Gintoki Sakata Discussion: Takasugi's Influence on Gintoki - What it Means to Truly Protect Your Soul
This is DEFINITELY overthinking it and stretching it beyond canon, but nevertheless I wanted to share my recent thoughts... Spoilers for the entire story, of course. Also, warning for Takagin/Gintaka.
Edit 22/2/2024 (marked with *): Small section added for more evidence on how Gintoki was never a naturally straightforward person.
Maybe it was Takasugi who ironically inspired Gintoki to be who he is today: the man who never gives up, even if he's beaten down and everything seems hopeless - he will stand back up and protect everyone and everything around him. Just like how Takasugi senselessly was as a dojo challenger.
When Gintoki was younger, he was never like this. He was just fighting for his survival. When Gintoki first meets Shouyou, Shouyou points out how Gintoki was just wielding the sword to protect himself in a harsh, bloody environment.
This is why Gintoki doesn't give up when sparring Shouyou. He needs to be as strong as possible to keep protecting himself. Gintoki brings up how he has never lost to an adult - as if he wants to beat Shouyou simply so he can never lose ever again (so he wouldn't end up dying).
And then, Shouyou mentions how monsters are something born from a bloodstained karma. Gintoki is naturally drawn to bloodshed and death, because losing meant death in the environment he used to grow up in. So he needs to be strong and be capable of killing others so he can survive in such a place. You can just see it in the fear in Gintoki as a child standing on a pile of corpses.
(It's probably why Gintoki carries his sword around with him everywhere as a child, too. So he feels safe at all times.)
This all goes to show how Gintoki would have never had anything he would want to fight for as a child. He would just fight to be with Shouyou who was the only one he could trust or to protect himself. That's why this personality to want to protect everything within his sword's reach was definitely never innate.
Then comes Takasugi, whose Gintoki's first impression of is an irrational kid who would challenge a poor temple school with no actual reason other than wanting to win. You can see how Gintoki is clearly confused by him.
And even after losing many times, he just wouldn't give up on coming back. Gintoki even tells him to give up - he had no reason to keep getting hurt and beat up like that. It wasn't like he had to fight for his survival like Gintoki, he was clearly a privileged kid.
It is only when Takasugi wins and laughs that Gintoki no longer expresses this confusion and disagreement with Takasugi's actions. It's shown in how Gintoki suddenly tells Takasugi to come back, when Gintoki had initially told him to give up.
As if Takasugi's and everyone's smile and laughter after all that ridiculous irrationality made Gintoki realize something that made him change his mind.
Gintoki had a glimpse of Takasugi's way of living - to fight to the very end and keep getting back up for what you want, even if it was silly and stupid. In the end, you'll be rewarded with your own laughter and the people around you laughing along to your sincere, honest spirit.
It was a pointless, dumb way of living, but everyone was still laughing like that and happy. So maybe there was actually some worth in living dumbly and straightforwardly like that.
This may even be why Takasugi's laughter always stuck with Gintoki, even as he cut him down. Because it defined his life - that you should live by facing the present - just as much as Shouyou's words to use a sword to protect your soul stuck to him.
It was Shouyou who first taught Gintoki that what you truly want to do couldn't be the desperate instincts driving you, but rather something deeper down that should feel genuine - the soul. Then it was Takasugi who came along who seemed to demonstrate what living as your soul really was like - to do what you felt like doing in the moment, no matter what the people around you would say.
Even Shouyou encouraging Takasugi's pursuit suggests how this was Gintoki's lifelong answer. And only Takasugi could have demonstrated it best for Gintoki to imitate (instead of imitating Shouyou, as Shouyou had warned him against).
It truly feels like Takasugi is the humanity Shoka Sonjuku cultivated (Katsura did already know what he wanted, after all).
Takasugi's straightforwardness could have inspired Gintoki to tap into his own dull feelings deep down that he carries as he lives his everyday life. If those simple feelings for Takasugi were to grow stronger, then could there be such a thing for Gintoki too? Instead of being drawn to the joy of beating someone stronger than him, Gintoki could realize he seems more inclined to just living for some reason--
Even with no ambitions, he was still fine with just sitting around doing nothing. No matter how mundane, monotous and boring his everyday was without the excitement of a dream, Gintoki was still living for some reason. Maybe his joy in life was right there then--
--It was people. We see throughout the story that Gintoki is solely motivated to fight for the people around him.
Gintoki's actions have always, always been motivated by a desire to protect the people around him. He loves them: simply seeing them laugh when they want, cry when they want and fight to live as their truest selves. So isn't it fine for him to just want to fight for something as simple as that? Just like how Takasugi only fought for the petty reason of growing stronger.
This could be why Gintoki can now confidently say that he just loves the world as it is, even despite all the tragedies that's happened in it that made him suffer.
Not only did Takasugi potentially inspire Gintoki's present way of life, but Takasugi may even be the embodiment of what Gintoki found himself loving most about the world - that imperfect humanity of simply living, chasing what you want, getting lost, failing and suffering, but celebrating those small victories when you finally get there and laughing with everyone. This soul is what Gintoki always wants to protect within Edo, too.
After all, the mundane moments they shared in Shoka Sonjuku and Takasugi's laughter are the only things running in Gintoki's head as he resolves himself to cut Utsuro-Takasugi down. Gintoki truly loved them all.
If this wasn't the case, Gintoki would have never told Takasugi to come back. If Gintoki's motivations was never just the joy of seeing people be themselves, he would have set out and pursued whatever his soul wanted from being inspired by Takasugi's straightforwardness. He wanted to see Takasugi again, because he wanted to see that sincere, straightforward soul once again.
It could be why Gintoki is the one who disagrees with the way Takasugi does things in the present more than anyone.
If it was Takasugi who taught him that happiness of being sincere and straightforward with chasing what you wanted, and given that same spirit was exactly what Gintoki realized he loved most and wanted to protect - Gintoki would fight with all his heart for Takasugi to be that person Gintoki loved again.
It's also a nice touch that Gintoki says "I, the you who is me" when declaring he would never give up to Takasugi, as if implying how Gintoki took that lesson of straightforwardly never giving up from Takasugi himself.
Just as much as Gintoki's acceptance of Takasugi helped him, Takasugi's straightforward passion helped Gintoki just as equally.
*More evidence that Gintoki was never the person he is now is what he chooses to do after the war. Unlike Katsura and Takasugi who went off to pursue their goals, Gintoki's first instinct was to wander around and detach himself from people out of fear of losing people again. Gintoki seems to be more naturally a coward, and only when he lets people in does he find the courage to once again embrace the straightforwardness that Takasugi demonstrated.
After the events of the story that help Takasugi come to terms with himself, Takasugi's straightforwardness is later emphasized as his strong point that resonates with people. It wouldn't be a surprise then if he was the natural source of this straightforwardness in Gintoki, especially when the latter has always been defined as an empty person.
Takasugi and Gintoki are opposites who complete each other, to the point that even outsiders who only briefly meet them together no longer cared about how one of them was a terrorist. One way of seeing it is Takasugi represents the strong, unrelenting humanity that Gintoki realized he loved and wanted to live for, and Gintoki represents the impossibly white soul that the outcast Takasugi found as a place to belong to.
It was important for them to find each other: for Gintoki to realize he wasn't empty and was always capable of emotions, and for Takasugi to realize he wasn't wrong for who he was which the world made him feel.
It's why their life-defining events most often involve the other: Takasugi's laughter was a pivotal point in Gintoki's life where he finally grasped a real reason to fight in his empty everyday, while Gintoki's tears was a pivotal point in Takasugi's life which forced Takasugi to face his biggest enemy: himself.
Ironically enough, their ways of living now could even be said to be a a reflection of their love for each other: Gintoki facing the present because he loved that part of Takasugi and wants to be in the present with him, and Takasugi facing the past to feel closer to Gintoki who is obviously incomplete without the emotions of his past.
Naturally, there is no present without the past, and it feels like Takasugi decided to live in the past to represent it for Gintoki (but probably more because he's too scared to face the present because of his self-hatred and blame, but to be fair Gintoki is afraid of facing the past too even though he should). It's why I liked that the story ended strongly with Takasugi's death, because its impact really conveyed how there was someone who was always chasing Gintoki's entirety - he definitely had a place in someone's heart. He would still be loved no matter what, even if he always felt he was a monster different from others for how he grew up and thus would never properly have a place to belong.
You can see I really, really love Takasugi... From inference and parallels alone, Takasugi has always demonstrated so much importance to the narrative, but it's never laid out beyond how he's the one who lost himself and now has to redeem himself.
Gintama feels like a story about the two of them, not just Gintoki. Especially if Takasugi was the one who originated Gintoki's straightforward way of living, and given how Takasugi seems to literally be the human sword Shouyou prophecized to cut down Utsuro in the end.
It's really because Gintoki avoids thinking about the past and Takasugi hates himself for his emotions that we have to infer how much these two affected each other... But I do enjoy things not being shoved in my face, the avoidance really makes it a lot more emotional.
in which: alhaitham isn't jealous, he doesn't get jealous, so what is this suffocating feeling in his chest that only happens when you're talking to another man that isn't him?
warnings: 5.4k words, jealous!alhaitham x gn!reader who has loads of rizz, university!au, fluff with angst but happy ending, pining!alhaitham who doesn't realise that he loves you, kaveh is there, mention of cyno, ooc at some bits?, swearing, alhaitham is a little bit of an asshole at some parts sawry. he's bad with feelings.
a/n: inspired by @danijaci's jealous jealous boy comic with alhaitham! hi dani if you're reading this pls don't perceive me... hides... but i hope you all like it :,)
Alhaitham isn’t jealous.
The uncomfortable feeling obstructing itself in his throat is just because he’s beginning to develop a sore throat- that’s all. It is flu season after all, who knows what kind of bacteria are in the air? Ones capable of lathing an uncomfortable oil that burns inside his chest, the smog crowding its way into his heart, sickening him to his core as Alhaitham can’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation happening beside him.
“I’m free friday,” a voice besides you confirms.
“Okay!” you cheer, sounding a little too happy for Alhaitham’s liking. After all, it’s 9 am, who has this much energy in the morning? “lets do Friday then!”
“Sounds good, I’ll see you then. Bye Y/n.”
“Bye, see you!” Alhaitham watches from the corner of his eye as you wave to the random stranger you’ve decided to associate yourself with before finally taking the seat beside him with a sigh.
He doesn’t say anything to you, feeling your eyes glance at him expectantly as he stares stubbornly at the lecture board instead of acknowledging you or the jumble of feelings clogging up his diaphragm.
“Hello, you,” You lean over slightly, careful to not invade his personal space whilst waving at him, hoping to catch his attention. He glances at you, nodding in greeting before returning to his book, the pages and rows of words only fuelling his unease he suddenly felt. He doesn’t even know where he left off, the book’s events a blur in Alhaitham’s mind.
How bothersome. What’s happening to him?
“Talkative today, aren’t you?” Your tone is playful despite his cold attitude and Alhaitham sneaks another look in your direction, noting the way your lips curve upwards. “So, how are you?”
“I’m fine,” he murmurs, inserting a bookmark between the pages before slamming it shut, an indicator that you could keep conversing with him.
“Cool.” You tap your nails on the desks of the lecture hall. “Oh, I finished my essay the other day.”
“The one for your elective?”
You hum in agreement, “I hope I never get it back. Submitted it ten minutes before the due date.”
“You know you wouldn’t have been stressed over it if you just started it earlier-”
“I know, I know,” you huff, “spare your productivity lectures for another time, I’ll be needing them later in the semester.” The grey-haired shakes his head as you laugh, but his gaze returns to the front cover of his book as he solemnly thinks about the interaction you had with another man, right in front of him.
(What right did he have to see you smiling so earnestly like that?)
“Who was that?” Alhaitham coughs out, barely choking down his pride in time to make space for the question.
You murmur some guy’s name that he doesn’t bother to remember. “He’s a friend of mine in the same discussion group for this course and we decided to do the assignment together. He bumped into me on the way in so we were just planning when to meet to do the research.”
“Oh.” Your answer doesn’t calm the churning in Alhaitham’s gut. Not even one bit, in fact, it makes it worse.
But it’s not jealousy, Alhaitham doesn’t get jealous because he’s above petty feelings of inadequacy. He’s merely concerned for you, worried for your brainpower by the end of the project because your partner seems less-than-incompetent. If you’d picked someone like Alhaitham (or better yet, just picked Alhaitham), you would’ve aced the class without even blinking an eye.
(The two of you are friends, so why didn’t you pick him? It’s literally been proven that the two of you are compatible working together since you were both executives of Sumeru’s Cultural Society, and amidst all of the activities the club has run, you’ve collaborated many times to make each event run flawlessly. So why not him? Why would you pick another man over him?)
“You know you could have picked me, I wouldn’t mind working on the assignment with you,” he grumbles, words soft but very clear.
Alhaitham misses the way your eyes widen in shock as apologies scramble out of your mouth. “I’m sorry! I automatically assumed that you wanted to work on it by yourself. Next time I’ll ask you.”
The lecture begins before he could say anything in return and like a robot, he sets his thoughts aside and begins listening, notes document up and cursor blinking at the ready.
A mundane two hours pass by, one powerpoint slide after powerpoint slide before the lecture is finally over, much to your pleasure. Alhaitham notices the way you eagerly jump out of your seat to stretch, grabbing your bag. On the other hand, your grey-haired accomplice takes his time in packing up, forcing you to wait for him.
“Would you like to get some coffee before the meeting?” You ask.
“Sure, we can find a seat there and join it together,” he adds and you beam at him, expression bright and so enchanting that it makes him forget about all the perplexities he felt before the lecture.
The two of you make your way to one of the many campus cafés where you practically wrestled Alhaitham to stop him from paying for both your orders (losing in the end) before sitting at a booth, your laptop set up with a pair of Alhaitham’s earphones shared between you. The meeting begins to fill up with almost all committee members, even Kaveh, who resides in his room of his and Alhaitham’s shared flat. Upon noticing him, you go to text him, with the grey-haired peeking over your shoulder from time to time to see your conversation- not that he cares that much.
(Perhaps if Kaveh glanced up from his phone, then he’d see how close Alhaitham had gotten with you, breaching the distance that he prefers to keep around others. He’d also notice the headphone sharing despite how he generally tends to keep them out of anyone else’s hands.)
