Something about having someone so enamored with you and how you work shifting to romance
Mechanic! reader who is good with their hands and fixes all sorts of machines. From cars and phones to more complex larger machines in contract work, they know their way around a screwdriver.
Mechanic! reader who's gaze shifts from lifeless machines to those full of life or that make a difference prosthetics and soon androids and cyborgs.
Boothill who just needs a small repair on his arm sees Mechanic! reader's shop and decides to stop in.
Mechanic! reader who was having a slow day and is excited to someone coming in, and becomes even more excited to see such beautiful artistry in the cyborg.
Mechanic! reader who eagerly takes boothill's request, practically pushing him to their work bench with quiet excitement.
Mechanic! reader who is mostly silent while working on his arm, carefully unscrewing a small metal plate on his arm, cleaning the location and fixing the wiring beneath his metal flesh.
Boothill who feels odd about being worked on by the mechanic. He felt strange having someone so focused on him and his needs. He had had other mechanics work on him before, but it had been a long time since a mechanic had worked so diligently on him before taking the time to make sure he was okay with everything they were doing to him.
Mechanic! reader who finishes up their work on his arm and is almost sad it's over.
Boothill who is surprised by the Mechanic's efficiency with his arm, it hadn't worked that well in a while, mentally noting to return to the shop the next time he needed a tune up.
Mechanic! reader who waves him off with practiced professionalism, hoping he returns again soon so they can forward to working on him again.
Mechanic! reader who haunt's Boothill's thoughts as he is hunting bounties throughout the galaxy.
Boothill who shows up to your workplace months later for a tune up.
Boothill who finally hears your behind the professionalism during the couple of hours it took to completely fix some of the issues.
Boothill who sits bare-chested in front of you as you prepare for the repairs, only to be stuck on how beautiful the craftsmanship is.
"Doc if 'ya keep looking at me like that I might think you want to do more than simple repairs to me."
Mechanic! reader who chuckles at his comment, brushing it off as simple mechanical interest, unknowingly stealing his heart with their honest words.
"Haha it's nothing like that, don't worry," you said, brushing your fingers over a small dent on his lower stomach, I'll need to fix that too, "You're beautifully made, I've never worked with someone who's body is made up so many complex and intricate parts."
If Boothill could still blush, you would've seen his cheeks turning a rosy color, but because he cannot his mechanical body compensated in other ways.
"It looks like there is a fan over heating somewhere do you want me to-"
"It's supposed to do that!"
Mechanic! reader who finds themself enjoying the Galaxy Ranger's company, looking forward to his spontaneous appearances more and more.
Mechanic! reader who tells themself it's just because they're excited to work on him again, not because they enjoy his company or anything
Boothill who finds himself in a similar situation, catching himself wanting to get a little bruised on his jobs so he can run back to you
"What the fudge is wrong with me?"
Bonus!
During one such repair session (something that had become a rather common part of your work week), you took off Boothill's hat to try to better get a look at his eyes.
Only for him to pick it up and place it upon your head, asking you to keep it safe while you were working on him.
Getting more flustered when you smiled at him, saying, "Of course Boothill, you don't have to worry about it getting damaged while I'm wearing it."
Unknowingly accepting the Cyborg's attempt at courtship with you after months of failed attempts from him.
"In the world of cowboys and western culture, the hat is more than just a practical accessory to shield the wearer from the sun and rain. It is a symbol of the cowboy's identity, a badge of honor, and a tool for self-expression. However, when a cowboy chooses to place his hat on a girl's head, it takes on an entirely new meaning, transforming from a functional item to a powerful gesture of flirtation and romance."
from this article!
A/N:
Hope everyone enjoyed!!
It's been a while since i've seen boothill in game, so he may be ooc
note: very self indulgent, so yeah
warning: I am not an accountant... so expect incorrect financial jargon and ideas of what they do >:D, slight pantalone x reader, although it's not explicitly romantic (could be seen as genuine concern)
When I dont get enough sleep I get more blunt and unfiltered, and depending on how little sleep a bit slap happy. So I got to thinking, how would an Pantalone take this with a Secretary! reader?
It was the week after Tax day, and all through the 9th's domain, accountants and financial advisors scrambled to process tax forms.
It was the Tuesday after a nation's taxes were due. Which meant the financial department (ergo those working under the 9th harbinger) were working around the clock to get everyone's information in before Friday (the official Fatui deadline for such things).
Which meant, as the Regrator's secretary you were losing it.
Three days before taxes needed to be in. Three.
You'd been working for him for longer than you cared to admit and you knew how bad tax season was.
You had played these games before.
14 accountants quit before 10 am yesterday. The senior accountants muttered under their breath how 'the youth couldn't handle stress anymore.'
7 of the accountants who didn't quit were wearing the same clothes they were yesterday, leading you to believe they didn't leave yesterday.
And 4 accountants had broken into tears as some foot soldiers brought in two cartfuls of tax forms.
So it was going swimmingly.
It was Tuesday, how were you to deal with three more days of this?!
You weren't fairing much better. The week after tax week was stressful for everyone involved, yourself included. While you didn't necessarily have to manage the incorrectly filled out forms or deal with the stress of processing the nations taxes, you had to deal with something else: people and the paperwork that was above their paygrade but below the regrators.
Your job during this week was to ensure no one lost their mind before Friday. It seemed easy on paper, but you swore it got harder with each year. Especially with the discontent of Snezhnayeans regarding Project Stuzha.
You were on you 5th cup of coffee today, and it was only 11 am. You had only slept a total of about 2 to 3 hours (give or take), and it didn't look any better for tonight.
As you busied yourself with your own paperwork for the day you didn't notice the ninth's arrival.
A small 'ahem' from in front of you made you aware of his presence.
You jolted in surprise, "Good morning sir."
"Good morning, my dear, " he paused, amethyst eyes taking in your complexion, "how is everything going?"
"Aha, well sleep has become the enemy in the office. We've had 14 people quit, a few burst into tears when they saw there were more forms to process,. It's safe to say we've exceeded crashing out, we're just hysterical," you trailed off.
Sleep deprivation hits everyone differently. For you your usual professional tone goes out the window.
You shook your head, trying to sound some semblance of professional. "We should be done by Friday, there is a lot of stress in the office right now."
He nodded, "how are you handling everything?"
You gave him a deadpan look, how were you handling everything‽ with coffee and pure spite!
"The longer I sit here the more the words swirl and the less faces look real."
You let out a small giggle as his brows furrowed together, sleep deprivation taking your filter and will to care with it.
"How many cups of coffee have you had today."
You narrowed your eyes at him, "Hey, that's between me, god, and the keurig."
He looked physically pained, "What's a Keurig!?"
"Shhh don't question it."
He looked down to the forms before you and then back up at you, "You need sleep."
"Probably," you shrugged, "my therapist told me that sleep would help, but probably not as much as caffeine."
"I swear every year it gets worse," he muttered to himself, raking a hand through his hair in exasperation.
You smiled up at him, "There's no backing put now sir, you signed up for this the moment I became your secretary."
He let out a small chuckle, shaking his head, "I wouldn't dream of it, now come on, you need sleep." He said as he ushered you out of your seat and into his office towards the couch, "Can't have my secretary going mad on me."
