―synopsis: so maybe you were doing things only best friends weren't supposed to ft. diluc, xiao, thoma, zhongli
―warnings: modern!au, romantic tension, mutual pining, mentions of unrequited love and jealousy(thoma), consumption of alcohol and slightly suggestive(zhongli)
—note: i had my sister give the names of four genshin men, hence the current lineup
— diluc
the tension that danced along your fingertips every time both of you even came close to brushing against each other’s hands never ceased to make your face feel warm each time it happened. there was just something about the closeness between you two that was enough to let the side of your palms stumble against the others' and the way your fingers inched ever so closely. you didn’t know if it was ever on purpose, or if he even noticed the implications that he was doing something that crossed the boundaries of anything platonic.
still, you’d never felt more anxious and invigorated in your entire life than when you danced across that line of being friends and lovers.
like now, as you shared a blanket on a movie night, it was no different. your arms were pressed against each other by the time the credits started rolling, but none of you paid enough attention to even switch to another one or do something else than sit there with your best friend. because right underneath the cottony fabric, your pinkies linked for the first time. oh god, you thought as your heart rate sped up by the minute. in the dim lighting, you could only roughly make out the red tinting diluc's ears, and you could do nothing but accept the shift in your relationship.
it only got more intense as you managed to lock eyes with him, and you swore his crimson irises made roses of the same shade bloom in your lungs. then you glanced at his lips, just a quick look. and it hit you square in the face:
yeah, best friends didn't hold hands and think about kissing one another.
— xiao
your friends always wondered why you never dated xiao, your roommate and longtime friend; and time and time again, you've explained to them that he was your best friend before redirecting the conversation to someone else's love life. that was most definitely just a coverup for the fact that you've been crushing on him for the longest time.
your feelings for him only amplified when he showed up while you were on an outing with the aforementioned friends. he'd appeared on his motorbike, leather jacket and all, as he parked upfront of the cafe you decided to go to. your friends spotted him first, nudging you the minute he took his helmet off to reveal his handsome face. you’d stumbled out the door to greet him.
“what are you doing here?” you asked, flustered at his sudden arrival. as always, his countenance was blank and perhaps mildly passive-aggressive to any bystander; however, you could tell that there was no aggression behind his eyes. your gaze drifted from his face to his hand which held a paper bag.
"the forecast said it might rain. you said you'd be here with your friends, and i came to drop this off just in case." he handed it to you gently. as you looked inside, you could spot an umbrella and one of his jackets. instantly, you felt a flutter in your gut. your heart palpitated the moment after; whether it was from the fact that he cared or he was willing to lend you his clothes, you didn't know.
nonetheless, you thanked him for his kindness. "thank you so much, xiao. you didn't have to do this, you know?" the male shook his head from side to side, dismissing you.
"no need to thank me. it'd be unfortunate if you ever got sick." as monotone as it might have sounded, you knew that xiao meant what he said. there's a lilt in his voice, one only you seem to have noticed, that betrayed all the softness he truly had in his body.
before your interaction came to an end and you both said your intentions to see each other later, you had tapped his shoulder just as he readied to put his helmet back on. you're not quite sure was possessed you at the moment, but you planted a kiss on his cheek before dashing back into the cafe where your friends would surely interrogate you and leaving xiao to watch your form withdrawing.
as he gently pressed his fingers towards the patch of skin your lips had grazed and his stomach swirled with something completely foreign to him, there was one thing on his mind.
best friends don't give each other butterflies.
— thoma
there was an icky green feeling that was instilled in you whenever people ogled at your best friend. it was no secret that the blond was attractive. with such a sweet personality and a house-husband aura, it shouldn't have been surprised when he started being chatted up on one of your grocery outings (thoma's idea after he figured you weren't going out as much as you should. you guys did it every week since then).
still, you could do nothing but hold your tongue. you were just his best friend after all, and there was no way he would be interested in you. you didn't even know his type, the more you thought about it. you shook your head, brushing off your feelings in favor of getting back to your task at hand.
you could only huff as you eyed the cereal box on the top shelf. normally, thoma would be the one to grab it for you, but he was clearly busy with other endeavors which left you to do it yourself. you looked around, wondering if there were any staff that could help you reach it. luck was definitely not on your side as you found the whole aisle empty with the exception of you. with a heavy heart, you decided to hop around until you could reach it. amidst your (failing) efforts, a kind stranger had reached up and handed you the box. you thanked them, flustered and scratching at your neck at how embarrassing it might have been to picture yourself jumping around the grocery to reach a simple cereal box.
this would not go unnoticed by thoma, not when he finally rounded the corner to see you acting shy. a strange sight and perhaps an unwelcomed one by the way he found his eyebrows furrowed and gaze hard on the floor the moment the two of you made it back to your apartment.
