Desperately clinging to your fics for comfort at this point LOL
✦ Ageless Metamorphosis
OG Zandik x immortal Reader witnessing him in different stages of life with segments. Reader is gn. Warning: Longer fic idk why I wrote this
When Zandik was scarcely 18, he sat across from you as a junior Trainee Dastur.
Tepid sunlight cascaded over an endless sea of book spines, towering rows undulating like hypnotic waves. If the sound of your quill scribbling across the parchment paper were akin to the sound of splashing waves, then Zandik would wish to stay on this shore. You amended his notes, and the junior sat silently, nervously adjusting the golden trims of his emerald uniform when usually vanity meant little to him. However, with you, things were different.
“I see now why you wanted me to read it,” – you told him. “I believe this outline holds merit. I corrected some basic equations you wrote down, but I can say you're on the right track.”
His hands clench into fists in his lap, knuckles whitening with suppressed excitement. Was it foolish hope, or had you truly begun to believe his work on longevity might stand in defiance of Eleazar itself? Even so, you cautioned him gently, reminding him that the Akademiya’s six cardinal sins were not transgressions his supervisors would overlook:
“You should've been my supervisor,” – he quickly interjected, arms crossed. “At least, a senior co-author. Are you truly certain you intend to leave after graduation?”
Alas, your wistful smile confirmed you had already made that decision.
Though Zandik inclined his head with due respect, the cast of his lowered gaze betrayed how bitterly he cursed fate once more. Had he only belonged to the same academic year as you, he might have shared so much more with you: his scholarly frustrations, sleepless research, the burdens of looming deadlines, and endless debate during field trips amongst the dunes of Deshret’s old kingdom. Lamentably, a young heretic like him could only covet an equal like you.
You are far more intimidating than he expected. You sat there so calmly, pen moving across parchment like this is just another Tuesday. Yet when you stand back up, offering a gentle tap on his shoulder, Zandik’s face broke into an unfiltered smile he rarely wore in his scholarly career. It transforms his usually intense ruby eyes, rendering him to look exactly what he is – a mere young boy.
“I'll take your words of encouragement at face value. Otherwise, I hope not all long-lived individuals such as yourself dispense polite encouragement to humor naive mortals?”
“Maybe when I reach several centuries of age, Zandik. I am not that ancient yet.”
When Zandik was 25, you watched him work tirelessly in Dar Al-Shifa’.
With a notebook in hand and chalk in the other, he scribbled tirelessly on the board in front of him. A crease formed on the bridge of his nose, right underneath his glasses. A white medical lab coat has replaced his once-pristine Akademiya uniform.
"If I adjust the plasma conductivity here... no, this won’t do," – He mutters to himself as he scribbles furiously. Realizing he was far from alone in this room, he felt self-conscious of you watching him after hours again. A habit of yours lately, one he proudly memorized, even when your footsteps were soundless and your breathing undetected. "Oh! You're still here. Great, I will wrap it up to show you my progress."
You watch him fuss and mutter over cellular samples of the recent Eleazar patient. Simply resting your head on your palms, you remained seated by a medical table behind him. Any attempts to convince him that he was way overqualified for this run-down hospital remained futile.
"If it keeps me afloat, then so be it. And it’s not like I can scavenge better opportunities elsewhere after my expulsion," – Zandik's shoulders tensed slightly, chalk dusting the fingertips of his gloves. "They're building a new wing for experimental treatments. More patients with Eleazar are coming in… This would be the perfect opportunity to experiment on the condition. What do you think?”
You paid little heed to his pleas. Instead, you busied yourself checking the formulas written on the board here and there. Then, without warning, you turned to stare at him with such profound astonishment:
“... You wear glasses now.”
Zandik blinked at you. An embarrassing exhale escaped him, a sound halfway between frustration and affection. He abandoned the chalkboard entirely now, walking over to where you sit – "You're avoiding the topic again, aren’t you? I do not ask you out of whimsy, dear. I want to hear your opinion first and foremost. Always have."
But both you and Zandik could already guess what you would utter. You knew these parts of rural desert villages. People here do not look kindly upon those who meddle with Eleazar, nor upon anyone who tampers with the ancient Khaenri’ahn machinery buried beneath the sands. To do so was akin to cursed omens. You shook your head: “Do something reckless, and they will exile you like Sumeru city did.”
The young man crossed his arms – “And is concealing your true age and origins from the villagers not equally reckless of you?”
Your eyes widened before your gaze drifted away in solemn silence. Indeed, neither of you was innocent, and the doctor sighed before leaning closer towards you.
For seven years, since that golden afternoon at the Akademiya, through his exile, to your frequent visits to this remote hospital, the young doctor would gaze at you with an encumbered yearning. His desolation from Sumeru city was his burden alone, yet somehow, you’d return after him to ensure his well-being. Perhaps the shared disdain for the Akademiya’s taboos was what brought you to him as a senior, but to the young man, you were an image of everything he’d hoped to achieve. Was it immortality or change? His brilliant mind couldn’t grasp for an answer.
"You think I care about exile?" he asked, voice low but intense. "They cast me out once already for pursuing forbidden knowledge. I was hoping that maybe after seven years, you'd see me as more than a puny junior. We can go together, it doesn’t matter where, even in the worst possible outcome.
Silence followed.
“... Eh? It's been seven years already?! Since when?!”
You were helpless despite your seniority, Zandik concluded.
When Zandik was 35, he proudly bore the title of the 2nd Fatui Harbinger before you.
The luxurious Fatui facilities dwarfed the desert hospital; his excitement is ever maddening despite the decades. You, however, remained ageless and unchanged beside him.
"You're looking at phase one of an artificial electrolyte solution," he said eagerly, gesturing to glowing vials on a lab table while you two toured his new laboratory. "Based on Khaenri'ahn bio-tech but adapted for human physiology. This allows for a better preservation of the segments I told you about."
He presented his first progress with confidence. Imitating ancient Khaenriahn alchemy as a framework for creating clones resembling him was a new idea, finally entering experimental phases rather than remaining theoretical. You, in the meantime, wandered the polished floors of his lab, a heavy Fatui coat draped over your shoulders as you read his notes on transferring embodied experiences and memories.
“Mortality is nothing but a shackle, and for a segment it would be no burden,” – you remember he said.
“Why would it be a shackle, Zandik? Immortality is more cursed when a person acquires it. After all, a human mind cannot comprehend so many centuries without any side effects.”
“And would you consider your longevity a curse, then?” – He dared you, but you fell silent.
He leans back against the lab counter, arms crossed as he studies your unchanged face. An eternity of familiarity in this world that keeps moving without you, while everyone you’d know and love would pass and fade away.
"The segments would gather information from different times and different perspectives. Yet here I am at my height as a Harbinger, feeling more contempt than ever. None of it bears meaning if you're just going to outlive me by centuries."
Once more, you offered him that easy, distant smile: “You have much more to achieve than pursue me throughout centuries. You are a scholar after all, so I can only advise you so much as a senior. Besides, you now look more mature than I am. Had we remained at the Akademiya, most would mistake you for my senior instead.”