You’re tasked with the role of taking notes for the meeting since Alhaitham, in your opinion, is not at all a reliable scribe. His notes tend to just include vital information and never what everyone else needs to know, yet each time you scold him for it, his unbothered expression never falters, waving your complaints off with a shrug.
“Hey, Kaveh and I are going to go for lunch tomorrow after our classes. Care to join?” You ask, smiling at him hopefully as your messages with Kaveh sit open on your screen. Alhaitham doesn’t think twice before agreeing.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
“It looks like it’s about to rain,” you murmur, pulling out a chair as Alhaitham and Kaveh take their seats opposite you.
“So it does,” Alhaitham notes, not caring to look too long out the window before returning his gaze to you. “You have an umbrella, right?”
“I, uh, didn’t think I needed one today.”
“Do you not check the weather before you leave?”
“Not everyone’s like you, Alhaitham.” Kaveh teases. “It’s no problem, Y/n, if it rains I can walk you back to your dorm.”
“Only if you are okay with it,” you insist, “I have no problem walking home in the rain. I love the rain.”
Alhaitham intervenes with a raise of his hand. “Nonsense, you’ll catch a cold. We’ll walk you home.”
A soft but genuine ‘thank you’ slips from your lips, neither of you wiser to the way Kaveh eyes his roommate suspiciously, not missing the use of ‘we’ in his sentence and the implications the collective pronoun has. For it meant that Alhaitham is willing to take precious time out of his day to perform an act for someone that he is not indebted to do. Not that Alhaitham is inherently selfish, per se, but he is a man of routine. He wakes up every morning and takes five minutes to scribble on his stupid whiteboard in the kitchen what he has to do for the day and strictly abides by it, not even straying two minutes off schedule.
Willingly volunteering his minutes? Kaveh finds that suspicious.
“So, how’s your architecture assignment, Kaveh?” You ask, breaking the blond from his daze whilst Alhaitham pours glasses of water for the table, starting with your cup.
“A nightmare,” he sighs, sinking into his chair. “I still have so much to do, you know my professor didn’t like my blueprint? How ridiculous! I hope that man steps in a puddle and wets his sock.”
The grey-haired pipes up with a remark. “I can’t wait for it to be done, our living room is a mess right now.”
“Hey, I am the one that cleans that living room, thank you very much. Your bookshelf is still a mess even though I’ve asked you to clean it five times.”
“If it bothers you so much then why don’t you do it yourself?”
“I’m the only one who-”
“-I’m going to go to the bathroom,” you murmur, cutting the conversation before shuffling out of your chair, seemingly eager to do so.
Kaveh turns to the grey-haired again, “and you just scared away Y/n.”
“Sorry no one wants to hear about your architecture project.”
“Y/n literally asked, asshole.”
A rebuttal sits on the tip of Alhaitham’s tongue- as it always does when it comes to bickering with his roommate, but it dies out when an intruder comes to the table. “Excuse me, I hate to interrupt,” he begins, “but the person who just got up, is that your friend?”
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“Oh, I just wanted to drop this off, mind passing it over for me?” The piece of paper he was holding lands in Kaveh’s hand. “Thanks, bro.” Is all he says before strolling away, out of sight but definitely not out of mind.
The blond does not hesitate to open it up, chuckling in amusement when reading the content. “’Hey you’re cute, here’s my number’ it says. What a bitch! You didn’t like his vibes either, right, Alhaitham?”
“Hold on, what does the note say?”
Grabbing (snatching) it from Kaveh, the grey-haired has half a mind to rip the note apart, a certain sense of distaste washing over him that intensifies the long he stares at the guy’s handwriting. His eye is twitching. Why is his eye twitching?
“Hey!” He hears Kaveh call. “Don’t scrunch it, that’s Y/n’s-“
Alhaitham stuffs the ball of paper into his bag where he’ll recycle it later even though something irrational within him tells him to burn it. “Y/n won’t miss it. You said it yourself, he’s a bitch.”
“Sure, but why are you doing-“
“Hey!” You interrupt, sliding back into your chair with a grin on your face. “So, what did I miss?”
“Nothing,” the grey-haired murmurs, assuming his crossed-arm position. Kaveh side eyes his roommate before agreeing with a hum. “Let’s order something now. We want to beat the rain, right?”
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
This meeting for the Sumeru Society might have been one of the most important ones of the year thus far, with almost every committee member expected to attend. After all, the annual ball was a big event that always had the largest turnout, and the amount of planning that goes into it to ensure its success is almost triple that of its other events.
So why weren’t you here?
“Why did you leave the meeting early on Friday?” Alhaitham asks as soon as he sees you.
You pause briefly, eyes widening and eyebrows raising. It must have been the way that Alhaitham’s voice raised a pitch towards the end of the question, demonstrating a nervous break in character that was not at all typical. Cool and collected would be the defining words to describe Alhaitham, as well as someone who does not care for the menial activities of others, so what is he doing asking you? And why does he care so much?
“I, uh, had dinner with someone,” you confess, continuing to grab your books and laptop, missing the way his features contort into something un-cool, and very un-Alhaitham.
“Whom?”
You murmur the name of some other guy, who he vaguely recalls to be your project partner.
“What?” Alhaitham snaps.
“I didn’t think missing out on some of the meeting would be a big deal! I got another committee member to explain what I missed,” you justified. “Besides, there’s no big events going on right now, so I thought-”
“-That you could abandon your tasks and go have fun with someone else?”
Alhaitham’s not really sure why he said that. He’s not angry that you skipped a meeting; there are larger things in the world to worry about, he’s angry because you spent time with another guy that wasn’t him.Why not go to dinner with him instead? He spends it every night with Kaveh, and you are far more favourable than Kaveh.
“Is it really something to get mad over? I already told you, I got the meeting notes and everything-”
“-You’re an executive of the society, Y/n, more is expected from you.”
“Seriously?” you ask, “how come you didn’t bat an eye when the vice president wasn’t there the other day?”
“Because she was sick.”
“Okay, fine! what about the subcommittee? they’re not always there either!”
“They’re subcom. Whether they miss a meeting or not is not crucial.”
“So, it’s just my business that you care about?” You ask, eyebrows furrowed, disbelief clouding over your expression like a mask.
Again, Alhaitham doesn’t know where these punches are coming from and why he’s throwing them against you so viciously, but his heart is tightening defensively with a burning emotion that he’s been feeling more and more recently, and his first instinct is to lash out, to protect himself from it.
Perhaps it’s because foreign things that he can’t understand terrify him and you, all you ever do is make him feel things that he’s never felt before and he can’t understand why.
“You’re not that special.”
A flash of hurt gleams in your eyes and Alhaitham knows now that he’s royally fucked up. “You’re an ass,” you grumble, about to walk away when he intercepts.
“Listen to me!”
“Fuck off!”
“Y/n-”
You’re gone before he can get another word out, retreating figure stomping away whilst his chest weaves into knots; something that no amount of deep breathing can calm. It doesn’t help that the minute he returns home, Kaveh is onto him like some sort of parasite, curious over the tense air surrounding his normally-composed roommate.
“Hey, welcome home- whoa, what’s gotten into you?” The blond asks.
“None of your business,” Alhaitham grumbles through gritted teeth, taking his shoes off and throwing them aside haphazardly. Kaveh doesn’t miss the way Alhaitham’s jaw is clenched, or the strain in his hand when he brings up a hand to run through his hair, or the very subtle and minute twitch in his cheek.
The blond ignores all signs that he wants to be left alone, and instead, follows the grey-haired to his room after he swung the door open.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, let’s talk about this-”
“Talk about what?” Alhaitham growls.
“Who pissed in your black coffee today?”
“No one. Now get lost.”
“Aw, come on, you know what they say. Getting things off your chest is always beneficial.”
“There’s nothing on my chest, go away.”
“You sure? no stress, no deadlines, no love interest making you tear your hair out-”
“-No, no, none of those!”
“Then what?”
Alhaitham steadies himself by resting his elbows on his thighs, hands clasped together as he exhales loudly. “I got pissed and took it out on Y/n, who’s mad at me now.”
“Huh? Why so annoyed?”
“Because Y/n went to dinner with another man.”
It’s silent for a while. The sassy quip that he expects from Kaveh does not happen. Instead, the blond merely smiles, a satisfied, knowing grin that slightly irks him. “You know, I’ve been waiting for the day you realise you have feelings for Y/n.”
“What? Where did you get that conclusion from?” Alhaitham sits up straighter. There are a lot of things he knows, and he knows for sure that he does not like you in any way beyond platonic. He doesn’t have any time to spare for love. There are scholarships he still needs to apply for, internships to be interviewed for, research projects to submit- nowhere amongst the minute hand of the clock is there space for love.
“Oh come on,” Kaveh sits down on the bed beside his roommate, leaning back on his hands. “You’re not as smooth as you hope to be sometimes.”
“I’m serious, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Y’know the sooner you accept you have feelings for Y/n, the easier life will be.”
“Life is already easy and there is no sooner because I don’t like Y/n like that. Now get lost. I have stuff I need to finish.”
Kaveh shrugs, standing up with a soft ‘suit yourself’, taking seven steps before he’s out of the room. Alhaitham lets out a sigh that has lodged itself in his throat for too long, and the feeling of reprieve he gets is short-lived before he’s flooded with a certain tightness again. Maybe he did have a weight on his chest after all, not that he’d ever admit it to himself or Kaveh.
He gets up from his made bed with a grunt and decides to push aside all distractions. Time is unforgiving, and if doesn’t finish his assignment by this Friday then he’ll be a little less than pleased.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Alhaitham feels like he can’t breathe.
You’re sitting alone at a library desk, all focused and concentrated on your laptop screen with your headphones on, blocking out any outside voice as you type away. He wonders if he should say hi, maybe try apologising for the way he acted last Monday- who is this guy that’s approaching you and why does he look so familiar?
And why are you smiling so happily?
You beckon to the seat beside you and the guy readily complies, taking the chair beside you like he belonged there, like there weren’t other candidates that should be there instead (he’s not talking about himself. definitely not).
He hands you one of two coffee cups he’s holding. What kind of right does this guy have to give you a coffee? Does he even know your order?
He feels like a bit of creep keenly watching you interact with someone else from a balcony of the library, but the book and laptop in front of him lies forgotten, and in a rare moment of weakness, Alhaitham can’t find it in himself to return to his tasks, pursuit of knowledge momentarily forgotten. He can’t push aside the bile that threatens to rise, he can’t loosen his grip on the couch’s armrest, and he can’t blink for a second in fear of losing you from his sight.
(You’re laughing. Why are you laughing? How can you look so pretty laughing and why doesn’t he ever get to make you laugh like this?)
Alhaitham is losing his damn mind. So much so that the first thing he does when he sees you again is corner you.
“You shouldn’t talk to that guy anymore.”
You’re backed against the brick walls of the time-worn building that your shared lecture always takes place in, and Alhaitham, spotting you like a hawk, put you in this precarious position as soon as the two hours were over.
He can’t breathe. It’s been almost three weeks since you last spoke to him and you’re staring up at him like you’ve done nothing wrong, blinking once and twice at his uncharacteristic display of subtle aggression.
“Who?” you mutter, shaking your head to try and grasp reality once again. you hug your laptop closer to your body. “What’s this about?”
“I said you shouldn’t talk to that guy anymore.”
“What guy?”
“Your project partner.”
“Really?” you mutter in disbelief.
He nods, teal eyes shining at you firmly. “Really. The project’s over, you don’t need to talk to him anymore.”
“I don’t recall ever giving you the right to dictate who gets to be in my life or not, just like how you can’t tell me what to do with my time.”
“I’m looking out for you, so stop trying to make me sound tyrannical.”
Your mouth hangs open as you furrow your eyebrows, growing more and more frustrated with each second. So much for thinking that he wanted to resolve the awkwardness between the two of you. “I’m not even going to argue with you,” you murmur a quick ‘jerk’ under your breath before brushing past him.
Alhaitham, however, is not willing to let you go as easily as you wish, quick to chase after you. Not that you go far anyways, turning around to face him again in the spaciousness of the vacant hallway. “Why do you care?” You ask, exasperated. “You’re Alhaitham, you don’t let trivial things like who I hangout with bother you, you’re cool and collected and rational, and I just don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
He doesn’t understand either, not the erratic beating of his heart, the stubbornness of his mind, nor this undisputable urge to keep you all to himself. Is it normal to want to hide someone for selfish reasons?
Trailing off, Alhaitham is slightly humiliated that for the first time in his life, someone has witnessed him coming short of an answer. No logical conclusion, no explanation, not even a satisfying quip, just plain, suffocating silence.
“Right. When you do have an answer, let me know.” You walk away.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Your last rebuttal still weighs heavily on Alhaitham’s mind, even two days later as he and Kaveh are seated for a lecture in a shared course. His thoughts are scrambled like never before, the messiness of it all making him feel uneasy because for once, he doesn’t have an appropriate answer to a question.
Why was he acting like a temperamental teenager? What you did with your life was up to you, and indeed he has no right trying to change that. More importantly, why was it so hard to apologise for the stuff he said-
“So, how’s everything between you and Y/n?”
Kaveh turns to him with widened eyes whilst Alhaitham’s poker face doesn’t move an inch, deceivingly apathetic.
“Good, we’ve been hanging out a lot more recently,” the other guy says, who Alhaitham quickly recognises to be your project partner and distaste rises in his stomach like bile.
“Aye, good for you, man! So when are you going to ask Y/n out?”
“No way, bro, not yet. I’m such a wimp, but I hope I grow the balls to ask soon because I really like-”
“-looks like you got some competition!” The blond nudges Alhaitham, and if it were anyone else, they would not have glanced twice at the grey-haired who seemed unmoving and uninterested. However, Kaveh is not anyone else because he noticed the darkened look in Alhaitham’s eyes instantly, anger seeping into his composed gaze as his nose scrunches in disgust.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
“So, you and Alhaitham still aren’t talking?” Kaveh asks, leaning on the table of the restaurant with curious ears, hoping that he can grab some answers out of you as to why there was a stalemate between you and his roommate.
“Nope,” you sigh.
“Why not?”
“I’m just-” you pinch the bridge of your nose, “I’m just waiting on an apology from him.”
“An apology? Why? What did he say?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“You know how he is. Always insufferably secretive, so no, I don’t know anything that happened.”
“Alhaitham just said some hurtful things to me, and he was being weird when I told him I was going to dinner with a friend of mine. Just kept being in my business.”