"who was that?" he inquired as you fixed up your pantry with thoma passing you each product. you hummed in response, curious at who he could've been referring to. "the one that you were with when you got the cereal."
just as you slid your favorite biscuits into the cabinet, you raised a brow before turning towards thoma who leaned against the island counter. you couldn't help but catch his aggravated expression. "dunno. they just helped me get the box. why?"
"you know you could've just called me over."
"you were busy talking. i didn't want to disturb you. did it bother you?"
it did. it really did if thoma was honest. there was something about the way that you didn't ask him to help when you knew he'd always put you first that just rubbed him the wrong way. even more so when you relied on a stranger that was too close for comfort, to thoma at least. he looked at the same cereal box from earlier that glared at him from just across the kitchen island; he shrugged. "you guys just looked kind of close there is all."
you tilted your head, "were you jealous?"
ok, best friends don't get jealous.
— zhongli
you didn't think the alcohol would be so strong. then again, what did you expect when it came from childe of all people? maybe it was your fault for trusting the ginger when he said that it was just mild and the fact that you didn't take into account that mild in snezhnaya meant "definitely-going-to-make-you-wasted-five shots-later" in liyue.
so there you were with your longtime friend, zhongli, absolutely drunk out of your mind in your apartment. maybe a bottle later and a drunken confession later, and you found yourself in your best friend's lap with your hands around his neck, his breath hot on your skin. you didn't exactly know what lead you two to that moment, but breaking whatever tension you had between you two when you were sober had been way overdue.
a blush had spread on his cheeks, whether it was from your compromising position or the alcohol— you couldn't really tell. his hands clenched by his sides, fingers digging into the skin of his palm as he balled them into fists. your hands, however, had long found their way to the sides of his neck until they had situated their place to caress his jaw.
"zhongli," his name came out as breathy from your mouth, "kiss me."
ever the gentleman he was (even while under the influence of a great amount of alcohol), he declined. "you're not sober."
you whined, and zhongli had never felt his body heat up so much. his adam's apple bobbed as you pressed yourself even more against him; by this time, zhongli had managed to snake his hands up to your wrist to keep you from getting any closer and effectively keeping you roughly an inch or two away from his lips. your struggling came right afterward, your body trying to wiggle against his grip.
"if i let you, you'll hate me tomorrow."
a huff passed your lips, brows still furrowed and a pout on your lips. your body momentarily halts as your eyes trailed from his mouth up to his eyes. his eyes of gold that looked at you pleadingly, almost paralleling your own desires for your companion. your front teeth nibbled on your bottom lip.
"no, i won't, and you know it too, zhongli. how long are we going to keep doing this until we finally cave?" you really did have a point, but perhaps that was just the liquid courage that finally made zhongli relent to the fact that there was indeed something between the two of you. something he'd turned a blind eye to because out of everyone in his life, you're the one person he'd never want to lose. he never wanted to risk your presence over something as foolish as his feelings for you.
so he stared back at you silently, heart threatening to give out when you eventually started to tear up from his lack of response. at that moment, panic overtook him for the first time in a long time; zhongli has never made you cry before— not even accidentally or indirectly. he's seen you cry, but he's never seen you cry because of him.
before he knew it, his body moved on his own purely out of instinct to what he thought could console you. the next thing he knew, his lips were on yours with all the grace of two drunk idiots in love, and your hands had found purchase on his shoulders once his hands migrated to your hips. just like that, something finally clicked in his brain after years of choosing to ignore it: you definitely weren't just friends.
reactions to you giving them a kiss goodnight ft. genshin cult! zhongli, childe, diluc, kaeya
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warning: yandere content, yandere cult
zhongli is thankful for even the lightest of your affections. he revels in the way your lips press against his forehead before you head off to bed for the day. he doesn't make his satisfaction known, simply thanking you before leaving you to retire, but he can't brush off the buzz in his system when you dote on him like that.
he hums, bidding you goodnight as your silhouette falls back into the shadows. his eyes are glazed over like honey, swirling in a trance and replaying your kiss over and over in his head. then he realizes that possibly some of your less reverent acolytes would be getting the same treatment, and zhongli scowls at the thought.
unlike him, they are not worthy of your attention. he has worshipped you for thousands of years, and the work most others have provided thus far can't even amount to the time he spent on his knees, waiting on you hand and foot. why should they be seen as praiseworthy compared to zhongli who not only serves to your every beck and call but has insurrected tradition upon tradition all in your name?
