons

- I can also see them playfully bickering or just really getting into the conversation during a dinner boat ride

- Strolling around then MC suddenly teasing Pierro, & then Pierro chase a giggling MC around

- Pierro teaching MC stuffs, like magic, instrument, etc

- Also Pierro teaching MC how to ride a horse & a few shenanigans happening then having a good laugh at the situation (sometimes MC do it on purpose)

- I really, really, really love the idea of MC & Pierro cooking each other meal for their date & exchange recipe (MC w/ modern & foreign ones, Pierro w/ his own one)

- Just MC (accidentally & always)dragging Pierro into her shenanigans one way or another (Pierro stop question how long time ago) & after everything over they just enjoy each other company while resting

- MC dancing while Pierro is singing or playing an instrument (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

- I can also see Pierro drawing MC while MC is enjoying herself on something (dancing, playing w/ animals, etc)

——————————————————————————

An incorrect quote based on Ch 53.

*Pierro doesn't had the courage to confess to MC for years*

*Al-Haitham & Kaveh making a marriage proposal to MC only knowing her for a day*

Pierro: I waited for 500 years, a Scribe & a Architect did it in a day...

Pierro: I waited for 500 years, a SCRIBE & a ARCHITECT did it in a day.

Pierro: A SCRIBE & A ARCHITECT DID IT IN A DAY

——————————————————————————

Imagine Pierro after a few years of the destruction of Khaenri'ah & learning about the curse

Imagine him stressing himself out cause he keep thinking worse case scenario about MC

"Did she survive?" "Was she curse?" "What curse did she suffer? Immortality? Did she turn into a Hilichurl?"

"Did she die—"

Bro stressing almost everytime, that he learn to conceal/mask it

"What if MC did turn into a Abyss Mage/Hilichurl instead of Immortality?!"

"What if she was killed because she's a Abyss Mage/Hilichurl?!"

His heart ache everytime this kind of thoughts intrude his mind

Have a few breakdown every now & then because of it as well

& That go on for 500 years, until he heard about a certain Abyss Mage w/ a familiar name

[mothergold]

Pairing: Rhinedottir x Gn!Reader

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Dark Content, Rhinedottir uses She/Her Pronouns, Reader uses No Pronouns, Abusive Relationship, Abuse/Assault, Rhinedottir is a bitch (affectionate), Gender Neutral Reader, Human Experimentation, Manipulation, Less than 1k idk i wrote this in tumblr drafts lmao.

A/n: Okay, so I am writing a longer Rhine thing but for now I needed to get this out of my brain and into the wild. A quick forewarning, Rhine in this is very much made with my personal headcanons in mind so just please be aware of that. I know she hasn't made an official appearance but with how much we've heard about her in lore i cannot stop myself from being obsessed. Please, make sure you read all the warnings before reading. Thanks!

Tagging: @auphelia

Impatient. Chatty. Annoying. These are just some of the words Rhine would use to describe you. There were no buts, just Rhine and her disgust which permeated the walls of her lab. She looked over her notes again, and again, until she’d concluded that she was indeed dissatisfied with the work you both had done. Well, her work, but you were willing enough. Sadly as much as she loathed the idea of rethinking her strategy, she had no other choice.

In the meantime Rhine had no option but to map out what needed to be done and with what. As she thought it out in her mind, connecting dots that others would find irrelevant, her ears grew warm from the surrounding buzz of the room. The lack of sound often seemed the loudest at times to some. Although Rhine would disagree. The empty air was needed, a necessary measure. While others found comfort in idle chit chat she saw it nothing more than a distraction. Talking often got in the way of more important things, such as moments like this.

The silence was nice, forgiving even, but of course, you had to open that trap of yours. She nearly lost her composure listening to your mindless chatter sometimes. Of course her best test subject would be the most troublesome of them all. At times she wished she’d make a mistake—an impossible yet comforting thought—and “accidentally” end the experiment early. Never mind how utterly unlikely that would be. It’s that thought which was ripped from her upon hearing you ask another loud and idiotic question.

“What are you doing, Miss.Rhine?” Your voice is sweet with an ugly aftertaste.

She ignores you but her eye twitches.

Absolutely frustrating.

You press further, asking why she’s ignoring you, and it isn’t long before she’s letting out a growl.

She drops her clipboard and lunges a hand towards your face, forcing your gaze at hers. Her long, dirty nails dig into your cheeks causing them to hurt just enough to shut you up.

“I will cut out your tongue if you do not silence it.” She snapped.

Silence finally thickened the surrounding air, staining a reminder into your throat as you swallowed hard. Rhine was usually patient, something she had to force herself to be after many years with you, but you had a way of testing her limits. Your voice was just one of her many irritants. She scoffed and let go of your face roughly, recklessly throwing back your head till it hit the surface behind you. Finally, she could get back to the task at hand, she thought to herself.

Sadly, she made the mistake of glancing over at your teary eyed face. You averted your eyes the instant hers locked onto yours. You sniffled and flinched as she moved her hand to pinch her nose. God, you were so fucking insufferable. It was always something with you. Well, she very well couldn't continue her work if she didn't have a proper subject.

Reluctantly she stood up and scooped you up into her arms and sighed loudly. "Stop crying."

You began to cry harder and she groaned out loud. Rocking you in her arms she stood still aside from the very mechanical rocking movements. Rhine had better things to do than coddle you, she couldn't let herself get into the habit of spoiling you. No, that would be most troublesome. It was only a few moments before you were a puddle in her arms, quiet and reserved. She could finally get back to the job at hand. Just as she started reading over her notes, again, she caught herself scowling down at you.

She tightened her jaw, grinding down on her teeth. Had she gone soft? Weak in the knees for some nobody. The mere idea left a sour taste in her mouth. Had Rhine finally fallen from grace? No, such things she reassured herself. Besides, much work was to be done and she very well couldn't be bothered to dwell on useless worries such as that. For now she supposed it was alright, it was keeping you quiet, after all. I suppose. She was not motherly by any means, but she could at least pretend long enough to shut you up.

[crabsy94]

Spoiler warning for the new Xbox glider description

Lokey feel bad for Dain and Vedrfolnir after reading the new glider description. Spoiler

Like Vedr was just doing his job and they blinded him and threw him in prison for it. Like what did bro see that warranted that response for him. I think it could be something to do with the vinster king inevitability destroying his nation and it probably was classed as an act of treason or something.

And imagine Dain’s pov of that, Dain served the king and the royal family and they (im assuming the king sentenced Vedr) did that to his older brother. Bro probably lost all faith in his king at that point.

I’m sorry for mocking your cataclysm trauma Dain and for you relationship with your brother and giving very hypocritical advice to the traveler knowing your own relationship with your sibling

Okay okay more on to my speculations regarding this information, other than the points I already included

1.) I think Dain and Vedr had a very close relationship before everything happened considering he was apart of the group that were supposed to save the nation, and he was still helping (somehow, I don’t have any ideas yet as to how they communicated while Vedr was in prison, my only guess is Dain abusing his power as Twilight Sword and using that to talk to him). This idea comes from the fact Dain seemed very reluctant to mention the sinners considering it was 3.8 or something that he first mentioned them or anything really about his family. As well as the line “The young knight, initially intending only to save his older brother” (adorable, kicking my feet reading that line) and the line mentioned about Dain’s family implies that his family was significant to him at some point (brotherless behaviour, it’s giving Diluc and Kaeya kinda -ex person waiting for genshin to let diluc and Kaeya make up, well not ex still am just moved on to Dain and Vedr’s relationship -it’s got more tea to it okay-, if you ship them dni right now either of the sets of BROTHERS for that matter)

2.) Dain probably knew the sinners before he gathered them to eliminate the threat to their homeland considering the line “the young knight gathered the brilliant young ones of the age”. Which implies he at least knew who they were, maybe they were all of equal footing at the time

3.) how old were the ‘brilliant young ones of the age’ cause that could imply early 20’s potentially late teens, or young in the sense that they are younger than majority in their respective fields in the royal court (I’m still rolling with the whole royal court job agenda) cause like maybe for example with Rhinedottir she might have been in her mid late 20’s around 27 ish working in the court as an alchemist while her colleagues (I’m assuming she had colleagues) may have been a lot older than her and more experience under their belts than her.

But then again they were all called the ‘best in the fields’ or something along those lines by Dain so maybe they were really young and just very talented like Rhine could maybe out do alchemists that had been working for 40 years or something and only be like 19-25.