“Really?” The architecture student quirks a brow, confusion plastered on his face. “That’s not like Alhaitham at all.”
“I know, right? He kept trying to be like ‘don’t hang out with him’ and ridiculed me for not playing my part as an executive of the Sumeru society,” you complained, “like sorry I have other things I want to do.”
Kaveh nods in understanding as the conversation briefly stops when the waiter comes to drop off utensils at your table. As soon as they were gone, however, you begin again.
“And even though he was all up in my business, trying to tell me what not to do, he then said that I wasn’t special, which is so confusing because like-”
“-hold on. Alhaitham said that you weren’t special?” You nod at his parroted claim. “To him?”
“Yeah. Stung like shit when he said that, especially since I thought we were friends but guess not,” you murmur sadly, fiddling with the fork.
Later that night, almost immediately after meeting you over dinner, Kaveh barges into his roommate’s room, not even changing out of his outside clothes. The sudden intrusion shocks Alhaitham who was busy typing on a document, textbook splayed open beneath him but momentarily forgotten as the blond takes a seat on the bed.
“What the- not even a hello?” The grey-haired asks, confused by this uncharacteristic silence of Kaveh’s. It’s pretty normal for the blond to barge into his room without notice, but it was not normal for him to be so quiet, practically brooding on the mattress. “Whatever. Where have you been? Have you eaten yet, because I made-”
“When will you just confess to Y/n?”
The mention of your name causes a spike in Alhaitham’s heartbeat and he swivels around instantly, attention fully directed towards his roommate. “Where is this coming from?”
“Y/n told me everything that happened between you two by the way-”
“-what, when?”
“Tonight, we just met for dinner.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“What would you have done if you knew? Showed up and made things worse?” He doesn’t say anything in retaliation, merely shutting his mouth and furrowing his eyebrows. “Why did you say that Y/n wasn’t special to you?”
“I didn’t,” Alhaitham sighs, very loud and very perplexed. “I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did.”
“Don’t you miss Y/n? You two used to hangout so often.”
“I do, of course I do!” He exclaims, burrowing his face in his hands.
“So why aren’t you apologising?”
“Because whenever I’m around Y/n, I’m not who I normally am,” he mutters, “especially everything whenever that project partner is around-”
“Jealous, much?”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Oh come on, you’re ridiculous. Stop pushing away your feelings and just be honest with yourself, Alhaitham! Y/n is not just a friend to you and you know it.”
“But, we are just friends-”
“So you mean to tell me that if I hung out with someone else- like if I hung out with Cyno, you would be pissed?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“Then why is it different with Y/n?” Once again, Alhaitham doesn’t have an answer to the question, sitting as still as a statue hunched over his desk. “Fine, I’ll spell it out to you. You like Y/n, more than just a friend!”
The silence leftover from Kaveh’s outburst is tense and full as the grey-haired lets the words sink in.
“I’ll let you think about it,” the blond murmurs, voice softening dramatically as he stalks out of the room. Before he closes the door, however, he leaves a few final words. “Just- be honest with yourself, Alhaitham, and I wouldn’t delay trying to talk to Y/n.”
A sharp click rings through the room.
Alhaitham is no stranger to being alone, for who needs the company of others when you are happiest by yourself? Yet, in the weeks that you have not been speaking to him, a cardinal urge as been growing each and each day, wanting him to do something so atypical of him: to reach out and make the first move. Every passing day doesn’t lessen the thoughts that plague his mind, rather, they make him more and more impatient, because what if you get swept away by your project partner?
(What if he’ll be too late? What if you won’t know of these powerful emotions that are steering through the storm in his heart? What if you won’t know just how badly he was been wanting you- wanting to see you, wanting to apologise, wanting to see you beam at him like you always would.
What if you won’t know that he adores you, especially now that he’s figured it out?).
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
A rain droplet falls and lands on your nose, another lands on your forehead, then another lands on your lip then more and more keep falling from the cloudy sky, falling through the leaves and landing on the bench you were currently sitting on. Goodness, you should have checked the weather before leaving your dorm. Why was it now out of all times that it had to rain, what would Alhaitham think after he finally decided to reach out to talk?
Taking your phone out to message the grey-haired about relocating, an umbrella is suddenly held over you, stopping the gentle drizzle from falling onto you. Looking up, you’re greeted by a familiar face that you have been missing too much recently.
“Hello, you,” you breathe, voice gentle and quiet and Alhaitham feels like he can finally breathe after so long, the scent of rain washing away all perplexion.
He nods at you in greeting before offering you the bouquet of flowers he was holding. A gorgeous arrangement of pink of white stare prettily at you and a man even more gorgeous expects you to accept it.
“For me?” You ask.
“For you.”
“Thank you, they’re so beautiful,” you take his gift with gentle hands, holding it close to your chest.
“I want to apologise,” he firmly states, getting straight to the point; very Alhaitham of him. “For treating you the way I have been recently.”
You beam at him, so bright and so gorgeous that it renders him speechless, a feat pretty difficult when it comes to someone like Alhaitham who has a whole dictionary of words, in multiple languages too. Somehow, they all flock out of his mind the second you smile at him.
“I accept your apology, thank you for reaching out, must have been hard for someone like you, huh?” You tease, standing up from the bench.
“Well, I had do for someone as special as you.” The grey-haired’s voice is deceivingly confident and assured, but you know better, especially when he looks away to hide his expression with his neatly styled bangs.
“No need for the flattery, you know, I’ve already forgiven you.” There’s a moment of silence that occupies the air, caused by Alhaitham’s hesitation as he fishes his brain for the courage to ask you out. You speak before he can get a word out, however. “I got asked out the other day.”
“By your groupmate?”
“He has a name, you know, but, yeah. I rejected him, though,” you laugh awkwardly, almost like you were trying to cope with it by playing it off. “Did you know that he would do that?”
“Yes. I did.”
“Is that why you were so adamant on me not hanging out with him?”
“I guess you could say that. We can talk more about it another time,” he tells you, voice gentle and caring to mask the subtle hit of jealousy he feels in his chest, scolding himself for letting someone else confess to you before him. However, it’s a minute sensation in comparison to the triumph Alhaitham feels knowing that you rejected the other party.
“We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”
“We do, but I want to ask you something first.”
You nod, hugging the bouquet closer to your chest, anticipation heavy in the air as you spur him to continue.
“If I asked you out, would you reject me too?”
A mere second passes by where you don’t respond, yet the second stretches out to what feels like eternity as Alhaitham’s stomach churns. Patience is something he doesn’t lack, but how can he be patient when his heart wants you so bad?
Then, you take his hand, and the heavens sing at the feeling of your hand in his. “I wouldn’t, but are you asking me out?”
“Are you free right now?”
“I am. Why?”
“Let’s go out then. On a date.”
“I'd love to.” You rise up to place a lingering kiss on his cheek, one that has his heart racing with joy rather than frustration.
The smile you earn is gentle, shy, but says more than Alhaitham's words ever can.
𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄: alhaitham x reader, fluff, adventure, slow burn
𝐀/𝐍: a fic based off of this idea! yeah it’ll be a multi part fic, we’ll see how long it becomes :,) i hope all of you enjoy!
… part 2
Ignorance is bliss, that is something everyone associated with the Akademiya learns eventually. Some earlier than others. You just so happened to be one of the unlucky ones, learning of an ugly truth before you could even understand the magnitude of your discovery.
You were in your second year as a student in the Akademiya. Your focus of study circulated the history surrounding the gods and the creation of Sumeru as you know it today. History always had a pattern regarding the development of civilizations, and eventually their downfall.
The ongoing conflict between the Akademiya and the Eremites was something that was painfully obvious in Sumeru … and your interests lied in the root of it.
Though the pursuit of history concerning the divine wasn’t encouraged within the Akademiya, you somehow found yourself allowed to continue your research anyway. You thought it was a miracle, considering the opposition you initially faced, however you weren’t about to question it now.
That was a decision you’d soon come to regret.
Though there was an area of research that you decided to focus on, there was still a numerous amount of other classes you would need to give your time to. Because of this, throughout the two years you’ve been in the Akademiya, you’d become at least somewhat familiar with those in your class, or at least, capable of placing a name with a face.
There were two individuals within your year that no one couldn’t know. They were perhaps some of the smartest in their respective years … and arguably the most troublesome. Alhaitham and Kaveh, two brilliant scholars who clearly had a promising future ahead of them, yet lacked the social decency to respect one another.
You’d later learn through your basic history class that Kaveh was actually a pretty cool guy. He was eccentric compared to a majority of the other scholars you knew. He had such an approachable personality and always had something to say.
If there was one trait you found yourself particularly fond of however, it was his willingness to challenge the Akademiya norms. His core topics to research all centered around architecture, something that arguably resembled art, a concept clearly resented by the Akademiya. However, that never stopped them from wanting to create the most lavish structures to flaunt their wealth, so it was no wonder his acceptance went by without many problems.
You’d wondered why he and Alhaitham never got along … until you met the man himself.
You were in the library, searching for books to study the language spoken by King Deshret and his people. If you were going to study the history behind his civilization, becoming well versed in the tongue spoken during that time would be a good place to start.
Much to your ignorance … a certain scholar was researching that language the same time you’d been and the book you were eyeing was on a shelf much higher than your reach made you capable of handling.
He walked in on the sight of you reaching for the book on the tips of your toes. You were sure that anyone would be able to knock you over with a single touch with how off balance you’d been.
He must have walked around your awkward form as if he didn’t even see you, reaching over you, and grabbed the book for himself before walking off.
“EXCUSE ME!?”
Your enraged voice rang throughout the library, garnering more glares from bystanders than you could count. Of course, Alhaitham was not one of them. He simply went along his merry way, without so much as batting an eye.
You’d almost be impressed by his self-confidence, if it weren’t openly causing you any unnecessary stress, which in this situation, it clearly was. Fists clenched and unclenched by your side as the different routes of action you could take began to flood through your head.
If only there were words you could use to properly describe the anger coursing through your veins, your feet moving before any proper thoughts could form. Striding up to the tall man, you poked his shoulder to garner his attention.
“Alhaitham, right? What was that about?” Your teeth ground together, just barely containing whatever composure you had left. “I clearly found that book first. It’s not yours, it’s mine!”
Your thumb jabbed into your chest, emphasizing the anger you felt concerning his involvement in your studies. Had he not swiped that book out from under your nose, then you might’ve been able to reach your goal of learning that ancient language before the end of the academic quarter. Now that he has however … such a goal would become next to unobtainable.
“Is that so? Well too bad it isn’t actually yours. Until it’s checked out under a student’s name, it’s anyone’s game.”
The taller male turned around to finally face you properly, a passive expression playing upon his features. You would have been intimidated by such a look if you weren’t so pissed off.
You opened your mouth, preparing to rebuke with something that would properly inform him of the anger his arrogance made surface within you. However, he beat you to it, and with a proposition you wouldn’t have expected from someone with a reputation like his.
Pairings: Zhongli, Diluc, Alhaitham x (gn!) Reader (separate)
Summary: Snowy adventures with the boys.
Tags: Fluff (the cavity-inducing kind), SFW, kissing, established relationship (Zhongli, Diluc), unestablished relationship (Alhaitham)
A/N: This is my gift fic for @jellalism for the GI Secret Santa event. Merry Christmas to you and I hope you like what I wrote! I had a look at your blog and saw you also like Alhaitham so I took the liberty to include him as well, because I had a great idea. No biggie if you actually don't want to read his part though <3
ZHONGLI
"Good morning, love.", the soft baritone voice of Zhongli hummed into your ear. His voice still sounded a little sleep drunk, so you assumed that he must’ve just woken up as well.
It was still fairly early in the morning. You could tell by the way the light was falling through the cracks of the blinds.
Zhongli lazily draped his arm over your waist, pulled you firmly against his chest, and placed a featherlight kiss on the back of your neck. You felt his shallow and relaxed breaths tickle over your skin, prompting you to push up against him further. If it was up to you to decide, this moment could’ve lasted forever.
“Good morning.”, you mumbled in response as your lips curved into a smile.
You turned around in his arms, pressed your forehead against him, and nuzzled into his broad chest. He placed his chin on top of your head while he slowly traced circles over your back with the thumb of the hand that he placed over your waist. You lay in his embrace in silence for a while and simply basked in his comforting presence all while listening to the steady drumming of his heart and inhaling his homely scent that never failed to calm you down.
After a while, you slowly got up from bed and tiptoed over to the curtains to pull them open. And what greeted you in front of the window made you gasp in ecstasy and turn around with a smile that was a telltale sign for Zhongli.
“Did any snow fall overnight?”, he asked, propping his head up on his arm in bed and smiling fondly to which you nodded excitedly in reply. “Let us go for a walk, love. What do you think?”
Of course, you agreed and quickly slipped into some warm clothes before rushing outside. It was as if someone had evenly sprinkled powdered sugar all over the ground and the cold air smelled like the icy bliss that the world was covered in. Every sound seemed muffled by the thick layers of snow and all you could hear was the familiar crunch below your boots after each step and the quiet sounds the thick snowflakes made when hitting the ground.
Zhongli approached you from behind and intertwined the long slender fingers of his right hand with yours. The snow that was falling got caught in his brown locks and his cheeks and nose were starting to become red from the cold. He pulled his scarf a little higher into his face and smiled fondly before gently pulling you along with him by your hand.
A comfortable silence settled between you as you walked. Each other’s presence was enough to feel content.
You eventually let go of his hand when a big frozen puddle came up along the path and you decided to charge toward it and smoothly slide across it. Turning around on your heel with a proud smile in Zhongli’s direction you prompted him to follow suit.
“Come on! Try it as well!”, you cheered him on, seeing a sliver of uncertainty peek through his facade. For how well-mannered and regal he usually acted you always managed to coax a different side out of him that only you had the honors to see.
He took a run-up and mirrored how you slid across the frozen puddle, or at least he tried. Because unlike you, he slipped at the end of it. A crack in his usual graceful expression exposed itself before he crashed into you, toppling you over in the process and inelegantly landing on top of you. Both of your forms molded a shape into the unscathed snow along the path he had just thrown you in, sending the powdery snow flying and spreading it all over both of your hair and faces.
The next thing you heard were a thousand apologies falling from his lips, asking you if he hurt you and if you were okay. But the only thing you replied with was laughter so intense it made your belly hurt and tears of joy well up in your eyes.