the others do not deserve you by any means, and perhaps it's time he whipped them into shape.
childe's body goes rigid at first. he is not used to the sensation of kindness, especially from a being such as you. he forgets that even if you lust for the rage of battle just as much as he does, you are gentle, you are soft-- you are kind. just as he lowers to his knees, he's hyperaware of the way you hold down onto his shoulders and press your lips on his skin.
once you have gone, he still remains in that position. blood pumps through his veins; he finds it similar to the feeling of blood on his hands and the sting of his wounds. childe licks his dry limps, breathing going ragged and hands shaking. the small taste of your divinity that you gave him creates an addiction that the fatui harbinger wants more of. but he can't disturb you-- at least, not right now.
so he waits there until the break of dawn with bags under his eyes and a grin so eerie that it drives away any other worshippers currently in your abode. he doesn't move, not even flinch, even when zhongli says it's time for him to go. he won't go, not until you give him another one of your kisses, and he'll pile up as many bodies as he can just to receive one.
diluc feels guilty when you whisper to him goodnight followed by a kiss to his jaw. he watches your eyes droop and your head bob while you walk towards him. diluc feels tense when you stand on your tippy-toes, lean on him, and tilt your head just enough to let your lips graze the bottom of his jaw. it leaves him sweating and scared as he hesitantly carries you back to your room after you tell him you're too tired to walk back.
he settles you under the covers before sitting down on a chair beside your bed. he watches your chest move up and down in a rhythm, breath blowing into the air. diluc is apprehensive about reaching for your fingers, but he makes the decision to envelop your hand in his palm anyway. he observes the ridges of your knuckles, and wonders if he deserved the softness of your touch.
perhaps when he was younger, he might've been able to touch you the way he wanted to now. instead of his hands stained black with the faults. he'd accumulated for the past two years, he'd be holding you with the gloves of a pure and valiant knight instead of the dyed leather of a sinner like him. he knows he cannot revere you the way zhongli does or fight for you the way childe does, but he can vow to yo that he'd protect your purity with all his being and to rid the world of all things evil for you to live carefree as he once did. he slips out of your room with a profound determination. before he closes the door though, diluc smiles and whispers for you to have the sweetest dreams. then, he's off again as the darknight hero.
kaeya revels in your affections, practically preening like a peacock. he's quick to gloat about it to zhongli, the number one person he's wanted to piss off since you came to teyvat. his grin is alluring, practically pulling you into maybe giving him one more kiss (two kisses if he decides to be extra suave and flirt with you a bit).
he holds it above everyone’s heads after that point. anyone and everyone awake would be victim to his boasting, mostly the previous geo archon. he’ll be so dramatic about it that he’s waxing poetry just describing a kiss too casual to really be “slow and delicate, like the gentle caress of the winds with the softness of celestia’s clouds.”
alone, kaeya actually daydreams about it. his chest flutters with adoration, and he’s reminded again how entrancing you are. he even dreams of it that night. kaeya dreams of your touch that wants him, your touch that affirms his existence that he’s so despised for years. he feels like he is born anew as someone that finally is loved for who he truly is instead of being just a pretty face and a sly mind. your little goodnight kiss completely validates that you still deem him wanted.
—synopsis: diluc's body has always been warm. yet when it comes to you, he can't help but feel the lick of fire as his skin burns up. he can't help but want more of the pain as the inferno readies to swallow him whole.
—warnings: yandere content, yandere cult stuff, sagau, mentions of fire and being burned, religious imagery
the flames of his vision have never bothered him. even as the fire just barely singes the tips of his fingers during battle, it has never once burnt diluc. he supposes that perhaps it was a natural tolerance against heat, a tolerance amplified by the help of the gift given to him by teyvat's beloved creator; however, he knows that it's something much more than that.
there is an inferno within him, a fiery passion unmatched by any simple flare. the devotion that blazes within his body and soul fans it into something that turns anything in its way to ash. though it has left diluc's enemies reduced to nothing but dust, he has never once felt the heat.
it all changes when he sees you for the first time in all your glory.
the dawn of a new day awaits your presence, as does diluc as he stands still in front of the doors to your abode. his crimson hair contrasts against the gold and marble of the walls and floor; the young aristocrat stands out even more, clothed in the usual dark colors of his closet.
