genshin men + sleepless nights
ft. diluc, xiao, kaveh
playlist. afterglow - taylor swift ; like real people do - hozier ; kiss goodnight - i don’t how but they found me
[ tw: nightmares, suggestive ]
✽ diluc is well-acquainted with nightmares. he often wakes up in the quiet of the night to dreadful noise inside his head, grating, punishing him for the past. but now that he instead meets your soft touch and warm breath, he finds himself calming down easier. i’ll keep you safe. he’s said that to you before, in the heat of battle. only recently did he discover you’re keeping that promise when the flames have died down. the world is cruel, but despite that, he will still love you. that is his promise to you. even through rapid, unsteady breathing, he seeks out the nook of your shoulder, pressing his forehead against your skin like you’re the magic remedy to his ailments. you shiver sometimes, mumbling that his hair tickles; it only makes him sigh in relief, and you hold yourself back from giggling maniacally at the sensation. you smooth his hair away from your neck but he only buries himself further in.
“diluc.”
“mhm.”
“now, you’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”
“why would i ever do that?”
you huff and diluc smiles, lips pressing against your neck in a flurry of soft kisses.
“diluc! that tickles,” you complain, weakly pushing his head away. a deep chuckle rumbles from him and he rises to finally meet your eyes.
“can i kiss you?” he whispers, suddenly sincere.
“now you ask? after you’ve violated my poor neck like that?”
“you didn’t complain last time.” he raises an eyebrow.
“really, diluc?” you scoff. “where’s all this unbridled confidence coming from? usually you’d blush like a newly-wed bride the moment i whisper something in your ear.”
diluc rolls his eyes, a faint glow over his cheeks under the moonlight. “that’s not true. and... and i... i’m simply enjoying myself.”
you whistle. “mondstadt’s very own winery tycoon discovers the joys of teasing his lover in the dead of night. riveting.”
diluc sighs in exasperation, throwing his hands up. “can you not? you always tease me.”
“you’re so easy to tease.” you bite down your lips. it doesn’t go unnoticed by your boyfriend, his impulse fighting to take over the control he exerts.
he caves, leaning in to press a chaste kiss against your mouth. his lips linger; one kiss, two kisses, till he has you pressed against his chest, his arms secure around your waist.
you pull away, before placing a quick kiss to his nose. none of the other kisses have the effect as this one, for his ears nearly spark with the rush of heat to his face.
“are you growing a stubble?” you bite down a teasing smile. “i don’t want my chin all itchy every time we kiss.”
he grimaces. “no. i’ll shave tomorrow. it makes me look too much like my father.”
you purse your lips. it’s the same quiet of winter as the one you met him in. he was a talented boy, and you, the bane of his existence. since then, many winters have passed, some cozy, some silly, and some lonely and grieving. the winery has dimmed (even diluc), but everything is always bright in your wide eyes, from the lush grapevines to the sunset-haired man. you’re both aware you cannot win against time. and so, just like him, you keep every postcard.
“diluc,” you call, hesitant. “it’s not a bad thing.”
“i know,” he responds curtly.
you never learned what to say. diluc never wants you to.
he holds your wrist, lifting it up to place your palm against his cheek again. it’s quiet. he breaks eye contact.
“i have regrets, (name). and they’re all because of... my ego.”
“diluc-”
when it rains, it pours.
“if only i were... if only i were a better man... if i were less cruel,” he whispers, remorse coating his tongue like ash.
you smooth your thumb over his cheek, till he sighs. diluc meets your eyes with the glow of embers, soft and a little lost, maybe.
“you’re a good man to me,” you say finally. “i think that’s a good start.”
diluc sighs again, snapping himself out of his daze. “and you’re too good to me.”
“who else will buy me sickly sweet flowers and get me the best dandelion wine in mondstadt?”
diluc rolls his eyes, taking your wrists once again to plant a kiss each against them.
“thank you, (name),” he says, a smile finally sprouting on his warm lips.