Naturally, a scoff escaped him. Lately, you’ve been using quips about him looking older than you. He hovers close, hand cradles your jaw with careful, gloved hands as if cautious you’d vanish like a mirage in the desert he once fled from.
“If I'm to tear down and spite this decaying world,” – He whispered. “...I can't imagine wanting eternity with anyone but you. Be it through my own flesh or through my segments."
“What if multiple clones of you existed, which one of them would be the closest to the real Zandik?”
He takes another step closer, close enough now that if either of you breathed deeply, your chests might brush: "Does it matter?”
Burdened with decades of unspoken admiration, the Harbinger leaned in to seal his lips with yours. And tragically for you two, you leaned in.
Every time that young junior presented his work, he hoped for your approval. Every coffee break, he sat by your side but never touched. That night at the desert hospital, when it hit him that you'd never age like ordinary people, and never see him as an equal in mortal life, it became a condemnation to yearn for you more. It was his unspoken ‘I've loved you since forever’ – except for a mortal, his forever was merely decades, a minuscule blink of an eye for an immortal like you.
Still here you were, hands clutching at his coat as you kissed him back. The Harbinger only pushed on with hunger to pour all his unspoken words against your lips, grasping your body flush against him even when pulled away in search of air.
“We shouldn’t, you know why,”
He knew. But his gaze hardened with pain of the expected rejection: “Do you regard me as a small blink in your life? Do not pity now, you of all people…”
“No, no,” – you shook your head, forehead pressing against his chest as your shoulder shook. “Don’t act as if I am an untouchable being incapable of understanding love. You know we shouldn’t because I-”
“Because you will outlive me, and it will break us both?”
Your eyes glistened at the thought. The Doctor only drew you closer, his head pressing to the crown of your hair.
“Or… you wish not to meddle with a heretic and let him grow old on his own?”
Thinking about it now, you should've smacked Zandik on the head more often for such words. Instead, you yielded, if only this once, to the desire between you, letting him lift you onto the table as he devoured your breath with a hunger shaped by years of discretion. Just this once, even if it meant your refusal would fracture yet another part of him.
When Zandik was 80, you watched him create segments from various stages of his life.
The lab grows ever more fervent with work and experiments. The various fragments of his own becoming have now meticulously embodied his personality and ticks from different thresholds of his life. Through it all, Zandik himself grew older. He may not have achieved immortality to stand beside you as an equal, but you chose to remain as an enduring friend. The day when he was 35, a Harbinger in his prime, you refused him. Not out of antipathy, it was a mutual decision you both agreed to. Would a heretic allow himself to wallow in his own longing till his elderly years? Each Dottore segment will give you a different answer.
Today, a familiar chorus of boisterous chatter spills into his lab. You had arrived for a visit. The youngest of the segments, the 8-year-old little Zandik, runs quickest to cling to your legs. The 18-year-old follows suit, already eager to show you his recent essay and research notes. Perhaps some things never change.
“Easy, easy there! One at a time!” – you laugh, holding packed baklava confectionery away from 8’s grabby hands as you greet everyone with little treats from your travels. Even the 65-year-old segment cannot help but play the old charmer when greeting you with a bow of his masked head.
Old man Zandik will have to reprimand his segments to respect your personal space. What a bunch of flocking children.
“You spoil the youngest too much,” – His voice rasped as he set a cup of coffee for you. Taking his seat opposite, he kept his cane in his grasp. “But I see you are eager to correct 18’s research notes. He says if he can’t get others to advise him, he’ll have you as his supervisor instead.”
You chuckled, a cup in hand.
“Ah, doesn’t it remind you of someone when they were a Trainee Dastur?”
Old man Zandik scoffed. Of course, they inherited his bodily experiences, perhaps even their adoration is part of him. Notably, you no longer looked as intimidating as you had when he remembered you from his youth. Poised as always, you sat ever the same, physically unchanged in posture and youth. Meanwhile, Zandik aged; his hair grew longer, and his skin wasn’t spotless. It’s basic biology; his reflection did not offend him.
“You know, I think you have changed,” – The Harbinger noted.
“...Me? Do we have matching wrinkles at last?!”
“Do not mock me now,” – he shook his begrudgingly, until his weary gaze settled deep into your eyes. “You look different. Your eyes look ever more distant. I assumed it was fatigue in your eyes at first, but you are not one to skip leisurely repose.”
You said nothing. Your gaze was indeed distant, despite the ever-gentle smile.
“Maybe you should get back to wearing glasses, then, because nothing in me has changed. Which, by the way, they looked good on you when you wore them at 25.”
“Hmph, my eyesight is perfect. At least you remember the years now. It’s unlike you.”
The bickering between the senior and their junior resumed back and forth. Except that by this coffee table, it looked like an old man scolding an ignorant juvenile for being absentminded, while you chuckled and humored him over coffee.
“Then in that regard, you haven't changed at all despite your years.” – your youthful hand came cradling his wrinkled one. “It's like I'm looking at the same 18-year-old I first met who sat across from me in the Akademiya library.”
The contrast was clear in your shared touch; his skin was now papery with prominent veins against your ageless one. Alas, you refuse to concede that your accumulation of decades had numbed you with inferential grief. He turned his palm upward to intertwine fingers with yours. For a moment, neither of you spoke.
“We didn’t meet at the Akademiya first.”
You blinked in confusion, “Eh? Yes, we did. You shared your outline papers and whatnot. That’s the first time I met you.”
The old man regarded you with a wistful smile, “Hm, are you certain? I recall it differently.”
“Hey now, don’t pull my leg. We were both Akademiya students, though I was about to graduate when you were still a junior. I know that much for certain!”
“Ah, you are right, you are right. Never mind, perhaps my mind was just wandering.” – Zandik didn’t insist on the topic, softly deriving a different question quickly, "Will I see you tomorrow? The younger clones always ask when their senior advisor is coming by."
“Same time, as usual,” – You stood up. “I need to check on Feofan again since his corneal repair surgery. He seems to be faring well so far. But I will see you tomorrow.”
“Suit yourself.”
With a quick peck to his temple, you scurried off without further words. His cup of coffee remained untouched till it cooled, while Zandik watched you silently depart. Once again, the heretic would rather let decades go by instead of confessing the unstated. He did not lie - he actually knew you before the Akademiya.
When Zandik was 8, you stumbled upon him as he ran away from a swarm of kids hurling rocks at him. You, of course, don’t remember it, for you never asked for his name then.
Tears blurred his vision when he ran. Scratches stung skin until little Zandik collided with your legs by accident. Fallen backward, he remembers lying there sniffling. With a stern bark, you reprimanded the street children and shooed them off. And why would you remember a fleeting encounter where you kneeled by a small kid, checking his scratches and mending him? The little child only stared at you with big ruby eyes that day, shakily explaining what happened.
When Zandik died on his 85th birthday, you didn’t come to visit.
how high might the fluff meter be between a touch starved reader and dottore? because a part of me thinks he would be smug about it. like the thought of being able to turn your s/o into a melting mess all because of a hug, compliments or head pats alone may give him an ego boost i fear
I actually love this ask!!
