a/n: literally wrote this at 2:24am 🥱 anyways reader is gn and some of it really isn't coherent but i ran with the concept anyways. enjoy!
hc that scaramouche is terribly, dreadfully pale. he has a hard time being out in the sun for too long (which is where his hat comes in handy) and it sours his temper tenfold. when you first meet him, it's slightly concerning how pale he is, but as your relationship develops, you realize that this quirk comes with an especially useful perk: catching a glimpse of his emotions when he's reluctant to let you into his heart.
(continued utc)
you first noticed it two months after you called your relationship official. scara wasn't a particularly touchy partner, nor did he try to woo you with flowery words, and he was often too busy to carry you on dates fatui harbinger things i guess
one morning, when you were kissing him goodbye, you reached up to squish his cheek (it was almost against your will - you had always been tempted to pinch his soft cheeks). he paused, his breath quivering slightly in shock, his eyes glazing over. honestly it kind of scared you, but not nearly as much when a quick, cherry blush spread from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears.
it scared you even more when he turned to the door and wordlessly marched out, his head apparently still stuck in the clouds. it was totally unlike him, but that wasn't your primary focus; it was the fact that scaramouche - the sixth of the formidable fatui harbingers, a man whose words were so grating that many had labelled him as 'heartless' - had blushed. and he looked terribly cute while doing so.
new objective: get your boyfriend to blush even more!
first strategy: call him endearing pet names every waking minute for the next few weeks.
"honey bunny, pass me the salt please!"
"sweetheart, i'm going to bed now."
"have an excellent day at work, darling!"
"..."
to you, it always struck you as odd that he would never have anything to say to your advances, preferring to put all his energy into hiding his rosy cheeks.
to him, it never gets old, your loving albeit cringy pet names eliciting the same reaction over and over again. he would turn his face away from you, aware that the only function of your ruse is to drive a reaction out of him, but not before you could catch a glimpse of the bright red blush at the tips of his ears.
the tables would soon turn though 👀
one night, you were going to bed, but not before passing by his office to give him a good night kiss. your hand gently resting on his shoulder, you leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before uttering a low 'i love you'.
the pen in his hand paused, ink pooling onto the alabaster paper.
"kuni? are you okay?"
he looked up at you then. the look in his eyes rivalled the shining of the stars in the sky, his purple irises gleaming with indescribable emotion. it startled you a little, and you moved to pull away - but he was quicker on the draw.
he snatched your wrist between his nimble fingers, his cool breath ghosting over your skin, before pressing a quick peck to the inside of your wrist.
your mind went into overdrive, and you realized grimly that for the first time in months, your roles were reversed, and you're the one flustered by him.
it seemed that he had come to the same conclusion, because a gentle yet teasing half-smile formed on his face as he gazed up at you. his fingers brushed your hair away from your cheeks, and he said softly:
(you're cursing him in your mind btw, but for the life of you, your mouth just can't seem to work.)
"i love you too, sweet pea."
has he been plotting this move ever since you started teasing him months ago?
Husk of Opulent Dreams: Act I (Prelude) - An Unexpected Discovery
[SYNOPSIS - OF CHAPTER] ; Following a reported disturbance at Shakkei Pavilion, you expect to find a group of meddling Treasure Hoarders or hilichurls, not this...
[SYNOPSIS - SERIES] ; Your job as a deputy officer of the Inazuma Shogunate is nothing short of ordinary – you’ve been stationed to the west of Tatarasuna, with nothing to do except watch the time fly. This changes when you stumble upon a strange young man with mesmerizing violet eyes, forming a ripple in your unchanging reality. In the weeks that follow, you form a peculiar kind of friendship, and you bond over the fact that you both escaped from an inherently dark past - but fate is a cruel mistress. Unbeknownst to you and your companion, an even darker future awaits, one that will surely end in bloodshed and contempt.
[PAIRING] ; scaramouche x reader
[CHAPTER WORD COUNT] ; 484
[A/N] ; finally!!!! i've gotten around to posting the prologue thingy for this series (dw i'll post the actual chapter one in the near future). i actually wrote a lot of stuff, but then decided last minute to separate it into smaller chapters so it wouldn't be so daunting to read at the same time. anyways, enjoy the crumbs! the incoming chapter will be much longer!
series masterlist || act I scene I
A pair of violet eyes stares up at you, unblinking.
Although your blade is drawn, your body positioned offensively, his gaze remains calm. A silent storm brews in his eyes, beautiful and unchanging, and it feels like time has stopped, the air going still.
You didn’t feel panicked – but you knew you were supposed to be. Against your better judgment, a sense of serenity had washed over you when you entered the room, the soft evening sunlight streaming through the windows creating the illusion of warmth. In the middle of it, an older boy was sitting in an open casket, his ghastly figure seemingly as real as the clothes you wore on your back. A voice in your head had screamed at you to run, to get away as quickly as possible, but you paid it no heed.
