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[falryllghts]

mia - she/they - 23 - sfw writing & drabble account

alt/art acc - @brunette-sketches

masterlist // rules / dni & byf // ao3

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[tags]

fics i enjoy - fic recommendations

art I enjoy - art recommendations

mia's genshin rambles / mia cries over genshin - genshin talks or bad things that happen to me in genshin

[brunette-sketches]

kai & diana redraw!! (original under the cut!!)

this piece is from 2 years ago and took way longer than the new one to draw so I'm overall very happy with how the redraw turned out

[flinside]

WALTZ OF CECILIA ft. albedo kreideprinz

PREMISE you consider yourself to be an unconventional artist, others might just call you a thief. for albedo, you're so much more.

cw. 📼 albedo x gn! reader, friends to lovers, slightly suggestive towards the end, drunken confessions, reader is an ethical treasure hoarder, illogical use of scientist language to describe human emotions, albedo and the reader flirt by nerding out on each other, albedo yearns. 2023 idea that i recently revisited, robin hood inspired i suppose. wc. 2.7k

in the glittering opera houses and stuffy galleries of fontaine, they whisper of a thief who steals only what was first stolen, returning plundered art to its rightful cultural homes. in the sun-dappled vineyards and ancient towers of mondstadt, people whisper of you instead, the too-charming, perpetually-smiling art appraiser with a suspicious knowledge of underground networks, and the only person who can pull the chief alchemist away from his experiments for a night of stargazing and spirited debate.

you are the living, breathing contradiction of the romantic rogue trope. you cultivate the image with theatrical flair, leaving a single gilded cecilia petal at the scene of your “redistributions”, wearing a tailored coat that blends fontaine elegance with mondstadt practicality, and speaking with a poet’s cadence. you are, as the bards sing, a gentle scoundrel.

“anyone could steal from you, if you’re not careful enough.”

albedo jumped and turned his head at the sound of your voice, he had been too focused on his investigation board to notice your presence; gods knew how long you had been sitting there, watching him work in his lab. judging by your comfortable position in one of his chairs, balancing on the outer legs, it must have been a while.

“thankfully, it’s just you.” he managed to say after recuperating from his initial shock. you let out a tiny chuckle at that, a sound so ephemeral yet moving to his core, you didn’t notice the tense line on his shoulders loosening up and his expression slightly growing soft.

“you think too highly of me. i’m still a treasure hoarder, am i not? ” albedo raised a questioning eyebrow at your form and turned his full body in your direction. you tilted your head in defiance. “the chances of an encounter in this environment are low. the extreme climate and looming threats hiding underneath the snow are a natural deterrent to all but the deliberately purposive. your presence here is, in itself, a statement of intent.” he trailed off matter-of-factly, turning his gaze back to you, calm and inquisitive, “was your inquiry into the nature of this place… satisfactorily resolved?”

sarcastic and characteristically methodical. his response to your implied do you think i’m not good enough to do my job? sank right into your blood, burning less than enough to upset you but sufficiently to amuse you. ergo, the purpose of your visit had nothing to do with work.

“quite resolved, indeed. my dear kreideprinz, i’ve been looking for you everywhere.” you accentuated that last word theatrically, getting up from your seat, you walked towards him slow and cautious to prevent a trigger on his mental alarms. his stance didn’t change, but curiosity washed over his expression. “i was hoping you wouldn’t mind joining me down at the tavern for a drink.”

he flashed you a small smile, quickly clearing his throat and slipping back into this dynamic you both have grown used to. he studied you, and i mean stared down at your form stopping just a few steps before him. you looked absolutely ravishing this evening and he couldn’t quite pinpoint why. maybe it was your deliberate decision on changing your hairstyle; the flowy poet shirt you usually liked to wear, devoid of any wrinkle, and the dark coat on your shoulders; perhaps it was the light in your eyes, the rosy on your cheeks, probably due to the cold, or the softness that carried your presence in contrast to the strength of your abilities.

albedo made an endearing habit out of this, looking at you without saying a word, and you had gotten used to it fairly quickly. after your first encounter, a story of the quiet beauty of a perfectly executed craft, you found comfort in being recognized by the scientist, seen. he’d appraise the art replicas you’d deliver to the hollow-minded treasure hoarders who only look for shiny and ostentatious ancient relics, the ones too rich in culture and history to be truly appreciated, and thus in need to be protected. and he’d give you answers about how dragonspine’s ecology interfered with your work, the unusual ley line disturbances and corrupted artifacts you’ve stumbled upon in your path.

it sounds like a connection born out of interests, but it was far from that. you considered albedo to be your best friend, even without this dynamic, he’d still grace you with his support and presence in your life. he no longer just saw the alchemical composition of your forgeries, he saw the minute tension in your jaw that spoke of a recent, tense negotiation. he noted the almost imperceptible trace of soot on your cuff, likely from a clandestine entrance through an old chimney flue. he saw you, the curated performance and the weary, brilliant individual behind it.

“a drink,” he repeated, his voice a low murmur. “if my memory serves me right, your last visit to the angel’s share ended with you debating the architectural influences of the cat’s tail with master diluc for two hours while i transcribed the conversation for linguistic patterns.”

you gave a half shrug, the movement elegant and fluid. “and you found it fascinating. admit it. tonight, however, i promise the topic will be less… civic. i acquired a bottle of 20-year-old dandelion wine from a collector in liyue who believed he was trading for a ‘lost’ vintage of osmanthus wine. the replica i provided him will age just as poorly as the original would have. the real prize deserves a proper tasting. with proper company.”

albedo felt a familiar, quiet shift within his chest, a sensation he had meticulously cataloged, analyzed, and yet could not fully quantify. it was warmer than satisfaction, more focused than curiosity. the specific anticipation of your company.

“your timing, as ever, is… perceptive,” he said, turning to carefully cap the vial of shimmering solution. his movements deliberate, giving him time to arrange his thoughts. “i was approaching a point of diminishing returns for tonight’s observations anyway.” a lie by omission, he could have worked until dawn. he chose not to.

the walk to the city was quiet, but not silent. you spoke of inconsequential things, a novel you’d read set in sumeru, the peculiar behavior of the crystalflies near starsnatch cliff this season. he listened, interjecting with precise, analytical comments that you received not as coldness, but as his unique form of engagement. under the blanket of stars, the performance of the ‘phantom rogue’ faded, leaving just you. and ‘albedo’ found he did not need to be the chief alchemist, just himself.

inside of the tavern, the ambience was warm and lively; customers that spoke a little too loud, bards that broke out on spontaneous songs that added additional context to the conversations, the ever persistent round of cheers and clinks of tankards against each other, followed shortly by the thuds of them against the tables. it was rowdy, messy, and all too familiar.

thankfully, you saved albedo from the difficulty of navigating a conversation over the loudness. diluc, polishing a glass behind the bar, gave you both a slow, appraising nod. the exchange was silent but eloquent: i see you. behave. with that, you both headed to the back of the tavern. very few patrons were aware of the more private rooms the establishment had to offer, not like they were open to just anyone. these were rooms master diluc intended to use for the more discreet meetings with some of his associates, and by being his close friends, you were more than grateful you could enjoy the privilege of using them whenever they were disoccupied.

you clinked glasses, silently toasting. albedo didn’t sip it immediately, he observed it, swirling the liquid, watching the legs trail down the glass. you observed the flicker of his thoughts and you anticipated he’d voice them out. “the color suggests excellent oak cask aging. the aroma has top notes of sun-dried wheat and a faint, earthy undertone… likely from the specific terroir of the older vineyards near stone gate.”

you watched him, your heart performing a peculiar, rhythmic flutter. this was his version of poetry. “you’re avoiding the taste.”

he directed his eyes at you again, catching you in a trance. you noticed his head tipping down slightly, bringing his lips to the edge of the glass. you watched the crystal press down on the sultry, seemingly fixated on the slow motion of the liquid meeting them harmoniously and his tongue peeking out to collect the aftertaste. glistening. he didn’t look away once. “exceptional.” he said.

you gulped down the sip you just took with a little more effort before nodding once, agreeing with him, although you weren’t sure on what anymore.

the conversation meandered, as it often did with him, from the adaptive biology of whopperflowers to the philosophical implications of restoring a shattered vase. is it the same vase, or a new entity born of the same materials? you argued, you debated, you fell into companionable silences, watching the fire dance.

the wine was half-way gone, its warmth now a shared ember in your veins. as a homunculus created through alchemy, albedo’s body doesn’t function exactly as a human’s. and you knew, from a past, carefully documented, and mildly alarming experiment, that he had a very specific amount of sips he could take before systematically collapsing. you noted in your head, tracking the subtle signs with a protector’s focus. his eighteenth sip was when the shift began.

he looked at you, his head tilting a degree too far. “your eyes.” he said, the word a bare fact dropped into the quiet.