A/N:
I hope this makes sense... if not... read it while sleep deprived maybe it'll make more sense then (kidding kidding)
I hope everyone enjoys lolol
It's kinda funny that the topic is sleep deprivation because when I wrote this the first time I wrote "Across the clock" instead of "around the clock" (talk about the pot calling the kettle black lolol)
how high might the fluff meter be between a touch starved reader and dottore? because a part of me thinks he would be smug about it. like the thought of being able to turn your s/o into a melting mess all because of a hug, compliments or head pats alone may give him an ego boost i fear
I actually love this ask!!
I am so so so sorry this took so long! I went a bit crazy with the older segment's section lolol
I think it firmly depends on the segment lolol
I think the younger and older Dottores would be more affectionate, while the 25 & 35 segments would be more standoffish with their affection out in the open!
More below the cut!
The older segments would be more indulgent (45, 65, and the og zandik), leaning into the reader's need. Think, lots of headpats, hugs, and maybe a hand on the small of their back if they were walking around the lab or the palace.
The older segments would be more indulgent (45, 65, and the og zandik), leaning into the reader's need. Think, lots of headpats, hugs, and maybe a hand on the small of their back if they were walking around the lab or the palace.
Additionally, if you were in a relationship I think they would notice your needs before you could even put your finger on them yourself. (he would be showing up to your shared room with a blanket, a book, and a cup of hot chocolate/coffee/tea for cuddles istg)
You were holding it together, albeit just barely.
Everyone in the lab was on edge because the Regrator was coming by to do an inspection to see how his funding was being used.
You hadn't been able to go home and rest for more than six hours, spending the majority of your time in the lab running back and forth.
it was 1:30 AM. And you were going to crash out.
You reattempted the same experiment you'd been working on for the past five hours.
No reaction. Again.
You let out a loud groan, taking off your gloves and tossing them on the table.
"Is everything okay over here?"
Lord Dottore‽
You jolted, you thought you were alone, what was he still doing here?
"Ah, my lord," you paused, looking at the beakers that surrounded your workspace (no doubt out of lab safety regulations), "everything is fine, I'm just having some trouble with the experiment reagents."
He hummed in response, walking towards your workstation, flipping through your lab notes.
"You should go home and get some rest," he said after a few moments, still facing your notes.
"Ah my lord tha-"
he quieted your refusal, putting a hand on your head.
was he giving you a head pat?
and you didn't mean to lean in, you were sleep deprived, going off caffeine and chemistry driven rage. And in your defense you didn't think the lord Harbinger was capable of something as a head pat.
Needless to say, following that day, whenever you went to report something to him he would respond to what you were saying with a hum, some off-handed comment, and a head pat.
All of this was great to say the least, until you found yourselff going out of your way to report things to him in hopes of a head pat.
You sighed over your beakers, shaking your head.
Talk about pavlov's dogs, just how touch-starved am I?
you knew he was onto you when he instead of giving you a head pat opened his arms to you.
"Would a hug be a better reward than a head pat, my dear?"
your eyes widened in surprise, and you found yourself nodding before you could process your actions.
He took a step towards you, pulling you into his warm embrace.
I think 25 and Omega would be a bit different, maybe a bit smug (if not 25, definitely Omega). They would want you to earn the affection, or would really only be affectionate if it were the two of you (and this does include if the other segments were around lolol, cant have them thinking they're getting soft).
It had been a long week, your coworkers had been giving you hell about things that were outside of your control, and Zandik had been stuck in the lab all week leaving you all alone.
you were tired, you just wanted a hug.
That was all.
Which lead you to your current predicament.
asking him for a hug in his office.
"What do you want?" He asked, mask covering his eyes, "I didn't quite hear that."
your cheeks burned.
"A hug," you said, narrowing your eyes at his antics, as you slowly turned to walk away "if you won't give me one I'll just have to go ask one of the other-"
Just as you had fully turned around to walk away from him to find another Dottore, he grabbed you arm and pulled you into a warm embrace.
Immediately, feeling victorious, you melted into it.
"Oh what's this, so content already?" he asked, making no attempt to let you go.
You simply hummed in response, leaning back into his embrace.
While 18 and 8 would be very bashful about giving you affection. They would be indulgent, but also very flustered in the process. I dont think they would get smug about it, i think it would be more of the touch starved leading the touch starved (at least for 18). 8 would just be happy to be there lol (you want to hold his hand, sure! hug him? great!).
I feel like it would be pretty hard to be touch starved with these guys purely because they would also be seeking you out. Think 8 suddenly giving you a hug or 18 hugging you from behind mid experiment.
If you and 18 were in a relationship he would be pulling you away from experiments to the confines of his office for daily cuddles, hugs from behind, etc. (and the feeling is mutual, you are also pulling him into his office for a hug, leaning on him during meetings, etc.)
If you aren't in a relationship I think it'd be more subtle.
If you were working on an experiment together you two would be far closer than you needed to be, thighs touching under the lab table, leaning over each other when taking notes, etc. Which would later turn into hugs and cuddles in his office (maybe even a relationship, if he was comfortable enough to show that he sought you out for affection it''d be reasonable to say he trusts you)
A/N:
I'm so sorry this took so long. I've been dealing with a bit of work drama and then things for my summer class (I hate physics).
And then I'm trying to work on Dottore's cosmic joke, but its turning into him having too many personalities (which fits, but at the same point, is a pain for writing)
I think I'll just end up making a one-shot with this premise, not touching on any one exact segment tbh. I don't think I did this request justice with my writing here.
I am so perturbed at the moment. I hope y'all enjoy some of my school drama...
My physics prof decided to send an email telling all of us he has evidence that people were cheating and wants people to confess. (which real, I dont condone cheating)
He then proceeded to go to my school's subreddit and under posts where people were expressing their concerns about the matter attempt to convince them to confess or drop out of the course.
all the while, he refused to release our exam two scores (because of the aforementioned cheating). Which is fine, if the drop deadline wasn't tomorrow :D, meaning none of us know if we need to drop the class because of our grades (which some of us need for scholarships and such).
People on my school's subreddit then within 19 ish hours of him sending the email, got him to delete his personal reddit and apparently found out he's into questionable things... which is a whole other can of worms I will let the university deal with.
All of this to say, don't take summer courses unless you are taking them in person or have proctored exams (or just don't have my prof ig).
very self indulgent lol (I am almost out of the confines of physics, two more exams)
literally this is just me yapping about the Fatui and their masks, slight x reader at the end, but is mostly a yap session for me
The concept of making your soldiers wear masks is so interesting to me. There are a few reasons I can think of as to why, but the main one comes down to anonymity. If you were in the fatui, fighting alongside your squadron (idk the word they use for small groups in the fatui) it would be easier to accept the loss of a faceless comrade than someone who has shown you their bare face.
Due to this, I think that if a member of the Fatui shows you their bare face it should be seen as something special.
Obviously, we take seeing people's faces for granted. Think back to covid when everyone had to wear masks, when you finally began to see people taking them off it was a bit strange to see their face. It's like that, but more dramatic (bc emotions and such).
Also, also, also, I've seen a headcanon floating around that members of the Fatui cannot date one another/have romantic relations (I don't remember where I saw it but I thought it was interesting). With this, I feel like the mask carries a new meaning. Not only is it to prevent Fatuus from mourning comrades who they've lost, but it also serves as a reminder that you cannot seek out romance with your fellow members of the fatui.
Which is kind of ironic, when you consider that the Cryo archon's divine ideal is love. When the Archon that is supposed to represent love wont even allow her soldiers to love, what does that say?
(note: I was looking it up while writing and coudn't find anything confirming that love is her divine ideal, so yeah if it turns out that her ideal is something else, ignore this ig).