4.) (I think I’m up to 4, this is getting long might have to split it into two posts) the question now being posed to me is how big is the age gap between Dain and Vedr, I’m thinking if we go for the whole late teen early 20’s thing maybe he was 23 and Dain was ~20 ish. but then vedr seems to young considering what he did cause like Mona travels and learnt from Barbeloth for X many years and appears to be in her early mid 20’s (I need ghost to play twenties when I see them, sorry getting side tracked) and she’s not a visionary, like she’s a good astrologist but not at visionary level. So maybe Vedr was in his late 20’s at the time and Dain (mid twenties) and gang were mid to late twenties (Rhine is the youngest and Dain the most immature, I don’t remember who said that originally, credit to them for the idea but it’s cannon now). Cause like I can’t see Dain and Vedrfolnir being more than 4 years apart considering how close I think they were

Anyways end rant -for now- bye bye to anyone who is still here till the end, I got a bit distracted (a bit is an understatement)

[ahbeduo]

Do u have any subject 2 headcanons? 👀

I DO ACTUALLY!!! I think I've mentioned some in another ask, but uHHH I will put them here again cuz I might have changed some since last time🤔 I will put em belowwww Because I will not shut up about him /lh

REMINDER THIS IS ALL MY HEADCANONS! I ain't saying they're correct and true at all! There's so little screen time and crumbs I had to cook my own bread

Note: If it's not in any Aeruby AU (Aether x Rubedo but i and my friend like to call him Ruby haha) then he will forever be subject 2 in my head

I had HC Subject 2's real body underneath the Albedo imitation has multiple large jagged scars from when Durin had eaten him. Those large sharp teeth probably had pierced through his body once or twice before he was sent down the esophagus. That's why some parts of his body are so damaged he can't feel anything there

Another thing is that his hair.. I HC it to be black as opposite to Albedo's pale blonde-ish colour since Albedo is considered free of impurities and Subject 2 isn't at this point? Marinating in Durin's blood has GOT to do something right? Right?

This isn't exactly my HC, but of a friend who I always throw my brain worms at. They say his hands and feet has a bit of darkening, like a siamese cat's paw 🥺 It ends at his forearms and shins

Mentally, he is a child because I don't think Rhinedottir had allowed him to grow and develop so much. So yes, he doesn't have as much control over his emotions as Albedo. He isn't patient either compared to his successor. His relationship with their Master is complicated. He hates her, yet he refers to her as his mother. Mommy issues ayeeeee lmao

"You are my magnum opus" Rhinedottir had said to him. He had been proud to be her work of art. So he didn't expect to be thrown away for failing. What did he fail at? He didn't know. He was never told.

other simple stuff

-He won't get a vision -Has an interest in plants and animals -He's physically stronger than Albedo since he doesn't have a vision to rely on -Is very willing to get his hands dirty and commit murder for his benefit ((not surprisinglol))

All in all he gives feral stray cat energy that just wants love but would rather replace his successor to get it than to start his own life.

[yuuxhan]

Venti x reader headcanons

Angst + Fluff

(I can’t sleep rn and I’ve been listening to angst all night!! So enjoy!! I tried to keep this as canon as possible)

He has these cute nicknames for you, “Darling” “Love” but his most common one is “Windblume~”

Poor guy is very self conscious, he’s always thinking the body he’s in is not his and he hates it.. he wants you to love him not the nameless bard.

“Please.. oh please.. You don’t.. like him.. right? You love me right? You love ME right??”

Please.. please don’t let him near a mirror.. he will have a breakdown right then and there. Seeing himself reminds him of the past

Gifts! Give him lots of gifts, it’ll show him you really do appreciate and love him.. in return he’ll give you hugs and kisses.. maybe even a bouquet of Cecelias <3

The thought of you not being from this world makes his heart break.. he knows you’ll leave Teyvat and him one day forever and he’s never going to forgive himself for not stopping you

Aftercare at the tavern is always important, if he’s super drunk take him home immediately, give him a warm bath and water before he goes to bed, he’ll appreciate it in the morning

If he ever sees you standing and talking to a someone, he’ll run over and jump on you like a friendly tackle. He’s very embarrassing to be around but you’d get used to it.

“Venti!! I was trying to buy some supplies..!”

“I couldn’t help myself! I saw you standing there and.. it was a clear opening~”

He absolutely loves cuddles, especially with a warm blanket when it’s cold outside. You two, sitting by a small flame. He’d love to hum you to sleep on him, it’s the best feeling ever.

Every night he goes to the huge statue of himself near the church and sit on the hands, he loves laying down on it, it reminds him of when he was a small whisp on the nameless bard’s hands. He’d love to bring you up there too, the wind and the view is gorgeous up there for sunrise.

“Thank you for coming up here with me.. this spot makes me feel more at home, especially now that you’re here with me..~”

If you ever need to find him feeling down and depressed, check windrise.. the spot by the statue feels somewhat comforting for him. Maybe because the statue ‘heals’ him..

He loves to play you songs and sing to you! If it’s private or in front of a crowd, you always get the first spot up close! He also rehearses around you once he’s comfortable with you.. your feedback is always important.

He loves absolutely everything about you, from your head to your toes, from your personality to your eyes.. he gives you compliments all day out of nowhere, it’s quite the tease sometimes but he loves your reaction. He can go on and on and ramble to strangers about you.

“Hey hey hey! Majorie! Have you seen (name)!? When was the last time you saw them?? Was their hair down today? I love it when their hair is down.. it looks so fluffy and it blows in the wind so perfectly..~!”

Even though he seemed tough on the outside, he’s quite sensitive, some comments just get to him and he can’t help but to believe them.

“Oh.. is that what they mean..? Alright..”

Nightmares are a major thing.. flashbacks to 500 year ago during the archon war frightens him.. seeing Mondstat in nothing but flames makes him horrified.

His cries are soft and quiet, you can barely hear him.. though when the time comes for him to scream and sob.. it’s like all of Teyvat can hear it through the wind.

Please comfort him, even if it’s just hugs or a simple nudge of affection.. anything to help him. He’s not used to human emotions still, especially crying so he shakes and gasps for air a lot

“What’s.. going on.. why can’t I.. breath.. help me.. please.. please.. Windblume..”

Dragonspine still scares him till this day, he fears that one day the protection he put over mondstat will break and Durin (the dragon created by Rhinedottir that Dvalin & him took down) will return.

Playing with his cheeks makes him blush, he’s very squishable and he loves it when you do. He ends up laughing when he sees your mocking face and he might squish yours too!

“Ou ou ou.. yoush shqushing tuu haurd..! Stuup ut~!”

Tickles!! He’s so ticklish!! Under his arms, his waist, his neck.. anywhere gets him to laugh.

Braid his hair! He loves intimate touch like that.. he would sit on the bed beside you with his eyes shut, staring as quiet as possible while you fix his hair for him, he feels pampered and taken care of <3

He never celebrates his birthday.. he always thinks of it as the day the nameless bard died. So he doesn’t tell anyone and spends his day drinking away at the tavern..

If he’s using you as comfort on a bad day, the both of you would be sitting down somewhere, his arms as legs would be wrapped around your back. He would want you to hold him like a child but he’d be embarrassed about wanting such comfort and he’d stay silent with a blush on his cheeks, even though he enjoy every moment of it.

“Um.. hey.. do you, mind if I um.. hugged you.. for a moment..?” His cheeks all flustered and his gaze looking away from you.

Venti is terrified of thunderstorms, as a whisp, you can imagine how scary it would be for someone so small and fragile to whiteness something so loud and terrifying. He still has that fear to this day and with you by his side, he’d latch onto you like a child, begging for some sort of comfort to sheild him from his scary it would be. Every flash and bang the storm creates, he’d jump and hide himself in your grasp.. it would make him seem so small, fragile and weak at that point.. but he didn’t care.. he’d want to feel safe.

He HATES to be strapped down to things.. he absolutely despise it.. even if it’s like a ride or for fun, he will not do it. The whole point of his freedom is to be free to do what you want, you know? But even so, he has a fear of being tied to things and he will do anything.. and I say ANYTHING to get out.

When he cries, he tends to find something to distract him.. wether it’s just a pebble on the concrete ground he picked up or just staring at a flower beside him. And when you hug him, he holds onto you tightly, his finger making small patterns on your back to distract himself for comfort. If you giggle from it feeling ticklish he’d laugh with you.. it would most likely make him feel better

He loves it when he’s being held in your arms, cradled so closely. He feels so loved, even though he was never used to it from all those centuries. He loves when you sing to him like that, especially that one song… even if it makes him feel like a baby, being pampered by you is something he’ll never get over.

“You are my sunshine.. my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you.. please don’t take, my sunshine.. away.”