I am so so so sorry this took so long! I went a bit crazy with the older segment's section lolol
I think it firmly depends on the segment lolol
I think the younger and older Dottores would be more affectionate, while the 25 & 35 segments would be more standoffish with their affection out in the open!
More below the cut!
The older segments would be more indulgent (45, 65, and the og zandik), leaning into the reader's need. Think, lots of headpats, hugs, and maybe a hand on the small of their back if they were walking around the lab or the palace.
The older segments would be more indulgent (45, 65, and the og zandik), leaning into the reader's need. Think, lots of headpats, hugs, and maybe a hand on the small of their back if they were walking around the lab or the palace.
Additionally, if you were in a relationship I think they would notice your needs before you could even put your finger on them yourself. (he would be showing up to your shared room with a blanket, a book, and a cup of hot chocolate/coffee/tea for cuddles istg)
You were holding it together, albeit just barely.
Everyone in the lab was on edge because the Regrator was coming by to do an inspection to see how his funding was being used.
You hadn't been able to go home and rest for more than six hours, spending the majority of your time in the lab running back and forth.
it was 1:30 AM. And you were going to crash out.
You reattempted the same experiment you'd been working on for the past five hours.
No reaction. Again.
You let out a loud groan, taking off your gloves and tossing them on the table.
"Is everything okay over here?"
Lord Dottore‽
You jolted, you thought you were alone, what was he still doing here?
"Ah, my lord," you paused, looking at the beakers that surrounded your workspace (no doubt out of lab safety regulations), "everything is fine, I'm just having some trouble with the experiment reagents."
He hummed in response, walking towards your workstation, flipping through your lab notes.
"You should go home and get some rest," he said after a few moments, still facing your notes.
"Ah my lord tha-"
he quieted your refusal, putting a hand on your head.
was he giving you a head pat?
and you didn't mean to lean in, you were sleep deprived, going off caffeine and chemistry driven rage. And in your defense you didn't think the lord Harbinger was capable of something as a head pat.
Needless to say, following that day, whenever you went to report something to him he would respond to what you were saying with a hum, some off-handed comment, and a head pat.
All of this was great to say the least, until you found yourselff going out of your way to report things to him in hopes of a head pat.
You sighed over your beakers, shaking your head.
Talk about pavlov's dogs, just how touch-starved am I?
you knew he was onto you when he instead of giving you a head pat opened his arms to you.
"Would a hug be a better reward than a head pat, my dear?"
your eyes widened in surprise, and you found yourself nodding before you could process your actions.
He took a step towards you, pulling you into his warm embrace.
I think 25 and Omega would be a bit different, maybe a bit smug (if not 25, definitely Omega). They would want you to earn the affection, or would really only be affectionate if it were the two of you (and this does include if the other segments were around lolol, cant have them thinking they're getting soft).
It had been a long week, your coworkers had been giving you hell about things that were outside of your control, and Zandik had been stuck in the lab all week leaving you all alone.
you were tired, you just wanted a hug.
That was all.
Which lead you to your current predicament.
asking him for a hug in his office.
"What do you want?" He asked, mask covering his eyes, "I didn't quite hear that."
your cheeks burned.
"A hug," you said, narrowing your eyes at his antics, as you slowly turned to walk away "if you won't give me one I'll just have to go ask one of the other-"
Just as you had fully turned around to walk away from him to find another Dottore, he grabbed you arm and pulled you into a warm embrace.
Immediately, feeling victorious, you melted into it.
"Oh what's this, so content already?" he asked, making no attempt to let you go.
You simply hummed in response, leaning back into his embrace.
While 18 and 8 would be very bashful about giving you affection. They would be indulgent, but also very flustered in the process. I dont think they would get smug about it, i think it would be more of the touch starved leading the touch starved (at least for 18). 8 would just be happy to be there lol (you want to hold his hand, sure! hug him? great!).
I feel like it would be pretty hard to be touch starved with these guys purely because they would also be seeking you out. Think 8 suddenly giving you a hug or 18 hugging you from behind mid experiment.
If you and 18 were in a relationship he would be pulling you away from experiments to the confines of his office for daily cuddles, hugs from behind, etc. (and the feeling is mutual, you are also pulling him into his office for a hug, leaning on him during meetings, etc.)
If you aren't in a relationship I think it'd be more subtle.
If you were working on an experiment together you two would be far closer than you needed to be, thighs touching under the lab table, leaning over each other when taking notes, etc. Which would later turn into hugs and cuddles in his office (maybe even a relationship, if he was comfortable enough to show that he sought you out for affection it''d be reasonable to say he trusts you)
A/N:
I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been dealing with a bit of work drama and then things for my summer class (I hate physics).
And then I'm trying to work on Dottore's cosmic joke, but its turning into him having too many personalities (which fits, but at the same point, is a pain for writing)
I think I'll just end up making a one-shot with this premise, not touching on any one exact segment tbh. I don't think I did this request justice with my writing here.
“Nicknames Suitors edition- wait there's other Headcanons here too?”
These are a series of voice line dot points of the nicknames everyone in the series will be giving you, the beloved Reader, now that they're all more comfortable with everyone. This gives some insight into the world, relationships, and how your characters are adapting to having you with them now [Isekai/SAGAU context]
Personalised nicknames
how they see the relationship going
those who have other lovers aside from you
who wants marriage in the relationship
who wants kids in the future
Generic and Common Nicknames such as;
my Love/lover
my dear/dearest
my partner
my beloved
cute
are registered as common ground for most Suitors, the below are ones that likely won't get uttered by more than a handful of your suitors. seeing as there's 81 characters at the time of writing
Extra Tags - Reader here uses all pronouns and swaps in between different ones at any given time; Characters follow that logic too with nicknames. Written as a large Polycule, Lgbtqia+ relationships
“Reader?”
“yep!” you confirm for everyone “That's the title you can call me, aside from those nicknames you all seem fond of.”
you watch the faces of many contort, positive and negative reactions alighting at the news of it.
“But your Grace-” you hold up your hands and grin “Truthfully, out of all the titles you've given me, ‘The Reader’ is a lot more reasonable than ‘Mother Nature’ or ‘Odin’”
“And what of your epithet of ‘Creator’?”
The palace wasn't as daunting as that brief vision into it portrayed and yet you still avoid your gaze from hers, the golden shine smug and utterly pleased by the display, a blush coating your cheeks
“oh I imagine that's still gonna get used” you wave off the concerns "there's no reason you can't use it still!”
“You came all this way to visit me, and you want to avoid me?” Lumine chuckles, digging her chin into your neck and embracing you from behind “truly, you're a mystery.”
“Hypocrite.” you huff, sliding your hands over where she lays hers with a curious but accepting hum
“To answer your question.” she continues “You are still my precious Aeon… but ‘Reader’- I can also accept that as your name, the age of old has passed and a new reign has come, you have come home.”
she kisses your shoulder softly “And I've already told you, your court means nothing to me, so long as I can have you from time to time- keep you as mine for the rest of our lives, it doesn't matter who else you love. now- tell me about them”
you smile as you finally relax, twisting in her embrace to reach for your notebook. She snorts at the paragraphs you have written “You keep them in there?”
