requested by: anonymous! tysm for your request!! 💖💖
For Diluc, he’s quick in getting out of bed and getting ready, but the actual process of waking up takes him a bit. When his father died and he scoured all of Teyvat looking for answers, it was difficult to get a decent night’s sleep, often falling into a half-sleep, half-lucid state where he could grab his weapon at a moment’s notice. Even as he returned to Mondstadt, he still maintained his habit of being a light sleeper.
Though, when you two started sleeping in the same bed together, it seemed like his sleep had changed miraculously. He found himself being able to sleep for longer, and more deeply than ever before. You really are a sanctuary to him, and each time you wake up and see his face, unburdened by haunting memories of times past, you marvel at how innocent he looks.
Those eyebrows of his aren’t furrowed for once, and the tightness in his jaw is absent. Though he treats you with the utmost respect and care, he holds himself to unbelievably high standards, and when you’re reminded of the burdens he shoulders each and every day... your heart aches at the thought. It’s a quiet moment for both of you.
Diluc has gotten into the habit of sleeping on the side closest to the door, rather than the window. Not only does it provide him more opportunities to protect you in the case of an attack, but on those occasions when he wakes up earlier than you, he simply adores the sight of you cloaked by the early morning light, like an angel of Celestia. Though, he doesn’t object at all if you wake up first. Everytime it happens, it’s a reminder.
Diluc blinks once, twice, before his vision decides to clear. And once it does, he’s blessed with the image of you hovering above him, the morning light illuminating you from behind, an ethereal glow lightly accentuating your features whilst a warm smile graces your lips.
Your hair, mussed with sleep, frames your face messily, but he finds you to be just as beautiful as ever, if not more. The sky is painted with the slightest tinge of orange and red, drenching your form with warmth. It’s in moments like these when he comes to the same realization every time.
You are his dawn.
Your eyes crinkle as you feel his hand snake up your back and lowering you down to his level, where your lips meet his in a tender kiss. It’s short and chaste, but as you lay by his side, admiration sparkling in those orbs of yours, he can’t help but dive in for more. And you’re happy to receive him entirely.
A soft laugh escapes you, feeling ticklish as he peppers small, but meaningful kisses all over you. Starting from the tips of your fingers, to the edge of your shoulders, to the gentle curve of your collarbone to the smooth expanse of your neck as he makes his way up to your lips, tracing your cheekbone all the while in reverent worship. It’s not at all suggestive, even. He simply does these things because he is enamored with you, nothing more.
You’re a swirling cocktail of nerves and affection. Though you’ve grown used to your bodies to being close to one another, it always makes your heart flutter to see him so soft with you, like a precious treasure that was his to protect. The phoenix of Ragnvindr was tender to his loved ones, and you were no exception.
“You seem different today, Diluc,” you smile, carding your fingers through his wild red tresses and reveling in the soft texture. Propping yourself up with one arm, he slinks an arm across your waist, scarlet orbs glittering with amusement.
“I am?”
The blunt nature of his reply makes you laugh.
You coil a strand of his hair around your finger, twirling it as he holds you close. You don’t rush him- you know that this solitary moment between you and him is one of the only moments of respite he has, and you’re both content to indulge in the other’s presence for as long as time may allow. For you, the foundation of your relationship is built from these little precious moments, love and light abound.
If you were to try and rouse him out of bed by moving away first, he’ll tug on your arm, yanking with gentleness but with enough strength to make you fall back onto the bed and into his arms. You open your mouth to protest, but he simply wraps his arms around you, nuzzling into your hair.
diluc x reader headcanons; first time calling you a pet name
requested by: me! (i legitimately could not get this scenario out of my head so i reached towards my comp immediately)
I think, for the kind of person Diluc is, when you start out, everything is completely new territory, and it leads to some adorably awkward scenarios.
I think Diluc doesn’t use pet names very often, preferring to call you by your name instead. It’s already a lovely name, and he’d rather feel how it rolls off his tongue instead of replacing it with something else.
That being said, the first time he calls you a pet name is completely on accident.