On a similar note: the Harbingers
They don't wear masks (save dottore). I think this is because they shouldn't be under a veil of anonymity. I don't know how the snezhnayan citizens view the Fatui, so I'm just going to look at this through the lens of a member of the fatui. The Fatui want to have model soldiers to look up to, people who exact the Archon's will, hence why the Harbingers are allowed to show their face (imo).
However, I am not sure if this would mean they are excluded from the greater fatui population when it comes to the matter of their heart. As a harbinger would they be expected to harden their heart to love of their fellow Fatui or would having a Fatui partner show that they are truly living by the Tsaritsa's ideal?
Taking these theories and running with them:
When dealing with Fatui-fatui relationships (if the reader is not a harbinger), I think the removal of the mask would be a semi-emotional moment. I interpret it as finally taking a true step towards romance with them (showing that both parties are serious about the pursuit of a relationship).
Their fingers traced the edge of your mask, cool ivory contrasting with the warmth face.
"Are you sure?" you asked, voice barely above a whisper.
You knew this kind of relationship with your fellow Fatuus was against the rules, with a harbinger especially, but you couldn't deny the feelings that had taken root between the two of you.
A finger hooked onto the underside of the mask.
"I am," they said, voice certain as they gingerly pulled off your mask, setting it onto their desk eyes never leaving your own.
You felt almost naked without your mask. You really hoped they didn't have some preconceived view of how you would look.
"Quit over thinking," they said, bringing you back to reality, "I know the meaning behind my action as well as any other member of the Fatui."
"May I?"
You nodded before you could think about what would come next.
And then, they leaned in kissing you, finally.
Tried to keep it open to interpretation, hope I succeeded lolol.
A/N:
Lots of things happening in my personal life, school, work, drama (ugh).
anyways, I should be getting to my inbox soon. Dottore's Cosmic Joke is a work in progress. I didn't realize what I was getting myself into when I decided it would be all of Dottore (segments and all). So IDRK when it'll be coming out, I have a lot of it done, I just need to figure out how to broach the elephant in the room (the child)
Note: Not sure if the bit with istaroth makes the most sense (if you have questions ask in the comments and I'll answer).
W.C: 2.5k
Summary: traveling back in time and meeting your boss before he was the world renowned Il Dottore, second of the Fatui Harbingers wasn't on your bucket list, but neither was getting sent back to the future.
While writing I was listening to this, if you want some ambiance
Teyvat's rules ensured things flowed as they should.
Mora. Water. Time. Fate.
You never should have been sent to the past.
You knew this and yet you still tried to change the flow of fate, specifically the fate of Zandik, the man destined to become Il Dottore.
You knew your time in that era was short, some cosmic mixup that would no doubt be fixed by one of the shades.
And yet, you couldn't help yourself, even if it was a pointless endeavor, you still had to try to change his fate.
So when you came face to face with Istaroth you weren't surprised per say.
Your being in the past was a violation of the very rules she held dominion over.
You weren't surprised to see her, you were just surprised she was so late. You had been in this era, studying beside Zandik for well over a year by now, trying to push him away from the path to becoming Dottore.
Why now of all times?
You had returned to your dwelling after seeing Zandik and Sohreh off on their expedition to Ardravi Valley. Anxiety buzzed beneath your fingers as you took your shoes off, you knew this was the turning point in his fate.
Zandik had two options. Either he would kill Sohreh and go on to become Dottore, or he would allow her to live and go down another path. Although, you couldn't say if that path lead to the same ending.
You shook your head, you needed to have faith in him, and yet you could not shake this off feeling.
And then you walked into your kitchen, coming face to face with Istaroth.
The scene was wrong.
She was sitting at your kitchen table, cup of tea sitting in front of her. The scene was so mundane.
She gave you a glance, looking up from her cup of tea.
"Come, sit," she said, "I can see that you have many questions."
You knew better to think it was a suggestion. The shades were not to be trifled with.
You said nothing, mind buzzing with questions as you took a seat across from her.
A cup of tea appeared before you.
Your eyes flickered from the tea cup to her and then back to the cup.
After a short while you grabbed the cup, allowing the warmth of the tea to ground you.
"Why now?"
She tilted her head to the side.
"I believe you ask the wrong questions," she said, causing your brows to furrow before she continued, "but no matter. You have served your purpose in this era and it is time for you to return home. "
You narrowed your eyes at her.
"What questions do you suggest I ask then?" You asked, cocking your head to the side, "and what exactly do you mean I've 'served my purpose?'"
"You have done all you were meant to in this era," she said simply, giving you a closed eyed smile, "Fate is a fickle thing, you were never meant to stay in this time. Do you ever wonder why you were sent here to begin with?"
She ignored your first question.
You mind raced as you processed her words.
"You sent me here," you said, coming out more as a question than you meant it to.
She gave you no indication as to whether your statement held any validity or not, so you continued, treading into the unknown with every word.
"There's no other possibility for my being here other than that," you said, more to yourself than anything, "but if you brought me here, why?"
You shook your head. She wanted you to do something and now you had done it. You were asking the wrong questions.
"And why bring me back instead of just killing me now?"
She opened her eyes, and the room felt colder.
"Me and the other three shades all have our own domains we rule over. I cannot bring you to death for that is Ronova's dominion. I can however ensure your fate flows as it should."
"And what exactly does that mean? Fate shoul-"
"Fate flows in strange directions all of the time. It is my job to ensure the beings of Teyvat follow the path of their intended fate. You may think of me as a gardener tending to everyone's fate much like a gardener tends to their crop. Fate can be thought of as a tree in this analogy. Your fate does not follow a linear path, branching out depending on your life choices," she paused, "however, while your fate may branch out, it remains contained within a certain realm of possibilities."
You tilted your head at her.
"So you're saying my being in the past is within the realm of possibilities concerning my fate?"
Istaroth nodded, "your actions could've varied but your being here was something that was meant to happen. You and that man's fate are intertwined."
"Intertwined?"
"Yes, it is not a rare phenomenon, but it is rare for it to be to this extent. Everyone's fate touches another's but for them to be so intertwined is rare. It is this intertwining of your fate that brought you to the past, it is a necessary bending of time."
You opened your mouth to question her more, but she cut you off.
"Our time is up, it is time for you to return now."
You stood up so fast your chair fell to the floor behind you, "wait!"
But it was too late.
The scene had changed, you were no longer in your kitchen.
You were in one of Dottore's labs, stool on the ground behind you as some of your coworkers gave you wayward glances.
The Present Era- Teyvat
You stared blankly at the beakers in front of you, then you looked around the lab.
What the fuck just happened?
You slowly picked up your stool, taking off your safety goggles and sitting down as you tried to make sense of the situation, ignoring you coworkers whispers around you.
The minutes trickled away as you tried to wrap your head around it.
Did that year and a half mean nothing?
You looked around the lab once more.
I am still here, working under Zandi- Dottore, so did I truly not change his fate?
You absentmindedly swirled a substance in a test tube.
Why would she send me to that era if it wouldn't change anything?
You stared at the blue glowing substance swirling in the test tube.
"Do we not care about lab safety anymore?" A voice whispered in your ear.
You jolted, dropping the test tube in shock.
A gloved hand reached out to grab it.
"Zand-" You cut yourself off, "My lord."
He wasn't Zandik anymore.
You slowly turned around, Fatui mask still in place, to see Dottore (the 45 year old segment if you had to guess) leaned over you, his gloved hand still holding the test tube.
