I keep thinking what if in the self aware hsr au we are actually Akivili
it would kinda make sense too with how we travelled to another world, maybe we can travel to different universes by dying or something and thats how we got to our world and why akivili went missing, then we died again and went to the hsr world.
alot of the characters ingame have made references to the trailblazer as akivili but what if they were talking about us instead.
Aha calls the trailblazer Akivili in the simulated universe (I know we play as them but Aha seemed self aware in it) and also says something about ruining our account, I think black swan and acheron might have also called us akivili during the penacony quest.
sorry if this is worded weirdly its 2am and im exhausted but had to get this off my mind đ
You're....not too far off from my thoughts actually uh oh
I didn't wanna get too into it while writing since it wasn't super detailed, BUUT the plan was for reader to have been summoned by an Aeon; in this case, Aha. To rise to be Akivili or just be a trailblazer so they can mess with u, i wasn't sure lol đđ aha does a lot of random bs i was hiding behind that a bit...
The point of the trailblaze is to take the paths of your predecessors and to venture even further; to explore and experience, right? Exploration doesn't end at touching grass I think (THOUGH THATS DEFINITELY NECESSARY...LETS ALL GO TOUCH GRASS đ) it could also be just meeting new people, or in this case. ykw. gaming. going through stories and worlds that aren't even real.
all hoyo games depend on some sort of exploration anyway, sometimes its of your environment and history (genshin) sometimes it's exploration of characters and themes (HSR) or a mix of both.
if Stelle and Dan Heng get to jolly around in some Greek Epic and be considered trailblazers, you get a shot at it too dammit!!
When/if word gets out that the player is in the astral express are any of the other âabandonedâ characters gonna want to visit?
The first plan would be to keep quiet about the whole thing, especially when it's certain to cause a lot of problems; all of a sudden, the Express is hosting someone, against whom half the influential figures in the universe holds rather strong feelings towards! Imagine finally succeeding in getting phai and sunday to get along and you're like "phew, finally we can all be friends!!!"
and then the Express door opens to show Aventurine with a rather disingenious smile.
No thanks...!!!!
Howeverrrr March and Stelle do have tendencies to spill things they really really shouldn't spill about...
So let's assume that happened. Word got around. Now you have a bunch of people wanting to.... See you? Kill you?! Who knows?!1?1!!2!
You're far too busy attempting to strangle Stelle when your first visitor knocks on your door.
"Am I interrupting?"
A smug, confident voice, all too familiar from your earlier days in the gameâGeneral Jing Yuan...
Like anyone would, you freeze up.
Oh God, you think, If Sunday was that salty about it, then Jing Yuan...
"General!"
You scurry off Stelle, falling to the ground face-first as you do so, before you get up and salute him, as if that might save your dignity.
Once he bothers opening his eyes, the sharp look he gives you is how you remember to not be fooled by the soft, feline-like smile.
You... Definitely have a lot of explaining to do...
Some characters would be more hesitant about visiting imo, such as Aventurine who is bitter and defeated, yes, but also juuust a bit afraid to face you. He's figured out your game (you have none) so why should he bother to go ahead and check on someone who's proven they couldn't care less for his being? Which wouldn't be an issue if you had any benefits to offer, but being here with the others in the Express, living as a regular human... Surely not.
However. Then, he off-handedly mentions the rumours to Dr. Ratio and Topaz.
Dr. Ratio and Topaz, who both show intrigue; Topaz being rather eager and curious, whereas Doctor tries to look calmer, less caring, yet remains obviously interested in the possibility that the rumors may be true.
Then, does he think of a fun game he could play with them. Not that he will inform them, of courseâ
You may have gotten bored of them all, yes, but Aventurine is nothing if not persuasive and likable. Wouldn't it be such fun to visit you, to remind you of why you adored him, to seduce you if he needed to, if only to mess with his beloved friends? May the best man win! (Or woman!)
(He may be a bit reluctant in admitting he missed the feeling of being geniunely cared for, but that's... Neither here nor there!)
"Hey." Stelle turns to you, "You free?"
"...Sort of, yeah." You nod, not minding the grown man napping on your lap as you absentmindedly handle your dailies (who knew the Starrail Universe had some fun gachas as well... You're truly cursed to juggle 5 of these at a time till you die.)
"Cool. Herta says she wants me to bring you over."
How would the self aware hsr react to reader playing hi3 or re-downloading it considering a lot of hsr characters are variants of the ones in hi3.... totally dont wanna imagine Phainon getting jealous over the reader loving 2 other white haired blue eyed characters with flame swords and the burden of the world on them
LMAOO torture him by spending time with his clones, torture him by spending time with his honkai counterparts...
"ANYONE but phainon himself"
âReader, 2025
You leave, as usual, again, which is really not too surprising anymore... Even if it remains extremely heartbreaking for the Deliverer.
This time, though, his Partner, who seems to know and follow more or less everything you do, looks puzzled as well.
"Oh? New log in?" She tilts her head in confusion, closing off the game she was playing upon the notification, "...The hell's this?"
Phainon, curious, leans over her shoulder to see... Oh, it's that app she uses! To stalk you see what you're doing!
"Are they playing that..." He can't help but scoff as the blonde person intrudes into his thoughts again, "...Ah... Other one?"
He definitely sounds like a wife being cheated on.
Stelle seems to take notice of that too, amusement flashing in her eyes as she squinted at her teleslate screen, "Nah. This one's new, I think?"
Sure. New one. Another knife to his heart. Just go ahead and hang out with everyone across the multiverse but HIM, won't you? It's not like he's staring into the walls of the Express, praying to any and all beings he's learnt of in hopes of bringing you back. Not at all.
The picture and people are strangers to him, this time (but at least it's not those he's deemed rivals!). A white haired girl, with features admittedly similar to his, and two others behind herâactually, has he seen those two before? The silver twin tails, or that long, purple hair...
Regardless, Stelle whips the screen towards herself before he can ponder on it.
"... Let's leave them to it. I'll check into their screenshots later."
He wants to see what in the world it could be that distracts you from being there, with him, with Stelle, but for the sake of his already wounded pride, he merely nods at the suggestion.
"...Right. I'll get back to Okhema in the mean time. Butâ"
"I'll let you know what it's all about, yeah yeah, get back to your deliveries."
It's around two hours later when Stelle knocks on (read: kicks through) his door, biting her lip as if to hold in her laughter, actual, genuine tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as if she's been waiting to burst into laughter all day.
She doesn't even say hi, let alone explaining why she would do that to his door. Just hands him her telestale, and...
It's Mr. Yang? In a dress. And some blonde... Woman? And...
...
White hair, blue eyes, same jawline, same nose, is thatâ
Phainon finds his cheeks redden in embarrassment at the sight of himself looking as if he's about to burst into song, "Partner, why would you draw this..?"
His amused, if a bit shy, question, however, is met with the dam finally breaking.
Stelle doubles down as laughter spills out, loud and long and almost hysterical, all the while the poor Deliverer awkwardly stands in his own house, staring at a picture of himself in a dress Hyacine would find too frilly to wear.
(Oddly enough, he doesn't look bad. Right?)
He sighs.
Well, it's just Stelle. She enjoys her pranks and jokes. This isn't too odd for her. You've been gone for a while, after all; even she seems to be losing her sanityâhe can't judge her or anything, he's not much different.
Until she speaks up in between the laughter;
"That'sâ" wheeze, "TâThat's... From that new one...!"
He squints at the picture, trying to decipher whatever drink might have gotten her to the point of having imagined previous conversations on whatever this was related to, until it hits him.
There HAS been a previous conversation, just an hour or two ago, about your new little project, right?
But surely...
He feels his face heat up even more, this time feeling more flustered than embarrassed, "WâWhat is this even... Wait, is that actually me?!"
Stelle shakes her head while wiping her eyes, "Nah, just... Well, I guess he's like you? Kinda?"
"Partnerâ"
"Okay don't freak out too much, it's not ACTUALLY you anywayâ"
"âPartner do theyâ"
"But like I guess this is what they'reâ"
"Do you think they want me in a dress????"
The question, one he asks with utter seriousness despite his red face, seems to take Stelle off guard.
She starts hysterically laughing again.
"Honestly?" She wheezes out again, "You know what? Maybe. Hell, there's thisâthis girlâ"
Phainon lets her as she grabs the teleslate and taps a few times in that weird app, before showing him the white haired girl from before; the one who shared a few too many facial features with him...
"Partner," Stelle says, a mischievous grin on her lips and stray tears on her cheeks from all that laughing, "Maybe they'd justâlike you better if you were a girl, huh?"
Ah.
So that's what you want.
... Probably.
He could... Try to change his wardrobe. A bit. With Aglaea's help.
(Once Stelle sits down to explain what she's gathered on this new game of yours, Phainon feels like you just enjoy messing with him, he really does. Especially with your interest in these two other white haired people with burdens so similar to his own. He could have three versions of himself roaming around, and you'd still seek for more of him...)
I love your sahsrau so much it's living free in my head! May I ask how they would react if they realize you kind of auto battle while doing sth else?? Like personally I tend to play Love and deepspace at the same time, imagine Phainon is being ecstatic thinking you are watching him destroying enemies for you and then he heard a women voice singing" Some long for longevity, before fading to duusst ~" but the worse is that he hears a GUY TALKING ?? Calling you "pipsqueak / kitten / Miss bodyguard / etc" ????? He kills enemies so quickly you barely had time to say hi to the boys in lads.