“what about them?” you asked, your voice soft.

“they are performing a complex interaction with the lowlight. they create radial patterns of absorption of the lamplight, like rings. or a catalyst crystal.” he leaned forward, the motion a fraction slower than usual. he said your eyes are shining despite the low light in the room. “it must have a purpose.”

“and what purpose is that?” you couldn’t help but smile, the fluttering in your chest now a steady, warm hum.

“to distract me.” he said, utterly serious. you swallowed the giggle blossoming in your chest with another sip of the wine, raising an eyebrow at him. he matched your action, this was sip nineteenth, his internal counter was ticking down.

he reached out for the bottle to refill his glass again, his movements still elegant but now operating on a deliberate programmed grace. you gently placed your hand over his on the table, stilling him. “perhaps we should let the wine breathe a little longer,” you suggested, your thumb brushing his knuckles.

he looked at your joined hands, then back at your face. the analytical fortress was visibly, beautifully crumbling. the wall between his internal monologue and his speech was dissolving.

“i have an issue.” he announced, his voice lower, intimate.

“oh?”

“for 247 days, i have meticulously logged our memories together. time, duration, topic, resultant hypotheses. all in view of the fact that, while the data set is vast, it is incomplete. it describes the phenomenon of you with the precision of a star chart. mapping the ‘what’ and the ‘when’ and the ‘how’, yet it fails to entirely describe the ‘why’.”

you held your breath, the tavern falling into a distant murmur.

“the… why?” you prompted gently. he slowly turned his hand under yours, yearning to feel the contact of your bare palms together. he held onto it, transfixed in the way his own fingers shook under the softness.

“why,” he said, his voice dropped to a hushed, confessional tone, his eyes still avoiding yours. he gave you a light squeeze. “the pressure in my laboratory feels altered even after you leave. why the chemical formula for a stable compound sucrose asked me to revise becomes impossible to focus on when your particular shade of hair is backlit by the afternoon sun. why the pursuit that once defined my purpose, now registers as a secondary objective. a footnote.”

he took a shaky breath, a human reflex you rarely saw in him. “i… i lack the terminology to establish the cause.” he was adrift, the greatest mind in mondstadt humbled by a simple, human mystery. he was trying to hand you his research notes, hoping you could translate them. he looked utterly lost, and utterly beautiful in his vulnerability.

“i know that the ‘why’ is that my system prioritizes you. it seeks you. yearns and longs for you. it defines its own function in relation to your presence. it is inefficient and illogical, and yet…” a faint, helpless fond smile touched his lips. “it is the most significant discovery i have ever made. i believe… i believe the human term for this is ‘love’. i believe i am malfunctioning… according to love.”

the confession hung in the air, quiet and monumental. he had not said i love you, but he had deconstructed his own being and found your name written in its programming. “albedo,” you whispered, your breath caught inside your own lungs.

“yes,” he said, as if answering a much larger question. he didn’t reach for the wine. he used his free hand to reach for you, fingers grazing your jawline with a reverence usually reserved for ancient, fragile manuscripts. his hand coming to rest atop your cheek, letting you lean onto it. he felt the urge, once his brain couldn’t form a single coherent thought anymore, to press his body against yours, an attempt to convey a deeper feeling that words wouldn’t make justice to. let you feel the yearn he’s been holding close to his chest all this time, oblivious to just how much of that yearning you mirrored yourself.

he leaned slowly, in question, and you were there to bridge the distance, in response. you pressed your lips against his, the calculated grace of his movements dissolved into something infinitely softer, yet no less precise. his taste the ghost of the wine’s oak and faint chalk dust. it was alchemy of a different nature.

his hand, still interlaced with yours on the table, tightened its grip to anchor for a grounding wire of the electric current suddenly completing a circuit between you. his thumb on your cheekbone mapping you, as a man memorizing the feeling of your skin against his.

the kiss deepened in the angle you tilted your head into, the last of his analytical detachment burned away. it was as if he had spent a lifetime observing the theory of combustion and was now, finally, allowing himself to be consumed by the flame. there was a quiet, surrendered sigh against your mouth. he moved his hand to the back of your neck once your tongue accepted his invitation and they danced slowly, each drag of your lips a compass in the melody of your beating heart, as if wanting to carve this moment into every crevice of your brain.

you parted for a second to finally allow your lungs the mercy of oxygen, albedo followed your lips, as if they were the only sustenance he ever needed instead. a smile formed on your face along with an idea on your head, you relocated your affection to his jaw, trailing down his neck towards the four-pointed star at the base. your grip on his shirt, that you hadn’t noticed, moving up to bury your fingers in his hair. albedo let out a sound far too encouraging for you to suck in a particularly sensitive spot. his breath was interrupted by the sensation.

“hey…” he whispered, becoming putty in your hands. “my non-essential functions are… dimming.”

with a last, soft kiss to his cheek, you stopped. understanding what that meant. the specific, calculated number of sips had been reached. the brilliant, relentless engine of his mind was powering down from a conscious, final command to feel rather than think. he was letting go, trusting you to be the steady ground as he surrendered to the simple, overwhelming reality of you.

“come on, my prince.” you whispered, helping him to his feet. he was pliant, coordinated enough to walk but ultimately leaning into you, “let’s get you home.”

“home.” his words slurred in echo against your shoulder, the concept seeming to please him. leading him out into the cool night, you knew the phantom rogue had stolen nothing tonight. instead, you had been entrusted with the most precious thing in all of teyvat: the unguarded, quiet collapse of a prince of chalk, who chose your arms as the only laboratory in which he wished to be, blissfully, undone.

a/n. i have no idea how the original version of this ended, but i'm sure it was much shorter. i also have no beta readers so please excuse any mistake you might encounter, i hope it didn't make it less enjoyable to read !

[falryllghts]

day 3: sunset/sunrise 🌅

happy mizurui week!! 🫶❣️

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[konfeitos]

IN HALF BROKEN JAPANESE.ㅤ⸺͏͏ㅤHAWKS X GN! READER

❛ ⠀♡ . ˑ⠀featuring :   takami keigo aka hawks ╱ gender neutral reader

❛❛ ⠀In half broken Japanese, I wrote to you 愛してる oh 愛してる ... ⠀❜❜ ⠀or ⠀a partial canon divergency of post-final war arc, you reunite with your lover !

❛ ⠀♡ . ˑ⠀notes  :   dedicated to @falryllghts / @brunette-sketches ! gender-neutral reader. reader isn't from japan and is learning japanese; they're a foreign hero that has volunteered to help with the restoration efforts. established relationship. be gentle with me and my interpretation of hawks. it has been a while since I've written for him. minor spoilers for chapters 424 & 426. not proofread. WC — 2.1k.

A week passed.

Despite the lack of villainous activity, both minor and significant, people still wait with bated breath for any horrid news to drop each morning. It’s difficult for Japan’s citizens to trust the calm that has finally arrived from the end of the war.

All you can do is hope that your presence, along with the other foreign heroes that have volunteered to be here, can help their nerves. 

The second that news spread that Japan was entering a restoration phase after the war had ended, you jumped at the chance to offer your support. A hasty decision that you probably shouldn’t have made considering you had an entire agency to run, but you had full trust in your staff and sidekicks to hold down the fort without you there.

Honestly, you can’t even recall how long you rattled off to your poor secretary on how long you’d be away to come out and help.

That’s definitely something you should be spending your break on to properly discuss with your agency on when you’ll be returning. 

