How genshin men would react to them falling in love with you after rejecting you
Assuming a year has past since your confession. They aren’t sure if you still like them.
Tries to win you over (Subtly)
He believes that if you liked him back then you can like him now. You haven’t got over him, have you? It’s only been a year. You have to still like him a little, right? He tried to reject you as respectfully as possible so all he can do is hope he didn’t break your heart. He goes full courting mode. He will subtly court you or even seduce you if he must. He definitely replays your confession in his head at night. How could he reject you out of all people. Anything you told him during your confession is 100% being used against you. Oh so you like how his gifts are always so considerate? Well now his gifts are extra considerate. Oh you like how strong he is? Well he just happens to show off when protecting you from some hilichurls. He catches one reaction. One small blush or longing look. Any sort of proof that you still like him and he’s asking you out on the spot. He tries being subtle about it to hide his slight guilt for rejecting you then asking you out a year later. If you make him say it then he’ll try to laugh it off. “I mean you did say you wanted to go out with me didn’t you?”
Wriothesley, Heizou, Kaeya, Flins
Desperately Tries to win you over
Similar to the last one except he’s a lot more embarrassed by what he’s doing. He feels like a moron for rejecting you. He honestly can’t tell if you do or don’t still like him. Eventually he asks you out with the same amount of effort you put into asking him. “Hey uh, is that offer for *blank* still open?” He’ll ask while actively blushing.
Kaveh, Itto, Gorou,
Locks in
He is not going to fumble you twice. He’s going to make sure you love him again no matter what it takes. You’ll suddenly notice he’s a lot more attentive. He’ll give you gifts and sometimes just look at you. You don’t know how to feel. Does he like you? He rejected you so you must be overthinking right? Eventually he asks you out as nonchalantly as he can though secretly his heart is beating the life out of his chest.
Kinich, Albedo, Alhaitham,
Plays off the rejection
He’s really hoping you don’t remember his rejection. He’s convinced he wasn’t in his right mind when he rejected you. You’re literally perfect for him. He acts a little bit like a female high schooler with a crush. Overly laughs at your jokes, sits a little too close, stares at you whenever he thinks you aren’t paying attention. When he asks you out he plays it off as a spur of the moment type of thing but in truth he’s been thinking about asking you out for a while. He really hopes that you 1: still like him and 2: that you don’t hold his rejection against him.
He feels upset about liking you. How could he have waited so long to fall in love with you. He’ll stare at his ceiling wondering how he could be so dumb. He wouldn’t confess to you. How could he? It’s been a year. There is no way you still love him. He’ll long for you from afar as if you were the one who rejected him.
Neuvillette, Xiao, Tighnari, Durin, Baizhu
Apologizes
He’ll confess to you but not without an apology. He will apologize for breaking your heart and ask for another chance with a bouquet or something else you like. He feels terrible for rejecting you but doesn’t beat himself too much over it. All he can do is hope you accept but understands why you might reject him.
Kazuha, Gaming, Diluc, Sethos,
Avoids you
He feels so dumb and doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings. His face heats up whenever you talk to him. When you first asked him out he had no interest in romantic relationships but now he wishes he had one with you. He avoids you so much you’re convinced he hates you. It takes intervention from one of his friends/siblings for you to understand what was going on.
You brought the Inazuma sweets and want to play with the guy a pocky game!
(Y/n): "Hey... would you like to play pocky game with me?" *you place one part of the sweet in your mouth waiting for him*
_______
Aether: "H-huh?! Ah! Of course I will play with you!" His cheeks are painted with red shade, he shyly bites the other end of the sweet, eats it slowly with eyes closed.
Albedo: "So this is type of game for the couples? I see… then…" He bites the other end of the sweet and was slowly eating it, watching you intensely for your reactions.
Alhaitham: "... if you wanted a kiss you should just say so." He took the pocky away from your mouth and kissed you. Then he came back to his book, eating whole pocky by himself.
Ayato: "Oho? How could I refuse my beloved?" This didn't end at one, you played till all the pocky run out... he may bring more for more sweet kisses.
Baizhu: "We can play but only one round… let's leave the rest after we come back to home, alright?" He didn't want Qiqi to see you both being affectionate with each other… or anyone else, so he agreed for one round when nobody else was present.
Bennett: "O-oh! Yeah! I want to play!" The blush adored his cheeks but still bravely bit the other end of sweet.... only for it to break immiedietly in middle "W-wait... does it mean I lost?"
Childe:"Hoho! Let's see who will win!" He ate it so fast that he caught you completely off guard when you suddenly just felt his lips on yours. You played more rounds but he still was faster than you.
Chongyun: "Pocky game? What are the rules?" After you explained he felt his heart beat faster. "Um… let me first prepare some popsicles… just in case…"
Cyno: "I tried to tell a Pocky joke, but it fell flat. Guess it wasn’t my best stick-" you showed the sweet in his mouth.
Dahlia: "Hum~ Sure! Let's play!" He was teasing you, always breaking apart when your lips are supposed to touch. After you started to pout he finally give you a deserved kiss.
Dainsleif: "If this is what you want then sure. What are the rules?" After you told him he smirked. "I see, but next time if you want some… affection, just say it." he played as you wanted him to.
Diluc : "…" He didn't say anything, just bit the other end and slowly ate it till your lips meet, the kiss was especially passionate, he let go when you were out of your breath. "If you want to play more, just say so." He said it with smile.
Durin: "So the winner is the person who eats the most of it? Sure! I want to play it!" When you both reached the middle he wasn't sure if he can proceed more. After your lips brushed his, you moved away from him saying you won. "Huh?! Um.. can we play one more round?"
Flins: "Another interesting human custom. So shall we start?" He holds onto your cheeks, making you look up at him, the way he was looking at you made you shy. He was eating slowly on purpose because he wanted you to eat most of it and be the one to kiss him.
