↣ good to know; read rules before requesting. my blog is mainly sfw, but can contain suggestive, triggering or dark topics, so if you’re a minor, beware of that. posts will always be tagged with that content.
↣ currently working on;
asks :)
↣ future fics;
diluc x reader; reader tries to navigate their feelings for diluc, while being best friends with kaeya; modern au
tighnari x reader; reader can heal others by taking on the pain themselves; canon setting
↣ tags;
#fics ; all my fics
#anon chats ; chatting, feedback, etc. basically, any asks that aren’t requests.
#aether rambles ; anything that’s not related to writing.
#aether’s modern genshin au ; anything to do with my modern au.
i’ll tag [character] x readers, but for anything that doesn’t involve a reader, i’ll just tag the characters individually.
ur dad zhongli fics are so cute 😭😭 I’d love to see xiao in an older brother role
under a watchful eye
- in your time living with zhongli, you've met all the adepti, except for one; xiao. unbeknownst to you, he was never as far away as you thought.
characters: xiao & reader
a/n: thank you so much! they’re fun and pretty comforting to write, so I'm glad you guys enjoy them. this one is about how xiao meets the reader in this au. i have another fic about him as well which will hopefully be done soon. i put this in the same ‘canon’ setting where zhongli is a father figure, so xiao is still an adepti and all that. feel free to request again if you had something else in mind.
warnings: descriptions of injury, grumpy xiao, the reader is implied to be in their mid/late teens, visionless reader.
You’re no stranger to the rules of the wilderness, or in other words, the code of conduct for traversing any area outside of cities and settlements. Ambushes are common, even on the larger roads connecting Liyue with Mondstadt. Even so, they’re usually the result of a startled pack of monsters attacking, or planned by the Treasure Hoarders when specific goods are being transported. Generally, not a concern to your average traveler, so long as you’ve got your basic survival instinct in check. Even the Fatui don’t bother to harass lone travelers passing by.
However, it’s when you stray off the roads that those rules, or rather, tips, come in useful. You remember Madam Ping’s words as clear as day;
“Always be aware. Is the buzzing you hear from a bee, or is it closer to the whizzing of a cicin? Is the distant clanging from the nearby house, or is it a ruin guard closing in on you? Is the change in temperature normal for the area, or is it the first warning sign of Whopperflower?”
To her relief, you’ve always taken the words to heart, even if trouble somehow still seems to find you. Normally, you manage just fine, with a few scratches and a disapproving glance from Baizhu to show for it, but nothing more than that. At the same time, you normally travel with companions. This time around, you’re alone. You’re alone, and curiosity got the best of you when you accidentally stumbled into that clearing, in the hills and mountains behind the harbor. The old ruin hunter in front of you set off alarms at first, but within the past minute it hasn’t moved, nor made a sound, and the rust and moss covering it is a clear indicator that the machine is dead and gone. From what you know about the various Khaenri’ahn war machines wandering around, it should have reacted to your presence by now. Against your better judgment, you decide to step closer. Most of these machines are left to rot, or collected by academics, so it’s not often that you get to look at one.
Still, you’re not stupid. You approach the machine with caution, and give the area a good look before kneeling down to investigate. You were right; it’s been powered off for a while, and as you move one of the blades, you notice that it’s quite small.
“Right…it’s rare to see a small ruin hunter that still works these days” You mumble to yourself, wiping your thumb across the wing where the serial number should be. It takes some effort to get the dirt and moss off, and eventually you settle for using a small cloth from your pocket.
Your eyes narrow to get a good look at the number, and you mumble to yourself.
“Fo-118…”
Your voice trails off; an odd whirring sound, quickly increasing in intensity, stops you dead in your tracks. It’s not coming from the ruin hunter you’re looking at, but from somewhere behind you, and as you lift up a hand, you see that it’s bathed in red light, partly interrupted by the shade your head provides. It begins to blink, and your reflexes kick in.
Within a second you lunge to the side and collide with a wall, feeling a sharp pain flash across your entire skull as your head hits the wall as well. You do your best to ignore it, curling up to protect your ears and face. The ground in front of you shakes, and a flurry of dirt and metal splinters rains down on you. The blast rings in your ears, painfully so, and you scramble into a sitting position as soon as the downpour of small debris stops.
You blink; the ruin hunter you were studying mere moments ago is blown to bits, and there’s a large dent in the ground in front of it. Precisely where you were sitting. A shiver runs down your spine. Your ears are still ringing, and your head is pounding, but as some of your senses return, so does the whirring sound. It draws your attention to the source, and panic finally takes hold of you.
attention to the source, and panic finally takes hold of you.
Somehow - and you’d be beating yourself over the head due to your own stupidity, if you weren’t in dire straits - you’d missed another ruin hunter, hidden in the bushes on the opposite side of the clearing. Well disguised, and probably only alerted when you first sat down to investigate. Once again, the target appears on your back, and you decide that your best option is to dodge it once again, as hiding behind a tree could be a death wish.
With bated breath, you turn around and wait for the machine to send another laser after you. It blinks, settling its target directly on your chest, and you count down in your head…
Three…Two…One…
The blast never comes. A flash of green comes barreling towards the machine, and it collapses on the ground from the seemingly fatal impact. It all happens too fast; your instincts take over, and you leap, dodging the nonexistent blast. With a thud, you land on the ground next to the rubble of the smaller ruin hunter.
Your eyes close for a brief moment, and upon realizing that you’re no longer in immediate danger, you try to calm your heart that’s frantically beating away in your chest. The adrenaline and fear are both still present, but they slowly begin to fizzle out, allowing you to take in your surroundings.
The attacking ruin grader lies on the ground, twitching; its eye moves quickly, and the runes around it switch on and off in an unstable pattern. The same unintelligible sound leaves it over and over again, and you figure that it’s an error code. You almost feel bad for it. Almost.
A spear is then jammed into the eye, and the machine stills completely.
Slowly, your gaze flickers to the owner of the weapon. A…relatively short man, with a pretty distinct appearance, face hidden by a mask. He yanks the spear out in one swift move, before turning to you. The mask is pulled off, and golden irises meet your own in a narrowed gaze. A sense of familiarity washes over you, though you’re not sure why… you’re certain that you’ve never seen the man before.
He seems to hesitate before taking a step towards you, and you feel your heartbeat pick up a bit again. You’re not entirely calm yet, and this man did just take down a ruin hunter in one move.
To your surprise, he seems to sense your fear. He stops, settling for staring at you as you push yourself up from the ground to sit. Despite being alert, you figure that he isn’t a danger to you at the moment, so you allow yourself to break eye contact. Instead, your gaze flickers to the mask that is now hanging at his side, and a lightbulb goes on in your head.
That’s a Yaksha mask.
The man in front of you is none other than Xiao, the adeptus that Zhongli and Madame Ping have mentioned on endless occasions, but never elaborated on. You figured that you’d never get to see him, much less speak to him, but now, here he is, right in front of you. The fear dissipates and is instead replaced by intrigue.
“You’re…Xiao, right?”
Seeing that you’ve let your guard down - and that you’re not bleeding to death - he lets out an exasperated sigh.
“Foolish human…” He mutters. His voice is raspier than you expected.
You don’t say a word; he seems annoyed, but if there’s one thing you’ve learned from regularly mingling with adepti, it’s that they’re difficult to read. Though some of them may look human, they’re far from it; you can’t really judge them, or their emotions, by human standards.
“...It’s nice to finally meet you?” You say the first thing that comes to mind, testing the waters. He sends you a sharp look in response and crosses his arms.
“Are you hurt?”
You shake your head in response. Too soon, though.; Xiao’s words seem to remind your body and brain of what just occurred, and the pain hits you all at once. You weren’t directly hit, but debris still lodged itself into your left arm in the aftermath of the blast. Your knees are scratched up, and bruises are forming in multiple places. Worst of all though, the adrenaline is no longer there to remedy the pounding in your head. You reach up a hand to touch the area.
It hurts; it hurts a lot.
“...Don’t lie to me. You’re injured.” Xiao mutters, voice softer than before, when he reaches you. He crouches down, eyes scanning your body as they narrow once more. He’s no doctor, but he can see the telltale signs of a head injury, on top of all the other things.
“Move your hand.” He commands, though the stern voice is a sharp contrast to the way he softly pushes down your hand. He looks at your head, but sighs, realizing it’s not much use. Concern laces his words as he speaks.
“...I need to take you to Bubu Pharmacy, but…you are too injured to be teleported, and as you don’t have a vision, the consequences could be greater. We’ll have to go by foot.” He concludes, before reaching out a hand to pull you up. You take it, slowly getting to your feet, yet again trying to ignore the pain.
Xiao looks into your eyes again.
“Can you walk?”
You nod, taking a step to test it. Wobbly, but not impossible. Xiao seems conflicted for a moment, wondering whether he should just carry you, but as you insist on walking by yourself he settles for trailing you, very closely.
It’s silent for a while. You figure that he’s not one for making friendly conversation, at least that’s what you’ve heard. Still, you have questions - and somehow they’re at the forefront of your mind, right next to the splitting headache.
“How’d you know I was in trouble?” You ask, voice slightly strained. He doesn’t answer.
“Were you just passing by?”
Still no luck.
“Did Madame Ping send you?”
He spares you a single glance - but nothing more.
“Was it Zhongli who sent you?”
Xiao sighs, and as he looks at you again, you wonder if the frown on his face is permanent. Or if you’re just extraordinarily annoying.
“Must you mortals ask so many questions?” He shoots back, though unlike the exasperated voice you were expecting, he just sounds worried.
“I mean it’s pretty convenient that you found me just as that thing was about to blast me to the depths of the chasm. I’m curious…do you adepti have some shared telepathic sixth sense? Or something?” You ask, trying to lighten the mood a bit. It earns you a scoff.
“The ‘sixth sense’ you refer to is commonly known as intuition or survival instinct, something most living beings should possess.” He answers, giving you a pointed glare at the last remark. You ignore it; He’s talking, and that’s what matters.
Xiao lets out a quiet groan when you don’t say anything.
“...If you must know…I follow you when you leave the harbor, if I don't have more pressing matters.” He explains, and though he doesn’t exactly seem flustered, his eyes don’t meet yours. You let out a small ‘Oh’ in response, and he hums.
A moment passes before you speak again.
“Wait…so you’ve been nearby this entire time?” You exclaim, but immediately regret it as pain shoots through your head from how loud your own voice is. Xiao looks at you as you wince, complaining under your breath. You take his silence as an answer.
“Well, I never saw you, so I thought you were cooped up in Juyeun Karst, avoiding everyone” You mumble, rubbing the bruise on your head. Xiao lets out an exasperated sigh.
“Foolish child, how would I protect your people from demons if I stayed in Juyeun Karst? They do not dare to cross that threshold.” He explains, looking at you as if you had asked about the color of a silk flower. A truly idiotic question, that is.
“...Right. Cloud Retainer did mention that you never visit, heh…”
Xiao looks at the sky, and you wonder just how badly he wants to roll his eyes at the moment. Yet, you don’t sense even an ounce of anger coming from him. You decide that it’s safe to continue pressing the matter.
“So did Zhongli ask you to be my personal bodyguard? Didn’t realize I was that important” You joke, amused at the thought, though Xiao nearly stops in his tracks, expression morphing into a slightly irked one. His response is immediate, voice as stern as it was before.
“Do not speak poorly of your own worth. There are people who care about you.” He commands, eyes nearly piercing through your skull. You blink, slightly shocked at his change in demeanor.
“...I was just kidding, I'm sorry…” Stumbling over your words as you explain, you bow your head for a moment. He shakes his head before looking at the road ahead of him.
“...The humor of mortals is beyond me. Do not joke about that again.” He grumbles and continues walking. You nod, mumbling a quiet ‘right’, and he merely nods his head in response. The two of you continue, an awkward silence filling the air between you. Xiao occasionally looks at you, assessing how you’re feeling, and you pretend to not see it.
He sighs again.
“...Zhongli did not ask me to follow you. Neither did Madame Ping. I did it on my own accord.” He suddenly speaks up, and you snap your head towards him. His gaze flicks away from yours.
“...Then why didn’t you show yourself? I mean, it sounds like you’ve been doing this for a while…” You ask, and he seems to consider whether he should reply or not.
His gaze flickers for a moment, before landing back on yours, and a frown settles on his face. His eyes, on the other hand…a look of solemn resentment fills them, and his mind is somewhere else for a moment. Somewhere else entirely.
“...There is a burden that only I must carry, though the consequences of it affect those around me. For other Adepti and Archons, the effect is laughable, while those with visions possess an increased resistance. Ordinary mortals suffer under it.” He explains, though the last sentence is spoken as if it were a dark omen. A pit of dread forms in your stomach from his chilling tone of voice. Ordinary mortal…that would be you.
Xiao doesn’t say anything, simply letting the words sink in. To his surprise, you don’t ask about the details of such an ailment; his explanation served as enough of a warning. Still, he’s curious - or rather, concerned - about your reaction to the truth. It takes you a minute, but you shrug it off. Any other time you might ask, or listen to that sense of dread…but the pain you’re in overpowers any semblance of fear you might have felt.
“...If it makes you feel better, the bruise on my head hurts a lot more than whatever you might be radiating” You mumble, sending him a reassuring smile. Or rather, your pained attempt at it. And for a second, you swear that you can see a smile tug at the corners of Xiao’s lips. It’s quickly replaced by an incredulous look, but you cherish that small flash of amusement from him.
“...You truly are a foolish child. Karmic debt is no joking matter.” He mumbles, though it’s unclear whether you were supposed to hear it or not. Either way, you don’t respond, and as the bridge to the harbor comes into view, you speed up a bit.
“Wait.” Xiao’s voice makes you stop in your tracks.