You crossed your arms behind his neck and pulled him closer to your face so that your breath was fanning over his lips. A deep loving gaze into his amber eyes made your heart skip a beat. They would never cease to amaze you all over again.
Zhongli raised one of his hands to brush some of the excess snow of which had landed on your face before gently cupping your cheek. You nuzzled into him with closed eyes, once again making his heart swell with pride that he was able to call you his’.
Still lying on the frozen ground in the midst of the falling snowflakes he tenderly placed a passionate kiss on your lips that made you forget the cold that had begun to seep into your clothes.
His warm breath fanned over your face and the cold tip of his nose grazed your cheek before he pressed his forehead against yours and held your face in between both of his hands. Gazing at you as if you were the greatest treasure he ever had the honor to lay his eyes on. And if he was being honest, you were.
“I love you so dearly.”, he muttered.
“I love you, too, Li."
DILUC
“Luc!”, you yelled as you rushed out of your shared bedroom and down the stairs of the Winery.
Diluc was sitting at his desk, filling out some paperwork before looking up as soon as he heard your voice. You peeked at him with a wide smile before rushing straight for the front door and outside.
Diluc got up from where he was sitting to follow you for whatever you were planning to do outside. The sun was already setting and he watched as you spun around amidst the falling snowflakes. You hadn’t even bothered to put your jacket on or any warm winter clothes for that matter. All you were wearing were your slippers and some comfy but thin clothes.
“Look, Diluc, it started snowing!”, you exclaimed excitedly, spinning around, leaving footprints in the deep snow that fell over the course of the last couple of days.
“You will get a cold, love.”, he remarked and stood in the doorway to the Winery with crossed arms. But you didn’t miss the small smile that played around his lips as he watched you twirl around in excitement.
“I’m not cold.”
You turned around with a smile and stretched your hands out to let the thick snowflakes fall into your palms. You looked up into the sky and watched how they fell into your face, leaving icy specks on your skin wherever they landed. You absolutely adored snow and while it was indeed cold, the excitement and happiness that washed over you made you numb to it.
You rushed down the stairs in front of the winery, feeling the satisfaction of leaving the first footprints in the otherwise undisturbed snow blanket covering the ground. You stretched out your arms before plopping down into the thick snow, creating a snow angel.
Diluc yelled your name and hurried after you as soon as he saw you dropping into the snow only wearing what could be considered a glorified T-Shirt. Although as soon as he arrived by your side he couldn’t help but smile. You were laying in the snow with snowflakes covering your hair and the brightest smile on your face. The one that always made his heart skip a beat.
He plopped down into the snow himself and created a snow angel right next to yours. And you both had to laugh at the sheer absurdity and childishness of the situation.
He paused for a moment staring at you, before half tackling you and throwing you back into the poofy snow. His long scarlet locks fell over his shoulder, along with some snowflakes that had gotten caught in his hair, tickling your face in the process.
One of the snowflakes that fell down landed right on the tip of your nose. Your skin was already so cold that it didn’t immediately melt. Diluc’s eyes shot up from the flake to your eyes for a brief second before he placed a warm kiss on the tip of your nose to kiss it away. A warm flush crept across your cheeks and you were sure you were never going to love another man as much as you loved Diluc. Every moment with him was like a gift from the Heavens themselves. And you were eternally grateful you were the one who had the honor to see him as you did now.
He felt equal about you, too. Eternally unsure how someone like him managed to find someone as perfect as you. You made his heart feel light and never failed to make him smile even on the darkest of days. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you were the light of his life.
You took his face between your hands, your icy-cold fingertips grazing his warm cheeks. Both of you gazed deep into each other’s eyes, each mirroring the other’s adoration. Every exhale from each of your mouths crystallized in the cold afternoon air, glittering in the setting sun.
You pulled his face down to your lips and tenderly pressed your lips against his. You felt the cold slowly seep through your clothes and prick at your skin and the slight shiver that had started to settle in but you didn’t even realize you were freezing, for Diluc made you feel so incredibly warm.
He sat up and grabbed one of the hands you had rested on his cheek to pull you back on your feet again. The cold air pricked at your back since a bit of the snow had melted while you had been lying on it, leaving a wet splotch on your clothes.
“You’re shivering, let’s get back inside and warm up, love!”
Diluc draped his coat around your shoulder and led you back inside, never letting go of your hand. He sat you down in the armchair in front of the fireplace and knelt before you, taking both of your hands into his.
A warm glow emanated from the vision on his hip and you immediately felt a shot of warmth seep into every fiber of your being. It was hard to describe the way you felt every time Diluc used his vision on you but it was as if he was pouring his entire heart into your soul. To you, it was the most beautiful feeling in the entire world.
“That feels nice.”
“Getting warmer already?”, he asked with a fond smile painted across his face. “Next time you should wear a jacket.”
“Aww, what do I have you for then? You’re like my personal portable heater!”, you pouted.
“Oh, so is that all I am to you?”, he inquired with a smirk and teasingly raised an eyebrow at you.
“No.”, you fervently shook your head. “You’re the love of my life.”
ALHAITHAM
You’ve been sitting in the library for the majority of your morning so being greeted by snowfall as soon as you stepped out of the Akademiya building was the last thing you had expected. After all, Sumeru City lay in the Rainforest area of Sumeru. So not exactly the part of Teyvat that regularly got any snow, if at all. You could probably count the number of times you had experienced snow in your life on one hand.
You walked down the path up to the Akademiya and took shelter from the falling snow under one of the awnings of the stalls. Snowflakes were swirling around you and the air smelled cold and pricked at the skin of your face. You opened your palm and caught some of the snowflakes with your hand, watching them melt upon contact with your skin.
You decided to approach him and plopped down on the bench next to him. He didn’t even bother to lift his eyes off the book to look at who had sat down next to him. But that didn’t deter you, you knew him for long enough to know his mannerisms. Maybe even too long. Because due to that, you knew he was more to you than just a friend.
Suddenly you saw a familiar figure appear in your peripheral vision and turned your head around.
Alhaitham was striding toward one of the benches under a roof. He shook the snow off his hair and clothes and kicked the snow off his boots before sitting down and opening the book he had been holding. His face remained as unphased while doing so, as it always did.
“Not exactly the weather to read outside.”, you remarked.
“I needed some fresh air.”, he replied curtly, not even dropping his book by an inch.
“What are you reading?”
“Combinatorics and graph theory.”
You got up from the bench again and went to gather some snow. You formed it into a ball. Carefully weighing it around in your hand. With a mischievous smirk plastered across your face you flung it in the direction of the Scribe. It landed right on his neck, some specks of snow sliding down into his shirt and making him cringe from the cold.
Ew.
It never ceased to amaze you how he read some complicated science books like light novels. Especially without falling asleep while doing so.
He turned around with a frown, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and trying to pick the melting ice pieces out of the collar of his shirt in vain.
“What was that for?”, he grumbled failing to hide the little upturn of the corners of his mouth, even with how much he tried to suppress it.
You simply just shrugged, preparing the next snowball to throw at him. But you didn’t get far since he lunged at you to snatch the snowball right out of your hands. He quickly took a few steps back and threw it right at your face in return.
“Oh you…!”, you grumbled with a laugh.
“You picked the wrong person for a snowball fight.”, he stated matter-of-factly, taking a few steps in your direction.
You ran into a side alley in an attempt to escape the next snowball he threw after you. With success. At least partly, because you had run into a dead end. Playfully cursing under your breath you turned around, stretching your arms out left and right in defeat.
“Guess you win.”, you shrugged.
“Not yet.”, he said and put his hand next to your head on the wall you were leaning on.
He lifted the perfectly round snowball up in front of your face and smirked victoriously. You preemptively closed your eyes, fully expecting him to smoosh it into your face.
But instead of the cold snowball, you suddenly felt his lips crashing into yours. The unexpectedness of the situation caused you to open your eyes in shock and inhale sharply. You feared your knees would give in any second as they were turned into pudding in the span of milliseconds. Alhaitham’s intuition seemed to be quite on point since he wrapped his free arm around your waist to stabilize you and keep you upright.
Emotions of unknown caliber washed over you and it felt like a swarm of butterflies tried to escape your core, transporting you right to cloud nine.
As soon as your lips parted again you each looked the other deep in the eyes. Your expression was one of disbelief while he had donned a complacent smile, whispering three words into your ear that damn near made you pass out.
❝ 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄. thought about how these genshin men would show their jealousy in public so here r some quick hc's
❝ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒. tighnari, cyno and al-haitham.
❝ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒. written with female reader in mind; can still be read as gender neutral. slightly suggestive themes but still sfw. possessiveness. NOT beta read / proof read.
𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈
⌗ SHOWS HIS JEALOUSY THROUGH SUBTLE HINTS / CLUES, SUCH AS HOLDING YOU CLOSER TO HIM IN PUBLIC.
it was a rather windy saturday evening and you two were heading back home from an entire day of checking the multiple withering zones that recently appeared around the rainforest.
as you walked on the bridge in the gandharva village that headed towards tighnari's study room, you were instantly greeted by a familiar male figure.
your eyes widened the moment you figured out who it was. “you're..” you slowly mumble, trying hard to remember his name. it was right on the tip of your tongue before your thought process was interrupted.
“yes, i'm the man who you had saved from a group of fatui the other day!” his eyes are basically shining with admiration while he looks at you. “i came here to personally thank you for your courageous act.”
out of excitement, the man clasps both of your hands into his, closing the long distance between the two of you by stepping closer and placing your intertwined hands in the middle.
you shoot him a big smile in return before asking about his well-being. you were extremely glad to be able to reunite with him since you were worried about his safety all night long.
as you had your little conversation with the sumeran citizen you had rescued, you could feel tighnari's eyes burn holes in the back of your head. you had totally forgotten about your boyfriend as you were dealing with the other man.
tighnari wasn't much of a social butterfly. he usually stands behind you whenever you meet someone you recognize— patiently waiting for you to be done so he could continue his once interrupted conversation with you. therefore, tighnari only speaks when spoken to or when he has something important to share.
however this time it was different. he saw how the other man got close to you, thanking you with the biggest smile on his face - and the one thing that bothered him the most - is how the man continously held onto your hands.
your boyfriend understands that its his way of showing gratitude, but that was pushing it for him. his piercing eyes were focused on your hands, watching each and every slight movement as he held his own gloved hands behind his back.
it was hard to be polite to the stranger in such a situation, though that also didn't mean that he could just snap because of a simple matter. if tighnari were to tell the man to back off, maybe you would become dissappointed by his overprotective actions instead.
“they simply are amazing, aren't they?” tighnari finally makes his presence known to the man in front of you by joining the conversation. he slowly stands closer to your body as his hand travels along your back.
“i'm glad to hear that you are safe and sound, sir.” you could feel tighnari's hand holding you by your waist, just slightly pulling you towards his body in attempt to make it unnoticeable to the other person.
looking at your boyfriend's face, you could easily notice that fake welcoming smile he wore as he continued talking to the citizen in a kind tone of voice. not only that; his fingers toyed with the fabric of your clothes— pulling and twisting the material while he nonchalantly tried to get you even closer to him.
it was also the first time that tighnari was actively engaging into a conversation with someone that he just recently met via you. almost everything gave it away; from his body language to his actions: he is jealous.
𝐂𝐘𝐍𝐎
⌗ WILL LITERALLY SCARE PEOPLE AWAY WITH JUST HIS DEATH STARES AND PRESENCE IF THEY TRY TO ACT TOO CLOSE WITH YOU
you were heading towards the local market in sumeru city— basket ready to be filled with all the delicasies you could find. you were planning to surprise your boyfriend with one of his favorite dishes since he had been working hard to protect the peace in sumeru.
you know that he needs a break; it was futile of him to hide his fatigue from you. you could feel the tiredness radiate from his figure the moment he came home and collapsed on your own body on your shared bed.
“good afternoon! can i get four of these, please?” you point to a basket which was filled with tons of zaytun.
“ah, [y/n]! i haven't seen you in a while!” the owner of the stall greets you excitedly as he picks up what you needed.
“sorry, i've been too busy lately to stop by.” you giggle and gently grab the bag from his hands.
since there weren't many customers around, you both took the opportunity to hold a small chat. it was true that you hadn't had that much time to visit the local market. all the piled up work had been tough to deal with.
that's also why your little conversation was extremely needed; the relaxation you felt as you laughed and spoke about what had been bothering you to the man in front of you was indescribable.
however, what you failed to notice in the meantime was the intimdating aura that sneaked up closer and closer to where you had been standing. normally you would instantly recognize who it was, yet this time you were too late.
“u– uhm..” the owner of the stall coughs awkwardly; almost as if he was in panic due to who or what he saw behind you. “g- good afternoon, general mahamatra..!”
you blink twice while you slowly process what was said. “..cyno?” you mumble confused, turning around to face the person behind you.
“oh, it's really you!” your eyes widen as you see your boyfriend stand there, one of his hand on his hip as the other holds onto his signature weapon.
his gaze wandered from the young man standing there nervously and then back to you. his eye twitched a bit at the sight; he was just trying to hold his small break from work together with you, however instead, he gets slapped in the face with this situation in front of him.
you were happily engaging in a conversation with someone who cyno knew had some romantic feelings for you. it was noticeable the moment he had visited this specific stall with you for the first time a couple months ago. you were simply oblivious to the hints the street vendor dropped.
cyno hid his face a bit from you by holding his head low, letting his bangs cover his cold expression in attempt to calm himself down. within a split second, his head was up again— the intimidating aura and facial expression erased from existence.
“good afternoon.” the general mahamatra responds swiftly. you cock your head to the right as you question why he was here; after all, he told you that he wouldn't be able to see you until late at night.
“there was a change in my schedule.” cyno replies while he still took quick looks at the vendor. almost in a 'get the hint and fuck off' type of way. “i was around the area and had been told that you were spotted at the market, so i decided to check in on you.”
you chuckle at his explanation as you throw you arms around your lover's neck— giving him a tight hug; one that you missed as much as he did.
“let's take a quick break together then!” you excitedly jump from one leg to another. linking your arm with his, you throw in a quick 'see you around!' to the friendly street vendor before heading off to the nearest restaurant.
as you chatted away about your plans, cyno turned around to give the young man one last sneaky death stare before focusing on you again. to your great surprise, your boyfriend gave you a soft kiss on the forehead while you were mid sentence; he surely wasn't the one to initiate such stuff in public.
when you asked him about it, cyno was quick to change topics. little did you know that that action of his was directed towards the street vendor— who had seen it all happen like your boyfriend had intended to.
