#starconch lovers

[mythicamagic]

Xiaolumi Week Day One: Magpie. Chapter One.

Summary: Xiao has been acting strange- bringing back all kinds of pretty things to his room. Jewellery, nick-nacks and fine silks. After seeking out advice for this behaviour, Lumine comes to learn that her adeptus lover is...nesting.

Rated E for eventual smut. Read the whole thing on Ao3 soon: here

AN: For Xiaolumi Week 2024! I wanted to write a new oneshot everyday for it but didn't have the time after my assignments, so I've decided to break down this story into smaller chunks and just post a chapter every day for the ship week.

Todays theme was either First Encounters or First Time - and though this fic will include smut later it won't be for a few chapters, so I picked 'first time' but changed the meaning a little here. Enjoy!

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Chapter One

Xiao had been acting somewhat…odd, recently.

Not that a little weirdness was a bad thing, Lumine mused. Especially for someone like Xiao, with his sense of duty enforcing strict daily patrols- newness was usually a good and unexpected happiness in his life.

But that didn't make this any less baffling. Lumine sat atop Xiao's bed, or rather, what resembled his bed at Wangshu Inn. During the past week, he'd been changing it from its usual style:

The bedding was now comically fluffed up with comforters and excess pillows like a stowaway sumpter beast was hiding underneath the covers. He'd been adding so many blankets and covers it was any wonder they could both climb into it at all.

That was just the start though. Next, he'd begun adding random things to the walls and rafters, leaving and returning with new hoards each day. Silk scarves and gossamer drapes wrapped around his bed posts. Trinkets he'd usually never care for were abundant. Tiny glass figurines, starconches, ore stones, fresh qingxin flowers and jewellery littered the nightstand and windows. They glittered in the sunlight, casting pretty hues.

During it all, Xiao added everything with quick, agitated movements. He'd occasionally stop and look at his handiwork, before tucking more filling under the bed or adjusting the drapes.

"This Spring cleaning session has been going on for a little while now, hm?" Lumine smiled. She'd tried gently asking about it before, but he always brushed her off.

"Almost done…I think," Xiao muttered distractedly. He didn't look at her, focusing solely on the bed. "No, there’s still something missing…"

Lumine's brows pulled together. She reached out and caught his face in her hands. "Xiao, look at me."

She waited until his murky gaze connected with hers, offering a concerned smile. "I think it's great you're interested in something new like this for the first time. Decorating is a really fun hobby- but you're kind of worrying me. You seem distracted, almost like you’re losing sleep over it. Anything you want to talk about?"

Xiao took a shaky breath. His skin felt hot and clammy under her touch. He reached for her, only to gently grasp her wrists. He kissed her outstretched fingers in parting as he pulled away and created distance between them.

"I'm fine. Don't be concerned."

Lumine frowned.

He took one look at her expression and faltered, clearing his throat.

"That is to say, this is just something I feel like I need to do. I'm not entirely sure why. It's as though there's an itch in the back of my skull," he uttered thinly, gazing at the room again as if he couldn't bear to stop looking at it, searching for something inexplicable. Luminous golden eyes then swung to her unexpectedly- striking her like a lance. Intense. Hungry.

"And I can't add to the room unless you're here. It's not right until you're with me. On our bed."

Her heart skipped a beat and picked up the tempo until it pounded. Xiao was usually so logical. Curt and no nonsense. The only time she glimpsed a more feral nature, befitting of a Yaksha was in the field fighting monsters. This was no fight or flight response though- there was an unfamiliar quality about how he was holding himself: looking at her. All coiled tight, tense muscles at the ready.

Why was he looking at her like that?

Heat rose to her cheeks. It was Lumine's turn to look away and distractedly gaze around the room. “Right. Okay. Well, if that's the case, and you really feel you need to- then sure, keep going! But can I help too?”

“You want to…help me build it?” he rasped, eyes widening.

Build it?

She nodded slowly, not sure what she was agreeing to but wanting to be useful. "Sure, of course. Always happy to lend a hand."

A shudder went through him like he'd been afflicted with electro. Xiao closed his eyes, breathing deeply as his chest heaved. Lumine quickly stood from the bed. “Xiao? Are you alright?”

He held up a palm to signal she stay back, panting softly and bowing his head. Inky dark hair obscured his expression- but his ears betrayed him, holding a faint red tinge.

Lumine felt her own blush return with a vengeance. Had she said something strange?

“I'll…see you later. Just add whatever you want to the room-” was all he said, disappearing shortly after in a plume of dark matter.

[glacialswordsman-a]

Ship Bias beep boops

prompt i’ll answer each ‘ship bias’ prompt with one ship that I enjoy!

if no one knows by now how fucking obsessed i am with chaeya by now then you're a fake fan!!! /j

anyway chaeya is my #1 ship for kaeya, because there are so many connections that could link them together but hoyo is full of FUCKING COWARDS!!!

like cmon

they share a desire to protect children/look after them

they're both linked to the abyss

blue and orange compliment each other

they both have major roles to play in the story and it could be a big enemies to lovers thing or whatever

one of ajax's ascension materials is a starconch and [points at kaeya's eye] star

they were both thrust into impossible circumstances as children where they were forced to grow up way too soon due to the roles placed upon their shoulders

they both have a thing for families and understanding how important they are/can be

they both enjoy the thrills of fighting/sparring and the adrenaline that comes with it

[gestures at 4.7]

ajax's soup has calla lilies in it!!! CMON!!!!!!!!!!

there's probably so much more i can touch upon but my brain is too fried atm to think of more

anyway i love them with all my fucking heart

[kykyonthemoon]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Childe/ Tartaglia x Lumine Fanfic

During The Summer Festival in Inazuma, Lumine encountered a kitsune-masked man. He was strange, yet so familiar. Who could he be?...

(Art commissioned by me)

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

When Lumine and Paimon set foot in Inazuma, the weather was midsummer. In the sweltering air, the streets strewn with cherry blossoms became ever more bustling. The Summer Festival had arrived, with residents across Inazuma putting aside their daily worries to enjoy the best things summer had to offer.

Even travelers like Lumine and Paimon could not resist being invited to the festival. The lady from Kamisato house had asked Lumine and Paimon to accompany her, but something unexpected caused her to make another appointment. Determined not to miss the occasion, Lumine and Paimon agreed to take to the streets in new outfits that Ayaka had sent them.

Inazuma clothing is multi-layered and slightly harder to wear than previously worn by Lumine. In the summer, people do not wear too many layers due to the hot weather. As she put on the yukata, Lumine secretly admired its beauty: each needle line was very neat and beautiful, the outfit was pale yellow, dotted with cherry blossoms, especially it was not as hot as she had thought. There was also a hand fan made of bamboo and fabric of the same color as her yukata, which featured koi fish. Lumine remembered that Ayaka once told her about the types of fans, and this one was called “uchiwa,” and the koi pattern symbolized good luck.

“Traveler! You look beautiful!”

Lumine turned to her companion. Paimon wore the same patterned yukata as her, but it was pink and white. Her little friend looked more adorable than ever.

“I was thinking if my dress is a bit tight. If Paimon can’t eat anything tonight, I’ll be so angry at the Kamisato!”

Lumine burst into laughter.

The bustling city of Inazuma greeted them in the glorious sunset. On both sides of the road, colorful lanterns were lit. Everywhere was filled with different restaurants and stalls; flowers, prayer charms, masks, and decorations that extended all the way to Amakane Island. The most sold was, of course, food. Needless to say, Paimon loved to be here.

“Whoa! What a crowd!” Paimon remarked as they mingled with the group of walkers. “Don’t leave me behind, Traveler!”

However, it was Lumine who was left behind when Paimon was caught up in the roadside food stalls. The little companion flew up and then swooped down on literally every stall she saw, as they offered free tastings. A few minutes later, Lumine could not see Paimon anymore.

Lumine could not fly like Paimon. She had to squeeze through the stream of smiling and talking people to find her friend. Inazuma City is large, with small streets intertwined and connected to one another. After a long search, Lumine accepted the fact that she had lost Paimon.

Lumine sighed. It’s also unclear where she was on the map of Inazuma City. She wandered alone, looking at the streets and rolled her eyes to every corner to see if Paimon was somewhere around. Not paying attention to the path, she suddenly bumped into someone's back.

“Sorry… I’m sorry!” Lumine said, embarrassed.

In front of her was a white yukata patterned with light blue waves. Whoever she bumped into was much taller than her. Then, he turned around.  

Lumine noticed that he was wearing a kitsune mask on his face. Although his face was unknown to her, his appearance was very familiar; tall and slim, with short, choppy orange hair, even his voice was like that person.

“Are you alright, Miss?”

Lumine was frozen for a moment.

"You're not hurt, are you? You should be careful in such a crowded place like this. I can’t bear to see a beautiful lady like you get hurt."

Lumine frowned. Even these teasing words were very similar to a person she knew.

"We've met before, haven't we?" She asked frankly. Lumine does not like to play the vague game.

The one in kitsune mask laughed out loud:

“Quite a bold young lady, aren’t you? Perhaps we’ve met, in my sweetest dreams.”

Lumine blushed. She was both embarrassed and a little angry. How dared a stranger make fun of her like that?

“If you’re not the person I know, then I’m sorry for bothering you.”

Saying so, Lumine was about to leave, but the man stopped her.

"Wait. I'm sorry I teased you. But you look a little lost, Miss. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Lumine weighed in on it a bit. She really needed to find Paimon and get back to the inn. Yet was this stranger trustworthy?

“Are you a local?” Lumine asked.

"No. I'm an outsider, just like you. The only difference is that I've been here for a while. I have some personal business here."

If it's a private matter, it's best not to ask. Lumine thought so. She hesitated for a moment and replied:

"I'm actually looking for my friends. I’ve just lost her."

"Then you've met the right person. I know every corner around here."

Seeing that Lumine did not believe him, the man said, "Come on, don't look at me like that! I just want to help a far-away traveler. That’s all."

"All right." Lumine replied. "But if you ask for mora, I don't have much..."

The masked man looked at her for a moment and then laughed so loudly that passers-by stared at them.

"Haha! Miss, you're funny! Why do you think my kindness needs to be reciprocated?"

Lumine paused for a moment. Her days of adventure from Mondstadt to Liyue, and now Inazuma, helped her come to terms with one thing: everything has a price. In other words, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

"Well... I'm sorry I didn't think right about you..." Lumine replied.

"Then, would you accept my help?"