Freminet: "I… I … Please give me a moment." After he calmed down, he bit the other end of the pocky, but before your lips could reach his, he jumped away. "Ah! S-sorry! It's not like I don't want to… do this, it's just a bit embarrassing… Can we try one more time?"
Gaming:"Oo I heard about it before! I always wanted to do it with someone special one day! Haha!" He bites the other end with a big smile. You played many rounds and shared sweet kisses.
Gorou: "Wait, you know about this game?! I.. I do want to play it." He bites the other end, but the closer your lips were, the more shy he became. After the kiss he was trying to show that this didn't affect him, but you can tell he really liked it by his wagging tail.
Heizou: "Ah it seems we think alike! I just wanted to propose this game to you too!" There was some teasing and with every round, his kisses become more and more passionate.
Ifa: "What is this game?" After you explained, he smiled "Haha I see. I would love to try it with you." It started slow but the closer you two were to each other, the faster he ate, not wanting to wait any longer to feel your lips on his. "Bro are you for real?!" Cacucu came and surprised you two.
Itto: "Bring it on!" He bites the end but when you started to eat, he took a big chump of it and moved away "I won!!" He exclaimed and let out a laugh. He thought you look disappointed because you lost "Don't be sad! We can play again!" You have to eat fast if you want to kiss him.
Kaeya: "Oh my, how could I refuse when you ask me so nicely?" When you two reach the middle and your lips are almost touching he will move away. "Sorry, it seems I won! If you want we can go for another round~" in next round he will finally let you kiss him.
Kaveh: "A- Y-yeah! we can play!" He was caught off guard with your proposal but still wanted to enjoy this little game with you. He eats slowly and then kisses you softly.
Kazuha: "Ah, I forgot this game exists. I would love to play it with you." You two were smiling to each other while eating the sweet. When your lips met, he didn't let go of you. Then he started to leave kisses all over your face.
Kinich: "You're full of supraises today." It is his birthday, but you want to play the game with him today as well. He of course agrees, sharing kisses with you is always great... till Ajaw came back and ruined the moment.
Lyney: "How could I refuse!" he grabs your waist, bringing you closer to him. He was a fast eater, not being able to hold himself any longer from kissing you. You won't be let go too soon.
Mika: "H-huh?! Isn't this a game where two people…!!" His face gets red, but he still bites the other end. You have to eat it and be the one to kiss him because he froze.
Neuvillette: "Humans really have interesting ways to spend time with another." He agrees to play, but he prefers kisses with you without any sweets involved.
Ororon: "Hm? What are the rules of this game?" After you told him he, immediately bites the other end of pocky. The kiss was short and he went deep in thought. When you asked what he is thinking about, he replied "I was wondering… can we use a carrot for this game as well? It will be more healthy."
Razor: "Okay." he didn't even ask how you play it, he just followed your lead. After your lips met he, shyly moved away. "I really like this game... can we play more?"
Sethos: "Hmm? I see, I see!" He will indulge you, after all any reason to be able kiss you is good for him. You guys are going to play many rounds.
Thoma: "Oh! I wanted to play it with you for awhile!" Very excited. Before you two become lovers he always wondered how it feels to play this game with a special someone. Expect many sweet kisses with him.
Tighnari: "Hm? Pocky game? Sure, we can play." He heard of it and wasn't sure how to play, but quickly realized the purpose of the game. "How about we continue it but without the pocky?" Many kisses were shared.
Venti: "Okay~!" He bites immediately and started munching on the sweet. After you two shared a kiss, he moved away from you and licked his lips. "Mmm! So tasty! Your lips are the sweetest thing in the world so… how about doing it again? Without the pocky of course~"
Wanderer: "Huh? Didn"t I tell you I dislike sweets? … Fine, I will indulge you, but only this time" He ate it fast and kissed you quickly. "Hmph, next time if you are that desperate for my affection, just come without those sticks…"
Wriothesley: "Oh, the snack will be good for tea." For a moment you got worried he won't play it normally, thankfully that wasn't the case. He will eat most of it then, passionately kiss you. "If you want we can play more~" He will invite you for more rounds.
Varka: "Haha! If you want kisses you could just ask!" He still plays with you, but lets you eat most of the pocky.
Xiao: "Another pointless human custom…" He seems like he doesn't want to do it, but after seeing your sad face he immediately bites the other end. He lets you eat most of it, but when you two are close, he is the one to kiss you first.
Xingqiu: "I see, well how can I refuse?" He didn't want to show it but he was excited you wanted to play with him. It didn't end on one round.
Zhongli: "Interesting." he said with smile and bit the other end. He ate till the middle of pocky and waited for your lips to meet his.
T-too many guys Σ(゜ロ゜;) But I didn't want to leave anyone for something like this 👉👈
⟡ This is basically small headcanons of how I think they would react when seeing their lover fall. It's thought to be in the early stage of the relationship. Also this was not proof read so... enjoy it raw<3
Childe is the kind of guy who would see you slip on ice, laugh like a hysterical idiot at the way your ass meets the ground, and then slip right after you because he would be too focused on trying not to die of lack of oxygen from all the laughing to be careful himself. He’s an idiot and tries to live up to that name every single day of his life, apparently.
Sethos, the kind of guy who would see you fall, smile amusedly, and then fall on purpose right next to you so that you two can “be fools together”. And then he will help you stand up looking at you like you’re royalty he has sworn to protect when really, you probably look like a scruffy mess. He won’t let that thought make its way through your head though.
Diluc, the kind of guy who would see you slip, and immediately go ‘on my dead body will I let them fall when I’m standing next to them’ and will catch you with his reflex on and running and stopping you from hitting the ground. That man will NOT let his lover touch the ground in his presence. The ground doesn’t deserve you.
Kaveh, the kind of guy who would see you slip, and immediately go ‘on my dead body will I let them fall when I’m standing right next to them’ because ain’t no WAY he is letting you embarrass him in front of the world like that. He would be all like “don’t you have eyes? Gosh I can’t take you out anywhere” but then he would hold your hands through your whole time outside, saying it’s to prevent you from causing a disaster in front of the entirety of sumeru, when really his ears are burning and his heart feels very pleased by the excuse your close fall gave him.