But instead, you started wandering off from the district you were assigned to, flashing polite, albeit awkward, smiles at any heroes you made eye contact with and hoping none of them tried to initiate a conversation. Even with the micro-translator devices that everyone was provided with—which were built by that one support course student from Japan’s number one hero academy—you still hesitated to converse with them unless it was absolutely necessary. 

There was a chance that you could’ve been given the one faulty translator.

And what if you only found out once someone tried to talk to you?

What if it malfunctioned and was set to translate to a different language other than your native tongue?

What if—

Your eyes immediately land on Keigo once you step foot into the district he’s overseeing, cutting your thoughts short.

Finding him in a crowd of people has never been a challenge for you. Your gaze never fails to gravitate towards where he stands like he’s a beacon that calls out solely to you. 

From a single glance, Keigo looks as carefree as he normally does as he watches everyone. 

However, in your eyes, you can easily piece together from his stance that he’s more lost in thought than he probably thinks he is. And the more you inch closer to where he’s perched, the more you can confirm your suspicions.

You note the tension in his stance as he’s somewhat hunched over like he’s actively thinking about the loss of weight on his back. (Which he probably is. His sense of balance has been a recent struggle from what he has told you before you arrived in Japan. He has shared some instances of losing his balance here and there. These stories have always been accompanied by his laughter while you would just sit there and think how you’d help him steady himself whenever he felt off balance.)

The wind starts to pick up a bit; it’s a gentle breeze that’s enough to make you aware of its presence and stir memories in Keigo’s mind judging from the way his gaze grows distant.

His hair, now tousled by the wind, dances around his face. 

If you focus solely on his face, this would seem like one of the many pictures you’ve seen captured of him in the middle of flying that would appear on your timelines. 

You wonder if to Keigo whether this serves more like a stark reminder of the freedom he once took for granted. 

Keigo’s body instinctively shifts forwards almost as if trying to follow after the direction the wind blows in from where he is to the best of his ability. There’s the faintest hint of a bittersweet smile that rises to his lips as he glances up at the sky that remains just out of reach. 

As much as you enjoy staring at your lover, you feel like it’s best to make yourself known than continue staring and getting caught.

The unfocused state of his gaze clears up at the sound of you clearing your throat. Just as quick as his former flying speed, his eyes shift over to you. In an instant, his pupils dilate at the mere sight of you and warmth blossoms from his stare.

One of his hands reaches up to tap the micro-translator device in his ear, presumably to turn off, and you find yourself mirroring his action. After all, he’s the only one you’re actually able to hold a conversation with due to Keigo’s fluency in your native tongue.

“What brings you over here, sunshine? Miss me?”

No longer does a bittersweet smile rest on his face. A wider, affectionate grin replaces it with ease while he steps away from his post to approach you.

Your immediate thought is to deny it. 

Except you know very well how that interaction would play out, and being called out by Keigo isn’t entirely something you wish to go through right now.

Yet, admitting to missing him felt a bit too much. Knowing yourself, you may sound more vulnerable than you would like. All your worry and concern may leak out the moment you utter a single word.

Which is also something you don’t wish to go through right now.

Not yet at the very least. Not when you’re both in the middle of helping out with the Restoration Efforts.

The lack of a quick and witty response from you seems to catch his attention since he moves closer. With a gentle nudge to your side, he waits for you to meet his eyes before he nods his head to the side.

“Want to join me in getting a drink?”

He doesn’t actually wait for your answer when he starts to walk off. He’s confident in the fact that you’ll follow him no matter what, and you inwardly curse at the way your legs instantly move to catch up to him.

By the time you stand at his side, he’s sliding in a few yen coins into a vending machine. “What would you like?” Keigo asks, pushing the button for that canned coffee that he enjoys. He’s already sliding more yen coins into the machine before he looks at you.

“Oh,” You blink a couple times and examine the options in the vending machine a bit frantically. 

It’s just as you thought.

You can read none of it.

Well, there are some labels you can read, but that doesn’t exactly help you in figuring out what the drinks are exactly. 

After what feels like an eternity to you, you finally sputter out a sheepish, “Uhm, water’s fine.”

There’s no way you were going to spend anymore time staring at this machine like it would magically translate itself for you. You’re sure that even if you could read the labels that you would still be fighting against your indecisiveness to make a decision.

“Alright.”

Despite his acknowledgement to your answer, Keigo pushes at a button for a different drink. Your mouth drops partly open before you lightly smack his arm when he bends down to collect both drinks. 

“What—hey! I said that water's fine. You didn’t have to get me something else.” 

“I know,” Keigo offers nothing more than a smile and shrug, “But I can tell you’ve been working hard today, and you should hydrate with more than just water. Besides, I think you’ll like this.” He holds up the drink, shaking it lightly to draw your attention towards it. “It tastes the same as that brand you like back at your home.”

Your heart squeezes tightly at his words.

Maybe it’s the fact that he sees past your act of being fine and not tired from how long you’ve been helping out in the district you were assigned to. Or that he remembers something as mundane as the type of drink and flavor you like and offers you something similar so you can have a sense of a familiarity while you’re out in a whole other country. 

Either way, you’re a mess.

So much of a mess that your thoughts are circling around one singular thing.

You truly, truly love Keigo.

Maybe you love him a bit too much. You’re starting to think so because you find yourself compelled to do one thing and that’s to blurt it out right then and there.

And not just in your language… but in his.

Your Japanese reading skills may be lower than beginner level, but you have been practicing speaking it. Especially a couple, certain phrases.

What’s the worst thing that can happen? He laughs at you?

Thinking about it, Keigo would laugh regardless. That idiot, you think affectionately, is always laughing around you. A habit of his that you’ve never understood. (Often you’d catch him with the corner of his eyes crinkling whenever he stares at you and starts to laugh. His sudden bursts of laughter is something he never explains but promises mean nothing bad.)

A gentle tapping against your forehead draws you away from your thoughts. You huff lightly and reach up to swat his hand away, ignoring how his chuckle makes your stomach twist into itself.

“I can see you overworking that pretty little head of yours. What’s on your mind? You can tell me, it’s just me.” Keigo says that so casually like he isn’t the most precious person in your life.

Like you don’t stay up late when you’re in your respective home country simply to receive his texts or be on video call with him. Like you didn’t just jump at the chance to head straight to Japan after hearing the news solely because one of your biggest concerns was how he was out on the battlefield during the war. 

You know yourself. 

If you don’t say it now then there’s no chance you’ll muster up the courage to say it later.

Locking eyes with Keigo, you take a deep breath and utter out a shaky, “愛してる¹.” 

The silence that follows afterwards feeds the anxious thoughts growing in your head.

Was your half broken Japanese that bad that he didn’t understand it? Or maybe he did and it was way too soon to even think about telling him that. Oh god, maybe you should have practiced more to ensure that you would have nailed the pronunciation.

“Woah,” Keigo breaks the silence, yet it hardly does a thing to calm your nerves. You spill out an ‘I love you,’ and all he does is go, ‘woah,’ and nothing else.

Before you can take back your words, he continues.

“When did you have the time to practice Japanese? I thought you were too busy worrying and fussing over me lately.”

This was a mistake.

“Forget I said anything!” Turning your head away, you can feel your cheeks growing warmer by the second. Your drink suddenly looks far more interesting than anything else around you.

Except Keigo would never let you take your eyes off him.

It doesn’t take him long to start leaning against your side. “Say it again!” 

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t actually mean it.” Your words elicit a boisterous laugh from him, which only causes your cheeks to flush even more.

A moment passes before he’s calming down and a more gentle looking grin settles on his face. “I think I’m going on vacation after all this.” Keigo states out of nowhere that you pause for a moment. 

Huh? Where did that come from?

Catching onto your confusion, Keigo chuckles. “I was offered to take over as the president for the HPSC.” Hearing that has you widen your eyes a bit as you vaguely recall what you did know about Japan’s HPSC. He doesn’t let you dwell too long on these thoughts with his next words. “I’m turning the offer down. That kind of responsibility just isn’t for me.”

However, Keigo doesn’t stop talking there.