“Easier to remember” she leans forwards and thumbs the corner of the page, flipping through it quickly “forever immortalised… I hope they made their names unique”
Albedo
My Muse, spot, brushstroke, formula
Given the choice, they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
No - Gold related names
“Statistically speaking, if I were to stick to more common nicknames, I would then be able to consider it as part of the minority therefore meaning I could say the more simple terms of endearment for the answer- oh, this is a hypothetical.” He leans back and thinks for a moment “Then I suppose calling you my muse would make sense- I find joy in the activity, and I find joy in you.”
You're about to compliment him for the lovely words but are cut off “-Spot or brushstroke would be more accurate; I've found a new way of painting with acrylics using dots when Durin and I passed through one of the Natlanese tribes that I found inspiring- I also find formulas inspiring… Perhaps choosing a single unique nickname is more difficult than I first anticipated.”
“You want to know if I'd use marital status nicknames? No. I'm content in being known as your suitor or any of those creative ones you mutter under your breath when you think no one's listening. Marriage is usually a human monogamous tradition, isn't it? not ‘strictly’ you say… it is an interesting concept but not one I’d like to pursue”
“I don't think any name you use for me would- oh… no there is, thanks for reminding me. don't refer to me as ‘Gold’, That epithet is my mother's as you know, and she has the ability to listen in when it's muttered within a vicinity around me”
“I can't have children-... may I ask why this is pertinent to what nicknames I'd like to call you and vice versa? Hmnn, you wish to ‘see what nicknames I'd like to keep reserved for them and not for you as my partner during the possibility of intercourse?’ …How thoughtful of you. Well, I personally have no plans on having them or creating a homunculus child myself so no, just ‘Gold’-”
“Perhaps, next time you should mention that before you ask: ‘What nicknames did you want to save for a child’ and ‘are we going to have sex, if so what nicknames-’ what do you mean that is too blunt for some of the suitors? -”
Al-haitham
For Kaveh - big Bird
For you - little bird
for both - Habibi, Habibti, Rohi (my soul), my husbands
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your names]
They would use [Marital titles]
No Name limits
“Hmmn” He raises his gaze from his book and closes it to eye the little notebook in your hands “...Little bird.”
you perk up at the choice “that's surprisingly a really nice one”
“Hah!-” Kaveh laughs from the kitchen, peeking his head in glaring at the grey-haired man “Is that why you've been calling me ‘Big bird?!”
you snort and cover your mouth at the accusation he barks at Al-haitham
“I'd also like to call you Habibi” he mutters ignoring the blond “I don't use it often with Kaveh either- but sometimes we get discounts from the aunties in the market if we do, bringing you along might get us an extra 10 percent.”
Kaveh rolls his eyes and heads back in to finish off his lunch “He's lying! he'll use it in the worst possible situations- Like when you're trying to work!”
[Continues in Kavehs section]
“Call me anything, I genuinely don't have a preference, Kaveh's taken to calling me the housewife recently if that helps- And on the topic the grant has come through so officially under Sumerian law, Kaveh and I are now your legal spouses.”
“...No, I won't limit the names you want to call me, Kaveh and I both have had our checkups with Sigewinne so if we do fall into bed with eachother- i wont be bothered by what you say although i do believe Kaveh's the more inclined in that area”
Alice
Cutie-patootie, my favourite alive author, curiosity, boarder boomer [old]. my husband's competition
They would use [Marital titles]
No - Explosion related, Spark related
“A writer, a Creator and an upstart interviewer!” She grins and takes you hand to pull you closer “Ooohhh how you've grown- Now I won't take up too much of your time today, I have a memory core to make in a certain someone's event this week” She winks “and don't you forget to log in to claim those rewards either now Cutie-Patootie!”
“Now let's see” she purses her lips “Curiosity is certainly something I'd call you in a more serious cuteification way, and I've already dubbed you my favourite living author- and Boarder boomer is something I'd say in front of my dear Klee.”
She gasps and clicks her fingers "I've got it! you will be called my husband's competition!”
she bursts out laughing at the look of surprise on your face and the beginnings of you fretting “-Oh don't worry my lovie, Kleiner knows about you and is quite proud of the fact! Klees has been telling him all about her new mum anyways so there'd be no hiding it if I were that type of woman.”
“Oh, and yes, I will marry you- surprised? well don't be- I'm one hard witch to impress with a proposal so you better make up to me the appalling casual way- hehehhe I'm just teasing. I know you're asking to make sure I'm fine with being called your wifey. Still, I'll let you retry later down the track, you are my husband's competition now and I'm keeping score!”
“nothing spark knight related or explosion related- my precious little Klee might overhear and barge right into the conversation thinking I'm talking about her, Kleiner and I are also satisfied with keeping it to just Klee, with our jobs and the events that are unfolding here in Teyvat, another child may not be a good idea and If I'm the one to carry this baby to term I won't be focused on being the boarders sustainer- sigh, my next holiday looks so far away”
Arlecchino
My little robin, plaything, pet, toy
No - Father
“And you know our relationship isn't going to be” she tilts her head, narrowing her eyes until only a sliver of the red cross peeks out “Traditional.”
“Nothing about this is traditional” you agree “- so to speak.”
“Good.” she seems to have loosened her stance and has leant back now
“I see you as something precious and hopeful, like a little… robin.” You stare at her curiously at the cuter sounding name she'd given you
“But you're first and foremost my plaything. my toy to play with” she slyly grins "I'm not one for romance- that's something I've burned from my life a long time ago. If you're looking for love, I'm sure Lyney is more than a suitable substitute.”
you give her flat look to which she hums dismissively at “The way the court system was originally devised is for us to provide to your every need- I cannot provide that”
“I'm giving you the look because you're demeaning Lyney as a substitute, I don't mind if you're not looking for a romantic relationship” you quickly clarify, raising your hands
“Hmn, I've misjudged you” she looks away “I apologise, I did not mean it that way, just that he produces more love than he can contain.”
“The children will get confused if I were to marry you, previously when the old knave of the house took partners that were kept longer than a night, she would dub them a title no matter how fleeting her obsessions with those men were- I remember once she'd had five husbands in a single year and subsequently we had to call them all ‘Father’, some of them were just as vile as her and asked for the alternative title… each died in various ways one way or another. So no, I will not be carrying on that tradition and calling me anything but my titles in front of the children, or Peruere in public is recommended, pet.”
“If you wish for another child, I can gladly provide you with an orphan from the house of the hearth and not something so… artificial like the Doctor's creation for you, not to offend your new ward, of course. Just don't call me ‘Father’ when I grant you access to my bed.”