Lumine nodded and said nothing more, but she thought that she would definitely repay today's favor.

They walked through the crowded streets. The masked man told Lumine about Inazuma and about the culture here. It helped widening her perspectives. If she hadn't bothered to look for Paimon, she would have enjoyed the whole atmosphere.

But there's no denying that everything at the Summer Festival was so special and distracted her over and over again. She came across a mask stall by the side of the road and turned to look at the person next to her.

"Do you want to buy a mask too, Miss?" He asked.

"Not really... I'm just thinking your mask is more beautiful and elaborate than what they sell."

The masked man adjusted his mask a little. Lumine saw him laughing.

"Of course. This is something I painted myself! If you want, I'll paint a same one for you."

Lumine waved her hand. “No, there's no need…” she said, but he pulled her into a nearby stall and asked the owner about the masks which customers could paint themselves.

Lumine watched intently as he painted the mask with red, black lines, and yellow dots. Moments later, he gave it to her.

"Here. For you."

Lumine picked up the mask, examining it with amusement.

"Thank you."

"Let me put it on for you."

Lumine looked up at him sheepishly.

"I... I can wear it myself."

Seemingly unable to hear her say anything, he took the mask and put it on one side of her hair.

"T-Thank you..." Lumine said, gazing down at her feet.

The man smiled.

"Hey, I don't even know your name." Lumine said as they continued to go.

"Call me Mr. Kitsune. The kids in Inazuma call me that." He replied and waved to a group of children in the distance.

He seemed to be very loved by children. Lumine thinks that any person who is liked by children cannot be evil by nature. Suddenly she thought of someone she knew. Could it be...? But how could a Harbinger like him be here? She looked around. There's no sight of the Fatui nearby. Was it all just her imagination?

The two walked into a smaller yet not less crowded street. Immediately, Lumine’s attention was caught by a crowd playing a very interesting game. They gathered next to a large pot of water, inside there were many goldfish. Each person held a seemingly fragile racket made out of paper, and tried to get the fish into their little bucket as much as possible during a specific amount of time.

"Do you want to try it?" Mr. Kitsune asked after seeing Lumine’s interest in the game for a long time.

Lumine nodded.

Mr. Kitsune said something to the woman who appeared to be the owner there, and she handed them two rackets and two small buckets.

In excitement, Lumine sat down and Mr. Kitsune sat next to her. Picking up turned out to be much more difficult than it seemed. The racket was flat and very easy to tear, and the dodgy fish seemed to have learned to avoid players and irritate them, skillfully.

Lumine's racket was torn shortly after she thought she had picked up the first fish. She looked to the side. Mr. Kitsune gave her a new one.

"Thank you." Lumine responded and the excitement returned. There's no way she’s going to lose to these goldfish!

After a hard fight, Lumine finally got her first fish. She eagerly turned to Mr. Kitsune to show it off, but then her face went sullen immediately when she saw his bucket full of fish. What was more obnoxious was that he rested his head on one hand and caught the fish only with the other hand. His attitude of fish-picking was very relaxed, not as strenuous as Lumine's at all.

"How did you get so many fish?" She asked.

"Oh... I don't know. Perhaps it’s my talent?"

He had just finished speaking when another fish fell into his bucket. Lumine gave up and dropped her racket into the bucket. She sat and watched him pick up the fish. From time to time, she pointed to the fish she wanted him to catch.

“This one! It has a nice color.”

"You do know that we have to return the fish after the game, right?" He laughed and moved his hand to pick up the fish Lumine wanted.

After the time was up, Mr. Kitsune got the highest prize: a stuffed fox. He gave it to Lumine.

"It does look like you." Lumine looked at the fox in her hands and commented as the two left. It has soft orange fur, a white belly and four black legs.

"Then every time you see it, you will think of me."

He replied without a hint of shame. But Lumine was blushing like a red tomato. Seemingly aware of her intention to return the fox, he said:

"In Inazuma, it is considered disrespectful to return the given gifts.”

Lumine pinched the fox's nose with a force. She thought about turning it into a sandbag for Paimon to practice her fighting skills, but then it was also too cute for that.

After coming to the end of the street, Lumine realized they had reached the gate of Inazuma. The outside of the city was as bustling as the inside, but the air was fresh and pleasant thanks to the sea. The moon was high, and Paimon was still nowhere to be seen.

Looking around for a moment, Mr. Kitsune said:

"Maybe your friend has gone to Amakane Island. It is the best place to watch the fireworks. Besides, there is also a well-known street stall selling delicious oden.”

Perhaps Paimon would not go there to see the fireworks, but for the food, yes. Lumine agreed to join Mr. Kitsune on the walk to Amakane Island to find her friend. They walked a long way across the coast. Along the way, Lumine noticed that the people of Inazuma City were also heading to the island as they were mostly hands-to-hand couples with smiles. There were butterflies inside her stomach when she thought that walking side by side with Mr. Kitsune like this made them look like a couple.

"Tell me about your friend." Mr. Kitsune suddenly spoke up. "The one whom you thought I was."

Lumine mused. "I don't know if we're friends anymore..."

"What's wrong? Did he do something bad?"

"It could be put that way." Lumine recalled the mess that the Eleventh Harbinger of Fatui – Tartaglia had made in Liyue. Worse than that, he had taken advantage of her trust, leaving her caught up in a dispute between forces like a puppet. Even though everything had been resolved, she still could not let it go easily.

"If he's a bad guy, you should beat him to death and never speak to him again."

Those words made Lumine laugh.

"I do want to beat him up. But..." She paused for a moment and then continued. "There’s also a good side of him that changes my opinions on him. I wonder what his true face is."

They walked a little further. The sound of waves was caught in her ears. Lumine saw some crabs digging the sand and hiding from people in the distance.

"Everyone has their own masks to wear, Miss." Mr. Kitsune said. "One day, I hope he'll have the courage to take his mask off in front of you."

Lumine gazed up at the man wearing the fox mask next to her for a moment. Wasn’t he hiding his face from her too? What's that fox mask hiding that she didn’t know yet? But everyone has secrets, and Lumine is not much of a pryer.

As soon as they arrived at Amakane Island, Lumine’s nose was immediately attacked by the aroma of food emanating from street vendors. Perhaps she was really hungry after the hopeless search for Paimon, and a long walk to this place. Now Lumine just wanted to sit down and eat all the food that the people here had to offer.

Mr. Kitsune led Lumine to an oden stall. They were seated right in front of the counter and the smoke and aroma emanating from the kitchen in front of them made Lumine's stomach rumble louder than ever. There was no need to wait long, their food was served soon after. Lumine's bowl had a variety of food: fish balls, boiled eggs, fried tofu, radishes and even noodles. She happily picked up her chopsticks and grabbed the food, but then realized that Mr. Kitsune was still sitting and looking at his oden bowl in a rather contemplative way.

"Aren’t you going to eat?" Lumine asked.

"Ah..." Mr. Kitsune seemed confused. He picked up his bamboo chopsticks awkwardly.

That person doesn't even know how to hold a chopstick too... Lumine brushed that thought away as soon as it appeared. She should have let go of the obsession which was him for a long time. Somehow, in all the places she went and the people she met, Lumine was looking for such a familiar silhouette in the past.

"Here, let me show you." Lumine reached out her chopsticks to Mr. Kitsune and demonstrated how to hold them little by little. There were moments when their hands touched and Lumine found herself blushing more than necessary.

"You're so good!" Mr. Kitsune's remarks made Lumine's cheeks flush to the ears.

"Well... It's just a normal skill..." She replied, recalling her days at Liyue, when she had practiced holding chopsticks skillfully to pick up food before Paimon ate it all.

Lumine ate her oden and praised the chef's talent. She also kept her eyes on Mr. Kitsune. He merely lifted the mask a little to eat, and the place they sat was not bright enough for Lumine to see his face clearly.

After the oden, Lumine was once again invited by Mr. Kitsune to a tri-color dango treat. Realizing that she was being treated too much, she offered to pay for some octopus balls called takoyaki which later on she had quite a memory of. It's a dish of spherical scones made of flour, with chopped octopus fillings and some other ingredients inside, then fried in a special pan that has a lot of semicircular concave parts. Lumine bought a square plate containing four takoyaki arranged neatly inside and she skewered one to her mouth.

“Wait!”

But It was too late for Mr. Kitsune, Lumine had put a whole round takoyaki in her mouth. She looked at him and wondered why he was leaning up as if he’s afraid her tongue was burnt. The food was cold enough to be eaten. But that's just what she thought.

When she bit into the crust and spilled the filling, Lumine knew why Mr. Kitsune had warned her. The filling was so hot that Lumine's tongue tip was on fire. She rushed a hand to her mouth, tears welling up. She tried to chew and swallow the food. Fortunately, it wasn't so hot to the point it actually burned her tongue.

Mr. Kitsune gave her a cool cup of tea. Lumine, after regaining her composure, noticed that he had been chuckled all along. She grimaced, took a sip of tea and said in a furious tone:

"You don't have to laugh at me like that."

Mr. Kitsune tried to suppress his laughter and replied, "Sorry... I've never seen anyone eating takoyaki in such a cute way."

Lumine's face was red, not knowing whether it was the food being too hot or because she was embarrassed.

Nearby, there was a place filled with tiny hexagonal wooden cards. Mr. Kitsune said Lumine could write her prayers on the card and hang it up. She took one and wrote her wish, hoping that she would soon be reunited with her twin brother. Mr. Kitsune just stood beside her, his eyes looking away.

"You don’t have a prayer?"

"I don't need it." He replied. "My wish has already come true tonight."

Lumine wondered what his wish was, but she doubted that a mysterious man like him would let her know too much about himself.

They still could not find Paimon. Mr. Kitsune said that having gone to this place, at least they should see the fireworks. So Lumine and he climbed the moss-covered stone steps filled with weeds, through the red torii gates that had faded over the years. The whole road felt as the entrance to a wonderland with fireflies and magical forests.

There were also a few others walking up to the fireworks watching location. One of them accidentally bumped into Lumine causing her to slip. She thought she was going to fall, but Lumine was saved. She found herself in Mr. Kitsune's arm and her head on his shoulder. He stood just one step behind her. And then, Lumine caught his blue eyes.

They’re the same like someone’s…

Embarrassed, Lumine stood up. "T-Thank you..." She said, turning her face away.

Lumine was not used to walking on Inazuma wooden slippers. She blamed them just to avoid thinking about the real cause of her confusion. Mr. Kitsune suddenly stood closer by her and said:

"Hold on to my hand, you won't fall again."