Scara, the kind of guy who would try to catch you, fail, fall with you, and act like an embarrassed tomato who can’t bear to look that stupid in public. “See that’s the curse you bring to my life, why do I have to see your clumsy face every day to begin with. Useless.” He would stand up looking half irritated, half embarrassed, if the red cheek would be of any indication. And he would hate you even more when you’ll be back on your walk, “You say that but your sweet ass tried to catch me. You may pretend to hate me but your love is showing~”. Congrats on making him walk faster to avoid listening to your (very much true) embarrassing words.
Flins, of course, would foresee your falling from a mile away, and will hold you closer to prevent it. You’ll just end up flustered because of the sudden unexpected closeness while he will feel very content keeping his lover safe and their feet on the ground.
Chongyun is the kind of guy who would look at you all worried with puppy eyes, going “Are you okay?” like you’re on the brim of death. Which you are very much so. From embarrassment. But his reaction makes you forget entirely about the fact that you just fell in front of a lot of people, and will make you focus solely on the fact that this boy worries so much about you it makes him adorable. You can’t help but smile and reassure him and hold him close through the rest of your walk. That is, until he goes into overheat because of your closeness, which he likes very much but still has trouble controlling.
Alhaitham, the kind of guy who, after seeing you trip, would look at you like you’re the dumbest idiot to have ever wandered in Sumeru, will not even offer a hand to help you stand up, and will move on like nothing happened afterward. He would just talk to you like usual. Which… Makes you realise that it’s actually not that big of a deal. You fell, so what? Happens to everyone, right? No need to be embarrassed. Later on, you will catch him watching your step and directing you a bit to the left or the right to prevent you from tripping again. But he will behave like he isn’t doing any of this, as if it was just your regular walk in the city. Nothing new here (I see you).
Kaeya, the kind of guy who would just take this as an opportunity to flirt. If he manages to catch you, he’ll hold you close while saying some corny shit like “careful love, don’t go falling too hard for me”. If he doesn’t realise you’re falling before you already hit the ground, he will present his hand out, asking you “what is such a delightful sight like you doing so close to the ground? Shouldn’t you be way up in the sky, enlightening us all from your light?” Anyway he won’t miss a chance to do those cheesy borderline cringe remarks whenever he can, and of course you falling is the perfect occasion to do one. Of course.
The tags nonchalantly being my arch nemesis.
Oh and this was done in like 30 minutes when I was deeply sleep deprived, and I can't get why my brain is sparkling with ideas whenever I'm a hour away from passing out from lack of sleep??
characters: Bennett, Chongyun, Freminet, Gaming Razor, Sethos, Xingqiu (my ass forgot his name, hope its right, may his simps forgive me for the blasphemy) and Kinich F!Reader
Being pregnant with Baizhu’s child meant never being able to hide discomfort from him for more than five seconds. One look at your face and he already knew.
“Tiredness, lower back pain, and you skipped lunch,” he said calmly one afternoon.
You blinked. “Are you secretly psychic?”
“No,” Baizhu smiled softly. “You’re simply very easy for me to read.”
He treated your pregnancy with incredible care, always checking on your health without making you feel fragile. And despite his usual composure, he became visibly emotional whenever talking about the baby.
Especially late at night. Sometimes you’d wake up and find him resting beside you with one hand over your stomach, smiling quietly while listening to the baby move.
For someone who spent his life surrounded by illness and mortality. Creating life with you felt almost unreal.
Chongyun
Chongyun short-circuited completely after finding out. Poor boy turned red so fast you thought he might actually combust.
“A-A baby?! Ours?!”
You had to sit him down before he fainted. Once the panic settled though, Chongyun became the sweetest partner imaginable. He researched pregnancy constantly because he wanted to do everything correctly.
Unfortunately, stress made his yang energy spike. Which meant every time the baby kicked unexpectedly, Chongyun got flustered enough to accidentally freeze nearby objects. You once found a frozen bowl because the baby moved while he was eating.
“You startled me,” he said weakly.
You laughed for ten minutes straight.
Gaming
Gaming was so excited he genuinely could not sit still. This man talked to your stomach DAILY.
“Hey little one, it’s your favorite parent.”
“You’re not even born yet and he’s already competing for favoritism,” you sighed.
Gaming grinned proudly. He also became incredibly affectionate during your pregnancy, always hugging you from behind, kissing your cheeks, helping you walk when your feet hurt. And when he first felt the baby kick?
Absolutely devastated emotionally. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and then suddenly he was crying into your shoulder.
“That’s my kid,” he whispered in disbelief.
Like he couldn’t imagine anything better than building a family with you.
Xiao
Xiao was terrified. Not of the baby. Of losing you. The moment he realized you were pregnant, centuries of fear and karmic guilt hit him all at once. He worried constantly that his karma would somehow harm you or your child.
But despite his fear, Xiao loved you both with everything he had. Quietly. Intensely. He became almost permanently attached to your side whenever possible, watching over you with silent devotion.
And one night, when the baby kicked beneath his hand for the first time, Xiao completely froze. His golden eyes widened slowly.
“…They’re alive,” he whispered softly.
You smiled. “I would hope so.”
But Xiao looked overwhelmed in a way that nearly broke your heart. Because after hundreds of years of loneliness. He never thought he’d have something this precious.
Xingqiu
Xingqiu romanticized your pregnancy immediately. This man treated the entire experience like a beautiful novel unfolding in real time. He wrote poetry about you. Actual poetry. Most of it embarrassingly lovesick.
“Did you seriously compare me to moonlight again?”
“It was metaphorical.”
“It was dramatic.”
“You love it.”
Unfortunately, He was right. Xingqiu also adored reading stories aloud to your stomach because he insisted the baby should develop “proper literary taste” early.
And whenever you laughed at him, he’d smile softly and kiss your forehead like he already had everything he ever wanted.