Venti is actually weightless. He’s the god of wind, not to mention he’s a spirit, not even human. This guy is very easy to carry like a baby, which helps since he’s always jumping on you in surprise hug attacks. Him being weightless makes it easier for you too, you’re able to carry him home like nothing when he’s drunk or just wants to be pampered or worshipped somehow.

(That’s all for now! I’ll add more later on!! :>

I’ll be making a venti angst fic soon! Stay tuned for it!!! 🤗)

(Update, fic has been posted! Along with a fluff of venti preforming Solider, poet, king!)

[haileyywrites]

Summary: When Rhinedottir left Mondstadt she entrusted her still young son to you - a job she wouldn't entrust to just anyone. As her former apprentice you would help guide Albedo through life and his quest for the "Truth of This World"...

Pairings: Albedo x reader / platonic!

Notes/Warnings: Completely gender neutral reader! Poc friendly! Possible lore spoiler warning for Gold, Durin, "Primordial" Albedo and Albedo's backstory! Not meant to be entirely lore accurate! Very fluffy with a tint of angst for "Susbedo"/"Primordial" Albedo! Not completely proofread as it's pretty long! Rushed ending!

Few were ever lucky to meet Rhinedottir or "Gold" as she was known by those she called friends. Even fewer could become her apprentice's to continue on her questionable legacy... Her deeds and motives were controversial to most, but it wouldn't stop you from taking up the mantel as her first apprentice after you had thoroughly impressed her. You reminded her of herself when she was young, curious and inquisitive - ready to unravel the "Truth of This World".

Gold wasn't someone easily impressed, so whatever you did to attract her attention must have been something special. She was a cold and strick mentor who wouldn't hesitate to stop your apprenticeship the moment you proved to be useless or didn't meet her expectations. You knew this from the beginning of course and made sure to keep it in mind at all times. As you gained her trust she showed you ways to alter your aging process through "unnatural" means.

Though you grew closer throughout the years this never changed, but when she had taught you close to everything she asked for your help with her final secret project. To create life through alchemy or khemia. She created many creatures like the Riftwolves and Durin, but her most human creation had always stood out to you. The small babe that she let you hold in your arms had captured your heart the moment you laid eyes on him, Gold called him her greatest creation and you couldn't help but agree.

“His name is Albedo.” She said.

“He's beautiful, he also looks a lot like you.” You mused.

“He shall be my greatest creation, only time will tell if he lives up to it.”

The boy you held would come to be known to few as the "Primordial Albedo" who would be swallowed by Durin... You had always known she would abandon you too if you didn't live up to her expectations, but to do this to her own son was incredibly cruel and beyond what you thought she was capable of. It soured your relationship for some time - especially when she moved onto create another identical Albedo, but she didn't stop being your mentor even then. It also didn't stop her from leaving you with one final assignment that would end your apprenticeship, but also change your life almost entirely...

Gold left. She vanished after discovering something incredible during her latest trip through a forgotten domain with Albedo... The only things left behind were her notebook along with two letters addressed to you and Albedo. In her letter to you she entrusted her son to you as in her opinion he was still a bit too young to navigate through life completely on his own and helping him discover the "Truth of This World" was your final assignment.

Gold knew you were both eager to prove yourselves to her and trusted you both to succeed in it. It was a difficult and demanding task, but she wouldn't have even entertained the idea if she didn't trust you both immensely as Gold wasn't the kind of person to coddle others - especially not Albedo as she of all knew what he was capable of, but it didn't mean he had to completely rely on himself just yet. Albedo had proved himself worthy to be called her greatest creation and her successor, he was given the name Kreideprinz. With your gentle guidance he was sure to thrive as not an alchemist, but a human being as well.

It was difficult for both of you to be left alone after Gold departed, especially for Albedo as it was the first time he was separated from his master. It was also the first time you had been left alone with him for an extended period of time and you hardly knew each other yet. While you had held "Primordial Albedo" when he was still an infant, you had distanced yourself from this Albedo in an effort to not become attached should he meet a fate as cruel as his predecessor... It evidently prevented you from really bonding with him from a young age, which made your current situation more difficult.

Albedo was never a difficult child, infact he was barely a child at all. He had always reminded you of an adult trapped in a child's body, but it made sense since he wasn't a regular child at all. He had always been very independent, but would ask for your help if he truly needed it. Sometimes he would do it just to make you feel better as he knew you loved helping him with anything and that it was important to you... He truly was too smart for his own good, but you pretended not to notice when he did this.

It took surprisingly little time for you to grow attached to the young boy, within a few months you were already acting like a parent - reminding him to eat and take care of himself beyond his pursue if knowledge alongside helping him to do so. All of it may not have been necessary considering he wasn't human, but it felt natural to dote on him and he didn't seem to mind. If you were bold you would even suggest he enjoyed it to some level.

“Albedo I think it's time to take a break, you've been studying away since dawn.” You said worriedly.

“It's okay, I'm not tired.” He replied with a monotone voice.

“I know, that's what you always tell me. At least stop to eat this dinner I made.” You smiled and placed the plate on his desk.

Albedo nodded, but didn't seem to be paying much attention to what you were saying. Before you left however, you could see him stop and put down the book he was reading before picking up the plate with a tiny smile on his face as he munched away what you had prepared. You let out a giggle which made Albedo turn to look at you, you didn't say anything as you left to continue on with your unfinished work...

While to you he may have been a surrogate child of sorts, but you never forced him to view your relationship like that. His maker had a role no one else could ever hope to live up to and you didn't try to, you were his mentor and he appreciated that relationship. He would call you his family if anyone were to ask - you did raise him mostly. It wasn't to make you happy or anything, it was just what you were to him as "mentor" just didn't fully explain how important you were to him.

When Albedo became older he decided he would leave for Mondstadt to visit Alice as instructed by the letter left by Gold. You joined him as you had briefly met Alice before and wished to ask if she knew anything about Gold or her current whereabouts - it had been years and you had heard nothing from her, neither had Albedo. Unfortunately she couldn't say as she didn't know, but at least she knew what to do with the letter Albedo gave her.

With Alice's recommendation and Gold's letter Albedo was made a knight amongst Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius, though he was quickly promoted as Chief Alchemist. It was somehow a quite proud moment for you, seeing the child you helpped raise succeed in life was quite fulfilling. The only sad part being that you would return to Dragonspine alone that night and most nights after that... Albedo would return any time he possibly could to see you and return to his home, but it was quite different from how things were.

Dragonspine was isolated from all of the nations, even Mondstadt. Not to mention incredibly dangerous and harsh, few would dare set foot there making you feel rather lonely most of the time. You had always had Gold or Albedo keeping you company, but now it was only you and a few non-friendly groups inhabiting the mountain along with it's wildlife. Sometimes Sucrose or Timaeus would visit the laboratory to work on something, but you would let them work in peace. Still somehow you got the feeling you were being watched at times...

You never could figure out the culprit for sure, but at times you would catch a glimpse of familiar blonde hair that Albedo had. He never admitted to it being him when you brought it up, so you simply let it go and mostly forgot about it. Perhaps it was wishful thinking since you were so lonely that you hoped it was him or even Gold, no matter how unlikely it might have been...

Things got better when Klee vame into your life and joined your very strange "family", Albedo was like a real brother to her and she quickly grew to love you both as a part of her family. She was very excited about it as she only had Alice and she tended to travel around a lot leaving her with the Knights of Favonius. Alice was a free spirit and would only be happy if allowed to roam freely, she did love her daughter dearly and thus you were entrusted with the guardianship of another child that wasn't yours.

Klee was very different from Albedo - she was loud, energetic and overall an actual child. You had no experience looking after a child such as Klee, but you managed with a lot of patience and learning on the job. She wasn't a bad kid in any way, she just tended to find or create problems you had to solve. You wouldn't trade it or her for anything in this world, but she could be very difficult. Looking back it was hard to imagine your life without her or Albedo...

“Klee you've been very well behaving today... Is there anything you need to tell me?” You crossed your arms over your chest.

“Um, noo?” She avoided your gaze as if she would turn into stone if she gazed into your eyes.

“Klee?” You asked suspiciously.

“I'm going to go back to Mondstadt now! Bye!” She ran off almost tripping multiple times.

You would need to make a trip to visit Mondstadt later to collect her from timeout it seemed...

It was strange and funny to think how your life had turned out. How you had left your home and family to study under someone who many feared or hated, you stayed her apprentice despite everything that happened throughout the years and all that she did... Despite what happened to the first Albedo, despite what happened to Durin and the Riftwolves - despite everything she did.