the outside world still sleeps, all the while diluc catches his reflection on the surface of one of the countless priceless decorations on the wall. the man eyes himself, scrutinizing his own being for not wearing anything lighter, wear something that wouldn't make him look so dreary in front of his own god— but it was too late for that. he would rather repent later with offerings of ash than risking your disappointment for being just the slightest bit late.
diluc taps his chin at a thought. he'd have to ask for your preferred palette of colors from the other worshippers serving you within your temple. would you like something with neutral colors? maybe something light and refreshing would be something you found favorable? or would you perhaps rather prefer the dark and dreary like he did?
in the midst of his deep pondering, zhongli's voice reverberates from behind the stone door. it has diluc jumping in his place, then stilling and tensing as he hears his name being uttered by the former archon. he doesn't even need to see you know that you're already sitting on your throne in the other room; he can already feel it with the way his hands become clammy and the pang of fire hits his chest softly. nervousness permeates from him, soaking his entire being like oil. it makes him into a pyre, ready to be set ablaze at any moment.
the click of the mechanism tells him that he's about to see you. adrenaline rushes to his head, but it's still nervousness that makes his right hand shake as it settles on his left breast. the intricately carved door opens with the creak of stone as diluc casts his gaze upon the ground, eyes shy to gaze upon your form.
diluc takes a quick glance at the room which he enters. the room is round, a representation of how the world revolves around you— something venti had been insistent on during the building of your abode. fire lights up his surroundings as water flows from the walls into indents on the floor; its flow is calm, almost as if unmoving if he didn't hear the gentle splash of the water as it twists around. crystals and gems of every kind litter the circumference, along with other treasures that had been offered to you. the curtains made from the silk flowers that the people had exclusively grown for you are drawn up to reveal a red line upon the horizon.
your throne rests at the very center of it all, but diluc can't look at you. it's dangerous, he thinks. if he were to even try, he feels as if he'd be like a moth drawn to a flame.
"diluc," you say his name softly. "won't you look at me, diluc?"
you coax sweetly, similar to a siren's song to a sailor in dangerous waters. it's a call of death— a doom that diluc knows would destroy him from the inside-out— but it was also a serene release where your most gentle of affections would welcome him. still, it was an end.
the sun climbs its way up the sky, above the clouds lining the horizon. the background only dots with hues of yellow and orange, still swallowed by the blue and purple of the night. he can feel your burning stare into his head, as he lowers his body in front of you. the freezing tiles under him feel like a reprieve as his body temperature shoots up. diluc hears you call his name again, and he swears that it feels like he's being burned alive.
heat overtakes him completely, and he enters a state similar to a fever dream. his fingertips tingle, his eyelids feel heavy, and the weight of your presence weighs down on him. diluc hears the thrum of his heartbeat in his ears, fast and pumping with the ferocity of a scorching forest. he doesn't even hear the sound of your steps as your feet bring you to him.
it's your touch that sears him first when your hand grazes his cheeks when not even the tip of burning metal could burn him. your nails ghost over his lips, and diluc swears that you're brandishing your claim over him even when you've barely touched him. the man lets out a shaky breath, and he prepares himself for the oncoming heatwave stemming from his stomach.
your body radiates warmth like the sun the closer you stick to him. he's melting like candle wax to a flame, self-restraint from becoming nothing but a mess of devotion and obsession slowly dripping into nothing. you whittle him away, even more so when you whisper into his skin, breath making the room hotter and hotter. steam clouds his head.
you know exactly what you're doing to him, can see it in the glint of faux innocence in your eyes. it allures him into the threshes of the underworld, a devil's silver tongue coaxing him into sin. in the moment of weakness, he wonders if he could escape the underworld-like heat he's trapped in. if he just took one look, would a heretic such as he ever escape the gates of hell and enter the clouds of heaven? would there be salvation for him if he gave into temptation?
it isn't long until he gives in, and his eyes finally lock with yours. sweat beads his forehead, and his body makes no change to cool itself down at all― it only gets warmer.
dawn breaks through, casting you in the honeyed filter of the morning. diluc freezes despite the bubbling of blood under his skin. his lips go dry, pain erupting all across his body as his heart starts to thirst for you once more; half-lidded eyes stare at you with fervor. his love for you scorches him, leaving him aching with a want that suffocates his lungs. diluc's throat tightens. it hurts, he thinks, but he wants more.
the more it hurts, the more he wants it― hands burning to keep you in his grasp, knowing that you aren't some force from an unknown plane of existence.
stop, he thinks at the back of his head. "please don't stop."
stop, he pleads in a murmured prayer. "don't stop."
stop, he desperately cries from the deepest depths of his soul―
"don't ever stop."
he gives into the fever, lets his body burn up and devotion swallows him whole. as his breath is stolen by the unending sea of flames within his soul, he suffocates under the blinding intensity of need.
headcannons of where they love to kiss you most ft. albedo, beidou, childe, and diluc
warnings: none!