I also kinda wonder if Genshin characters are also self aware that would be chaos, Lumine waiting for you to come back but realizing you are kinda stuck in hsr ??? Imagine all the characters you pulled being also heartbroken, Kaeya was your first main but you quickly abandon him for Diluc of all things! Tartaglia was able to stay for a while bc of the international team but you recently remplaced him for Neuvillette, is it because he lost against him??? But it wasnt a fair fight!! And he fought the Narwhal for days, doesnt that mean sth to you ?? Albedo biting the dust in your account was fine with it, but with the recent Nodkrai patch, you start to use him again and he's happy about it. And with the new buff, you will play him even more right ?
Then they start realizing you who usually log in daily doesnt for a week now, they ask Lumine where you are and she's like " Well, it seems like they are stuck in hsr ? "
How do they get you back ??? And into Teyvat ??
This post got a bit too long lol but I had sm fun thinking about these !! THE LADS THING ESPECIALLY IS SUCH A FUNNY IDEA LMFAOO .... Let's say this is during your occasional farm visits, some time after you first pull phaiâ
Sure, things aren't as... Stable, or as regular as Phainon would like them to be, but at least you're there...! Sometimes.
This time, however, you're abnormally quiet while setting up the team. He's included, of course he's included, so he doesn't care too much either way, but it's unusual for you to not at least have that silly giggle when he's doing his best to look presentable for you! Or even that off-key humming. Or like. Anything. He misses your voice. Please just, like... Sigh??
He gets to destroying each enemy, trying to hit harder and harder since you seemed to like that last timeâmaybe he can wipe off the whole lineup in one attack? Of course he will. He does.
Yet, you're... Silent. Still, no words, no nothing, aside from... Music? A lady singing? Definitely not your voice though. Then again, maybe you just want some background music while watching him obliterate his enemies like some male bird trying to get your attention with horrible dance moves; that's fine! Should he... Like... Try to hit on beat ??
Then, he hears it. Some guy. Huh.
"Are you curious about the secrets buried underneath, Kitten?"
âSorry, "Kitten" ?????????
"Oh my God." Stelle gasps, her attention on the voice all of a sudden... Once she slaps an enemy away with her book shut tight, "Did... Did they..."
Phainon grunts as he takes a head off, still too busy with the fight to look up (in a somewhat desperate attempt to please you), though his attention is definitely not on the blood he spills, "What? Did they what? Who's that???"
"...Get a boyfriend? Is... Is that what's happening?"
Phainon stops dead in his tracks, the body from before falling limp at his feet.
what
"Did... Oh. Uh."
He... Sort of... Never considered that before, actually. He's pictured you a being similiar to something of unfathomable power, someone he wouldn't usually picture doing such humane things as...âhe wouldn't know! Cuddling? Going on dates? Gasps. Holding... Hands?
He supposes he's heard you complain about rather mundane things before, and he knows you have friends, but... It never occured to him you may have someone special. He didn't think you would, actually.
Huh.
That's.
Phainon doesn't really like that. Or maybe he just doesn't like the petname. So demeaning, isn't it?! You should have a better partner. An equal. Not someone who treats you like that..!
He hears your familiar giggle then, finally!
"Aww, I've missed you! Shouldn't have ragequit after those horrid pulls, I guess..."
???
Pulls...
It dawns on him, and Stelle, and Sunday, and Dan Heng then. The entire team.
You're playing a game. Something else. After you left them to fight some monsters.
Actually hold on a second, Phainon heard about something like this from Castorice, hasn't he? Is that aâ
"Dating sim..." Stelle unknowingly finishes his thoughts, "They're playing some dating sim. After leaving us like this."
Something akin to amusement flashes in Dan Heng's eyes, "...You really are similiar to them, then."
"Whuh- What's that supposed to mean?!"
Phainon doesn't really hear the rest of that conversation... Or Sunday's grunting. He sort of doesn't care to.
Dating sim... Those games where you romance the leads, right? Those flowery, romantic ones. OrâOh, Titans, what if it's the other kind? The... Less cute stuff Castorice gets really embarrassed about???? Is that what "underneath" meant?!
No. Nahh. Surely you don't like that corny guy that much, anyway...
Hey did he just hear a moanâwhat are you giggling about right now ????
He ends up defeating the enemies so quick you have to keep restarting the cycles. You grumble about not getting to talk to this "Sylus" without interruption, but heyâ
Your irritation is much better than your ignorance.
And about the genshin thingâno lie I hadn't thought abt how Lumi would know about your account etc like Stelle does, since she doesn't really have any ?? Devices ????? So I'll be even sillier about this and say your actions appear in her Adventurer's Handbook. Magical books aren't that odd in Teyvat anyway lalala (humor me...)
Let's say reader's horrible abandoning habits are just as bad in Genshin; you know what that means? A lot more salty exes.
Juuuust what you need. Because of course, Sunday is never enough. When has he ever been enough? Just end his misery.
So let's do a quick review...
Poor, poor Kaeya being demoted into a support for DILUC of all people, only to be kicked out not long after đđ He never gets a break from his family drama huh. He's gotten used to being thrown aside, he'd almost say he's used to itâhey, at least it's his brother you're throwing him aside for... Until it's not, and Diluc joins him on the defeated losers bench....
He had started off so good too. Being your beloved DPS for so many weeks, helping you take your first steps into his world! Isn't that lovely? Sure, he was a bit freaked out about the honorary knight telling him he may hear voices sometimes, but if that voice is yours? He'd love to hear it at all times. But he doesn't. He's cursed to become your ice-bridger... Until you pull Furina...
Childe, Tartaglia, Ajax; whatever you may call him, is mostly disappointed in himself more than anything else. He's been with you for a long while, you've helped make him much stronger than anticipated, hellâhe's actually pretty decent with a bow nowadays! You've contributed much to his mastery of all fighting skills, so...
What the hell happened that made you bench him?
NeuvilletteâThe lizard. That's what happened. One day, Tartaglia wakes up and oh, wow, he's just. Fired, essentially. Because you have a shinier hydro user now. It definitely pisses him off a bitâespecially with how he's recently fought with the guy. Is that what this is about? Did you decide to replace him because you came to the conclusion he was weak? That was an unfair fight, he'd think, but... Still. He lost, he lost. Fine. He wasn't strong enough... So what to do?
Be better. Be stronger. Beat Neuvillette. Hard.
(Good luck to Neuvi in avoiding a certain ginger's challenges in the upcoming days...)
Albedo seems fine with dealing with rejection, considering what sort of a "Mother" Rhine has always been lmao; Hate to inject my HCs here, but I feel like he's developed a sort of superiority complex about it, actually. He survived, he was the perfect human, the one to make it out alive and into society, not Dorian, not DurinâI thought he had a sort of empathy against Durin in earlier versions but. Like. Latest quests... Also that "is it murder if what I kill isn't human" thing like ?? He's coping. You pull him, you use him, you explore with him, you love him! And really, all that does is sorta affirm his already not very healthy thoughts lol. So when you end up abandoning him very early on because sorry man, he's not the best fighter..! He's actually not quite used to that. What's he supposed to do with being the abandoned one. Lol. ?? if being the perfect experiment is what got him his current life, what does it mean when someone so integral to Teyvat's existence rejects him?
And then you get him back in your team once he's done with Alice's little quest. Was that it? Has he finally done it? Can he feel a bit secure now, or ...???
And then whoops, you're gone. Like. For an oddly long time..? He's not sure what to feel about that part. On one hand, he's made it back into your teams! On the other... You're gone.
Lumine, sweet, darling Lumine, been with your forâwhat is it, 5 years now? Before Stelle, or anyone else really, she was there with you! Lumi trusts you to be her guide through Teyvat, even though Paimon claims she'd make a better guide anyday. Best travel guide in Teyvat, duh!
("Paimon, I don't think they're exactly in Teyvat, though..."
"Well, Paimon's the best travel guide in AND out of Teyvat then!")
Regardless of what other projects you pick up, whoever else you may choose to guide, you come back to her. She's pretty secure in that, and, well, she should be. Even if you're not the most consistent, you ARE always back to her. Every time.
Usually.
So.
What happens that makes you leave for so long, with NO log-ins to any other one of your projects..?
That's a bit... New for you. Were you... Socializing too much or something? She did hear you mention a few things about your work and friends recently, so maybe..??
"Huh-" Paimon tilts her head as she looks at the Handbook over Lumine's shoulder, "Wait a minute, did they ever log out after this?"
Lumine looks over to the records Paimon's little fingers point at, and.... Sure enough, it just says you logged in a few weeks ago... Had you been helping out Stelle all this time? Why?
Admittedly, she doesn't understand how exactly your universe shifting or the omnipresent voice and presence work, but she DOES know you don't do it for too long at once. It had been weeks though.
...
She wonders, what would a hypothetical friend think if she were to "visit" Teyvat, and then not come back for 5 years?
...Could someone from that universe trap you over there, she can't help but wonder. Much like what happened to her? Butânooo, pft, that's silly. You're too much of an outsider, a force not even the archons sense unless you let them.
Unless this other universe has... Even higher beings? Could it be?
She's no stranger to those, she supposes. Perhaps staying so long in Teyvat has made Lumine forget what threats lay outside Teyvat.
"...Could they be stuck there?" She ponders out loud, earning a surprised yelp from her white haired companion.
"No way! Could they...?"
It's cute, Lumine has to note, how Paimon worries over you even if she's expressed hostility against you before. Once you stop contending for her place as the best travel guide in (and out of!) Teyvat, the little fairy likes you quite a lot, after all.
"I don't know the details of what beings there are, in that realm..." Lumine speaks again, mostly thinking out loud, "But if that's the case, we should help them, right?"
Paimon nods her head up and down, as fast as possible, "Wellâthey've helped us a lot, right? It's only fair! Aw, they must be so scared..!"
As for the "how" issue... Be it Skirk, Alice, Nicole, The Archons, The SovereignsâLumine does know a lot of powerful people. Her brother said it himself, they will always have enough time.
You, though... Might have to be a priority for now.