He set the test tube in a beaker before returning his attention to you.
If you could see beneath his mask you'd assume he was looking you up and down.
"For you to know that name," his lips curled into a smile, "I suppose you've had a fun time at the Akademiya, my dear?"
What. The. Fuck.
He brought his hand up to your face. Removing your Fatui mask from your eyes to see your whole face.
"Much better, keep your mask off, I think we much prefer seeing your whole face."
Your mouth hung agape, shock apparent on your face.
"Z- My lord, I couldn't possibly, I-"
"Nonsense."
You opened your mouth to protest only to be cut off by another Dottore, 65.
"It isn't up for debate."
"Indeed, but if you wish to so against my orders why don't we go to my office where we can discuss it in private."
That was a new voice in the discussion, Omega.
What in Teyvat was happening here?
"That won't be, necessary, my lords," you said, slowly bowing your heads, remembering where you were.
A hand on your shoulder from 45, made you tense.
"I think it would be in your best interest to come with us," 45 whispered in your ear.
You slowly nodded, accepting the fate seemingly forming before you.
This is how you were going to die.
Dottore, plural, lead you to his office as you tried to ignore the murmurs of your coworkers and the impending feeling of doom.
As you stepped into the office you were greeted by a seemingly mundane office. Sumerian design, a couple bookshelves, black boards, a table and two couches, and a desk with a picture frame and scattered papers.
The door clicked behind you as it shut.
"Sit," one of them said, you weren't fully comprehending who said it, mind too jumbled to care at this point.
You walked over to the couch and slowly sank into it.
Your stomach was in knots.
Why is this scarier than talking with Istaroth?
Your mind swam with questions.
The opening of a door grabbed your attention.
25 walked in, red eyes immediately finding your own before flickering to one of the others who nodded at him, as though confirming a silent question.
Oh you were going to die. He had always been a benevolent boss, allowing you to speak rather freely in any disagreements regarding his work and experiments. Had he finally gotten sick of you?
25 sat on the couch directly across from you as another possibility crossed your mind.
Or perhaps by intereference in the past caused him to change here.
You stared at the table, not knowing where else to look.
The door opened and closed once more.
At the sound of his voice you looked up.
18, dressed in his Akademiya robes, as haughty as back then.
"What do you want? I was busy resea-"
Whatever he was going to say died on his tongue, and he launched himself onto the couch, embracing you.
You tensed. And then your body moved without your thoughts, and you hugged him back, burying your head into his neck.
"Why did you leave?" he whispered into your shoulder.
"Oh Zandik, I-"
He pulled back, red eyes boring into your own, "It's really you isn't it?"
Before you could answer one of the others beat you to it.
"Of course it is you idiot, how else would she know our true name?"
He flushed slightly, "Shutup you geezer!"
He removed himself from on top of you and instead opted to sit to your left on the couch, side closest to the door, fingers intertwined with your own. A gesture that didn't go unnoticed by you, it was like he was trying to make sure you couldn't disappear from him again.
"You brat."
"Why you-"
25 cut off the twos' argument, "Don't we have more important things to discuss?"
45 moved from his place in front of the desk, plopping down on the couch to your right, crossing his legs and bringing a hand to sit on your left shoulder.
18's grip on your hand tightened, but he said nothing, instead opting to glare at the man 27 years his senior.
"Indeed we do," 45 said, tilting his head towards you as he gave you a slight squeeze on the shoulder, "isn't that right, dear?"
Did he always call me that?
"That prophecy from long ago," Omega said from his place behind the desk, watching the way your shoulders tensed as he said it, "What was your aim in telling me?"
65, who stood in the corner of the office, nodded his head.
"What was the point of such a thing? Our original self, perspective as you called it, has died, just as you said."
25 crossed his legs, "which begs the question, when do we die? and what do you mean the death promised to everyone? the original is already dead and we cannot be killed by things like old age and sickness."
"One question at a time 25."
You stared at the wooden table before you, mentally spiraling.
18, gave your hand a squeeze, as though to say 'you can do it,' in some way only Zandik could manage.
You looked to Omega, giving 18's hand a small squeeze back, "Why?"
He nodded.
there's no point in lying is there?
"I wanted to see if it would change anything."
"Change what exactly?" 45 asked.
"Fate," you said simply, "I wanted to see if I could change the flow of fate."
Omega stood up from behind the desk and walked to the couch across from you, speaking as he did so.
"You are aware that changing the flow of fate would mean defying the rules the shades work to keep in place," he paused, heels clicking on the tile floor as he stopped at the couch, taking a seat. "And by extension, defying the heavenly principles?"
You narrowed your eyes at the man across from you, "of course I am."
"the-"
18 cut him off, "-then why bother trying to change my fate?"
You turned away from Omega, looking to 18, "because at some point in the year and a half I spent at the Akademiya with you I began wanting better for you."
His eyes widened, all of their eyes did, not that you were paying attention to them.
65 was the next to speak, "who are you to want better for us?"
"What does it matter," you snapped, sending him a glare, restraint thrown out the window, "it's not like anything was going to happen anyway."
Omega's smirk was gone, "Oh, and what do you mean by that?"
I should have just lied. What am I supposed to say to that?
"Our fates are intertwined," you said, trying to keep your voice as steady as possible, "according to Istaroth I was supposed to go back in time and we were meant to have those interactions."
Omega made no attempt to say anything. Nor did 18 or 45.
25 narrowed his eyes at your statement, but said nothing.
65 stood silent in the corner, arms crossed.
After a few minutes of pensive silence 25 opened his mouth to say something, before he was interrupted by the door to the office slamming open. 8 standing at the door, breathing heavily.
"You finally decide to confront her and decide to leave me out of it‽ "
He practically shouted, slamming the door behind him as he approached the couch opposite of you, plopping down beside Omega.
"I get that I'm the youngest here, but I deserve to be here too." He said, crossing his arms with a 'hmph.'
"Finally?" you ask.
18 lets out a sigh, "this was getting no where, let's go." he said standing up, giving your hand a tug as he walked towards the door.
Your escape was cut short as 25 grabbed your other arm and pulled you into him, "and where do you think you're taking her?"
"Why thats-"
"Yes, just because you resemble her Zandik the closest does not mean you get to hog her to yourself 25."
A small pair of arms wrapped themselves around your waist, "Yeah!"
Bonus:
Lord Dottore had always acted strangely around you, almost as though he were waiting for something from you.
Only you never noticed because he was a strange man shrouded in mystery to you.
Looking back on it now, it all made sense.
He was waiting for you.
The you from the past who was the only one who was truly kind to him in the Akademiya.
A / N :
I'm trying to keep this one different from the other ending lolol.
I firmly believe that Istaroth would treat someone from Teyvat different from someone who wasn't from Teyvat, so that's why there is a difference between her here vs her in the Isekai ending.
Also, I realize 8 isnt in this as much, and that was intentional! He didn't meet the reader when he was a child so it wouldnt make sense for 8 to care much about them. Whereas the others would remember them from their scholar days. Although I do think he would care some, if not to just piss off his seniors lolol.
And I felt like it was getting too serious, so yeah sorry if the shift in tone is a bit abrupt.
Note: Not sure if I'll make other versions of this or not, but I figured this was a good start since a lot of y'all wanted to see this as an isekai
W.C: 2.7 k
Summary: Getting Isekaied into Teyvat wasn't on your bucketlist for the year, neither was time travel, but here we go
Teyvat never took well to newcomers. You knew that much from the opening cutscene where the unknown god separated the siblings.