𝐀𝐋-𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐌
⌗ ACTS COOL ABOUT IT BUT "SUBTLY" TRIES TO AVERT YOUR ATTENTION FROM THE SOURCE THAT CAUSED HIM TO GET JEALOUS
an hour had passed by since you had sat down at your favorite spot in the puspa café with your lover, carefully listening to the storyteller who was non-stop talking about all kinds of rumors and such.
the man was good at his job; he knew just how to grab your attention with all the various and funny jokes in-between his stories.
al-haitham stared at the storyteller and then back at you, who sat on the chair right in front of him. he didn't expect this outcome when he asked you to go out today— to have you almost fully ignore his existence the moment the storyteller began talking.
your date started out great. al-haitham saw how much it meant to you; spending quality time together for the first time in a while. the happy expression you wore on your face ever since you saw him at your doorstep made your boyfriend's heart skip a beat. he missed you like crazy.
... thus exactly why the current situation had started to piss him off a little.
al-haitham didn't say anything the entire time; he didn't even pay any attention to the man in the center of the room— his eyes were only on you. he noticed every single change of emotions on your face while the stories were being told.
sure, your presence around him was enough to keep him satisfied, but not for long.
despite his feelings, he didn't want to ruin the mood by continously interrupting the stories with all kinds of questions or comments. if you chose to listen to the storyteller instead of him, then that's up to you.
he will tolerate anything that makes you happy, yet this time it was hard to do so.
he needed your attention on him.
suddenly, the whole room burst into a fit of laughter, which included you. it was the work of the storyteller as expected. the storyteller looked at you while he chuckled at the reactions to his joke and you were giggling while staring at him too.
that was the last straw for the akademiya's scribe.
“sweetheart..” al-haitham whispers while his hand gently holds onto yours. “your food is going to get cold at this rate.”
“oh! yes, thank you. i almost forgot heh..” you chuckle as you recall the joke. taking a bite out of your sandwhich, you finally looked up at al-haitham.
it was clear that something was bothering him, even though his facial expression didn't show much. you could still feel the slightly tight grip he had on your hand— it seemed like he didn't have the intention to let go.
“you okay?” you ask after swallowing the food in your mouth. you could see him secretly try to steal a glance at someone in the room and when you followed his gaze, you saw who he was glaring at.
“ah..” you bite your lip as you finally connected the dots. you felt guilty for not noticing it sooner.
“then! for the next story..!” the storyteller suddenly speaks up, catching the attention of everyone in the room once again.
al-haitham clenched his jaw as he slowly faced you, hoping that you were focusing on eating your food instead. his eyes slightly widened as he realized that you were staring at him this time and not the storyteller.
“..sorry, uhm, did you say something?” your lover sighs in relief, still holding onto your hand as if he was scared that by letting go, he'd lose your attention again.
al-haitham takes a quick sip from his tea to calm his nerves, however you were quick to notice his eye twitch before he fully closed them to savor the taste of the flavourful liquid.
“hmm..” you humm, leaning your upper body towards him. “are you mayhaps.. jealous?”
your whisper made the scribe almost fully choke on his tea. coughing, al-haitham slightly shakes his head. “w— cough— why would i be jealous?”
“oh, come on!” you laugh a bit louder while you watch al-haitham try his best to regain composure. “it's sooo obvious that you are!”
your partner couldn't look you in the eyes at the moment and that only confirmed your assumptions.
al-haitham always looks anywhere but at you whenever he's lying. it was a cute habit of his that you discovered rather quickly.
he doesn't have a problem with deceiving anyone else right in their face; holding eye contact while telling all kind of lies and excuses to them wasn't a hard task. although, the scribe was weak when it came to you.
“no, it isn't obvious.” al-haitham coughs one last time as he tries to hide the embarrassment on his face by looking down at the dishes on the table.
“oh? then that means that you don't deny that you are jealous.” you cackle, holding onto your stomach as it began to hurt due to the laughter. there were even tears in your eyes.
your lover opened his mouth to defend himself, however no words came out as he caught a glimpse of that joyful expression of yours.
the corners of his lips curled up into a small smile as he watches you try to catch your breath.
he'll let you have your fun by teasing him all you want tonight. at least this once you were laughing because of him and not someone else.
I have returned from hiatus! … Kind of. I’m in the middle of writing that Alhaitham x banished! Reader scenario I described earlier in the year. I hope to get it released sometime later this month??? I’m horrible with schedules, but I’m looking forward to seeing it executed! Anyways, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
NOT MY DUMB ASS THINKING OF A FIC WORTHY ALHAITHAM X READER PLOT WHILE IM HALF ASLEEP —-
anyway, imagine if alhaitham had an academic rival (you) during his academy days, but one day you suddenly disappeared. the akademiya blamed it on a freak accident during an expedition, but what actually happened was that you were banished from the akademiya due to you discovering the questionable research that was being conducted from behind the scenes. one of their projects was a portal connecting them to the abyss and to test it out they threw you in never to be seen again.
years later (sometime before act I in sumeru) you’d returned through a stroke of luck, paired with your willpower and persistence. you swore you’d overthrow the current akademiya establishment and reform it. from here on you basically you help out traveler & the sumeru gang but they have no idea of your true identity (save for nilou bcs she’s like your bestie and took care of you after your return, learning your story and everything because you just needed someone to confide in)
all the while you’re secretly pining for alhaitham while he’s just wondering why your presence feels so familiar.
Alhaitham has a little surprise in store for you when he finds you out on the streets of Sumeru City at night. [22.10.2022]
Zep's Note ; This is written while I couldn't sleep so I'm sorry for any mistakes and stuff that maybe doesn't make sense,, I'm so tired but I HAD to write for this man, I'm down horrendously ㅠㅠ.
content under the cut | masterlist
You weren’t sure what it was that kept the peaceful cradle of slumber from finding you nearly every night. It was as if it evaded you deliberately, the obstacles something as mundane as sleep had to take in order to reach you simply too big. Every night you were left to toss and turn in your bed. You were weary, head empty and your eyes stinging with sheer tiredness. But sleep didn’t come. Instead you were left wide awake, staring at the ceiling as you desperately waited for slumber to take you away.
But it wouldn’t happen, you knew all too well.
It was as if you were left to suffer when other people found peace in the night. You were deprived of said serenity, and wondered why in Teyvat you couldn’t just sleep. Every night seemed to be there to fight the same endless battle, one that you were bound to lose, anyway. So why did you continue to indulge in this everlasting brawl with slumber? There was no victory, or so it seemed.
You heaved out another sigh, the nth of tonight. Laced with sheer annoyance, it came out more as a growl and less as a puff of air that simply escaped your lips. You turned around, kicking off the duvet that covered your restless body. You’ve had more than enough. Every night you lay awake; it was unfair. You didn’t feel like being stuck in your bed any longer, for you felt like a prisoner, confined and smothered. So you got up, swinging your legs over the edge of the mattress until your feet touched the cold ground.
No plan, no destination. You didn’t care to check the time. You simply got dressed, taking only the necessities such as your keys, before heading out of your room. The wooden floorboards creaked under your tentative footsteps, but fortunately there was no one in the house who could be awoken by the sound. You lived alone, the residence would be vacant as soon as you walked out of the front door. Since summer had passed, and the nights had grown significantly colder, you grabbed a coat and shrugged it on. After slipping on a pair of shoes, you deemed yourself ready, flicking off the light and stepping into the darkness of the night. The door shut behind you with a thud and a click.
You were outside, with only one goal in mind; tiring yourself out. Of course you were well aware of the fact that going outside was more likely to have the opposite effect, for the crisp air would chase away the few crumbs or slumber in your being until you were wide awake again. But exhaustion had to catch up with you eventually. Maybe if you just kept walking around until the morning would come by, you’d grow so physically tired that you’d finally be able to collapse onto your bed and pass out. It sounded nice.
Every night you just lay awake, wondering thoroughly why you still bothered to climb into your bed. Hah, as if you carried with you any expectations of falling asleep when you cuddled up under your blankets. The thought made you smile bitterly.
More and more often, you spent your nights under the sapphire blanket that was the midnight sky. Being out in the open was many times better than being suffocated by your own perpetual frustration.
Plus, Sumeru City was night after midnight. Quiescent and serene, the empty streets filled with naught but silence. No merchants promoting their goods avidly, no children playing, no people talking. Only a few Eremite members of the Corps of Thirty stood guard here and there across the city, but they regarded you with a quick nod and didn’t bother you. It was nice to roam around the city like this, and you came out at night often to seek peace. The wind rustled the leaves that swayed on their branches, animals that dwelled the night scurried around in nooks and crannies, startled by your footsteps. Sometimes the rustling in the bushes made you a little uneasy, but you pushed away the feeling. Nothing but a few animals who went out at night, just like you.
You felt better now that you were on the streets. More free, less frustrated. You breathed in and out, relishing in the crisp air. You noticed how you weren’t feeling at all tired, yet the signs of exhaustion were so clear. Half of your footsteps weren’t as coordinated as you ambled over the pavement. You felt groggy, your head sometimes spinning as you swayed a few steps left or right unwillingly – like a drunkard, except that you drank nothing at all. Occasionally you would see things from the corners of your eyes, movements that were nothing but hallucinations that came forth from your sleep deprived state. It was so clear that your mind was begging for sleep but you couldn’t provide. Not yet.
“Y/N? What a peculiar hour to be out in town.”
There was wonder and amusement in the familiar voice that greeted you. Lowering your pace, you turned around slowly in order not to trigger another wave of dizziness. You had recognized the voice, but your dazed mind needed to see the face it belonged to before a look of recognition crossed your features.
“Alhaitham,” you greeted back, failing to hide the surprise you felt upon finding the Akademiya’s Scribe behind you. “What are you doing here?”
“I had some business to attend to,” was all he explained.
You nodded. His answer was quite secretive, lacking any details. You had expected no less from Alhaitham, for secretive was one of the adjectives that described him best. Hence you didn’t pry, and simply offered the man a tired smile.
“I see.”
“May I ask what you are doing here?” Alhaitham inquired, his turquoise eyes searching your face as if he could find the answer there. It was probably true; the permanent bags under your eyes would inform him of your insomnia right away.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately,” you sighed. “So I often go out at night because I don't know what else to do.”
You used your hand to cover up a massive yawn that stretched your jaw. You were growing tired, finally, but now that you ran into Alhaitham, you suddenly had yet another reason to linger outside just a little longer.
“And you roam the streets until you feel tired enough to fall asleep?” the man guessed. “Are you aware that Sumeru City isn’t exactly the safest place to be at night?”
“Why?” you asked. “It’s guarded by the Eremites.”
Alhaitham remained silent, but the look that crossed his face painted a thousand words. You figured he wasn’t too fond of the desert dwellers and dropped the subject.
“It just looks pretty at night,” you mused. “It brings some peace to my pestered mind and it helps me grow drowsy enough to catch some sleep when the morning rolls around. Usually.”
The tall male hummed, as if he just thought of something.
“If you like Sumeru City that much, I might be able to show you something you haven’t seen before.”
Your curiosity was piqued. You lightly tilted your head to the side, eager to find out what he was talking about. Even though you were pretty exhausted, and possibly able to fall asleep if you were to try now, you refused to miss out on the opportunity this night suddenly bestowed upon you.
“Well, show me,” you said eagerly.
“It’s a bit of a walk,” Alhaitham warned you. “You look like you can barely stand straight.”
“I’m fine,” you reassured him. Dizzy, but fine.
“Good,” he commented. “Let’s go then.”
He briskly started walking, and you followed after him. He took you through the streets of the city you lived in. While you admired what you saw around you, he walked silently and resolutely and you sometimes struggled to keep up. No one spoke a word. A part of you was dying to talk to him, but you wouldn’t know what to say. Alhaitham was such an enigma, seemingly so far out of reach. You were surprised that you even had him in your orbit.
The man led you up the paved walkways that sloped upward alongside the giant tree in the center of the city. The gentle upward slope tired you, but you persevered out of sheer curiosity. Where was he taking you? Your legs protested as you went higher, but it was as if a magnetic force pulled you after him. He had to slow down significantly and the look on his face when he glanced over his shoulder to look at you gave away that he expected you to fall asleep any moment.
Despite your utter exhaustion, you eventually caught on to where you were going. The familiar pathway guided you to the grand academy of Sumeru. Your tired eyes widened.
“But the Akademiya grounds are prohibited at night,” you pointed out, coming to an abrupt halt. You gazed at Alhaitham questioningly.
“Not when I’m with you,” the Scribe replied. “I’m allowed to come and go as I please, and since I took you here, so are you.”
That made so much sense.
You nodded and followed the male again. It was strange to see the Akademiya so abandoned. Usually these pathways were crowded with students and scholars and the whole area just felt hollow without them. If it wasn’t for Alhaitham walking ahead of you, you would’ve gotten the chills. Still, you gazed around curiously. How often did you have the chance to roam here at night? It was a first for you. The tall building climbed higher and higher, tall and intimidating yet still beautiful in the dark. Even now, far past midnight, there was still light behind some of the windows. You weren’t at all surprised that even at this hour some people were still studying. It was Sumeru after all, the nation of wisdom. The people here were going far to gain more knowledge; pulling an all-nighter was merely one of the milder things they were willing to do.
“Archons, where are you taking me?” you murmured.
“You will see,” came the simple reply. “We’ll be there shortly.”
You climbed higher, and at some point you were dragging your feet. Continuous yawns pestered you, and the magnetic force that initially had pulled you swiftly after him had worn off. You had to take every step by yourself now, and you were starting to regret coming along. Just what was it that Alhaitham wanted to show you? Why did you have to cross the forbidden Akademiya grounds in order to get there? Curiosity was the only fire that fueled you to push onward.
“Look at me.” Alhaitham spoke as soon as you reached one of the upper balconies. You obliged, your bleary eyes resting upon his stoic face.
“And now I want you to slowly turn around.”
You did, turning on your feet ever so slowly. Afore you stretched out a wide panorama view on Sumeru City, under the vast and cloudy night sky. Your draw dropped in utter awe, for the sight was beautiful as it unfolded like a still canvas painting. It portrayed the empty town from a bird’s eye view, the darkness that blanketed the streets littered with stars that were the streetlights. Faint moonlight, peeking through the deck of clouds, brought a calm hue to the scenery, painting the rooftops a pale white as they reflected the illumination from the celestial body. It was a sight so tranquil, and the final bits of frustration left your being.