Zhongli
Zhongli reacted to your pregnancy with complete stillness at first. Then overwhelming tenderness. He treated you like something sacred afterward. Not because you were weak.
Because you were carrying a life the two of you created together. A life he already cherished deeply. Zhongli loved resting his hand against your stomach while speaking softly to the baby about Liyue’s history, tea traditions, and old stories from centuries past. You once joked your child would come out speaking formally.
“I would certainly hope they possess refinement,” Zhongli replied seriously.
You laughed so hard you nearly cried. But beneath his calm exterior, Zhongli was emotional in ways he rarely showed. Sometimes he’d simply look at you quietly, golden eyes filled with so much love it left you breathless.
Because after enduring loss for thousands of years. You gave him another beginning.
✧ falling for them wasn’t supposed to happen. it was just a mission, a lab, a stormy night, a kitchen fire. but somehow their chaos, their quiet, their brilliance sticks to you, and now you’re tangled up in hearts, schedules, and experiments you didn’t sign up for. love, it turns out, is messier than any plan ― albedo + alhaitham + ayato + baizhu + chongyun + cyno + dottore + diluc x reader ⋆ incl. fluff, explosions, maybe very fractionally angsty at times 𝜗ৎ i'm sorry for the wait !! i've been going through writer's block but I (thankfully) managed to write this. part 2 (flins, heizou, ifa, itto, kaeya, kaveh, kazuha, kinich, lyney, neuvillette, tartaglia, thoma, tighnari, venti, wanderer, wriothesley, xiao, xingqiu, zhongli) will be coming out sometime.
𐔌 . . . 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐃𝐎꒱
You had no reason to be on Dragonspine. Absolutely none. You just wanted to go home and brag that you conquered the cold and made it out of the mountain alive.
…Ten minutes later, you fell into an ice pond and nearly became a popsicle.
Albedo found you flailing like a Magikarp. He sighed so deeply it seemed like the wind paused in solidarity and contemplated leaving you there to freeze. However, he decided he didn’t want to be tied to the death of a reckless adventurer.
So now you’re sitting in his lab, wrapped in a blanket burrito, drinking cocoa that probably wasn’t made from cocoa powder and milk and instead some unimaginable concoction of random vials on his lab bench.
He’s sketching the snow, trying to ignore you. You, meanwhile, are trying to figure out if the glowing rock on his desk is edible.
“Don’t touch that,” he says without looking up.
You touch it, “What does it do?”
“It explodes.”
“Oh. :)”
He decides talking to you is a hazard, so he stops. But when he glances up again, you’re sitting in the corner, very quietly constructing a snowball with twigs and dirt. You beam and plop it onto his microscope.
“For you!”
He stares at it for a long moment, “That will… contaminate the sample.”
“Then it's contaminated with my love!” you chirp.
Something in him gives up that day. The only thing more constant than his research is your laughter. And only when it’s gone does he realize that he yearns for it.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
It happens after a snowstorm traps you both inside. You're half-asleep under a pile of blankets, muttering about wanting soup and “a less judgmental scientist.”
He stares at his notes but isn't reading a word. “It seems I’ve made a miscalculation,” he says softly.
“Huh??” you yelp, jolting up suddenly. Is your hideout gonna explode again?
He turns his head to you, a look too soft for his usually analytical gaze, “I thought you were a distraction… but it appears I’m fond of you.”
All you can do in that moment is blink, face flushed, because you've wanted that sweet confession for months now. So, like the average reckless person who climbs up Dragonspine Mountain for bragging rights, you lean up and kiss him.
CRACK
Albedo drops his microscope slide.
He doesn't even pick it up, his hands finding your face, “Ah,” he says, cheeks pink when he finally pulls away, trying to remain stoic, “another contaminated sample. I suppose I'll have to deal with this often..”
𐔌 . . . 𝐀𝐋𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐌꒱
It starts on an expedition to retrieve Divine Knowledge Capsules from the desert. You’re supposed to “assist” him. Instead, you collide into Alhaitham mid-sentence after seeing a spider and send his notes, ink, and years of dignity flying into the sand.
You both have sand in your mouth, hair, and probably in your underwear too now. Alhaitham sighs, brushing sand off a now-ruined manuscript, “This is already going wonderfully.”
“Yes! Very wonderfully! This sand tastes so… unique. I’ve actually been doing research on the various types of sand and their relation to climate in Teyvat,” you reply cheerfully, holding his now-ruined pen like a trophy as you willingly lick the sand off it.
Alhaitham looks horrified. He has met his match.
When you catch his gaze, you give him a smile that promises property damage and an uncomfortable amount of knowledge on sand by the end of this mission.
From then on, every time he tries to study, you somehow appear, asking him if cacti could feel emotions, or if he ever considers that maybe, just maybe, reading too much makes him boring.
“I’m beginning to understand why the Akademiya restricts fieldwork applications,” he mutters once.
“Aw, that’s sweet. You think I can fill out an application.”
He sighs, but he doesn't walk away from your advances. He starts bringing an extra book for you so you can stop pestering him while he reads. But secretly, he finds himself lost in thought as he looks at your pretty, concentrated face as you read one of his textbooks.
By the time the mission ends, he catches himself missing your interruptions and seeking you out just to hear the latest developments on your research. Which is deeply concerning.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
Weeks after you return to the Akademiya, he tries to ignore it. You are chaos incarnate; he is order itself. It should’ve balanced out. It didn’t.
Then Kaveh (bless his soul, he knows all about Alhaitham’s emotional constipation) invites you over for dinner. A harmless gesture… until Kaveh starts flirting with you.
Alhaitham’s fork snaps.
“You’re acting strange,” you huff, blinking up at him as he abruptly stands, muttering something about “idiotic architects.”
He drags you into his study, shuts the door, and pins you to the wall with that unreadable calmness that makes your stomach flip.
“I’m tired of pretending your existence doesn’t completely mess me up” he whispers, voice low, steady, his breath mingling with yours.