“...I cannot enter the city. I will take you to the bridge, and then you will ask a Millelith soldier to take you directly to Bubu Pharmacy. Understood?” He says, crossing his arms as he looks at you, that same stern look on his face again. You nod slowly.
“Good.”
A minute or so later, Xiao stops again to bid you farewell. He scans your body again, eyes lingering on your arm and head, before meeting your own.
“...Stay out of trouble.” He says, and opens his mouth to say something again, before quickly closing it. You nod, staying where you are with the hope that he’ll speak his mind…but he simply nods towards the bridge, before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. You huff in disappointment, but begin to make your way towards one of the soldiers stationed there. As much as you hate to admit it, you really do need to see Baizhu.
"...One more thing." Xiao’s voice makes you snap back around, so fast that you’re worried about toppling over. Thankfully, you don’t, though he doesn’t miss the uncertainty in your step. Your eyes meet his.
“If you ever require my help, call out my name. I’ll be there when you call.” He says, before disappearing into a flash of green.
You stare at the spot he was just standing in, mouth slightly agape. He’s gone like the wind. Even the grass he just stepped on remains unbent, swaying in the breeze as if he was never there.
Still, you smile, looking towards the mountain range in the distance.
can i request xiao with reader who cuddles plushies for comfort /as a coping mechanism :) (modern au)
very random i know 😭
plushies for comfort
characters: xiao x reader
a/n: I couldn't really think of a way to turn this into a full blown fic so headcanons it is! i assume you meant xiao in a relationship but you didn’t specify so i just made it kinda vague. consider this my...attempt at becoming comfortable with writing and posting again :)
warnings: none
At first, Xiao might give you a few odd looks for your extensive plushie collection, but it's all in good fun; he doesn’t actually care, and I don't mean that in a bad way, he just doesn’t see it as any of his business. You’re not hurting anyone, so why should he pay any mind to it?
He’s quite relieved to know that you like plushies, because he often struggles to think of gifts to give (or he overthinks it a bit). So you can expect a lot of plushies from him (he makes sure to not overdo it, though).
Xiao is definitely the person who offers to take you to Build-A-Bear for your birthday so you can choose everything about it.
Honestly, you might rub off on him. He’ll slowly start buying plushies for himself; not a ton, but you’ll start seeing a few around his room.
I can see him collecting ‘novelty’ plushies. Limited designs, handmade ones, merch from brands that don’t normally make toys. For him, they’re for aesthetics, but when it comes to you he makes sure to find designs that are actually comfortable to cuddle (and aren’t so fragile that they need to sit on a shelf).
Qiqi eventually catches on and begins to ask Xiao to bring you some plushies of hers. He tends to just put them back on Qiqi’s shelf, knowing that she’ll forget which plushie it is. But the sentiment makes him smile.
If you were to express any kind of insecurity about it, Xiao would be quick to correct you; He’s never understood people who find having plushies to be immature, and he’s generally of the conviction that, as long as it's not hurting anyone, it's not really other people’s business. Really, what do people even expect? That you’ll throw them all out once you reach a certain age?
If you’re ever having a bad day, he’ll just quietly sit with you while you cuddle your plushie, as long as you don’t mind. He’s pretty good at sensing when something is wrong with the people he cares about, so he just offers to listen and provide quiet comfort. And if you want him to, he’ll gladly join you in cuddling.
Overall, once Xiao realizes that you find genuine comfort in cuddling plushies, he makes a mental note to never really mention it in a way that you could perceive as negative. He’s just happy that you have a healthy way of coping with things, and he’d hate to be the cause of you stopping that. He’s not very expressive, and normally not super careful with his words, but he makes an effort for you.
Also, naming one of your plushies would be an honor for him, even though he’ll pretend it’s not.
FYI, I will try to make the next few works shorter than ones I've already written. Consistently posting and writing fics that are around 4000 words just isn't sustainable for me at the moment, if my accidental hiatus has taught me anything lol.
Hello ^_^ I hope your requests are still open, I also hope this ask isn't too vague ^^'. I would like to ask for an angst/comfort scenario (with happy end please) with Venti and his s/o. If possible something with that ominous upside-down statue of him. It gives me really bad vibes, if you know what I mean, like I have a feeling that it will affect him somehow later in the game.
great pretender
- loving an archon is never easy, and the reminder of this is always harsh
characters: venti x reader
a/n: thanks for your request! and requests are always open, unless otherwise stated in my pinned, so no worries. I'm so sorry for the wait. no excuses, just life happened.
warnings: y’all are kinda mean to each other but good ending! aether is the og best friend. ending is cheesy.
He was always good at pretending.
Pretending that everything was well. That he wasn’t hurting. That the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders didn’t affect him in the slightest. Pretending to be whatever people needed him to be. Pretending that he wasn’t affected by erosion, like so many others of his kind were. That he didn’t miss those lost to time. That he wasn’t so, so lonely.
For him, pretending was a tool of the trade; prancing around on stage, reciting tales of old and new, playing his lyre, all seemingly without a care in the world, yet with enough grace and dignity to honor the legends the tales were about. It never seemed hard for him; it never wore him down. Or so, he liked to pretend.
You used to joke that his theatrics, his mask that he so carefully maintained, belonged in one of the circuses of Fontaine, and he would laugh with you. You’d laugh together, and you’d half-heartedly remind him to take care of himself, and he’d tell you not to worry about him. It became a routine, though a short lived one. It didn’t take long for all your remarks to stop coming, the weight of the truth ingrained in them too heavy to bear. You saw how he had gotten weaker. How the breezes he once had conjured so easily now left him breathless, even more so when he tried to hide his frantic gasps for air. He’d grip your arm as if you were a lifeline, his one hope for survival - and yet, he’d wave you off with a smile the second you expressed any concern. Really, the only time he’d touch on the topic was whenever your face fell a little too far, and even then, his words of comfort didn’t reach you. Eventually, it became an unspoken rule; you didn’t bring up his worsening condition, and he made no attempts at reassuring you. You were thankful for that. You’d rather not see the look he had on his face when you snapped at him, ever again.
“If you’re going to tell me another white lie, I’d rather you don’t say anything at all.”
Something flashed in Venti’s eyes; surprise, hurt, maybe even a bit of fear. He hadn’t ever heard you snap at anyone like that, much less him, you realized. Exhaling, you crossed your arms and turned away from Venti, entire body tense.
To your surprise, he wasn't quick to reply. For once, he didn’t jump into a tedious explanation full of empty promises, and for a moment you wondered if you had finally gotten to him.
“...I’m sorry, love.”
You bit your lip in anger, both at him and yourself.
“...Hello? Anyone home?”
Aether raises an eyebrow at your lack of response, his outstretched hand wavering slightly, before he retracts it. Or, tries to; you yank the envelope from his grip, seemingly free from your daze. He rolls his eyes, and Paimon cocks her head to the side with a curious expression on her face.
“You seem out of it! Everything okay?” She asks with a smile, and you nod, mumbling something about being tired. Aether’s eyebrows furrow in concern.
“...Venti again?”
You nod in defeat, and Paimon’s expression morphs into one of annoyance. She hangs her head, exasperated.
“The tone-deaf bard? What did he do this time?!”
Weighing your options, you decide to spare yourself the trouble.
“Just causing trouble and expecting me to get him out of it again. Business as always.”
Paimon lets out a yell, following it up with various insults, as she floats about, punching the air in a comedic fashion. It earns you a few odd looks from passersby, but your attempts at making her quiet down falls on deaf ears.
Aether shakes his head, though you can’t tell if he’s amused or embarrassed. What you do know, is that he doesn’t believe your lie for one second - judging by the look he gives you, anyway.
‘it’s fine’, you mouth at him, and he rolls his eyes, but at least he spares you the remark that was about to roll off his tongue.
“Anyway - care to tell me what this is?” You ask, holding up the envelope.
Aether crosses his arms; “A commission, duh.”
You narrow your eyes at the blonde.
“Oh, thank you for enlightening me, it’s not like there’s a massive stamp from the Adventurers Guild on it or anything.” You spit out, voice dripping with sarcasm as you go on. Aether sighs dramatically, motioning for you to open the letter. You reluctantly do so, unfolding it gently - the seal has already been ripped open - and reading it.
To your surprise, the letter is short, asking for ‘The Traveler and their entourage-’ you suppress a laugh at the wording ‘-to report to the Adventurers Guild in Liyue Harbor for further details’.
You skim over the rest of it, but there isn’t much to read; there are no details of the commission itself, and you assume that there is a liability in passing on the details.
“Ironically, the lack of details makes me feel like this is more complicated than your average bounty.”
Aether nods, lost in thought.
“So, you in? Or am I going to have to erase your memory of this top-secret encounter?”
You let out a chuckle, handing back the envelope with a remark about his shitty choice of location for a 'top-secret encounter'. Nevertheless, you make your way towards Katheryne’s booth, rummaging through your bag to find your badge.
She smiles at you as you approach.
“Welcome! I presume you will be joining the Traveler?”
You nod.
“Yes, if possible.”
She turns around with a smile, and opens one of the many drawers in the back of the booth, humming gently as she skims through the names on the folders.
“Ah, there it is.” She mumbles, and soon enough, she’s flipping through your file.
“Your current commissions are not marked as time sensitive, so I will put them on hold for you and inform the employers.”
You smile. “Perfect. Thanks, Katheryne.”
“It’s no issue at all. I will just need your signature. Here,” She quickly makes a note in your folder and slides it towards you, along with her pen, and you jot down your signature with a small ‘thanks’.
“Then you’re good to go. Take care. Ad astra abyssosque!"
You repeat the words, and set off with a wave.
Back at the square, Aether is sitting on a bench, fiddling with his scarf - Paimon is nowhere to be found, you realize, but she has a tendency to disappear and then appear out of nowhere.
“Esteemed traveler, your entourage has returned!”
He looks up at you as you laugh, clearly unimpressed with your antics. Still, he smiles as he gets up.
“Anything you need to do before we set off?”
“Not really, I’ll stock up in Liyue anyway.”
He opens his mouth to ask another question, hesitating for a moment, but still continues.
“...No one you wanna say bye to? This commission could drag out for a while, we don’t know.”
You’re lost in thought for a moment. An uneasy feeling spreads in your stomach as you recall your last conversation with Venti, just two days prior, and you know Aether has a point.
Still, you shake your head.
“No, let’s just go. He ran off somewhere anyway - haven’t heard from him for two days.” The last part comes out more meek than you wanted it to, and you take a deep breath to steady yourself. Aether leans over slightly, trying to catch your gaze; his brows are still furrowed in concern, but he lets it go.
“Okay, if you’re sure…Paimon, we’re heading off!”
You didn’t regret your decision when you passed by the Winery, leaving Mondstadt. You didn’t regret it when you stopped at Wangshu Inn for a break, and Xiao asked you how Venti was doing. You didn’t regret it when you saw Liyue Harbor in the distance, and you didn’t regret it when you finally set off for the actual commission, although the involvement of the Abyss did trigger that uneasy feeling again. No, the regret came much later.
The ruins are quiet, save for the occasional rush of water, or something scurrying across the floor. Sometimes, all you hear is a soft dripping sound; soft enough to drive anyone insane after a prolonged amount of time. Unlike some of the underground caverns you’ve explored, the air is frigid. Paimon’s voice quivers as she comments on how cold it is, and uses it as an excuse to squish herself between the two of you, though you have a feeling that the cold isn’t her only issue with this place. It’s too quiet. Far too quiet.
You all make your way down, with Aether insisting that the two of you stay behind him; you complain, but one look from him makes you bite back your words. The three of you file down in a single line - something that proves to be a good idea, because soon enough, you enter what appears to be a chasm, stretching so far that you can’t see one end. 'You can’t see the bottom either', Paimon squeals, and you bite back a remark about how that should be the least of her worries. To your relief, the stone structures are still somewhat stable, so with appropriate caution, death by falling shouldn’t be a concern for you, either. The way down is also well-lit, mainly by the various elemental devices, and some rays of light coming from the cracks in the surface, far above you. It’s no torch, but it’s enough for you to see.
Not that there’s much to look at. It’s completely empty; not even a stray hilichurl is running about.
You occasionally hear some small rocks fall down from the surface, but you never see where they land.
Paimon follows suit behind both of you, occasionally gripping your shirt with a squeal when she hears something. It’s not the occasional noise that worries you, though; it’s the lack thereof. The entire cavern is suspiciously quiet. You realized it early on, and it's been bugging you ever since. You’re sure Aether noticed as well, though neither of you have mentioned it.
The three of you narrowly dodge the weird bubbles floating down the hall, and finally make it to a large staircase, with a door at the top. Aether glances at you, and you nod, preparing to summon your weapon if needed. You make your way up the stairs with caution, convinced that there'll be more than a few Abyss Mages awaiting your arrival.
In hindsight, if you could choose - you would rather fight off a horde of Abyssal creatures, if it meant that you wouldn’t have to see what you saw there.
It’s as if everything goes quiet for a second - and then, it unravels.
An indescribable feeling of dread hits you like a great wave the moment you climb the stairs; it’s as if every single nerve in your body is alert, your intuition screaming at you to run back to where you came from. It reminds you of how you felt back when you were narrowly dodging Stormterrors’ attacks, or when Osial appeared out of the ocean for the first time; but somehow much stronger.
You freeze; before, you were staring at the odd purple energy swirling around a structure, trying to make out what was behind it, but your attention is pulled away. There’s a figure at the far end of the room, right below the purple aura, curled up in an odd prayer-like position. Paimon lets go of your shirt and leans forward as Aether approaches cautiously, and you’re half tempted to tell them both to ditch the mission, feign an illness, anything. But, it’s as if your body betrays its own sense of danger; you trail behind the two, albeit slowly.