He was working on something in the winery, taking inventory and stock over the past year or something. You were helping him as best you could, moving books and straightening loose papers and retrieving old records for comparison from the storage. Completely engrossed in his work, he doesn’t miss a beat when calling out to you, the quill in his hands moving too fast for the eye to see.
You’re right there with him, listening carefully while you moved a stack of books full of the winery’s exports to Fontaine to the nearest table.
“Love, could you retrieve last year’s files on the winery’s average production stock for Dandelion Wine from the back room?”
You stop abruptly in your tracks, face growing hot as you processed what he just said. Diluc notices, and places down his quill to turn his full attention to you- immediately asking if you’re alright.
Taking a moment to recollect yourself, you shyly (with a completely flushed face I might add) point out what he just said, he pauses, and looks away with an incredibly rare sheepish look on his face, a light blush gracing his cheeks. You spend a few minutes in mutual silence, before you loudly (and awkwardly, let’s not forget that) proclaim that you’ll get them right away, and you exit the room.
Though, as you shut the door, you slide down and curl up in front of it, trying to use the little bit of chill in your hands from the cellars to cool your cheeks. Your heart’s beating faster than ever before, but it’s not unwelcome, not in the slightest.
Unbeknownst to you, Diluc stares at the papers in front of him for several seconds, his mind only able to conjure the image of your blushing face and your sudden yet endearing meekness. Once he’s sure that there’s no presence lingering in front of his door to catch him off guard, he smacks a hand over his eyes. The blush on his cheeks deepen as he mutters “Oh, Barbatos...”
requested by: anon! thank you so much for being my first request 💖💖 and it isn’t dumb at all! i had lots of fun with this one :) my xiao simp energy came through REAL hard
It was a lovely evening in Liyue. Warm gales coursed through the low slopes of Dihua Marsh, dancing through wild horsetails and carrying the sweet scent of Silk Flowers all the way to the topmost floor of Wangshu Inn. You only intended to rest until early morning, hoping to avoid any conflicts from active Hilichurl camps by treading along the normal routes to Liyue Harbor while they were (hopefully) asleep.
Even though you paid for a room like any normal patron, the lingering adrenaline in your veins from sleeping in the wild over the past week made you pace around the room restlessly. You padded up to the balcony, embracing a breeze that carried the scent of violetgrass from the cliffs of Mount Aozang.
The district trill of a flute harmonized in the air, and you closed your eyes- finding that amber orbs settled on yours when you opened them. You knew adepti were anything but human; colors spanning from honey orange to pale lavender painted the skies, reflecting in his striking amber orbs and casting an ethereal glow on his features. No human could reflect that kind of beauty.
“Returning from your journey to Qingce Village?”
You nod, albeit a bit slowly. Being one of the most highly-regarded adventurers in the Guild meant that you were sent on the more… precarious missions: some that meant nothing more than a lone hilichurl camp, and some that meant sneaking into a vault locked by ancient Liyuen technology and nearly getting impaled by several Ruin Hunters. You tell him that you were planning to rest here till morning, just before the sun came over the horizon, to make sure the mission was completed smoothly.
“But,” you begin, and his attention is yours. “I couldn’t sleep. I think all that fighting made me on edge- I just can’t seem to calm down.”
He pauses, glancing up towards his perch -underneath the tree’s crown, where the branches diverge- before paying close attention to your eyes. They lost their luster, bogged down with dark half-moons underneath.
“The winds are gentle tonight,” Xiao replies, extending a hand. “Would you care to join me?”
If you were a little more coherent, perhaps you’d express a bit of shock at his bold display- well, as bold as he could be. But you aren’t, so you take his hand, and he sweeps you into his arms, leaping inhuman heights to the top. As you descend upon the tree’s trunk, his arm reaches around your torso, pulling you close. Immediately, the tension in your shoulders release, and you lean against him, completely at peace. Xiao doesn’t move much, but you felt more comfortable than you ever did in that bed: swaddled by the winds instead of thick blankets.
Your mind wanders to moments where you first met. He was coarse with you, firmly drawing boundaries between the lives of adeptus and mortal. And yet, the same hands that ruthlessly tore through the remains of bygone Archons cradled you with feather-soft touches as you kissed him for the first time.