He did not look at Lumine but his hand was reaching out in front of her. Lumine hesitated but held on to it at last. They walked slowly up all the stone steps, to a cherry tree and sat down on a large rock, just in time for the very first fireworks to break out.

The night sky was lit up and there was a loud explosion. Colorful fireworks flew into the sky, then dissolved into hundreds of small rays of light. Lumine watched and admired their beauty. It was truly an ideal place to watch fireworks shoot from Inazuma City. Lumine turned to the man who brought her here.

"Though I can't find my friend, I'm happy that I’ve had a chance to enjoy the festival and watch the fireworks with you."

Mr. Kitsune seemed surprised and delighted.

"It is my honor to accompany you, Miss."

Lumine felt her cheeks burning up again. Perhaps all along the way, she had already known who the man in the kitsune mask really was.

"I hope that we'll see each other again soon."

 

*

* *

 

It was late at night. There were no more fireworks or laughter. Yet there was still a shadow of the person sitting under the cherry tree, even when the girl with him had already left for a while.

Next to him was a crimson mask, which seemed to exude a kind of dangerous and tempting power. But all his attention was on the harmless kitsune mask in his hand. All that happened tonight felt like a dream. Having known the Traveler had come to Inazuma, he still did not expect that she had found him herself, bumping into him among so many people on the street.

He had always wanted to see her again, ever since their farewell in Liyue. He constantly talked about her in letters to his family, as if they were very close friends; perhaps more than friends?

What could he expect, when fate always puts them on different sides of the battle? He fought for what he believed, and she always chose to help those who opposed him. But deep down in him was the desire to see her again, to see her smile at him once more. He wanted to touch her, but feared she would disappear like fireflies.

Therefore, having a walk with her, eating together and watching the fireworks next to her; everything that happened tonight was a beautiful dream in the middle of the summer night. Delightful and sweet, yet came and faded away too quickly. After all, at least he knew she still remembered him.

If only she didn't. That way, she would not have to be upset when they meet again, maybe in another battle here in this land. She had hoped that they would see each other again soon, but he'd rather she not knew who was with her tonight.

Tartaglia put down the kitsune mask and picked up his Harbinger mask. He turned his gaze to the sky, praying silently that the stars would remember today for eternity. Then he put on the heavy mask and left. 

 

-The End-

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Au's note: It's been a while since my last Genshin fic. Hope you guys enjoy this one. I really love Japanese festivals in summer and this piece was inspired by those, and with the in-game activities/ atmosphere too of course!

For the fanart posted with this story, I think of it as something happens one or a few more years later after the events in the fic. Then, Childe and Lumine would have another date at the festival, and enjoy eating takoyaki together.

My Genshin Masterlist: x

[fairygodbinch]

I will fight the oceanid 1000 times for you childe

[yoimix]

genshin men + love letters

ft. zhongli, ayato, childe

✽ zhongli knows a thing or two about encasing letters and designing wax stamps, at least enough to send you beautifully intricate ones on your business trips away from the stone harbor. the stamps are lined with tiny, glistening gemstones, in patterns of glaze lilies or violetgrass, sometimes even starconches. you know for a fact, it takes the most skilled of craftsmen to create what he sends you weekly. there is undoubtedly magic in his hands, hands warm with love. he often asks questions in his letters, like he’s trying to commit every little mundane day of yours to his memory. what did you have for lunch? do you miss liyue’s restaurants? sometimes it’s about your health and habits. despite so far from me, i hope you’ve overcome your... deplorable sleeping habits. oh, if you were here, i’d tell you a story. every neat cursive word of his makes you miss him more. perhaps that was his intention; he’s quite cheeky at times, albeit in a subtle way. 

“and when the dragon that slumbers beneath the... are you listening, (name)?”

“huh? oh! i’m so sorry, honey.” you snap out of your thoughts to face the familiar attentive eyes of your lover. to be honest, there’s too much on your mind to focus on the all too comforting lull of zhongli’s voice.

“still thinking about your travels?”

“hah... there’s no escaping your eyes, is there?” you slump into the chair. “i just- i just wish i handled that situation better.”

“with the craftsman from qingce village? i believe you did the right thing.”

“i could’ve helped him!” you sigh, biting your lower lip as though it’ll keep the regret at bay.

a glove hand hooks under your chin to lift your face up. you’re forced to meet his eyes, eyes ever forgiving but only when they gaze at you. “not without overextending yourself. you did the best you could.”

you sigh once more, leaning forward till your forehead rests against his stomach. crossing your legs on the chair, you wrap your arms around his waist and let out a whimper. at times, you feel as though defeat lines every step you take. steps without which you wouldn’t be here, zhongli reminds often, but it is a feeling of loss nonetheless. 

with a soul as ordinary as yours, nothing you do will ever be extraordinary.

despite that, you come home to eyes that shine like freshly printed mora, a smile that surpasses the worth of archaic stones and a kiss rarer than glaze honey. how is an ordinary person in possession of treasure like that?

“i don’t...” i don’t deserve you. that’s what you want to say. but a frown on his handsome face would make you feel worse.

“in all my years, dear, i have never met a soul who resonated quite as much with mine,” he says quietly. “do you still refuse to believe you were made for me? and i, for you?”

“fate is fickle, zhongli.” you shake your head. “i must pave what i want.”

“haven’t you?”

“i should be doing more,” you sigh, the low drumming of his blood keeping you from spiralling. “i always... i always feel like i should be doing more. for you, at least.”

“i ask nothing more from you, my love,” he speaks gently, “than nothing itself. stay with me a while longer.”

you finally cave, letting the weight of your body settle on your lover. you know he’s strong, hands calloused with millenia of experience. but your burdens are your own to bear. aren’t they?

“you’re not on your own,” he whispers into your hair, arm snug around your waist and a hand petting the back of your head. “and you’re certainly in charge of your fate. i’m just glad you chose me.”

you hear it in his voice. love. love you never believed in, for you thought you didn’t deserve it. and all you must do, you realize, is give love back.

✽ ayato ensures the envelope is intricately lined with thick blue ink and stamped with the kamisato crest, glimmering so painfully obvious they’d take him for a fool. there comes many a night the letter is intercepted by an enemy agent with the content: fell for my prank, did you? oh, there’s no grave a mistake as taking kamisato ayato for a fool. ayato’s letters to you are secret, the process to unfurling them far more arcane than anyone other than you can achieve. it’s like a sweet little game, the rules to which only two old friends know. sometimes, he will even send you silly letters full of word puzzles that spell out a cheesy line he picked up from overhearing the gossiping crowd. other times, he speaks of yearning but never explicitly. i grow tired of my retainers’ blabbering every day. not everyone has a melody as pleasant as yours. he never speaks of inazuman affairs, but of the seasons and their effects on the islands, as though political schemes might tear you away from him. he might not be able to defeat gods with his swordmanship but he will do anything in his power to keep the two of you together, no matter how dirty the trick. 

“is it really so comfortable this way?” he muses, fingers combing through your hair idly.

“are you going to comment on how inappropriate it is for me to visit you in your bedchambers?”

“you’re in my bed, darling, that hardly matters now.” he chuckles. “if anything, i’d prefer you here than anywhere else past midnight.”

for this midnight and every single one to come.

you snuggle closer, burying your face in his chest and he sighs, a wash of warmth relaxing his stiff body. it’s difficult for the someone in his position to make time for idle chatter, to the point this feels surreal. but it’s like you weave the thread of time itself, weaving yourself into his schedule effortlessly. a moment to breathe, that’s what you are. morning dare not overstep into this bound. 

ayato shifts his lavender gaze to your form, lips twitching up at how blissful you look. if this were unrequited, he would have been a very different man.

“thank you for entertaining my boredom, (name),” he sighs with satisfaction. 

“boredom? does the oh-so-busy yashiro commissioner feel boredom?”

“you’d be surprised how empty my heart grows without you.”

you smack his chest, eliciting a pained ‘oof’ from him. “that’s hideously cheesy. gosh. are you reading the yae novels again?”

“my dear, there’s no need to resort to violence.” he rubs the part of his chest you hit. it would’ve been less painful were he to have worn anything but an open chest kimono.

“oh please, i’ve hardly delved my blade into as many bodies as you have.”

“it’s just me then? how comforting.”

you roll your eyes. ayato’s deep chuckle follows and the two of you share a laugh.

“say, dear, do you dream of leaving?” 

“hm?”

“do you dislike inazuma in any way? do you yearn for more?”

a heavy silence follows. however, you’re stronger than you were at nineteen. you know how to lift the burden of words. you pull away to sit up, a frown settling on ayato at your action.

“my love,” you begin, cupping his face as his arm pulls you closer. “i am a traveler. but... well, i can journey to a thousand lands, feel the thrill of adventure countless times. yet... i will still have only one home.”

and with the press of your lips to his, with pinky fingers intertwined as you used to have, the promise is sealed.

✽ childe always makes sure to slip a photograph in the envelope, stamped blue in the shape of a narwhal. his skill with a kamera might not be professional but it is good enough to capture his daily observations of the cities he visits, the food he wishes he could buy you and a sneak peek to the souvenirs he bought for you. the writing itself is long, a bit of jargon if you actually read it, but every word from him reeks of affection. i want to show you my favorite liyue restaurant. you smile at the photo of the black back perch stew. did you know inazuma’s cherry blossoms never really wither? you shake your head at his attempt to collect the sakura blooms. i’ll be home soon. and true to his word, ajax will be at your doorstep at midnight with a myriad of souvenirs, kisses and complaints about being away from you for far too long. distance makes him uncontrollably affectionate and you best bet he’ll drench his path in blood if it means getting home to you.

“sometimes i think you only look forward to the gifts i bring, love,” he leans his face onto his palm while you sift through the presents scattered across your bed.

“ooh,” you respond, not looking up. “how did you find me out?”

“hey now.” 

you hear him get off the chair though your eyes are trained on the little carved beetle that was so obviously born from someone with an inability to follow tutorials. 

“did you make the- ajax?”

childe sits cross-legged beside you on the bed, a small smile on his face as he traces your movement with his eyes. you love the hue so much, you’ve preserved the starconches he picked for you as precious reminders to his eventual returns. he promised, after all.

“you’re unnaturally quiet,” you remark, chuckling at his languid expression. “what happened to complaining?”

as a response, he collapses his entire body weight on you, toppling over the both of you and eliciting a yelp out of your mouth, while he sighs loudly.