You just never expected the shades to turn their gaze to you.
Zandik had left just a few hours ago to conduct field research in Ardravi Valley with a fellow scholar, Sohreh--a name you knew all too well from many late night lore spirals.
You'd put on your best smile, you knew how this was going to end, before leaving your dwelling to see Zandik and Sohreh off.
Once you got to the Akademiya, you cut through the house of Daena to get to Bimarstan, where the three of you were meeting.
As you approached Birmarstan you caught a glimpse of familiar blue hair. As you got closer you saw Sohreh talking to an annoyed Zandik who was barely hiding his annoyance at the woman.
Once Zandik saw you, he abandoned whatever conversation he and Sohreh were having and began walking towards you.
The two of you had gotten quite close in the past year and a half at the Akademiya.
"You're late," he said, voice gruff but without any real malice.
"Or maybe I'm early," you said, grinning at him, "Time is relative Zandik."
You watched as he rolled his eyes and went to say something else, "Plus I don't remember saying an exact time."
He opened his mouth, and then decided whatever he had to say wasn't worth it, letting out a sigh and shaking his head.
You stared at him for a while.
what were you supposed to say to him?
Hey, I know it sounds a bit weird, but like...dont kill sohreh okay?
No, you couldn't just say that to him, he'd think you were insane.
You shook your head, no you'd need to find a different way to handle this. When all of the sudden, Zandik whispered right in your ear.
"What. Are. You. Thinking. About?"
You jumped, startled, taking a step back grabbing at your ear.
"Archons Zandik what is wrong with you!"
Zandik, in all his glory was trying to catch his breath from laughing at your reaction.
"You, seemed to be thinking hard about something, thought I might be the one to startle you for once," he said, giving you a smug smirk.
"Speaking of which," he said, face getting serious, "what were you thinking about so hard?
By this point Sohreh had come to join the two of you, so you didn't want to say anything that would set her or Zandik off.
"I just have a bad feeling about this trip is all."
"You're not going on it though, you shouldn't worry, you'll be fine," Zandik said.
You nodded, but internally, it's not me I worry about.
"I know, just-" you looked to the side awkwardly, "be safe you two."
"We will," Zandik said as Sohreh nodded beside him.
Shortly after your conversation in Birmarstan, the pair left leaving an uneasy feeling in your stomach. After about 15 minutes you decided to go to the House of Daena to get some of your own research done. Then a few hours later you began to make your way back to your dwelling, bringing you back to the present.
The walk to your small house was fairly short, something you were thankful for especially when you had to carry books with you. Upon arriving to your home the bad feeling came back, causing your hand to pause at your door knob.
You shook your head, there's nothing there, and you opened the door.
See nothing.
But true to your words there was nothing. Your notes and research, your clothes, your furniture all of it was gone.
"What the hell?"
You asked aloud, slowly walking into your seemingly vacant home.
Once you were a few paces in, the door slammed behind you, causing you to jolt and frantically turn around, only to be met with her.
"Istaroth..."
It was Istaroth the shade of time.
But what was she doing in your house?
"Oh, you know who I am," she gave you a small smile, "that makes this easier."
She took a step towards you, and you took one back.
"What do you want from me?"
"You cannot be here?"
"What?"
What? What was she trying to say, it wasn't like you came here of your own volition, you didn't exactly have anywhere to go.
"You're being here threatens the very rules of Teyvat," she said, tilting her head to the side, "perhaps I should explain it another way. Time here in Teyvat flows in one direction in an allocated path dictated by the Leylines. But you," she paused once more.
"You are not recorded in Teyvat's leylines and your being in this era is messing up the flow of fate."
She seemed to sense your panic and offered you what she seemed to think was a calming smile. It did anything but calm you.
"It is time you leave this era," she said it so simply, like it was just a casual thing to say.
you tilted your head at her, "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm sending you to the far future, where your presence will no longer interfere with the fate of that man."
"So this is about Dottore?"
The question slipped out before you could stop it.
Her eyes widened, "if you know who he is to become you must know exactly why you cannot be here any longer."
She paused, allowing you to connect the dots.
He isn't going to kill Sohreh, he was changing, he could be saved.
And then you actually heard the meaning behind her words.
"You," your voice broke, "You want him to go down that path? To kill all those people and-"
you didn't know what else to say.
"You know that I, just as the Mahamatra, am impartial to these things. It is not a matter of what I want and do not want, do not make this more difficult than it needs to be. "
You stared at her.
"Why do you follow the rules of that god?"
She stared back at you, reaching her hand out, hand touching you shoulder, "because it's my duty."
And then everthing went dark.
Days later, Zandik returned to Sumeru City with an alive Sohreh.
He made his way to your house after a brief trip to the Akademiya to report on he and Sohreh's research, only to find your home abandoned, void of anything you.
A week later he left the Akademiya, not as an outcast, but as a dropout.
Months later he met the director of the Fatui, Pierro, and became the Fatui Harbinger Il Dottore, who he remained for over 400 years.
Il Dottore, second of the Fatui Harbingers became known as a strict Harbinger.
Those who worked under him spoke to his diligence in the lab in research and experimentation. Rumors surrounded the man, some true, some twisted versions of the truth, and some false in every sense.
One thing was clear to those who worked under him, he hated the gods for they stole something precious from him.
The Present Era- Teyvat
When you awoke you found yourself in the grassy fields outside of Sumeru City. You were in common clothing, your scholars robes nowhere to be seen.
"God, what happened?"
Your head was pounding, and you were having trouble remembering how you got here.
You slowly sat up, looking up at the sunrise in the distance.
Maybe someone in the Akademiya would be able to explain what happened.
You slowly made your way to the Akademiya, and then tried to go into the library where you were stopped by a Matra.
"Excuse me, only students are permitted to go any further."
You gave the Matra a blank look, then looked at your clothes.
you did look a little strange, it wasn't everyday citizens decided to go into the Akademiya.
"I'm not wearing my robes, but I am a scholar, I can give you my name and we can look through the registry together."
That answer seemed to satisfy him and the two of you went further into the Akademiya to a small room full of registries from the years. The Matra looked on the shelves, fingers going along the spines of different registries looking for the current list.
"Ah, here it is," he said quietly, pulling it off the shelf and putting it on a small table in the room.
"What'd you say your name was?" He asked as he opened the book.
"Oh right, it's, " you told him your name and watched as he searched through the list of students.
"Your name isn't in here," he said, looking up from the registry and narrowing his eyes at you, "you should know interfering with the Matra is a punishable offense."
"I am a student though," you persisted, "I don't know why I'm not on the list."
"Listen-"
"Let me look," you said, already reaching for the now closed registry, "and if I'm not in there I'll leave."
The looked you up and down, letting out a sigh, "fine."
As you grabbed the registry and turned it around so you could read it you noticed something.
"This is the wrong year."
"What?"
"This is," you paused, the year was over 400 years in the future, your vision blurred.
What in Teyvat was happening to you.
And then everything came back.
Istaroth.
She must've sent you to the future where the traveler had already began their journey, or a little earlier.
"Are you okay?" The Matra's voice took you out of your spiral, bringing you back to reality.
"Yes, well not really, but let's just say yes," you said.
Smooth, real smooth.
He narrowed his eyes at you, "okay."
"Can I look at an older registry?"
If he could've he would've narrowed his eyes further, "Sure, not like it'll do you any good."