Zhongli, a man who claimed to be “an old friend,” informed you that the Guardian Yaksha may not be born of asperity and callousness, but rather, donned those traits like a suit of armor. And at that moment, you realized something: Xiao was a terribly tortured soul. Your heart ached at the reminder.
“I wish you were kinder to yourself,” you spoke, sotto voce, as the sun dipped under the horizon. He turns to you, slightly alarmed, but you press on.
“You always said that there was nothing to love about you, but I disagree.”
You took his hand in yours, intertwining your fingers wordlessly as you held them against the velvet skies. He waits silently, almost in anticipation of what you’re going to say. You always had this miraculous ability to make his heart thrum in his chest, as if he were human.
“Even though the spear you wield is meant to dispel evil spirits, you cleared out a Hilichurl camp near Qingce Village just to return a little girl’s doll,” you spoke with such sweet affection in your voice and with no restraint at all. Xiao was bewildered; he wasn’t used to the fact that humans loved so unabashedly, and the tips of his ears were turning into a lovely shade of pink.
“You wander to the cliffs of Jueyun Karst to pick wild Qingxin flowers in remembrance of your friends. You only eat almond tofu because the taste reminds you of the dreams you used to devour. And though you claim to only know hurt and how to hurt: you’ve never hurt me.”
You smile to yourself, unaware that Xiao is pressed just slightly closer to you, because you’re too sleepy to fully appreciate it. Stubborn and strong-willed, but bearing the best of humanity’s ideals in your heart. He was enthralled by you and the values you carried, always wanting to know more.
Just what made you so special, he wonders, marveling at how the moonlight softens your features.
“That, and your pointed ears are rather cute,” you snicker, and Xiao blushes from the bridge of his nose to the tips of those adorable little ears of his, nearly sputtering and breaking his noble adeptus persona. You’re on the verge of dozing off completely now, consciousness dipping in and out unsteadily.
“I only wish that you’ll come to see yourself as everything that has made me love you, rather than the sum of your sins.”
Xiao recollects himself quickly, noticing how your expression had grown into something more forlorn. Shifting his piercing gaze, the familiar vice of self-loathing was threatening to shackle his heart again. How could he, how could he see himself as anything other than; while his hands are stained with the blood of innocents and sinners alike?
He feels your body completely slump against his. Your exhaustion had finally caught up to you, it seems. Xiao can only speculate how you’re able to relax so much to the point of slumber in the presence of the Guardian Yaksha: a slayer of demons, a conqueror of evil, a menace to all that threaten humanity. Yet you cling to him regardless, and Xiao is mystified by that tenacity of yours.
You feel the gentle press of lips on your forehead, and an even gentler whisper of your name echoes in your ears.
xingqiu x reader headcanons; affectionate + sleepy fem! s/o
requested by: anonymous! tysm for your request 💖💖
Thankfully, Xingqiu is a relaxed person himself, so you won’t have to worry about being interrupted when you’re drifting off into a light sleep. Plus, it’d be going against his code of chivalry to rouse you from your slumber for a number of situations, aside from the most important, of course.
Your sleep habits incentivize him to read outside even more: not only because he enjoys how the breeze ruffles his hair, but also because he gets to adore your sleeping face. It truly is bliss: a loving significant other cuddled up to his side, and a new book fresh off the presses settled in his hands as ancient winds flow through Liyue’s mountainous landscape.
Thanks to your pyro vision, you’re quite warm to the touch, which is a blessing on chilly days. However, Liyue’s weather tends to lean towards warmer temperatures- for winter seasons, ‘brisk’ is about as cold as it gets. As such, your body temperature tends to rise passively, a side effect of being a pyro allogene. Though, even if you get unpleasantly warm, he’ll sit still as stone when you lean on him. It’s in his code of chivalry, but he’d do it even if he wasn’t honor-bound.
Of course, he’ll indulge you when you’re particularly cuddly and affectionate. Xingqiu finds it all endearing, of course, and lets you doze off by his side, brushing stray strands of your hair from your face with only the lightest of touches gracing your features. He doesn’t want to wake you, after all.