“you’re not even paying attention to me while i complain.” he pouts into your neck. “what’s the point of that? six months i haven’t held you. show some remorse.”

you breathe out, your arms slowly wrapping around his torso as you try to make the position more comfortable. 

“did you miss me?” he asks, softer this time and muffled against your collarbone.

“so much,” you respond, your arms tightening. “so much that i could almost hear you breathe beside me every night.”

childe exhales, a lighthearted note to it. isn’t it strange how you can get so used to a person? even if they’ve miles away, months away. no matter how many missions he goes on, the way he looks at you is unchanging. of course, he’s grown more protective over you through the years but he feels the same as ever. and you promised him. no matter how soaked his sleeves are with blood, you will stay. he props himself up on his forearms, hovering over you with a wistful grin.

“the one thing they can’t take away, (name),” he whispers, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your lips. “lord have mercy if they do.”

[nikkicola]

time does not wait | al-haitham

precis. you and al-haitham take a break from responsibilities regarding the akademiya.

word count. 1.5k

pairing. gn! reader x al-haitham

content. friends to lovers, established relationship, first kiss, confessions

genre. fluff

note. first ever fic i’ve written omg

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Time is a precious element; it is unforgiving and it does not wait for anyone.

Spending time with Al-Haitham was as rare as finding an orange Starconch on the vast, sandy shores of Liyue. With his relentless schedule within the Haravatat and your exhausting studies in Kshahrewar, it was nearly impossible to be together for more than a few minutes. Nothing more than a hello or goodbye when passing by each other through the busy streets of Sumeru. So currently standing around with him on Port Ormos’ docks was indeed a miracle. 

It was early in the morning, the blaring sun slowly making its way up to the sky. The gentle swaying of waves accompanied by muffled chatter among members of the public filled your ears. It was truly a peaceful setting. Standing side by side, no words were exchanged between the both of you. No words when travelling to and arriving at the docks. And you wondered why. Surely after days or even weeks of not properly being together, at least one of you would strike up a conversation, right? 

You felt the need to speak but just couldn’t find the right words. It’s like your years of study and knowledge gained from the Akademiya had disintegrated into nothing. You knew Al-Haitham was a man of few words. A man who only initiated conversations of rationality and importance to those who he deemed worthy. So you’ve wondered what about you had intrigued him all those years ago. You’ve always racked your brain as to why he was with you, was there an ulterior motive? Did he want something from you? Sometimes, these thoughts of doubt and worry invade your mind. But some questions are better left unanswered. You know what they always say, ignorance is bliss, and this bliss of being in Al-Haitham’s company was enough for you.

Suddenly, a gentle hand brushed against yours, snapping you out of your thoughts. You glanced up at him, his eyes focused beyond the horizon of tranquil waters. Al-Haitham wasn’t someone who initiated public displays of affection at all, he liked to keep to himself and you respected that. You weren’t exactly a fan of it yourself. So thought nothing of this action. Once again, his hand brushed against yours, slowly grasping it and intertwining your fingers together. You look down, shocked at his boldness out in the open. Spending time with Al-Haitham was rare but this, in public, was something new. Heat erupted throughout your body, your heart threatening to explode, and you froze. Al-Haitham must’ve noticed your predicament and decided to finally break the silence between the two of you.

“What’s the matter, love?” His gentle voice in which spoke an endearing nickname was enough to make your knees weak and crumble at that moment. 

You looked over at him, eyes locked together. Out of habit, you intently studied his features. His ashen grey hair lightly bounced as the wind blew through the strands, oh, you so badly wanted to run your fingers through them. His piercing green eyes fixated on yours with so much love and admiration, those were emotions that only you could see and no one else. A soft smile was placed upon his lips, you always wondered what it would feel like if they danced their way across your skin. You always adored this man; one look at him and it’s like nothing else in the world matters, all your worries and anxieties dissolve into thin air. 

“Nothing,” you simply replied. You shot him a shy smile. However, your timid response clearly wasn’t convincing enough for him. 

“What’s the matter?” He repeated, untangling your fingers and turning his body to fully face you. His stature towered over your own, a hand reached to place itself upon your face. You couldn’t help but lean into his touch. “It’s nothing, I promise.”

He merely shook his head, dropped his hand from your face and turned towards the horizon once more. You didn’t want to admit it but you were quite disappointed with the loss of touch. It was an uncommon occurrence and you wanted to savour it for as long as time would let you. You wished time would just stop at this moment. You wished everything would just freeze except the two of you. You wished time with Al-Haitham would never end. But time doesn’t have favourites. Time continues on and doesn’t wait for anyone. 

“You know you can tell me anything that’s on your mind,” he sighed. “I understand that we rarely see each other these days, so I thought this setting would allow us to converse in such matters.”

“Al-Haitham,” you mumbled, turning your head to look at him, “is there a reason as to why you took interest in me?”

He simply hummed, continuing to face the sea as he thought of an answer. Moments passed by. Gusts of wind, the splashing of water and squawks of gulls were sounds that filled the air when there were no words spoken. You began to worry that you may have overstepped a boundary. You knew not to pry with him and yet you couldn’t help yourself. Ignorance is bliss but curiosity got the better of you. Your eyes dropped to the ground, observing the movement of water through the spaces between each plank of the dock. You thought it was better off to change the subject, clearly, this one was too much right now. What were you thinking?

“You’re patient,” he spoke confidently. You snapped your attention back to him, both your eyes locked onto each other. His gaze was so intense, eyes burned with passion. Both his hands reached to tenderly hold your own as he continued to speak. “You’re patient with me. With everything I do. No matter how distant I am from you, whether emotionally or physically, you wait.”

Your eyes widened at his sudden outburst. Your mind jumbled for a response, trying to form coherent words but only stutters managed to have spilled from your lips.

“My love, you are intelligent. Dare I say much more intelligent than all scholars within the Akademiya. Your devotion to your studies is second to no one and I do not doubt for a second that you will excel with outstanding results,” he continued, not skipping a beat nor breaking eye contact with you. Your hands gripped his tighter, and your heart began to race as your face burnt bright red.

His hands let go of yours, with one hand travelling to rest on your waist while the other caressed your cheek. “If I had all the time in the world at my disposal, I would spend every second of it telling and showing you how much your entire being means to me.”

You let out a shuddered breath. You’ve never experienced Al-Haitham like this, he’s never expressed his adoration towards you to this degree. “I will forever marvel at your elegance and beauty. Like a moth to a flame, no matter where you are or what you do, I will always find you. I will always adore you. I will always turn to you without a doubt.”

You swear you could hear your own heartbeat in your ears alongside your thoughts that rushed inside your head. He stared at you sharply, desperately awaiting your reply. You couldn’t look away, which was quite a common experience with Al-Haitham. He was so enchanting. So beautiful. So perfect. You simply couldn’t compare. A surge of confidence flowed through your bloodstream, causing your limbs to move on their own. 

Hooking your arms around Al-Haitham’s neck, you tugged him close to your face, your noses touched each other, breaths fanned your faces. You inhaled a deep breath and closed your eyes before… fuck it.

You crash your lips onto his.

No words composed in sentences can ever be enough to counter Al-Haitham’s confession. Actions speak louder than words after all. He stilled for a second before he tightened his grip on your waist, pulling you flush against his body. It was like time stopped and the world revolved around the both of you. Nothing else mattered. No one else mattered. The only thing that mattered at that moment was you and Al-Haitham. 

After a moment, you pulled away. You glanced up at him and opened your mouth to say something; possibly to apologise for being so forward or excuse yourself.

“I love you,” he whispered, eyes still shut, “I love you so much.”

He opened his eyes, a nervous smile danced across his lips as he met your eyes once again. You blinked. What? Your heart thumps against your ribcage, once, twice… 

He chuckled, “I apologise, I shouldn’t have said that.”

You shook your head, a wide grin formed on your face. “I’m so happy.” 

He looked at you, confusion painted onto his features. 

“I love you, Al-Haitham. I’ll love you beyond the length of life itself.”

Lips were placed on yours again. Softer, in a much more delicate manner, as if he was afraid he would break you. “Thank you,” he breathed when he pulled away. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”

A comfortable silence fell between you both. You situated your attention to the horizon, much like how Al-Haitham did early on. Time is a precious element; it is unforgiving and it does not wait for anyone. But, when you’re with him, time is unmoving, time is unlimited. 

Time may not wait for anyone, but you would spend all your time waiting for him. 

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note. thank you for reading! this it the first time ever writing something like this ;)

[windwheeler-aster]

when you’re free...

xiao’s birthday hangout 2022

summary: after one beach combing session, xiao comes back to the wangshu inn to show you his collection. however, when you show him how to coax secrets out of the starconches, xiao worries his feelings for you will remain secret no more. 

masterlist | xiao’s letter

pairing: xiao x reader

reader info: uses gender neutral pronouns (they/them), reader and xiao are close friends, and reader is not the traveler 

word count: 784 words

genre: romance, confession, friends to lovers, birthday celebration

format: one shot

warnings: “unrequited” love, brief mentions of kneading/pulling and picking at skin, dragging hand across face, and brief food/dinner mention

a/n: ahhh i’m getting back into the writing thing again!!! this isn’t the best and feels a little ooc for me, but i tried my best to edit it to fit xiao’s character more. i hope everyone’s doing a-okay and have a good read 💖 

Xiao let the starconches gathered in his arms fall onto the table with little remorse. He furrowed his brows when you startled, accidentally tossing the book you were reading aside. He watched your shoulders relax once you looked up at him and he swore his cold heart skipped a beat.

“Wow, these are very pretty, Xiao,” you murmured, eyes glancing back down to the conches. You shoved your book away and moved to the sea shells, hovering your hand over them. “Are these from the shores near the inn?”

“No, Guyun Stone Forest,” he corrected, stiffing slightly when you gesture for him to sit down. “I went walking there today.”

You hummed as you picked up one of the smaller shells. “That sounds like a nice birthday celebration,” you smiled at him. “You’re sure you don’t want anything for your birthday? Like a cake? Or maybe some polish for your spear?”

“I’d rather be with you,” Xiao blurted out, the tips of his ears burning. “If that’s alright, t-that is,” he added hastily.

[more under the cut]

You picked up the largest starconche Xiao brought back and lifted it up to your ear. “Of course it’s alright, there’s nothing wrong with two friends hanging out last time I checked.”

Xiao’s small smile faltered and he nodded slowly. “Right, of course. Just two friends, hanging out.”