You were left to raise her son on your own after she vanished without a trace... Years went by with just the two of you until then he left to pursue his own future and destiny leaving you alone on the mountain like your master was before she took you in as her apprentice - only this time the apprentice left for the city Mondstadt. Then of course came Klee who joined your family and who too was left in your care by her mother. Quite the life you had lived...

A/N: I'm sorry my posting has become so lazy, I have a ton of fics in my drafts but I just can't seem to finish any of them lol...

[dreamsofminnie]

“500 years... And not once did I forget you.”

{Dainsleif x Reader} Part 1

Part 2 <(Link will be open once its posted)

Summary-> These centuries, these years apart. Khaenri’ah was cold but your heart felt much colder. The forgivable sin Dainsleif left had left imprinted deeply into your flesh. Then why do you feel this overbearing longing for his pressence once again? Years of therapy, self-reflection, and vividly horrid night terrors; couldn’t stop this ache when you lay eyes upon him once more.

Notes-> This took several months to write and plan </3 Originally for my bestie for her birthday but I thinks it’s too well written to not share. I hope you like this lighthearted, horror+mystery, a lil comfort, then hurt & angst—in that order <3 @wraitingyou

Tags-> DainsleifxReader, Angst, Slow burn, We die in vain, mystery, genocide, Tighnari, Alhaitham, Reader is from Khaenri’ah, Khaenri’ah lore, reader is from Khaenri’ah, repressed memory, the cataclysm | fall of Khaenri’ah, pre-cataclysm Khaenri’ah, mutual pining, childhood friends, hurt no comfort, pain and suffering, angst and humour, slight gore, horror, body horror, decimation, the abyss, abyss order, reader is not traveler, betrayal, Rhinedottir, mentions of alternate universe, comfort, pining, fluff to angst, implied/referenced character death, genshin plot, Royal guard Dainsleif, reader was a royal guard, nostalgia, suffering, harsh language, heartbreak, no love, delusional dreams real, memory lost, regaining memories

Word Count-> 5.6k

✨

“See you later! Have a safe trip, except for you Wanderer. I hope you trip on your way out and get buried under.” Running farther away from your friend and the pest, you had really prayed for your dear friend’s safety with that gremlin of a puppet.

The inn you all were staying at was starting to get less packed with the huge rainstorm passing. Sumeru surely was a rainforest of region, much more comforting out of all the places you have traveled so far.

Faint drips of rain plopped onto the windows. Soothing yet setting for a melancholy atmosphere. Not that it’s needed, you don’t ever get sappy for anything.

“Therapy session for this month check. Controlled anger issues check. Resistance in making crude jokes.. hnn, check i guess.” I should be good for another few months…”

“I must prepare to leave early tomorrow morning.” Diving into bed is the best parts of the day. No need to waste energy on minuscule thoughts.

Except, innsomnia is a tired person's worst literal nightmare.

“Agh, the kitchen would be closed at this time of the night. Snacks are a nope. Fresh air then, stars are always mesmerizing, maybe they can hypnotize me to sleep.” Irritation laced your words, not thinking much of them.

Curse the devil for allowing innsomnia.

Slipping into a coat you walk out your room and onto the large public balcony.

The inn you were staying at was in the main Sumeru city. Twisted into the tree trunk, the rooms carved into the tree while the balcony stuck out with marble flooring. The usual white spiral ramps gave the inn exits either going up or down.

Though to you, Sumeru is one of the nicest places to enjoy scenery. Aesthetic in all ways. The stars this night didn't fall flat of this statement.

Truly

Something to admire

Or

Something forgotten

Leaning on the balcony railings the gentle breeze took some leaves for flight and your eyes followed suit.

Till they landed on a silhouette standing ten feet away looking in the opposite direction. His back was broad and he stood tall. His hair paled much more in the moonlight and clothes rustled with each growing breeze. The breeze acted like it was setting a mood as it grew a bit harsher.

A twinge in your nerves caused you to walk towards him.

Strange emotion pileing up for this unknown man.

Then it dropped.

You couldn’t believe you thought that was someone who would stir such emotions. Your head thought it was a person your heart has longed for. But a person you have no idea of. Who? Who did you think it was?

Thinking now, the breeze wouldn’t be able to set a mood even if someone were to sober it. Not that there needs to be mood setting.

“Don’t you have a home and a broke man to accommodate to.” Snarky remarks at 4am is exactly what a man needs to hear to crawl back home. Except it doen’t work on pricks.

“And what pleasantries do we have here.” He taunted and turned around his face cold as ever.

“I don’t understand your feeble scholar upgraded language. Shut the fuck up. My insomnia can’t handle pricks.” Alhaitham closed his thick study books and used it to tilt your chin up.

You were standing two steps apart. Well, one step for him since long legs and all.

“Tighnari has smelling herbs for insomnia. Did your puny brain not tell you of that prick either.” You huff and push his book straight back into his chest. “Unlike you. He is much more welcome in my bubble of friendship. Dried up cactuses don’t get a say in my life.”

Alhaitham tucks the book under his arms and turns towards the ramp going down. “Then I guess this dried up cactus will fuck off as you said.” He took five steps before slightly turning back at you.

“Insomnia herb. Get it tommorrow.”

Then he disappeared from view.

“What the fuck. He sounded like he ordered one for me already?! I’ll make sure he didn’t tomorrow morning. Hhuu. That exchange made me exhausted.” With groggy eyes you drag your feet back into the inn.

Upon entering your room once again, you hit the sack faster than you took off your bulky coat.

✨

“AAUUCK!! fak.” You bolted up. These Sumeru bed’s are truly something. Though there were sheets and blankets for comfort, the main part of the bed has grass and leaves atop the wooden base inside. They leave you pretty sore for people who have never slept on a hard surface like these.

You groaned and rubbed your eyes.

“Time to get that medicine i guess. And check out of the Inn.”

“Archons bless you Tighnari. Lifesaverr, your the bestt!!” You placed all the stuff he gave you into your travel bag securely.

“No problem. Those should be able to last you for a month or more. Just as you don’t overdo your state.” He crossed his arms in a knowing stare.

You avoid his eyes, then recalled an annoying swirling voice in your head. “When did you prepare this for me..?”

“I really hope it’s not…-”

“He put in the order.”

“HOW THE FUCK! When did that bastard get the time to message you in that short time I talked to him yesterday night?! What is he watching my every move or something. creepy.”

“Creep sent a messenger bird late at night.” Your bewildered and irritated sigh battled your disgust to fight him right now. So you settled with another direction. Slapping a piece of paper on the floor you scribbled a rushed “thank you” letter.

“Please send this to Alhaitham the creep, as my condolences to his creepy ways.” You mocked his formal speech and handed Tighnari the piece of paper with a drawing.

“What the fuck.” Tighnari stared at the drawing in dumfoundedness and a slight tinge of amusement if this was sent.

“It counts as two things, see? One could represent a middle finger then the other…well, those two spherical structures are the things he doesn't have. He doesn't have those to fight me" (balls to fight me)

“I wish I could see his reaction to this then. I guess I’ll send it to him for you.” You smiled to Tighnari in gratitude. You could always count on your sassy gay friend.

“But anyways, don’t you have to get going, it’s reaching noon soon.” Tighnari looked in the sky and back towards you.

“Ah! Of course of course… Hiking is the most terrible sport…can’t believe people do this for fun.”

Tighnari crosses his arms and moved along with his wight shift, deadpanned. “I do that for a job. Get used to it, hiker.” Pointed his thumb towards the hills.

“Sheesh. Well then I’m heading off. Thank you for the weed, bye bye.”

You could hear a loud bewildered huff merged with a laugh, while you ran off.

✨

By the time you reached the edge of Fontaine the sky grew dark. Good thing Tighnari suggested you take one of his makeshift tents. Inns won't be available on the outskirts of the city so it will take a while to hike further.

Light rain hit the tent in pitter patters. Soothing.

You take the paper package of the medicinal herbs out. “Ah. How did he tell me to make this again? Where’s the ball.” Rummaging through your bag you took out an incense ball. A similar one to what Tighnari has but yours was darker in tone and in dull blue and black.

You hung the ball from a short wire off the ground. Opened the top and sprinkled in half a handful of the herb. It closed shut and you shook it around a few times. A bit of water from your bottle was tossed in this concoction. The incense ball’s scent soon filled the tent.

“So fast and effective..” A yawn already erupted from your mouth.

Droplets of rain. Therapeutic.

✨

The tent folded back and incense packed you headed off once again.

To the heart of Fontaine.

You really were getting tired of inns. The amount of money you have was starting to lack. You pondered if you should just take some simple requests from small villages along the way. You gain money, and they gain help.

You nodded to yourself and paraded to nearby villages.

You followed a pathway toward the houses keeping your eyes aware of anyone that seemed in need of help.