Paimon speaks, but you’re not paying attention; instead, you shuffle past the two, moving closer against your better judgment to inspect the figure.
You cut Paimon off, voice louder than anything you thought you could muster, though still quivering.
“Why have they not moved an inch since we entered the room?"
Aether is by your side in a few steps, examining the figure.His eyes widen briefly.
“...They’re not breathing.”
“Are they dead? Is the Grand Thief dead?!” Paimon yells, voice shrill as ever, and you suppress the urge to shush her.
“Dead, or under a spell. Considering we’re dealing with the Abyss, I hope it isn’t the latter.” You mutter.
Paimon doesn’t reply, and you don’t dwell on it. Instead, you speak up, voice loud and demanding.
“We need to get out. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the only other person we’ve seen here is dead, and there hasn’t been a single monster or Fatui member in here. It’s far too quiet.”
“But wouldn’t that mean that the Abyss has also abandoned this place?” Paimon wonders, and you shrug.
“That, or we’re being watched. Regardless, this could be a trap. We need to leave. Now.” You push yourself off the ground, briefly considering hauling the poor thief with you, but Aether interrupts you.
“I don’t think the Abyss has abandoned this ruin. Look up.” He mumbles, and you swear that you hear his voice quiver. Reluctantly, you listen.
From your position, you can see what’s behind the purple aura, which you now realize is concentrated in a mysterious orb. It’s not the orb Aether is looking at though, it’s the hands that are holding it – hands that belong to a Statue of the Seven, which is suspended upside-down, mid-air.
“Is that…A Statue of the Seven? from Mondstadt?” Paimon asks, voice faltering towards the end. Neither of you reply - both of your gazes are locked on the statue, both in morbid curiosity and fear. You hear Aether’s breathing pick up slightly, and you feel yours do the same. You realize that the origin of the disturbing feeling is the statue, or rather the orb.
The empty feeling in your chest only takes over when you see the defiled statue. Venti’s defiled statue.
Your breath stutters while you try to steady it, counting slowly as you breathe in and out. You’re not injured, thankfully, but the Abyss Herald did a number on you as you dodged his attacks. And that’s only the cherry on top of everything else you’ve encountered today.
Aether approaches your field of vision, and you see the man he was talking to - Dainsleif - cast a concerned glance your way.
You answer his question before he gets a chance to ask; “I’m fine, just a bit shaken up”
“You don’t look ‘just a bit shaken up’ to me, if i’m being honest.”
“Ever heard of a white lie, Aether?”
A smile pulls at the corners of his lips. He sits down on the grass in front of you, fiddling with a flower in his hand. He hesitates, but eventually wills himself to speak.
“You’re worried about Venti.”
It was more of a statement than a question, but you still nod.
“500 mora says that his rapid decrease in energy isn’t just because that Harbinger lady yanked his gnosis out.” You spit out, and scoff; it was intended to come out more lighthearted, but at that moment your words are dripping with venom.
“I’d rather not set myself up for failure here”
It’s quiet again. You close your eyes and listen to the rushing waterfall not far from you, while Aether gets lost in thought.
“It’s just ironic. You’d think that with an Archon of all beings, they would be the ones worrying for your health more, but with Venti and I it’s the complete opposite now. Instead of wondering about how much time he’ll have with me, I’m wondering how much time I'll have with him.”
“...Is it that bad? I saw him struggle on multiple occasions, but I didn’t think erosion set in that fast.”
“All I know is that he’ll lie through his teeth about it, until the day he dies, I’m sure.”
Aether inhales sharply, as an awkward silence fills the space between you two.
“Sorry.” You eventually mumble, but he brushes you off.
“It’s okay. You’re not the only one who’s got a few bones to pick with him about honesty”
“Or lack thereof” You quickly add, getting a chuckle out of him.
A sad smile spreads on your face.
To your joy, it doesn't take long for Aether to announce that he's heading back to Mondstadt to investigate with Dainsleif. The taller man apologizes for ‘hijacking’ your commission, but you reassure him that you have had more than your fair share of anything related to the Abyss.
“I need to speak to someone in Mondstadt anyway.”
As you approach Springvale, you begin to feel small drops fall on you, and one look at the sky confirms that it’ll start raining down in rivers soon. Paimon somehow tucks herself under Aether’s cape, and he sighs but does nothing to stop her. It only increases the further into Mondstadt you go, and as you approach the bridge to the city, Paimon threatens to ditch the little group if you don’t hurry up
“Actually, I think i’ll head to Windrise”
Paimons eyes nearly pop out of her head.
“Are you crazy? You’re gonna end up looking like a Hydro Slime dragged you into Cider Lake!”
You chuckle at the mental image but shake your head.
“I’ll see you all later. Don’t go and bring down the Abyss Order without me!”
“No promises!” Aether yells, and you roll your eyes, before turning and walking as fast as you can, trying not to slip in the mud.
Venti has always preferred to spend rainy days at Windrise, sitting on a branch in the tree and quietly watching. You've always assumed it's therapeutic for him. It's calming. Rain, being a natural phenomenon, remains unaffected by things such as erosion - it's one of the things that will always occur, regardless of how much time passes or how much civilization develops. You assume this is part of the reason why Venti loves it so much.
At first, disappointment fills you when you don’t see anyone - not even the crystal flies seem to be out, so you let out a sigh, deciding to rest there for a while anyway. The rain is heavy now, and the branches of the large tree provide good shelter at the trunk, so you close your eyes and lean against it. Soon enough, you slide down and hug your knees to your chest, leaning your chin against them. With a deep breath, you aching muscles finally relax a bit. Seems like Celestia has granted you a rare moment of peace; you just hope that thunder and lightning won’t accompany it.
With this, your thoughts begin to roam, as you try to process everything that has occurred in the past few days. The argument with Venti that was left hanging in the air…the trip to Liyue, and the commission…the dread you felt as you saw the dead body in the ruin, and then the statue…
Tears sting at your eyes, and you shake your head with a sniffle. You can cry later, you decide, and open your eyes, blinking rapidly. The stray tears on your cheeks are rubbed away and stain your sleeve, but you ignore it. Instead, your gaze falls to the roots around you; you’re sitting in a space between two larger ones, so big that they’re practically hiding your body from both sides; it makes you feel safe, almost.
Your eyes scan the roots, following them down to the statue, the field, and Mondstadt, which is now barely visible through the rain, as the sky and ground blends into one.
Your attention falls back to the statue, beyond the cluster of roots. The sense of serenity it used to bring has been polluted by the sight in the ruins. It brings back the pit in your stomach, and although it's less overpowering, it’s still noticeable. Like a shadow lurking behind you, slowly looming over you like the gray clouds above your head.
Fiddling with the grass to distract yourself, you spot a small dandelion, the ball of white fluff still fully intact. You pluck it, careful to keep it intact. A small prayer leaves your lips; it’s more out of habit than belief at this point, but you still close your eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. As you open them, you blow all the seeds off the dandelion, watching them scatter into the air.
“Y’know, instead of praying to me, you could just call my name.”
You snap your head up, searching for the origin of the voice. The area in front of you looks the same as before, so you tilt your head back, eyes scanning the branches.
Venti is perched on one of the lower ones, with one leg hanging off the branch, while he rests his chin against the knee of the other. Contrary to the lilt in his voice, the small smile on his face looks rather somber.
“Did I scare you? Sorry, dear.”
He clearly doesn’t expect an answer, thinking you’re still mad at him. You would be, but the anger from a few days ago has slowly dissipated since you left the ruins.
“How long have you been here?” You ask, so quietly that you worry he can’t hear it. Thankfully, he does.
“Hm, technically for the past 3 hours, but if it makes you feel better, I only moved to this branch when I thought I heard a prayer from over here - an awfully quiet one, at that.”
“Well, it’s not like I was expecting anyone to hear it.”
You assume he’s done testing the waters, because he promptly launches himself off the branch, landing rather gracefully on the ground. You nod when he glances at the root next to you, and he sits down, with his elbows on his thighs and head in his hands as he looks down at you.
“No offense, but that’s rather ridiculous, considering the tree you’re leaning up against. Not to mention the statue over there.” He nods towards it, before moving his gaze back to you.
“No offense, but the one who’s supposed to hear it doesn’t exactly have a great track record of listening to anyone.” You get out through gritted teeth; some of the anger still lingers, you assume, and sigh.
You force yourself to look up at him; the words clearly stung, and you feel a twinge of guilt, but say nothing.
“...You’re still mad, huh?”
Your shoulders fall, and you lean back against the trunk again.
“Did you think I wasn’t going to be?”
“Well, part of me hoped for that, but considering you got up and disappeared for a few days, I wasn’t expecting too much.”
Oh right. You nearly forgot about that.
“...That I am slightly sorry for. In my defense, you were gone as well. It’s not like I had time to search the entire region for you.” You mumble, and he shrugs in defeat.
“Touché.”
You’re both quiet for a bit, listening to the rain that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Venti wants to say something, you can feel that, but he never gets past glancing down at you.
“Aren’t you a bit cold, love?”
You shake your head. The spot you’ve chosen to sit in is surprisingly cozy, and warm for whatever reason. You make no comment at his awkward attempt at conversation.
“...I’m sorry.”
Your head snaps up towards him again, meeting his sad gaze. He looks genuinely apologetic, you notice, but it’s not enough. If anything, it stirs the anger once more.
“Y’know, coming from you, those words don’t really hold a lot of meaning anymore.” You mumble. You’re being mean, you know that; you see the way he winces at your words, and how he’s at a loss of his own. Most importantly, you know that he does mean it. It’s just not enough anymore. Those words don’t hold the same weight they once did.
There’s a long pause, and then you hear a shaky sigh.
“...I know I’ve messed up, and I keep doing it, and I need to put a stop to it, and I’m sorry, but I just don’t know what to say or do anymore. I’ve been horrible, I know, and I feel even worse knowing that it took you leaving without a trace for me to truly realize it, but I don’t know what to do! How can I make this better? Please.” His voice quivers, and it stings, but you hold your ground.
Or try to, anyway.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No,” You whisper; a sound so meek that the rain drowns it out. Slight panic fills you when Venti moves, so you reach for his hand, grasping it. You clutch it tight, as if that could ever stop him from disappearing into thin air if he wished to do so; thankfully, he doesn’t. Instead, he mirrors your action, twisting his hand in your grip to intertwine his fingers with your own. He wastes no time in sliding off the root he was sitting on, and down to wrap his arms around you in an embrace. You return the favor - arms shaking too much for your liking, as you bury your head in his chest.
You don’t cry - your voice comes out quivering, interrupted by sniffles that you later insist are due to the cold - but you don’t cry. At least, not until after you explain what occurred in the ruins; the dread, the ambience, the lack of living beings…down to the treasure hoarder, and finally, the statue. The words spill past your lips like an avalanche, moving too rapidly for you to even process what you’re saying, and before you know it, stray tears are spilling with them.
You don’t miss Venti’s sharp inhale at the description of the statue, nor the way his hold on you gets all the more stronger.
Voice quivering, you continue; “I…I don’t know how to fix this.”
He’s quick to answer, almost cutting you off.
“You don’t need to.” His voice is surprisingly stern, though a tinge of fear seeps through.
“Something has to be done, I don’t want you to go and die on me because the damn Abyss Order decided to pick you as some weird puppet in their scheme-” Anger rushes through you as you almost cry out, though it fades into nothing when Venti’s hands find their way to your face, holding it softly and rubbing his thumbs across your cheeks. He gently nudges your head up, and away from his chest, and before you can protest, he rests his forehead against yours, still drawing soft patterns on your cheeks.
“Shhh. It’s okay. I’m okay…just breathe.” It’s almost a whisper, but a gentle one. For a moment, you close your eyes, and do as he says.
“I just don’t know what to do,” You whisper, opening your eyes once more.
“Neither do I, love. Neither do i.” He mutters, half-lidded gaze focused on you. Moments later, you see his lips curl into a soft smile - barely noticeable, but a smile nevertheless.
You sniffle, and send him an odd look.
“...This could have horrible implications, and you’re smiling?”
He leans back a bit with a small ‘heh’, and rubs some tears away from your cheeks, before letting go. Still, being the affectionate person he is, his hands move to grasp your own again.
“No. I’m just happy that instead of being clueless alone, I’m clueless with you.”
You let out a strained giggle of sorts, and he sighs.
“That was…a bit too cheesy” He mutters, and you nod in agreement.
“Still,” he moves closer again, “it’s true. I’m not going to lie, this is…unsettling, to say the least. And while I hate that this is weighing you down, I know it’ll be easier to deal with together.”
You mirror his smile, but it falters quickly. Venti sees right through it, anyway.
“...You’re still worried, aren’t you?”
You nod.
“...I’ve just never heard of this happening. First they corrupt Stormterror, then an old God is reawakened…how do we know this is something that can even be dealt with?”
He shushes you again.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve faced something that seemed impossible to overcome, y’know? Sure, my strength isn’t what it used to be. But for now, I’m okay.”
Something stings behind your eyes again, and you try to blink it away while nodding. Venti reaches up to clear away your tears again.
“We’re both okay, and that’s what matters for now.”
Hey y'all! Here's a very late happy New Year to all of you. And also, an apology for the accidental hiatus. After New Years, I got busy with additional school courses, uni applications, and just life in general. I've got a few requests almost ready to go, I just need to feel...a bit better about them I guess. Perfectionist things, lol. I've been in a writing slump as well, so I'm just trying to get back into it.