You nodded at him, and searched through the shelves for the year you were looking for.
After about 5 minutes of searching you found a dusty registry on the bottom row of a shelf in the corner of the room.
Bingo.
You grabbed the book, blowing some dust off, and set it on the table.
You cracked the book open and flipped through the pages, you came across Zandik's picture first. He was scowling at the Kamera, he really did hate pictures, didn't he. It was a wonder you were ever able to convince him to take them with you.
You shook your head, you couldn't get distracted, he was Dottore now, there was no way he would remember you, a scholar from his past.
You kept flipping through the pages until you got to your name and picture.
"There!" you exclaimed aloud to the Matra, who walked around the table to see what you were looking at.
You pointed at the picture, then looked at him, "There I am!"
He looked at the picture then at you, then back at the picture.
"You were a student over 400 years ago?"
You stared at him.
right, that is strange, people don't just live that long, and do I even still want to be a scholar? The people I once knew are long dead. Zandik isn't here and-
You looked back down to the book.
And what? Zandik was gone, he was Dottore now. Curse Istaroth, she had said your actions have begun to change fate and yet she wouldn't let you stay to fully take him off the path of becoming Dottore.
"Yeah, but maybe it's time I turn my gaze at different endeavors," you said.
Perhaps I'll travel Teyvat. Maybe go to Liyue, Zandik and I always wanted to see the Lantern Rite. I wonder how different it'll look from in-game.
Of course your mind will always wander back to thoughts of him.
The Matra was silent beside you.
You slowly excused yourself from the room, ignorant of what you had just set in motion, and began to make your way to Port Ormos and then to Liyue.
Perhaps Zhongli would have some advice on my situation.
In the 400 or so years Dottore worked to become the second Harbinger, he had acquired many contacts across Teyvat. While the majority of them only reached out to his subordinates regarding interesting rumors on Khaenri'ean technology or ruins, some of the more excentric contacts would send in rumors that no normal person could explain.
So imagine his surprise when one such rumor crossed his desk.
"Woman/Man from Sumeru claims to be a scholar from over 400 years ago, and then disappears from Sumeru."
Now that was interesting.
It was safe to say his research could be placed on hold, this was a far more important task.
Teyvat-- Liyue
After a few weeks of travel you found yourself in the nation of contracts, just in time for the Lantern Rite.
You bought a few nights at an inn in the city and set out to enjoy your evening.
Or enjoy it as much as you could when you wanted to be spending it with someone else.
Why can't I stop thinking about him?
You came to a fence outlooking the ocean, and leaned on it.
I wonder how far out from the Traveler's introduction into Teyvat we are.
Teyvat-- Snezhnaya--1 week earlier
In his lab, Dottore (plural) were holed up in a room, map haphazardly pinned onto a wall, notes written on chalkboards, papers littering various tables.
"Is it them?"
"It must be, who else could it be?"
"But why now?"
"Do you think it has to do with the prophecy?"
"How are we supposed to know"
"The original has died already, are we next"
18 slammed his hands on a table, and the room went silent, "stop bickering."
Omega gave him a sneer, "I know you feel that you know her the best, but do not forget, we all have memories of them."
25 nodded his head towards 8, "except him."
8 crossed his arms letting out a 'hmph,' "Does that truly matter? At this point I'm as invested in this person as the rest of you."
18 shook his head, "It doesn't matter, they appear to be going to Liyue."
Omega nodded, "Indeed, and I do think it's about time you go say hello 18, don't you?"
He shot Omega a glare, "indeed it is."
Current Day Teyvat-- Liyue
As you stared out at the ocean you couldn't help but get the feeling that you were being watched.
You let out a sigh and began walking towards the festivities trying the different foods.
Damn, I feel like an anime protagonist mourning my dead wife, and the guy isn't even dead.
You stopped at a fortune stall.
"May I tell you your fortune?" the vender asked.
"Ah, sure," you said, moving to pull out your mora pouch, "how much?"
The vender simply smiled at you, "On the house."
You gave them a smile, "Thank you."
"Of course," the old woman extended a hand towards you, "your hand."
"Ah, of course," you said, holding your hand out to her, palm up.
She grabbed your hand with her right hand, and slowly with her left ran her fingers along the lines of your palm.
Zandik would get a kick out of this.
"Interesting," she said after a small while.
"Interesting?" you echoed.
She nodded, "You're an intellect who has lived through many major life changes," she paused, tracing another line, "it seems you will soon find a rekindled love."
You paused at her last statement, "I see."
She slowly let go of your hand, giving you a smile, "Have a nice Lantern Rite you two."
"You as well,- wait two?"
You turned to your left slightly behind you, coming face to face with Zandik.
You tackled him into a hug, body moving before your mind could process what was happening.
"How are you here?" you asked, voice a whisper.
He was here, flesh and bone, adorned in his scholar robes, in your arms. but above all he was warm, human.
You took a step back, removing your arms from him, and looking at him.
"Zandik, no," you paused, was it him? "Dottore?"
That name felt foreign on your tongue.
He shook his head and then reached out and grabbed your hand, leading you away from the busy alley of stalls to a quiet bench.
What in the world was happening.
"I know you have questions, but for now can we just stay like this?" he asked quietly, hand still holding yours.
You stared out at the starry sky.
"Of course Zandik."
A/n:
I'm debating doing an alternative version of this where it's just time travel (no isekai). it would be less romancey (or so I say rn, but I know myself and I will inevitably make it romancey somehow lol).
And I know that there wasn't much on the prophecy from the first part. I think it kinda fits. Sure, Omega and maybe some of the older segments would care about it more, but I firmly think 18 and prbably 25 would just be happy to have you back, prophecy be damned.
Anyways! What does everyone think of the new version???? are you pulling for sandrone?? I got her this morning and will be building her after my exam!
hiii how are you?? i saw ur harbingers’ fic and they were all so cute, ur writing is very pretty
can I request childe x reader that reader is from fatui and pulcinella’a assistant, she likes him but shes too afraid to speak so she find excuses (like paperworks or pulcinella’s other work idk) to just talk w him ??
Hello! I am doing fairly well!
I shall try my best to capture their characters but I'm going to go out on a limb and say Pulcinella is going to be ooc (since we don't know much about him lolol).
I can see this going one of two ways, both with the same outcome.
a. Pulcinella really likes his assistant and sees her as a daughter/granddaughter (idk how old he is lol), and sees how she looks at Tartaglia and helps her out some.
b. Pulcinella doesn't see her as a daughter/granddaughter but more of the best assistant he's had and just decides to let it her and Tartaglia's romance play out.
I personally really like the first option (we know he's good with children as Childe's siblings talk about him in their letters), so that's what I'll be going with! I hope it is to your liking I went in a bit of a different direction, taking the focus away from her being scared to talk to him and putting it onto the two's relationship. I also find the concept of relationships in the Fatui just interesting to me in general so I might talk about that in a drabble later on.
Sorry for this taking a bit of time, on with the ask! I hope you enjoy!
I think her initial meeting with him would be when he first became a Harbinger and hadn't yet debuted to the public (so everyone knew there was a new harbinger but not yet who he was).
It was a typical Tuesday, paperwork, managing ledgers, running around Zapolyarny Palace on orders from Pulcinella.
Or it was a typical tuesday, until you ran squarely into someone's chest on the way back to Pulcinella's office, causing papers to go flying.
You stumbled back, almost falling backward. Only for a hand to find yours pulling you forward, stabilizing you.