A man standing a few feet away seemed distressed while he paced back and forth anxiously.

Your curiosity peeked as you came closer. “Hello sir. Are you okay? You seemed terribly stressed” You heard that Fontaine was a place of formalities so speaking the part was no problem.

The man hurriedly looked up expectantly. “Are you perhaps a mercenary?! You’ve got to help! Oh, it’s a hell of a mess!! He’s-he might die. Surely will pass away! Theft, murder, moronic fool!!”

You lower his arms from flailing around in erratic movements in his panicked stupor. “Uh. I’m not quite catching up sir..” You would have thought it would take much more just to get a request.

The middle-aged man gulped in large breaths to smooth his emotional turmoil.

“My cousin, Guillaume, has been recently been in debt as a treasure horder. He is quite skilled but truly reckless. He fought a bunch of Abyss mages that seemed to be in a middle of a ritual... Treasure of course was engraved in his skull. So when he picked up a heavy object from the scene, it made him crazed. He became hostile to every person who comes near him. Injured many. Not only that, but the occurrence enraged the abyss and he is getting hunted by the Fontaine police as well as the Abyss. From that, he started kidnapping people into his hideout and they too become crazed… I know I should trust the officials but.. their pride is too high to even adknowledge my input.”

He wasn't fidgety anymore and remained calm. This series of events seemed bothersome to you now. Too much work for you who just wanted some quick task. Intriguing of course, but eh.

“As well as the fact that the Fontaine officials were here moments ago and left as quickly. I was merely aggravated when a gentleman came by to ask questions about this incident. He hurried when I gave all my information on the location. I worry for the gentleman. I can’t help to stress. As well as…I know that Guillaume is deeply in dispair. He has this small window where he is sane and…He sent me a few letters..”

You took some time to ponder all the information. The abyss is after the man who stole something, the thing has changed him and everyone around it. They seem like they became, monstrous—ugh!

Your hand was deeply clenched at your scalp head throbbing so loudly and throat dry.

“Dear me! Are you alright!! Apologizes to the hefty load!” He hurriedly sat you down on a short stone fence and fetched water from the well a few feet away.

The sounds of splashing water seemed much more distant than 5 feet away.

‘It's so dizzy..’

Red fizzled and flashed in your head. Red flags that encouraged you forward. A terrible way to go but who knows. Maybe, just maybe, solving this can make those nightmares that lead to your insomnia go away. Bloodshed. The cause of why you see bloodshed in these nightmares has always bothered you so bad.

“…iel, Iel! Hello?! Are you well?! Drink drink, water” You release your tight hold on your head to take the large cup. The water was cool and slide down as a semblance of relief. The reflection mirrored your pained expression, your frowned. It was not a good look for you. But cracking jokes at this time, wasen’t wise.

“..thank you for the water. I don’t know what happened just now. But. I will help with this, for the gentleman and for your cousin. If he still can be helped…” The man relaxed at your conscious state and nodded.

“I will provide you more details.”

✨

Rest was not an option in this tight knit issue. Anything could formulate in the span of a whole minute. And your dread never faded the whole time you thought about this.

Let’s see, the man said Guillaume would take the villagers at midnight when the stars are high up. In the daytime, he isn’t crazed and sits in solitude in despair. He is responsible for dozens of people he has dragged.

You feel sickened. The letters you got to read by Guillaume were heart-wrenching and explicit. However, it could only be judged on the rule of the scene.

Some crucial details in the letters were his descriptions.

“The crystal shines so luminescently venomous.

It burns as well as attracts……

I can’t take it.

Please please. Hel 𝓹

Your leetrs that say you will save me from this hell is false!

The feel of gasoline ignites my fingers to my core.

Though I feel it welcome me……

The ghastly scars leave residue atop my skin. Horrific.

Black.

All ash

My vision has been narrowly obscured.

How I am able to pick up a pen is beyond my imagination.

Is my brain really intact?

Hah.

I think someone is comi. g into the room. Annoyance……

I think— I shut up their cries……

Do I-know them?

Haha…she is trying to plead with me……

She remi nd.s me of m. y wife..

FUCK. WHA T HAVE I DO Ne. SHE- *incomprehensible scribbles and a slight dried dampness*

The human has given in to the crystal how astounding……

Haha. Her screams have filled the room……

The stars are approaching. It will be time again…….

How thrilling……

A feast is due……

Ps. [___] power lets us fly too. Did you really think I used a carrier pigeon…….

Stars stay alight in farewell…….delight……”

The letter gave you the shivers. This was the third one that was sent. And out of all the three letters, this contained the most insanity inducing mentality. You highly doubt Guillaume will live a normal life after this concludes. Poor guy. Debt changes a person.

On the contrary, this bloodbath piques my interest. It’s not every day you get to investigate manslaughter. You feel like detective Heizou. No wonder he likes to run off towards danger.

Information about the gentleman assisting was only brief since I was to hurry to the site before the next day. “He was tall and built more alike a soldier. He also wore blue and black clothing. He never gave me his name…” Your thoughts had fiddled when he had told you, but a numbing pain seized your brain functions into hyper-focus.

You rub your temples, eyes focused on the route he marked on your map. Leg day has really been your everyday. Super exhausting.

Blood and skin drew icy cold as your breath hitched. This torturous feeling washed across your body so suddenly. Dread paling your face, a strangled cry caused a sharp inhale of breath, hands clawing at your neck and chin to get your throat muscles working. Despair induced your veins as burning heat crawled through those blood passages. A howling scream intensified something inside you. Something triggered your reaction, was it from in the cave? Ah...thinking was much too difficult in this sizure. Airways in the throat barely letting a breath passby, your face purples and twists. Water pools your eyes in distraught and pain. Glued to your spot, the ominous descending cave gurgled back shouts and thumps. Muttered curses escape as you try and hold your ground. Saliva formed in the clogged airways and raining down by your feet. This all felt like you were strangled, punched, and overall scoured all over, in charcoal.

If you had regretted anything in your sad life, it was this. Taking this commission. Talking to the distressed man. Stranger danger real. Regret for ever stopping by that village…and the regrets have only started.

The next thing you saw was pitch black.

************************

The weather these past few days has been horrid. Snow storm after the other piled the streets with 1 foot of snow. The roads and streets are accessible to your relief. How else would you be able to see your sweet boyfriend.

The chime of a café door rang as you entered hurriedly from the biting winds outdoors. You cupped your hands together and attempted to heat them up with your breath. The shop was quiet besides the old love songs and occasional emo rock songs playing from the speakers. Owl city was one of his most liked songs.

You perched on the counter ringing the small bell near the card scanner.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding—

“Okay. Okay, I hear every one of your calls Y/n.” He came out from the break room and leaned in from across the counter where you sat.

You smiled at Dainsleif. “How are you Dain! Was shoveling the snow all by your lonesome hard this morning?~”

He huffed. “It was fine. But next time you're accompanying me.” He grabbed your waist and dragged you over to the worker's side of the counter, swinging your legs around as well so you're still sitting.

“It’s still midday so let me make you a cup of something warm.”

You watch him, your elbow on your knee and chin in your palm. Dainsleif manages this café and is the best drink maker there is. He unintentionally shows off some skills when making them, that’s why many girls come here for the show. Not that he pays attention to.

“Kaeya has told me to indulge you in more romantic lines. Would you like to be humored?” Dainsleif brought the mixing bottle up to the side of his head and shook it thoroughly as a bartender would, while glancing up at you.

When he does that every time it makes you swoon on the inside just a little.

“Kaeya is a terrible influence. Which makes life more bearable.” You shoot Dain a small finger heart in which he stops for a while in confusion but recovers a few seconds after.

“What does it feel like to be the most gorgeous person in this room?” Dainsleif plops toppings into the drink, adding more of your favorite ones.

“Bleh, I’m the ONLY person in this whole building, try again.” You kick your legs a bit, secretly enjoying these terribly cheesy pickup lines he always stores for you.

“Hm. If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.” He achieved a faint breathy laugh from you, you argued that it was just because it was so so old and overused.

He snapped the lid onto the steaming cup and walked back to you handing it over.

He hesitated on his next line as you blew on the liquid through the hole and took a nice warm sip. It melted your insides in warmth.

So did the pickup line.

“Just wondering if your lips taste as good as they look.” Dainsleif’s eyes were awkwardly averted, wondering how you would react.

But you sat there, mouth agape, ears flushed from the pickup line. “Didn’t expect that one.” You mumbled into the cup, eyes unfocused staring at your favorite toppings floating to the top.

Dain carefully placed both hands on either side of your body on the counter, his body subtly leans in. “...it wasn’t answered.”