Requests are still open, but please keep in mind I've got some sitting there for...probably more than a month now, so replies are slow. And to those who sent requests in a while ago - I'm super sorry for the wait, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten you!
one; love stained notes, love stained heart [diluc x reader]
- with midterms fast approaching, and sophomore year being in full session, your crush from last year was the last thing on your mind; until your friend heizou took it upon himself to create a chance encounter, leaving you with a crumpled note, butterflies in your stomach, and guilt weighing on your heart.
link to series masterlist
characters: diluc x reader, ft. kaeya, childe & heizou
wordcount: ~4800
a/n: the first part of my short diluc x reader series. see series masterlist for overall warnings and practical info.
warnings: exam anxiety, horrible nicknames, shitty flirting, suggestive (not really, but I'll put that here just in case).
Teyvat University was truly a sight to see during October, with the various markets, festivals, and halloween decorations being put up both around the school, but also the rest of the city. Unfortunately for most of the student body, the same month consisted of a myriad of assignments and practice exams, not to mention the start of many club activities. With midterms fast approaching, you were one of the many students who had spent the majority of October with their heads buried in the books, both in and out of class. The distant corner of the library quickly became your temporary home, with half-empty paper cups, crumpled papers, gum packets, and an endless flow of books always in your peripheral vision. Most days blended into one, and you were just about ready to switch your major, but the promise of autumn break, festivals and parties kept you afloat.
Or, that’s what you were telling yourself, at least.
Saturday, October 15th, 13:25
Your train of thought, or rather, lack thereof, was interrupted by a loud groan coming from the man next to you. Heizou had stopped paying attention a while ago, or so you assumed, judging by the way he was unceremoniously flipping the same two pages back and forth. He stopped, and leaned back in his chair to stretch, before retying his hair for the nth time that hour.
“Wanna go over the schools of criminology again?” It was accompanied by a smile, but the strain in his voice was obvious.
You let out a whine, and he chuckled in response.
“Hm, we can also go over life-course theory again, statistics on biological factors, some case studies…” Heizou continued to list various topics spanning your classes, each one less appealing than the last. Truth be told, your brain was swimming with numbers, locations and terms already, and you just wanted to go home and doze off to some ghibli movies. And despite his supposed enthusiasm, your partner didn’t appear to be in a much better state, either.
“Heizou, if i have to list any more principles today, I might just vomit.”
Another snort left him, accompanied by a wink.
“Come on, it’s only…” He glanced towards the clock on the wall with a smirk, but his face visibly fell a second later.
“...only 13:30. Great.” It came out as a shaky whisper, and you smiled. It made you feel a bit better that even the resident detective genius, Heizou himself, was overwhelmed by the workload.
“Man alive, todays really dragging out…”
“Psh, yeah.”
You sat in silence for a moment, until Heizou perked up, slamming his laptop shut a second later.
“Alright, pack up, we’re going” His books and papers were shoved into his satchel not long after, and he began ushering you out of the library while you were still trying to organize your bag.
“Where?”
“Out. I don’t think my brain can take another analysis today”
A satisfied smile crossed your face.
The coffee shop was abnormally quiet for a Wednesday afternoon, but you weren’t complaining. Save for the bar stools in front of the windows, and some smaller tables, it was relatively empty. After ordering, you and Heizou shuffled into one of the window booths in the back of the cafe.
Heizou flopped down on the table and immediately began whining; “All this studying, and then our midterms only last a week… who knew that second year would already be this stressful?!”
“Shhh! Does everyone in the cafe need to know that?”
He looked up, sending a wink your way.
“Why of course, they ought to know about our great misfortu-”
He was interrupted by a small ding coming from your phone, and snatched it away before you could look. A smirk spread on his face when you crossed your arms with a glare, and with a roll of your eyes, you sank further into the plush seat.
With a quirked eyebrow, Heizou's gaze moved to the door behind you, and you barely managed to catch your phone when he threw it back to you. One glance down to the screen had you considering hurling, as the icon with the familiar blue mop of hair popped up.
ice ice baby - 14:12
Look up, sweetcheeks ;)
Yuck.
You briefly considered ignoring the message, but Heizou had already crossed the floor, fully engaged in a conversation with the blue-haired drama queen - who just so happened to be your best friend - so you reluctantly slid out of your seat.
Kaeya met you with a wide smile and a ruffle of your hair; which you attempted to reciprocate, but he ducked out of your way.
“I really hope you’re not using me as a training dummy for potential pick up lines, because this shit would have half the girls on campus running away while screaming.”
“Good afternoon to you too. What about the other half?”
“Pepper spray.”
Heizou chuckled at your reply, and Kaeya's smile turned smug as his voice lowered a bit.
“Well, what about the guys, then?” The shit eating grin erupted into a laugh when you hit his shoulder lightly, but a yell of his name interrupted the two of you.
“Kaeya, would you please stop harassing my customers?”
Startled, you all turned towards the owner of the exasperated voice. Kaeya’s chest rose with a sigh, and he walked towards the desk before apologizing profusely, though judging by his tone, he didn’t mean a word of it. You looked up, ready to apologize, but stopped in your tracks, surprised. You didn't see anyone other than the young barista, whom you recognized as a literature student, earlier, while ordering your drinks.
She was occupied at the other end of the desk; a light smile crossed her face at the scene in front of her. You realized that her previous spot was taken by none other than Kaeya’s brother, Diluc. His red hair was tied back into a high ponytail, messy bangs framing his face. He wasn’t wearing the signature uniform, you noted, due to the lack of apron, and his tucked-in dress shirt was black, rather than the usual beige. With crossed arms, he was glaring at Kaeya, two cups in front of him.
You felt a light nudge at your side, and slowly made eye contact with Heizou, whose gaze was darting between you and the redhead in a comical fashion. He smirked, failing miserably at wiggling his eyebrows, and you could feel how badly he wanted to let out a wolf-whistle.
"Ain't that the guy you've been fancying since last year?" A quiet 'ow' followed as you elbowed him in the side.
“Oh, shut the hell up - since when does he work here?” You whispered, gaze still set on the two brothers.
Heizou shrugged; “No clue, though I've seen him around before. You really didn’t know?.” He gave you a quizzical look when you shook your head, before turning your attention back to the two brothers. Kaeya was busy calling Diluc various iterations of mood-killer, and you briefly considered offering to find a Thesaurus for him. Unfortunately, you weren’t close enough with Diluc to make a joke like that, and honestly you did feel quite guilty for possibly disrupting his work.
Seemingly done berating each other, the two turned their attention back to you and Heizou. Diluc grabbed one of the cups with a sigh, and began to pour in steamed milk in a careful pattern, finishing off the design with a flick.
He shot another glare at Kaeya; “Are you going to order anything or are you just here to procrastinate?”
“Hm, why not both?” Your friend paused briefly, but decided to cut his losses, and turned towards the female barista with a sigh.
“Millie, could I bother you to take my order?”
She turned with a smile and a small ‘yea, sure’, and Kaeya trudged towards the other end of the bar. Diluc turned with a sigh, arranging the two cups on a board.
He cleared his throat, voice much more pleasant than before;
“Anyway - medium chai latte and a medium latte for…” He glanced down at the names, then back up again “...Heizou and Y/N?”
“That’s us!” Heizou sprung forward with a smile, receiving the board that was pushed towards him.
“Quite the commotion we made back there, apologies for that” he continued, but Diluc just shook his head, handing him the receipt.
“Nothing we’re not used to - just Kaeya being, well, Kaeya.”
Heizou nodded with a smile, and you all pretended to miss the glare that was definitely sent your way from the man in question. You smiled up at the redhead as well - ready to head back to the booth, but of course Heizou wasn’t going to let you go that easy.
“Oh, look, I think we’ve found the man behind the mystery!” He exclaimed after looking down at your latte, though only loud enough for the three of you to hear. You resisted the urge to facepalm, as Diluc's eyebrows raised slightly.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, it’s just the latte art you made - the swan, you see, Y/N has always liked how it looks, they’ve even tried to copy it-” He sounded innocuous enough, but you knew better; this was Heizou, after all. He and Kaeya had many things in common, one of them being how much they enjoyed watching you squirm.
“Alright, that’s enough details, partner” You nearly spat out, but swore that Diluc’s lips quirked into a small smile at your flustered state.
“Come on, I’m just making conversation! Besides, you did spend an awful amount of time trying to learn how to do it…”
“Heizou” You hissed, and he broke into laughter.
“Alright, alright…it’s true though!” The last part was directed at an amused Diluc, who was leaning slightly over the counter by then. Heizou snatched the board and sped towards your booth, leaving you behind to cower in on yourself. Still, you got the message - you figured you might as well use this opportunity, somehow.
“Sorry…about that”
He chuckled.
“It’s alright. Latte designs aren’t always as hard as people make it seem. I can teach you, if you’d like.”
You stopped, nearly short circuiting at the unexpected statement. Somewhere behind Diluc, Heizou started flailing wildly with his arms as if yelling to “say yes!”, and you quickly made eye contact with the redhead to avoid suspicion.
Thankfully, the tone of your voice didn’t mirror how flustered you actually were.
“Sure…that’d be great, actually.”
A quiet hum left him, and he tore a post-it from the small stack by the register, scribbling something on it before handing it to you with a soft smile.
“Enjoy your drinks” The professional tone was back, and he turned to the group of students who had just entered the cafe. You shuffled away with a small ‘thank you’, speed walking towards Heizou, who was fist bumping the air.
“Score!” He whisper-yelled, and you shushed him, but thankfully the new arrivals in the cafe were louder than the two of you.
He ignored you; “What’s on the post-it?”
“Classified information”
“Psst, yeah of course, now spill, partner”
You rolled your eyes, and slowly unfolded the note.
I don’t trust Kaeya to give you my actual number, so here you go
- Diluc
A number was written below, accompanied by a small doodle of a swan. He’s got nice handwriting, you thought with a smile.
“Soo…” Heizou reached out to snatch the note away from you, but you dodged him just in time. He gave up and sank back in his seat with a dramatic sign.
“Fiiine, it’s not like I just earned you that date or anything…”
“No one ever called it a date, he literally just offered to-”
“Yeah right, like baristas you barely know will just casually do that. He was busy checking you out the entire time he was arguing with Kaeya, I'll tell you that much.”
You stuttered; “You’re kidding-”
Heizou looked a little too pleased with himself, but nevertheless, he shook his head.
“Nope.” He then said, popping the p, as he took a sip of his chai.
“Yeah, you are”
“Are you asking me to analyze his entire body language right now
“Absolutely not, I don’t need-”
“Leaning forward while talking is a common sign that someone is attracted to you, y'know.”
“Shut up.”
“Adding to that, the smile he was giving you was definitely not the typical customer service smile…”
“Heizou!” you hissed, exasperated, though your face felt unbearably hot all of a sudden.
He laughed quietly.
“Alright, but don’t call me when you’re freaking out about what to wear!”
“Psh, like i’d do that, that's gonna be Kaeya’s job-”
You paused.
Kaeya.
Kaeya’s not gonna like this.
Heizou’s face fell slightly at your expression.
You continued, a sheepish smile on your face.
“...Nevermind. That job might fall to you anyway.”
He was about to ask, you could tell; but the look you gave him begged him not to, and a silent agreement was made to not mention it again. Worry washed over you as you finally took a sip of your coffee; what if Kaeya saw all that? Would he be mad?
You shook it off, literally; he wasn’t that petty.
Was he?
You looked up at Heizou again, feeling his gaze on you.
“What?”
He opened his mouth to talk, but snapped his head up, a sudden smile spreading on his face.
“Finally stopped flirting with Millie, hm?”
You shoved the note into the pocket of your jeans.
“Oh, you wound me - do you really think I flirt with every pretty face I see?”
You both resounded with a firm “Yes' and Kaeya’s face dropped into a disappointed expression, followed by laughter from you both. Your best friend continued to feign hurt, though it only lasted a short while, and it didn't take long for all of you to be caught up in conversation.
Hours passed, and with your drinks long finished, Heizou stretched with a yawn.
“Man alive, it’s gotten pretty late… and I still have an assignment to finish”
The look you gave him made him chuckle - it was flabbergasted, to say the least.
“The one for sociology?" You nearly whispered, and he nodded sheepishly.
“Heizou, we’ve had three weeks to finish that!”
“And I chose to leave it until now. I've been busy studying, after all”
“You forgot it, didn’t you”
He was quiet for a second, a pout on his face; “Maybe.”
You sighed, wondering how the man managed to stay ahead of your entire class with his work ethic. Still, you said your goodbyes, and he pulled up his hood as he sped out of the cafe, leaving you and Kaeya to chat for a while.
“Alright, I’ll get going as well - Kaeya, scootch, I gotta get out.”
He leaned back into the seat with a smirk.
“Oh my god, move!”
When he didn’t budge, you gave up and tried to awkwardly maneuver your way out of the booth without knocking over anything.
“You’re such a bitch”
“Not ‘your’ bitch anymore?”
You groaned, slinging your bag over your shoulder and zipping up your jacket - well, Ajax’ jacket, that you stole. Kaeya did the same, and you turned to him, stretching out your arms.
Nothing.
“I’m revoking your hugging rights in exactly 5 seconds.
He laughed at your flat tone, and wrapped his arms around you, rocking you from side to side for a moment.
“Need a ride home?”
“Nah, Ajax is picking me up. Thank you, though.”
“Alright then, get home safe. Text me later, sugarplum.” He said with a wink, which earned him a fake gagging noise from you..
“That one is even worse.”
“You know you love it!”
“Sure i do, Elsa.”
He gasped loudly, and with a laugh, you turned around to walk out as your phone vibrated; Ajax is probably here already.
“Wait up!”
You turned on your heel to look at Kaeya, whose hand was outstretched, holding something;
“You forgot this.”
A crumpled up post-it note fell into your hand, and your eyes widened.
“Oh shit, must’ve fallen out of my pocket - thank you!”