Whatever words you had about telling the person to not stop in the middle of a hallway died on your tongue upon seeing his azure eyes.
He was pretty.
And you were staring.
For once you were thankful to your mask for hiding part of your face.
You slowly let go of his hand, deciding to begin picking up your papers, making small talk while doing so.
"I haven't seen you around before, are you new?"
"Yeah, something like that," he said slowly, bending down to help you pick up your papers.
you gave him a slight glance, he was clearly a high ranking officer, he wasn't wearing the masks lower ranking Fatuus had to wear.
You suddenly became acutely aware of the cold porcelain mask that adorned your face.
"Are you enjoying the Palace so far?" you asked, trying to get him talk more.
"Yeah, about that," his voice trailed off, causing you to look at him as he looked to the side and scratched his cheek in embarrassment, "I'm kinda lost at the moment."
You let out a small chuckle and smiled to yourself.
"Hey! what was that for?" He said, finally getting out of his shell some.
you shook your head, picking up the remaining papers and standing up, "Nothing, nothing, I just remember when I first started and was the same way. After a few days you'll find your way."
He narrowed his eyes at you as though he didn't believe your words, handing you the papers he picked up.
"Where are you trying to go, I might be able to help."
"The Mayor's office," he replied back to being embarrassed about being lost.
"Ah, that just so happens to be my destination as well, we can walk together."
He smiled at you, "well, lead the way my noble guide."
You fought the urge to smile, and began the trek back to your boss's office, making small talk while you did.
Once you got there, he went in to talk to Pulcinella and you returned to your desk to write a report on the budget change to give to Pulcinella.
After a 15 or so minutes he came out, gave you a smile, thanked you for showing him to Pulcinella's office and bid you farewell.
It was days later when you found out through the morning newspaper who the mystery man was, Lord Tartaglia or as your fellow Fatui called him, Childe.
Pulcinella's Conundrum, or how your boss became your wingman
Upon finding out his rank, you tried to squander any feelings that had began to form towards the ginger-haired man; however, after bumping into him in the hall a few more times and learning more about him, you quickly realized burying your feelings would be pointless.
In the months that followed your first meeting you began to see Childe around the palace more and more, be it in the hallway on your way to the other harbinger's offices, or at your desk when he was meeting with Pulcinella.
And for a while, you were fine with the small hallway rendezvous. Or so you said.
Truth be told you wanted to seek him out and get to know him better, but acting on such urges would be unbecoming because he was a Harbinger and you were an assistant. And the Fatui was very strict about its rules.
At least, that's what you told yourself, in truth you you were afraid. You didn't want to get hurt from unrequited feelings. But after a month of 'being happy with the small hallway rendezvous,' you wanted more. So you started seeking him out under the guise of work.
Of course, it was nothing out of the ordinary, or at least not to anyone who didn't know you. Or so you thought.
You would go to Childe's office to give him papers from Pulcinella, or wave at him in the courtyard if he was taking a break from training recruits.
It was a Friday, seven months after Childe became a Harbinger, when you were summoned by Pulcinella.
"Take a seat, my dear," Pulcinella said.
You obliged, staying silent as you did so.
He momentarily glanced up from his paperwork, "Get yourself some tea while you wait."
Once he finished his work he wasted no time.
"Do you have feelings towards Tartaglia?"
Causing you, midway through a sip of tea, to make a gurgling sound as you choked on your tea. As you had a small coughing fit, your boss simply watched silently.
"I--"
"I think your reaction speaks for itself," he stated leaving no room for argument.
"Yessir," you paused, what were you supposed to do? "I won't pursue anything from him, please do not worry about that."
You bowed in your seat, "I won't do anything that could stain your name."
You'd been working for Pulcinella for many years by now and had a lot of respect for the man, viewing him as a father figure at work. You would never do anything that could negatively impact him.
He let out a chuckle, causing you to look up at him.
"Alas my dear, I do not think you need to bury such feelings," he said, leaning his head forward onto his folded hands, "we follow the Archon of Love, you should pursue them."
You could feel heat rise to your face, as you sputtered to respond.
"Wha-"
"And I'll help you."
You were stumped. Your boss, a Harbinger, was going to help you confess your feelings towards Childe?
Operation: "Get That Man" (Pulcinella probably)
After your 'meeting' with Pulcinella, he began to give you more tasks relating to a certain blue-eyed harbinger.
For the first few days of working closely with Childe everything was fine, you two chatted like normal between your various tasks and you even began getting closer to him. Soon you didn't need to hide behind the guise of paperwork to talk to him. You slowly began to learn about his family and siblings, his hobbies, and his dreams.
And then, just as you two began to grow closer, he told you he was being sent to Liyue.
"Childe, what's with the long face?" you asked one day after handing him some paperwork from Pulcinella, sitting on the edge of his desk, legs swinging beneath you.
He looked strained, as though what he was going to say physically harmed him.
"I'm being sent to Liyue." He finally said, avoiding your gaze.
"For how long?"
"I," he paused, "I don't know."
After he told you the news the two of you fell into an emotional silence that you broke, as you excused yourself to return to Pulcinella.
When you asked Pulcinella if it was true he slowly nodded, almost as though it broke his heart as much as it did yours.
For a while you and Childe's relationship continued as it had, albiet with some unnamed tension between the two of you after that day. Your conversations became purely work focused, and you wore your Fatui mask like armor because you were afraid that if he saw your eyes he'd see right through you.
And then the day of his departure came.
The palace was frantic, crates and soldiers were wandering the halls, the courtyard looked like a battle zone (one where the crates had won), with the Harbinger in question leading the charge down at the docks.
Pulcinella called you into his office under the guise of needing clarification on one of the documents you'd submitted to him.
"You called for me sir?" You asked, as you entered his office.
"Sit."
Oh no, he has that 'you've made a big mistake' tone. Have I messed up any paperwork or forgotten anything important?
The sound of Pulcinella's voice halted your spiral, "How long do you plan on acting like this?"
His words were harsh, but his voice carried the worry of a parent.
"I don't understand sir."
He shook his head, "You and Tartaglia."
Your mouth formed an O-shape and he continued on, "You need to remedy the situation, he leaves today."
Your shoulders sagged at his words, "I know its just," you paused, voice breaking, "What am I supposed to do?"
Pulcinella gave you a 'really?' look, "Tell him how you feel."
"But what if he rejects me?"
Pulcinella put his hands together, "What if's are the risks in life that someone needs to be willing to take. In the time you've worked at the Fatui we've suffered many losses."
"Yes, but-"
"No buts, it's a fact of life, my dear."
You stared out the window behind him, at the snowy landscape of your homeland, trying to understand what he wanted you to do.
"Allow me to put it another way: in life, it's better to regret something you have done rather than something you haven't. You love him don't you?"
You found yourself nodding at his question before you could even comprehend your own action.
"Then go to him."
The Finale
You slowly left Pulcinella's office, thoughts lingering on your conversation.
you, loved him.
You loved Tartaglia.
You knew you had some feelings, but you had assumed they were shallow, that they'd fade with time. Not that they were something as serious as love.
And so it was unsurprising when you found your feet moving you toward the docks.
Love causes people to act in strange ways.
Soon you were running, heels clicking on the cool tile of the palace floors. Feet taking you from the 5th floor of the palace to the courtyard and then to the docks. Somewhere along the way your mask fell from your face, but you didn't care and continued running.
By the time you got to the docks your breathing was erratic and you you were forced to take a small break catching your breath as you looked for him.