You tilt your head, “That’s your way of saying you like me?”
“I’m saying,” he murmurs, leaning closer, “you’ve become a variable I can’t solve for.”
“Aww, nerd talk. You do like me.” His ears flush red.
“Regrettably,” he sighs, right before you kiss him and he throws all his stoicism out the window.
Poor Kaveh.
𐔌 . . . 𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓𝐎꒱
You met Ayato at one of his meetings when you were standing in for your father who was sick and couldn't make it. You caught his attention because you were one of the few people bold (or foolish) enough to question him at one of his meetings.
The Yashiro Commissioner had made an offhand comment about balance in governance, and you, sharp-tongued and cold-eyed, had decided to argue otherwise
“With all due respect, Commissioner,” you say evenly, “ideal balance doesn’t exist. Only who’s holding the scale does.”
He smiles like he’s just found his favorite new opponent.
“How fascinating,” he replies, “then tell me, who’s holding yours?”
You should shut up and give an appropriate answer. But the look in his eyes, like he’s expecting something great from you only fans the flame of your stubbornness. You meet his gaze and smile, “No one. I keep mine hidden.”
The others in the room are silent. Ayato’s laughter breaks the tension like rainfall on stone.
That night, you internally curse yourself as you enter your room. Not only did you do exactly the opposite of what your father had told you (“make yourself invisible”), but you had also managed to pick a fight with no one but the Yashiro Commissioner himself. However, much to your surprise, you find a letter waiting for you when you walk past your bed. It reads, “You owe me tea. I’d like to continue our debate.”
You tell yourself it was strategy, maybe politics. Nothing more. But every time he pours your cup, and every time he leans in just close enough to test your composure, the air seems to hum with something far less professional.
He speaks in circles; you answer in riddles. He smiles; you refuse to flinch. Somewhere between political sparring and playful teasing, you realize you’ve stopped seeing him as the Commissioner and started seeing him as the man who makes your heart race whenever he says your name.
One night, as lanterns burn low and the tea between you goes cold, he catches you looking at him too long.
“Are you trying to read me?” he asks softly.
“Trying to decide if I can win,” you murmur.
“And?”
“You cheat.”
He laughs quietly, but there’s something unguarded and vulnerable in his eyes. “Maybe”, you think, “he feels the same way about me too.”
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
Ayato doesn’t confess, rather he arranges a meeting. You find out when a servant delivers a note to your home, sealed with the Kamisato crest, “A rematch. Tonight. Private setting.”
When you arrive, the courtyard is empty except for him, standing beneath a paper lantern.
“No tea?” you ask.
“Not tonight,” he says, stepping closer.
Your heart beats wildly against his chest as his handsome face comes into view, “Oh?”
“Debates with you never end,” he murmurs, gaze locking with yours, “and I find I don’t want them to.”
You open your mouth to argue—because of course you do—but he leans in, brushing his thumb across your chin to still you.
“Allow me to change the topic,” he whispers, voice like silk, and kisses you before you can find a counterpoint.
“It’s unfair,” you think. He wins every time. But when he pulls away, smiling faintly, you can’t bring yourself to demand a rematch.
𐔌 . . . 𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐙𝐇𝐔꒱
You meet Baizhu on what should’ve been an ordinary errand. You’re bringing medicine from the harbor to Bubu Pharmacy. You expect an old man with a dusty shop that smells like old wood and medicine, not a soft-spoken doctor with eyes like late spring and a snake who talked more than he did.
You trip on the stairs, of course. Twice. The second time, he catches you, one hand steady on your elbow, the other already checking your pulse.
“You’re quite warm,” he murmurs, frowning slightly.
“That’s because you’re touching me,” you blurt without thinking.
Changsheng cackles. Baizhu half-smiles.
He asks you to stay and help organize herbs while he brews a new tonic. You stay because you couldn’t say no to that calm voice in your wildest dreams, or the gentle and endlessly patient way he speaks to Qiqi, every word carrying the burdensome weight of care.
One day turned into two, two into a week. You learned how to dry herbs, how to fold prescriptions onto the bottle, and how to read the tiny shifts in his expression from the ghost of a smile when you made Qiqi laugh to the way he’d pause when your hand brushed his while passing him a vial.
You notice it too—the nights he’d cough behind the counter when he thought you weren’t listening and the faint tremor in his fingers when he overexerts himself. You want to ask, but he always deflects with a joke or a soft, “Don’t worry about me. I’ve made peace with my condition.”
And maybe that’s when it happens. Maybe you fall in love not because he is kind or handsome or brilliant, but because his pain is like a quiet, beautiful, yet terribly fragile secret garden, and you feel honored to be someone who can merely stand at the edge and watch the beautiful, deadly flowers sway gently with the wind.
He doesn’t realize when it happens either. When you become more than just a silly, clumsy orphan in the pharmacy. When you become someone he always checks for in his peripheral vision, and when he feels this burning need to have you close.
One evening, you fell asleep at the counter, head on your arms. He covers you with his coat, watching the rise and fall of your shoulders. Changsheng whispers, “You’re smiling again.”
“Am I?” he murmurs, stroking your cheek gently. But he doesn’t stop.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
He doesn’t mean to confess. He doesn’t want to put the heavy weight of his feelings onto you, but the words slip out as naturally as a soft sigh.
You’re helping him inventory herbs when your fingers brush again. You joke lightly, “You should be careful, Doctor Baizhu. People might think you’re flirting.”
“Maybe I am,” he says under his breath, before he even realizes he’s spoken.
You freeze. He freezes. He looks at you, startled, the faintest panic flashing behind his composure.
“That… was unprofessional,” he stammers, “I’m sorry.”
“No,” you reach for his hand again, taking it into your softly, “it was honest. I like it when you’re honest with me, Baizhu. So tell me, was that real or not?”