“of course, diluc,” you mumble. “you mean so much to me... anyway, shall we bake tomorrow? surely you can leave the abyss alone for the weekend.”
diluc blinks. “actually...”
your smile drops and he gulps, swallowing his words.
“yes,” he answers. “my schedule is clear tomorrow. but i’m... i’m not quite proficient with baking, my love.”
“that’s alright.” you wave your hand dismissively before going off on a tangent, on a path of words diluc’s quite familiar with. snapdragon flowers, dandelion seeds, sweet flower jam—you certainly have a wide knowledge of all of these. he’s seen you collect them for hours on end, your odd little baking experiments giving adelinde a heart attack. you’ve always been this way. after all these years, the winery thinks of you as fondly as he does.
diluc tucks your hair behind your ears, running his fingers through your hair once you’re snuggled up in bed again. you’re still mumbling about narrowing down which recipe to try tomorrow morning in a sleep-laced haze. diluc can’t get enough of it.
“you mean so much to me too,” he whispers.
✽ xiao is a warrior first and foremost, and everyone knows warriors can never sleep at night. for xiao, it’s a special case. his war is not a war people can thank him for, nor does he see an end to it. it is invisible to most, and his battle scars are the only monument to his acts of deliverance. but you... you, with your curious eyes and fickle fingers, always running your mouth about his tattoos and breaks in his schedule—is he supposed to open up so easily? is he supposed to sigh in relief at your animated explanations or get so drowsy on sunlit afternoons when you’re around? is he supposed to desperately want to hold you? perhaps he is, for his eyes always seek your figure, hands itching to drop his spear and take your hands instead. if he asks for forgiveness for all that he is, would you smile at him and pretend he is as human as you? no, he’s known you for months. you’d do something outrageously stupid—and it’d be the medicine to all his ailments.
“how is it my fault?” he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“of course it’s your fault!” you huff.
“i never prevented your... afternoon naps.”
“but you wouldn’t nap with me!” you throw your hands up, reasoning as though it’s common sense for him to know. “do you know how cold it was? i nearly shivered myself off the cliff!”
xiao feels a rush of blood to his cheeks, coughing to hide the hot discomfort.
“and now you refuse to sleep in my nice, warm bed, which i made very specifically for you. not that you care but it’s very comfortable. ahh, it’s good to be home once in a while.”
why are you advertising your bed to him? it’s not like he’s going to buy it. he doesn’t have mora anyway, nor will he ever need to carry it.
“i don’t need to sleep,” he states, re-emphasizing his point. “i am a yaksha.”
“i don’t care,” you grumble, sleeplessness clearly clawing at your brain. “you swore an oath to me.”
xiao blinks. “this was... this was not the oath. i said i’d come to you when you need me if you—”
“—call your name,” you interrupt, tapping your feet impatiently. “xiao. xiao. conqueror of demons. my dearly beloved. xiao. i need your help.”
xiao’s not sure when the terms of the contract spiraled into something like this. you are partners; a dashing young adventurer and a cynical yaksha who are already unlikely to be friends. since when have you grown so close to him? in fact, if he were to lean in...
absolutely not.
xiao straightens. he didn’t realize the physical proximity at first.
“are you... teasing me?” he nearly spits poison with that question. though, you’d savor that poison like sweet wildberries.
“is it so strange to sleep beside me?” you take a step back, chewing on your lip. some things do deter you. despite being a hardy adventurer.
it’s already strange enough for me to sleep, he wants to say.
“will it make your night easier?” he asks quietly.
you brighten visibly. the moonlight pales when you look like that.
“alright,” he answers, staring at your brisk nodding.
he sits hesitantly at the corner of your bed, looking up at you with innocuous eyes. you stand in front of him, lacking your usual movement like you’re still processing everything. for a moment, you look flustered. but it’s not like xiao can tell. on your face, everything looks sweet.
“i...i- uh...” you stutter. “i didn’t think i’d get this far.”
xiao raises an eyebrow.
“a-anyway. scoot. this is my favorite side.”
“you... humans have favorite sides?”