“This is…” was all you managed to bring out. You were rendered speechless, and it wasn’t only because you were dead tired.
Alhaitham came to stand next to you, his hands finding the intricate balustrade between you and the mighty long fall. His face was relaxed, free of the stoic mask he perpetually put on. He looked younger, more open, as his turquoise eyes gazed out over the city below. For a moment, you couldn’t keep your gaze off him, and he either didn’t notice or he deliberately ignored it. You pursed your lips to stop a smile from forming. Alhaitham was handsome, you quietly admitted to yourself, and the beautiful scenery ahead of you barely had anything on him.
“I wanted to take you here and show you the view,” he bluntly admitted. “I often come here when something is bothering me.”
He looked at you, and that was your cue to look away. Your heart skipped a beat, and suddenly you found yourself having a lot of questions. Why did he take you here, when it was basically his special place? Why was he so willing to spend these nightly hours with you? And the most prominent question of all, what was it between you and Alhaitham?
Strangers that ran into each other too often to be considered strangers. Still, you weren’t much more than that. You barely knew anything about him, just like he knew next to nothing about you. But somehow, you ended up in each other’s orbit, spinning around one another and unable to leave. This night was a prime example of how it always went. You found each other by mere coincidence, only to be rendered unable to simply walk away. So often did you end up together, but never before had it been in the vulnerable hour of the night.
It enhanced the air of mystery that hung around him, and the secretive man only looked more attractive. There was something about him that lured you in. Would it be the same for him? You couldn’t tell. His demeanor never gave away anything.
“So this is like your special place,” you guessed after staring in silence for a while. “It’s so peaceful up here. You surely know how to make the best of your authority to come up here at night.”
“Hm, I wouldn’t go as far as calling it special, but go ahead if that’s what you deem fit for this place,” Alhaitham commented.
“I would come up here a lot, if only I was allowed to be here,” you mumbled. “It’s the perfect spot to wind down on nights where insomnia takes the best of me.”
“I can take you here more often,” the Scribe offered, his tone as even as always. “If you don’t mind my company, of course. If you rather spend your nights in solitude, I’ll let you.”
“No, it’s fine,” you quickly urged. “I would love to.”
Alhaitham hummed, tearing his gaze away from the scenery to narrow his eyes at you.
“Now tell me, Y/N. Aren’t you tired?”
“Exhausted,” you tiredly smiled. “And you?”
“You shouldn’t be concerned about that,” the male dismissed. “Let’s get you back to your house. You look like you can pass out any moment.”
Honestly, you felt that way, too. Your knees felt wobbly, your sight blurred over more than once and the strange hallucinations hadn’t ceased – they just didn’t bother you anymore now that the Akademiya’s Scribe was with you. But you knew he was right. Your nightly expedition had served its purpose and you were more than ready to go to sleep. You’ve spent a couple of hours outside in the night, and especially the last hour or-so you spent on the upper balcony awakened bits and pieces of slumber within you.
Finally.
“But what if I’m concerned about that?” you countered.
“That’s a wasted worry,” Alhaitham concluded. “Let’s go.”
His hand landed on the small of your back to urge you to walk gently, and you would’ve freaked out by the sudden gesture if you hadn’t been so dead tired. Fortunately for you, the darkness did well in hiding the blush that flushed your cheeks, but you let it happen. Who were you to complain? Even though your entire body felt heavy, his gentle urge made you feel like you were afloat for a few steps.
But the rest of the way down was tedious, and you felt ashamed of yourself as you nearly tripped over your own feet multiple times. Alhaitham was patient, matching his pace to the way you ambled over the paved streets. Was it only patience that slowed him down, or was he tired as well? He had to be, right? It was after midnight for him just as much. Though he didn’t show any signs of fatigue as he walked a little ahead of you. Alhaitham was, once again, a mystery to you.
He walked you all the way back to your house. To you, it was a miracle how you even managed to get there in your tired daze. But you did it, feeling all too relieved now that you were in the vicinity of your bed.
“Catch some sleep,” Alhaitham said. “You look dead.”
“Gee, thanks,” you yawned. “You, too.”
The male quirked a brow, and you quickly corrected yourself.
“Go rest, I mean,” you brought out. “You don’t look dead.”
“Of course I don’t,” he agreed. “Goodnight, Y/N. Until next time.”
The male offered you a curt nod before he turned around and walked away from you. You watched his back for a moment, considering to call after him to bid him goodnight as well. But you knew your neighbors wouldn’t quite appreciate that, so you remained quiet, taking the key from your pocket and unlocking your front door. Oh, as much as you liked your nightly expedition with Alhaitham, you were glad to finally be home. You stumbled inside, shrugging off your coat and slipping out of your shoes before you wandered into your bedroom.
Utterly tired out as you were, you collapsed onto your bed and buried yourself on your duvet. Your mind slowly went still, shutting down until only a pair of turquoise eyes occupied your mental images. You smiled, silently thanking Alhaitham for the pleasant night he had brought you.
➳ cw. fluff, established relationship, this turned sappy lol, modern au, maybe alhaitham is a bit ooc here
your bookstore crush? more like your bookstore boyfriend [14.11.2022]
[part one + part two]
@yukina-otome you asked for a tag so here it is!
content under the cut | masterlist
The days you spent working at the bookstore always went by swiftly and rapidly, and you found yourself enjoying every minute of it. Sorting books, talking to customers and seeing them leave satisfied with their purchase, interacting with your handsome co-worker – who you happened to be dating, all in an environment you loved a lot. You grew to adore the little bookstore on the corner of the street all over again.
So why leave when the day of labor was over?
At some point, a few weeks ago, the two of you lingered in the store until long after Alhaitham switched the sign on the door from open to closed. Choosing a dark corner, obscured from sight by the tall bookshelves and cozied up by the dimmed lights, you sat for at least two hours, talking quietly and enjoying each other’s company.
And that grew into a habit.
You never did anything in particular. You and Alhaitham simply closed down the store for the day and retreated to your favorite spot, where an old sofa stood against the wall for people who felt like reading while they were in the store. It was that sofa where you cuddled for the first time, where you had your first kiss, where he allowed you to be so close to him in the most peaceful way possible. You loved the little corner of the store, and it was such a nice spot to wind down together after a few hours of work. After all, it was your spot, of you and Alhaitham.
“What a day,” you sighed, gently sitting down next to your boyfriend. “I don’t say this often, but I’ve had enough books for today. I’ve spent three hours moving around that new batch of fantasy novels and I’m still not entirely done yet.”
Okay, you weren’t one to complain often, but those were a lot of books and you had to move them around all by yourself since today had been filled with customers. Alhaitham simply had been too busy to help you out. You didn’t mind, nor did you hold it against him, but you had to blow off some steam.
“I wish I could’ve lent you a hand, Y/N,” Alhaitham replied earnestly. “I’m not sure why it was so particularly busy today.”
“It’s fine,” you reassured him. “That only means that the store is proving to be a success, right? That’s a good thing.”
“That might be so, but I don’t want you to overwork yourself,” the male reasoned. He offered you a stern look. “Maybe my father should hire someone extra. I have a roommate who can use some money so maybe I can get him a job here.”
“Maybe,” you muttered, pulling your knees to your chest and leaning against Alhaitham with a tired sigh. Okay, you were cooked, but you weren’t too sure if finding an extra employer would make you any happier. You loved working with Alhaitham only. It made the bookstore feel quite intimate, as if it was something between you, and you didn’t want to throw that away.
Alhaitham watched your expression turn sour as your thoughts progressed, but he said nothing regarding it; it wasn’t that hard to guess what was on your mind and now that he thought about it, he found himself agreeing with you. He didn’t want anyone to get in the way of what you had going on in the little bookstore.
“Just don’t overwork yourself, okay? That’d be troublesome,” he said, slowly draping his arm over your shoulders and pulling you a little closer against himself.
“Aww, look at you caring about me,” you cooed, getting cozy against him. “You must really like me.”
“Y/N, we’ve been dating for two months,” the male with silver hair deadpanned. “Of course I really like you.”
He gave you a look and you grinned.
“It’s cute to hear you say it out loud.”
“Apologies, I assume I don’t do so enough,” Alhaitham admitted.
You gazed at him for a moment. His turquoise eyes rested on you solemnly and his expression was as serious as always, but the dimmed lighting made his hair look absolutely fluffy and the male looked softer than ever before. You smiled giddily. He was handsome and adorable!
“That’s okay,” you smiled. “That only makes it more meaningful when you actually say it.”
And it really was okay. Alhaitham was a quiet lover, far from being over the top about it. His love language was subtle, without caps lock and exclamation marks. Having Alhaitham love you brought you a way more mellow side of him, yet it was still so skillfully hidden under his stoic mask. Your days were filled with stolen glances, and his turquoise gaze would grow softer every time his eyes locked with yours. Your days were filled with compliments and sweet nothings hidden in deadpanned remarks that may sound like sarcasm but were heartfelt and sincere – you knew him well enough to know. And then there was the way he loved having you near him, either with your hand snuggly in his or to have you cuddled against him on the sofa – while he pretended to be totally unaffected and that was the biggest lie because he adored every second of your presence.
Would you ever fully break through his stoic facade? You had no idea, but you didn’t mind either way. You loved Alhaitham the way he was, just like the way he loved you. Blunt, serious, unfazed, secretly a tease sometimes, a sucker for dried Zaytun peaches. That was your Alhaitham.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” the male questioned after a while.
You snapped from your thoughts, blinking a few times before regaining your composure after being shaken from your little daze. You shot him a sheepish grin; you got caught.
“Because you’re handsome,” you bluntly said, shifting on the sofa so that you were facing him. “Do you know how much I like you?”
“Judging from the heart-eyes you have when you look at me? A lot,” Alhaitham guessed. “Y/N, I hope you’re also aware of how much I like you.”
“Hmmm,” you hummed teasingly. “I don’t know. Unlike you, I’m not an academic genius.”
“I don’t think either of us needs a degree in how much we like each other,” the male with silver hair reasoned dryly. “As I mentioned before, I like you a lot.”
He spoke in all seriousness, and that was one of the many things you liked about him. He was earnest and serious, blunt and bold. He was also very serious about you and he didn’t beat around the bush when he told you so. The way he looked at you so solemnly made your heart swell.
“Oh, I think I already got that degree the moment I saw you,” you added to the joke, before turning serious. “I don’t think I can like someone as much as I like you.”
Why were the two of you turning so… sappy? Maybe it was simply because both of you were tired after a long day. and the fair share of boldness you adopted from Alhaitham was also playing its part. Usually it wasn’t like that. Most of the time you sat against Alhaitham as he was reading a book, often talking but never like this despite dating for two months already. But you liked it. You liked this sort of conversation with him.
“You speak big words, Y/N,” your boyfriend pointed out.
“I mean it, though,” you swore. “I’m as serious as you are.”
“Nice try, but you’ll never be as serious as I am.” Alhaitham gently flicked your forehead before turning away and grabbing the book that lay on the armrest of the sofa. But you saw it; the rare little smile that rested on his lips as he did so.
Silence followed, in which Alhaitham grew immersed in his book and you rested against him comfortably, thinking about the words that still lingered in the air. Your conclusion? Alhaitham was down bad for you in his own way, but you were so just as much.
your triumphant declaration echoes down the hall and alhaitham, taking it as a signal that you would like to share the good news with someone, makes his way over, a freshly brewed cup of coffee in hand.
when he peeks into the study, a distant throbbing pain in his head resurfaces. the sight of the study is horrendous. there are loose papers littered across the room, stained, week-old cups of tea and coffee pushed to the sides, garbage and empty water bottles thrown haphazardly in the corner—this is exactly why he much prefers that you study in the library and not at home. but you, somehow, look even worse. your hair is practically a bird’s nest, a few fold back clips holding up some of the strands, your eyebags are the shade of charcoal and your eyes, behind greasy lenses, are bloodshot.
upon sensing his presence, you look up with a slightly crazed expression. he wonders when was the last time you slept.
“i’ve done it, alhaitham,” you rasp, as though you haven’t had water for days.
alhaitham leans against the doorway, refusing to come in, and takes a sip from his coffee. “what did you accomplish?”
I was lucky enough to even be near the people at the Akademiya, to be able to spend time in their presence. These scholars were people the likes of which I could never reach, with minds and abilities beyond what I could even comprehend. All I did was clean up after them (which I had to go through a lot of screenings to be able to land), but here I was, longing to know one of them even more.
I stumbled upon ur blog and ahh love ur writting i wad thinking maybe if ur requests are open that u could write a lil smth IF UR FREE OFCI
was thinking scaramouche x reader argument (angst to fluff :the ansgt shouldnt be brutal bc i dont hsndle it well)
Or if ur not comfy writting that u could doo
Scaramouche x reader scara accidentally confesses to reader??
Dont overwork urself and remember to eat <3
Hello hello!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my work! I’m sorry for taking so long to get to this, however I hope it’s worth the wait!! And yes, all of my work is free ♡︎ My only goal is to spread the love for the genshin bois ^^. And absolutely!! Hurt/Comfort is my favorite genre ever ～! I’ll do the first scenario to test my abilities!
SCARAMOUCHE :
“Why … why did you leave?” A raspy voice cracked with every syllable spoken, a deep rooted anger daring to be brought fourth to the surface. Despite the calm and calculating facade he constantly wore as a means of deception, Scaramouche was as fragile as the glass that decorated the walls around you.
Such a beautiful glow under the light … yet when doused in darkness they amount to nothing.
“I couldn’t just stay here.” You replied, your tone stern, yet sympathetic to the pain the ex-harbinger before you must be feeling. After all, you did something you said you never would, even if it was just for a moment.
“You said you would stay right here. What was so important that you break your word? Don’t you know what would be done to you if the fatui found you, fool?”
Scaramouche ground every word past clenched teeth, not bothering to hide his irritation in the slightest. No, not for you. Not now.
“I …” You paused, deciding your course of action carefully. Though you were sure he would calm down if you fabricated some far off excuse for leaving the area, you were sure he’d be far more furious if he found out your lie.
His narrowed eyes bore holes into your skull, daring you to speak another word.
“I couldn’t leave them to die.” You spoke softly, a defeated sigh escaping your lips.
“There was a child … they weren’t far from here, but they were injured. They must have been separated from their parents while they were on a hunting trip or something.”