For a long moment, neither of you moved. Then he took a small step closer, voice trembling like the edge of a confession too long withheld, “I’m not someone who should make promises,” he whispers, “but I find myself wishing for more time with you. Yes, it was real. I…am fond of you. I have been for a long time now.”
You smile, “Then we’ll make it. No matter what life throws our way, no matter what difficulties arise, we’ll make it. I know we will.”
For the first time in a long while, Baizhu lets himself exhale a relieved sigh and believe that healing didn’t always come from medicine. Sometimes, it comes from the warmth of another person’s hands, or the quiet sound of your laughter filling the pharmacy at dusk.
𐔌 . . . 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐘𝐔𝐍꒱
You run into Chongyun by accident. You’ve been running from an angry Hilichurl (long story) and he’d been walking with a popsicle in his mouth when you turned your head around and slammed straight into his back. His popsicle nearly went flying.
“A demon!” you gasped.
“Where?!” he shouted, spinning around, ready for combat.
“No, I meant you! You scared me!”
That was the start of it—you the teasing troublemaker, and him, the poor, sweet exorcist who immediately overheated every time you so much as smiled at him.
Chongyun is supposed to be the calm, disciplined type, but your presence has his yang energy practically screaming for release. Every time you tease him (“You look cute when you’re flustered,”), he starts glowing red like one of Klee’s bombs about to explode.
He tries to avoid you at first for safety reasons. But the universe (and possibly Xingqiu) has other plans. You keep “coincidentally” running into him at Wanmin Restaurant, on commissions, even once while he was buying popsicles.
“You’re following me.”
“I prefer the term ‘destined encounters’,” you grin.
His popsicle melts off.
You start tagging along on those rare times when he has to handle exorcisms “for fun.” You help set up talismans, trip over salt lines, and once accidentally summoned a very confused bird.
Chongyun scolded you with all the firmness of a monk, then spent the next ten minutes apologizing because you look “too sad” when he raises his voice.
“You’re terrible at being intimidating,” you tease once.
“You’re terrible at following instructions!”
“You love it.”
He overheats so hard he has to sit down in a lake for five minutes.
But the truth is… you make him feel alive. You aren’t afraid of his energy, or his awkwardness, or his constant need to control his emotions. You just laugh and treat him like he's just a normal boy.
The moment he realized it was love came one hot afternoon. You’d both been caught in a heatwave near Qingce Village, and he was sitting under a tree, panting and red-faced, trying to meditate. You sat beside him, fanning him lazily.
“You’re going to pass out,” you tease.
“I’m… fine…” he lies, eyes closed, clearly not fine.
You lean closer, brushing sweat-soaked hair from his forehead, “You should let yourself rest sometimes, you know.” Your voice drops to a whisper, your hand softly strokes his hair.
His heart skips. The world goes fuzzy. And then—
Thud.
K.O. Chongyun fainted.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
It takes a few days after the fainting incident. He’s been avoiding you again, embarrassed out of his mind. You find him on the pier at dawn, eating popsicles and trying to meditate.
“You’re ignoring me,” you say, sitting beside him.
“I’m… practicing restraint.”
“Is restraint code for ‘I like you but my body short-circuits when you’re near?’”
He chokes on his popsicle, “W-What?! How—? Who told you—?”
“You did. Just now.”
He groans, hiding his face in his hands, mumbling something about exorcising his own emotions.
Finally, he blurts it out, voice shaking but sincere, “I think about you all the time. Even when I meditate. Especially when I meditate. You ruin my focus. You ruin everything— and I don’t want you to stop.”
You grin, leaning your head on his shoulder, “So… I’m your new weakness?”
He sighs, blushing hard enough to rival a sunset, “More like my favorite kind of chaos.”
That night, when you left him, he caught himself smiling for no reason. He’d finally met the person who balances him.
𐔌 . . . 𝐂𝐘𝐍𝐎꒱
You’ve been working as a low-level assistant at the Akademiya, mostly fetching scrolls, carrying tea, and occasionally preventing scholars from accidentally setting themselves on fire.
The first time you meet Cyno, you don’t even realize who he is. You’re just walking down the corridor when someone bumps into you. Papers go flying and before you can apologize, you hear a calm, monotone voice say,
“You should be more careful. This is restricted evidence.”
You blink and look up to see the General Mahamatra himself, staring down with unreadable red eyes.
“Oh,” you blurt, “you look like you haven’t slept in four days.”
“…That’s because I haven’t,” he deadpans.
You frown, pushing a candy into his hand before you could stop yourself, “Then have this. Sugar helps your brain function.”
Cyno stares at the candy, then at you, and then back at the candy.
“…Are you bribing me?”
“No! I’m helping you!”
“...Strange. What a unique manipulation tactic.”
After that, he starts showing up more often. “For inspection,” he claims, though you notice he always lingers a little longer at your desk.
You don’t know what he was inspecting exactly, but it isn't the files.
He stands there silently for minutes while you work, occasionally making the world’s worst attempts at conversation.
Exhibit A: “A Dendro slime tried stand-up comedy once. It didn’t go well, people said it was too grounded.”
You laugh.
Cyno blinks in shock, “You… laughed.”
“It was cute. I like it”
He turns red immediately, “It was… intentional humor.”
“Whatever that means..”
He starts walking you home after that. He says it’s “protocol,” but when a group of rowdy students pass by and he steps protectively between you and them, you realize maybe Cyno's more of a liar than he lets on.
He doesn’t talk much during those walks, mostly quiet footsteps, occasional glances, and the faintest curve of a smile when you point out something simple, like a cat on a roof or a glowing mushroom by the path.
The truth is, Cyno admires you. Your kindness, your patience, the way you make everyone feel safe, even someone like him, who carries fear and authority like a second skin. And honestly, he'd give you the world for it.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
You aren’t supposed to be here tonight. The desert stretches endless and silver around you, the stars too bright for sleep. Cyno sits by the fire, unmoving, the crimson of his eyes faintly illuminated.
He doesn’t notice you approach at first. Or maybe he does. Either way, you’re not stopped.