“well, some of us do. some of us don’t care. i happen to have one though so you’ll have to deal with it, mr yaksha.”
it’s not like he hasn’t dealt with worse. he drags his legs onto the bed and shifts awkwardly till he’s made space for you.
you jump into bed with the energy of a vishap hatchling, and the thought is so ridiculous he suppresses a smile.
at first, there is peace. then you inch closer, like slower movement would fool his trained senses. he’s warned you before. karmic debt is not a trifling matter—and your weak skin and bones cannot withstand it.
time has proved, however, that you are not as weak to him as he is to you.
“does it hurt?” you ask.
“hm?” he turns his head, caught off-guard.
“y’know...” you continue. “your fights. i’ve seen some nasty injuries. do they hurt?”
you’ve never asked him about his past. he’s numb to it now, but you never poke your head there. even if you’ve poked it nearly everywhere it shouldn’t be.
“not quite.”
not now.
perhaps baizhu has been going about the wrong way making medicine for him. or perhaps, you are an ingredient undiscovered by the medical world.
“good.” you grin, and his heart flakes on him. all this from a smile? the conqueror of demons folding like a crumpled piece of paper? but it’s you, after all. he should know better. “if i hurt you, let me know.”
xiao chokes a little, words spawning and dying just as rapidly in his throat. what can he possibly say to you?
“maybe i won’t have nightmares anymore now,” you mumble, snuggling closer to his arm. it must be uncomfortable, xiao thinks. his arm, bone and muscle, was not made to be rested upon.
but you cling so dearly.
“you’ve been having nightmares?” he asks. he never asks you about your nights. at least directly. acute observation gets him most answers and you are not a difficult person to read. so your declaration truly leaves him puzzled.
you don’t answer immediately.
“(name)?”
“yeah. they make me uncomfortable. but nothing like a little fear to keep me on my toes, right?”
xiao gets what you’re saying, but he doesn’t necessarily approve of it. he’s not the kind to poke his nose into someone else’s business, but at this proximity your fresh, earthy smell mingles so perfectly into his own. is it still someone else’s business if you breathe as one, every exhale tangling into each others’?
“i could eat them.”
you pause to blink before snickering loudly, clutching your stomach. silence follows.
“wait, you’re serious?”
“yes.”
“of course. i should’ve known. uh... i don’t think you need to do that.”
“they don’t hurt me too much.”
“so they do hurt you?”
“...”
xiao purses his lips, trying not to meet your focused gaze. unfortunately, it lands on your sweet, plump lips. he immediately jerks his head to the side.
“i already told you,” you continue, paying no heed. “no more nightmares for me now.”
“you can’t be sure of that.”
“it’s scientifically backed,” you press, voice dropping to a comforting whisper, “that you fall asleep faster, and sleep much better with a loved one.”
does he constitute a loved one? xiao parts his lips and closes them.
“look at me.”
xiao can’t. he’s all too aware of the physical proximity, all too aware of your fingers drawing circles on his arms. you will not ask, he knows. but neither will he.
and sometimes you don’t need to.
you draw nearer to land a kiss on his cheek. it’s not a demanding touch, light as feather, in fact. but xiao feels blood rush to his head like never before.
“you- i- i think that- you look cute,” you manage to say out loud, not quite what you mean. “so... um... can you please look at me?”
xiao turns his head finally, to meet an expression he has never seen before. lips pursed, eyes flitting nervously, and chest heaving slow and unsteady. he’s seen this among mortals. never in you.
and it’s strange to admit just how accustomed he’s become to mortal life.
xiao’s breath ghosts over your lips, hesitation still clawing at his throat. being a decisive fighter does not make him very decisive in other regards.
so, you do it for him. pressing your warm lips to his, you sigh just as he does, like the night is finally warm again. though his beating heart says otherwise, he feels so at peace for once that drowsiness settles on his eyelids and he draws even closer to you. relief is not a feeling he is accustomed to.
you pull away to place your head against his chest, squeezing his torso in a hug. he knows it’s a way of showing comfort. but he can’t possibly describe what he feels from that. can you do it again?