“What would you say your hometown is like during this season?” 

It truly should be illegal how easily he can turn your thoughts to revolve around him and the things he says. Because now you can only think about him (which is nothing new) and at your place!

“It’s… It’s nice. Uh, yeah, you should totally come visit. If you want. I might know a place for you to stay for as long as you’re there.” 

“Really now?”

Oh, you need to wipe away that look from Keigo’s face now before you explode. 

“Or maybe you can go sleep outside for all I care.” You spat out of embarrassment, ignoring the way he breaks out into laughter yet again.

A sound you’ve heard plenty of times but never gets old to you.

“Keigo.”

“Hmm?”

“... 心を愛してる².”

“I love you too.”

愛してる ¹ — I love you 心を愛してる ² — I love your heart

[seoulmatez]

— 𝒹𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝑒 ౨ৎ

kaeya alberich x reader. 1.4k wc. ﾉ sfw ﾉ fluff

when you return to mondstadt for a short and unannounced trip, the city center is blooming with life.

the statue devoted to the anemo archon barbatos is the heart of the festivities. your eyes drift to take in the sights; bards skillfully playing their lyres, songs of freedom and friendship spilling from their lips, citizens dressed in their best attire reserved for occasions such as these, the fabric of their clothes and the hair atop their heads wafting in the winds of mondstadt as they dance hand in hand. their energy is infectious and despite not knowing what’s being celebrated, you find yourself smiling, your aura brightening.

your gaze scans the crowd for a familiar face—maybe jean or amber—to make your presence known and perhaps learn more about the event. you’re not able to pick either of them out and it makes you wonder if they’re here at all, if they have the luxury of taking time off for leisure.

you turn on your heel with the intention of going to find one of them but are met with a chest instead. you take a step back, an apology on your tongue and halfway out your mouth when you look up to see who you nearly barreled into.

kaeya.

something about him looks different, you think. it dawns on you quickly; the garments you’ve grown accustomed to seeing him in are traded in for something more casual though still dressy—a flowy white shirt with a diamond-shaped opening at the chest tucked into a pair of dark pants. the navy hair you’re used to seeing resting on his shoulder in a ponytail is free from its tie, cascading freely down his back.

it’s a new look on him, one you almost didn’t recognize, though, the patch covering his right eye and the grin greeting you are unmistakable. between the never-before-seen hairstyle and the large amount of exposed, tan skin on his chest, you aren’t sure where to look.

“fancy seeing you here.” kaeya’s voice is all you need to focus your eyes somewhere—his face, where they should be. his one visible eye sparkles with a mixture of curiosity and humor, like he had taken note of your wandering gaze and found it entertaining.

“oh, hello!” you greet him louder than necessary, raising your hand in a friendly wave. your attempt at coming off as nonchalant only makes kaeya’s grin widen. the liveliness around you keeps you from dwelling on the embarrassing moment and gives you the opportunity to change the subject. you gesture to the people around you. “what’s the cause for celebration?”

“well,” he starts, “you have graced mondstadt with your presence during our annual windblume festival.”

you slowly nod and raise your eyebrows, patiently waiting for him to continue. a beat of silence passes between the two of you as kaeya surveys his surroundings, strands of his dark blue hair drifting in the light wind. his gaze falls on you once more. “many, many years ago, the festival was formed to celebrate mondstadt’s liberation from decarabian's rule. as such, the underlying theme of the day was freedom. recently though, the windblume festival is commonly viewed as an observance of love.”

the last word catches you off guard and you try to mask the surprise that instinctively takes over your face. the timing of your arrival is a bit awkward, you think—especially considering kaeya was the first person you happened to run into. you clear your throat before asking, “and which might you be celebrating today?”

he holds your eye and shrugs. “i appreciate both interpretations.”

the corners of your lips turn up in a smile as you nod before your focus unconsciously drifts to the other festivalgoers. you hadn’t noticed it before but there’s a romantic air about the citizens around you. in their dances, they clutch at each other as though they never want to let go. there’s adoration in their eyes as they look on at each other, roses blooming in their cheeks as they bashfully accept what you can only assume are love letters.

you suppose the overwhelming majority of people regard today as a ceremony of love.

“would you care to dance?” once again, kaeya’s voice is like an anchor, pulling you down from the clouds and grounding you on earth. when you turn your head to look at him, his gloved hand is held out between you, his palm up as an offering.

“you,” you point at him emphatically, “know how to dance?”

whether he senses the surprise in your voice or the gesture, kaeya lets out an airy laugh. “swordsmanship and dancing are actually quite similar. both require a certain level of rhythm and quickness on your feet, not to mention coordination and agility.”

it makes sense the more you think about it, though you still have a hard time imagining kaeya in the role of dancer when you’ve grown accustomed to him as a knight, a fighter. however, you will admit; he certainly looks the part today.

it’s only right to celebrate the culture of those you’re visiting. with that in mind, you take kaeya’s hand. the feel of leather on your palm is cool but the tips of his fingers not covered by the glove are warm. you try not to concentrate on it. “i’m afraid i’m not well-versed in the art of dance.”

he shoots you his signature smile. “do not fret, i will lead.”

his other hand makes a home on your waist and you follow the model of those around you, setting yours on his shoulder. it’s an unfamiliar position and with kaeya of all people but you can’t help but think it feels… comfortable. you tip your head up to meet your partner’s eye. without spoken words, his gaze asks: shall we?

hand in hand, you and kaeya sway to the sound of lyres and the musical voices of the bards that accompany the strings. you follow each step he takes—carefully at first, as if one misstep will pop the bubble you’ve found yourself in, ruin the moment you had no idea you were seeking. but as time passes and you pick up on the rhythm, it’s as though you don’t even think before you move.

before long, your focus isn’t on your feet but on the way the wind kisses your cheeks. it’s on the feel of kaeya’s hand pressed to your waist and how the warmth of his palm seems to seep through the leather of his glove and the fabric of your garments. it’s on the blinding smile that’s beaming down on you, warming you from the inside out.

you aren’t sure how much time passes before the two of you slow to a stop in front of the statue of barbatos. long enough for the bards to have moved onto of new song? long enough for the crowd of fellow dancers to have been replaced by another set?

“you shouldn’t sell yourself short,” kaeya tells you as he slowly lets his hands fall to his sides. you do the same. “you are a very good dancer.”

“you flatter me.” your comment is punctuated with a laugh that makes kaeya smile. it’s softer than what you’re used to and, for some reason, it makes your heart thump violently against your chest.

silence blankets you for a short moment before you feel the urge to break it. “um, have you happened to see jean? i haven’t gotten the chance to announce my arrival yet.”

“she’s likely finishing up work at headquarters despite the festivities.”

you had a feeling you wouldn’t find her out and about.

“though, before you take your leave…” kaeya holds up his finger in a gesture for you to wait a moment. you do so as he turns on his heel and makes his way to a nearby stall that is selling flowers. he plucks one away from the rest and attempts to pay the girl but she shakes her head in refusal, surely insisting that the cavalry captain take the blossom free of charge. you breathe out a laugh at their exchange—the people of mondstadt truly love kaeya.

in the time you’ve known him, you can understand why.

his boots scrape against the stone of the ground as he returns, arms held behind his back. he reveals the flower once he’s standing in front of you. “to celebrate your first windblume festival.”

you smile as you accept his gift. you’ve always known him to be considerate, but the sentiment is so thoughtful that it makes your heart swell.

“why, thank you.” you look down at the dandelion in your hand. “i’ll cherish it always.”

thanks for reading! if you enjoyed, please consider reblogging or commenting :3

[falryllghts]

imagine being sent flowers or chocolates by a secret admirer and all that's left on the card is initials and you assume it's lyney but it's actually lynette :((. she's just too shy to act on it and you don't immediately think it's her because you don't think she'd do that sort of thing

[falryllghts]

kaveh would be such a good boyfriend and i stand by that. being by your side and supporting you after a rough day because he's been there and he knows what it's like. constantly trying to spend what little money he has on you because he firmly believes you deserve it and he'd rather spend it on you than himself anyway. kissing your cheek as a goodbye when either of you have somewhere to be

[falryllghts]

url change: brunette-sketches -> falryllghts (FAlRYLlGHTS) 

[awlumii]

i feel very wrong, like i'm in a permanent moment of sensory overload. it's a debilitating experience; i'm currently immobilized and physically unwell, meaning i'm unable to provide for myself and i will be for a while.

that said, it's been days since i've eaten properly and i have no money whatsoever to speak of. the overload is probably worsened because of my physical weakness. so i'm really sorry to ask, but if it's not too much trouble, could you please visit my ko-fi and help me out so i can buy myself something that will hopefully last me through tomorrow?

if you can't help, that's alright — reblogs help just as much, and maybe someone else who sees it can help. i just really need help right now.