Your eyes tilt up from the drink sitting on your lips. “It wasn’t a question.”

Your rebuttal made Dain purse his lip, which you intensely stared at. “Then….may I kiss you?”

Your inner thoughts were racing, the reflex of wanting to push him away was itching, but the thought of a kiss sent you into a spiral. It’s not like you haven't kissed before, you have…a rare few times.

“Aha ha, ah uhm. Get out of that ugly sweater first then we’ll talk.” You jab one finger into his chest only pushing him away by a few inches.

Both of you are terrible at this romance thing that's why it's so awkward to initiate. You back out of close contact, and only stick to flirting, and he spews pickup lines he learns from Kaeya because he’s confused about love but also respects your boundaries. All your friends suffer seeing this awkward couple at group gatherings.

“What’s wrong with my sweater?” He pulls the sweater and looks down. He wore a black shirt and over that was a black-green-brown button-up sweater, adorned with pictures of owls, bears, acorns, trees, and bushes. Very nature-y for your star-loving boyfriend. But honestly, it looked like it was made for a grandpa on a chilly evening stroll.

“The nature documentary show would like its background back.” You wheeze at Dain’s blank-faced reaction, so done with you, but he’s never over you.

Dain gently sneaked a kiss on your cheek to satisfy himself with your stunned silence cutting off any jokes lining up your defense.

He backed away from the counter and took his jacket off a hook ready to depart with you. “Our friends are waiting. Let’s head out now, I bet they are frozen solid outside since I was supposed to supply the hot drinks.”

That caused you to snap back as you cackled at Hutao, Heizou, Tighnari, and the rest, chilled to the bone buried in the deep snow. You latch onto Dainsleif’s sleeve slipping your hand into his warm pocket and holding his curled-up thumb and pointer finger. “Let’s go wifey! Onwards to the ice sculptures!!”

*********************

The darkness had enraptured you at every turn, you didn’t know if you were sitting down, laying down or even face down digging into the dark ground. Your senses were so hazed and really failed you more than normal today.

“I always knew this is what hell was like. Dark cold and numbing on my ass.” Your voice was meek and raspy but they held the same sharp tongue you brought.

A breath hitched when you spoke. So you weren’t alone, in relief your body sunk from its tension. “This place would most likely be a hell. But it's all been cleaned up now..” The voice gave you a tingling feel, almost familiar if not for your impaired and dazed hearing.

“Whoes,” Your words have slurred with the throbbing of your head, a light pressure stroking it, not sure if it was your hand or the other persons. “I didn’t want you to see this mess. Also because that thing on your head is a protection of sorts.” Your mind was too out of it to immediately process his information.

“Was I drugged and potato sacked. I still can’t feel my ass.” The voice had an airy chuckle which echoed through the space. It must be a cave, orrr the internal abyss of the hell he called.

“Well that’s because you fell on a large sharp rock when I first saw you near the cave entrance.” Ah. made sense. “Once your senses are back and you start wiggling around, will I free you.” That made you suspect you were tied down somewhere. You just hoped it was spacious and clean enough so you could indeed roll around.

A sound of shuffled occured after a while and the footsteps faded, assuming that the person beside you had left the area. Once he came back it would be war against his, oddly pretty voiced most likely pretty man. How dare he potato sack you.

Fingers twitching to life, you didn’t know how many hours were spent on body recovery. The crackles of your bones that were stiff the entire night bounced off the walls. You could now feel that your body was in fact laying down, fabric carpeting under you.

Footfalls came steadily back in your direction. “I knew you’d come back to me mysterious man” The tugging of the fabric around your head lead to pangs of sensory recovery. You hear much more sensitively after being blocked for so long. The fabric finally coming around to uncover your eyes. Vision still impaired as the lights and darkness desperately tried to balance out. The haze in your eyes remains an issue even when the smell of the fabric was soothing.

A blur of a hand reached out to you, which you took graciously, limp as they were. You were hauled up to him as he held you close to steady your shaky body. “Get used to walking afte your hours of stationary. Then we will scour the rest of the cave.” his voice sent a chill covering your spine, it was very nice...

Head limp on his chest you could see his black and blue fitted outfit. Even knowing you were short, his shoulder was still higher than your whole height. Plus the glimpse of a sword by their belt drew you to a hazy conclusion. He was the gentleman you were looking for.

However, a sense of dread and conflicting longing rang off in your ears from never ever wanting to look up into his face. So you followed just that.

Your head stayed pressed against his chest as you figured out how to move the limbs helplessly called legs. Every time your legs wobbled too much, he would grab onto your waist to steady you. And every time you clutch onto his shirt too tightly in nerves rattling, he would pat your shoulder and let you put your feet on his so he could walk for you. An hour has passed and you got the hang of your body, with a little shake you managed to walk from one wall to the other.

“Pardon me for asking but, why am I so disabled like this in the first place?” Your voice was quiet but steady, unlike the time you talked when just waking up to potential hell.

“And in all fairness, you could’ve left me to disintegrate and die. Would’ve been better instead of nursing me.” You forcefully mumbled that out in a murmur. And you really didn’t have to look up at the man’s face to feel the intensity of a sharp glare for a reason unknown.

He was pacing in large circles and looking down to watch your feet, the man now stood at the doorway. “It was close to the time of midnight. The smell radiating off the cave entrance bewitched you and agitated you. It closed off your nerves. I had prepared something beforehand to help elevate this phenomenon, which was the fabric I wrapped around you, acting as a cocoon. I then brought you inside, took care of the dangers lurking, and.....secured the premise.” He failed to mask his hesitation on hidden information, due to what he knows about this situation than you do. You slowly nodded as you stare at his shoes, intimidatingly facing your lowered head.

“This cave is enormously large. Would you like to venture through the tunnels. If your legs are up for it. I won’t leave your side, case you fall and never get back up.” His words couldn’t help but put a sting in your heart while chasing it faster. And you who inadvertently let his attempted joke pass your head.

You nodded again which you could only do with a swift tilt up to not disclose your obvious concealment of his prominent features.

The gentleman luckily leads you, tailing behind letting you clutch a corner of his cloak. It gave you more leverage to see more since he covered his own face from you since he’s tall.

As you both moved around the dirt-painted halls, the tunneling seemed handmade instead of natural. Claw marks etched into the surfaces, the ones on the wall grow even deeper and bigger the more your trembling legs take you down the hall. Some openings that led to other rooms littered the narrow tunnels, they were all empty and vacant. The only signs of life once in the rooms were the many elemental traces and or scratches from either weapons or nails. A dark murkiness painted the walls and floor—not wanting to ever know what it really is—but the stench that followed was hazy and metallic. The winding tunnels seemed endless. No wonder people came to be insane down here.

As your thoughts subsided, so did the unending tunnel.

A much broader room greeted you ahead. It must have been Guillaume’s place of residence. Half the room was bookshelves, scrawled-up papers, and scrunched-up scrolls, a large desk faced the other side, ink spilled from the table to the opposing wall. The vacant space looked more than inhabited, save for the etchings on every inch of the wall, ceiling, and floor surfaces. Many drew blanks, symbols, and incomprehensible languages. Stars were the most repeated shape. You didn’t know when you had let go of the man’s cloak, since you were too drawn to the walls of Guillaume’s self-asylum.

Your digits brushed some of the symbols, they curved neatly and were well-written. And familiar. One symbol you could read was—Cataclysm.

The jolt of electricity from touching those words provoked you to snap your neck to…

The man who stood in the same spot you left him before you let go to touch the writing on the wall. Him who watched you mindlessly draw your finger against the carved wall trying to work your brain. Him who—walking through the hallway—peered behind a you who refused to meet his height, gauging your reactions. Him who, had to do a double take when he first saw you on the outskirts of the cave. Him whose...heart clenched in anguish.

Dainsleif who,

missed you dearly.

Who always speculated if you were alive or not.

. . .

Traveling to Fontaine was genuinely; the WORST choice you could have ever done.

“Fuck.”

.

.

.

You really didn’t want to do this ontop of every other terrible occurrence this night. Your brain couldn't, hence the deep crease in your brow following your pained expression too well. All your senses weakened from your mentally solely. You knew him. You recognize him. You liked him.

.

No. You hate him.

Many years of your continuous mental and physical health checkups, insomnia plaguing your attempted sleep, unresolved hatred. All to shield yourself against this man. To conceal the centuries with him.

Now all in vain. Crumbling beneath your feet at this very dreaded moment. The way your vision blurs, the shakiness in your foothold, your clammy hands, throat strained, all in response to a simple unimaginable presence.