You looked over to your friend, unsettled by how quiet he became. Xiao was still standing, a couple inches away, hovering over your shoulder. You patted the space next to you on the bench, again, but Xiao still looked hesitant. When he continued not to budge, you shrugged and put the shell back to your ear.

Xiao watched from above as you strained your ear, half of your face scrunching up as you did so. He thought it was cute, making his heart pick up the pace and making it hard to frown. He wished he could push these feelings out of his heart and remain the cold and docile Yaksha he’s always been.

“What are you doing?” he snapped, trying to distract himself.

“I’m trying to listen for secrets,”

His eyes widened against his will. “Does that actually work?”

“Maybe,” you tease, “why’re you asking? Keeping a secret from me?”

Xiao wanted to scoop up all the starconches and hurl them into the nearby river. He has been trying so hard to keep his feelings a secret from you. If one stupid conche ruins it all, Xiao swears he is never going to trust anything or anyone with a secret again. 

“No,” he replied too quickly.

You click your tongue as you grab another conche. “I can tell you’re lying, y’know,”

As a response, Xiao glared daggers into the back of your head. He kneaded the flesh on his forearms as he crossed his arms. Your teasing infuriated Xiao so much, but he’d hate for you to turn around and see his rosy cheeks. It wasn’t fair that you knew all the ways to get under his skin.

“Cat got your tongue?” you suggested.

“You’re insufferable,”

“You love me though,”

“Obviously,” he dragged his hand across his face as soon as he uttered the words.

You pulled the conche away from your ear, staring at it in disbelief. Carefully, you shifted your glance to the blushing Yaksha, holding his head in his hands. You set the starconche down and turned yourself all the way around, facing Xiao with concerned eyes. 

Nothing was stopping Xiao from teleporting away to a safe location. Somewhere far, far, away so that his screams of anguish cannot be heard from anyone. Xiao wanted to be anywhere but here, emotionally vulnerable as he awaits your response.

“Did you just…?”

“No,”

You smirked. “You totally just confessed your feelings for me,” you reached around to grab the conche. “The shells work!”

“They absolutely do not work,” he growled, “I just decided to confess to you.”

“Just because?”

He nodded, his yellow eyes peaking at you from behind his long fingers. “Are you mad?”

“What? Why would I be mad? I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy,”

Before Xiao could stop himself, he spoke again. “So you feel the same way?”

“Obviously,” you smirked, reaching out for one of his hands, “now come sit down with me! The shells were just telling me about what Verr Goldet is making for your birthday dinner,”

“Don’t you want to talk about…us?”

“Let’s take it slow for now,” you open up your palm to Xiao, “if that’s okay with you?”

“...yes,” he mumbled, taking your hand and sitting down next to you. He blushed bright red as you scooted over to him and squeezed his hand. “Yes, that’s okay with me.”

thank you for reading 💖 all forms of interaction to my posts are appreciated 💖

[golden-wingseos]

a secret for two

what’s it like... having a secret relationship with them?

featuring —

✧ childe x gn!reader, scaramouche x f!reader

warnings ―

✧ not proofread

notes ―

✧ once upon a time i despised scaramouche,,, look at me now

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄 ✬ ❛ 𝘛𝘈𝘙𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘓𝘐𝘈 ❜

you were no fatui agent, nor a harbinger. you were you. [l/n] [y/n], child of a wealthy businessman and woman

and—perhaps, that was a fatal flaw: falling in love with a man who you knew your parents wouldn’t approve of

but—they wouldn’t understand. childe... he was no bloodthirsty killer when he was with you. he was tartaglia—ajax, a sweet person who loved you for you, not your money or status

however, even with the skeptics of possibilities your family may present, it all fell shy to the problems that would arise if childe revealed his relationship to the eyes of the fatui

his job: debt collection. your family’s business: has a possibility of falling into debt

and not only that—childe loves his family. he’d do anything to keep you as far away from the fatui as possible, fearing that you’d become leverage for more manipulation and lies

and, perhaps, amongst the thrill—you would’ve left. you would’ve stopped seeing a man who could only bestow pain upon your future—

and yet, here you were. holding him in your arms as the moonlight shimmered through the window

The sky—was dark. Showing no remorse for unfortunate merchants in the brink of dusk, lights flickered on, guiding stray travelers home with welcome arms.

[E/C] eyes blinked open, scouring over the sight that lay before them. Orange locks, crystal blue irises that mimicked the waterfalls of Qingce Village—all were sights so familiar to your orbs, a small smile making its way onto your face as you stared at the male before you.

Clad in sleepwear, his hair was devoid of his Fatui mask. His expression—peaceful and serene... so different than the Childe you had first met—a Childe who knew how to kill, not to love.

Mindless warnings from your parents, absent guards that could care less for your safety—they didn’t matter. Love, a love found once in a lifetime, a love found in nobody but him.

...Tartaglia.

You didn’t thrive off of thrill like he did, per se... you were just you. A young person, desperate for some freedom—

And yet, all those nights. All those nights spent running, running to beaches, running from his Fatui underlings—they were everything, more than your parents’ business, more than the bundles of mora you were handed—

Because, because— they had him.

“Haha! You should run faster, love! There’s a really pretty view once we make it to Yaoguang Shoal!” The moon, silent and silver—it watched over the two young lovers, their forms running from the hoards of hilichurls and Fatui agents as they ran for their hearts—their smiles, glimmering like the absent sun...

Cascading waves and eroding stones, starconches sat idly in the palm of their hands as the night went by.

��𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐄 ✬ ❛ 𝘉𝘈𝘓𝘓𝘈𝘋𝘌𝘌𝘙 ❜

unlike childe, scaramouche didn’t purposefully hide your relationship with him

you’re a harbinger— just like him. what was there to hide? the blushes that’d cascade over his cheeks? the flustered expressions he hid when you kissed him?

whatever. it wasn’t like it was any of their business (childe and signora) to know—he was just living life, being him... that of which didn’t involve flaunting your relationship

he was content with what he had. and if that meant the other fatui agents and harbingers not knowing about your relationship? so be it. what are they gonna do? cry?

“Oh, [Y/N]? You’re here? I didn’t know The Tsaritsa put you on post!” Childe exclaimed, waving friendly in your direction as you crossed your arms. Ships were arriving, Fatui symbols and signals lighting up every single sail and wooden plank, distant figures that painted the coast of Liyue Harbor.

Frankly—you were not posted here. The Tsaritsa had granted you an off day, so you decided to head over to Liyue Harbor. After all, Scaramouche was expected to arrive today. 

“I suppose,” You responded blankly. Uninterested in talking to the Harbinger, [e/c] eyes narrowed as soon as the grandest Fatui ship came into view—that of which was expected to host Scaramouche.

“Haha! Still not a talker, are you?” Childe laughed, entertaining himself with his own comments. Seriously—if you didn’t know any better, you’d think the eleventh Harbinger was some kind of lonely maniac.

(Which, is partially true.)

“L-Lady [Y/N]! I didn’t know y-you’d be here!” An underling got on one knee, bowing out of respect for you.

“Move it.”

A new voice—sharper and firmer, a sense of authority lingering in its hues.

“Ah, Balladeer. You’ve returned,” A smile, a drastic change from the unreadable gaze you sent the Fatui agent who got in your way from meeting your boyfriend.

“Balladeer?” Scaramouche echoed, raising his eyebrow in distaste as you ignored Childe’s prying eyes.

“Is that not your name?” You grinned, watching his indigo eyes morph into confusion, then irritation.

“. . . Am I missing something?” Childe blinked, question marks surrounding his head like a halo.

“Of course not,” Scaramouche snapped, wasting no time to grab your waist, tugging you along into the streets of Liyue. It had been four weeks since he’d last seen you, and frankly—that was four weeks too many.

“Huh...?” Childe’s jaw dropped, piecing together the clues that had been left cold for far too long.

“Scaramouche and [Y/N] were posted together?!” 

... Okay— kind of pieced together the clues.

[mrpenguinpants]

Childe: First Kiss HCs

I tend to make things gender neutral by not putting in pronouns and just using “you” but you can definitely read this as female^^ But I completely agree, I love this boy so much. He’s my favourite character to play (im so sorry razor) until Xiao comes out. I literally have a genshin team named “waiting for xiao” and it’s just Childe and Zhongli haha. 

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Today’s appreciation post goes to childes-starconch. Fitting that this is a Childe fic but ty for your support^^ I always notice you pop up as soon as I post a fic and I really enjoy seeing you. Hopefully you read this since tumblr won’t let me tag people, for whatever reason I don’t know anymore, but just saying hey, I see you 💕💕

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I’m just gonna piggy back off my last Childe fic. I’m sorry. 

Semi Part 1:  Fiance HCs [honestly, one of my favourites haha] 

Xiao Ver:  First Kiss HCs

Venti & Kaeya: Mistletoe HCs

Venti, Xingqiu, and Razor: Kissing HCs

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​  @mikeysbike​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @twistedsunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx​ @adoring-ghost​ @asheseiler​ @childelover​@youaskedfurret​ @snowy224 

@youaskedfurret​ @diaxfeliz​ @wintergreen-aix​ @dandelily​ @thegayrubberducky​ @lovelykittycatmeow​ @yuunoagivesmelife​  @dokidokisama @simpygrimoire @minakohasmanyhusbandos​ @strwbrry-lia    @tigerpriestess 

For some reason I can’t @ certain people. I’m talking to tumblr about it. 

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Childe: First Kiss HCs

Childe was never one to shy away from affection, be it holding your hand in his or wrapping an arm around you, he was always happy to be close to you. He was always a bit territorial which lead to some embarrassing situations for you but it was from a good place in his heart. But when it came to public kisses, he preferred to keep it between you two. It felt too private of a moment that he didn’t want to broadcast to the rest of the Fatui, especially to the other Harbingers. That is to say, if he actually kissed you in the first place. For all the two braincells Childe had, one was fighting and the other was protecting his loved ones, just imagining kissing you was too much for him and he needed to go find some poor recruit and beat his inner problems out. The Fatui recruitment process would always dwindled down during his inner turmoil sessions that Scaramouche himself, had to throw his goddamn hat at Tartaglia, and yell at him to hurry up and fix his problem. It was clogging up the air. 

When he tried to think about it, it shouldn’t be this hard to simply lean in for a kiss. But it was his first and while Childe might run into whatever danger or prospect of a fight without a second thought, he didn’t want to ruin it. What if he accidently bonked his forehead with yours? He should remove his mask then right? Just in case? He’s only given forehead and cheek kisses to his younger siblings so it should be the same right? Yeah he could do this, this was just another battle for Tartaglia to conquer! 