Albedo
albedo loves kissing your palm when you cup his cheeks. he just love kissing your hands, in general. there's never a day that goes by that he presses a smooch to your knuckles.
aren't your hands just lovely? they hold so much love, create so much life-- how can he not love them? it's a no-brainer for him that he loves your hands so much. whether you have soft skin or calloused palms, he always loves touching them some way.
when you hold hands, he brings his lips to the back of your palm. his kiss is feather-light, sending you tingles all over. after you hand him a cup of coffee in the mornings, he always catches your hands in his before he places a kiss to your knuckles. and when your hands are cold? he'll smooch them all over while warming them up.
days before he proposes to you, he'll actually kiss your left ring finger. he's very subtle about it, but you can feel the unwavering love he has for you when he does it.
"take my hand, love." he whispers in the dimness of your bedroom. your fingers find his under the freezing covers. albedo chuckles when he feels your freezing appendages wrap tightly against his. "just relax and go to sleep. i'll warm you up."
Beidou
beidou takes to kissing your shoulders. she does this often if your shoulders are exposed or if she ever joins you in the shower. it's perfect whether or not you're taller than her because she can kind of reach it anyhow.
she's not exactly sure why, but she thinks it's because of the amount of time you guys cuddle that she's developed a liking to kissing your shoulders. she'll place soft kisses, fleeting kisses, long kisses-- she'll even playfully nip at your skin if she's feeling like teasing you.
she just finds it so fun. it's casual, but it conveys so much compared to any word in the dictionary. beidou just loves how versatile the kiss can be, especially when she's been gone for so long. it's a nice way for her to tell you she's home.
before she leaves, she wraps her arms around you before pressing a kiss to your shoulder. she'll only part from you once all your goodbyes are said and done. she won't stop looking at you as she leaves the harbor. she'll holler for you to wait for her, saying how she'll bring back the prettiest treasure just for you.
"i'll be back soon, ya hear!?" she screams at the top of her lungs. he crew watches her with a few snickers knowing how bad their captain is down for you. "better ready those kisses once i bring you back the shiniest gem in all of teyvat!"
Childe
nose kisses. nose kisses. nose kisses. this man looks like he'd give you nose kisses. he just loves how flustered you look when he does it. it never fails to make him laugh when he pretends to kiss you on your lips, only to swerve up and kiss your nose, instead. you're so cute!
childe loves doting you on this way, mostly because it reminds him of when his mom used to do it for him when he was younger. while wrapped up in too many blankets and quilts, his mother would always kiss the tip of his nose before wishing him goodnight. it made him feel so warm in such a cold and dead wasteland.
now, he does it for you... except, he does it whenever he wants to! he'll kiss you all over your face before he places the las t kiss on your nose. he watches your eyes light up as he feels the blood rushing to your cheeks under his rough palm. it feels so euphoric watching the innocence of his affections leave its effects on you.
childe always kisses your nose before he leaves for work. he even whine that his day isn't complete without it, so please don't get mad if you find him kissing your nose at four in the morning.
"did i wake you?" his voice is uncharacteristically soft for a harbinger, but you muse. he isn't a harbinger right now; he's your ajax. "sorry, didn't mean to. have a long day ahead, just needed my good luck charm. go back to sleep. i'll be home as soon as possible"
Diluc
he kisses your forehead by default. the first thing he does when he sees you is to kiss your forehead. it's like diluc just naturally gravitates to you in order to give you a kiss on the space just above the junction between your eyebrows.
the feeling of his lips pressed against that space just feels so right to him. it just comes naturally that he kisses you there, and he isn't exactly sure why. there's nostalgia behind the kiss too, like he's done it a hundred times before even if he's only kissed you there like two or three times.
when he gets back home from work, he'll smooch your forehead while you're sitting on the couch before kissing you on the lips. the action becomes a tad bit more domestic when you're married.
he's done it in front of your son so many times that your little one has started kissing you on the forehead before giving you a cheek kiss when diluc brings him back home after school. it eventually becomes a regular occurrence for your son to run to you so he can give you a kiss first.
"we're home!" diluc's voice rings within the halls of the manor, followed by the padding of tiny feet against the floor. your son comes barreling into your legs as diluc catches up with the two of you. his fiery red hair tickles your eyelids as he routinely gives you a kiss on your forehead. "how was your day, darling?"