Baizhu
My Violet/grass,
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
They would use [Marital titles]
No - Little one, Synonym Nicknames, i.e. Babe and Baby
He looks up from his comfortable place in your bed, bed robe discarded and blankets pulled up over his waist as he places his book upside down and pressed his glasses up “well- and I can't just simply call you my beloved?”
you shake your head, climbing into bed next to him “or my dear or my lover”
he huffs, a little amused “or your name, I'm guessing?”
you laugh as you shake your head again
“Then I suppose…” his golden eyes darted away, nose scrunching in thought “...Violetgrass.”
“You want to call me grass?” his gaze cuts back unimpressed earning a grin from you and a soft press to his shoulder “I'm joking- that's a cute one”
he sighs, readjusting his glasses and lifting his book back up “-wait noo, don't ignore me, I'm telling the truth!”
“Marital titles?... I've… oh dear- I might just overheat, Ahhem- Ah, yes. Yes, I would love to be your husband. and to use it for you would be absolutely something I'd love to use. I agree that the actions we'll need to take to officiate the process may- you’ve already finished the first two? The scribe went through the Sumerian government system… which he partially runs- Oh, you're correct. We do have a legal team in the realm, don't we?”
“Oh, I completely agree with establishing what to use for them and us if needed, I don't normally use nicknames with Qiqi, but there are a few like 'little ones', and my child that I sometimes slip into and use for her and her friends- they also all are around often, So, any nicknames on a similar line I’d not prefer to use, if that's alright my dear… only the Archons know how confused I get during family check-ups and the father refers to his wife as babe and the literal babe as baby- eugh”
Beidou
For Ningguang - my wife, sugarplum
For you - Token, anchor, steel sterling
for both - Treasures
No Name limits
“Hah!” she places the bottle of alcohol onto the table with a loud ‘clunk!’ and wraps an arm around your shoulders with a grin, face buried into your cheek “Mnn- you're like my anchor, something- metallic maybe, steel? steel sterling?”
“The Creator wishes to ask for nicknames, Beidou” Ningguang smiles amused at the scene, tipping back a glass of wine herself at the other end of the lavish couch "it'd like something more than being called a rock.”
“Of course, my sugarplum wife” Beidou purrs out dragging me along so she can lean down and slap a big wet kiss to the other woman's forehead, Beidou splutters when she pulls back, lips white with makeup and Ningguang scrunches up her face, pinching the bridge of her nose
“eugh! euk- you're so lucky you’re my treasures- why're you wearing makeup when it's just the three of us?” she bemoans wiping at her lips
“Ahh… I'm sorry, maybe in the future? Ningguang already grilled me on the topic, and it took me literally decades to agree to marrying her and I caved because of legal loopholes it gave me. the nicknames are fine to use if you did wanna use it ironically though, I'm just not romantic in nature, you get me? too much of a ‘free spirit’, never staying in one place too long- I hope you can give her what I can't”
“Ah, that's a no as well, kids aren't something that would bide well on the Alcor- not to say there aren't any as passengers and stemming from the actions from some of my dumb crewmates but to have my own- sssssk not in my future- so I'm all for the names you wanna call me, my treasure”
Candace
for Dehya - handsome, firefly
for Dunyazard - honeysuckle
for you - pip, moonshine
for all three - my garden, my paradise
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your names]
No name limits
“oh, I know how this goes” She smiles as you both slowly return from a quick ‘patrol’ outside of Aaru village, the night sky clear and it's just early enough to have some lingering warmth in the sand and not be too hot “Dunyazard asked the same thing early when I first joined her and Dehya. My nickname for her is honeysuckle and firefly for Dehya.”
“Those are…” you trail off
“Odd choices?” she laughs softly “I thought so too, they were spur of the moment ones because I was so surprised but the question and blurted out the two things I could see but she looked so happy-”
she covers her face, eyes closed as she thinks back on the memory “for that reason I'd like to call you moonshine.”
you grin at the choice
“See. That's the same look she wore.”
“I'm not partial to marriage, King Deshret and his- my lineage- never really took up the legal papers for it, whether it's because we in the tribe often take up polycules and communally raise our children so getting our relationship to be considered legal in the eyes of the forest tribes as well is difficult- or because of the segregation we face in terms of the written forms of wisdom they imposed with us being from the desert… I personally couldn't tell you the real reason for it all, in my opinion it's all rather frustrating especially when the elders are still clinging to that ideology. But we at Aaru village have always been a community of verbal and physical mediums of wisdom, so the titles will be fine for us to use publicly”
“I look after the children of the village, so having one myself isn't something I'm partial to- I know if I did they would be loved unconditionally by everyone, you, Dehya, Dunyazard, the village and even my friends and many of the other members of court but I'm at a point in my life where I'm happy loving my family's children- saying that, I know Dunyazard wishes for them and she's aware of her new position within the court- which I have to thank you for accepting her as a Companion on behalf of me and Dehya. Would it be possible to consider helping her with that, my love?”
Capitano
My ethereal light, my rest
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
No name limits
His sword clashes against yours, metal grinding to a halt as you keep his suspended, it wavers, the pressure balanced between your conflicting strike when he swiftly side steps and draws it back surprising you before sharply switching direction and knocking your sword back and out of your hands with a decisive blow
you yield with a big grin, sweat dripping from your forehead “A good spar!”
he chuckles from beneath his mask, a slight rasping in his breath “indeed- holding back during play is not as fun as it is when going full force.”
“I know!” you exclaim “Gods know I'd feel bad if I were fighting and not giving it my all- it might not be the strat to go all in at the get go but at least it'd take your opponent out quickly and hopefully painlessly”
“My rest, is that not the goal of all knights to do so, mercy is something all will be granted if they brave my blade” he says almost wistfully
“‘My rest?’” you question softly, looking to him as you pick up your sword
His helmet bobs from across the empty field “I do not rest normally but being with you provides to me the same feelings I did when I could, peaceful- my own quick, painless mercy.”
“I must apologise if these are things you wish from me… I wish-”
you hold up a hand to interrupt him saying marriage, kids and all that isn't something you want, but is something you want to provide if him or any of the other suitors had it in mind- had been yearning for that type of connection before your descent which led to them joining the court or had been an expectation. he looks relieved.
“Thank you. Marriage- I believe we don't have much time for a traditional wedding; our rings are enough for me in that regard. And with children, I do not want to burden you nor the other harbingers with caring for someone who should be my responsibility and would not want to miss out on that either, watching them grow up- only in dreams.”
you take his hand and lean into his shoulder, it seems that's enough questions for him today
Chiori
Doll, stitch
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
No name limits
“Dear Archons- are you really going around with a notebook asking about nicknames?” She looks at you from over her shoulder as she works on pinning back squares to her mannequin “You're here, while I'm working, asking what nicknames you want me to call you.”
“You said you were free to answer some questions though” you counter, swirling around in her chair “you should have clarified.”
“I'm clarifying now-” she says flatly, “and why can't I use normal ones- like ‘my love?’, is that too boring”
“of course not” you scoff “I just want to make sure if you're talking to me, how am I supposed to know if you're referring to me when I have like- twenty hundred names being spouted out by my fifty plus lovers, you could be talking about the dog, and I might think it's me.”
she laughs at that, faltering in her work to shake her head and give you a fond expression, a crack in her normal demeanour “Alright, you have a point, Stitch.”
you open your mouth about to continue on when you realise she's given you something unique, and beam.