But whenever he would see you or you would both sit and bask in each other’s presences. He couldn’t bring himself to initiate something or heck, even looking at your face made him a bit hot under the collar in sub-zero temperatures. He can almost hear Scaramouche and Signora laughing maniacally at him behind their hands. He’s the youngest of the Harbingers, he should get a “get out of jail for free” card that all youngest children have whenever they get into trouble. But in this case it’s murder. He quickly slaps his cheeks to get his mind off fighting for one second which startles you beside him. 

The first time you’ve seen Childe shy was when he first confessed to you, stuttering that he liked you and just really badly wanted to hold your hand without using the frost of Sneznaya as an excuse. You flushed pink but nodded that you returned his feeling and slipped your hand in his. Whatever shyness Childe had was quickly wiped off his face and he cheered and brought you in for an eskimo kiss. Rubbing your nose with his as he laughed in joy, the tips of his ears and cheeks still coloured pink. You always hold that memory dear to your heart because not only was it the start of your relationship, it was the first time you felt you were staring at Ajax. Not Childe. Not Tartaglia. Just Ajax. 

But now, you’re not to sure what to call this. Lately he seemed to be out of it, always staring off into space or frowning at some poor poor snowmen that did not deserve that much pressure.  Was being a harbinger starting to take it’s toll on him? Did something terrible happen to his family or was the Tsaritsa being too hard on him? You were beginning to get concerned because you’ve never seen this much mental turmoil in him. This never really happened before and he usually bounced back pretty fast. Would it be better if you left him be and he sorted it out himself? Would it be better if you asked? 

Childe is startled out of his thoughts of possible committed murder because he’s too scared to ask his own partner if kissing was something they could do, when he felt your hand slowly nudge his. No matter how many times he holds your hand, you’re always warm. It could be snow storming outside and the only heater he would need would be you. He offers a small but warm smile as he laces his fingers with yours. He remembers when you first started going out he was so scared about boundaries and what was okay. Brushing your fingers together and overall, not doing a good job at saying he wanted to hold hands that even he cringes slightly at his younger self - even though it wasn’t that long ago and he’s doing it again just with kisses - but now he borderline clings to you like some overgrown animal. Scaramouche’s words, not his. 

It’s still evening in Snezhnaya and the Tsaritsa herself seems to be taking a vacation because there’s only a light snow falling down between the two of you. You’re both sitting outside his house while his family is inside, warm and having fun playing games. He breathes in, closes his eyes, and let’s the world fade away just a second. He slowly brings his other hand to cup your cheek, his hands are always numb and the tiny pin pricks are dancing on his fingers again before they fade away too, and guides you towards him so he can place a small kiss on your fore head. Then tilts your face to the side so he can kiss your cheek. Brings his nose near yours to nuzzle against. Then hesitates when his lips hover above yours. 

“Ajax is there something bothering you?” you ask softly, you’re so close to each other that all you can see is him. The small puffs of breathe you both take bounce off each other’s face before evaporating into the air. You never really took the time to appreciate Ajax’s bright blue eyes. His pupil from this distance seems to be slitted too. 

“Hm? Ah no, of course not. Where did you get that idea?” he tries to laugh it off and tries to move back before you quickly bring your hand to the back of his head and nudge him forward so he stays in place. It wasn’t like him to run away from something, it was really starting to bother you what could get Ajax of all people to retreat from something. 

“You know if there’s anything that’s bothering you, you can talk to me right?” you asked as you brought both your hands to cup his face as you softly rubbed circles just under his ear. He closed his eyes and hmmed happily at your actions and nuzzled further into your hand before turning his head inward to kiss your palm. Before relaxing and parting his eyelids half way as he seemed to be back in concentration mode. Before awkwardly saying what was troubling him these past few days. 

“So wait, you mean to tell me that this entire time I was worried about you. How out of it you were and how many fights you’ve been getting into. Was because you wanted a kiss?” you asked dumfounded as he pouted but nodded. You sighed but bonked your foreheads together softly, “You’re such an idiot....C’mere.” 

“Wha-” 

You grab the scarf on his harbinger uniform and tug him forward as your lips slot over his. You kiss him hard and for a few seconds as Ajax just stares at you as his brain tries to catch up, before his eyes seem to dilate and he kisses you back just as hard. All his past worries are quickly thrown out the window as slowly pushes you on your back, cushioned by the soft snow, as he basks in the feeling. It’s a bit sloppy given this is both your first kisses but that’s what adds to the charm. You both have to separate at some point for oxygen but Childe looks like he’s ready to dive in again. 

“One more,” he pants as he goes in for another but you quickly place your hand in the way so he ends up kissing your palm. He whines but you chuckle at him, place a small kiss on the back of your palm of where his lips would be, and push him off you. You’re both still outside his families home and you aren’t in the mood to be caught in this kind of position. Especially not in front of his younger siblings. He rests his cheek on your shoulder and looks at you, trying to make his eyes bigger and look like a kicked puppy. You sigh as you give a small pet on his head, running your fingers through your hair. What a troublesome partner you’ve gotten. 

“Alright, one more.” 

---

My entire taglist was just made for the  “Enemies” to “Lovers” post and I still haven’t started hehe. Trust me, it’s coming. I’ve got requests for it and we’re slowly getting there. The entire time I’m writing this I’m just thinking “honey..no, that’s not how this works.” God you’re so dumb. I hate you. You’re my favourite character. Pour one out for Xiao, I was going to make this a crack fic too but ended up making it somewhat serious. 

So yeah, xiao is a cat and childe is a fox. In other news, water is wet. But I did actually google fox behaviors just for this shitpost. ALRIGHT TIME TO SPIN THE WHEEL OF “WILL TUMBLR BE NICE TO ME?” OR DO I NEED TO DOUBLE REPOST AGAIN. 

[heyitsheizou]

ship/pairing: mentions of tartali

prompt: morax has now successfully reincarnated into a human from being the past archon of liyue! still bearing memories from his past, zhongli learns how much history hates lovers.

he remembers it all.

from their late night walks down the harbor, their weekends spent down at yaoguang shoal collecting starconches, downing bottles of wine while listening to tea master liu su to their nightly routine of catching birds and bees.

so what the ever loving fuck is this?

“during the time of liyue’s liberation from the rule of the geo archon morax, the honorable wangsheng funeral parlor lead the rite of parting. the secretary to the director of the parlor named Zhongli personally oversaw the preparation along with the help of a great traveler. however this particular secretary was known to be best friends with the enemy. even before the rite of parting took place, a fatui harbinger summoned the great monster osial—“

zhongli shook his head as he continues to correct whatever his “history” teacher says in his own notebook.

mr. zhongli and the eleventh fatui harbinger childe were star-crossed lovers.

he shrugs as he lets the teacher go on about their discussion, looking out into the window as he reminisces about the memories that he shared with his past lover.

i promise that i’ll find you, ajax. in this life, or the next.

note: AHHHHH THIS IS SO SHORT T^T

note p2: idk if i should keep posting stories hahaha.

note p3: i’ll make up for it, so consider this a preview???

[tellerluna-stories]

archon, barbara, glaze lilies !! :O

OOOHHH THIS IS FUN!! THANK YOU FOR SENDING THIS IN ASTRIA HEHE

ask game here!

archon: which nation’s known ‘ideal’ do you like the most: freedom, contracts, eternity, wisdom, justice, or war?

this is a tough one to pick, especially between justice and eternity, buttttt bc I'm extremely biased towards hydro I'm going to say justice!! what I particularly like abt genshin's portrayal of justice in the hydro characters is that none of them have a 'traditional' sense of justice, if ya get what I'm saying (≧∇≦)b

barbara: you’re a tourist traveling teyvat, which locations in the game would you want to visit in person?

hands down WATATSUMI ISLAND ALL THE WAYYYYY. I also wanna visit yaoguang shoal bc I like to pick up starconches there but!!!! watatsumi island is priority!!!!!

I'd also kinda wanna visit enkanomiya but not for long bc it's the kind of place that freaks you out over time HAHA

glaze lilies: what is/are your favorite ost(s)?

oH BOY I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS !!! my top two are gonna have to be 'illuminated coral palace' and 'a sweet smile'. other osts I enjoy are 'letter from ajax', 'contemplation in the snow', 'let's go, crimson knight!', 'lovers' oath', 'termination of desires' and whatever the title was of the OST that they used for the 2.1 update livestream HAHHAA I HAVE A LOT

[hxiiraeth]

Childe X Reader

Tags: SFW, Fluff

Words: 1,338

(A/N: ojou-chan is you. I didn't really feel like changing it to (Y/N) so pls bear with me qwq)

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Your eyes sparkled as you looked at the spectacular scenery before you. The shimmering blue water extended alongside the coastline and the gentle waves rolled endlessly towards the beaches. Earlier that evening, Childe asked you if you wanted to go on an adventure today, which you eagerly agreed to. You didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day and how could you turn down the invitation to explore and hang out with him?

Surely it took you a while to trust him since he's one of the Fatui members. It was difficult for you to trust him due to the first acquaintance you've had with Signora, who was also a member of the Fatui. Childe understood the main reason why you couldn't trust him upon your first meeting in Liyue and didn't question you any further. However, he offered to help you with your quests and helped you stay out of trouble. You were hesitant at first but you accepted his offer nonetheless.

Throughout the moments you've had with him whilst trying to help you with your quests, you came to realize that he was a nice person. Though Paimon didn't really agree with you on that one. Neither of you bothered to argue over as you both see it as something pointless to argue on.

The ocean breeze whispers like a lover, placing salty kisses on your cheeks and tousling your hair. You closed your eyes as you listened to the lullaby of the ocean. In the distance, you could hear Paimon having a banter with Childe over something and you couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. It was currently night time; none of you minded though, as the tranquility the night offered gave you a sense of peace.

You slowly opened your eyes and turned your head to your left. There, you saw Childe with Paimon, and your eyes were locked with his blue ones. You noticed that his eyes seemed softer than it usually were. He sent you a gentle smile that made your heart race and your cheeks burn. You quickly turned away from him so he couldn't see your flushed face.

Childe silently chuckled as you turned your head away from him. He found you rather adorable, and interesting to say the least. You've done a few things that he found questionable and interesting. Usually when that happens, it'd get you a laugh out of him.