[falryllghts]

assigning soulmate aus to genshin characters (pt.2)

[ part 1 ]

a/n: I know I've done this before but I figured I'd do it again now that more characters have been released. If anyone wants to write any of these, feel free !!

---

layla - sharing the same dreams as your s/o

scaramouche - your nightmares are your s/o's worst memories

heizou - being able to see your s/o's footprints (fade away after time, new ones are more clear)

kazuha - compass on your wrist that points in your s/o's direction (spins when next to each other)

xiangling - when your s/o eats something, you will get a craving for it

mona - you and your s/o have matching constellation tattoos

al haitham - being able to talk to your s/o telepathically

rosaria - seeing your s/o in your dreams but being unable to communicate with them

[t-rexzz]

they’re so in love it’s crazy

[falryllghts]

dni/byf

this is a sfw account meaning that any nsfw requests/comments will be ignored or deleted so please do not send any

if you consume dark content or are a proshipper, please do not interact or follow me (yes, this includes kael-c)

besides that and all the other basic dni criteria, as long as you're being nice and respectful i don't mind interactions :]

writing rules

if you wish to send a request, feel free to as long as my requests are open and your request follows my rules. if you are unable to see if my requests are open, feel free to send in an ask. if there's any questions about anything on my blog or you just want to send a message, feel free to use the ask box! please keep in mind that if you send in a request, it may take me some time to write it and also that i may deny your request if i find i am unable to write it. 

what i’ll write: fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, hurt/no comfort, soulmate aus, hanahaki au . . .

if you have any questions about what fandoms/characters I write for, please check my masterlist or send in an ask as it would probably take me too long to list every one out.

what i won’t write:  dark content, nsfw, self harm, pregnancy, yandere . . .

more may be added to this list in the future

[falryllghts]

imagine the little things when dating scaramouche. him staring at you for long amounts of time before scoffing and avoiding your eyes when he gets caught. the soft look in his eyes when talking to you that doesn't quite match the harsh words he speaks. the way his hands will always linger on you even though you're the one who starts most affection between you two.

[orangekeeki]

i dont know, but amber

[ajaxeology]

The World Is Cruel But I Still Love You

Summary: For @xiaosmoon 's Valentines' Collab - Day 22: Life or Death Kisses. When all one wants to do is to protect the people they love but it comes at a hefty cost.

Word Count: 1.5 - 1.7k

Pairing(s): Time Traveller!Kaeya, Mind Control!Childe x gn!reader (separate)

Genre: angst

c/w: major character death, descriptions of blood, violence, usage of Childe's real name once

note: Thank you Eri for letting me participate in the event! Huge shoutout and thank you to @divinavulpes for thoroughly proof-reading this and giving extensive suggestions <3. This fic would have been nothing without you. The Kaeya fic is also for a 100 follower request here!

For the first time, Kaeya manages to be by your side for your last moments. Blood thickens, overflows in his hand as he cradles your head and your breaths become shallower. The raindrops from the downpour carry the crimson away, but your skin becomes increasingly pale as they do.

With whatever strength you have left, you grip his hand that’s clasped around his vision. You plead with him not to do what he was about to do.

Tears begin to well upon your eyes when he pries your hand away. When he removes his hand from his vision to cup your jaw, you see imprints of the metal in his hands. Kaeya presses a feather-light kiss to your eyes, then your cheek, then finally your lips; and you struggle to reciprocate.

Against your lips, with steel in his voice, he swears, “Time again and time to pass, I'll come back for you. Always.”

-

Kaeya’s eyes jerk open. He’s sitting in his office, the dazzling sunlight blazing in through its glass windows. The documents are sprawled out just as he remembers them – your application form in front of him, at the very top of the pile.

It should be about time for you to walk into his office. He takes a deep breath and runs through his plan in his mind again.

The door clicks open and Kaeya resumes back into his ever-popular, amicable persona.

He watches as you arrive to stand before his desk and you bow. “Good morning, Sir Kaeya. I am [name], the newly appointed vice-cavalry captain. I will do my best under your service.”

“Pleased to meet you, [name].”

In his heart, he’s relieved it’s the same familiar touch when you shake his hand. He only pulls away when you do.

He takes a seat and props himself up with both his elbows, his fingers intertwining with each other.

“[name], I’m stationing you at Dragonspine with Albedo.”

Confusion crosses your face and you stay silent for a while.

“Sir, please excuse me if this is rude but… Wouldn’t it be more appropriate if I follow you instead? It is my responsibility as the vice-cavalry captain to provide close assistance in your duties.”

Kaeya chuckles, “The Grandmaster has already taken everyone in the Cavalry unit for an expedition. Leave for all but those around Dragonspine, my duties are of no extraordinary note and require no assistance. Besides, it’d be beneficial for you to become a little more familiar with Dragonspine. Albedo’s laboratory has been raided recently too, so I believe he’d appreciate a little extra security .”

“But-”

He stands up and leans into you, his index finger hovering above your lips. “Hush, I’ll train you when the time comes. I’ll come by often to check on your work and progress. Let's head to Dragonspine.”

You open your mouth to protest, but Kaeya walks out of the room without looking back. On the way to Albedo’s lab, Kaeya makes light conversation, asking you about trivial things such as your family. He asks about things he already knew from the previous time loops, careful not to let anything slip.

When you arrive at Albedo’s lab, Kaeya gives Albedo the same explanation as he did to you. He searches Albedo’s face for any sign of knowing. Albedo keeps his eyes on his vials, sparing both of you only a glance. Good, he hasn’t caught wind of Kaeya’s plans yet.

Once all arrangements have been made known and settled, Kaeya takes his leave. When he does, the sensation in one of his hands dulls. He faintly sees the pure white of the snow on the ground through his hand. In the next moment, he can’t and the feeling in his hand returns.

-

Kaeya visits you at least once every week. The looks that you cast Albedo’s way don’t escape him – saccharine honey that drips from your iris, brimming at the edge of your eyes. Its sweetness is made even more palpable as you gaze at Albedo while he’s focused on his experiments…

… The same gaze you’ve given him countless times in the past, and all he felt back then was an overflowing waterfall of love. Seeing that it’s for someone else, makes his stomach churn as if he had too much. Sickeningly sweet.

“Do you fancy the chief alchemist?”

You get frantic and wave your hands in denial. Kaeya forces out a laugh. “I see that your type is calm, collected and incredibly talented.”

You continue trying to refute Kaeya’s claim. He leans into your face, his breath fanning your cheek. With a lowered voice, he asks, “What about me?”

Kaeya searches your eyes. There’s panic and your mind is fumbling for what should be the correct answer.

He retreats backwards. “Hmm, since you can’t give me an answer, how about you fulfil a request for me?”

“I’m sorry, Sir Kaeya. Please, let me know. I’ll do anything.”

Anything, huh?

“Stop calling me ‘Sir’. Just ‘Kaeya’ will do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Anything, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

After all, he can’t accept you calling him that when you call Albedo by his name.

-

As time passes, Kaeya visits you less. His hands flicker like a flame on a candle more often than he likes, the translucent quality creeping up his arm.

Kaeya doesn’t realise that his vision has been too either. He only does when Albedo points it out after Albedo asks you to help him to collect some starsilver (in which you oblige with great enthusiasm).

“Kaeya, your vision’s flickering again.”

He unfastens his vision from his belt and inspects it. The glow in his vision stops flickering when he brings it close to his eye. The turquoise blue looks faintly duller to him.