She might also have to let some others know before they lose their minds. Over worry or anger or a broken hearts, she can't tell.
("Are you alright? This is the fifteenth time today... Should I call Hyacine?" Phainon asks, brows furrowed in clear, adorable worry as he hands you another napkin. You chuckle at his enthusiasm to help your sneezing, and take the napkin with a smile, "I'm good, I swear... Probably just allergies.")
NGL i haven't planned on it, but i also hadn't planned on there being a part 2 or 3 either, so.... who knows!! a comedic chapter dedicated to reader trying their damn best to get Sunday and Phainon to be friends would be cute, but it's in the "mayyyybe" box rn! until then, I'll just ramble abt the au while answering asks lol
your kotone shiomi pfp is so cute!! Do you like persona?
YESS !! persona 3 especially, that game changed sooo much for me back when i first played it in 2019 i think ?? not THAT long ago i guess but very few things have emotionally impacted me that hard since then lol. I'm not AS passionate about the other four games honestly but I've played all except 1; if I were to do a personal liking based purely on enjoyment, I'd probably say it's like 3>5>2>4?? they're all super good tho imo. Not super into the series nowadays, my focus is mostly on hoyo games+a few other animanga I like, but it has a bigggg place in my heart. ryoji and naoto are my goats if anyone gaf... love them so much
Their beef with Genshin kills me every time omggg. Is it just phainon or the others too?
Most of the others don't even know about it lmao đđ Stelle's the only one able to access your hoyo acc, and therefore your hoyoplay etc, so unless she talks about it... They lowk just assume u've abandoned them for more or less no reason. ouch!
Phainon was a particularly bad case since day one, it's never been hard to tell, so he gets to know about it; because Stelle would eventually have to tell him anyway, he's not one to just give up and move on. The others she's had to tell would probably include Aventurine, Sunday, maybe Topaz? Or maybe Stelle's let Topaz keep working harder as a coping mechanism instead of trying to let her down lol? Then again, Stelle's always been the one to strive to rive in reality no matter how bad it may be, so let's say Topaz also knows.
Frankly, with his entire life purpose and future plans thrown into the burning pile of trash located where his pride used to be, AND his contact with Robin cut, Sunday was already a bit sick of everything. Then you come around. He gets some hope for once. Then you leave. That, probably, is his limit lmao. Oh you've decided to leave him, to shatter his pride and joy into the ground so you could frolick around in forests and play with silly magical girls or whatever this "Teyvat" could possibly have to offer that he didn't? Fine. Whatever, dammit, fine.
(Stelle tries to comfort him a bit, or maybe she's messing with him, by saying "oh hey, maybe they're just playing with this other guy who looks like you and who also has a sweet little sister ?? Haha ????" but all she gets is a cold, cold glare)
He's bitter, he's salty, then you actually step into the Express and STILL show worry for this other world of yours? Are you mocking him? Is that it?
Overall, after everything... Yeah he still doesn't like the idea. Sure, Penacony and, well, his universe in general doesn't have that natural, magical beauty element Teyvat seems to have, but they have charms too, don't they? Should he get a kimono?? Is that what you want from him ?????
(He'd like to visit there, beneath all his confused feelings over you and therefore your involvement in Teyvat. It sure seems to be a sort of paradise, with all those friendly faces... So similiar to the tales told by his mother, and the paradise he's dreamed of with his sister.)
Aventurine respects your hustle (you have no hustle, him and Sunday just geniunely thought you were a neglectful asshole for no reason) so frankly. It's almost impressive how you're messing with him on one hand, then leaving to play with your other toys, only to occasionally come back to him! You've got a good system (you have no system you're just playing whatever seems more fun that day). If you were to ask for anything, you'd have so many believers at your feet, after all! Clearly it's working well. He's taken a look through Miss Stellaron's phone, just a small, non-ill-intentioned glance to get a feel of who your other little toys may beâit's not like he could gather that info from literally anywhere else, after all! Miss Stellaron's technically responsible for his (at that time, non-existent) communication with you!
He doesn't see the appeal.
The land seems comfortable, yes, but much less luxurious to anything his universe had to offer, though, he has to admit, it looks... Relaxing, at least. Some sights seem almost familiarâthose photos you've taken in the desert especially.
The people, however, seem a bit like a shady, don't they? That blue haired man with the eyepatchâwhat a smirk! It's clear from any angle he's the type to break your heart. Oh, or that innocent looking blonde, who you've photographed getting drunk... Wait, what do you mean he's broke?
Overall, he would say there's a clear winner. Surely you have better taste than that? Right? (Come back???)
Topaz thinks Teyvat is lovely. It's totally not JUSTTT because of the critters, not at all...! She doesn't wanna join you over there haha. Where did that come from. But like. She wouldn't mind if you brought over some of those fluffy capybaras. Or those cute baby dragons!! Ah, what a shame...
The sights seem lovely, the animals seem so whimsical, she gets why you would want to be there, she really does.
Doesn't change the fact that she feels a bit envious and maybe bitter about it. So what, you get to work together and then you abandon her for your vacations ?? Rude ?????
Stelle does her best to explain it's not up to you to get them there, but really, if you were actually sorry about it, you'd get her one of those blubberbeasts. Since that's not the case...! So you truly don't care after all!
That's fine. She'll make you care, eventually, once she becomes indispensable to your teams!
Stelle is fine with it. Really, she's accepted she's not your one and only, as much as that makes her sound like a wife whose spouse is cheating on her. That's not the case. You just like your little adventures, and meeting new shiny people, and all that awesome elemental magic and the ability to jumpâshe gets it. She can't cover your every need. That's fine.
I mean, that's what she tells herself of course, but really she's sort of salty about it. Lumine seems like a sweet girl, but please, does she have the adorkable Stelle charm? No she doesn't . No one has that. Come to your senses. More importantly, come back! Astral Express is as much of a family to you as they've been to her, after all! No matter the complex consistent overarching lore or shiny climbable walls, you'd always like the people over here, with Stelle, more. Totally. Definitely. Please. Listen she doesn't have a lot to offer in comparison but she's taller and could, theoretically, kiss your head if you were to stand next to her and Lumine can't do that SO STELLE WINS DAMMIT!
Oh my good god I love your sahsrau. Itâs definitely different from the other saau Iâve encountered here! I love Sunday and Phainon equally, and I hope we have more time bonding with Sunday (or with Phainon equally (sorry, I think we come as pairs as this point, the yearning is BADBAD)) like just ease his heart and hug him steady so he knows we still love him.
You are a 100% right tbh Phainon DEFINITELY comes as a pair with you lmao. Do not seperate!! He will cry.
Though, as time goes on, I'm sure you'd get to bond with Sunday...! Somehow!
Poor guy has been through a lot, both because of you and also other factors cough cough, so it would be much, much appreciated if you could, yk... Shrug Phainon off long enough to give him a hug.
Phainon's not exactly possessive or anything, if just a bit too clingy; but he doesn't exactly love it when your attention is elsewhere. Hasn't it been elsewhere enough? Stupid dragons and blondes and all? Yeah. Yeah it has. Look at him. Now. Please?
Of course you want to make amends with Sunday, especially with how much you've clearly hurt him unknowingly; the real issue is how Phainon has developed a disdain against him, because of Sunday's bitterness towards you. And if Phainon doesn't like him, you can't exactly hang out with him, because anytime you try to approach Sunday, you just... Conveniently, can't!
"Oh no," Phainon just happens to call for you, "can't believe my Partner just fell off that cliff. Guess we'll have to go get her haha. Ha. Right. We're busy. We."
(You're unsure if Stelle is actually in on it or if she's an actual victim in these distractions, but you won't be too surprised either way.)
Despite his control freak issues, Sunday's always been sort of timid, so it's not that you're surprised by the way he hasn't tried to reach out himself, even if you told him you wanted to be there for him... But it is a bit disappointing.
In his defense, of courseâthere's a whole wall between you two. A wall you quite enjoy the company of, clearly. One who hogs all your time.
Maybe he shouldn't even bother. You're there for him... Spiritually?? That's. That's something, right? Better than what he had thought you wanted from him before, at least! (Low bar, but he's trying.)
You, however. Remain determined! Phainon's attached to your hip? That's fine, you love the guy, he's been your pillar alongside Stelle ever since you ended up here, whatever the isekai process may be a punishment for! Away from everything you know, all logic you know in general, you desperately needed some supportive friends to help ground youâand that's exactly what they've been. Good friends.
(For reasons unknown to you, Stelle snorts in amusement at the last declaration, with a quick glance to Phainon. Can't even make friends in the Express, apperantly.)
You will, however, make friends with Sunday dammit. You didn't come here to be hated! You have some sort of history with all these people, those who dislike you and love you alike!
Now, the first, real question becomes... How do you make sure Sunday befriends Phainon, so you can all hang out together???
In the sahsrau what are the other characters view on the player? Since you did bring up people like Acheron and Jing yuan?
Honestly, the first part was based on my own account, so I already had those characters in mind while writing, lol. (Though that changed later on since⌠well. I have more or less everyone on Amphoreus, whereas reader just got E6 S5 Phainon and logged out. đđ)
Generally speaking, most of them are like exes you havenât been very nice to, ngl.
I didnât plan anything too detailed, but I had some stray thoughts on a few characters. Messy, but here we go;
Jing Yuan, your very first limited DPS, whom you pulled early! â so he had a special place in your heart for a long, long while, and the bastard knew it. He used to have so much fun teasing others, saying how itâs such a shame he always has to work while so many others just sit around and do nothingâŚ!
Then, as it happened with literally everyone else, you sortaaa⌠lost interest⌠and dropped the game for a long period. For the first time.
Well, isnât that a slap in the face!