Throughout the times you've spent together, he enjoyed having your company. It was unexpected, especially for someone like him. The same situation goes for you. You enjoyed having his company around, even though he was a Fatui member who you couldn't bring yourself to trust on the first meeting. Yet here you are again, spending your time together with the man who has helped you countless times, either saving you from trouble or helping you with your daily tasks. You tried your best concealing how excited and happy you get whenever he asked you if you wanted to explore or do anything together. You've never thought that you'd grow so attached to him despite knowing who he is, nor have you ever thought that he'd ask you out of all people that he knew.

"Hey, ojou-chan," You heard him calling you. You took a deep breath and cleared your thoughts before turning your head to look at him.

"I-Is something the matter, Childe?" You asked and mentally slapped yourself for stuttering.

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask if you want to collect a few starconches with me before we head back to the Inn?"

You couldn't say no to that. You certainly love collecting starconches to keep as collections and to reminisce back to the memories when you collect them.

"Sure! Where did Paimon go though?"

"Ah, well.. She told me that she was going to find Zhongli then she was going to head back to the Inn by herself."

You could only nod at his response before standing up and stretching your arms. Your feet were dipped in the cold blue water and the little ripples that were made as you walked formed a smile on your face. Childe noticed your smile and couldn't help but mirror your smile as he watched how you were enjoying your time at the beach. Both of you were content with each other's presence even when there weren't many words being spoken.

"I found starconches!" You exclaimed excitedly, squatting down to collect them, depositing them in a small pouch you brought.

The two of you were so focused on searching for starconches, you didn’t realize how close you were. You bumped foreheads with him as a result. You couldn't help but laugh and Childe joined in.

After your laughters have subsided, he asked, "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

"It only hurts a little, I'll be fine," you responded, giving him a small smile to reassure him.

He trusted you but.. he had another idea in mind. It'd be bold of him to do such things, but he wanted to.

He leaned closer and pressed his lips on your forehead gently. Your body froze and your cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. You looked up at him only to see him smiling at you and his cheeks were tinted pink. He was.. blushing?

"I hope that'll ease the pain, even for a little bit," He murmured.

At that moment, a thought came to your mind. What if you confess to him right here, at the beach under the bright moonlight accompanied by a few town lights? You tried your best to contain your feelings for him but the more you spent time with him, the stronger your feelings grew. Even the slightest gesture he does could get you flustered.

You gripped your shirt as you made yourself your final decision. You decided to confess your feelings to him.

"Hey, Childe?" He hummed in response. You remained silent, though it wasn't a tensed silence. A contemplative one as you thought about your decision once again before telling him about your feelings towards him. Childe patiently waited for you to continue your sentence. "I need to tell you something."

"I'm all ears, ojou-chan." That call name would never stop making you embarrassed. Childe hated to admit it but he was nervous to know what you needed to tell him.

"Th-This might sound ridiculous but ever since we've hung out together, I've fallen for you and I know that you're one of the Fatui but I-"

Your words were cut off by Childe pressing his lips against yours gently, capturing them in a gentle, sweet kiss.

When he broke away from the kiss, you pulled him into an embrace and hid your face in his chest. You felt giddy and shy after what happened. Childe chuckled and wrapped his arms around you.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing the top of your head. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you heard the eight letters from the man you had come to love.

"I love you too," Your voice was muffled but you were certain that he heard it as you could feel a smile forming on his lips.

Both of you stayed in each others' arms for a while. You wanted to stay in his arms forever but you knew you couldn't. At least, not for today as it was already getting late; you both needed some rest after a long day. You slowly broke away from the hug and looked up at him to notice that he still has a beaming smile. Seeing him smiling made your heart flutter. He looked down at you as he spoke.

"We should head back to the Inn. It's getting pretty late and I'm sure you've got a few tasks to do in the morning, yes?" You hummed in response. He stood up and held out his hand for you to grab and helped you to get back up on your feet. The two of you went back to the Inn hand-in-hand.

~fin~

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(A/N: I'm truly sorry if he seemed a bit OOC in this fic aaaaa)

[dawnsdarkside]

i wanted to draw this eventually (and i still will probably) but since tumblr user likepyrite went ahead and outed that new trend,

my main verse diluc (whos in a relationship w ajax @/hydrokissed) has a very very subtle blue earring on his left ear. its almost impossible to spot under all his hair. its made from a starconch that was placed in his hand by celestial voyager (childe's whale) when she visited diluc at falcon coast because the two had to be apart for very long.

its a blessing from the sea (one of diluc's worst fears) gifted by his lover, who similarly had the rubies (blessing of fire) diluc gave him fashioned into accessories, one of them an earring.

[kykyonthemoon]

The Defender of My Dreams

A CHILDE/ TARTAGLIA X LUMINE FANFIC

"It is said that dreams are just dreams, and they will disappear when we wake up. But what if they don't disappear and last day after day instead? What if what we dream of gradually becomes a reality?

That's what my dreams are."

Author's note: As you know, it's Childe's first banner anniversary on Nov 11. I wrote this piece to celebrate it, as well as my first year writing for Genshin fandom ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡ Thank you for all the support!

A big thanks to @4-komacery for the lovely artwork~

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

As children, we were so frightened of our nightmares. A monster under the bed, a boogie man in the closet, a ghost hovering somewhere in the hallway... We woke up, sobbing in search of comfort from adults, anyone who made us believe they are strong enough to push back against those scary things... Do you remember such nightmares?

My nightmare always starts with losing my twin brother. I always show up in one place and meet someone. Isn’t it just weird? It is said that dreams are just dreams, and they will disappear when we wake up. But what if they don't disappear and last day after day instead? What if what we dream of gradually becomes a reality?

That's what my dreams are.

The furthest dream I can remember is when I was a kid. I cried a lot in the pasture because I had lost my brother. There was no monster more terrifying than that; for the two of us had relied on each other since I could remember. We have no parents. We live off our relatives. But most of the time it was just me and my brother playing in the house. I followed him around the corners of the house, and then to the garden. I imitated every move my brother made and sometimes, it annoyed him. Once or twice I did think I was a different version of my brother. So when I lost him, I didn't know where to go or what I was going to do.

“If you stop crying, I shall give you this toy.”

I looked up. A messy orange-haired man was kneeling on one leg in front of me and smiling. His hand stretched out to a strange, but adorable doll made of cloth.

"Alright?" He asked again.

I wiped away tears with my hands.

"Good girl."

I took the doll from his hand. She looked like a little fairy, white with dark purple eyes, a dark blue hairpin on her head and something that seemed to be a gold crown. Thinking back, the doll was wearing a strange suit, and even the guy in front of me was dressed differently from the usual clothes that I knew.

"Can I help you, ojou-chan?" He asked when he saw my eyes staring at him.

"I... I’ve lost my brother..." I replied in a quiet tone.

"And you want me to help you find your brother?"

I nodded. Then I remembered what my brother used to say, that I couldn't talk to strangers, especially without him or any relatives around.

But the person in front of me was not really a bad person. I thought so. There’s warmth coming from the smile on his face. And before I could think twice, I found my hand holding the hand of that stranger.

He was tall, very tall. Sometimes he had to get down on one knee to talk to me.

"Where are we going to find my brother now?" I asked sadly.

"Everywhere in Teyvat. If we have to go that far to find your brother, ojou-chan."

"Teyvat? That sounds strange!" I uttered. "Where's it on the map?" I did not remember hearing about it during geography at school.

"Haha!" The guy laughed. "It's nowhere in your world. It only exists in your dreams."

I tilted my head. "Dreams? Am I dreaming?"

"Yes."

For a moment, he intended to rub my head with his hand. But he just smiled and picked a flower, placed it in my hair.

We reached the end of the pasture. In front of us was a large city with windmills that could be seen from a distance. He called it Mondstadt.

"So... Who are you?" I was curious.

"I am The Defender of your dreams. But you can call me Ajax."

One of my hands was holding the doll, the other held onto his. "What are you protecting me from?"

"Nightmares, ojou-chan. There are so many nightmares that will strike you at any time, without my presence here."

I didn’t understand much of what he was saying. But as a child, I just believed every word of it.

We went to the fountain and stopped to rest. I sat the doll next to me and asked:

"What's her name?"

"Paimon." Ajax replied. "Perhaps you’re tired and hungry. May I get something for you?”

Could one feel hungry in a dream? I wondered if we could. Still, I nodded and followed Ajax to a nearby diner. It's strange not to see anyone there. In fact, there was no one in this city, except me and Ajax, and some cats lurking somewhere in wooden crates, or jumping back and forth on the roofs, and the sound of dogs barking far away.

Ajax made his own skewers of barbecue from what he earned at the counter while I sat in the chair watching.

"Why isn't anyone here?" I asked.

"Maybe they've been taken away by Nightmares." Ajax half-jokingly replied.

I squeezed Paimon in my hand. "Nightmares?"

"That's right. If you're not careful, they can take you too."

I tried to be calm in the face of the threat, but the scene of a vacant city scared me. I sank into the chair.

"But you’ll be fine. As long as I'm here."

Ajax grilled delicious, greasy skewers of meat on the stove. I helped him put out forks and plates as I usually do at dinner at home. How strange it was; home now felt like a different world, and where I was standing was reality.

Even though it was just a dream, I could say that Ajax was the number one chef on my list. The meat and vegetables were simple but tasted better than anything I'd ever eaten. Or perhaps because this was a dream, it tasted better than anything real?

There was one thing I was curious to ask, but I kept it in my mind for a while, until the sky turned dark. Ajax helped me climb to the top of the clock tower and we just sat next to each other, waiting for time to pass. I blurted out:

"Why don't you protect them?"

Ajax looked at me with a question on his face.

"People who've been here." I added. "You said you were The Defender of Dreams or something…”

Ajax looked like he was hiding something. I saw him accidentally touch the red mask on one side of his head.

"I... I couldn’t. But I will protect you, at any cost."

I was a kid then and didn't even think about those words. Ajax's face began to blur with the stars and moon. And when I woke up the next morning, I was glad my brother was still here.

Ajax appeared in my dreams more often than I could count. He took me all over Mondstadt, the dream castle, then the forests, the lakes full of fish, watching the stars fall on the high mountaintops, looking for treasures in the deep cave... I didn’t understand why in those dreams I always lost my brother, so that every time I woke up, I ran to my brother's room and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing his grimacing face behind the blanket.

I told my brother about those dreams, and he always said that I had a rich imagination. Once or twice, he did admit that he had dreams of losing me too. However, they were much darker and scarier than mine.