The one presence your heart missed dearly. But your brain, your legs, told you to run. To a remote place. But he blocked that path. As he did before, once again stuck in this in-between.

One step. Another. Yours back, his foward.

A predicament you had placed yourself in. The wall that soothed your back has never felt as cold as it did now. How you would rather it envelop you into those eerie symbols. Engraving you to the mystery of the universe.

He was one step away now. Galaxy eyes bore into your evading ones. “(Name)…”

You refused his beckoning. But that wouldn’t make him leave. It wouldn’t get him to disappear from your existence. It only hurts more now that you know he is alive and healthy.

“......If we’re done here, then I have things to do somewhere else.” You burned your eyes anywhere else but near him. He couldn’t escape the slight view you had of him at the corners of your sight. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach out to you, to find that once solace you gave him.

“Avoiding me won’t get you anywhere. I thought you weren’t one for not returning favors. I saved your life. Don’t you owe me something?” You scoff. It repulsed you on how observant he is of you.

“I had a dream with you in it. It was in a different world where we were….Happy together. I wish I was in that world currently instead of this shit.” The words you spewed were venomous, if not for the slightly fond tone you laced into the poison. Dainsleif’s face contorted, he was now glad you refused his eye contact, for his eyes downturned in remorse.

Remorse; that's all he ever felt towards you for many centuries when you were apart. And the times when remorse wasn't present, he was deeply coated in affection for you. Those, however, were in the early childhood days. Too far gone in the past.

“I’m sorry I can’t live up to those expectations,”

“But now you have to repay me. …And forgive me.” His firm but gentle hold on your chin forced eye contact. His blue eyes shone with the diamond in them; just like how your eyes sparked with that diamond. His words however gave you the will to slap his hand away.

“You think apologies will reconnect us? After all those fucking centuries? Those actions were effectuated by you!! You festered this effect upon me! How could I ever, ever!! forgive your inapt causes?! You’re VILE!” You ended up hitting his chest and shoving him away which sent him 6 feet apart. He took every physical contact from you, the sting was apparent and long-lasting.

Your unquenched fury bubbled to the brim. And you now approached the silent man. Your hand was now tight against his collar, the obvious trembling of his, dismantled your voice in cracks. “What was the reason?! You should’ve kept me in that sword. After you fucking decimated everyone with me. Why the fuck would I ever want to live after all that. Everything and everybody was a mess. You the most.” The intensity of your diamond-shaped eyes never faltered.

You stepped back as the grip on his collar loosened. “Khaenri’ah’s downfall… Couldn’t even be saved by any form of guard..” Your mumble cast your gaze away from his unnerving eyes.

Silence blanketed the room, no thoughts were presented or conjured. You both just allowed the atmosphere to sink in, head empty beside the presence that would have normally set your heart racing. Not this time; nor ever.

“It’s past midnight right? I’ll take a nearby room to rest in.” You didn’t require his answer, so you left just as quickly. Leaving behind the downcasted remorse filled Dainsleif stiff in his spot where you left him.

*********************

Author notes-> Reshare’s and likes appreciated <3 I hope it was heart wrenching—so i can collect tears to my jar >:D

[raspberryslushie]

Sovereign of Truth

Ft. Albedo yumyumnomnom x gn!reader

Warnings: Cringe.

Albedo was one of Mondstadt’s finest alchemists, though that didn’t mean much considering the lack of those who found themselves concerned with such studies there. Rather, his work shined even among Sumeru’s scholars, deserving a place against papers that had stood true for millennia. He dealt with the matters of life, being able to create it from nothing but dust and watch flowers come to flourish, or crystalflies gain consciousness at his will. However, you find that even with abilities grazing close to those of the heavenly deities, there was one thing Albedo had yet to master.

How to feel. And not just surface-leveled musings of the sparks that ignited joy, or what could elicit pain and tears. Conversely, it was more the sentiment of being able to have something stir within you so strong, so passionate, that you must be compelled to act with it. Otherwise, what good is the quality of humanity itself much more than another vessel for thought?

Not to mention that he always had a fleeting demeanor about him, with a mind constantly drifting into new curiosity and a mechanical heart that might not have known how to love like a human, but rather learn. To the common civilian, it might’ve been rather careless how Albedo only showed his interest in a variety of novelties that deserved his intuition. And then once it was all found out and done with, the excitement was gone and he moved on to something else, utterly ignorant to whatever else had come before. Yet what they don’t see is the heart of his work. Albedo had only left those old ends lying untied because was in search of something else, the feeling of enlightenment that might finally bring his master back to him. Little did he know then, that this feeling was the start of his growth into the “new life”, because if he could still learn, then what stopped you from helping in your own ways?

"Your final assignment: show me the truth and the meaning of this world."

That was the last thing Albedo’s master had told him before she vanished, on account of having nothing left to teach him. Now, he was no stranger to the multitude of assignments and tasks she had handed down to him, each of which were more abstract and difficult to grasp than the previous, but he always prevailed. Still, Albedo found himself at a loss for what this question could possibly refer to. Had it sent him in pursuit of the seven Archons’ ideals? Or perhaps it was Celestia’s reign that had most fascinated Rhinedottir. The reality of it was that an artificial being such as himself had no capability to answer the “truth,” not when his everlasting knowledge gave him so many “meanings” to interpret. But in a mortal’s eyes, the resolution was simple, and you were set on showing him.

The first lesson you gave Albedo was on how to see the world. Not in the bare-boned way that he was used to doing it, either, because the way he viewed things was easy and unfettered, utterly focused on the truth that he longed for.

“Come’on, Albedo,” you whined, tugging on his shirt edges towards the door, but he was inexplicably difficult to move. “You literally get no sunlight at all and people still wonder why your skin is so pale!”. At least your teasing didn’t go unnoticed, evident by how the man in question heaved a heavy sigh. How could he say no to his dear acquaintance? In moments you were cheering as Albedo picked up his coat from the hanger, and pushed his chair in.

“Keep tugging on my uniform and I’ll have to order another one.” You caught him rolling his eyes, but it was light and playful. “Don’t forget your gloves”.

“Yeah, yeah Mister Chalk Prince, now the sooner we get out, the sooner we’ll be back in time for dinner!” Dinner…? That was hours away!

“W-wait you never told me how long we would be out for!” Unfortunately for Albedo, his panicked complaints fell on deaf ears.

“No more excuses to crawl back into that dusty place once we’re out of here!”

“Hmm…” you stare up at the azure skies, lying on the ground with your hands behind your head. “I think those clouds look a bit like seafoam.” Albedo watches as the wind blows them into motion, like a heavenly carousel. “What do you think?”

“It’s stratocumulus.”

“What?”

“You asked me what I thought this cloud was, no?” The sudden realization hits you a few moments too late.

“No, not like that you dummy!” Really, imagine calling the Albedo Kreideprinz a “dummy”. “I meant what the shape resembled!” Well, normally he’d feel offended, but the way you said it so adoringly didn’t sound half bad in his ears. Maybe you were right, it would be nice to spend some more time with his…assistant.

Over time, your presence began to rub off on him and it started to show through in his paintings as well. Maybe his brush found itself toning the colors of a rose just a few shades brighter or making the corners of your delicate smile upon a cecelia field just a little bit wider, but Albedo couldn’t help it! He learned to see the beauty of the world through you, and one day, the alchemist wakes up and finally understands that the bittersweet feeling left in his heart at the failure of his endless pursuit for truth each and every time could only be softened by learning to slow down and appreciate the city anew. With you by his side, every glancing moment managed to make its way onto a canvas, no matter if it was a small sketch into the margins of his papers, or a large festival folding screen.

“See? I told you going outside can do wonders for one’s mood”. Albedo doesn’t deny you anymore this time, after all, he was a man of science, and the conclusion was blatantly obvious even to you. Still, you had to find a way to pay those property damage bills caused by a mysterious substance in Albedo’s lab over brewing.

After that incident, the Chief Alchemist wasn’t as adverse to you leading him outside, and him following along, just so long as he turned off the stove in time. Instead, it became a sort of habit to await your guiding hands on planned afternoons so that you no longer had to waste the time to get him out the door. And Albedo supposes that he does enjoy this, being with you and immersing his soul into the world that once only felt like reins restraining him from the truth. But with you, that truth became closer than ever.

“Albedo!” As you turn the corner and pass through the door to his office, you’re shocked into a half-mouthed gape upon the sight that he already had his coat on, ready to step out the very door you were about to pass through.

“You’re just on time.”

“H-huh? What’s this?” You remarked. “No explanation for the sudden eagerness?” But there’s no adversity in your voice because you were simply glad that he finally seemed to warm up to the idea of taking time off with you.

