Hi hello how are you is it ok if I ask for geshu lin headcanons with a reader who's really smart but physically weaker then average
Sorry it took so long to get to this request! I'm now in the thick of replaying WuWa and getting to my old requests! I still love Geshu Lin dearly, my absolute fav <3 I hope you enjoy these!
-At first Geshu Lin wasn't entirely pleased with the strategist Jinzhou sent. A soldier who could barely wield a sword with enough 'oomph'. But as he had more pressing matters at the time, he didn't particularly bother with arguing. At least they had sent /someone/
-Everyone contributed, and while he needed more bodies on the battlefield to hold back the advancing horde, any contribution was valuable. As such, Geshu Lin is a surprisingly good listener, taking your opinions into account and applying them as he sees fit.
-It took some warming up to, but he eventually began to involve you in more important strategy meetings. Geshu Lin values your intelligence, and doesn't particularly bother hiding it. He won't praise you, but active inclusion is his own sort of tell.
-Relationships on the battlefield are hard, unthinkable, but an inevitable. He's seen many 'brothers in arms' turn to one another for some solace amongst the bloodshed. He just sort of always saw himself above that. Unfortunately for him, he isn't.
-It started small, ruthlessly protecting you from tacet discords even you could have probably handled on your own. His broadblade slicing the creatures apart before you even had time to blink. Geshu Lin waves it off, it's his job.
-It's only when you get hurt does Geshu Lin actually chastise you, his voice low and gruff as he pushes Jiyan out of the medical tent to wrap your wounds himself. "If you're going to survey, bring better backup. You need to be more careful." His expertise is certainly not in medicine, calloused fingers rough against your skin. But it was endearing in a sort of strange way.
-He couldn't always be there to protect you, but to his unspoken credit, he did try, replacing the unit on your team with himself and dispatching them elsewhere. "You only need one of me, their skills are more useful elsewhere." Hard to argue.
-It wasn't until Geshu Lin got hurt for /you/ did it become glaringly obvious. Jiyan didn't want to say anything as he packed the general's wound with gauze, eyes flicking between the general on the table and your panicked form sitting in the corner. A halfhearted warning of caution from the medic, eyes glancing back at the wound. You aided him back to his bunk, in silence.
-The pain of his injury didn't show on his face, nor his steady voice, instead coming out in his words. "I thought you were smarter than that." And it's hard to tell if he means to notice his feelings, or if it was in regards to the battle fought. Your general walked a fine line, commanded respect, instilled fear in his enemies, so easily those frequencies could turn.
-It was weeks of back and forth, feelings returned, but unspoken. It was unbecoming of a general and his subordinate. Scarred fingers that trailed along your back as he moved past you, accompanying him even in your free time. You wanted to say something, but every time you tried, Geshu Lin shut the conversation down.
-His greatest act of love came soon after. "I'm sending you back to Jinzhou, with this." He held up a sealed envelope in his bandaged hand. "It's a letter of recommendation to the Ministry of War. Your skills are valuable, they could use you higher up the food chain." You tried to argue, but the general wouldn't have it, tossing the letter your way. "You'll go back in two day's time, with the returning supply run." And like with all things Geshu Lin said, his word was final.
-The only soldier he ever told to retreat.