Heâs not new to his friends dying, changing drastically, or outright leaving him, so honestly⌠he just takes the heartbreak like a champ. Heâs a yearner through and through, so yesâhe does feel that ache deep in his bones anytime youâre back in the game, so close yet so far, but he deals with it alone, just like he always has. Just another one added to the pile, he supposesâŚ
Aventurine came way later, but when faced with your frankly overwhelming attention, he got⌠suspicious. Oh, pleaseânothing happens for free! So he can teleport across the cosmos, join Miss Stellaron on her silly side quests, have some fun, make a little extra credit on the side, and be met with an intimidating amount of genuine love⌠for nothing? He didnât trust it. Not that heâd ever say anything outright, since you had so many admirers around, but still.
However, eventuallyâbe it your unending rambles or complimentsâhe folds. Bad.
Which is why it sinks into his flesh like hot iron when his suspicions are confirmed, and you quickly move on from him.
Well played.
Acheron, confused, moody Acheron⌠another unit you acquired and promptly abandoned. Frankly speaking, she barely had time to bask in your affection before you all but ran to Sunday, but she found it sweet while it lasted. All the mushy-gushy love words, the silly pictures taken from all angles, keeping her in every battle⌠for a while! It reminds her of someone else she knew. You still bring bittersweet memories to her mind, but sheâs not one to hold grudgesâat least not of this kind. She will, however, have that grim deadpan expression on her face whenever you're mentioned. Sorry, out of her control.
Sparkle likes you. No, reallyâshe likes you a lot. What an agent of chaos you are! What a power to hold over people! Your consistent habit of taking people under your wing and then letting them down in such cruel ways is so fun for her. If you ever ask for her help, in battle or during one of those silly events of yours, sheâd love to mess things up a bit; perhaps her mischievous touch is exactly what this silly game needs to keep your attention?
Topaz is crushed. At first.
âSo I've been working for nothing my whole life?â is her first instinct, but Stelle and Aventurine (âŚthe so-called uncaring colleagueâŚ) are quick to help her reframe things, in a much more positive manner. Heyâif she can teleport, she can network, and she can earn extra credits, then what canât she do under your wing?
It quickly turns into a game for her: a competition to climb the ladder and be your preferred pick for your team! Much like how she respects and admires Jade, she ends up developing a similar feeling towards you. It starts with suspicion, then grows into a sort of admiration as she meets all the people youâve âacquired.â
(Thatâs such a horrible word, though. Perhaps hiring is more accurate?)
Then, to the surprise of no one, the cycle repeats. You leave.
Aventurine had made a few petty offhand remarks about being âabandoned,â yes, but Topaz never thought you would just⌠up and leave. After working with them every single day.
She doesnât worry too much, though. All she needs to do is be more useful to you, surely!
âŚProbably!
Then, among your oldest residents⌠thereâs Dan Heng.
He was confused, lost, and suspicious at first glance. This newcomer they happened to find at the Space Station had some Aeon-like being with them? Andâwhatâs that voice????
He probably would have kept it to himself until he figured things out⌠if March hadnât immediately freaked out about the exact same problem.
Then he, March, and Stelle had their bery first bonding moment: trying to figure out who the hell is speaking, and what exactly is happening.
After that, things fall into place⌠sort of. You arenât too big on him, and thatâs fine. He doesnât mind it much. He does mind how you bring General Jing Yuan of all people to the Express, who keeps giving him glances akin to a sad cat begging for food, but thatâs neither here nor there.
(No, seriously â they meet all these people and you bring one of Dan Fengâs friends? Whoâs next, Blade?)
Then you acquire his Vidyadhara form.
And make him fight in that form.
And make him walk around in that form.
He has one preferred look, and itâs the one without his horns. Once again, he feels less like who heâs chosen to be, and more like someone he doesnât remember being at all.
He knows youâre not doing it out of maliceâyou probably just like the shiny water attacks, much like Stelle and March do.
Dan Heng eventually comes to accept that form as part of him rather than something to repress, (âThey⌠couldâve probably helped you with that before getting that formâŚâ Stelle sighed, mild irritation in her voice â something she doesnât direct at you very often. Dan Heng doesnât get it, nor does he bother learning from Stelle of all people, but apparently it has to do with you being âbehind on quests.â) which is also part of why he doesnât hold anything against you, even now. He doesnât worship the ground you walk on, nor does he dislike you. And thatâs something you come to appreciate a lot once you two begin sharing a life on the Express, among⌠everyone else.
All these... Other people....
......
...Oh, boy, you have a lot of people to make amends with, huh.
can i just say i am loving ur self aware fic concept ESPECIALLY WITH HOW STELLE IS GETTING IMPORTANCE i love it tysm
SO GLAD TO HEAR YOU LIKING IT !!!
Stelle is very dear to me personally and also, like, if anyone can be more connected to the player than others, i feel it should be the main character tbh. Especially in Stelle's caseâsince, unlike Lumine for example, she doesn't remember her past at all. She just wakes up and boom, you're there. Before anyone else, you have Stelle, and before anyone else, she has you.
You leaving and coming back, or any other habits are just things she's gotten used to; sure, it was definitely a bit scary when you first left for a long period of time, but even then, you're mostly spending time with... Her neighbors. So you're never too far away, she knows that.
Whereas in Phainon or Sunday or anyone else's case, they have a whole life they experience and all of a sudden this... Gaze falls upon them one day. Almost like what it feels to be watched by an Aeon, but even more unfamiliar! Oh, what's this? They also start hearing voices? Okay. So they've lost it, clearly!
And then the Trailblazer holds their shoulders and merrily explains that hey!! The entire universe is a scam, they exist to entertain (and have fun!! she adds, not ironic whatsoever), and the only one who truly has any say in who gets to travel across the available cosmos and live freely, and who gets to stress out due to plot reasons until they die is, well you.
okay. what
Phainon probably really struggled with that, like, imagine fighting against an Aeon because they keep you a prisoner for their own gain and watch as your friends die over and over again. Then, it turns out even that Aeon is a prisoner in similar circumstances!
First, it's resentment, hatred even, because what else is there to feel? What else does he have against the untouchable but the unending flames of his anguish and pain? From birth to death, again and again, he's been a puppet in the hands of some destructive control freak, and now he learns even if he manages to break free, he will remain a puppet.
Of course he's mad about it!
Then, though, seeing as the hero within his heart, the woman he admires and envies so much, is so fond of you, depends so much on you, clearly adores you... It gets confusing.
Logically, he should hate you, right?
But he sees how someone he loves so dearly cares so much for you, and how you clearly care just as much for her. How you're the reason why she isn't afraid to face any challenge head on. Why she knows she'll be fine at the end of the day.
He wants that too. Something to hold on to, someone who can be his rock. Unlike Lygus and Nanook, who have proven to want nothing but pain from him, or all his loved ones, who have proven to slip through his fingers no matter what he does.
(Stelle explains in detail how you aren't really an Aeon, how you don't actively affect the road her life takes, but... Really, however it must be, you're clearly helping her.)
I'm not sure if you take requests but what would happen if phainon met the other phainonsđ (coming from someone who has phainon on all 5 of their accounts)
Honestly i also dunno if I take requests lmao but this is cute to think about !!
His sense of self is pretty shattered already, with Flame Reaver this and Khaslana that, so on one hand, learning he has duplicates isn't thattt extreme of a revelation.
Then he thinks about it.
Those Phainons probably also want your attention, right? That won't do. That won't do at all! You barely look at him nowadays, what do you mean you have to share him withâFIVE OTHER COPIES OF HIMSELF ???
Actually, he calms (gaslights) himself, actually that's fineeee. That's fine. He doesn't mind that, haha. If it's him that you spend your time with, any version of him, maybe it's not so bad. At the end of the day, that means you care for him after all. You're not running after anyone else; it's just you and a few duplicates of himself. And knowing he has your affection is really all he wants, so...
Then again... Why do you have multiple Phainon's across multiple universes? Is he not enough? Is he, Flame Reaver and Khaslana not enough to satisfy you? He technically has 33 million extras of himself, if you wanted more of his clearly gorgeous face to look at, you should've said so!
If by some force, God forbid, there happens to be a glitch that causes your accounts to collapse into each other, for Phainonlings to meet each other... Yeah there's a good chance he's just eliminating the others, sorry.
(...Can he do that? If they're all the same person, with the same strength...)
(He does NOT know about relic builds. Shame on him.)
Phainon is a patient man. He's used to waiting, and waiting, and waiting, but Titans help him if he spends one more second waiting for you to look back at him, and away from the other copies..!
(The other Heirs are mostly confused as to why this lovable, mischievous man is so hostile to himself all of a sudden. Stelle, however, simply grabs her popcorn.)
A/N: Parts from scenes i wrote into the SAHSRAU chapters, and took out!! Just mildly funny drabbles. Won't make any sense unless u've read the series though lol
âMy liege, you wound me!â Stelle whispered to you, before you got back on the express after the long and agonizing journey that was Amphoreus, âOf course I would never, ever, EVER mention that it was you who abandoned like half our guests in the train! Thatâs ridiculous! Weâll just say... Youâre from Okhema, and need a place to stay!â
âUh-huh...â You remember nodding with squinted eyes, âAnd how are we supposed to explain that I, some person, just happened to get out of Amphoreus alongside...â
You turned to look at all 13 Chrysos Heirs behind you, all on the same journey to the Astral Express, about to pretty much start over their lives from zero, âThem?â
â...Maybe we could say you were, likeâmy favourite NPC so I brought you with us?â
You stupidly believed her, for approximately five minutes, before you all stepped into the Express, beaten and bloody and tired... Before Stelle slung an arm around your shoulders, held you close, and all but exclaimed, âYOU GUYS ARE NEVER GONNA BELIEVE WHY WE CANâT TELEPORT ANYMORE!â
-------------
"Wait, hold on, did we even get any fuel? Is it trailblazing if the place doesn't really..." Stelle's eyes flit to Phainon, with his arm draped across your shoulders and face buried into the top of your hair, "...Exist?"