“There’s no explanation needed to spend some time with a companion,” he responds, before grabbing your own hand in his. But you’re too far gone to even register that he just held your hand.

A companion– Albedo just called you his friend– and you wouldn’t settle for anything less. There’s a feeling of acceptance that blossoms in your chest, and a heat rises up to your face at that title. Just something about the idea of being acknowledged by someone you’ve looked up to for so long was fulfilling, in a way that you couldn’t even explain!

“Are you feeling alright?” In the next moment, you’re thrown back into reality and Albedo turns back around to look at you, leaning in closer and closer, before you’re practically a hair’s breadth away from each other. And right as you think you’re about to combust from the proximity, he pauses before placing a hand on your forehead. “Average human temperature.” Using your unoccupied hand, you gently push his chest away out of instinct.

“Hah, yeah I’m fine.”

“Alright then.” He stops for a moment to take in your appearance. Your form is utterly ethereal upon a backdrop of Mondstadt’s winter snow, and he comes to an epiphany as well. There’s a reason why all his recent portraits and doodles have been of you lately. Was it because he just couldn’t capture your awe-inspiring features on a single canvas alone, or because it gave him joy to keep a little piece of you with him wherever he went?

Wait, what was that? Albedo feeling joy? Well, he’d be damned. Never in all his years of living had he ever felt the sheer elation that he does now with you, but it came so naturally that Albedo feels you should’ve been with him all along; you’re what makes someone like him even more perfect. And oh! He thinks he might be in love.

In the end, the second lesson you gave Albedo came unintentionally, but the two of you both learned from it.

There are days when Albedo might feel clueless, as intelligent as he is, and there are days when he’s utterly lost and confused. Like right now, where he’s pacing at your front door with a bouquet of Cecelias that he took the time out of his day to pick off of Starsnatch Cliff himself. There’s an inkling of doubt still in him, and the Chief Alchemist feels like shrinking away and chickening out before you could open the door to see him as he is- so earnest- and knowing you, you would see right through him.

“Don’t fret on it too much, Master Albedo!” Sucrose cheers him up as she and Klee help him map out what your supposed “date” would be like.

“Klee thinks big brother Albedo is the best person anyone could ever ask for!” The little girl holds her head just above the edge of the table to take a peek at the plans, before Sucrose lifts her up onto a chair.

But he steels himself, knowing that even if you didn’t like him back, at least you would still be friends, right? Albedo inwardly groans at the fact that he’s been waiting at your house for so long it’s impossible to turn back now and throw off the fancy clothes the other Knights of Favonius recommended in exchange for something more casual. If that doesn’t make it worse, what would he do about the embarrassingly large gathering of flowers in his hands then? Albedo’s sure that he’s caused a commotion in the city after walking through its square like this. Certainly, the talk of the town would now be about how the “Silent and normally reserved Kreideprinz was seen so vulnerable like this- potentially waiting for his special someone?”

It takes everything within him to finally knock on your door, and when you answer, all that he’s prepared to say and tell you is gone in an instant. The words you’re saying to him go in one ear and leave through the other. Even if you’re only dressed in a simple set of night clothes, There’s nothing more stunning than the sight before him. In a rush, Albedo doesn’t even hesitate, before dropping the pile of cecelias into your arms, before making a run for it. Luckily, you shift the flowers into one hand before using the other to grab onto his arm.

“Albedo???” He finds he funny how you still question him even though it is so obvious what he was trying to do. Still, he keeps his head low. “There’s something you have to tell me, isn’t there.” He hates how there’s a suggestive tone to your words. Of course, you knew what he wanted to say. Yet you still wait for him, standing there holding Albedo’s hand in yours, the two of you on opposing sides of the doorstep. Ah, how does he even start? 

“Listen uh-” he pretends to cough and clear his throat. “Ever since the first time we met…”. No, that sounded too sappy. “Uh, the second you took my hands in yours, I was so happy that I instantly knew we were meant to be”.

“Aw, I love you too, Albedo!” Ignoring the absolute cringefest that just found its way out of his mouth, you placed the flowers down on a countertop and embraced him. The only thing he could do now was sigh. Gods, Sucrose and Klee are going to have fun laughing at his misery later.

Still, the whole way home, there are only two things on his mind: you and the truth. The truth that he’s already formulating into sentences in his mind for his master because Albedo finally understands his purpose in this world. His meaning was to love. It’s the greatest thing he’s ever felt, and there’s nothing like the pride that flows out of his being now when he’s holding your hand again, but this time with the sweet remnants of your lips on his.

[carbondioxda]

Late working hours.

albedo x reader <33

c/w: very fluffy, comfort, sleepy reader, overworked albedo, cuddling, the reader is a girl, no use of y/n, mentions or Rhinedottir

a/n: my first fanfic here!! sorry for any mistakes, english isn’t my first language.

He carefully opened the door, doing his best not to make a sound with a bunch of keys he held.

It was already dark outside for a few hours, but the night was warm. That was a nice difference from Dragonspine’s coldness, that he had just returned from. Normally, he’d stay there and keep doing reasearch, sleep for maybe an hour and continue, but right now he would do anything to spend every single night in a certain warm bed, in Mondstandt.

He laid down the keychain on the table, doing it as slowly as he could, worried, that if they land on the wood too abruptly it might create a thud so loud, even the dead would wake up.

The light wasn’t turned on too. Not even a single candle lit up in the house. Only the moon shining through the see-through blinds in the living room. This made reaching his destination even harder, because despite being made of chalk, he doesn’t have cat eyes. Who knows, maybe with his potions he’d be able to make his eyes glow in the dark, just for the sole purpose of getting into a bed safely after blowing out the candles?

The blonde made his way upstairs, miraculously not tripping and falling down like an idiot. Rhinedottir might’ve raised him to be perfect with alchemy, but nothing can save a man from tripping over like an idiot. His muscles were just as tired as he was, after doing all the work today. He has done much more than he intended, now suffering the consequences of overworking himself.

In this room, the moon was shining a bit more. Revealing a curled up figure sleeping soundly in the bed. The girl’s vision lied on the night table, briefly lighting up the small things around it. Albedo looked at her for a solid few seconds, that felt like hours, realising how much she changed his life over the past year. For the better of course.

He took his coat off, placing it on the hanger, not worrying about jingling keys anymore. He changed quickly into a simple pijamas, consisting of a spare white shirt and a pair of shorts. Ideal for warm nights just like this one.

Albedo got closer to the night stand, standing over the bed for a minute while un-doing his side braids. Just now he realised how truly tired he was. Suddenly, a wave of tiredness washed over him, making him struggle to keep his heavy eyelids opened. Now, he had only one goal to accomplish, and no, it wasn’t alchemy related. Basically, joining the sleeping girl right beside her. He noticed how she fluttered her sleepy eyes when he was struggling with a knot in his hair. She must’ve heared him on the stairs, or opening the door. She definetly knew he finished everything he needed and now was desperately wanting to just lie down. After all, this wasn’t the first time he got home late.

The blonde was just about to lie down, but a thought appeared in his head, to maybe go down to the kitchen, just to get a glass of water just in case one of them wanted a sip at some point.

He took a step to the door, when a gentle hand grabbed his arm. It barely held it, muscles relaxed from the sleep.

- and where do you think you’re going.. - the girl whispered, not pleased with his desicion to go anywhere.

- go to sleep darling, i’m gonna get some water for us. - he explained with a calm voice.

- ….fuck..that water. - she said, fighting her sleeping state. With that, she tugged on his arm gently, which was a very important decision-making aspect for Albedo. Well said, screw that glass of water.

He got into the bed, where he instantly relaxed under the duvet and sunk into the soft mattress. His first instinct, was to hug the girl from behind, per usual. Of course he’d be the big spoon, and not because of the height difference or her preference. He loved the idea of protecting his loved ones, whether it would be in a fight or simply holding their hand just to give him a peace of mind. Because he took care of his little sister so well, it became his silly little duty to do everything in his power to protect the most important people in his life. The unconcious girl being on top of the list.

The blonde embraced her softly, feeling the warmth of her skin spread to his own. This was the most perfect of all ways to fall asleep. Feeling the safest in the world, in the most comfortable place he’d be able to think of, with his favorite person. All or his worries, plans and thoughts dissapeared right there in this very moment. It felt as if he fell asleep right at the moment his head fell onto the pillow.

Could you imagine, a man made of not blood, but chalk feeling butterflies in his stomach someday? A warm sensation forming inside of him slowly, turning into a little comforting tingle in his brain? Well, I’d say it’s not something that his creator could’ve ever considered. However, this is the exact way of how she made him feel.