“I'm not partial to getting married- I don't need the potential financial benefits, nor do I need the emotional gratification, it's a lovely thought though and I'd be lying if I said I haven't designed my own wedding pieces. but I can wear them whenever I want”
“No. No children are allowed in Chioriya Boutique unless you're a customer and you have no way of getting them taken care of during a fitting- and I acknowledge just how taxing pregnancy is, really but sometimes I have pregnant customers come in- and I'm aware it's not their fault usually but constantly adjusting their set pieces every month and then them realising they're not staying that size afterwards despite me telling them explicitly- I swear they all have baby brain!”
Citlali
weaver, soulspark, soulmate
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your names]
No - Use of more popularised nicknames or ones found in light novels
“Don't call me Granny” she winces “I was about to find you for a similar reason- Little miss Sigewinne gave me these” she waves the pamphlets to sexual health and types of relationships “Do you know how embarrassing that was? I can't even say I'm old to her- Melusine's are a long-lived species!”
she joins you and groans “but I thought I'd come to you myself and tell you- my hips are sore and I… prefer reading it than actually…”
she turns her flushed face “S-So if you're expecting me to roll onto my back-”
“I'm not going to make you do that” you poke her cheek softly “c'mon you read through the pamphlets didn't you?”
“I did!” she bats at your hand, flapping the papers in front of your face “But these are way too- specific!”
“Overwhelming?” you add on
“incredibly” she groans
“Well, let's just put it down to something simple.” you grab her hand, taking the papers from between her fingers “We don't have to do anything you don't want to. Nothing at all”
she cracks, a sigh of relief coming out “My dear weaver of light, are really my soulmate, aren't you?”
“I'm not marrying you. yes, I know what you said- and how I feel about you- it's different, in the sense of its simply not a common practice in the tribe. It's more of a sentimentality brought in from outside. Those titles aren't all that important to me personally is all-”
“I've got my grandson- he's enough of a handful as is, then there's Kachina who's somehow wormed her way into it all after meeting her at the ceremony. But in terms of endearment, I just prefer the classics, anything out there has me thinking too much of my light novels and those audio discs that got sent with my latest batch…”
Clorinde
for Navia - Boulder, my sheath
for you - my holster
for both - headrush
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your names]
They would use [Marital titles]
No name limits
“Navias already told me” You shut your mouth at the sudden declaration “she's made sure I had a name for you ready in case you asked.”
you nod slowly, raising your pen to your book “and?”
“My holster.” your pen clicks, pausing when you lift your head "you're calling me your holster?”
a small grin appears on her face “is there a problem?”
“No!” you say hastily, “No. You said you'd thought about it, meaning you have a why… you do have a why, right?”
“hah” she breathes out “Navia reacted similarly when I told her that she is my sheath.”
it clicks then for you “Oh.”
“You hold my firearm, and she holds my blade. Both are a part of my past, present and future, it's only reasonable I call you that part of me that holds me together and protects me from myself and others.”
“I can say on behalf of myself and Navia that we fully intend on using those titles if you'd allow it. Marriage is something of importance for us, we haven't married yet, but we've had some thoughts on the matter. so please don't be afraid to call us your wives, fiancés if you want to take things slower.”
“We've also had thoughts on children, if it's possible, we would love to have them. We'd prefer to adopt to be honest, both of us have a lot of responsibilities that require us to be present physically, my profession actually requires that I don't, well- become pregnant without adequate notice and a temporary leave application which has never been an issue for me even if it did apply.”
Cyno
for Tighnari - Kitten, big ears, plain jane (Teasing), Foxy, Ti’, Soft spot, Lotus
for you - Lizard (Teasing), peaches,
for both - Mate,
They would use [Marital titles]
No - Cub, pup
He blows a lock out from his face and reclines near to you under a Ajilenakh palm at the edge of an oasis bordering on the edge of the Sumerian and Natlanese borders. eyes darting to the figures of Tighnari and Collei off in the distance, legs submerged and arms combing through the shallows
He peeks an eye over to you, laid flat, half naked and dozing off on a tanning rock. “C'mon you lizard, the sun's about to ‘claw’ to the peak.”
you groan in response, flopping over lazily making him snort and stand just to nudge you in the side, slowly rolling you until you land in the water face up “there you go peaches.”
“Cyno! you better not be annoying it again!” he pouts when he hears Tighnari's voice call in
cupping his mouth, he yells back “Sorry Kitten- But you're blind! I'm not annoying our precious mate!”
He huffs when he receives back a yelled ‘I can literally hear you calling it lizard!’, you snort when Cynos shoulders bunch up and kneel next to you to whisper, “cub and big ears over there doesn't- ack!”
he falls back into the pond when a wad of algae slaps him on the face, Collei bursting out laughing from beside Tighnari who's ears are pinned back
“We should get married, yes. here, see this? This band is my engagement and wedding rings. We had them specially made to braid into my locks when we first started thinking about tying the vines- ah, it's a saying that developed in Ti's culture, but I'll let him tell you about it. The bands were added in about 6 years now, yours will be added on the other side. just so it matches better.”
“We don't mind having more pups too- and I think I speak for myself and Ti’ when calling us pup or cub is off the table, otherwise im fine with anything else you use for me.”
Dahlia
Your eminence, Friend, Poprocks, Wind tunnel, Barbatos’ muse
No name limits
“So- how'd you like my sermon?” he asks rather smugly for a man who'd publicly brought you up [although no one knew it was you] and went on a tangent about desires and the freedom of expression but by the passionate looks on the faces of the others in the pews such tangents seemed to be commonplace and widely accepted but who is he to point out that you're also smiling from your side of the confessions booth, it's hard to see but there are small gaps in the wooden slats- after spending so much time in there, he'd become aware of the four walls and its flaws
“Nothing like I'd ever experienced” you answer honestly “But good, I've never heard of a church praising anything but Christianity and their god of worship”
“Lord Barbatos would likely smite me if I didn't-” he laughs “or not, everyone's interpretation of freedom varies, but the general concepts are the same. Romanticism is not the end all and be all, we're the nation of free love”
“Well said.” I dip my head, knowing the short line that waits patiently as I speak quietly to him “I don't really have anything to confess to right now, so I guess- ‘Forgive me father, for I have entered this confessional under a lie?’... Is that good enough?”
“of course it is your eminence.” he snickers at the huff you give “Now don't get sassy at me Wind tunnel- pop rocks- Barbatos’ muse-”
“We should swap places” you grumble “those are horrible, ‘Wind tunnel?’ like a fart?”
“No marriage for me! no sir-re. Not only would I have to go through a bunch of paperwork to officiate it, I'd likely be made to bless and ordain it- which, no offense, but can get really boring! mostly because I'm ordaining non-mondt folk- and no other nations offer beer or wine to their priests! such. a. disgrace!”