"Oh, damn." You realize.
Yeah, actually. Did the Express get any fuel?
You should probably catch the conductor to get an answer, you conclude.
The next moment, you find PomPom, the sweet little bunny-creature, to ask the fuel situation... To which they shake their head.
You'd say you felt like you got slapped, but you actually did get slapped as their ears flew up during the head shaking process.
"So." You nod, turning your head to look at Phainon, who's become your shadow recently, "We're stranded in space."
Stelle sighs, a rather exaggerated show of utter defeat in her expression, "... We're stuck again."
For some reason, triggered by the words, Phainon sulks with her.
-----------
Phainon should control himself, he should be a gentleman. That's how he was raised his whole life! He should stay away from your personal bubble. He should stop invading your space. He should get away from you every now and then. He doesn't need to spend every waking moment with you, after all.
Anyway, by some unexplainable miracle, he finds himself tucked under your chin, under your blankets on the Express couch that night.
Well, he reasons, these don't count as waking moments, do they?
"...I could still go sleep on the ground, it's really not an issue for me." He mumbles into your shirt anyway, feeling the need to at least TRY to have some decency.
"I don't have my plushies here, Phainon." You mutter into his hair, a fact which makes all his blood flow to his face, "You'll have to do."
He hears Sunday sigh very loudly from his makeshift bed on the floor.
-------------------
"So." Aglaea asks, eyes sharp and cold despite their lack of function, "Phainon... Surely you'd like to introduce me to your new friend?"
Phainon should've known. He really should've. With her golden threads, nothing across Okhema ever escaped Aglaea, after all.
So, how should he put this..?
"They're..."
My beloved? The one I sulked around waiting for? A blessing upon our cursed land?
"...A friend."
All his charm and wit is often squeezed out of his body anytime he feels Aglaea's pressure. A fact he's painfully reminded of right now.
"Phainon." She presses harder, voice just a tad bit sharper as if she's surprised he's even attempting to hide things from her after all these years. And she probably is! Phainon has been loyal for years upon years, so this behavior must be baffling! He should just stop trying to hide things and explain it all to her!
("So what if the universe outside is exactly like Amphoreus and we're never actually free anyway so who cares?" Stelle's words echo in his mind, which leave the same sour taste they did last time. That really didn't seem like a good way to phrase things, did it?)
"...An outsider." Phainon finally sighs, eyes not daring to see her reaction, "A friend of Stelle and Dan Heng. They're safe, Aglaea. I promise."
It's not exactly a lie, but he's still hiding so much from the woman who took him under her wing all those years ago. Still leaves a sour taste.
Aglaea seems to sense something's off. Of course she has, when has she ever missed it, after all? But, mercifully, she lets him off the hook.
"I see." is all she says, though her tone is tinged with suspicion. In this context, Phainon feels what she means is less "I understand" and more "I'm deciding to trust you with whatever you're doing, so don't mess it up!"
Synopsis : You've managed to successfully carry out your first kidnapping operation butâ oops! It turns out you have the wrong celebrity. You scramble to amend your mistake. But the problem is, your hostage doesn't want to leave.
Tags and Warnings : Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Yandere Themes, Stalking, Abduction, Drugging, Phainon Is Freaky, Attempt At Humor, The Reader Is A Red Flag But Phainon's Into That ÂŻâ \â _â (â ăâ )â _â /â ÂŻ
Words : 3797
⥠Note : Watch me lock in for the most random ideas.. okay, that was a lie, this isn't actually random. I wrote down this idea back when the Luckin x HSR collab was first announced and a few days ago, decided to visit the draft again and ended up writing 1k words in one sitting :I But I had lots of fun writing this! And I'll be honest, this fic is mostly crack, so do approach it light-heartedly. Please excuse any unintentional mistakes and happy reading <3
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âKafka, please tell me you're teasing me.â
Your fingers grip onto the phone, preventing it from sliding off from your increasingly sweaty palm. For half a minute, you hold your breath. The quip or that familiar light-hearted drawl that youâd been praying for never comes, solidifying your situation.
âI told you to read the targetâs description carefully, sweetie.â
That ticks a nerve, âBut IÂ did! You told me : white hair, blue eyes, tall, male, obnoxious smileââ
âAnd does that one in front of you really seem like someone whoâd be on our hit-list?â the woman leisurely interrupts, you can quite well picture the way her eyes are probably sweeping over her nails in your mind.
At that, you turn towards the cause of this mess. Silver-blue hair shifts and glimmers under the dim light of the room, a vein starts to bulge in your forehead from the drag of the chairâs legs against the floor. The fool uses whatever remains of his strength to push his chair closer towards the black blob of fur lounging on the table.
âPspspspsâŚâ he even has the audacity to say, probably planning on petting the cat with his head at this point.
And then, as if remembering his circumstances, he lifts his head towards where you stand by the door and swivels his head away, nearly toppling down with the chair, whistling innocently.
There's a muffled sound coming from the other end of the call, Silver Wolfâs poor attempt at hiding a laugh, you realize.
âI thought so.â Kafka says at last, acknowledging the meaning of your silence.
âLook, I know how it must look now, but there are hundreds of men who look like this on this planet aloneââ you attempt one last time to salvage some dignity.
â[Name],â immediately your mouth shuts upon recognizing the tone, âWhat do we do when we make mistakes?â
You avert your eyes, lips pursing, words practically a grumble, âNot make excusesâŚâ
âAnd?â
âFix them.â you grit out after much struggle.
âYes. So, what are you waiting for? You know what to do, don't you?â a clink echoes from Kafkaâs wine glass settling on the table, signaling the finale of this exchange.
You mutter a half-hearted agreement, still petulant. Not really paying much attention to whatever she says afterwards as the call ends.
Six months. Twenty six weeks. One hundred and eighty three days of sleepless observing, learning and planning to pin down one man just to be told that you had the wrong person since the beginning. A sigh forces its way past your lips as you shove the phone in your pocket, repressing the urge to throw it at the nearest wall instead.
âLuckin Luckin, drink it up..â
All your muscles stiffen as that familiar jingle drifts to your ears, you sharply turn to see your hostage swaying from side to side on the chair as he sings that damnable song without a care in the world.
âCarrying carrying, Snowyâs here!â
Instantly, a maelstrom of memories flood your mind.
âA leap that leads to an encounter with you!~â
Days of dealing with stupid customers, a narcissistic boss and loud fangirls just to get close to the celebrity. Abandoning your self respect as an aspiring Hunter to suffer in minimum wage hell all for it to mean nothing.
âTodayâs a lucky dayâ uwah!!â
A loud thunk echoes in the air, startling the napping cat and silencing that maddening tune for good, your heavy breaths prompt him to hold his.
You look up to his bewildered form so quickly he wonders how you didn't snap your neck, cyan eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
You dare him to maintain eye-contact, which he loses within two seconds, flickering downwards to where the heel of your shoe rests in between the gap of his legs.
(If anyone asked later, youâd deny the reason youâd retreated was not for the loud gulp heâd forced down his throat, or the flush of pink coating his cheeks.)
âPhainon.â
The addressed man stiffens further at the terse way you use his name, âUhm, yes?! Uh- Well-â
His sputtering spree stops as you flash him a dazzling smile, the remaining adrenaline manifesting in a flinch instead.
âHow do you feel?â you ask sweetly.
If Phainon was bewildered before, his cognitive abilities are out of function now. His mouth opens and closes, neurons firing and synapses aligning to form one response.
âI'm fine? How about you?â and then his whole face flushes as he realizes how dumb that sounded.
A corner of your lips twitch, which you immediately smother as Phainon fake-coughs, âI mean! Iâm okayâŚÂ but! I definitely would be finer if you⌠loosened these ropes?â
You fix his sweetened smile with a blank look and Phainon bends after three seconds, âOnly if you want to, of course! No pressure!â
You shift to lean your weight on one leg, a hand gripping your hip as Phainon looks at anything but you, bouncing one of his legs. You catch a glimpse of his hands twisting behind his back against the restraints.
A hum from you stops Phainonâs squirming just a little, âDonât worry. Youâll feel âfinerâ soon.â
The man whips his head just as your shadow falls upon him, the response thatâd been on the tip of his tongue dies there as you reach behind him.
He inhales sharply at your sudden proximity and his mouth runs before he could stop himself, âM-my, are you going to pin my arms above my head? Oh noooo, please don't! I won't be able to move my hands ahahaââ
His teasing bravado falls flat as light glints over the needle of the syringe you fix.
âHaâŚâ
You look at his gaping expression from your peripheral, âI told you not to worry, didn't I? Itâll sting just a little bit. Then, youâll wake up forgetting everything that happened.â
Phainon straightens at that, face twisted in alarm, âWait wait! No no no! I swear on Aedes Elysiae that I won't tell anyone about this, just waitââ
He tugs at the ropes with a sudden burst of energy and to his luck, the ropes loosen just enough for him to wiggle one hand out.
But that's where his stretch of fortune ends, a gasp is all that is heard as you strike the needle of the syringe right on the tattooed sun at the side of his neck.
Your left hand raises as his head limps forward, all the energy sapped out of his body in an instant. You toss the syringe aside, the previously napping cat catches it midair and drops it in an open plastic bag nearby.
You place your now free hand on his shoulder, steadying him so that he doesn't topple you over. A web of the next steps already taking shape in your mind.
Your thumb traces an absentminded circle over his cheek one last time before you let him go, trying your hardest to not think about the softness of his skin, or how you wished to feel more of it.