Kaeya just laughs, dismissing it with an excuse he pulls out of thin air.

The silence almost settles like dust until Albedo says, “You’ve done something with time, right?”

He says it as if he’s testing his hypothesis, yet Kaeya hears it having a thin layer of disbelief.

Albedo continues, “I’m not one to trust dreams, but I’ve been having dreams… that make sense. I’ve been going along with my day and it's as if things are supposed to be another way.”

Kaeya keeps his eyes on Albedo’s back, staying silent until Albedo tears his eyes away from his concoctions.

All Kaeya gives Albedo is a confident smile. Silence gets its opportunity to settle and rest atop their shoulders with weight. Albedo sighs in defeat and tells Kaeya to let him know if he ever needs anything.

“Take care of [name] for me, will you?”

When he stands up to leave, you return to Albedo’s lab. Kaeya gives you an amicable hello but he doesn’t wait for your response.

Confident that you’ve taken your eyes off his retreating back, he slows his pace. Your laughter is muffled, but the elation that he hears is crisp. It rings and echoes, even though there’s a valley right beside which should have swallowed the sound up.

-

You’re not sure how long Kaeya has resigned from the Knights of Favonius. Some guilt weighs down on your heart. You’ve been too preoccupied with the object of your affections to notice that your superior has resigned.

Even though he doesn’t know the reason, the alchemist reassures you not to blame yourself.

“Perhaps you should visit him?” Albedo suggests.

“Is there anything you need me to do?”

Albedo shakes his head and tells you to run along to Kaeya’s place.

There’s no response when you knock on Kaeya’s door. You turn the doorknob to find it unlocked, muttering an ‘excuse me’ when you enter.

He lies sprawled out on his bed, his limbs peeking out from underneath his blanket. Sunlight filters through the window, and you think that it seems to filter through his skin too. You realise you’re not being delusional when you approach him.

“Kaeya! Is there anything I can do for you?”

You don’t wait for him to respond and you’re about to leave, but he grabs your hand. His hand is almost crystal clear and a wave of worry overcomes you. Without letting go of your hand, Kaeya shakes his hand and says, “I’ll be happy as long as I can see you.”

There’s a bittersweet undertone that you don’t miss and you want to ask him to explain the situation to you. But your thoughts are all in a jumble and nothing comes out of your mouth.

He gestures for you to lean down to him and you do. His trembling lips press against yours. You close your eyes and kiss him back. In that fleeting moment, you forgot about the alchemist that resided in your heart. At that moment, Kaeya saunters into your heart and makes himself comfortable. It's as if he’s been there before.

You feel Kaeya trying to sit up and you help him up without pulling away. His hand slides up your chin, settling his hand behind your ear. One of your hands lies atop of his chest and the other has its fingers tangled in his navy blue hair.

Memories you don’t remember flood into your mind.

Under the stars, he said he would rip out all the stars in the sky for you. At dusk, he said one day he’ll steal a horse from the stables and he’ll ride into the horizon with you. In the comfort of your bed, he promises he’ll tell you his secret and about the weight of a forgotten world he’s carrying.

When you stop feeling his lips on yours, you open your eyes and fall forward onto the bed. He’s gone. There’s no sign of him when you do a quick sweep of the room. You hurl all the doors in his house open. The doors tremble and shiver when they hit against the wall, but with decreasing power, as you make your way towards the last room. What or who you’re looking for and why you’re slamming doors open start to trickle like water out of a palm.

You try to grasp at them, but it is all in vain. Soon enough, you don’t know why you’re standing by a vacant bed with a lonely, dead vision lying on it.

You don’t know that you saw the last of Kaeya. Only the time that swept him away with its waves knows that he loved you. But time only moves forward, it doesn’t stop for anyone. All you can comprehend by standing alone in the empty room is that something wrenches your heart and it feels more empty than you could ever understand why.

Havoc runs underneath your feet in the form of rumbling as you climb up the hill towards the Golden House. The unconscious bodies of the Millelith line haphazardly outside and they do nothing to quell your worry. Screams loaded with fear cut through the thick air, causing you to quicken your pace.

You burst through the wide-open door into the brilliant gold room. Purple sparks fly against the twinkling gold rays of Mora. Childe hovers in the eye of the storm. Aether’s body lies still at the edge of the chaos, with Keqing, Ganyu and the meagre numbers that remained of the Millelith flanking Childe from all sides. Yet, with every attempt to approach him, he would blink away to the other end of the room.

When you call out Childe’s name, he doesn’t even spare a glance your way. You’re clueless on what warranted this from him – this was nothing like him at all. You take a few steps towards him, getting a closer look at him.

Cuts on the armour blanket his body, blood brimming on its edges and spilling over. A stubborn arrow lodges in one of his forearms, crimson red trickling out. He swings his arm and sends a soldier flying as if the arrow only inflicted an ant bite. Blood outlines his jaw and drips down his chin. Catch a glimpse of his eyes from the sides of the mask when he turns his head away, you see is the bottom of the ocean where light has no reach.

Keqing cautions you to stand back, but you pay her no heed, taking a few more steps closer to him. You call his name again. He releases another ray of purple electricity towards Ganyu and she dodges it by a hair.

There’s a voice in your head that warns you that you'll anger him by using his real name in front of others; but the dire circumstances before you have pushed you to the edge of your composure.

“Ajax!”

Childe’s raised hand halts in midair and he turns his gaze to your direction. A crimson red instead of purple glow in the orb embedded in the mask. It flickers between the two colours.

Your name comes out from his mouth muffled and broken up like an unstable connection. The hand that hovers in midair starts to quiver, moving towards the mask. The flickering of the eye of the mask intensifies. The red abruptly takes its place again, his hand dropping to his side as if he’s done a reset of himself.

You realise there’s something about Childe’s Foul Legacy form that even he himself has failed to realise. Something grave that has led to the consequences in play at this moment.

Your mind starts racing. The puddles of crimson on the ground below Childe tell you they’ve been battling for quite a while. Concern starts seeping and piling into your heart – you don’t know how long more Childe's body can last.

From the corner of your eye, Keqing charges up her sword that glows a vibrant purple. You step in her path. She pulls back and her amethyst eyes widen at something behind you. You dodge Childe’s attack, his clawed hand scraping your arm.

He gets persistent in his attacks and you dodge all of them by a hair. You realise that who – or what’s – controlling Childe has deemed you a threat to be eliminated.

From the corner of your eyes, you see the others striking him. Bringing their sword down on him, throwing spears and firing arrows. You plead for Keqing and her troops to stand back, tone teetering on the edge of a demand.

You almost fail to dodge yet another attack. You notice Childe’s hand wobbling as it nears his face again. The red flickers to purple and back again. A puzzle piece clicks in your head.

When Keqing runs towards him for an attack, you parry her sword.

“Please! Stop! I know how to end this, so please help me!”

You turn your head in Ganyu’s direction, entreating her, “Ganyu, please, shoot his mask!”

She shoots a glance at Keqing beside you, hesitant to follow your request. It’s only seconds but to you, it was precious time ticking away before Ganyu aims her bow at him at Keqing’s nod.

You don’t ask for Keqing to help, but she dashes up behind. She supports you as you fend off Childe’s attacks from others and yourselves.

To keep his attention on you, you yell his name and insult his attire (which in reality, you think is neat but the ends justify the means, so you lie). His attacks become less thought through and he starts to look like he’s only flailing about. Cracks start to spread around the mask, about to shatter. Everything goes on until he realises that Ganyu has become the biggest threat.

Before any of you could stop him, he discharges a ray of electricity towards Ganyu. She narrowly dodges it but breaks her arm in the process. You blink and he’s already towering over her with a raised hand that grips a violet spear wrapped in sparks.

Ganyu scrambles up and dodges the waves of his spear. You urge her to run over to you. Childe’s attention turns in your direction. He thrusts the spear towards you.

You leap towards him, reaching out for the mask with cracks that run across it. Ganyu passes you and the spear impales your torso. The pain paralyses you and you almost black out, but you remind yourself of your conviction. Mustering a last burst of remaining strength, you claw against the mask. Your fingertip brushes the tip of his mask and it breaks in half.