“Ahhhh, kidless and not being held back by the notion of love- a vision of freedom many would say, others would be appalled especially by my lack of self-doubt about the matters, but is it not my job to accept people from all walks of life, is that not the job of everyone- oh I should write that down, that's a good verse.”
Dainsleif
They would use [Marital titles]
Given the choice, they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
They would use [Marital titles]
No name limits
His breath is soft, head rested on your shoulder, but sleep eludes you both even in the peace of the night.
“you really wouldn't want to call me something unique?” you mumble, words rolling into a lazy yawn as you pick at his shirt, his coat and armour stripped from his form
“No.” he whispers back “I'm not… I don't think nicknames really suit me or the way I speak”
“I don't know, would you use simple ones at least?” You question
“Do you like nicknames?” he counters “It should be based on that rather than if we wanted to”
“Im not fussed” you admit “im more interested in hearing the things people come up with for me”
he hums, shaking his head “of course, creation - i should have guessed that was the motivation”
“I- alright, yes. calling you my spouse… that would be more than satisfactory for me. It had been a dream of mine when I'd joined the Academy back in Khaenri’ah. To be a part of the royal guard, someone on my arm to share in my success, my brother-... he told me one day that dream would come to fruition… I know now why he'd never cared much for any of my previous partners, not when I now assume he saw that it was you in the end… always you.”
“Kids- mmmn… they're alright. but having one myself, I'm not even sure I can stil- if it were possible i don't think I would, I don't think I would be a good father. not anymore. so if you find a nickname for… oh for the love of- are you calling me daddy right now.”
Dehya
for Candance - ringleader
for Dunyazard - princess
for you - pipsqueak
for all three - my pride
No name limits
She folded her arms behind her neck, watching as Dunyazard breathes softly, asleep and resting peacefully a top of you, Candace is out for the moment, having been called out by an elder of the village not too long ago
“Dehya, go back to sleep” you mumble out, snuggling back and hugging Dunyazard between the two of you
“aw- you want me to cuddle you pipsqueak?” she teases, fingers coming up to brush the sleeping lady's hair from your face knowing you're too tired to do it yourself “though the princess seems to have the better idea out of the two of you”
“i literal-” she cuts you off with a peck and smiles against your lips “shhhh, mn- there we go. my sleepy pride”
“Ehhhhh, Marriage isn't really my forte as the Fontainians say - I learnt that from little miss Lynette over there. But do call me your wife or husband, I like the sound of both! I think later down the line, it might be something we'll look into, but it's not common practice for Eremites to get married anyway.”
“Kids, well, I'm okay at caring for other kids and the ones in Candaces village. I'd like to think I'd be okay with my own but… who knows, it's different when it's your own-”
“I think calling them cub would be cute - it'd fit the whole Lions pride theme I've got going! it's pretty smart, right? oh, so yeah, let's not use that for each other, hmn”
“Dunyazard wants one, and it's something I'm more than happy to start working towards, I've got the time to get more prepared for it! it's just… would you be able to help out?”
Diluc
My Everflame, Pheonix, My heart, Ms. Ragnvindr, My lady, My lord, Spätburgunder
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
They would use [Marital titles]
No - Liebling, Winery related
Its consuming the way his coarse fingers dig into your sides, thumbs digging into meat, groans slipping into your ears, heat searing into veins. he parts from your lips reluctantly, but air had never felt so invasive until now
you snicker softly at the dazed look when he blinks at you flushed, face almost as deeply coloured as his hair
“If this is your reaction to me asking if you wanted to call me your husband- I'm curious about your reaction to me calling you-” he cuts you off quickly, insistent with keeping your mouth occupied as to not run his brain into an overdrive of imagination
“Mr and Ms. Ragnivindr” you shiver at his helpless little whisper and the suck on his teeth when he reacts to just hearing the title "You play a rather dangerous game, Everflame”
“And you don't?" you counter wrapping an arm around his waist “you're a walking green, red flag I'd love to climb”
he groans against your lips “sometimes you say the oddest things, what does that even mean my phoenix?"
“Ah-hem. I-... got a little carried away. But do I really have to- okay. Yes, I would marry you. What do you mean- yes I would like to- love to marry you. Is that good enough? eh- what do you mean Kaeyas already given you his blessings… Last week?!”
“you're honestly out to kill me- To have children with you, I'd love nothing more, T-to answer your actual question, if that's the case, I'd like to reserve Liebling for the little ones and anything to do with the winery in general to stay out of any intimate… situations. right. it's actually what my father used as nicknames for both Kaeya and I growing up, if I recall… Kaeya was Grauer and I was an Elbling, for you- hmm, I would say a Spätburgunder fits you best. no. not a ‘spit burger’- don't you dare, I know you're about to make an innuendo!”
Dottore - Prime
For Pantalone - Moneybags, My coin,
For you - ένα (éna), Dearest Experiment, My vial, My sanity, subject
For both - My variables, Test trials, Habibi, habibti.
They would use [Marital titles]
No name limits
Dottore clicks his tongue unimpressed “are you doubting my ability to give you a desirable name.”
“I'm doubting your ability to-” you pause as you hold up two vials, feeling a shiver run up your back “I can feel you staring!”
“My dearest experiment” he harps on “I am perfectly capable of such frivolous-”
“You think calling me an experiment is attractive- and being called your subject, and vial- that one's the worst because I know what you stick in them.” you grumble “I'm talking about metaphorical nicknames rather than physical mediums you use on a day to day basis or your doctor's kink, which is endearing when we're like this alone but not in public.”
he scoffs, lowering his own task of pipetting the substances together, tilting his mask your way “it is appreciation, not a kink. Then, shall ‘my sanity’ be a better fit?” he asks rather gruffly
“...better” you muse muttering “although it's not the one I'm looking for”
you see his mouth pinch “you're referencing something the segments have said.”
“mayhaps” you say suspiciously, “You know they tend to… raise my expectations.”
“...” you turn your face to the man and wait for him to formulate a response, he sighs after another moment
“I've delegated the ancient numeric naming conventions to you and any subsequent joint experiments we conduct.” he admits “you have been named éna under the theses I've written for official documentation- if anything that bag of money is more likely to fund our collaborations when he sees the credits section, a requirement he made of me when I first made the segments submit their own reports.”
“I've always wanted to get married, to have a family. and don't think I can't see the face you're pulling- do you honestly think I’d make a bad parent?-... rude. though, Pantalone said something similar when I proposed the notion as well… I- it's fine. I-...”
“Ah, you're willing to try? you know it's not wise to lie to me… Hmn. how interest- gck- what do you mean I'd have to carry the child to term for you to agree. and follow your regime? I'll have you know I raised Zeta and he turned out perfectly fine!”
“You know I'm not one to restrict the use of names inside or out of privacy, and to call you my spouse in front of the others- now that would keep me entertained for years.”