â
A week later, you sit at a secluded corner in the dining space of a fast-food chain, three tables away from your real target.
Your thumb swipes over the screen of your phone, pretending to scroll alongside the occasional munch of the fries youâd ordered.
Your attention, albeit, is zeroed on the man talking animatedly to the person in front of him.
You surmised it to be an argument, and the realization begets a pleased spark in you. The more tumultuous the emotions, the easier it was to bait someone.
âSo, who are we stalking this time?â
You tilted your head, stealing a glance at the man in front of you over the rim of your glasses.
âThe one with the shades, voice so booming it might as well be a verbal attackââ
Wait a minute.
You don't recall bringing a partner.
Slowly, you turn your head to your left, eyes long having forgotten how to blink.
âMissed me?â his voice drips of honey, sitting in utter leisure with a measly one inch gap between you, one elbow propped on the table, cheek pillowed by his palm.
Your soul almost leaves your body.
Phainonâ damnable Phainonâ blinks for a good few seconds in what appears to be concern at the force of your flinch, before an amused chuckle echoes from behind his masked face.
âYouâ whatâ howâ?â your arms flail, trying to make sense of it. Why are you here? Why are you talking like you know me? Did the drug not work? How did you find me?
Phainon leans back slightly with a hum, his silver-blue tresses dance along the gesture, âIt seems like you did miss me, a lot.â
Your brain ceases buffering at that, rebooting to adapt to the sudden change of circumstance, âWho⌠says I missed you? I don't even know who you are!â you cross your arms, angling your head straight.
Phainon makes a pained sound, a gloved raises to clutch at his chest, ever the actor he is, âNow you're just breaking my heart, Mx. Kidnapper! After we shared such an intimate, heartfelt experienceââ
He lowers the volume of his exclamation at the death glare you direct at him, but doesn't stop, âAhh, how I ache! But it's alright. I know you may pretend to be annoyed with me, but there's a soft spot for me in your heart. You even tucked me into bed even though I was such a naughty boyââ
Your jaw slackens, eyes appalled as he continues his soliloquy about intimacy and punishment, without a care in the world about how easy itâd be for him to get exposed here out of his stereotypical celebrity disguise.
You force yourself to swallow, no no, there is definitely something more to this. At the same time, your actual target springs from his seat, following after the other guy in a rush and that prompts you to attempt an escape.
You yelp, as the momentum of you standing up is used to yank you back down, your hand shoots out to cushion the abrupt pull, landing right on Phainon's thigh in time with his breath brushing over your face.
âAh ah ah,â he tuts, fingers fisting into the fabric covering your arm, âRunning away so soon, Mx. Kidnapper?â
His free hand hovers over your hips for a brief moment, you can feel the weight of his hand even from the inch of distance and you instinctively draw in a breath as the tips of his fingers brush against the dip of your waist.
The golden flecks in his eyes twinkle behind his shades, you blink out of the daze as he raises his wandering hand to re-adjust your crooked glasses instead.
âI could kill you.â your whisper is far too loud in the thick silence.
There are a million other things you could've said, million ways you could've shoved him away. But your mind decides to not be partial to either.
Phainon tilts his head, eyes softening in what you could only assume was curiosity, âYou wouldn't,â his response is just as tender, just as heavy as your threat.
You scoff at his audacity, pulling back with a jerk, and he lets go of your hand when you sit down beside him instead of running away.
âAnd why wouldn't I?â
The playful edge returns to Phainonâs countenance, âBecause you own a cat.â he declares with the utmost confidence.
You stare at him blankly, âWhat? Cat?â and then you realize what it was that he was referring to, âYou idiot, that wasn't my cat, that was my boss.â
Phainon blinks once before a carefree chuckle leaves him, he waves a hand, âOh, I know! You cat-people treat your cats like they're your employers, no? Not saying that I don't get it, by the way! Completely valid, completely valid.â
Your eye twitches in irritation and resignation, realizing that he couldn't be shaken out of whatever narrative heâd convinced himself of. You lose any motivation to argue with him further, suddenly conscious of how âmy boss is a catâ sounds like to an ordinary person.
âAnywho!â you flinch as he stops his frantic waving to point a finger directly at you, you realize then that this man would give you a heart-attack if you don't leave soon. âTo return to the point I was making, you won't kill me. Because I know that beneath all those scoffs and eye-rolls, you actually have a really soft heart.â
You reward his oh-so-confident exclamation with a deadpan.
âI am a wanted criminal.â
Phainon flinches and gears up in defense, âC-criminal?! Donât sell yourself short! You're aâŚÂ professional! Are you not?â he fixes his sunglasses and places a hand over his heart, âBut even that is a matter of perspective. I know that villains are made, not born. If we're condemning anyone, it should be society! What I'm trying to say isâ wait! Don't go! Wait!â
You equip yourself with imaginary noise-cancellation and get up to leave with a determined gait, no longer trusting yourself to stay sane before this manâs yapping.
Phainon scrambles after you, his legs eating up the distance with a few strides, âMx. Kidnaââ
The tips of his fingers brush by your scarf, before being shoved aside by a waiter in-rush. The noise of Phainon's shades hitting the tiled floor resounds as its pushed from his face from the impact.
The waiter gasps.
âPhainon?!â
Immediately, all the heads nearby turn, footsteps and swooning eating up the previous silence. Within seconds, Phainon is swallowed by a crowd.
âIâm extremely sorry, I'm in a hurryââ his plea is pushed aside by the excited yells of admiration and requests of autographs, the crowd does not budge an inch.
Phainon can only watch helplessly as your silhouette disappears amidst the helter-skelter.
â
A few weeks have gone by since that incident, the majority of which youâd passed in your apartment after a reasonable amount of earful from the others.
âElio says that you should lay low for a while. The mission will be handed over to Bladie instead.â Kafka had instructed.
âDonât leave your place unless absolutely necessary, weâll be investigating the case.â
And, you did as you were told, left with no other option besides reflecting over everything that had happened throughout the past six months.
You couldn't even bring yourself to feel frustrated this time, numbed from the failure of being unable to complete the one assignment that would've solidified your position as a Stellaron Hunter.
You were half expecting police to kick down your door any hour of the day, but nothing happened, not even a peep was heard about the fact that Amphoreusâ golden boy had gotten kidnapped even after a month since the incident. But you chalked it up to be one of your colleaguesâ work.
And every time your thoughts circled back to that dayâs incident, your mind arrived at the same conclusion again and again.
That man was dangerous.
Not necessarily in terms of strength (though you weren't very confident about this point either), but for how heâd tipped you off of your axis so effortlessly that day.
You have a soft spot for me in your heart, his words would invade your mind in the middle of washing dishes. Villains are made not born, the statement would gyrate in your head as you twisted and turned while trying to chase after sleep, the image of that annoyingly cute, repulsively adorable smile would flash before your eyesâ
âDonât stay up too late playing otome games!â
Youâd initially thought them to be Silver Wolf messing around with Bladeâs number or something, or even bots. But the more you ignored them, the less and less avoidable they became.
âThe new pajamas are so cute! I love the cat print (â â§â â˝â âŚâ )â
âCoffee mug placed precariously close to the edge of the table. Alert alert!â
âYou left the hair-tie on the sink.â
âA roach almost crawled on your bedsheets last night, but don't worry! I took care of it (･â â˘Ěâ á´â -â )â â§â
âYou look so cute when you're fidgeting, Mx. Kidnapper.â
It was only after a reluctant consultation with Silver Wolf that you found out, âSomeone had hacked into your webcam.â you felt your heart drop, not because of the news, but because of the twinge of worry in her usually deadpan voice. âYou should check your whole apartment, too. For secret cameras and tampered locks.â
You could only hear the drumming of your own heartbeat in your ear, the apartment canopied by a deafening silence as you plucked the cameras one by oneâ two from the potted plants of your bedroom, one in your shower, one in your kitchen and one from the socket of your living room.
You gripped your phone tightly in one hand, the device already cracked from when youâd thrown it towards the wall in your earlier panic.
The bite of the splintered screen against your palm grounded you, giving you courage to check the locks.
Communication from their end had gone conveniently quiet, leaving you to fend for yourself until further notice. It was no secret anymore who the sender of those creepy texts was, but it didn't make it any less disbelieving.
You're jolted out of your daze as the doorbell rings at the same time as you twisting the screw in on the additional lock.
You hold your breath, again, it rings, confirming that you didn't mishear.
For a moment, you consider backing off and crawling under the bed, not at all interested in finding out who was behind the door, even though there was a good chance for the person behind it to be one of your colleagues.
But that treacherous, curious part of you whispered, nudging you closer and closer to the door until you were looking straight through the peephole, towards a far too familiar pair of cyan eyes.
âI know you're in there, Mx. Kidnapper.â
You jerked away, nearly toppling over a stray wrench on the floor.
Phainon. Phainon was was right behind your front door, confirming all the facts youâd wrestled with denial against up until now, attempting to break into your apartment with an ease that made you shudder.
Had anyone told you that this man, this ordinary pretty boy whose smile earned him his livelihood, who youâd been targeting to kill would be the one to corner you in your own home even a day ago, you would've laughed and rolled around on the floor.
The frantic clicks of him attempting to twist the locks brought you back and sigh tumbled out of your lips.
At least, the extra locks youâd put and the drawers youâd pushed against the door would be able to keep him at bay, enough time for you to think about your next move.
Which, namely, were two â you could either climb down from the nineteenth floor right now, or you could push another closet to the front door and wait until one of your colleagues came to rescue you.
Wait a minute. Your thoughts screeched to a halt ; run? Hide? All against one ordinary actor who you definitely would win against in a brawl should it come? You're seriously on the verge of having a panic attack from that? Where's your pride as an aspiring Stellaron Hunter?