Your voice shook slightly as you flattened the note and put it in your phone case this time, to avoid potentially losing it again.
Kaeya gave you a puzzled look; “What is it even?”
“Oh, just a reminder. Would’ve been really awkward if i lost it, heh”
He gazed at you quietly for a moment, before smiling widely.
“You need to get better at writing things down in your calendar, love” He said softly, and you nodded, smiling nervously at the thought of him seeing the note.
Your phone vibrated again as another text from Ajax came in, so you whipped back around with another ‘bye, i’ll see you soon!’ directed at Kaeya. You cast another glance at the bar, but Diluc had turned away from the entrance, occupied with something. The door flung itself open with a ping, and you stepped out of the cafe, a flurry of wind, leaves and beeps from the cars hitting you, as the cold October air bit at your cheeks. You spotted Ajax’ silhouette somewhere, amongst the busy street and darkening sky, and you ran towards him with a wave.
Kaeya watched you disappear amongst the masses, pulling your jacket up as far as you could to cover your face from the wind. Lost in thought, he turned towards Diluc, who was occupied with sorting additional bags of coffee beans behind the counter. Kaeya’s eyes narrowed slightly. The torn-open packet of post-it notes sitting next to the register reminded him of the crumpled note he had handled you, and your panicked expression when you saw it.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out where it came from.
Ajax’ gaze snapped up to meet yours, and he smiled when he saw you approach. He pocketed his phone, and launched himself off the side of his car with a smile and outstretched arms, which you marched directly into, trying to shake off the cold.
“Sorry I took so long, Kaeya happened”
Ajax chuckled into your hair.
“It’s fine, but get into the car - traffic is picking up right about now.”
He pulled open the door for you and you shuffled in, with him following suit on the other side. Thankfully, the car was still a bit warm on the inside; as opposed to the cold you had just been in. Ajax clicked his own seatbelt in, before checking yours; something you scoffed at, every single time. A habit he developed from driving his siblings around, you always assumed, though he loved to claim that it was because he couldn't trust you.
“I was thinking of making Borsch for dinner, what do you say?” He asked, as he slowly pulled out of the parking spot, making his way onto the main road.
You perked up; “That sounds amazing right about now.”
He chuckled and leaned forward a bit, to look out your side of the car before driving.
The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a while, as you were busy looking at the note tucked into your phone case. Ajax cast the occasional glance towards it.
“What’s that?”
“Highly confidential information”
He shook his head with a ‘hah, sure’, still focused on the road, but not done prying.
“No really, what is it? Doctors appointment, flashcard, receipt? Anything I need to write down in your calendar before you forget?"
You huffed; “Come on, not you too!”
“Don’t act like I don’t have to remind you of at least half of your appointments!”
“You really act like a mom sometimes”
“Would you rather have me text your actual mom about every single thing you’ve forgotten during just this term?”
“Fuck no” You exclaimed; you’d rather feel the wrath of your scariest professor, before ever having your mom lecture you about being a responsible adult. You were sure you could take on Yae Miko in an argument, but your mother? Absolutely not.
“Hm, you sure? Maybe it would encourage you to actually keep a calendar…”
“Do you want me to tell your mom about what happened during spring break?”
Ajax’ face paled at that, and the noise you let out could only be comparable to a cackle; it only intensified when he sighed in defeat, followed by “okay, i yield, i yield”
Another silence filled the car, and you stared out the window as Ajax quietly cursed at other drivers. Slowly, you left the city center, high rise buildings becoming more scarce and eventually fading into highway and suburbs. You kept fidgeting with the note, a warm feeling buzzing in your chest at the little swan drawing.
Your gaze was still fixed on your lap when you spoke; “It’s just a number.”
Ajax turned to you for a second, before focusing on the road again. You didn’t make eye contact.
“A number?”
“Phone number.”
The smirk pulling at his lips made your cheeks burn.
“Ohoh, maybe Teucer was right to question you all summer…”
“Hey! I didn’t say anything about dating-”
The smirk finally broke out on his face, and he winked at you; “I didn’t either, did i?”
For Gods' sake...
“Who’s the lucky one?”
You gulped, hesitating again.
“I’m…not sure you know him.”
Ajax shot you an unamused look, and with a flat tone he reminded you that finding someone on socials generally took about thirty seconds, granted you at least knew their last name - still, he didn’t quiz you again until you got home.
You were perched on the kitchen table, swinging your legs back and forth while trying to study a set of flashcards. Occasionally, you'd hear Ajax muttering to himself as he prepared dinner, but it was quiet otherwise; until he spoke up, startling you.
“Okay, easy one; does he go to our uni?” He asked with a chuckle.
You nodded, scrambling to pick up the cards you dropped.
“Wonderful, that’s got us down to about 15% of the city’s population being potential candidates! Actually, even less since it’s a guy” He exclaimed, waving a spoon around, and you rolled your eyes as you took your previous spot on the table again. He leaned over the table, folding his arms on it.
“You’re setting yourself up for failure here”
“You coooould also just tell me who the lucky guy is”
“In your dreams”
He sprung back suddenly, winking at you.
“Really? Guess I'll just have to read it myself then.”
You blinked; Ajax was waving something around, right in front of your face, a small, yellow ball of paper…
“Give that back!” You flung yourself off the table, clawing in the air, but unfortunately Ajax won in both the speed and height category between the two of you. He unfolded the paper in a dramatic fashion, squinting his eyes as he held it up in the air, just out of your reach.
His mouth fell open. “No way. No fucking way.”
You gave up and crossed your arms with a pointed glare.
“You got Diluc hitting on you?!”
The embarrassed expression on your face morphed into a slightly offended one; “Is that so hard to believe?”
“I thought you didn’t even know the guy!”
“Well, I don’t really, but it turns out that he works at the coffee shop I go to frequently…”
Ajax finally dropped the note back into your hand, and you shoved it in your pocket, returning to your previous seat.
“So he gave you his number with your coffee? Sounds like the start of a Hallmark movie or something.”
“Well, that’s not exactly how it went down, but I guess so… still, it was just to teach me how to do latte art, nothing more than that.”
Ajax let out a snort, and full-blown laughter soon followed it, as the spoon was abandoned in the pot. He clutched onto the kitchen counter, looking at you with a stupefied expression when you didn’t continue.
"What the fuck, Ajax?"
Eventually, he managed to calm down enough to speak; “Hah, yeah, I’m sure he had a whole lot of teaching in mind-” He stopped himself, narrowly dodging the paper ball you threw at him.
“Seriously, that’s all it was!”
Your roommate rolled his eyes.
“And last year when Ayato was trying to ask you out, it was ‘just to make boba’. Funny how history repeats itself.”
“Come on-”
“Oh, oh and remember Kokomi? You just needed help understanding a few concepts, because it’s not like you were getting straight A’s in that class anyway-”
You sighed, not exactly able to argue with facts - it was what happened, after all. Though you didn’t dare get your hopes up with Diluc. He didn’t seem like the type to just…invite someone out like that. Besides, there was a whole other can of worms in store here, a can of worms with a big ‘KAEYA’ stamp on it.
Noticing that your face dropped all of a sudden, Ajax moved back to stand in front of you.
“Oh come on, don't tell me you’re sad about it - didn’t you have a mini crush on him for a while? You seemed to actually like him”
“Yeah, that’s not the issue.”
A hint of concern crossed his eyes.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s Kaeya.”
Ajax’ stare was blank for a moment; gears turning in his head, until his eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me you’re caught in a love triangle of all things-”
You rolled your eyes at the mere thought of it.
“No, but he is the reason i haven’t talked to Diluc properly, until today, at least”
You were both quiet for a moment, before Ajax motioned for you to continue; “...I’m listening.”
“Kaeya… really doesn’t like Diluc, for some reason. He doesn’t tell, so I don’t ask. But I assumed it could have something to do with family, or whatever…”
Ajax nodded, imploring you to continue.
“I’ve also seen people approach Kaeya, because they wanted to talk to Diluc - I guess it’s because he’s lowkey famous on campus-” Ajax interrupted you briefly with a mutter about how ‘highkey would be more appropriate here’, but let you continue “- and I didn’t want Kaeya to think that I was just trying to get to Diluc through him, somehow.”
You exhaled slowly, looking at your roommate, who was now leaning against the wall; a faraway look in his eyes.
“So sunshine, lemme get this straight - you’re scared that Kaeya will get butthurt over you going out with Diluc, and that’s why you’re driving yourself into a corner here?”
You nodded sadly, but Ajax just sent you a soft smile.
“Something tells me that you’re overthinking this, just a bit.”
“Well, maybe, but he wouldn’t dislike Diluc this much for no reason. And I really don’t want to risk my friendship over some guy.”
“Diluc doesn’t sound like he’s just some guy to you.”
You brushed off his comment with a shrug; “Ayato didn't seem like some guy either, and look how that ended. Either way, you know that’s not the point here.”
He sighed.
“If Kaeya dislikes his brother that much, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to ruin your friendship over him either. Have you ever mentioned this to him?”
You slowly shook your head; truthfully, you hadn’t. You were always too worried about triggering something, or souring the mood. It never seemed important enough to risk that.
Ajax cocked his head to the side, trying to find your gaze with an incredulous look.
“Really? You haven’t mentioned it, a single time?”
“Nope.” Came your quiet reply.
He let out a loud sigh, and moved off the wall to place a hand next to you, on both sides.
“Talk to him. You’ll probably feel a million times better afterwards, regardless of what he says.”
“But-”
“Nah-ah-ah, let me finish; he cares about you, and your happiness. Is postponing one potentially scary conversation really worth the stress that you’re about to put yourself through?”
…Not really, no, you thought to yourself; “You’re right. It’s not worth it.”
“Mhm”
He leaned over more, tilting his head to look up at you.
He smiled. “Cheer up, Sunshine”
“Mhm”
“No, really, look at me”
You didn’t, though a smile was pulling at the corners of your lips.
“I’m not moving until you look at me, and our food is starting to burn” His voice was wavering as he tried not to laugh, and you finally looked at him with a smile, as the both of you finally broke into a fit of giggles. Only for a second though, before Ajax was trying to save the food so you wouldn’t have to buy a new pot (or a new kitchen, for that matter).
That same night, you found yourself sitting cross-legged on your bed, still fiddling with the yellow note. You had long since lost track of what was happening in the Abyss movie playing on your laptop, as Ajax’ words still rang in your head.
Your phone vibrated again next to you; speak of the sun, and it'll shine, I guess. With a sigh, you paused the movie and shot a quick text to the resident Abyss nerd, Aether, about how you would have to watch it some other time, before clicking on Ajax’ text.
snezhnasshole - 20:04
just got to the party, siggy is already acting up so i probably won’t be home late
you - 20:04
rosalyne would have ur head if she saw this
snezhnasshole - 20:05
wait until you hear the one i have for zanDICK
you - 20:06
im screenshotting
snezhnasshole - 20:08
oh wow, you want me to die that badly? whos gonna cook for you?
you - 20:08
ur mom
you - 20:08
i think she loves me more than u anyway
snezhnasshole - 20:09
u wound me
snezhnasshole - 20:10
no but seriously, remember what i said. just talk to K, it’s gonna be fine
you - 20:11
you don’t know him like i do tho
snezhnasshole - 20:12
nah, but i know you, and I know that you’re prone to blowing shit miles out of proportion by sheer overthinking
you - 20:15
touché
snezhnasshole - 20:20
talk. to. him.
Leaving him on seen was the best course of action you could come up with. Clicking off the chat, you instead found Kaeya’s contact, hesitating before pressing it. Your thumb hovered over the keyboard as you tried to figure out what to say, but no words came to mind.
With a sigh, you left your phone on your nightstand, deciding to worry about it another day.
hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter (that ended up being entirely too long). feedback is always welcome!
bittersweet coffee, bittersweet love [series masterlist]
- when kaeya’s dismay over your crush on diluc causes a small misunderstanding, he thinks it'll resolve itself quickly; instead, it brews into a disagreement beyond anything he expected, and he eventually realizes that its up to him, to not only fix things between you two, but also get past his own pride and resentment over events long since past.
characters: diluc x reader, ft. kaeya, childe [ajax], heizou
good to know; you're sophomore criminology major. ajax is your childhood friend and roommate. you, kaeya and heizou are all bisexual as hell. this fic uses the US school system, but mistakes will probably occur as I'm not american.
overall warnings: see warnings on individual chapters, angst, disagreements, descriptions of stress & illness, family issues.
one; love stained notes, love stained heart [diluc x reader]
- with midterms fast approaching, and sophomore year being in full session, your crush from last year was the last thing on your mind; until your friend heizou took it upon himself to create a chance encounter, leaving you with a crumpled note, butterflies in your stomach, and guilt weighing on your heart.
link to series masterlist
characters: diluc x reader, ft. kaeya, childe & heizou
wordcount: ~4800
a/n: the first part of my short diluc x reader series. see series masterlist for overall warnings and practical info.
warnings: exam anxiety, horrible nicknames, shitty flirting, suggestive (not really, but I'll put that here just in case).
Teyvat University was truly a sight to see during October, with the various markets, festivals, and halloween decorations being put up both around the school, but also the rest of the city. Unfortunately for most of the student body, the same month consisted of a myriad of assignments and practice exams, not to mention the start of many club activities. With midterms fast approaching, you were one of the many students who had spent the majority of October with their heads buried in the books, both in and out of class. The distant corner of the library quickly became your temporary home, with half-empty paper cups, crumpled papers, gum packets, and an endless flow of books always in your peripheral vision. Most days blended into one, and you were just about ready to switch your major, but the promise of autumn break, festivals and parties kept you afloat.
Or, that’s what you were telling yourself, at least.
