hello my most beloved baker!!! having genshin requests is most exciting, indeed!! if it’s not too much, could i request your headcannons on how bennett, chongyun, razor, & xingqiu kiss / hold hands?? i know it’s something we’ve talked about before, but as you know i’m a sucker for physical affection;;;
it’s very nice to have you back!! i love you lots!!!
~🍒
contents: fluff - headcanons about hand-holding and soft kisses
warnings: mentions of minor injuries, especially to the hands, possible character story spoilers
word count: 2.1k
author's note: 🍒, you are such a dear for sending this in. i thank you for taking your time to do so. i fondly remember the conversation this is in reference to, and i pray this pleases you to read. i focused this mainly on the hand-holding but tried to also branch out into the kisses you desire while separating out into a few extra headcanons concerning the characters and their hands. your dear baker is quite fascinated by hands, how they work, and how they look, and he is quite excited to share his personal thoughts about them with you all. i am also incredibly grateful for your extraordinarily kind words and thank you for your sweet welcome back. you are definitely saving me with all of your requests, my dearest. i hope i can truly satisfy all of them, but i do not believe my current ability is living up to such a lofty goal. i pray, however, that you enjoy it regardless.
❥•°❀ additional note: it has come to the Baker's attention that he has accidentally left the ask box locked over the past few days. This mistake has now been remedied and the ask box is truly open for requests at this time.
Bennett's hands are always riddled with old injuries. There's a sort of sturdiness to them due to that, as they feel tough and weathered, worn like the sturdy swords he never leaves home without.
His hands are always warm and maybe a little too clammy and sweaty at times, but they're still worth it to hold.
Warmth emanates from even his fingers as they clumsily bump against yours. His ears burn scarlet as his fingers move closer toward yours, moving to intertwine and hold them close.
His other hand rises and rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment as he sheepishly does all he can in order to prevent looking right at you. He's too embarrassed to.
Bennett's hands keep yours safely clasped as he pulls you place from place as you accompany him on his adventure. They draw you over hills and through the rain as their genial grasp holds on tight.
His hands share everything with you. He insists you also hold the treasures he finds from his adventures. He hands you his food while you eat together. He lets you hold the trinkets that are important to him. He grabs yours in excitement whenever something exciting happens.
Your safety is imperative to Bennett. His luck seemingly permeates every aspect of his life and the people who engage with him. If his luck can turn on him during his chance to adventure with the famed Honorary Knight of Mondstadt, it can turn on him during his move important time with you.
It's not unusual for him to insist you take protective measures whenever you agree to go out somewhere with him, nor is it unheard of for him to remove his goggles and hand them to you or share his gloves so you may stay safe. He's gotten terrible injuries on his adventures before and wishes to keep the same from happening to you. So, he gives you his gear. The gear that never seems to really protect him and his hands very well...
You've gotten rather acquainted with his hands after bandaging them time and time again. They rest lightly in yours as you wrap gauze around his most recent burn. His knuckles, rough and worn, end up pressed against your lips as you deliver him a soft kiss. His cheeks burn a cherry red as vibrant as his vision.
The first time you kiss Bennett, he has no idea what to do with his hands. Where should he put them? What should he do?
Eventually, his arms end up wrapped tightly around you. It's comfortable and it's cozy. He squeezes you tight, but not too tight. Bennett hugs you to him with joy the first time and almost every time the two of you kiss.
He holds you dearly as if he is afraid that if his grasp wavers you will slip away... and perhaps you might, so he holds you even closer yet.
Simply put, Chongyun's hands are rough.
Like Bennett, his palms have light calluses adorning them. They've spent so long climbing the hard mountainscapes and enduring the biting cold that they've had to accustom themselves.
His hands are bigger than Bennetts, and therefore more capable of wrapping around yours. There's more heaviness to them when you reach to do so, but it's comforting, like a weighted blanket. The chill that always hangs tight against them due to his vision never seems to take away from the sort of comfort they provide you.
Chongyun's fingers are practiced and precise in all they do and it becomes more apparent when he demonstrates the skill he holds as he gracefully intertwines your fingers. Despite his sheepishness, he laces your hands together with a grace not seen in Bennett or Razor's movements.
Chongyun doesn't hold hands with you often. He would love to, and he's fine with it if you take the initiative and do it yourself, but he often doesn't think of it.
He's a bit shy about hand-holding at first. It's incredibly new to him and not something he's used to doing with anyone. He's never really had the chance to do so, as he spends most of his time chasing after spirits and climbing mountains. Most of the people he works with are those who find it unlikely that he can exorcise spirits with only his presence, and he's not about to go around holding hands with skeptical clients.
Chongyun enjoys holding your hands during quiet moments. During the calm. There is something to say about clutching each other's hands when faced with the possible presence of a malevolent spirit, but there is also something about the moments in which time ticks by to the tune the two of you set.
Chongyun also quite adores having his face held within your palms. Your hands are warm compared to his cheek, but not so warm that he feels he must avoid them. In fact, the warmth of your hands is so pleasant, so perfect, that he often finds himself sinking into them like a cat. His cheeks are smooshed up against your palm, soft and pliant, as he revels in the momentary break from the steady stride of the spirits' strife.
Just as Chongyun does not often think of holding your hand, he often forgets to kiss you properly. Do not fret, it does not come from a lack of love, he often simply focuses himself on the pursuit of his dreams instead. When you do take the initiative and bless him with a sweet kiss, however, he snaps himself back to the present moment with you.