“will you come sleep here tomorrow night too?” a small smile plays on your lips when you face him.
“i suppose,” he answers.
“and the next?”
“mhm.”
“...and the next?”
xiao cannot help his smile.
“i swore an oath, did i not?”
✽ kaveh is too impatient to stay still in bed when he can’t sleep. he’d rather take advantage of his insomnia to work on the bubbles of inspiration that rise and fizz out as quickly as they come. but every time he’s lying beside you, he can’t bring himself to pry your arms away from his torso. it’d be sacrilege to wake you up, not when you look so quiet and peaceful, away from a world of dry commotions. and on nights you can’t sleep, he refuses to go to bed too. it is imperative to his sleep that you doze off beside him. he doesn’t need incessant proofs of his passion, and he doesn’t need the akademiya’s validation. all he wants is a life as soft and precious as you, like dew on padisarah in the early mornings he sleeps through. oh, all the things he would give up to have you sleeping soundly by his side this night, and the next, and the next. it aches to have you away.
“i can’t sleep, kaveh,” you mutter, annoyed.
“i know,” he responds, lips upturned. “this is the fifth time you’ve said it in the past twenty minutes.”
“you’re exaggerating,” you huff, tugging closer to his chest anyway. “i should not have stayed past six at puspa cafe.”
“ah. so whose fault is it that you can’t sleep?”
you scowl. “i thought the coffee wouldn’t have an effect on me. it wasn’t that strong.”
kaveh quietens, and for a moment, you worry he’s fallen asleep.
“shall we take a walk then? when i watch the city sleep, i want to fall asleep too.”
you pause before sitting up and following his lead, hand in weary hand. you make sure to be as quiet as mice, so as to not wake up kaveh’s sleeping roommate. usually, your boyfriend wouldn’t care. but it seems your considerate nature has taken a toll on him.
the smell of spices still wafts through the streets long after everyone has closed shop. the dogs have followed their owners home, and the strays are curled up by alleys and corners in a huddle of warmth. at least where you’re at, the two of you are the only souls treading the pavement, save for a few stragglers, cats prowling and students celebrating the end of finals. you can almost feel their relief, laughing with kaveh as you notice a young scholar holler in joy with his friends when an old lady immediately shuts them down to be quiet.
“what was that about the city sleeping?” you hum, elbowing him.
“and you really thought you were immune to caffeine?” kaveh retorts, amusement playing on his lips.
“shut up.” you lightly punch his arm, which he, of course, reacts to overdramatically. to him, that’s the cutest ‘shut up’ he’s ever heard.
a fresh breeze passes by the two of you, making him step closer, shoulders touching and fingers intertwined.
“lately,” he starts, ruby eyes lost in contemplation, “my team’s been researching the lost paradise of king deshret. they say he made a contract with the god of time to build an eternal oasis, all the wonders of the land frozen in a beautiful frame for the goddess of flowers. isn’t that lovely?”
“what’s so lovely about building a cemetery for someone you love?”
kaveh sighs. but when he opens his mouth, there is no answer. you hide a small smile as he thinks.
“well, it was to honor her passing... but you’re right. i’d rather honor the living.”
“well, king deshret also went mad. good to see you’re still sane.”
kaveh turns red. “i’m not joking! you see the beauty in all this, don’t you?”
a smile tugs your lips as you reach out to grab his face. “yes, of course. but more so in your face. and your hands. and your mouth. and your stupid little head with all its wild imaginations.”
“you tease me too much,” he huffs when you’re done planting rapid kisses to his face. his expression is something between a scowl and pout, hands comfortably over yours as they rest against his cheeks.
“do you dislike it?”