As you remembered the child’s crying face, you couldn’t help but sink your teeth into your bottom lip. They reminded them of you when you were young. So weak and helpless …
“I went out to heal them and sent them towards the nearest settlement. I didn’t think I would take as long as I did.”
You weren’t sure how well he would take your admission, especially since Scaramouche wasn’t quite yet tuned to the caring nature of humanity. Or at least not from what he’s known.
For a moment, all there was between you was silence. His eyes were covered by the shade of his hair, making it impossible to infer what he must have been feeling at that moment.
“So, that was it huh?” He chuckled lowly, after what felt like a millennia. “Saving some pathetic child?”
“Yes.” You replied, unmoving from where you stood as a testament to your resolve. “Do you have a problem with that?”
He didn’t reply, or at least not verbally. No, instead you were met with the feeling of arms wrapping around your torso, pulling you into an embrace.
“Of course you’d do something as stupid as that … don’t scare me like that again. Understand Y/N?”
You couldn’t help but smile at the display, a rosy hue reaching the tips of your cheeks as you wrapped your arms around him in return, resting your head in the crook of his neck.
The Fine Line: Act I (masterlist)
Background Information + Hypothesis
Pairing: Al-Haitham x Reader
Warnings: none in this part
Word Count: 2.1k
A/N: sooo i'm finding that writing for al-haitham is rather fun lol
I. Background Information
Grand scribe Al-Haitham is positive he hates you. There is no other possible reason for the jumble of thoughts that fill his head whenever he sees you or when he hears your name in conversation. He's a rational man, and rationality is telling him that he dislikes you. You’re simply an acquaintance of his, an old friend from his days as a student at the Akademiya who somehow wormed their way into his life and refused to let go. He can’t imagine why you keep trying to pull him to all sorts of events. From open Akademiya lectures to showing up at his place claiming to have been invited by Kaveh to join them for dinner. He ignores the way his roommate makes sly comments under his breath about how you’re both rather close. No, Al-Haitham is positive that he hates you.
Why else would he hesitate when having to reach out to you, his hand hovering when he has to knock on your door to your office with an extra pastry from your favourite bakery in your hand. It’s not like he can’t not be aware of how much you adore this bakery.
You had dragged him to it on their opening day when you were both still students. Your lecture had been released early, and without giving him a chance to make the excuse that he needed to return home to study, you had already looped one arm through his, unaware of the blush that had risen on his cheeks as you forced him to try all the cute desserts.
So when he goes to your office now, it's courtesy, he tells himself, to be bringing you this snack solely because he happened to be passing by the bakery. And it's not because he wants to see the way your eyes light up and you mumble out a thank you while excitedly taking a bite.
He clears his throat as he places a folder on the table, already filled with notes taken from library books and whatever material you could get your hands on within the House of Daena. Embossed in gold with the symbol of the Akademiya staring up at the ceiling, he doesn’t bother to match your excitement when he informs you that your joint project had been approved by the Akademiya. It was petty work, having to speak to the sages about the project that you had approached him with: investigating one of the ancient languages of the desert.
If he had it his way, Al-Haitham would have tackled the project himself, conducting extensive in person research and analyzing the data alone, without help, because that was what he did best, working alone. Yet he couldn't find himself turning you away with a door to your face when you had come to his office just as he was about to leave for the day. He had taken in your tired eyes and drooping shoulders, paired the lackluster greeting you had given him and decided that he could be late to his weekly roommate dinner. (He won't admit he missed the way you would usually say his name with a warm smile).
“The sages will trust your judgement more than mine.” You had sighed, mumbling a string of unflattering words about the Grand Sage himself as Al-Haitham stared at you in amusement. He wasn’t going to lie and say he was relishing in the fact that you had to come to him for help. That didn’t mean he really wanted to conduct this research. He worked best alone, and yet, a small part of him felt some sort of thrill rush through him at the prospect of working with you. More importantly, he disliked the frown on your features.
“Finally admitting that I’m a better scholar?” He couldn’t help but tease you. Despite the tired look on your face, you still managed to scrunch up your face in annoyance and poke at his chest.
“I’m simply taking advantage of my resources.” You replied snarkily, “You happen to be on good terms with them. And as I am your oldest friend, you’ll help me, right?” He can hear the uncertainty in your tone even if you’ve done a wonderful job at masking most of it.
You hadn’t given him a chance to reply, softly adding, “Please.” Al-Haitham stared at you. One moment, you were ready to tease him and indulge in mindless banter, the next you let him see the waver in your confidence.
Hence he found himself talking to the sages and pulling strings in the background just so he could place one folder on your desk. He tells himself that it’s just him giving back for all the times you’ve put up with his sarcastic comments and crude remarks. You’re a brilliant researcher, there’s no doubt about it, so perhaps there’s a little piece inside him that’s simply curious to see your research process. But by all means, that doesn’t mean he’s excited to work with you.
“You did it!” Al-Haitham nearly flinches at the way you practically throw yourself forward, eyes flickering jumping between the folder and his crossed arms. The small vase of dried flowers teeters dangerously at the edge and the Scribe has half a mind to chide you for not being careful. He lets his eyes linger on the dried flowers for a second longer than he intends to, noting that it’s the same one he had given you during your first day officially working at the Akademiya. It had been a gag gift, the Scribe bluntly saying how he was considering getting you real flowers as a welcome gift, but had been reminded that you couldn’t keep plants alive. Of course he wasn’t actually planning to get you flowers, but still, his point stood. Instead, he relished in the offended expression that came across your face as you grumbled about tossing away his “stupid and unwanted” gift. Yet here it is, sitting at the corner of your desk. He shakes himself from his thoughts and goes to open his mouth to speak but you’ve already launched into your thought out plan for carrying out research.
“—and we can conduct data collection together! We haven’t done that since we were students in that one hundred person lecture, do you remember that?” Al-Haitham wants to roll his eyes, tuning out your mindless chapter as he flips the folder open to look at the packet of pages that make up your project proposal. On the front page, printed in neat typing is both yours and his names, side by side, separated by a tiny cursive-like figure. His lips tug up. It looks quite nice, doesn’t it?
He comes to the conclusion that he doesn't hate you then. He simply finds you annoying. (For now.)
II. Hypothesis
He's sure it’s that same feeling of annoyance when you burst into his office a month later, greeting him warmly as you place a cup of warm coffee on his desk. He doesn't need to take a sip to know it's his favourite, after all, you've never failed to bring him his favourite drink during your weekly meetings. Weekly meetings for research he reminds himself quickly, for a research project that the two of you have been working collaboratively on. Once a week, you find yourself walking through the quiet Akademiya, a bag hanging from your shoulders as you navigate the large building to the double-door office with a plaque reading “Scribe Al-Haitham” at the front. His office is large, much larger than your own, yet minimalistically decorated and you make the quiet assumption that it’s solely because Al-Haitham has no sense of interior decorum and can’t be bothered to make his office feel more homely. You’ve never failed to point it out, commenting that his office reminds you of Grand Sage Azar. And with every backhand comment you give him, paired with that teasing smile of yours, Al-Haitham levels you with an unamused look. Yet he can’t help but wonder, he isn’t that uptight, is he?
“I was reading through some books that Kaveh had let me borrow and came across some information about an ancient temple, which last time it’s been researched, is half buried in the sand!” You’re rather enthusiastic about something in the desert, and while Al-Haitham can’t quite understand why, he finds that he likes the way your eyes light up at the prospect of going on an expedition. He watches as you laugh to yourself about certain findings, filling his usually quiet office with chatter whilst you pull items out of your bag and place them on his desk.
So perhaps he finds he doesn't mind your presence in his office. You brighten up his space, always barging in at a time where he’s already hard at work. Perhaps ‘barging in’ isn’t the right term. He’s well aware of what time it is whenever you walk in, but he likes to believe that you always arrange these meetings at times when you know he has things to do. That doesn’t mean he won’t pause from his work 5 minutes before you’re scheduled to waltz in and ensure his office is clean. It’s so you won’t complain, he tells himself. Nothing more, nothing less.
He thinks you’re still annoying of course, already talking about that most recent finding with this sparkle in your eyes that he can't help but get lost in. You’re speaking so excitedly, hands moving around as you explain the conclusion you had come to. You laugh under your breath when you stumble over your words and his heart skips. No, he curses himself, that was simply a reaction to you not letting him speak. But he doesn't interrupt you.
"Are you listening to me?" You sound almost offended as you lean forward, one hand splayed out on his desk as you narrow your eyes, searching his face for any sign that he might be feeling ill. It’s unlike Al-Haitham to be so distracted, and since the moment you started talking, you couldn't help but notice his blank stare fixed on you. You’re not even that close to him and yet he freezes. he can see the way your eyes shift and that cute little furrow of your brows when you hold his stare. He needs distance, quickly.
He scoffs and shifts in his seat, "Of course I am. You were talking about a new conclusion. I hope you've written it down so we can go over it again. The next time we go to the desert we can verify the information too." You roll your eyes at his words, pulling away and Al-Haitham feels like he can breathe again. You fall into the chair across from him, pulling our books from your bag and laying them out in front of him. Pages flip by as you thumb through pages full of mixed handwriting, shared notes passed between the two of you. It’s easy to determine who’s written what, with his typical neat handwriting and yours ranging from pretty practiced letters to sharp scrawls when you come across something exciting. Your voice blankets over him, and he finds himself distracted with simply hearing your voice, rather than what you actually have to say.
“—so if we explore this area first, it’ll set us up on a direct path for a quick expedition.” You circle a location on the map with the pen in your hand, drawing Al-Haitham’s attention to the desk. His gaze drifts from where you point on the map to the bracelet wrapped around your wrist. It’s not usual for many in Sumeru to wear jewelry, but it’s the sight of this bracelet in particular that holds his attention. Glinting back at him is a beaded bracelet of noctilucous jade that pokes out from beneath your sleeves. He wants to scowl at the sight of it yet it retains his gaze longer than he would like to admit. It was a birthday gift from his roommate the year prior, and Al-Haitham remembers the way you had excitedly wrapped your arms around Kaveh in gratitude for his thoughtfulness. But if his roommate was more perceptive, he would’ve known that cor lapis compliments you better.
“Does that sound good to you?” You tilt your head slightly, nervous eyes betraying the confidence in your tone. Al-Haitham curses himself for getting distracted. He clears his throat and leans back in his chair, pretending to be considering your words even when he has no idea what you’ve just said. Regardless, he has no doubt in his mind that you’ve been able to come up with a solid plan.
“Yes, of course it does.” He meets your eyes and hesitates before speaking again. “I’m surprised you managed to come up with this.” He expects you to scoff and tell him off, yet instead you grin brightly at him and lean closer once more.
“There’s more to me than you think!”
Archons, you’re going to be the death of him.
reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! <3
A/N: sooo how are we feeling about al-haitham :)) sexy cocky prideful man makes me want to strangle him and kiss him at the same time
also if you want to be tagged in "the fine line" send me an ask!
Hey all!! My blog may be a little slow for the next week or so because of an excess amount of exams comin’ up 😵💫 I’ll try to get to requests and the such when I can, it’ll just take some time! Thank you all for your patience ♡︎
Pairing: Kaeya, Ayato, Zhongli, Alhaitham x (gn!) Reader [separate]
Tags: Fluff, slight awkwardness in Alhaitham's part, Kaeya is a menace /pos
A/N: Happy Halloween! *wipes sweat off forehead* I actually managed to finish this in time (it's still the 31st here, so it counts!).
KAEYA
You sat at your work desk, trying to get through some important paperwork before the Knights of Favonius annual motto party later. This year's motto was 'masquerade ball'. Amber came up with the idea for it this year and everyone agreed to it. It certainly fitted the mystery surrounding the gloomy fall season and you already looked forward to it.
"Always the busy bee, I see.", you heard the familiar sultry voice of the Cavalry Captain resound through your office.
“Mhm, gotta get this done before the ball later because otherwise I won’t be able to get any of it done tomorrow.”, you replied as you continued to fill out the papers in front of you, just giving Kaeya a short glance. The real reason for that was that you couldn’t manage to look him in the eyes without becoming incredibly flustered, so you just acted terribly busy instead.
Kaeya walked over to your desk and leaned on it, grabbing something that was lying on the shelf behind you.
“Ooh, fancy. You have quite the taste I must admit!”
You wondered what he was talking about this time and turned around with a slightly playful eyeroll, until you saw what he had grabbed.
“Hey! Give that back!”, you protested and tried to snatch you mask for tonight out of his hand before he held it out of your reach. “Kaeya! Man, now I have to get a new one before tonight as well since it says in the invitation that no one is supposed to see them prior.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem, sweetheart. I’ll be on guard duty tonight, so sadly no anonymous makeout session for me.”, he playfully pouted.
“Oh come on! I know you’re not one to make out at a public event like that. You don’t have it in you”, you teased.
“Oho, well would you look at that. Being all cocky. I’ll show you. I’ll manage to get a kiss from someone and if I do you, hmm - you do my paperwork for a week. If you manage to get a kiss, I'll do yours.”
“Pft. Deal.”, you agreed with him and yanked your mask out of his hands again. "I'm not going to lose, Mr. Alberich. Plan some overtime already." There was no way in Celestia you would lose this. You knew that he had this flirty, extroverted exterior but you had seen right through that fast, he was quite the opposite. So you were sure he wouldn't just let himself be kissed anyone. Although the thought of him being kissed by someone else made a hint of jealousy flare up in your chest. But you couldn't back out of this now without making it blatantly obvious that you were interested in him. Besides, he was on guard duty anyway so you had more chances than he would.
Later that night you arrived at the venue, all dressed up and your face hidden by your mask. As you entered you were surprised that you didn't even recognize a single person right away. Everyone had done their job well, and most had even gone as far as to cover their hair with a veil or hood.
You slowly walked over to the bar, thinking that getting some dandelion wine into your system would surely help with your mission tonight. The good thing about this whole ordeal with the masks was that no matter who you'd end up kissing, they'd have no idea who you were and vice versa. Would definitely avoid awkward run-ins in the city later.
You ordered a drink and sat down at the bar, slowly sipping it while looking around the room. Kaeya had mentioned he was on guard duty tonight but you hadn’t seen him anywhere yet. At least he hadn’t been at the entrance when you arrived.
“This is for you.” The barkeep suddenly appeared in front of you again, sliding you another drink.
“I didn’t order anything new yet?”, you remarked in confusion.