Saturday, October 8th, 13:25
Your train of thought, or rather, lack thereof, was interrupted by a loud groan coming from the man next to you. Heizou had stopped paying attention a while ago, or so you assumed, judging by the way he was unceremoniously flipping the same two pages back and forth. He stopped, and leaned back in his chair to stretch, before retying his hair for the nth time that hour.
“Wanna go over the schools of criminology again?” It was accompanied by a smile, but the strain in his voice was obvious.
You let out a whine, and he chuckled in response.
“Hm, we can also go over life-course theory again, statistics on biological factors, some case studies…” Heizou continued to list various topics spanning your classes, each one less appealing than the last. Truth be told, your brain was swimming with numbers, locations and terms already, and you just wanted to go home and doze off to some ghibli movies. And despite his supposed enthusiasm, your partner didn’t appear to be in a much better state, either.
“Heizou, if i have to list any more principles today, I might just vomit.”
Another snort left him, accompanied by a wink.
“Come on, it’s only…” He glanced towards the clock on the wall with a smirk, but his face visibly fell a second later.
“...only 13:30. Great.” It came out as a shaky whisper, and you smiled. It made you feel a bit better that even the resident detective genius, Heizou himself, was overwhelmed by the workload.
“Man alive, todays really dragging out…”
“Psh, yeah.”
You sat in silence for a moment, until Heizou perked up, slamming his laptop shut a second later.
“Alright, pack up, we’re going” His books and papers were shoved into his satchel not long after, and he began ushering you out of the library while you were still trying to organize your bag.
“Where?”
“Out. I don’t think my brain can take another analysis today”
A satisfied smile crossed your face.
The coffee shop was abnormally quiet for a Wednesday afternoon, but you weren’t complaining. Save for the bar stools in front of the windows, and some smaller tables, it was relatively empty. After ordering, you and Heizou shuffled into one of the window booths in the back of the cafe.
Heizou flopped down on the table and immediately began whining; “All this studying, and then our midterms only last a week… who knew that second year would already be this stressful?!”
“Shhh! Does everyone in the cafe need to know that?”
He looked up, sending a wink your way.
“Why of course, they ought to know about our great misfortu-”
He was interrupted by a small ding coming from your phone, and snatched it away before you could look. A smirk spread on his face when you crossed your arms with a glare, and with a roll of your eyes, you sank further into the plush seat.
With a quirked eyebrow, Heizou's gaze moved to the door behind you, and you barely managed to catch your phone when he threw it back to you. One glance down to the screen had you considering hurling, as the icon with the familiar blue mop of hair popped up.
ice ice baby - 14:12
Look up, sweetcheeks ;)
Yuck.
You briefly considered ignoring the message, but Heizou had already crossed the floor, fully engaged in a conversation with the blue-haired drama queen - who just so happened to be your best friend - so you reluctantly slid out of your seat.
Kaeya met you with a wide smile and a ruffle of your hair; which you attempted to reciprocate, but he ducked out of your way.
“I really hope you’re not using me as a training dummy for potential pick up lines, because this shit would have half the girls on campus running away while screaming.”
“Good afternoon to you too. What about the other half?”
“Pepper spray.”
Heizou chuckled at your reply, and Kaeya's smile turned smug as his voice lowered a bit.
“Well, what about the guys, then?” The shit eating grin erupted into a laugh when you hit his shoulder lightly, but a yell of his name interrupted the two of you.
“Kaeya, would you please stop harassing my customers?”
Startled, you all turned towards the owner of the exasperated voice. Kaeya’s chest rose with a sigh, and he walked towards the desk before apologizing profusely, though judging by his tone, he didn’t mean a word of it. You looked up, ready to apologize, but stopped in your tracks, surprised. You didn't see anyone other than the young barista, whom you recognized as a literature student, earlier, while ordering your drinks.
She was occupied at the other end of the desk; a light smile crossed her face at the scene in front of her. You realized that her previous spot was taken by none other than Kaeya’s brother, Diluc. His red hair was tied back into a high ponytail, messy bangs framing his face. He wasn’t wearing the signature uniform, you noted, due to the lack of apron, and his tucked-in dress shirt was black, rather than the usual beige. With crossed arms, he was glaring at Kaeya, two cups in front of him.
You felt a light nudge at your side, and slowly made eye contact with Heizou, whose gaze was darting between you and the redhead in a comical fashion. He smirked, failing miserably at wiggling his eyebrows, and you could feel how badly he wanted to let out a wolf-whistle.
"Ain't that the guy you've been fancying since last year?" A quiet 'ow' followed as you elbowed him in the side.
“Oh, shut the hell up - since when does he work here?” You whispered, gaze still set on the two brothers.
Heizou shrugged; “No clue, though I've seen him around before. You really didn’t know?.” He gave you a quizzical look when you shook your head, before turning your attention back to the two brothers. Kaeya was busy calling Diluc various iterations of mood-killer, and you briefly considered offering to find a Thesaurus for him. Unfortunately, you weren’t close enough with Diluc to make a joke like that, and honestly you did feel quite guilty for possibly disrupting his work.
Seemingly done berating each other, the two turned their attention back to you and Heizou. Diluc grabbed one of the cups with a sigh, and began to pour in steamed milk in a careful pattern, finishing off the design with a flick.
He shot another glare at Kaeya; “Are you going to order anything or are you just here to procrastinate?”
“Hm, why not both?” Your friend paused briefly, but decided to cut his losses, and turned towards the female barista with a sigh.
“Millie, could I bother you to take my order?”
She turned with a smile and a small ‘yea, sure’, and Kaeya trudged towards the other end of the bar. Diluc turned with a sigh, arranging the two cups on a board.
He cleared his throat, voice much more pleasant than before;
“Anyway - medium chai latte and a medium latte for…” He glanced down at the names, then back up again “...Heizou and Y/N?”
“That’s us!” Heizou sprung forward with a smile, receiving the board that was pushed towards him.
“Quite the commotion we made back there, apologies for that” he continued, but Diluc just shook his head, handing him the receipt.
“Nothing we’re not used to - just Kaeya being, well, Kaeya.”
Heizou nodded with a smile, and you all pretended to miss the glare that was definitely sent your way from the man in question. You smiled up at the redhead as well - ready to head back to the booth, but of course Heizou wasn’t going to let you go that easy.
“Oh, look, I think we’ve found the man behind the mystery!” He exclaimed after looking down at your latte, though only loud enough for the three of you to hear. You resisted the urge to facepalm, as Diluc's eyebrows raised slightly.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, it’s just the latte art you made - the swan, you see, Y/N has always liked how it looks, they’ve even tried to copy it-” He sounded innocuous enough, but you knew better; this was Heizou, after all. He and Kaeya had many things in common, one of them being how much they enjoyed watching you squirm.
“Alright, that’s enough details, partner” You nearly spat out, but swore that Diluc’s lips quirked into a small smile at your flustered state.
“Come on, I’m just making conversation! Besides, you did spend an awful amount of time trying to learn how to do it…”
“Heizou” You hissed, and he broke into laughter.
“Alright, alright…it’s true though!” The last part was directed at an amused Diluc, who was leaning slightly over the counter by then. Heizou snatched the board and sped towards your booth, leaving you behind to cower in on yourself. Still, you got the message - you figured you might as well use this opportunity, somehow.
“Sorry…about that”
He chuckled.
“It’s alright. Latte designs aren’t always as hard as people make it seem. I can teach you, if you’d like.”
You stopped, nearly short circuiting at the unexpected statement. Somewhere behind Diluc, Heizou started flailing wildly with his arms as if yelling to “say yes!”, and you quickly made eye contact with the redhead to avoid suspicion.
Thankfully, the tone of your voice didn’t mirror how flustered you actually were.
“Sure…that’d be great, actually.”
A quiet hum left him, and he tore a post-it from the small stack by the register, scribbling something on it before handing it to you with a soft smile.
“Enjoy your drinks” The professional tone was back, and he turned to the group of students who had just entered the cafe. You shuffled away with a small ‘thank you’, speed walking towards Heizou, who was fist bumping the air.
“Score!” He whisper-yelled, and you shushed him, but thankfully the new arrivals in the cafe were louder than the two of you.
He ignored you; “What’s on the post-it?”
“Classified information”
“Psst, yeah of course, now spill, partner”
You rolled your eyes, and slowly unfolded the note.
I don’t trust Kaeya to give you my actual number, so here you go
- Diluc
A number was written below, accompanied by a small doodle of a swan. He’s got nice handwriting, you thought with a smile.
“Soo…” Heizou reached out to snatch the note away from you, but you dodged him just in time. He gave up and sank back in his seat with a dramatic sign.
“Fiiine, it’s not like I just earned you that date or anything…”
“No one ever called it a date, he literally just offered to-”
“Yeah right, like baristas you barely know will just casually do that. He was busy checking you out the entire time he was arguing with Kaeya, I'll tell you that much.”
You stuttered; “You’re kidding-”
Heizou looked a little too pleased with himself, but nevertheless, he shook his head.
“Nope.” He then said, popping the p, as he took a sip of his chai.
“Yeah, you are”
“Are you asking me to analyze his entire body language right now
“Absolutely not, I don’t need-”
“Leaning forward while talking is a common sign that someone is attracted to you, y'know.”
“Shut up.”
“Adding to that, the smile he was giving you was definitely not the typical customer service smile…”
“Heizou!” you hissed, exasperated, though your face felt unbearably hot all of a sudden.
He laughed quietly.
“Alright, but don’t call me when you’re freaking out about what to wear!”
“Psh, like i’d do that, that's gonna be Kaeya’s job-”
You paused.
Kaeya.
Kaeya’s not gonna like this.
Heizou’s face fell slightly at your expression.
You continued, a sheepish smile on your face.
“...Nevermind. That job might fall to you anyway.”
He was about to ask, you could tell; but the look you gave him begged him not to, and a silent agreement was made to not mention it again. Worry washed over you as you finally took a sip of your coffee; what if Kaeya saw all that? Would he be mad?
You shook it off, literally; he wasn’t that petty.
Was he?
You looked up at Heizou again, feeling his gaze on you.
“What?”
He opened his mouth to talk, but snapped his head up, a sudden smile spreading on his face.
“Finally stopped flirting with Millie, hm?”
You shoved the note into the pocket of your jeans.
“Oh, you wound me - do you really think I flirt with every pretty face I see?”
You both resounded with a firm “Yes' and Kaeya’s face dropped into a disappointed expression, followed by laughter from you both. Your best friend continued to feign hurt, though it only lasted a short while, and it didn't take long for all of you to be caught up in conversation.
Hours passed, and with your drinks long finished, Heizou stretched with a yawn.
“Man alive, it’s gotten pretty late… and I still have an assignment to finish”
The look you gave him made him chuckle - it was flabbergasted, to say the least.
“The one for sociology?" You nearly whispered, and he nodded sheepishly.
“Heizou, we’ve had three weeks to finish that!”
“And I chose to leave it until now. I've been busy studying, after all”
“You forgot it, didn’t you”
He was quiet for a second, a pout on his face; “Maybe.”
You sighed, wondering how the man managed to stay ahead of your entire class with his work ethic. Still, you said your goodbyes, and he pulled up his hood as he sped out of the cafe, leaving you and Kaeya to chat for a while.
“Alright, I’ll get going as well - Kaeya, scootch, I gotta get out.”
He leaned back into the seat with a smirk.
“Oh my god, move!”
When he didn’t budge, you gave up and tried to awkwardly maneuver your way out of the booth without knocking over anything.
“You’re such a bitch”
“Not ‘your’ bitch anymore?”
You groaned, slinging your bag over your shoulder and zipping up your jacket - well, Ajax’ jacket, that you stole. Kaeya did the same, and you turned to him, stretching out your arms.
Nothing.
“I’m revoking your hugging rights in exactly 5 seconds.
He laughed at your flat tone, and wrapped his arms around you, rocking you from side to side for a moment.
“Need a ride home?”
“Nah, Ajax is picking me up. Thank you, though.”
“Alright then, get home safe. Text me later, sugarplum.” He said with a wink, which earned him a fake gagging noise from you..
“That one is even worse.”
“You know you love it!”
“Sure i do, Elsa.”
He gasped loudly, and with a laugh, you turned around to walk out as your phone vibrated; Ajax is probably here already.
“Wait up!”
You turned on your heel to look at Kaeya, whose hand was outstretched, holding something;
“You forgot this.”
A crumpled up post-it note fell into your hand, and your eyes widened.
“Oh shit, must’ve fallen out of my pocket - thank you!”
Your voice shook slightly as you flattened the note and put it in your phone case this time, to avoid potentially losing it again.
Kaeya gave you a puzzled look; “What is it even?”
“Oh, just a reminder. Would’ve been really awkward if i lost it, heh”
He gazed at you quietly for a moment, before smiling widely.
“You need to get better at writing things down in your calendar, love” He said softly, and you nodded, smiling nervously at the thought of him seeing the note.
Your phone vibrated again as another text from Ajax came in, so you whipped back around with another ‘bye, i’ll see you soon!’ directed at Kaeya. You cast another glance at the bar, but Diluc had turned away from the entrance, occupied with something. The door flung itself open with a ping, and you stepped out of the cafe, a flurry of wind, leaves and beeps from the cars hitting you, as the cold October air bit at your cheeks. You spotted Ajax’ silhouette somewhere, amongst the busy street and darkening sky, and you ran towards him with a wave.
Kaeya watched you disappear amongst the masses, pulling your jacket up as far as you could to cover your face from the wind. Lost in thought, he turned towards Diluc, who was occupied with sorting additional bags of coffee beans behind the counter. Kaeya’s eyes narrowed slightly. The torn-open packet of post-it notes sitting next to the register reminded him of the crumpled note he had handled you, and your panicked expression when you saw it.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out where it came from.