He doesn't take as long to figure out what to do with his hands as some of the other boys. Chongyun's hands find purchase upon yours and he holds them dearly. They rest within his as if they are made of the most fragile ice.
Chongyun squeezes your hands periodically when the two of you share a smooch, which serves as one of the moments that his true affection for you does finally show through. His attention remains fully on you throughout every passing second.
He loves you, you know. You managed to get through the "face of ice" and landed yourself lodged deeply within the "heart of clear water".
Humans are odd. But you are not just human. You are Lupical.
Razor does not understand hand-holding. Wouldn't locking your hands together make it harder to hunt? You might need to take time to explain it to him...
Razor's not so sure about it, even after you explain it to him. He doesn't think he likes having his hand occupied so much.
However, if you wish to have intimacy with him involving your hands, you are welcome to try to sit him down and comb through his fur-like mane of hair.
It takes a bit to convince him to do so, but it's much more comfortable to him than holding his hand. There's a lot to go through, as well as quite a few tangles, but at least he does do a good job trying to keep his hair clean.
When you do hold his hands, they're tough and sturdy. They've weathered everything nature can throw at him and, therefore, are littered with small scars all over. They're strong and may have a thin layer of dirt on them if he's spent the day out hunting, but he has learned very well from people, such as Lisa, why it's important to wash them periodically and before eating. He'd be excited to show you too.
The only time Razor will really reach for your hand is when he falls asleep. You are his Lupical. You are strong and kind. You are strong like a wolf, and he wants to be stronger to protect you. He likes to hold onto your hand when he sleeps so he can feel that even then he is connected to you.
Sometimes this happens when the sunlight is warm and the wind is breezy. He should be hunting. But you are there with him. He wants to spend time with you instead.
He falls asleep in the grass while bathing in the sunlight beside you. It feels warm. It's comforting to be near you. One of his hands reaches for yours and holds on tight. His breathing is even. The afternoon is peaceful.
During his nap, you're free to trace along the curves of his fingers and over the hilltops of his knuckles. Small scabs litter the surface of his palm while scars decorate the tips of his fingers. He doesn't think anything of them. Why would he? But, hopefully, you can see the beauty in the stories his hands tell. The adventures, those on par with Bennett's, that the young wolf boy embarks on during his hunts.
Razor does not understand kisses either. They are warm, and they are comforting, but he doesn't understand why there seems to be such an emphasis on them.
There is one thing he likes, however. When you do bestow a soft smooch upon him, he enjoys nuzzling his nose against yours. Perhaps he likes that even more. Other times he nuzzles his nose against your cheek. He likes it more if it makes you laugh.
Something about it makes him so soft. He likes when you do it back. It makes his chest feel fuzzy... and full. Is that the feeling of love? He thinks he likes it. After the first few times, he does it more and more. He's learned something new and he loves it. He loves you.
Razor the Wolf Boy does not understand why humans hold hands. He may never. But that does not matter. Sometimes he likes it when you stroke his hand and hold it in your lap while you teach him new words. It feels good. That is all that matters to him.
Another contender for cold hands, Xingqiu's are smooth and delicate. His fingers are straight and his nails clipped well. His hands are maintained in a way befitting of his status and his lack of needing to do a lot of physical labor.
Before, his hands lacked calluses. There was not a blemish to be seen. It wasn't that he wasn't working toward the chivalrous ideal he wishes to bring about, but it was that he was more careful regarding how obvious he was about it. He hadn't told anyone about the things he snuck off to do yet, so his hands, too, had to keep his secret.
Because of this, he often wore gloves if and when he practiced with his sword. Sword fighting can lead to blisters and other blemishes, things that may easily give away the aspirations he so dearly wishes to work toward.
After his father agreed to let him take up martial arts, however, his hands have grown a bit tougher. They are still relatively spotless, but every now and then they may be adorned with a bruise or two. His fingers, which used to be so perfectly rail straight, now look more like those who teach him to fight. Now a bit of crookedness remains, as even one of such high birth as he can take injury, especially if he allows himself to become too careless.
There is a grace to Xingqiu's movements always, even down to the flicks of his fingertips. When the two of you have tea together, his hand seems as dainty as the porcelain so lightly clasped within it. He moves them while he talks and every now and then you find your eyes drawn to their elegant toing and froing.
Xingqiu is quite pleased to hold hands with you! He has no problem with it whatsoever! Whenever you go out together, if you are alright with it, he would be honored to be allowed to link his hands with yours.
However, if he were to have his way, he's a bit more chuffed about the idea of linking arms. It makes him feel like a character out of one of his books, you see, and it feels just so romantic. Don't you agree?
He sweetly holds onto you, and you to him, while you walk about together. The two of you are just like the characters straight from the books on display within the Wanwen Bookhouse. Ironically, that happens to be where he asks to stroll a lot.
Contrary to Chongyun, Xingqiu is the one who enjoys holding faces while smooching. His hands rest softly upon your cheeks and, for a moment, you wonder if you can truly even feel them there. His touch is so light yet so loving. It feels so fleeting yet so everlasting.
If one was to attempt to put into words how it feels to be held by Xingqiu while the two of you share a moment, it would be "cherished". At that moment, you may realize your true importance to him and the extent of his love for you.
The "moments of solitude" that Xingqiu used to spend alone are now often spent with you. His hands often come to rest upon yours, whether you be strolling together or curled up upon a couch bathed in daylight together with a good book. As soft as the richest silk, the affection they give you is worth far more than all of the treasures within the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