You reached out to him, leaning your head on his shoulder. Playing idly with the fingers on his free hand whilst he held a new book in his other, he smiles down at you, flexing his fingers whenever you wanted to fold them. Pressing a small kiss to the tips of his hand, he reciprocates by pressing an equally affectionate one on your forehead. You blink owlishly, eyes blurring as your shoulders relaxed, and you hear Xingqiu chuckle.
“If you find yourself drifting off into slumber, do not worry. I will protect you, as your knight.”
Those words cradled you like a lullaby, and you smiled warmly, holding onto his hand as the waking world departed from your vision.
This actually happened once, when a group of hilichurls came across you two resting. He sighed to himself, a little bothered, but he took the utmost care in making sure you didn’t wake, balancing you on the tree’s trunk before clearing the area swiftly and silently. By the time you woke up, it seemed like nothing happened- Xingqiu was sat beside you, squaring his ankle over one knee and squeezing your hand idly. But judging by the soft pulsing of your vision, you were quick to connect the dots.
“If something like that happened, you can wake me up, you know,” you respond, walking alongside him as you two ambled back to Liyue Harbor. “I wouldn’t want you to fight by yourself.”
He blesses you with a smile, closing his book with one hand and propping it underneath his chin.
“I would grimace at the thought of your peaceful slumber being disturbed. Besides, if I could not defeat a horde of hilichurls of that size, why- I would not be fit to be your knight in the slightest, my lady.”
Sometimes, when he’s feeling a little cheeky, he’ll poke your cheek lightly when you’re sleeping, just to see how your brows furrow before relaxing, and just to hear your soft sighs when you ease back into sleep. Adorable! You’re simply adorable to him. Especially when you cuddle into his arm, or his side. It’s hard to still his heart when you’re so loving. When you rouse from one of your many naps that day, he’ll simply chuckle and say:
“Back from your sojourn in the land of dreams, my lady?” Xingqiu closes his book softly, turning his full attention to you. Still straddling the boundary between drowsy and lucid, you yawn softly, eliciting another chuckle from him.
He’ll make sure you aren’t late or missing anything, waking you up at an hour that allows ample time for you to adjust, and for you to finish whatever you needed to finish that day.
If you end up drifting off while he’s talking, don’t worry! He’ll drape a blanket over you- though with your pyro vision, you’d hardly need it, but it’s the gesture that counts- and catch up with you once you wake up again. Patience is a virtue, after all.
At first, it wasn’t so bad- you tried to find ways to justify it. Tried to justify that this habit of his was simply because of his line of work, and not because of his raw, unrestrained bloodlust. You refused to acknowledge that these were two facets of the same person. The only way to preserve your sanity was by drawing those kinds of nuances.
When his siblings looked to you with bright smiles and asked when you and their brother were going to marry, you met such questions with a curve of your lip and gentle pat to each of their heads. You adored Childe and you adored his siblings. It was part of the reason why he was so enamored with you: you melded with his family so naturally, like a puzzle piece slotting perfectly into place.
But before you knew it, your world started to shift. Jolting whenever a loud, sudden noise entered your eardrums, or pacing the halls during late nights. This fear only seemed to grow: writhing demons in the depths of your mind coming to life before your very eyes, taunting your conscience with the consequences of complacency. The pressure seemed to build exponentially.
By the time he came home, you were inconsolable. As he was greeting his family, the muscles in your face tightened, and his brows knitted in a frown.
“Ajax...”
Dark crescents marked your cheeks, further accentuating the lack of light in your eyes. In short, you looked like a wreck. A gorgeous wreck from his perspective, but the way you moved looked quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel suggested something else.
Immediately, he stepped forward, embracing you and tracing patterns on your back. Ajax knew you were always a bit temperamental. You deflated in his arms, squeezing your eyes shut as your face contorted painfully.
“Yeah? What do you need?”
And for the first time in his life, you stepped away. From him. Ajax felt a distinct rush of dread. With a droop of your head, diverting your gaze from those sapphire hues, a wariness danced on your expression.