Ajax’ gaze snapped up to meet yours, and he smiled when he saw you approach. He pocketed his phone, and launched himself off the side of his car with a smile and outstretched arms, which you marched directly into, trying to shake off the cold.
“Sorry I took so long, Kaeya happened”
Ajax chuckled into your hair.
“It’s fine, but get into the car - traffic is picking up right about now.”
He pulled open the door for you and you shuffled in, with him following suit on the other side. Thankfully, the car was still a bit warm on the inside; as opposed to the cold you had just been in. Ajax clicked his own seatbelt in, before checking yours; something you scoffed at, every single time. A habit he developed from driving his siblings around, you always assumed, though he loved to claim that it was because he couldn't trust you.
“I was thinking of making Borsch for dinner, what do you say?” He asked, as he slowly pulled out of the parking spot, making his way onto the main road.
You perked up; “That sounds amazing right about now.”
He chuckled and leaned forward a bit, to look out your side of the car before driving.
The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for a while, as you were busy looking at the note tucked into your phone case. Ajax cast the occasional glance towards it.
“What’s that?”
“Highly confidential information”
He shook his head with a ‘hah, sure’, still focused on the road, but not done prying.
“No really, what is it? Doctors appointment, flashcard, receipt? Anything I need to write down in your calendar before you forget?"
You huffed; “Come on, not you too!”
“Don’t act like I don’t have to remind you of at least half of your appointments!”
“You really act like a mom sometimes”
“Would you rather have me text your actual mom about every single thing you’ve forgotten during just this term?”
“Fuck no” You exclaimed; you’d rather feel the wrath of your scariest professor, before ever having your mom lecture you about being a responsible adult. You were sure you could take on Yae Miko in an argument, but your mother? Absolutely not.
“Hm, you sure? Maybe it would encourage you to actually keep a calendar…”
“Do you want me to tell your mom about what happened during spring break?”
Ajax’ face paled at that, and the noise you let out could only be comparable to a cackle; it only intensified when he sighed in defeat, followed by “okay, i yield, i yield”
Another silence filled the car, and you stared out the window as Ajax quietly cursed at other drivers. Slowly, you left the city center, high rise buildings becoming more scarce and eventually fading into highway and suburbs. You kept fidgeting with the note, a warm feeling buzzing in your chest at the little swan drawing.
Your gaze was still fixed on your lap when you spoke; “It’s just a number.”
Ajax turned to you for a second, before focusing on the road again. You didn’t make eye contact.
“A number?”
“Phone number.”
The smirk pulling at his lips made your cheeks burn.
“Ohoh, maybe Teucer was right to question you all summer…”
“Hey! I didn’t say anything about dating-”
The smirk finally broke out on his face, and he winked at you; “I didn’t either, did i?”
For Gods' sake...
“Who’s the lucky one?”
You gulped, hesitating again.
“I’m…not sure you know him.”
Ajax shot you an unamused look, and with a flat tone he reminded you that finding someone on socials generally took about thirty seconds, granted you at least knew their last name - still, he didn’t quiz you again until you got home.
You were perched on the kitchen table, swinging your legs back and forth while trying to study a set of flashcards. Occasionally, you'd hear Ajax muttering to himself as he prepared dinner, but it was quiet otherwise; until he spoke up, startling you.
“Okay, easy one; does he go to our uni?” He asked with a chuckle.
You nodded, scrambling to pick up the cards you dropped.
“Wonderful, that’s got us down to about 15% of the city’s population being potential candidates! Actually, even less since it’s a guy” He exclaimed, waving a spoon around, and you rolled your eyes as you took your previous spot on the table again. He leaned over the table, folding his arms on it.
“You’re setting yourself up for failure here”
“You coooould also just tell me who the lucky guy is”
“In your dreams”
He sprung back suddenly, winking at you.
“Really? Guess I'll just have to read it myself then.”
You blinked; Ajax was waving something around, right in front of your face, a small, yellow ball of paper…
“Give that back!” You flung yourself off the table, clawing in the air, but unfortunately Ajax won in both the speed and height category between the two of you. He unfolded the paper in a dramatic fashion, squinting his eyes as he held it up in the air, just out of your reach.
His mouth fell open. “No way. No fucking way.”
You gave up and crossed your arms with a pointed glare.
“You got Diluc hitting on you?!”
The embarrassed expression on your face morphed into a slightly offended one; “Is that so hard to believe?”
“I thought you didn’t even know the guy!”
“Well, I don’t really, but it turns out that he works at the coffee shop I go to frequently…”
Ajax finally dropped the note back into your hand, and you shoved it in your pocket, returning to your previous seat.
“So he gave you his number with your coffee? Sounds like the start of a Hallmark movie or something.”
“Well, that’s not exactly how it went down, but I guess so… still, it was just to teach me how to do latte art, nothing more than that.”
Ajax let out a snort, and full-blown laughter soon followed it, as the spoon was abandoned in the pot. He clutched onto the kitchen counter, looking at you with a stupefied expression when you didn’t continue.
"What the fuck, Ajax?"
Eventually, he managed to calm down enough to speak; “Hah, yeah, I’m sure he had a whole lot of teaching in mind-” He stopped himself, narrowly dodging the paper ball you threw at him.
“Seriously, that’s all it was!”
Your roommate rolled his eyes.
“And last year when Ayato was trying to ask you out, it was ‘just to make boba’. Funny how history repeats itself.”
“Come on-”
“Oh, oh and remember Kokomi? You just needed help understanding a few concepts, because it’s not like you were getting straight A’s in that class anyway-”
You sighed, not exactly able to argue with facts - it was what happened, after all. Though you didn’t dare get your hopes up with Diluc. He didn’t seem like the type to just…invite someone out like that. Besides, there was a whole other can of worms in store here, a can of worms with a big ‘KAEYA’ stamp on it.
Noticing that your face dropped all of a sudden, Ajax moved back to stand in front of you.
“Oh come on, don't tell me you’re sad about it - didn’t you have a mini crush on him for a while? You seemed to actually like him”
“Yeah, that’s not the issue.”
A hint of concern crossed his eyes.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s Kaeya.”
Ajax’ stare was blank for a moment; gears turning in his head, until his eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me you’re caught in a love triangle of all things-”
You rolled your eyes at the mere thought of it.
“No, but he is the reason i haven’t talked to Diluc properly, until today, at least”
You were both quiet for a moment, before Ajax motioned for you to continue; “...I’m listening.”
“Kaeya… really doesn’t like Diluc, for some reason. He doesn’t tell, so I don’t ask. But I assumed it could have something to do with family, or whatever…”
Ajax nodded, imploring you to continue.
“I’ve also seen people approach Kaeya, because they wanted to talk to Diluc - I guess it’s because he’s lowkey famous on campus-” Ajax interrupted you briefly with a mutter about how ‘highkey would be more appropriate here’, but let you continue “- and I didn’t want Kaeya to think that I was just trying to get to Diluc through him, somehow.”
You exhaled slowly, looking at your roommate, who was now leaning against the wall; a faraway look in his eyes.
“So sunshine, lemme get this straight - you’re scared that Kaeya will get butthurt over you going out with Diluc, and that’s why you’re driving yourself into a corner here?”
You nodded sadly, but Ajax just sent you a soft smile.
“Something tells me that you’re overthinking this, just a bit.”
“Well, maybe, but he wouldn’t dislike Diluc this much for no reason. And I really don’t want to risk my friendship over some guy.”
“Diluc doesn’t sound like he’s just some guy to you.”
You brushed off his comment with a shrug; “Ayato didn't seem like some guy either, and look how that ended. Either way, you know that’s not the point here.”
He sighed.
“If Kaeya dislikes his brother that much, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to ruin your friendship over him either. Have you ever mentioned this to him?”
You slowly shook your head; truthfully, you hadn’t. You were always too worried about triggering something, or souring the mood. It never seemed important enough to risk that.
Ajax cocked his head to the side, trying to find your gaze with an incredulous look.
“Really? You haven’t mentioned it, a single time?”
“Nope.” Came your quiet reply.
He let out a loud sigh, and moved off the wall to place a hand next to you, on both sides.
“Talk to him. You’ll probably feel a million times better afterwards, regardless of what he says.”
“But-”
“Nah-ah-ah, let me finish; he cares about you, and your happiness. Is postponing one potentially scary conversation really worth the stress that you’re about to put yourself through?”
…Not really, no, you thought to yourself; “You’re right. It’s not worth it.”
“Mhm”
He leaned over more, tilting his head to look up at you.
He smiled. “Cheer up, Sunshine”
“Mhm”
“No, really, look at me”
You didn’t, though a smile was pulling at the corners of your lips.
“I’m not moving until you look at me, and our food is starting to burn” His voice was wavering as he tried not to laugh, and you finally looked at him with a smile, as the both of you finally broke into a fit of giggles. Only for a second though, before Ajax was trying to save the food so you wouldn’t have to buy a new pot (or a new kitchen, for that matter).
That same night, you found yourself sitting cross-legged on your bed, still fiddling with the yellow note. You had long since lost track of what was happening in the Abyss movie playing on your laptop, as Ajax’ words still rang in your head.
Your phone vibrated again next to you; speak of the sun, and it'll shine, I guess. With a sigh, you paused the movie and shot a quick text to the resident Abyss nerd, Aether, about how you would have to watch it some other time, before clicking on Ajax’ text.
snezhnasshole - 20:04
just got to the party, siggy is already acting up so i probably won’t be home late
you - 20:04
rosalyne would have ur head if she saw this
snezhnasshole - 20:05
wait until you hear the one i have for zanDICK
you - 20:06
im screenshotting
snezhnasshole - 20:08
oh wow, you want me to die that badly? whos gonna cook for you?
you - 20:08
ur mom
you - 20:08
i think she loves me more than u anyway
snezhnasshole - 20:09
u wound me
snezhnasshole - 20:10
no but seriously, remember what i said. just talk to K, it’s gonna be fine
you - 20:11
you don’t know him like i do tho
snezhnasshole - 20:12
nah, but i know you, and I know that you’re prone to blowing shit miles out of proportion by sheer overthinking
you - 20:15
touché
snezhnasshole - 20:20
talk. to. him.
Leaving him on seen was the best course of action you could come up with. Clicking off the chat, you instead found Kaeya’s contact, hesitating before pressing it. Your thumb hovered over the keyboard as you tried to figure out what to say, but no words came to mind.
With a sigh, you left your phone on your nightstand, deciding to worry about it another day.
hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter (that ended up being entirely too long). feedback is always welcome!
hii im the anon that requested the tighnari one just recently i don't mind you not writing it btw <33 but is there anything else you aren't gonna write in the moment?? just to know just incase i request again in the future :)
have a nice day/night
For now, not really - the only things I have planned are the diluc fic and the tighnari one. Honestly I'd write the request, but I feel like I'd just be repeating myself later on. I should probably make a "currently working on" section tbh. And thank you, I hope that you have a nice day/night as well!
hiii 💞 can i request smth like the fic of when y/n heals but gets pain tighnari fic and there is a situation where tighnari was on the verge of dying and y/n still heals him but she doesn't die she just goes into a coma for a month maybe ¿
Thank you for your request! I'm actually planning on making a short multi-chapter fic similar to this, and I don't want to essentially write the same thing, so I won't be writing this right now. I hope that's okay. It's my next project after the Diluc fic though, so don't worry! Feel free to request something else in the meantime <3
hey I loved ur father figure zhongli writing, your characterisation and writing is just so good.
could you write another father figure zhongli thing? perhaps the reader is in somewhat of a reckless phase where they’re getting hurt all the time and zhongli worries for them
reckless
- in which your recent reckless behavior has begun to worry zhongli
characters: zhongli & reader (platonic)
a/n: thank you so much! this one is shorter than usual, sorry. still not super confident in my ability to write Zhongli, much less as a platonic figure, so I hope it's to your liking.
warnings: talks of possible s*lfharm (it doesn't happen, zhongli is just speculating). mentions of injuries, but nothing graphic.
Zhongli saw himself as many things, but a ‘worrywart’, as Madame Ping liked to call many mortals, was not one of them. He had been around for what felt like eons, and carried the wisdom to show for it - he believed that most things happen for a reason, and was therefore not one to give in to unreasonable panic. He was sure that this worldview was one of the many reasons you found his presence comfortable; while he could be stern when he needed to, most of your shenanigans were met with, at worst, a sigh and a remark about being more careful. Though, this didn’t mean that he approved of all of your actions. Especially not the ones that led you to visit Baizhu at the end of the day.
Said doctor had pulled him aside after cleaning another set of wounds you got - normally you’d do it yourself, but these were worse than your average trip to a hilichurl camp, hence the afternoon trip to Bubu Pharmacy.
“And what do I owe you this time?”
The man lightly shook his head with a smile; “Ah, don’t concern yourself with the payment. Consider this a favor, as per usual…”
Zhongli gave a curt nod, muttering a small ‘thank you’.
“...Though, I’d suggest keeping an eye on them for a while. Scabs, scratches, minor injuries and such - they’re of course normal for someone their age, especially when a preferred hobby of theirs is scaling mountains and roughing up hilichurls-” Baizhu was briefly interrupted by a scoff coming from the snake around his shoulders “-but this is a bit excessive, if I do say so myself…”
Zhongli let out a hum in agreement. You had been acting rather reckless lately, uncharacteristically so, and he was worried. Deep in thought, he glanced towards you, sitting on the daybed next to Qiqi and swinging your legs back and forth. Potential reasons filled his mind, and his brows furrowed slightly at the notion that there could be something more sinister going on. He never tried to hover, your comfort and privacy were always a priority of his, but he couldn’t ignore this much longer. Baizhu picked up on his worried look, and immediately loosened up, waving off his unspoken concerns.