I never knew how much time I’d spent exploring the dream world with Ajax. Day and night, then day and night again... In dreams, time is the hardest thing to define. Maybe it's just a blink of an eye; maybe lots of years have passed by. In that world, I was Lady Lumine – the Warrior of Light and Ajax was my Defender of Dreams. Quite funny as it sounded, but for a kid, I took those titles very seriously.

According to Ajax, there are seven kingdoms in Teyvat – the dream world. We had traveled through Mondstadt and Liyue, neither of which had a silhouette of any person. There were no longer archons. From time to time, Ajax told me about the people and the seven archons who had lived here, and I couldn't explain why I had such a familiar feeling, as if I knew each of them very well. He said they had been taken by Nightmares. Maybe my brother was taken, too. There must be a reason why I could not find him in this world.

Ajax also thought I had the ability to beat Nightmares and rescue those people. It was a hero's duty that I didn't think I was strong enough to carry. Of course, I wanted to find my brother again. But didn’t I always find him in the next room every time I woke up?

I never wish to upset Ajax, so I agreed to let him train me in battle skills. Ajax was lonely. Really lonely. Because he didn't have anyone else to talk to the entire time when I was awake! There's literally no one here but the two of us. He could chat with Paimon as I left her behind, or the colorful slimes, or the animals we met on the road. He could also sing to the glazed lilies. But they would never be able to respond to Ajax in a way that two people could talk to each other.

Everyone had an imaginary friend as a child, right? Ajax was my imaginary friend. I was so afraid to forget about him the way an adult forgets about his or her unreal childhood friend. Fortunately, Ajax did not disappear. He was still somewhere in my dreams, waiting for me to come looking for him. He had not changed a bit; he’s not getting old at all. He was still the same as the first day we met. As for me, I was no longer a crying baby.

I was taller, but I couldn't be as tall as Ajax. The top of my head only reached his shoulders. Perhaps everyone, including my brother, would laugh at me when I told them about the dream world that had existed since my childhood, and I still very much wanted to continue the story there. I still wanted to see Ajax's smile, even if it's just a dream. It's sad, but isn't it that in the saddest things we find something beautiful?

Ajax and I had traveled through six different kingdoms, fighting side by side with Nightmares in all shapes and forms. We fished together in Mondtsadt, lit lanterns in Liyue, admired the cherry blossoms of Inazuma, discovered old books filled with ancient knowledge in Sumeru, soaked in the hot springs of Natlan, and danced together to waltz at the Fontaine palace... All the places we passed were empty, as if this word was left with only the two of us.

Only one last kingdom remained, the realm of ice – Snezhnaya. I kept in mind that the closer it got, the sadder Ajax was. And he seemed to be weakened. I wasn’t sure if it's because I had become stronger than before, so it's easier to beat Ajax in a fight or there was something else. I was a little excited to know if I would find my brother and everyone else in the last kingdom. But somewhere in me there was a fear that I was coming to an end to a fictional story.

I was not ready to bid Ajax farewell.

The nightmare that seemed to be gone a long time ago came back in a way I didn't expect. My brother disappeared. Completely gone. One morning when I woke up and didn't see him come down for breakfast, I looked for him everywhere. He wasn’t found the next day, and the day after that. What scared me more than anything was that no one remembered his existence! I asked our family, neighbors, and friends... No one knew who Aether was.

I was so confused and terrified. How could one disappear without leaving a trace in other people’s lives? Why was I the only one who remembered having a twin brother? These questions swirled around in my head even when I fell asleep after crying to exhaustion.

"Ojou-chan!" Ajax called. His blue eyes were like the ocean on the sunniest days calmed me down. Sometimes I just wanted to drown in that ocean forever.

“Run!”

I did not understand what was happening. I rubbed my eyes. The scene in front of me was horrifying. Giant, black and peculiar monsters; they were shadows surrounding Ajax. He’s a wall standing in front of me, preventing them from reaching me.

“Run, ojou-chan! Hurry up!”

Ajax shouted before slashing the monsters in front of him. But they were like smoke spreading out, then reunited into a giant humanoid war machine.

Ajax's bow broke in half on the ground. He’s changing his weapon back and forth from its hydro spear to double daggers in the color of water. But he was weaker than the enemies.

Snow fell. All around us was a battlefield. I took a deep breath. The cold woke me up. Every feeling was more real than ever. Sometimes I forgot I was just dreaming. But nothing mattered anymore. I pulled out my sword and ran to Ajax.

I was a little too late. From the darkness came another familiar face. A blade flashed and pointed at Ajax.

"No!"

I screamed out. All the movements stopped. Even the snowflakes halted, merely hovering in the air. The rotation of time was stopped the very moment I saw that sharp end of the sword pierce through the heart Ajax. Fresh blood fell to the white snow, blooming like flowers of death.

My tears had not yet been frozen, as I saw the face of whom the blade belonged to.

My brother pulled back his sword and pushed Ajax into the icy ground.

"Ae– Aether..." My lips trembled.

My twin brother took a few steps back and the darkness moved back with him. I ran to Ajax. He was looking for me. His lips gently called to me: "Ojou-chan... Ojou-chan..." But the howling winds carried those words away.

In Ajax's eyes there used to be a ray of light, and it sparkled every time I saw my reflection in it. He was always smiling at me. He had always protected me.

"Wake up, ojou-chan... It's time for you to wake up..."

I shook my head. I was not going to leave Ajax alone. This was not the ending I hoped for.

I gazed up. When did Aether get so close? He looked down at me with sad, lifeless eyes. All I ever wanted was to bring my brother back. How did we end up here? How did he become the nightmare I was battling against?

"When your journey is over, you'll understand it all, Lumine." My brother said. Heartlessly.

Once again, I saw the blade flash. But I didn't resist it. I didn't avoid it. There was no pain, no more Ajax or Aether. It was all darkness covering me.

Was this nightmare over, or was this just the beginning?

 

***

 

Awaken, I found myself lying in the snow, surrounded by a forsaken Teyvat...

-The End-

 

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My Genshin Masterlist: x

[adversaryss]

@lapisdex:

“Happy birthday my dearest.” Presenting the gift to Aias, it was a nicely wrapped box, everything about it screamed ritzy and expensive but the gift inside is modest and means so much. Inside is a pendent that looks to be handcrafted. A crystallized starconch with a tiny ruby inlaid in the center. Though upon further inspection inside the ruby is the star formation of Aias’ constellation.

“I made it for you, your birth is a great date to me, for you took your first breath of life and found me.” Comes close to press a kiss to Aias’ temple.

“I love you.”

"Ooh, a birthday present? Give it here, give it here~" Eager hands are outstretched to receive a box so extravagantly wrapped that it spelled 'store-bought', but that doesn't really bother Aias either way. Honestly, he would just be impressed that Zhongli remembered his wallet for once. It's with that amusing thought curving his lips into a smile that he carefully tugs on the ribbons, which come apart with silky ease before falling into his lap.

It's a starconch. Aias would recognize these anywhere from his long walks on Liyue's beaches. He's tempted to pick it up and put it to his ear, just to hear the sound of the waves captured inside, but on second glance the surface seems less smooth than a normal shell. Instead, he picks it up and turns it over in his hands, feeling the rough texture through his gloves and watching the crystals sparkle in the light. His thumb moves to rub over the ruby in the center of the star.

Ah, that's Monoceros Caeli sparkling inside, isn't it? However did he manage that?

With so many curiosities to occupy his attention, he barely notices the couch cushions dipping as Zhongli takes a seat beside him. His eyes are only drawn away from their prize when the man speaks once more, becoming transfixed with the mouth piece to the loveliest words he has ever heard in his life.

I'm glad you were born. I'm glad I met you. Such simple sentiments, but it really has been such a long time...

"Heh... Romantic as always, you big sap," Aias says quietly- if his voice is a little thick, that's no one's business but his own. He leans into the touch, nuzzling their faces together affectionately, then sits up straighter to capture his lover's lips with his own. A sweet, slow kiss, just like warm honey, before he finally pulls away with again with a soft sigh and presses their foreheads together.

"...I love you, too, you know..."

[gh0sts-oc-hell]

Soots Backstory:

How To Gain a Vision:

Getting a vision at a young age is seen as a blessing, a show of promise and good fortune for the child lucky enough to be graced by the gods. However, that would be true in any other situation. Here it’s the bittersweet irony of giving your lover a rose, the beautiful flower captivating yet covered in thorns. While it may be beautiful the tighter you grasp on to keep the wondrous beauty the deeper the thorns shall cut, such is that of the circumstance of gaining her vision. She was adopted into the Ragnvindir family at a young age. A small little bundle found in dragon spine. Only around 5 or 6 years. Crepus carrying them into the winery covered in grime, blood, and soot all over.

One faithful night, the young child snuck out, vision in hand, blanket draped over her shoulders as they made their way to a hidden pond in a cave. The place her and her best friend, Calleum found when even younger and always had been a meeting spot, the perfect place. Not too far from either home so their parents didn’t have to worry and could easily find or come grab them. In one gentle hand lay a glittering orb, swirling with the colors of the ocean. They say if you hold it up to your ear akin to that of a starconch, you could hear the gentle splashing of the ocean…

Unfortunately the two children got too curious for their own good, eventually sneaking from the cavern in the cliffs by the winery to the snowy mountains of Dragonspine.

In the end Calleum and Soot ended up getting sent out to a land of snow, far away from their homes.

Two young kids with nothing but the clothes on their backs and visions in hand in the winter wonderland that is snezhnaya, the unfortunate happened.

Stumbling around in the cold forest, frostbite adorning various appendages, the two followed any sign of warmth they could find. And if it let them to this strange portal thingy than so be it. Looking like a rip in fabric, a rift in the world. A void of corruption and darkness, but all the naive children knew of was warmth. So with hand in hand the two ventured through that of the abyss, having no clue what they were in for…

Stumbling out, blood and a thick black substance oozing out of various wounds the two stumbled out, hands no longer together; instead clutching at the larger wounds each carried.

Soot was the one to drop first, being the smaller one and always the ‘runt’ of everything her small body collapsed in the snow.

Calleum, desperately clutching to his own vision started to sway; last thing he saw was two tall shadows in the distance.

A head of red hair and one the other of a strawberry blonde, Soot and Calleum’s fathers.

And next to soot laid a bright glowing orb of purple hues, emitting a gentle warmth as it lets out gentle cracking, yet not enough to keep the two warm.

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