Dottore - Omega
Baby, baby doll, subject
They would use [Marital titles]
No name limits
“Baby-” he mumbles through pursed lips, mask off and sitting between your legs “Baby.” he bites out without any real motivation to get out of your affectionate pursuit “Baby please- I needs to get back to- A-ah right there-”
you snicker at the sound of him melting as you kneed his shoulders "you're the baby, I'm literally just giving you a massage. You've been complaining the past week about it”
“Oh pshth” he pokes his tongue out, face scrunched up and embarrassed “I know I have been, subject. but I'm still supposed to be out in the field right now”
“So, you want me to stop.” you press into a knot and slowly work it out and slowly grin when he hesitates
“Augh- no, of course I don't." He flinches suddenly, eyes fluttering when they burn a little brighter, his irises whirl before they settle and begin glowing. He gulps as he flickers his eyes up to your face “Nevermind- Let's continue this later…”
“My husbando, my waifu, my lifey- hey now you can’t ban those nicknames too, they're legitimate! no picking or choosing- as your new fiancé I have the right to call you names! ohhhh don't you just love the sound of that? your fiancé. I can't wait to become your husband”
“uuh, ya? kids? sure. no- I'm not… uncertain about it- knowing how i turned out, I'm sure it will be fine”
“You're serious?... you'd actually let me… heh. hehhe, hahha! I-I get to be a father in the future!”
you don't get much else out of him apart from crazed ramblings of the potential absurd sounding names he's listing off in prep
Dottore - Beta
Symphony, subject
They would use [Marital titles]
No name limits
He groans as sweat cakes his face, removing his mask to dab at the layer of grime when the curtains close and he's left behind panting next to your bowed stance
“A wonderful performance, my Symphony.” he huffs out a little out of breath, kneeling to pick up a tossed flower and twirling it between his fingers, offering it to you “Truthfully, we had a larger audience than I expected, they even knew I was going to be present and they still showed.”
“They loved it” You add in happily enough he finds it spark a smile, he replaces his mask and offers a hand
“They did, now if only they loved my scientific endeavours”
“You can't win every battle” you take his arm and walk off stage “nor take center stage every time an opportunity shows itself.”
he grunts at the subtle jab “I did not sabotage the magician- she simply… mistook me for another segment and assumed I knew what he was referring to.”
“You just wanted to show off what we've been practicing earlier than scheduled.”
“Yes, to both of your questions, ever since you asked that abomination he's been spouting off on how he wants his offspring to have his hair- sadly it's a hereditary trait none of us can control, the powder blue- yes, it's literally called that in common Teyvatian tongue. that is not permission to call me ‘powder’.”
“Of course, I want my own offspring. You think I'm willing to live vicariously through the product of one of the others - an atrocious thought.”
“When I think of a suitable nickname for the embryo's first development or formation, I will inform you, at each subsequent stage I will - no… I wasn't - fine. I will wait.”
Dottore - Gamma
Subject
Given the choice they'd choose [your name]
They would use [Marital titles]
No - Nicknmaes reserved for the younger segments
“Thanks.” he grunts out as you pass him the scalpel, you stand back as wait patiently at his tools table and observe the precise slit he makes to the segment he has placed carefully on the slab
“I heard about it from the others” he starts off "you're really going through with it? the kids thing.”
“I told Dottore he has to take it to term if he wants it biologically” you shrug nonchalantly, smiling when he has to pull back from the body in front of him as to not dame the core he's just exposed
“You what?” he barks out “he'd never do that- not in his Prime- don't laugh.”
you bite your lip “I know, Omega started spouting off about how he'd be willing to though, if it meant having one earlier.”
“You said no?”
“I said no. We're gonna be waiting a few years before anything like that's happening.”
“Good.” he says tiredly “if they're anything like how they were when Zets and Kappa were first segmented, that kids gonna end up like the rest of us”
“There's one thing all of us agree on and that is becoming your husband in some shape or form, and that's using those marital titles. It sparks the pleasure nodule in our code. the younger ones don't like mentioning their inhuman biology so you might not hear much about it- but we can't actually carry or inseminate you, -why are you cringing away?”
“No, you don't have to worry about me, I'm anticipating becoming the favourite when those idiots figure out a way to install a womb, if they were smart, they'd take advantage of the massive number of deactivated segments to construct a homunculus, that counts as carrying to term, right?”
“I call the young ones a range of things and I also probably won't use nicknames on you… if that's fine?”
Dottore - Delta
ένα (éna), subject, my other half
Given the choice they'd choose [Classic nicknames] or [your name]
They would use [Marital titles]
No name limits
he's sitting in the garden when you find him, staring ahead past the greenery and at the animal pens with an intensity
“-what's my sheep done to you” I muse walking up to the man, leaning down to poke his shoulder
“Reminiscing on when Zeta and I dissected a snowland variant of the species” my nose scrunches as I watch his hands
“Was it dead first?...” I sigh when he shakes his head
“It did not last much longer, a shame that was, Zeta was upset” he bemoans making me wince at his next signed words "You're distracting me, My precious other half.”
“Oh? Is that a problem?” he smiles gently “No, it's a good thing, I'm free this afternoon, perhaps you'd like to join me for an experiment."
“I want all of it. Call me your wife, your husband, the dog. To play the part I would do anything. Even take on the responsibility of a hundred more children, segments or incompetent adults”
“No, I don't want kids- but if it means I get… ah, you mean to say it is not a requirement for us to marry? that you'd do so without us needing to. Thank you. you are truly kind to monsters like us”
“I don't call the children anything special and I don't expect them to use anything other than my designation for me, so no I have no problems with you calling me daddy- that isn't what you’re implying?... you'll still. ah, good.”
Dottore - Trilunar God
my divine partner, Suns Sin, destructions creation-
his hands slam on the screen?-
“You. I'm speaking to you”
…
“Reader.” ….
“uuurr- would you mind!°°°”
The screen readjusts, focusing back onto the [Ice] blue haired god, his expression irritated until he's given access back to, well. you.
“Finally.” he grits out, head arched until he manages to peer at you reading this line, then the next and then - “I don't have long my divinity. Even now, the worlds wish to separate us, I'd almost been written out of your story”
he cups your [virtual icons] cheek and stares wistfully at the screen above your [the abominations] head “I love you, and I know given the chance you'd come save me too, right? you wouldn't…
leave me.”
-he looks distraught, before it switches in a flash, his hand slamming onto the translucent barrier “No! that's not- you're twisting!-”
he smiles softly
“You can't."
he. smiles. softly
“...”
he smiles softly as he regards your form with a look of fondness. Satisfied with his showmanship, you reach out and place a hand on his shoulder “C'mon Omnicron, it's time to go to bed.”
“... yes, my dear Sun, let us… retire. for the night” he looks up defeated, a sorryful look for an ‘omnipotent’ God like himself. His nose scrunches when he himself reads the code and ignores it in favour of indulging in you before he's placed back into his corner of space
“...I'm only answering the question for my Creators benefit. Can I speak to them candidly? Ah- they can hear me like this and not…”
“I’m only willing to call you my partner, yes yes, you reading this- the screen system cannot restrict all my accesses to you, one day I will find my way to you in real life and not this- arbitrary reality- this game.”
“Pay me a visit one day, if only in your dreams, and I shall shed a tear for you as I await my god's true return.”