The sight of a familiar ocean blue eases the immense anxiety in your chest. At the sight of his widening eyes, you forget the pain for a brief moment and cup his face in one palm, leaning in towards him. The next moment, the spear fades and you drop to the ground. Childe catches you but his hold on you is weak. His knees buckle and he kneels on the ground with you lying in his arms.

His eyes do a sweep of the surroundings. The Millelith help their injured comrades out of the Golden House. Keqing’s authoritative voice thunders through the gilded chamber, desperately ordering her troops to request help for you. When he looks at the gaping wound on your torso, his eyes widen.

“[name]... [name]... I’m sorry.”

He chokes on his apology and tears brim in his eyes. A few teardrops trickle down his cheek and drip on your closed eyes. Your eyelids twitch and it opens, half-lidded.

With a shaking hand, you outstretch your hand to cup his cheek again. You tug at the little amount of skin that you’ve pinched. It’s always been the silent way both of you ask for a kiss.

“Ajax, I’m sorry too.”

Childe shakes his head before his lips only brush against yours. He yanks his jacket off and applies pressure to your wound. The blood soaks his jacket through within a matter of moments.

You sputter out a laugh, quipping, “I’m glad I chose to love a hot man.”

“Stop joking, [name].”

Everyone sees the panic in his eyes. The notoriously fearless harbinger has quivering lips and a face that screams about the cruel deed he’s done to you. He remains motionless while staring at your face. The sight of this extraordinary scene unsettles everyone before it, including the ever-rational Keqing, who’s trying to keep her composure. Childe hears her race to the entrance, questioning with impatience as to when medical help would be arriving.

In a hushed tone, you ask with the same half-lidded eyes, “Ajax… Are you there? I can’t see you.”

Childe chokes on his own breath, opting to hum as a response while he tries to hold back a barrage of tears. His hand that cradles your head tightens and he kisses the crown of your head.

“I’m… here.”

He pecks your lips, repeating his previous words when he speaks against your lips. Your eyes flutter shut, and it’s not long when he feels your body still.

Every part of Childe’s body aches, but nothing more so than the heart pounding in his chest. He leans down and brushes his lips against yours. His thumb rubs circles on your scalp as if in a forest searching for signs of life. He breaks away but not long later, he presses another kiss, his hand pushing your head towards him.

You will wake up. Just like in those fairytales where true love’s kiss brings characters doomed to slumber back to the waking world like a magic spell. He wants to believe such magic exists. He has to. He has to… If not… If not..

Doubt is the downfall of any endeavour of chance. That day, he learns that truth the hard way. (And he even doubts that he was your true love).

All likes and reblogs are appreciated! Please fill in the taglist form on my navi to join the taglist :>

[aurorasgate]

the soft touch of holding hands

xiao, diluc + kaeya x gn!reader

warnings: holding their hands for the first time, so much fluff, mentions of being scared/potential violence in dilucs

i’m so freaking soft after writing these 🥺💕

xiao:

an overload of commissions has kept you away from the wangshu inn and unable to visit the vigilant yaksha you’ve grown very fond of. you miss him and even though you won’t catch him saying it out loud, the way he looks for you when he hears footsteps similar to your own and the way his stern face falls even more unamused when it’s not you says he’s missing you too. the night you’re able to make it to the inn you arrive with an apologetic smile and a plate of almond tofu to share as a sorry for your absence.

he doesn’t say much when you first arrive and even though he’s not normally a man of many words, it makes you worry he’s upset at you for being gone but really he’s just trying to ignore the emotions you make him feel. he shouldn’t be bothered by your absence or this blithe when you’re around, those feelings are for fickle mortals and yet, he is. how is it that you make his karmic debt feel so light when you’re around? how could a mere mortal have him desiring the company of another after spending so many years alone? and why, out of all people, is it someone as sweet and kind as you? didn’t you see that he’s nothing but a monster whose only purpose is to kill?

he’s watching you, studying you, admiring the way your eyes sparkle in the moonlight while you take a bite of almond tofu as he’s thinking about all of these things, slightly annoyed that you have him questioning such foolishness. he’s not paying attention to his movements and neither are you when both of your hands reach for another bite of tofu and your fingers touch. his knuckle bumps into your fingers and you drop the chopsticks you were holding, allowing your middle and index fingers to find the space between his own.

he sucks in a quick breath before pulling away with a force that would have hurt your feelings had it been anyone other than xiao. he turns away from you to hide the pink dusting his cheeks. he’s never really felt your touch before and even though he should have expected it would be as gentle and warm as you are, he can’t get over how the tenderness and warmth lingering on his fingers and how he wants to feel it again.

if anything you’d say he’s been avoiding touching you and truthfully he has been. he doesn’t want you to feel the karma that consumes him, doesn’t want to hurt you because he doesn’t believe he can be gentle with you but he’s wrong.

you're a little glad he’s looking away from you so he can’t see just how red your cheeks are. you pray to celestia that he can’t hear your heart beating out of your chest through the silent air around you but it’s so loud in your own ears you don’t doubt he can hear it clear as day.

a small sweet laugh from your lips brings his attention back to you. “i missed you.” you admit even though you’re nervous to do so and it only deepens the bright color of your cheeks.

“next time don’t stay away for so long.”

from the top of the wangshu inn you watch in comfortable silence as the moon rises higher into the sky and stars begin to shine bright. your eyes get heavy and the exhaustion you’ve ignored from the amount of work you took on the previous few days finally catches up with you and as if your boldness today knew no end, your tired head finds solace on xiaos shoulder. in your sleep your fingers rest at your side, moving closer to his leg when you stir. emboldened by your own touches, xiao reaches for you. his hand, one that only knows that of strength and violence, hesitates to finally connect with yours until he remembers what it felt like not an hour ago when your fingers laced with his and how he wanted to experience it again.

as delicate as he can, to your sleeping form it’s as light as a feather, his fingers run along your palm. even in your dream state you react, opening up your hand to offer him all of it and after another moment of hesitance his fingers lace with yours.

your chest rises and falls with every deep breath you take and even though xiao is as stiff as a board, not daring to disturb you, inside he feels light as the leaves blowing in the wind as his hand rests in yours and he watches ever vigilantly at your surroundings

how you find such peace around him he’s not sure he’ll ever understand but what he does know for certain, as your hand tightens around his and the night grows ever darker, is that as long as you’ll allow him to he'll never let anything bother or hurt you. if you so wish it, he’d hold your hand through it all.

diluc:

one of the many things diluc admires about you is how hard you work. it’s something you share in common with the wine tycoon, something he understands better than anyone but similar to the way you worry when he overworks himself, diluc isn’t very fond of the times you take on more than you need to.

it’s partly because he doesn’t want to see you over exert yourself or worse, get hurt, when he’s not there to protect you but he also dislikes how often it can tear you away from him. he’s gotten quite used to your presence at the tavern every night he’s bartending after you cash in your last commission or when you stop by the winery to and from your destinations to check on him. like clockwork you open the door to the tavern right before the sun sets and offer him a smile that would stop anyone in their tracks but somehow, by the grace of the archons themselves, you’ve chosen to spend them on him.

when the sun fully sets and the sky above is turning shades of blue and gray but you’ve yet to brighten the tavern, and his day, with your lovely smile he begins to worry. he had even seen you earlier today on his way into the city and you mentioned then you’d be by after your commissions. what could have held you up for so long?

after asking charles to take care of things for a while longer he heads away from the tavern to look for you. the uncomfortable worry building in his stomach simmers when he sees you standing at the kiosk and when you greet him with your smile, like a fish caught on a hook, he’s reeled in. his feet move on their own until he's by your side.

you assure him you’re fine and begin to tell him the troubles of your last commission that cost you a lot of time while katherine gets your last cash out ready. your words are interrupted by the shouting of a man at the front gates and when you see who it is, your heart begins to beat fast.

your first commission of the day was to retrieve the goods of a man who was run off the road by hilichurls. he wanted one thing in particular, a precious vase but much to his displeasure, you were only able to return the broken pieces of the vase thanks to the ungentle handling of the hilichurls. when you returned the item to him he was furious, his face red and mouth scrunched in anger, dark veins popping out of his forehead, much like he is now. you had hoped when he stormed off in anger that was the last you’d seen of him but it seems you were wrong.