The boy appeared to have something small enveloped in his hand, his small fist clenched tightly to his chest. He didn’t look particularly threatened – or threatening, for that matter – but you still didn’t want to take the risk of getting too close, for fear of accidentally scaring him off. So many questions were hanging at the tip of your tongue: Who was he? How did he end up here? Did someone do this to him?
“Are you alright?” you whispered, lowering your weapon slightly. The silence of the room swallowed your voice like a black hole, but you didn’t dare talk too loudly, for fear that his fragile image would somehow shatter, evaporating into the air.
The seconds seemed to stretch on for an eternity – but he made no motion to answer your question, his calm gaze still fixed on you. You were beginning to contemplate calling for the rest of your group, when he finally broke his stare. Soundlessly, he leaned towards the side of the casket and looked down expectantly, his limbs still crossed protectively over his body.
“Oh! You want to come out!”
You sheathed your weapon and hurried to where he sat, gently draping his arm over your shoulders. His wrist was terribly skinny, and even in the darkness of the mansion, his skin possessed an unhealthy, pale glow. Maybe he was left here to die, you thought. But by whom? Who would do something that horrendous?
As you had expected, his feet were quite unsteady, and from the way his limbs were trembling, you could tell it took quite a lot out of him just to make it to the corridor.
“Y/n! What’s taking you so long? Did a tengu get your ass?” You froze, the boy’s body stiffening at your side. A host of footsteps pounded near the entrance of the Pavilion, indicating the presence of your rowdy coworkers.
“I’m coming out now, don’t worry! I found someone in here!” you shouted back, repressing an annoyed sigh. If they aren't careful, they might scare the boy off!
At your side, you silently urged the boy to continue walking, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. A thin bead of sweat was running down his forehead, and his brows were furrowed tightly.
I was standing in front of a familiar door, waiting for my friend to be done dressing for this year's festival. I was dressed up in a simple red & black kimono that my mother had picked out for me just for these occasions, given that Scaramouche is from a wealthier family he was going to wear something more formal but that didn't bother me.
After around 10 minutes or so the door finally budged and the small boy with his mother came out, he was pouting probably from his mother putting on a reddish shade of eye shadow on the corner of his eyes. I think it looks good but he always said he didn't want to bother around with cleaning it up after coming home each year.
Our mothers were walking behind us talking about their husbands and what not.
Scaramouche was just looking around so I thought of doing the same but the moment I turned around to view one of the many stalls with kitsune masks he must've grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over to a little barrel filled with fish and water. “Look Kazuha! There's fish in there!” The smaller one beamed.
I stumbled over to where he was pointing at and quickly adjusted to the others grip that I was quite unused to as he was usually not the type to touch anyone even by the hand, let alone hug someone.
The hours passed ever so quickly and soon the fireworks were just a few minutes away from being seen at the deep black sky.
Our mothers came looking for us to bring us towards the place we would always go to every year, next to a stall my father was helping out with, it was still crouded enough to have to stand together but quiet enough to hear each other when chatting.
I noticed that scara was fidgeting with the ends of his jacket and gave him a concerned look, a few moments after our gazes locked and it almost seemed like tears were forming in his eyes, I didn't know what to do so I quickly pulled him into a hug, figuring he was still scared of the loud noises the fireworks made.
Just in that moment the explosions of colors were heard loud like blasts up in the midnight sky. As soon as they finished I let go of him, as I did I could've sworn he muttered a small “thank you” and we were already greeted by snacks Scara’s mother brought for us.
[Time skip same festival just 10 year's later]
p.o.v. Scaramouche
Same thing as always, some of our servants helped me dress as I put on the usual eyeliner and shadow, I really hope Kazuha will wear that kimono I bought him for this festival. It hurts me but I knew it would be my last one here in Inazuma, I kept reassuring myself that he’ll be fine without me even after being inseparable childhood friends.
Just a few months ago I received a letter from Shneznaya’s infamous fatui. More of an Invite of sorts, I heard they were quite strong in forces and I did feel interested in what they do, but I overheard a conversation Kazu had with his father about his believes towards their Harbingers and decided against telling him that I'd accept the invitation or even ever received it to begin with.
I knew this was going to be the last one for us so I wanted to make it something special, I checked myself in the mirror once more just to make sure I look like usual, I feel happy though that the Harbingers still gave me tonight so I could spend my last moments in Inazuma with the albino.
We trained a lot in the past years so I got him a kimono worthy of a young Samurai and I would be lying if I said I didn't spend a fortune on the whole thing. But to me, it was worth it if I get to see him smile one more time.
I heard a knock on the front door and swallowed, I was tensing up by the thought I'd have to cold heartedly leave by Tomorrow morning, I had already written a personal letter to him but I knew it wasn't enough, it would never be, he's going to either hate me till the day I die and feel betrayed by my absence or guilt himself with my dissapearing. Alright, here goes nothing.