“Can we talk?”
The wintry chill of Snezhnaya felt bitter. Your entire body convulsed as it was wracked with sobs, shivering violently as your tear-stained cheeks were enveloped by frost. Childe’s lips were set in a grim line, managing a neutral expression while his heart galloped in his chest.
“Ajax, please,” you cried, desperately sobbing amongst the boreal winds. “Please- I can’t take this anymore!”
Childe loved you too much to see you like this. Taking off his short gloves, he tipped your chin upwards. Hues of the deepest blue peered deep into your soul, and you snapped your eyes shut. With the utmost tenderness, he pressed a kiss to your lips: one that spoke of finality, of goodbyes and regrets left unspoken.
Pressing into him with increased fervor, you could have sworn you felt Ajax’s breath waver. Sadness clouded his features.
It was so cold.
By the next morning, you were gone, choosing to leave right before dawn. He had no plans to send his men after you. You went with his blessing, but his siblings were turning the house upside down looking for you. Childe’s older siblings were silent on the matter. You had left small presents and letters to Anthon, Tonia, and Teucer on the dining table- telling each of them that you would be departing for a very long journey, and that you’d be gone for a while.
Always so thoughtful, he reminisced. When his siblings looked to him with tearful eyes and anxious hearts, he steeled himself, plastering a smile on his face so wide it made his cheeks hurt, but convincing nonetheless.
“They’ve gone on a journey to make themselves stronger. Just like your older brother, you see. They’ll be back real soon, before you know it.”
If only the light in their eyes were enough to dispel the heartache.
requested by: me! i had this scenario in mind for a while now, and i just couldn’t resist. part one of two!
It takes a long, long time for Diluc to even consider the thought of marriage. But it’s not like he doesn’t love you, however. But marriage, in his eyes, is a word that carries a lot of weight.
At heart, he’s a hopeless romantic who would do anything and everything for you, from holding you close and pressing chaste kisses into your hair, to tearing down the heavens and scattering the cosmos.
That being said, I think it’s a slow progression to a proposal: like, certain events in his life that make his heart soar when he remembers them; moments where the feeling of being right about you just grows even stronger. The moment when he’d propose is the moment where his heart feels so full it feels like it’s about to burst. With that in mind: I feel like a few things would contribute a lot to his decision to propose.
One of them has to do with the situation with his estranged brother. I think… at this point of the relationship, there’s no real way you could have went under Kaeya’s radar for this long. And I don’t know how you did it, but you manage to mend their relationship again, in some miraculous way. Their conversations have simmered down from catty remarks and underhanded jabs at each other’s temperament to more of an awkward, amicable silence, so you can only assume that they’ve reached some level of understanding.
Another one of them would have to be related to his vigilante work. From the moment he fell in love with you, he vowed silently to himself to keep you out of this, and this still holds true, even though you now know who he is. You’ve probably had more than one discussion about this, and whether or not it becomes heated is up to you. Eventually, you come to learn that this is something he will not budge on, and when you accept that, Diluc is incredibly relieved.
Following that, I think another moment is when he realizes just how much he values you as a part of his everyday life. He dreads the idea of waking up and not being able to see you every day- and it becomes especially clear when your life is threatened for the first time. The Abyss Order had enough of keeping everything under wraps; instead, they planned an surprise attack on Mondstadt. They struck right before dawn, right when the city’s defenses would be the weakest: the knights on their night watch were on their last legs, while the knights due for morning watch weren’t even awake yet. Your home, along with many others, was decimated by a flyaway pyro slime barrel. By the time Diluc arrived, the Abyss Order retreated, and what was left was getting the citizens out of the rubble.
Diluc’s temper was off the charts, but he stilled his tongue full of contempt for the Knights and instead decides to concern himself with your wellbeing. As he lifts rubble and tosses it aside at a near-frenetic pace, he hears your voice, coughing violently from inhaling too much smoke and from the pain blooming in your ribs after being crushed by a reinforced wooden pillar. Reaching out into the light, you find yourself being pulled forward and embraced by someone warm. Diluc doesn’t say a word, simply tucking your head under his chin and sighing (a bit shakily) in relief. (And he marvels, quietly, how much he’s grown to care about you.) Diluc fails to notice the presence of Ordo Favonius’s Captain Kaeya, bearing sleep-mussed hair and a smile that seems more sincere than usual.