“i’m not answering that.”
your laughter is full of heart, and kaveh can’t help but join in, throwing his head back as he does.
saturday evenings are quiet at the center of the city; but the further you branch out towards the hubs, there are lively crowds waiting to greet you. your next destination is lambad’s tavern, stopping to grab a cup of water and converse with kaveh’s old classmates from the akademiya. it must be a ksharehwar thing to seemingly never sleep.
kaveh’s so-called remedy to sleeplessness ends up turning into a catch-up session, sleep tossed out of the window. the warm glow of the tavern, however, makes you miss his bed more. perhaps his trick did work, in a strange, twisted way. but still, you don’t appreciate the long way around.
it takes a while before you can finally walk out the doors of the tavern—and the night simmers down again when you find him. looks like your boyfriend has made friends with the wood, as he rests his head on one of the outdoor tables of the tavern, all by himself. you feel a sting of guilt for holding him back from his sleep. it’s not easy, working day to day on as little sleep as he does.
“kaveh,” you call.
he meets you with a dazed smile, clumsy and unsteady in the way he moves.
“did you drink when i wasn’t looking?” you ask, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
he frowns immediately at your accusation, shoulders sagging. “can’t i be this way because of you?”
“well, it’s usually your drunken stupor.”
he huffs. “you’ll never know what you do to me if you keep your so-called logic wrapped so tight around your throat.”
“why? is there something else you’d rather have wr—”
“ahem.” kaveh flushes so deep, he’d put zaytun peaches to shame with that hue. “what i mean is. you don’t know the effect you have on me. it might as well be intoxication.”
you press your knuckle to your nose, trying to hide your smile. kaveh is quick to catch on, his grin widening.
“no, it must be intoxication,” he presses, moving closer to you with eyebrows furrowed. “i even get along with alhaitham these days. can you imagine?”
you giggle. “how frightening.”
kaveh leans in, his eyes shining prettier in the moonlight. if only you knew they open to reflect you. his expression eases and a smile blossoms.
“you make me see love everywhere,” he whispers, lips hesitantly hovering over yours. “and it is wonderful to feel that way. thank you.”
“oh gosh, you’re so... you say sickliest sweet things. it’s disgusting.”
before he can retort, you tug on the strawberry blond strands, pressing your lips to his. he does not let you pull away, his arm snug around your waist. with kaveh, the butterflies never die, natural when his lips taste of honey.
“for the record,” he slurs, drunk off your kiss more than any alcohol. “i would build you more than paradise. i would start laying the bricks for heaven if you asked.”
and you’d make sure he sleeps soundly instead each night he forces himself to work. he’s too sweet for his own good. in the city of wisdom, everyone knows the cost of love without labor. but your attempts to ensure his rest is your labor.
you laugh, patting his cheek. “how about you start laying the bricks to a house of your own?”
an instant pout tugs at his swollen lips.
“oh, don’t get mad.” you cups his cheeks and pull his face to your level, pressing a feather kiss to his forehead. “i know times are hard for dreamers like you.”
“you make me sound so silly.”
“i’m sorry.” you caress your thumb over his cheek, worried you’ve overstepped in your teasing.
“no.” he smiles sheepishly. “i don’t mind being your silly boyfriend. if it makes you smile, at the very least.”
“you silly man.”
“you’re smiling.”
“is the victory satisfying?”
“sort of...” his voice drops to a cheeky whisper as he leans in close to your ear. “but the rest of the night can be... more so.”
“kaveh. we’re in public!”
“what, it’s not like it’s a secret. alhaitham and our poor neighbors are the first victims if you suddenly want to be considerate of that.”
“oh my god.”
“c’mon. kiss me. there’s no one else outside.”
“if there’s anyone who appreciates a room, it should be you.”
“mhm. yes. a bedroom, more so right now.”
you smack your hand over his mouth, unable to hold back your laughter at the flabbergasted look on his face. it slowly morphs into annoyance, and then acceptance.
“don’t be upset,” you say, placing a light kiss on his nose.
you know just the way to sedate him. kaveh should have you arrested for whatever violations you’re committing against him. there must be laws against the fevers you raise on his skin. right?
“shall we go home?” you smile with sleepy eyes.
and his heart melts. there’s nothing more he wants than a home with you.
“lead the way, my love.” he grins wide, and suddenly, the marble and the cobblestones melt away, your hand over his the only stronghold left. it is not loud enough yet to leave his mouth, but the answer to the architect’s greatest dilemma—is you.