Your fingers stopped their tapping against your arm, you turned to cast one last look at the door, and then swiveled on your heels towards the kitchen to make yourself something warm, enjoying the frustrated noises of Phainon trying to unlock the door as you turned on the stove.
â
That night, you had a marvelous sleep, belly full with a hearty dinner and moisturized skin. Both sides of your pillow were cold, the sillage of sunlight still lingered on your bedsheets.
A dream unfolds and cradles you. Sunny skies, the scent of petrichor, cars whoosh by, billboards flashing blinding smiles, a ray of light â reach for it, grasp it, the whirr of coffee machines, the buzz of crowds, shadows fall, the lonely strum of a guitar, tousled silver-blue, oh how you yearn, a palimpsest of memories sealed in tar, a hand brushing away wayward strands of hair, fingers in between yoursâ
⌠Fingers in between yours?
You gasp, nails digging into skin and sinew.
One blink, the blue of your bedsheets become clear to you in the dimmed light of the night.
Another, and startled cyan gleaming in the dark, amusement slowly crawling from the corners of those eyes.
âI used to be into lock-picking.â he twirls a hinge between pale fingers, useless now for anything besides mocking your hubris.
You spring forward, one hand still holding onto his wrist, the other wrapping firmly around his throat and push him down to the floor.
The hinge clatters to the ground.
An âoofâ heaves out of Phainon's lips as his head hits the cold tiles, getting cut-off towards the end as you squeeze against his windpipe, your legs wrap around his midriff.
âYou.â Phainon snaps his eyes open to meet your shadowed visage, his Adam's Apple bobs against your hand as he swallows hard.
And then, his face flushes bright red, from the tips of his ears to the nape of his neck.
âFinally, finally you're looking at me again, Mx. Kidnapper.â he exhales, you blink as his free hand raises to not push you away, but to tuck a strand of hair away from your face, baring your bewildered expression to him.
ââŚWhat?â your grip slackens in surprise.
The corners of Phainon's eyes crinkle as he smiles so wide it nearly splits his face, âI missed the feeling of having your eyes on m-me.â he chokes slightly as you squeeze his throat again, his body goes utterly pliant beneath you.
âIâI quite⌠enjoyed you watching me, y-you know?â there's something of a pout in his voice, even as heâs getting the life choked out of him and his eyesâ oh, there's apparitions of hearts setting those cyan eyes ablaze.
You let go in horror, but don't succeed in retreating far as he clamps one hand firmly on your waist, dragging you back to straddle his hips.
âNever do that again, okay?â his request is sickeningly sweet but there's steel in his gaze. You have a feeling he isn't just referring to you holding him down. His other hand guides yours back to his neck, placing it right against where a blazing sun bleeds into skin.
Tracing a maddening circle over your hand, âIâd say it's a fair bargain. Stalking for stalking, attention for attention, affection for affection, ownership for ownership.â
A pause.
âTit-for-tat⌠wouldn't you agree, Mx. Kidnapper?â
Š harmonysanreads | do not cross-post, translate, plagiarise, copy on a different platform or use my works to train ai.
SelfAware!Sunday x GN!Reader, ooc everyone tbh like be prepared, SUPER petty Sunday
A/N: au where everyone survives amphoreus and joins the express bc 3.7 isnt real to me heh. Also this is probably the last of this au. most likely. I think !! a bit shorter and all, i sorta cooked this up while preparing for exams lmao
Sunday exchanges some awkward looks with you as Miss Stelle explains everything thatâs happenedâyour arrival, the entire Saga of Amphoreus, why he couldnât teleport anymore...
(Mentally, he scowls at that. One single good part of being so beloved and then promptly abandoned to rot with the restâthe ability to see Robin from afar whenever he felt particularly badâand that, too, was gone now. Lovely. Not to mention, it seemed all your other âacquiredâ characters were now also completely scattered, thrown across the entire cosmos to where they were meant to be all along. Just as he was starting to get used to Miss Topaz and Mr. Aventurineâs constant bickering, too...)
The following week or so is hard. Well, harder than everything else has been, none of which were easy either.
Getting used to becoming a Trailblazer was already a rough concept for someone who had grown up on one planet, in one house, with one single sibling to keep him company whenever Gopher Wood allowed her to. Then, he was promoted (...or was it a demotion?) to living with six strangers on a train, spending his days unsure of his future, sleeping on the couch; and now, he has to live with... eighteen? Did he count that right?
Eighteen people on one train. Itâs getting a bit too crowded, clearly. Perhaps the time had come to kick someone out?
Still, his biggest woe isnât that, but the fact that you, too, live with them now.
When Stelle explained that you, the one who had so lovingly brought him back from the pits of despair he had fallen into by comforting him, loving him, then promptly made a slave of him, were here, with himâhe felt like screaming for a while, if not much worse. What else was he meant to do?
Worse yet... Lord Phainonâs been proven right. You still love him. From dawn to the deepest hours of the night, the man has been attached to your hip like an excited puppy begging for your attentionâand you happily gave it to him. So it isnât your tastes that were the issue Sunday concludes; you have always been perfectly capable of caring for someone longer than a few mere weeks. You just... didnât do it for Sunday.
What, was being told his whole life and all the ideologies he had been taught since childhood were lies not pathtic enough for you? Did you not pity him enough? Did he not deserve it? Your pity, affection, loveâsurely you canât be so cruel, can you?
His eyes flit away from his book and to the sight of you lounging on the couch across from him, hands nervously fidgeting with your fingers. Miss Stelle lays against your right, mindlessly playing games on her phone, a content smile on her face; whereas Lord Phainon sits just a few inches to your left (though Sunday feels sure he would be across your lap if it were appropriate), the same revolting soft smile playing on his lips as he watches you wait for Lady Castorice to make her move on the chessboard.
'In an attempt to bond with Lady Cerydra', Lady Castorice had come to you asking if you knew chess, which led to this scene happening in front of Sundayâutterly irritating him to the core.
He knows chess, much better than you do clearly. Itâs not a reach to assume Lady Castorice simply wants more friends and is trying to get to know you as well, but still... That doesnât change the one fact he holds true: no one on this train is in need of your services. Assuming you even have any.
Itâs a bit mean to be so prejudiced against youâfully average-looking, utterly normal youâhe knows. But at the same time, if all youâve done so far is love, use, and discard, he has the right to feel protective of.. Well, everything.
He looks at you again, looking all peaceful and normal and content (save for the uneasy smile he has yet to see you without) as if you werenât responsible for a dozen heartbreaks in the most formidable men and women in the galaxy. Cruel. Thatâs who you are.
â...Wait, Cassieâyou canât move the rook that way.â You say with an amused grin as she makes another mistake; suspicion creeps into Sundayâs heart that she may be making all these mistakes just to play longer. Lovely. So despite being unaware of who exactly you were, Lady Castorice had fallen into your spider web too?
A shame, truly.
âOh, apologies!â she quickly moves the piece back. âI... havenât slept too well last night. Seems itâs not affecting me well.â
You tilt your head at her apologetic smile before a mischievous grin forms on your lips. â...Oh, I get it. Busy... writing, maybe?â
âAh...â
You chuckle, finding her reaction and the red seeping into her cheeks rather endearing, âAww, you donât need to be embarrassed!â
I could write too, Sunday pouts mentally as he quickly looks back at his book with furrowed brows, scanning the words he doesnât really bother to comprehend.
If you wanted a writing buddy, he was right there! Before Lady Castorice, too, he would like to remind you! Before any of these new people you'd arrived on the Planet of! What if you had landed on Penacony when he was still in charge, he can't help but wonder? Sure, he wasn't his best, but perhaps that's when you liked him; at his absolute worst.
But nooooo, you just had to personally step into the Express and mingle with all these new heroes to make him suffer. And he couldnât even say anything, aside from a few passive-aggressive jabs that were definitely low blows, but what else was there to do? Confront you?
...About what? Ena hadnât helped him because he wasnât worthy. So what did he do? Swallow his pride and move on. You wouldnât care for him the same way you cared for others? Fine. Heâd swallow his pride and move on.
Sunday is a man above such pettiness, after all. Heâs able to move on. Unlike some clingier, weak willed people...
Lord Phainon shamelessly plops himself across your lap, then. You freeze for a moment, still unused to his antics despite all this time of the man being physically and emotionally attached to you; yet, with a smile of utter adoration, you ruffle his hair.
He and Sunday are very similar, arenât they? Light-colored hair, clothing stylesânot to mention, Sunday has seen Lord Phainonâs eyes turn yellow too. Sure, Sundayâs admittedly much scrawnier and quite less smiley, but regardless... Even in your victims, you have a type, it seems.
A while passes in silence.
Lady Castorice eventually leaves upon winning the game by some miracle (or perhaps because youâre genuinely a horrible player), while Stelle gets off the couch to take a nap in her roomâthe one currently shared with many others due to the Express being so overpacked.
That leaves Sunday to watch you chat with Phainon over coffee.
âI didnât expect you to be so...â Phainon trails off, another silly smile spreading on his face as he looks you up and down.
You, however, take offense to that, putting your mug down with a pout. âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â
âCute.â
That shuts you up.
Sunday barely holds back an eyeroll. How... corny. Itâs like heâs watching children attempt to flirt.
âYeah, well, I didnât expect you to be so clingy,â you say with a scoffâeither amused or irritated, he canât tell. Probably amused. You derive joy from watching others get attached to you and suffer when you stop reciprocating, after all. Why on Penacony would you be irritated?
Lord Phainon merely sighs, though, grinning even wider as he teases you, âI think I gained the right to be a bit clingy when you left us for so long, hm?â
Not a single ounce of elegance or decorum in either of you. Revolting.
(As if Phainon knows the depth of your negligence at all, Sunday finds himself thinking.)