“where is that little witch?!” he yells as the guards try to hold him back. your eyes meet his and the look on his face has all of the other citizens around you quiet, their eyes curious. “there you are!” he pushes past the guards and stomps his way to the kiosk, broken vase in hand.

“i understand why you’re upset sir and i’m sorry i couldn’t bring back the vase the way you’d hoped but there was nothing i could have done.” you try to reason with him before he even reaches you.

“shut your mouth you lying brat.” he walking fast, too quickly for yours and dilucs liking and the closer he gets, he seems to have no intent on stopping. dealing with hilichurls was easy, nothing to be afraid of but could you really defend yourself against an angry man who was much bigger than you to begin with? you don’t have time to really think about what to do as he raises one of the broken pieces and his pace increases. the only thing you can will your body to do is take a step back and reach for dilucs hand, squeezing it tight- the only way you can tell him without your words that you’re scared.

he accepts it without hesitation, pulling you further back as he steps in front of you. he looks like he’s barely using any strength when his free hand pushes against the mans chest but you see just how much muscle he put behind the shove when the man goes toppling backwards. the last you see is the mans feet in the air as falls before your vision is nothing but the black and gold of dilucs coat as he uses his body to shield you from the scene.

“let the knights handle this,” diluc says quietly in your ear. with his hand still in yours, he leads you away from the commotion and back to the tavern. there's too much going on in both of your minds to realize you’re holding hands all the way back to the bar. diluc only wishes to calm you down and get you somewhere safe and you, hoping the man was okay but most of all, you’re thankful diluc was there tonight.

back at the tavern, once you're safely in the back room, his gloved fingers wrapped in yours slack but when you don’t pull away and your hand remains in his, he doesn’t remove it from yours. he hadn’t realized how small your hand would feel in his or how delicate they would be in his rough grasp. was he capable of holding something so fragile with the care it required with hands that know nothing but battles and darkness? he fears he may not be able to, that he may have hurt you in his harsh grip or only made things worse by pulling you away like he did but he doesn’t want to stop. your touch, even through his gloves, is something he's longed for and until now couldn’t bring himself to indgue in but seeing the lovely shade of pink on your cheeks and the smile you often wear around him on your lips as you come to realize that you grabbed his hand and haven’t let go since makes him want to be more bold with you.

“oh- im sorry!” you pull away in fear you’ve overstepped. you know how diluc feels about being touched by others. “i didn’t mean to - i was just-” every muscle in your body except your heart freezes, no more words leave your throat as diluc brings his hand up and brushes his fingers gently against your cheek. his touch is beyond considerate and warm enough to melt away the last bit of fear that clung to you like icicles.

“are you okay?” his tone and the look in his eyes matches his soft touch. it’s only thanks to how hard and fast your heart beats that you’re able to stay upright and not melt into a puddle right at his feet

“thanks to you i am,” you reply, only now pulling your gaze from his. the pink of your cheeks grows brighter, spreads to the tips of your ears but it’s impossible to hide it with how he’s looking at you. to diluc it's the most lovely sight. what he wouldn’t do to see it more often and how delighted he feels to be the one you show such beauty to.

once you’ve had a glass of water and diluc truly believes you are okay, you join the rest of the bar and diluc finishes his shift, his eyes tender each time they fall on you. the unpleasant events of the night were long forgotten by the time the tavern closed and diluc was ready to walk you home before starting his dark knight duties.

“may i?” he asks and this time it’s him who is avoiding your gaze and attempting to hide rosy cheeks. the tips of his fingers brush against the back of your hand, telling you all you need to know about what he’s asking permission for

“you never need to ask,” you reply with a smile, lacing your fingers in his, taking the first steps of what would be too short of a walk home.

kaeya:

kaeya is no stranger to touching you. light and fleeting chilled fingers on your arms and shoulders in passing, his hand on your back as he guides you through the crowded street or out of his office to head to the tavern but even through all of that, he was holding back. you had taken up quite a space in his life and he doesn’t want to do anything to make it, make you, go away and that included being sure not to overstep and touch you just as much as he’d like. even though you never seem to mind when his hands are you and he often finds you touching him in return. the softness of your touch was enough to make any man weak and kaeya quickly became a melted snow cone every time you brushed arms or fixed his clothing and lingered longer than any normal person would. of course you’d never know that, his face doesn’t tell you of the irregular beating of his heart each time you’re around, which was quite often.

even now when all you’re doing is talking about your day, your hands moving in every direction as you express your frustration of your latest commission and walk by his side in the grass fields that line the outside of the city his heart feels like it’s doing somersaults in his chest. he’s longing to reach out to you, hold any part of you that you’d allow him to but for now he’ll be a patient man, only admiring you with his eyes and hope you’ll give him the permission to do the same with his touch soon.

you look adorable when you’re frustrated and now was no exception. the smirk he wears shows just how smitten he is watching you express yourself in such a way. almost any emotion you’ve shown kaeya since coming into his life he adores on you, loves that you’re willing enough to share them with him and there are so many others he can’t wait to make you feel and see what pretty expressions you make then.

neither of you know how long it’s been since you started your walk or what time it is now but you’re too busy enjoying the company to care. you didn’t have any more commissions for the day and the paperwork on kaeyas desk could wait a little longer, his words not yours. when you’ve walked around the wall and hit a head end, the only way to go now is back the way you came, you huff and let the remaining frustrations of your day get blown away with the wind. “thanks for listening to me,” you turn to face him with a lovely smile, not a single worry or frustration held behind it like when you first asked for a moment of his time. he doesn’t understand how his presence of all people can do that to you but he’s glad it does, he wouldn’t want anyone else to be easing your heart the way he does.

“there's no need to thank me my dear. you can always lean on me,” he coos, leaning closer to you, adoring the way your cheeks burst into rosy colors at his words and close proximity. you don’t hide your blush from kaeya, you know it’s pointless because if you did he would only make you even more flustered with no means to escape his sapphire eye and charming smile. you’re not ready to part from him but you don’t want to take any more of his time, you know he’s got more work to do. “should we head back?”

“mmm,” he fake debates for a moment. “not quite yet. unless you have other plans?”

“me? n-no, not at all!” you sound too eager for your liking but he couldn’t be happier.

he guides you away from the path, down to the waters edge and calls upon his vision to make a bridge of ice, the perfect frozen path to continue your afternoon journey.

“this should do,” he smiles and takes a step onto the frozen water. you follow behind him, testing the ice to be sure it can hold you both up before taking another step- as if kaeya would ever let you fall. when you see hes still standing sturdy you take another step and the slippery surface has you losing your balance, toppling forward. frantically you reach out for kaeya, one hand finding his own, the other finding his arm. through his chuckles you hold on for dear life until you steady yourself.

“oh? can’t handle a little ice?” he teases as he keeps you steady and helps you find your bearings. you glare up at him, eyes narrow and lips pursed, cheeks red and hands holding onto him with all your strength- he could get used to your tight grip on him.

he looks heavenly from this angle, dark lashes making his cerulean eye seem even brighter in the sunlight, long hair cascading down his shoulder like a silk waterfall. the smile on his lips and the gentleness and care of his touch has your already unsteady legs even more weak. “hehe. don’t worry, i’ve got you.”

you trust him, you always have, and don’t doubt his hold on you when you continue your walk along his icey bridge, each step more stable than the last. even when you can walk on your own your hand remains in his, fingers laced tightly together and you both love the feeling. your touch warms his normally cold hands and the tenderness of your soft skin is so much more intoxicating than he imagined it would be. how could he possibly resist himself now that he’s had a taste?

luckily for him, you don’t seem to mind. if anything he’d say you wanted it just as badly as he does, your actions telling him how much you enjoyed his touch in return when you make your way back into the city, archons knows how much longer later. time didn’t matter when you were together. you’ve been walking on normal ground for a while now but even through the entire city and up the stairs back to his office, your hand is in his, love stricken smiles adorning both your faces the entire way.

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