“This kind sir wanted to buy you a drink.” The barkeep just nodded his head to the side in reply. Following the direction he indicated, you spotted a man at the bar in a white suit with a blue mask covering his face and a hood pulled over his head. As soon as he caught you looking over at him he raised his own glass and smiled sheepishly. You returned the smile and nodded at him to thank him for the drink, as you used the opportunity to check him out a little; and you had to admit, it made you curious who was below that mask.
You downed a couple of drinks in silence, wordlessly communicating with the mysterious man until he started approaching you and stretched out a hand.
“Would you allow me a dance?”, the masked man asked; and for some reason, he seemed so familiar, yet you couldn’t place where you knew him from. You gently placed your hand in his letting him lead you to the dancefloor where he pulled you closer and gently placed a hand on the small of your back. If you had to make a wild guess, your opportunity to steal a kiss tonight just increased by a tenfold.
You looked up at the man who slow-danced with you to the gentle harp music that filled the air and teasingly bit down on your lip. You were honestly surprised about your own boldness but blamed the alcohol in your system for that, since it had made you slightly tipsy. You crossed your arms behind his neck and pulled him a little closer. He nudged your chin up with one of his gloved fingers as he brought his face down to yours, a smirk showing below his 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔.
“May I?”, he whispered against your lips.
But you didn’t even bother to reply as you took it into your own hands and closed the gap between your lips. You shut your eyes and pressed your lips against his soft ones, melting into the kiss and continuing to move in unison to the slow rhythm of the harp music playing in the background.
“Hmm.”, he hummed, a sly smirk forming around his lips as he leaned his forehead against yours. “I guess that’s me taking the win then since I got kissed. To imagine I would’ve been so nice and would’ve handed the win to you. Prepare for some overtime, sweetheart.”
You startled at his words, trying to piece together what he had just said to you until everything started to fall into place.
“Kaeya?!”
“Bingo!”
“I thought you were on guard duty?!”
“Hmm, yeah I remember telling you something like that. Evil tongues would claim I said that on purpose to set you up after I saw what your 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔 looked like. And evil tongues would also say I did that on purpose, because I’ve been meaning to kiss you for so long already.”
The way he spoke became softer and softer with every word he ushered, again closing the distance between your faces. You could feel your heartbeat quicken as you saw his star-shaped pupil peek through the holes of his 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔, confirming his identity once and for all. His breath fanned over your lips once more as he took your chin in between his thumb and index finger, making the butterflies in your stomach flutter about wildly.
AYATO
“Mhm.”, you just hummed in agreement, staring at him in slight annoyance.
“Judging by the lack of anything covering your face I presume you’re the one who is to be wed?”
“Yup.”, you sighed.
“May I offer you something to drink? I brought another one for you.”, he said and held out the glass for you to grab. You complied and thanked him for the drink as he stepped a little closer, leaning on the railing next to you in silence. For the first time this evening, the presence of another person didn’t feel suffocating and even pleasant. It was incredible how some stranger could make you feel better pretty much instantly, especially giving the circumstances of the evening.
“Thank you.. for the drink.”, you said after a moment of silence.
“My pleasure.”, he nodded, leaving you to your thoughts once more. You were surprised how he was the first person you’ve run into who didn’t want to pry into your thoughts, mood, or feelings.
“What bring you here?”, you decided to ask after a while.
“Same as you. Fleeing the scene. I can leave if my presence happens to bother you?”
“No, not at all actually. I find it quite comforting to know someone isn’t just around me because of who I am and in order to gain favors.”
“Does that happen a lot?”, he inquired, stepping a little closer to you, elegantly leaning his hip against the railing to be able to face you.
“A lot? Even saying all the time would be an understatement at this point.”, your voice dropped to a frustrated whisper. Your gaze wandered over to the windows that presented the scene of the brightly lit ballroom that was filled with a huge crowd of nobles from all across Teyvat. “I hate this… all of it. I don’t want to get married to one of them. Each and every one of them is worse than the other. Just putting on a good face to win favors for their own gain. I detest this lifestyle. Just knowing my soon-to-be husband is in there somewhere, probably bootlicking my father, makes me want to throw up.”, you scoffed.
He remained silent, listening to your vent and just lending you his ear to help you lift off these stones that had been weighing down your chest all evening.
“You know, I was invited, too. So you indirectly refer to me as one of them as well.”, he remarked with an amused undertone in his voice, pointing in the direction of the ballroom.
“No. I can’t describe how but you seem different, just like me... Honestly? You might be the first person I’ve ever felt comfortable around on occasions like these.”
“Well, I appreciate the compliment.”
Your heart suddenly grew heavy as you looked upon the stranger by your side again. You could have fallen in love with someone like him and lived your life how you wanted, but thanks to your status that freedom would never be granted to you.
“I’d rather marry you on a whim and run away than whatever kind of arrogant noble is waiting for me inside.”, you whispered in a way it was almost inaudible but he caught it nonetheless. He huffed in amusement, took another sip from his drink, and closed his eyes, seemingly pondering on something.
“I’m sure you and him will be more alike than you think.”, he remarked after a while with a soft but playful smile around his lips.
“Do you know him?”
“You could say I do.”
ZHONGLI
“I got you a date for the masquerade ball tonight!”, Hu Tao cheered as she stormed into your store.
“Wait, wait, wait! Hold on, you got me a what?!”, you asked in disbelief.
“A date, doofus!”
“And why would you do that?”
You knew Hu Tao was a character but that she would actually go so far as to actually organize a date for you was... baffling.
“Well, you’ve been going on about how you’d like to go to the ball all week and whined that you had no one to go with, so, I took matters into my own hands.”
“And who am I going with then?”
“Hehe, you’ll see.”, she chuckled, winking at you before storming out of your store again. “He is going to pick you up at 7! Later!”
This woman was unbelievable. Needless to say, you closed your store a little earlier today to get ready for the ball and to mentally prepare yourself for your blind date. You had just gotten all dressed up, when you heard a knock on your door.
You felt your heart drumming against your chest as you went to open it and it even threatened to spontaneously combust as soon as you saw who was actually standing in front of it. It was none other than Zhongli, the Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and, what Hu Tao very much knew as well, your long-time crush. You didn’t know whether to thank her or curse her for this but the answer was probably lying somewhere in the middle.
“Good evening!”, Zhongli greeted and grabbed your hand to place a soft kiss on the back of your hand.
“Hi.”, you breathed out, almost too stunned to speak. You swore he looked even more handsome than usual. He was wearing his signature coat that was glistening almost magically under the light of the full moon.
“You look breathtaking dear.”, he complimented and held out his arm for you to take. “Shall we be off then?”
You nodded and linked your arms with his as you made your way to the venue. At first, you were nervous that you wouldn’t know what to talk about with him but it turned out that talking to him was quite easy. He seemed to be an endless fountain of knowledge and topics to talk about. Not a single moment had been awkward ever since he picked you up. You were sure you had fallen for him even more that night, and you were sure that wasn't even possible before tonight.
As you arrived at the venue a lot of people were already there and slow-dancing to the music.
“Are you ready?”, Zhongli asked, lovingly brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. You nodded at him and smiled widely as you donned your 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔s together.
You walked into the ballroom hand in hand, his gloved hand perfectly embracing yours, almost as if it was made for you, as you took in all the impressions of your surroundings. Slow music was playing, lots of delicious snacks were standing atop a buffet and waiters dashed all across the room, handing out drinks to people.
“Would you allow me this dance?”, Zhongli suddenly asked as he held up your hand and bowed down before you.
“It would be my pleasure.”
He led you to the dancefloor, pulling your flush against his chest, placing his hands on both sides of your hips slowly swaying your bodies to the rhythm of the music. You leaned your head against his chest, making out the faint drum of his heart through the fabric of his coat and inhaling his homely scent that reminded you of sandalwood and damp earth on a warm summer day.
“I’m sorry that Hu Tao forced you to accompany me to the ball tonight.”, you apologized. “I have to admit I was a bit embarrassed when she told me. It definitely wasn’t my idea.”, you tried to explain, feeling your cheeks heat up under his amber gaze.
“Oh, do not trouble yourself with that, dear. In fact, it was me who proposed it to her.”
“Y-you did?!”, you stammered in surprise and looked up to scan his face for the truth.
“I did and I hope I won’t scare you off when I tell you that I’ve been meaning to ask you out for a while already. I couldn't let this golden opportunity pass.”
A soft smile played around his lips and you could feel his grip tighten a bit more around your hips. You returned the smile and locked your arms behind his neck, feeling your heartbeat quicken as you did.
“I’m very happy to hear that Zhongli. I can assure you that I feel similar.”, you shyly whispered and looked down to the ground. You were secretly thankful for the 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔 covering your face which hid your flustered state from him. He lifted one of his gloved hands to your chin and lifted it up, making you look into his eyes behind his 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔.
“May I kiss you?”, he whispered against your lips as he closed the distance between your faces.
“You may.”, you managed to reply before you could already feel his lips uniting with yours tenderly. His hand cupped your cheek gently and he rubbed soft circles over it with his thumb as he continued to gently sway you to the rhythm of the music.
“I would like to repeat this in the future if you’d allow me.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
ALHAITHAM
“How do I look?”, you asked, nervously pulling and picking around on your outfit.
“Stop being so nervous. You look stunning!”, your best friend replied. She had been the one who had the idea to come here today. The Akademia was organizing a masquerade ball in celebration of the graduation this semester. You didn’t want to go at first because you heard Alhaitham wouldn’t come here today, but your friend basically forced you to, so now you were here.
“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”
“Well… yes!”
“Stop it and enjoy yourself tonight! At least try… please?”, she grabbed your hands and squeezed them tightly. You hesitantly nodded and we're promptly pulled inside by her.
“See, was that so hard? Now then, let’s enjoy ourselves!”
She spun around on her heel and danced off into the crowd. You tried to hurry after her but lost her faster than the eyes could see. Just great, you thought to yourself. Not you not only did you not want to be here, but you also immediately lost the person who made you come here in the first place.
You walked around the room like a headless chicken for a while, hoping you’d find your friend again but you knew her; once she was off somewhere, she was gone for the night. This left you with the only option of trying to find something to occupy yourself with on your own.
You spotted a group of comfy-looking benches outside next to some patio heaters. And the best part was that in that corner was also the table with the drinks and snacks.
You grabbed some of the snacks and plopped down on one of the benches, exhaling in annoyance. This was going to be a long evening.
“Am I correct in the assumption that it is equally unpleasant for you to be here as it is for me?”, a voice from your right asserted. As your gaze followed the direction it was coming from, you spotted a tall man with a turquoise-green 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔 and a light-grey suit with matching ornaments. He was seated on the bench next to yours and was unamusedly sipped on his drink. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but he seemed extremely familiar for some strange reason.
“Yeah well, my friend forced me to come here tonight when I could be neck-deep in some research instead now. As you can see, I lost her and now I’m here.”
“Sounds familiar.”, he hummed. “Which Darshan do you belong to if you don't mind me asking?”
“Oh, uhm– Haravatat. I am working on translating an ancient rune text we found recently and progress has unfortunately been rather stagnant lately. So, yeah… I’m probably making a fool out of myself in front of the other scholars already. Especially the Grand Scribe… Alhaitham, you’ve probably heard of him?”
“You could say we’ve met. Why would you think you’re making a fool out of yourself?”, he asked in genuine curiosity.
“Well, I’m absolutely horrible when it comes to presenting stuff and I start stuttering like an idiot and whenever I talk about my findings with the Scribe he just looks at my papers with strict scrutiny… and he never really says anything positive, he usually just points out my mistakes and… uh– forgive me, I’m talking too much again.”, you apologized and waved it off in embarrassment, scratching the back of your neck.
“Hm. Why do you care so much about what he thinks?”, he inquired. Should you pour your heart out to some random stranger who probably doesn’t even care about your love struggles? Could be a horrible idea, but at the same time, maybe it would help to open up about it to someone who isn’t involved in it.
“Well, uh– this is kind of embarrassing but would it be weird if I said I value him beyond working together?”
“What do you mean?”
“I–I really like him and have had this massive crush on him for a long time now and I value his opinion above anyone else’s. I don’t want to seem like the dumbest idiot in the entire Haravatat Darshan to him.”
The silence that followed your rambling was almost deafening and you immediately felt embarrassed for opening up. He probably didn’t want to hear any of what you just dumped on him. Of course he wouldn’t know what to reply to that. You must look absolutely pathetic.
“There you are!!”, you heard the familiar voice of your friend ring in your ears as she rushed towards you, slinging her arms around your neck in a clumsy hug. She was already a little tipsy and seemingly had the time of her life. “I’ve been looking for you! You were gone all of a sudden and then I ran into someone and we kinda… had some drinks and we both lost our friends.”, she giggled.
“Yeah a few too many drinks, it seems.”, you replied looking at the guy who trailed not too far behind her. He was a tall blonde wearing a white shirt with a red cape hanging down his shoulders. A 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔 that matched the rest of his attire was covering his face.
“Kaveh, this is my friend.”, she introduced you. “I think you two would get along well.”
Before anyone could speak further you saw the man you had been talking to until just a minute ago stand up from the bench beside you in order to leave. You were still a bit embarrassed that he didn’t even say anything anymore after you had dumped all that on him.
“Alhaitham?! You’re here, too! What a coincidence.”, Kaveh suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Making just said man you poured your heart out to a minute ago, halt in his tracks. Oh archons, no.
“I’ve been looking for you!” Kaveh walked over to him patting his shoulder. You were sure your worst nightmare had just come true. He wasn’t supposed to be here tonight but it turns out his friend also dragged him here.
“Mhm.”, Alhaitham hummed and you saw him looking your way seeing how a dust of pink decorated his cheeks below his 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔.
“Since we’re all together here, Alhaitham this is…”
“We’ve talked already. We’re in the same Darshan.”, he interrupted Kaveh.
You jumped up in shock, unsure whether you should run away, and drop out of the Akademia right away in order to prevent further embarrassment or not.
“Oh, splendid!”, Kaveh cheered. “Let's head back inside everyone.”
Your friend and Kaveh rushed off together again as you stood there, your feet feeling like they were cemented to the ground. You opened your mouth in order to apologize for what you unknowingly had said to Alhaitham before, but he beat you to it.
“I’m sorry for making you feel like a fool about your research. It was never my intention. In fact, what you’ve achieved so far is quite remarkable and I've always attempted to make you achieve even more and better results... And I also think I'd like to talk about your... other interests in me.”
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