You sit beside him, knees brushing, “You really don’t sleep much, do you?”
“No.”
“Because of work?”
“Because of thought.”
You smile faintly, pulling your cloak tighter, “Heavy thoughts?”
“Necessary ones.”
A pause.
“And lately, unnecessary ones, too.”
You tilt your head toward him, “Like what?”
He hesitates, “You.”
You thought he was joking at first. But Cyno doesn’t joke like that.
He looks out over the sand, eyes distant, voice low, “When I am alone, I think about the sound of your voice when you speak too quickly. The way you stop to breathe and forget your point halfway through. I think about the way you look at people when you listen, like you believe everything they say matters.”
He turns to you then, the faintest crease in his brow, “I do not know why I think of these things. They… interfere.”
“Interfere?” you echo, laughing softly, “you make it sound like I’m a criminal.”
“No,” he says quietly, and for once, his voice softens. “You make me feel loved. I’m still deciding if that’s dangerous.”
The desert wind stirs your hair. Neither of you speak for a long while.
When you finally reach for his hand. He doesn’t move, but his fingers brush yours, before gently taking your hand in his. His grip is firm, deliberate, grounding.
“This isn't a confession. If I were to confess,” he says at last, “it would not be in words. Words are temporary. I prefer actions.”
“Then what’s the action?” you whisper.
His gaze flickers to you, “Staying.”
And he did stay, all night. Silent as the stars, but warmer than the fire between you.
𐔌 . . . 𝐃𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄꒱
You weren’t supposed to speak to him unless it was about research. That was the Tsaritsa’s only rule. Observe, report, and don’t get too close.
You didn’t expect that he’d notice. But of course, Dottore noticed everything. He knew the secret behind his new “lab assistant.”
On your second day, he catches you watching him. Not in suspicion, but in curiosity.
“If you plan to assassinate me,” he says without looking up from his microscope, “I’d appreciate advance notice. I’d like to document the experience.”
You huff, “That’s… not what I’m here for.”
“Ah,” he murmurs, “so observation, then. The Tsaritsa does love her little safety nets.”
After that, the air between you changes. You stop pretending you weren’t spying, and he stops pretending not to care.
He lets you see more than he should. Blueprints of automata, half-finished notes on resurrection theory, and sketches of things that should never breathe. He explains them in detail, watching your every reaction with an unsettling, methodical look on his face.
“You don’t get scared,” he remarks one night when the scent of formaldehyde clings to your clothes.
“Should I be?”
He smiles faintly, a real and unguarded smile, “No. That’s precisely why you fascinate me.”
You tell yourself you’re playing your part, learning his routines for the Tsaritsa’s sake. But then you start bringing him snacks when he forgets to eat. Start asking questions about the ethics of his research and questions that make him pause mid-sentence.
The first time he calls you by name instead of “assistant,” it startles both of you.
You turn to him, heart jumping, “You remembered!!”
“Of course,” he said simply, as if he were talking about the weather, “I remember everything that matters.”
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
It happens not with candles or sentiment, but with smoke and tension and the sharp smell of burnt metal. One of the experiments had gone wrong—spectacularly so—and you’d thrown yourself between him and the explosion.
When he finally finds you amid the wreckage, coughing and burned, his hands tremble for the first time in decades.
Later, when you wake in the infirmary, he’s sitting beside you, staring into nothing. His mask is on the floor, and for the first time since you started working for him he looked… human, too human for a man who claims to hate every bit of mortality.
You could have died,” he murmurs, “over something I built.”
“I didn’t want you to die,” you whisper.
His laugh is soft, bitter. “I’m not worth dying for.” (He doesn’t tell you he’s immortal. He doesn’t want your sacrifice to be in vain)
“I decide that, not you.”
He goes still for a long moment, and then reaches out, gloved fingers running through your hair with a look far too gentle for a mad scientist. “You’ve ruined me,” he says finally. His tone is even, clinical, but his eyes are something else entirely, “You were supposed to be an observer, not a variable. And yet… you’ve become my favorite experiment.”
“That’s not very romantic,” you murmur, half-dazed.
He smiles faintly, leaning close to rest his forehead against yours, “It’s the only kind of romance I know.”
And for once, Dottore just sits there, memorizing the sound of your pulse beneath his fingertips.
𐔌 . . . 𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂꒱
You’re a maid at Diluc’s estate. Life has been good to you and so has everyone that works for Diluc as well as the man himself. It’s been so good that you’ve been suspicious…
And you were right to be suspicious, because you’ve just royally fucked up.
You don’t mean to set the kitchen on fire. Not entirely, anyway.
The recipe said “a splash of wine,” and you thought, “Why not a generous pour?”
The flames answered your enthusiasm by shooting halfway up the stove.
Diluc arrives faster than any of the staff. He puts the fire out with one precise movement, the faintest scorch marking the marble counter.
When he turns to you, his crimson hair catching the lamplight, you’re sure you’re about to be fired, or maybe arrested.
Instead, he just sighs. “If you intended to test my fireproofing stones, there are safer ways.”
Your jaw nearly hits the ground. “So... I’m not fired?”
“No,” he says, rubbing his temple. “But you’re banned from unsupervised cooking.”
“That seems fair,” you reply brightly, “I’ll stick to sweeping. Can’t set a broom on fire.”
“We’ll see,” he mutters under his breath.
Over the next few weeks, he avoids you with the diligence of a man who doesn’t know what to do with laughter echoing through his halls.
And yet, you keep finding excuses to cross paths with him. He never says much, but the small softening around his eyes when he sees you is enough to feed your delusions.
𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒
It comes months later during a stormy evening. You’d gone out to secure the laundry and got caught in the rain.
Diluc finds you dripping on the veranda, muttering to yourself about “stupid wind” and “uncooperative clotheslines.”
Without a word, he drapes his coat over your shoulders. It’s heavy, warm, and smells faintly of smoke and wine.
“You’ll catch a cold,” he grumbles, turning his head to hide the small redness on his cheeks.