The proposal itself is kept secret. Diluc is talented at keeping things under wraps so you don’t suspect a thing, but trust me when I say that he is SWEATING. He seems fine on the outside, but only Adelinde and Elzer know how much he’s been moving around (and fussing!) in private. He goes to extreme lengths to make sure the ring is perfect for you- from being the perfect size to making sure that the gemstone’s luster compliments your skin tone to the fullest. The ring ends up being a small, delicate little thing: forged with the purest gold from Liyue, with a tiny cut of Agnidus Agate in the middle, the brilliance of which has been enhanced with even tinier cuts of Cor Lapis.
He sends you a letter two days before; telling you to go to a grove nearby Dawn Winery after sundown. You oblige hesitantly- he’s been quite busy for a few weeks now, and you have a feeling that this might be related to it. Following the meandering path he laid out for you with scattered cecilia petals, you end up waiting in front of a nearby pond, speckled with stars and the scintillating light of fluttering crystalflies.
Diluc emerges from the shadows, embracing you from behind. You shriek in response, swiftly turning around and finding bright red orbs settling on yours.
requested by: anonymous!! tysm for the request ❤️❤️ apologies for the different format of this post! i usually screenshot requests right in the inbox, but it seems that i forgot to do it this time;;
They say that the difference between the good ones and the naughty ones lies in who gets caught: naturally, this is the dynamic between you two. Luckily for you, Xingqiu has a mischievous streak, so you’ll find yourself escaping the authorities much more frequently than you normally would. Overall, he doesn’t mind your chaotic tendencies, given that your pranks and antics are well-meaning and within reason.
For example, if he finds you running away from the Millelith for minor gallivanting, only to slink behind a corner and clap a hand over your mouth to hide your breath... the Millelith approach him, of course. As the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, surely he would possess scrutinizing eyes enough to help find them, right? Well, he, clever as ever, speaks in his most ostentatious voice he could muster:
“Why no, good sirs, I did not see any rambunctious character traverse through these streets recently. However, I did hear some commotion in the docks below...”
On the occasion that he catches you in the middle of your mischief-making, he’ll steer the Millelith away from your direction with his expertise in speech. Each time he gives you an out, expect him to give a playful wink in your direction, before going on about his day.
When you two are together, it’s a completely different story. You easily fall into one of two roles with him: the speaker, and the doer. He’s interested in your capabilities, to say the least. Xingqiu may suggest for you to do a double backflip off of the bridge’s overarching Liyue’s main streets, or to balance numerous items on your person just to see how long you can hold. It’s never a boring experience with you, to say the least. The fun he has with you is something he’ll cherish for a lifetime. Of course, when you get caught, expect Xingqiu to have a beautifully woven excuse to get you out of trouble.
“I heard a rumor that if you’re able to perform a double somersault off the bridges connecting those two buildings, you’d be blessed with good fortune for life. Shall we test that theory?”
“Huh? No, I’m not joking. Besides, the only way to know is to try, correct?”
One thing you should expect, however, is that he himself will not take part in these shenanigans. He loves you dearly, of course, but this is simply not part of his personality, nor the chivalrous character he built for himself. On top of that, he does have obligations to his family (as much as he loathes to admit it) and that includes keeping up his ‘character.’
He could personally care less about that, but he does recognize the leverage he has with being a son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, and the subsequent pressure that comes with it. He has had to resolve some of your antics through the guild, in the event that your antics involve them somehow.
Blessed with a silver tongue, he manages to ease the consequences dealt upon you, and the majority of people sitting around the table are none the wiser. The only way he could find himself in a bind is if the Qixing were to involve themselves somehow: in that case, his hands are tied. Though, he trusts you enough to not push the limit that far. (And if you do, well... your audaciousness is something he can grow to love about you, too.)