âI told you, I didnât know!â you groan, like youâre tired of people mentioning how you had a tendency to love them enough to make them want to live again right before letting them fall into the deepest pits of despair imaginable.
(âOh but you didnât knowwww~ wah wah!â Well it didnât seem so when you were talking about how stupid and silly and adorable he seemed at approximately 3 A.M. every night for weeks. So you know how to flatter him but donât know how it will feel to leave him? Please.)
âStill, have a heart!â your name, then, spills from Phainonâs lips with such ease that Sunday finds himself gripping his book even harder, irritated by the easy bond you two formed in such a short time.
Poor, naive Phainon, Sunday thinks as he forces his eyes back onto the page for the nth time that eveningâso quick to trust, even after being betrayed so harshly. That won't end well for that man.
âPhai, come on,â you chuckle, sipping from your forgotten mug, âyou know I wouldnât do that if I knew you were waiting for my return like an abandoned puppy... Come to think of it... if you were so devastatedââ
âPfftâI meanâI wouldnât go so far as to call that devastation, actuââ
âWhat about the Teyvatians, I wonder...?â
Oh where does Sunday even begin.
âPhai,â you call him, as if youâve been lifelong friends with the man. And not only thatâyou go ahead and worry about these Teyvatians of yours rather than the very people around you whom youâre actively neglecting!
Not Sunday himself, of course. Itâs not like he wants a shred of whatever you would, or could offer him anymore.
Cruel. Cruel. Cruel.
He clears his throat, finally sick of your little chat.
âCould you two move this to a private room, perhaps? Some of us have more productive ways to spend their time.â
The words are cold, swift, and harshâenough to make Phainon turn to him with a smile much stiffer than his usual easy grins.
âThis is a common lobby, is it not? If anyoneâs in the wrong place, that might be you, Sunday.â
Oh? Your affection-starved little pet, barking at Sunday? The newcomer, barking at Sunday? That just wonât do.
He equips his own hospitable, stiff smile that doesnât quite reach his eyesâa mask heâs grown quite used to wearing since his youth in Penacony.
âLord Phainon,â Sunday emphasizes the title, as a sign of respect and more importantly; distance, âyou seem to have gotten used to life on the Express exceptionally well, for someone whoâs been out of his little bubble for such a short time.â
Itâs a low blow, he knows. But, honestly, anything to get you two and your mushy gathering away from him.
(He could just get up and leave, yes, but heâs... oddly reluctant. Much like how heâs been reluctant to look away from you, to leave the room you lounge in. Perhaps itâs a desperate attempt at dominance, but he finds it necessary to be around youâto make sure you canât swallow the guilt he is sure you have deep down. No, no, you donât get to just make new friends and live like heâs never been yours in the first place; you will remember him, and what youâve done to him back when he was already at his lowest.)
(âSunny, we really really gotta get you that therapist,â he hears Stelle mumble in the back of his mind, but he promptly chooses to ignore it.)
Lord Phainon, however, doesnât falter, ready to fire back a jab at him, to take this pointless discussion much further than it should goâwhen you put your mug down with a clink.
âOOOOkayyy...â You stand, âWe were just leaving anyway! Iâm all out of coffee and all...â
Your awkward laugh fills the air, clearly a pathetic excuse to just get the two of them to shut up.
But, to Sundayâs surprise, your obedient little puppy tugs you back down by the arm and stands himself.
âYou donât need to bother,â Lord Phainon says softly. âIâll get you a drink. Then we can continue our chat. Here.â
The emphasis on the last word feels so petty that Sunday barely holds back a laugh. What an immature man...
As Phainon leaves, though, Sunday realizes heâs left to sit... With... You.
One-on-one. Alone.
For all the time heâs been around you, this is the first moment heâs been left alone with you. No Stelle. No Phainon. Just... you. And him.
He quickly realizes that this is rather uncomfortable.
Is he supposed to say something? No, no, why should he! He doesnât need to clear the air with you; he doesnât care if youâre still fidgeting with your fingers, or if you look particularly intensely into his eyes with a squinted gaze, or if you tilt your head cutely, orâ
â...Your bookâs upside down, by the way.â
what
â...Excuse me?â
âYour book, SundayâMr. Sunday?â
âJust Sunday will do fine.â
âRight. Youâve been holding it upside down. The whole evening.â
He looks down, brows furrowed in disbeliefâand youâre... Right. Much to his dismay, heâs been... outsmarted..?
Has he truly been so focused on your activities that he didnât realize such a grave mistake? How embarrassing... Utterly unbecoming..!
â...Quite audacious of you to imply I could not read upside down,â is, sadly, what leaves his lips as a poor defense.
You squint at his poor lie, clearly biting back a smile, and nod, mercifully choosing to ignore the obvious. âOf course. Sorry. My bad.â
An awkward silence fills the air again, and painfully, Sunday wonders what could possibly be taking your pet so long. Then you could get back to bickering and stop looking at him, stop perceiving him, stop making him hope to find something sweet in your gaze...
âYou donât like me very much, yeah?â you finally ask, words cutting thought the tension like a knife.
Of course not, Sunday wants to say. What is there to like in a backstabber?
âI suppose thatâs not... incorrect,â he says mildly as he closes the book in defeat and puts it down. You want a confrontation? He can confront you. He wonât bow down to your pathetic charms like others have. Sunday, as he often needs to remind himself nowadays, is a stronger man than that.
âIs this about me being a very inconsistent player again?â you scoff with an exhausted smile that only irritates him moreâbecause how dare you find it amusing to have hurt so many? How cruel does one need to be to make light of so many broken hearts behind them?
âNot quite,â he lies instead. âItâs not personal. I simply donât enjoy people who are quick to abandon so-called loved ones, thatâs all.â
You blink.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
âOh my God, youâre just salty!â You throw your hands up, clearly shocked by his reasoningâor what you think his reasoning is. Because it isnât. Heâs not just "salty."
He clears his throat quickly, to regain composure, though he feels his wings twitch in irritation for a moment, âThat would be a great understatement, My Liege.â
The titleâthe one Stelle jokingly bestowed upon youâfeels unfamiliar and uncomfortable in his mouth, too cold, too sharp, too serious. You, however, just raise your hand and mime a talking motion. Like a child. âYeah, yeah, okay, I get it. But like... come on, you know I had no clue.â
âThen perhaps you shouldnât have invested so much intoââ me ââsome of us. Iâm afraid it ends up giving the wrong impression. Even leading them on.â
You raise a brow.
His face burns. Was that... Too obvious, perhaps?
âSundayââ you stand, a fact that makes him flinch in defense, and walk up to him. âActually, scratch thatâSunny, look, Iâm sorry if you got all depressed because I didnât know you existed...â
Much to his horror, you plop down next to him, an arm thrown over the couch, almost, almost touching his shoulderâ
â...But if it makes you feel better... Iâm, also, away from home and family, currently unsure of anything in my future, including whether I have one at all, and I have to relearn how to take my first steps into life. Weâre pretty much on the same ground; how about we actually, like, try to support each other?â
He glances at your handâso close, too close!âthen at your eyes... His own wide and horrified as he meets your gentle expression.
â...Not the same at all.â He scoffs, scooting a tiny bit further away in hopes of gaining back his composure, âYou have the support and love of all around you. No enemies in the entire cosmos... No reputation dirtied by your past mistakes.â
You roll your eyes.
(You are unnervingly good at irritating him, he realizes.)
âOh please, thereâs a good chance everyoneâs as pissed off at me as you are! Really, we both have the Express Crew, and, wellââ
Your gaze slowly drifts down to his hand on the couch, a few inches away from where your thighs rest, still uncomfortably close to your person. Slowly, though, you lower your own hand andâ
Place it over his.
He feels like he might choke. From the... fear? Disgust? Excitement? Whatever it is bubbling in his stomach is hard to identify, even with his gained expertise at controlling his feelings.
ââEach other,â you finish. âI mean, uh, if youâll have me.â
Your voice softens by the end, sweet in the same way it used to be back when you...
Ah.
He sees it, then, as he meets your eyes.
The revolting affection that has so many in a chokehold, as sweet and dizzying as Harmonyâs call. Was it Xipe who brought you here, he wonders, to punish him for his crimes against the Path?
Regardless, you feel a need to ruin the moment by speaking again: âI mean, I guess I also have Phainon, but like, you guys could get along suuuper well if you stop the catfights. Honestly, his support to me is like Mr. Yang to you, actually!â
(Oh, Ena... Sunday internally flinches and realizes, with dawning exhaustion, you are dumb.)
Sunday snaps his handâand headâaway from you, eyes frantically searching the Express car to land on something that might ground him. When he can't find it though, he resorts to covering his eyes with his trembling wings instead, â...My Liege, no offense, but I believe you greatly misunderstand Lord Phainonâs intentions toward you.â
âHaha. Hey, whatâs that supposed to mean?â
He really shouldn't have to explain. Were you that blind all this time? If you're genuinely this naive, perhaps Sunday's bitterness has been misplaced after all, he fears.
Mercifully, thoughâor perhaps notâPhainon bursts back into the room with a mug of coffee and a large smile... Which quickly dies down when he sees you two sitting rather closely, much closer than how he left you, Sunday still blushing from the intensity of the conversation, one eye peeking below the small wings...
How must that look to Lord Phainon, Sunday has to wonder.
(He has to admitâhe feels a bit smug. How does that feel, Deliverer?)
(Sunday is aware he found Lord Phainon a bit naive, despite thinking of him quite similiar to himself, but this... Odd bitterness he feels against the man, is... New. He thinks.)
Phainon, after a few seconds of blankly staring at the scene unfolding in front of him, unceremoniously drops the mug, letting it shatter on the floor, and marches toward you two...