“Oh no, I’m not implying anything - as I said, it’s quite normal. But do keep an eye on them - keep them out of trouble for a while, at least until these wounds are healed. If you have any other concerns, feel free to pay me a visit” His smile shifted to a more genuine one, a rare sight, and he gently pat Zhongli on the shoulder before turning towards you again, raising his voice.
“Now you, young one, be a bit more careful out there, alright?”
You smiled sheepishly and nodded. Zhongli helped you stand up, and the two of you bid Baizhu and Qiqi goodbye as you left the pharmacy.
The walk home was longer than usual, with Zhongli almost carrying you and ignoring all your attempts at protesting. He sat you down on the couch, helped you pull off your jacket and shoes and you relaxed into the couch with a sigh. He scanned over you, before leaving to presumably make some tea.
The gash on your stomach still hurt, too much to sit up by yourself. Walking was hard, and you definitely weren’t leaving the harbor anytime soon, but Baizhu said that no organs were pierced. You got lucky, again. Zhongli didn’t really seem to care though, if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.
“Thank you” You muttered, accepting the cup of tea he handed you, after helping you sit up. A silence filled the room afterwards, as you both sipped your tea, watching the sky outside grow dark. You glanced over at him, and found his eyes still trained on the table in front of you.
“I’m fine, Baizhu said-”
“I know”
You went quiet, and he let out an exasperated sigh. The teacup was put back down on the table, and his hands made their way to his temples, rubbing them. They fell into his lap, and he folded them, leaning over to rest his elbows against his knees.
“Dear, is there something going on?”
You looked at him again, eyebrows furrowed.
“What do you mean?”
“These… injuries have been getting increasingly more frequent, so it makes me wonder… are they happening for a specific reason?”
You gave him an incredulous look, but the genuine worry that crossed his face when he glanced at you made you bite back any funny remarks you could think of.
“...No, there’s nothing going on. I just… get caught up in whatever I’m doing.”
Zhongli sent you a pointed look.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
He looked away with another shaky exhale.
“...You ought to remember that you’re only mortal. You can’t be as reckless as Xiao, or the traveler, and certainly not that Harbinger-”
“Are you insinuating that I’m as careless as Childe?”
“With how you’ve been acting recently, yes. On a smaller scale, but yes.”
You glanced out the window, and another silence enveloped the two of you.
“...I’m sorry.”
To your surprise, a chuckle came from the man in front of you, though you weren’t sure if it was caused by you or his own feelings. Regardless, he seemed to loosen up, shoulders finally slumping down.
“It’s alright. My worries got the best of me.”
You shook your head.
“Well, if this is your worries getting the ‘best’ of you, then you’re already doing a thousand times better than most people - have you seen Xinqiu’s parents?”
Zhongli shook his head with a smile as the tense mood began to dissipate.
“The guy can barely enter the vicinity of his own home before he gets interrogated! If I had a mora for every time Chongyun and I had to help him sneak out his window-” You stopped yourself, considering your next words carefully. Zhongli glanced your way with a raised eyebrow, a somewhat amused expression on his face.
“...Do continue.”
“...I didn’t say anything. Is your hearing eroding now?”
A wheeze left him as he tried to contain his laughter, muttering something about watching your words, but his voice held no malice at all; on the contrary, he was smiling into his teacup.
“...Alright, we’ll pretend I didn't hear that - for now.”
“Hear what? I’m getting a bit worried here…” Your feigned concern earned you a stern look, but not enough to wipe the smug expression off your face.
“You should be more concerned about yourself, dear”
“I told you, I’m fine-”
“I know, and I believe you. But, if anything does occur, talk to me. There are many things that can be solved by simple means, but if pushed off, they can escalate quickly…” He trailed off for a moment, taking another sip of tea.
“What I mean to express is, if anything - or anyone, for that matter - is bothering you, come talk to me. I am aware that most of you…erm, ‘youngsters’ prefer to keep to yourselves, but there are occasions where…” He was interrupted by the laugh you let out at his choice of words, surely influenced by Madame Ping, as she often referred to you and your friends like that. Zhongli frowned again.
“I am being completely serious here”
“Sorry, I know, but you really don’t need to worry. If I need help, I’ll tell you. Or Xiao will. Again.”
Zhongli suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; “Xiao is just looking out for you, which has been increasingly necessary as of late…”
You shot a look at him, silently pleading him to let it go, and thankfully he seemed to understand.
“...But alright, I will trust you on this. Just keep yourself safe, that is all I ask.”
You nodded.
“Dear, please look at me.”
You did, with a soft roll of your eyes, but your demeanor softened once more at the concern displayed on his face.
In the meantime with the Diluc fic, would you happen to have any spare Scara headcanons?
SPOILER WARNING FOR 3.2
Like how he reacts to seeing reader taking care of him when he wakes up after losing the gnosis? That was a LONG fall and it looked like he landed on his head, so he was probably knocked unconscious. (RIP his hat) Or tbh any general hc's you have for him if this is too specific! Thank you so much for sharing your hard work with us!
taking care of scaramouche after his fall
- scaramouche is surprised to wake up in one piece, but he's even more surprised to see you there taking care of him.
characters: scaramouche x reader
a/n: thank you so much for requesting! and no worries about being too specific, it actually helps me out. fun fact; scary is one of my favorite characters so I have a lot of spare headcanons about him. as always, feel free to request again if I misunderstood anything. also, this dragged out im so sorry.
warnings: kinda angsty, descriptions of illness, sleep paralysis, an attempt at slow buildup of a relationship. some beta, we cling on like signora simps do.
I kept it vague as to what you and Scaramouche were before the Sumeru Arc, but you two did know each other, and you were working against him somehow.
Scaramouche spends a long time out of it. He’s not exactly had an easy life, and artificial god-form or not, the gnosis probably did a number on his body and mind - especially when it was taken away. Even with Nahida’s care, his body is incredibly weak, and he’s being plagued by nightmares and horrible memories. He’s essentially as weak and defenseless as a newborn child, and when he finally wakes up, he has to come to terms with the fact that he needs to start over. Again.
You and Scaramouche don't acknowledge each other for a while; His pride has taken a serious beating, and part of him refuses to believe that you're willingly taking care of him. He's sure it's a ploy of sorts, to put him in debt to you, one he couldn't possibly pay off - not that he's planning to. Meanwhile, you're twisting your own thoughts; truthfully, you pity him, but the constant reminder of what he's done in his lifetime - puppet or not - is washing over you like an incoming storm, and not even Nahida's words can alleviate that form of guilt.
You two get into a routine; you make sure he eats, drinks and sleeps, you put him through the rehabilitation program Nahida made, and you keep quiet every morning when his eyes are red and face is swollen from crying. You don't call out his poor excuses, and you don't ask for anything in return for your care. Scaramouche doesn't thank you anyway - at best he scoffs at you, glaring as if you were the one to take his gnosis. Most of the time, he's zoned out - pretending you're not there at all.
A few weeks pass by, and he's finally capable of walking by himself again - his mood seems better, and he's not on the verge of passing out just from crossing the room anymore. He's been outside again, although only on the balcony, but it's improvement, and he thinks so as well. You don't mention it, but it's obvious in the way his lips curl, and the way his eyes light up when the wind brushes past him. It makes a small smile break through your own frown.
Still, recovery can be cruel with its ups and downs - and the world wouldn't let you forget that.
It takes a flare up - a bad one - for Scaramouche to finally acknowledge you. Waking up, he's thrown from one nightmare into another, his limbs paralyzed and eyes wide open, hot, searing pain pierces through him like hellfire, and for a second he thinks he's dying. He wants to scream, he needs to, but his throat feels raw and he can't move. His stomach churns at the sight of the world around him distorting, comforting green color bleeding into hues of red and purple; shapes breaking free from the chaos, faces he can recognize, voices he can recognize, pounding on his head like thunder strikes. And then - it stops.
You're gently shaking him awake, placing a cold cloth on his head and explaining something about another fever, but your words barely reach him. Your voice does, though; and while his head still feels as if it's being pounded against a wall, body engulfed in pain, you somehow pulled him out of that waking nightmare. And by the Archons, has he never been more fucking grateful to you in his life.
Still, he can't do anything; the pain overwhelms his senses, and closing his eyes feels like falling into a dark pit, spinning rapidly, and nausea washes over him again. He's not sure how much time passes, but it feels like an eternity - until, eventually, the pain stops.
Four days, you tell him. The flare up lasted four days; a high fever, but he's experienced it before. Part of him is thankful for not remembering it. You then tell him that it wasn't his first time experiencing sleep paralysis, either; and he wonders just how many times you've seen him like this. You shake your head when asked, another frown on your face. He decides not to pry.
You turn to leave, conversation seemingly over, but stop briefly when he utters a meek "Thanks". So quiet you could miss it, and part of him honestly hopes you did. He doesn't get a reply - but you leave with a small smile on your face.
From then on, things seem to improve between the two of you. It starts awkwardly. Scaramouche, or, Wanderer, as he asks you to call him for the time being, isn’t one to open up, and you’re not too keen on the idea of rambling about your days, when most of them are spent taking care of him or helping the traveler, with very little time left for yourself. Still, you manage to chat somehow - going from smalltalk, to Cyno’s bad jokes, to icebreakers that Nahida suggests - until eventually, conversation flows naturally between the two of you. You begin to bring him out of the sanctuary - in disguise, of course - and on those walks that get longer and longer the better he feels, there is little to do but chat about your lives. You get to experience what he’s like normally, and although he acts like a little shit, it’s nice to see him look a little more alive than he did before.
Nahida still has him under strict supervision, but as long as you’re with him, he’s fine to go out. Well, it could be anyone, really, but Dehya and him are at eachothers throats within minutes, Nilou simply refuses to be near him, and he’s told both Al Haitham and Cyno to go suck it one too many times (and that's among the nicer things he’s said to them). So, he always ends up with you, and you pretend to ignore the self-satisfied smirk that's on his face anytime someone comes dragging him your way. You also pretend to ignore the laugh Nahida is holding back at his antics.
Wanderer becomes a constant presence in your life; always bugging you to give him attention, to do something with him, and most of the time, it ends up with you dragging him off before he accidentally breaks the law (or insults Al Haitham…again). Though, you notice that he’s oddly nice to children and the elderly - not above helping either out, and one time you even saw him playing peek-a-boo with a kid while waiting for you. It made you smile, but you didn’t miss how quiet he got when the mother laughed and picked up the girl, telling her to bid him farewell. The same evening, he wordlessly hugs you, and tells you about his own mother. For a few hours, you two sit together, hidden away from the world for a while.
He’s quickly back to normal, but you somehow feel that you’ve gotten closer. It shows in the way his gaze softens when looking at you, and how his hand occasionally finds yours when no one is looking. You see it in Nahida’s knowing smile, and in how Dehya rolls her eyes, but sends a wink your way when Wanderer looks away. He’s become more protective as well, you notice, as he’s quick to step in to defend you in even the smallest of scuffles. You can’t resist teasing him about it sometimes, and the blush on his face when he tries to deny it with his entire being is one of the best things you’ve ever seen.
Over time, he’s made himself home in your accommodations, and your heart, and while dealing with his antics and taking care of him is difficult, you’d be lying if you said that you wanted him out. You don’t mind holding him through the occasional flare ups, or picking him up on days when he’s so weak that he collapses, and you make sure to tell him this when he seems to doubt it.
One day, it’s suspiciously quiet in your house, and for a second you’re afraid that he’s run off; but relief washes over you when you see him sitting by your desk, looking at something in his hand. You approach him, and glance over his shoulder to see…a vision. A shining, green gemstone, with an anemo symbol in the middle - somewhere in the back of your mind, you recall Venti’s laugh, and think back on the day on the balcony when Wanderer finally managed to walk that far. How the wind immediately picked up, as if to welcome him back. He’s inspecting it, lost in thought, as his eyes glide over the symbol, and the gold casing around it - the decoration that indicates where the wielder is from. His gaze seems to get stuck on it - teeth worrying at his bottom lip, and you glance down, concerned about what it could mean for him. But, to your relief, the gold isn’t shaped in the style of an Inazuman vision, or a Snezhnayan one; it resembles a leaf, or a teardrop; the one that so many of your friends from Sumeru carry. He snaps out of his daze when you place a hand on his shoulder, smiling down at him; and his expression softens with a sigh.
“I wonder… is this just another way of tying me to a God?”
His voice comes out meek, and you exhale slowly, choosing your next words carefully.
“...How much do you know of the Anemo Archon?”
“Tsk, just that he’s a lazy Archon who practically abandoned his people under the guise of freedom.”
Both of you pause, with you deep in thought, and him glaring at the vision in front of him.
“Well, we could argue all day if it’s abandonment or freedom - but from what I know, he cares about his people, and if anyones really in need, he does interfere. He doesn’t just leave all to suffer”.
Wanderer scoffs, throwing a glare your way. Still, he doesn’t speak for a while, so your words did get to him, you figure. You lean against the wall next to the desk, crossing your arms, gaze falling on the faintly pulsating vision.
Wanderer breaks the silence again. “What does freedom really mean though, when demanded of you by a God?”
Those words sounds familiar, you realize, as you ponder his question. You glance out the window, humming, while he looks at you expectantly. His eyebrows knit together in an offended look when a small smile pulls at the corners of your lips, and he opens his mouth to spew an insult, but you interrupt him.
“I think this means that the ball is in your court. You can take it, use the new power granted to you, and start anew, if you’re ready…” Pushing yourself off the wall, you pick up the vision and turn it in your hand “...or, you can leave it. Entirely behind, or just on the shelf, for another day.”
He looks up at you again, as you slide the vision into his hand with a smile.
“But, I think that the fact that it’s here is enough of a sign already. So what will it be, Wanderer?”