“I’m already soaked,” you point out, “kind of late for that.”
“Then stand still,” he says, and to your complete shock, he brushes a strand of wet hair from your face before hoisting you into his arms and taking you in.
“You’ve brought noise into this house,” he murmurs, “I didn’t realize how quiet it was before you arrived.”
You stare at him, heart stuttering. “Are you saying you... like noise?”
He exhales a laugh, small and helpless. “More than I should.”
The thunder rolls, low and distant. He keeps walking, his voice softer now and his pace heavier, steadier, as he leads you into his room.
“I don’t know what this is supposed to be like,” he admits, “I only know that when you’re gone, the fire feels colder.”
You smile. “Then maybe you should keep me around, just to be safe.”
His eyes meet yours, flickering like the hearth behind him. “That,” he says quietly, “would be wise for once.”
he’s the kind of person who slips into a room and makes it feel warmer somehow, like he’s carrying the very essence of sunlight in his pocket, and you can’t help but notice him even if your eyes follow the first male lead. he laughs softly, the kind of laugh that lingers, tugging at something you didn’t realize was tender inside you. he notices the little things about you, the way your fingers fidget when you’re nervous, the books you leave on your desk, the way your smile falters when you’re uncomfortable, and somehow, it feels like he’s the only one who truly sees you. you find yourself comparing, wondering why your chest flutters for the first lead but aches for the gentle calm he brings, and it’s confusing in a way that makes your heart ache with both longing and guilt.
the second male lead / love triangle.
gi. albedo, kaedehara kazuha, chongyun, thoma; hsr. dan heng, luka
he’s the type of person who keeps you at arm’s length, the kind whose gaze feels like ice tracing over your skin, sharp and unyielding. yet, despite it, there’s an unspoken pull that draws you in. you’re warm, the sun incarnate, the kind of person who instinctively reaches out to soothe others. where you radiate comfort and softness, he carries a quiet, unyielding intensity, like ice that never melts. but, somehow, around you, the edges soften ever so slightly. he may never say it outright, but the way he stands close enough for you to feel his arm brushing your side, the fleeting moments when his hand touches yours, the subtle tension in his voice when he speaks to you, all of it tells you that beneath the cold exterior, he’s tethered to your warmth in a way he can’t, or won’t, admit. and so you find yourself drawn to the challenge of him, sensing that if anyone could thaw his frost, it might just be you.
the cold male lead & warm female lead.
gi. scaramouche, xiao, diluc, alhaitham; hsr. dan heng, blade
he’s the kind of boy everyone whispers about in the hallways, the one whose name alone makes your stomach flip and your friends squeal behind their hands. you catch him once, standing in the sunlight by the school gate, and even from across the yard, he looks impossibly perfect, like he walked straight out of a magazine. his smile is effortless, dazzling enough to make hearts skip, and when he talks, everyone leans in, hungry for just a word. he commands attention without even trying; he’s the center of every conversation, every rumor, every heartbeat in the school. his world is so bright, so overwhelming, and you’re just a small part of it, struggling to keep your own heart in check.
he’s been there since you could barely walk, the boy who knew all your secrets before you even had the words for them, and the promise you made together still hums softly between you. he laughs at things only you would understand, and when he looks at you, there’s a warmth that feels like home, like he’s the one place you don’t have to pretend. the promise you made long ago wasn’t just words; it was a tether, a soft, unbreakable thread that pulls you back to him whenever life gets messy, and it’s impossible not to feel the weight of it, even if your heart flutters for someone else.
the childhood friends that made a promise.
gi. thoma, bennett, aether, xingqiu, kaedehara kazuha; hsr. luka
pretends not to care (he massacred them all) — kaeya, albedo, childe, zhongli, ALHAITHAM, scaramouche
He immediately tries to keep an aloof facade the moment he let out those words. It wasn't that he actually cared? Like come on, you're the most annoying person in the world. But when you finally tell him those annoying bastards names in quick succession they were hunted and destoryed.
There was something so annoying about your face getting hurt he just couldn't pin point why. Maybe it made you more annoying? Yeah, probably that. He doesn't care at all. But he will never have the guts to tell you what actually happened to the ones that hurt you.
cares more about your well being — diluc, KAVEH, kazuha, XIAO, tighnari, freminet, ayato, heizou, lyney
His usual sour expression became that more of concerned but angry all the same. He checked for wounds, brought you to the medic. The guy was acting pretty strange.. too strange. Maybe it was a prank? That's what he thought too, why... why was he helping you this way?
When you told him the people who did this, he was never one to forgive them. But none of that mattered when you looked in pain. Wait? Wasn't this his enemy. He shouldn't think like this. But... fine just this once. Both of you are sure this will be the one time he cares for you. How foolish.
ready to put people on their graves— wriothesly, dainsleif neuvillette, PIERRO, childe, scaramouche, xiao, CYNO
It was to the point he was even screaming for you to give out their names. And as soon as you do, he marches out of the hospital and kidnaps them one by one. No one will escape. No. One. At this point, he didn't even think that both of you were enemies or that this isn't how he was supposed to feel. He didn't care.
And as he cleaned his blade at the end of the fight, this time he showed no mercy. Maybe in your point of view he hated you, and at some point he also thought he did. But now, staring at what he'd done, hate isn't that far from love. And love isn't that far from revenge.
just glad you were okay — freminet, bennett, ITTO, gorou, thoma, tighnari, KAZUHA, chongyun, diluc, baizhu
Who in the world can possibly harm you like this? How dare they? Why would they? But it doesn't matter what the name is. With an first-aid kit in hand he cleans up your wounds and wipes your tears. This was the same man you keep arguing with. The same you hated above all else.
You've never seem him gentle, but now you did. Cherishing this, you know you'll use this whenever both of you fight. But... no that would be too cruel. He looked so pretty doing it, like an angel rather than demon that was him everyday. So you just kept it in your heart, a memory forever lasting.