The call of your name from behind you startled you.
You turned around slowly, suddenly very aware of the fact that your mask wasn't on your face.
His eyes widened upon seeing your face, your true face.
"What are you doing here?"
You opened your mouth and then closed it.
What were you supposed to say? I'm madly in love with you and wanted, needed, to tell you before you left?
"I-"
He stared, expectantly.
Your gaze drifted to the Palace behind him, it was snowing again.
"I'm in love with you."
he opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off, "I don't expect you to return my feelings, I just wanted to tell you before you left."
You bowed, "Please be safe on your journey, excuse me."
And then you tried to book it, only for a firm grasp on your wrist to stop you in your tracks.
You turned around, staring at the ginger-haired man.
His ocean eyes stared into your own, "you're not messing with me?"
you pursed your lips and shook your head, expecting him to say something about how this goes against the rules of the Fatui or--
He pulled you into a hug, whispering into your hair, "me too."
Bonus:
He wrote to his family about you the day he met you telling them he met someone kind at the 'toy factory' who helped him out.
And then you kept showing up in his letters to the point that his mom had a running joke that one of these days he'd show up with you when visiting them
During his time in Liyue the two of you wrote letters to each other every week (which he signed, "much love, your Ajax"
Pulcinella periodically asks when the two of you are going to make it official
A/n:
Something about Snezhnaya being ruled by the archon who supposedly represents love. And how love forbidden in the Fatui, so in order for the reader to truly show that she loves childe she must shed her mask (and therefore love him as herself and not as a member of the Fatui) idk maybe stretching with this.
I feel like this literally just turned into my HCs of Pulcinella as a father figure (lol), so sorry about that lol.
I hope this kept the base of what you were asking for (even tho the execution might've been a bit different from what you were asking for).
And I am working on other asks! I was a bit busy last weekend and am going to be busy this week (I have an exam XD), so it might take a bit for any other responses to come up from me.
God I love the isekai concept so freaking much. Like I'm aware of SAGAU (self aware genshin alternative universe) but plenty of fics have the reader being treated like the Creator/God and personally being treated like God feels weird to me, maybe just a me thing.
I would genuinely love something where the reader gets isekaied into Genshin during playing and the cast knows that they are basically just a normal person (one that can killed by a gang of hilichurls no doubt); but they're still very important like the Traveler because oh I don't know-- they literally know the PLOT (and thus the future).
I went a little ham on this ask, sorry about the length lol, but here we go!
I completely agree with being a bit weirded out by getting literally worshipped (lol).
My favorite take on the SAGAU is that the traveler could hear them the whole time. With this (and maybe its been done before and I just haven't seen it), if other characters in the party can hear them as well when close to the traveler. I think this might be where the god aspect comes in tbh (because how else to you explain a mysterious voice?)
I'd like to think that they're important to the Traveler because they've been with the Traveler (in essence) from day one (the opening cut scene when they were separated from their sibling and met Paimon).
“and then that god stole my sibling from me”
“what. sibling-napping in the big 2000?”
“paimon did you hear that?”
(then again at the hill out looking mondstadt)
“Wow, that’s phenomenal, i’ve seen sneak peaks but seeing it here they clearly didn’t do Teyvat justice”
The Traveler had learned their lesson from the first time they heard the voice and didn’t mention it to Paimon, keeping it to themselves.
In the beginning of meeting them in person, I think the Traveler would definitely lean towards the reader being some benevolent god (only for them to do something so human that the Traveler's perception shifts from god to person so quickly).
And while I do think it would be interesting if the reader knew the whole plot I feel like it wouldn’t make the most sense (idrk how to explain it properly).
I think the Reader would’ve just seen a sneak peak trailer into the next patch or something, boot up the game to actually see how the update is and get swept into the game (maybe falling directly onto the Traveler—who only recognizes them from their voice).
As the familiar Celestial door opened and you were blinded with the bright glow of your phone, you suddenly felt the plush of your bed disappear beneath you as you fell into the arms of Aether/Lumine?!
"I must be dreaming right now," you said to yourself quietly and you removed yourself from the Traveler, offering a small apology to them.
Their amber eyes widened at your voice, "it's you."
I think the most value that the reader would offer would be from your vast knowledge of the genshin lore and elemental reactions (and the fact that you actually understand the traveler and don’t ask for anything in return). You’d be going off of caffeine, theories based off the current lore, and the dream to see the end of the game.
"Get behind me," the Traveler called out to you and Paimon for the nth time as the three of you began to traverse the new region, another enemy preparing to attack.
The Traveler ran away from you and Paimon, causing the enemy to follow them instead of focusing on you and Paimon.
"Traveler, it looks similar to a the cryo shield around Cryo Abyss mages, use Pyro to melt it and then go for a physical attack."
The Traveler did as you commanded and the enemy was taken care of swiftly.
"Thanks for the tip, I would've struggled against it for a while if you didn't tell me what I should do," the said, scratching their cheek in embarrassment.
For the rest of the cast, I think their reactions would vary.
If they were also able to hear you then perhaps they would (similar to the traveler) also see you as a god in the beginning. However, if they couldn't hear you, then they'd likely see you as an extension of the Traveler in the beginning before they saw how useful your extensive knowledge of the lore was. Which would peak their interest, how does one get to be so knowledgable??
Alternatively, I think you'd have characters who are interested in you because of the fact that you are a descender (not from Teyvat and not in the Leylines). Maybe this means that the Archons (and other beings) sense that in you and keep a closer watch on you.
The Fatui keeping tabs on you because the Tsaritsa wants to know more about you and how your knowledge can serve her cause
Dain and the Abyss being interested in you because you remain unaffected by abyssal corruption and even know what the hilichurls truly are (which is noteworthy)
Bonus to the last bullet: Abyss sibling seeking you out to question you about your motives with their sibling and teyvat as a whole
The other Archons seeking you out if you enter their nation under the guise of seeing the traveler again. They simply wish to understand who you are, two descenders at one time?
I think the extensions of the Archons would be more outward about their curiosity (and borderline initial hostility). Think Xiao, Yae Miko, and Wanderer. I think they'd be both curious and wary (obv they'd all have different responses, but they'd be defensive of their Archon).
With this though I will say there is a difference between curiosity and reverence. They most certainly know that you're a human and can die, but you are also very very interesting because of your knowledge of the lore and the fact that you're a descender.
How would the different segments react to hearing the prophecy that you mentioned in the drabble?
I feel like the younger ones would take it with suspicion while the older ones would be more wary, with Omega being kinda cocky in his response to it.
I think it depends on the segments and how it is brought up to them.
If you just went up to them randomly and were like "You're gonna die" obviously they're going to react with hostility and confusion. BUT if you do so tactfully then the response would be different.
And of course your relationship with Dottore will change the response immensely. (if you are some stranger, you're being turned into an experiment, Im sorry I dont make the rules)
for the purpose of this ask I'm going with a lab assistant! reader (specifically someone who has worked with him and interacted with the six segments for many years).
all that being said!
I feel like it would go something like this:
8- He's the youngest perspective and a lot of people treat him strangely for that, so if you sat him down ruffling through his hair and explained the prophecy to him, I firmly believe he would only understand certain parts of it.
And even then, the certain parts depend entirely on the events that have occurred. If the original Zandik hadn't yet passed he likely wouldn't understand your words until after the fact.
8 would receive your prophecy with confusion at your words and the threat behind them. Why tell him that he is going to die? He knows that you aren't threatening him but your words confuse him. He doesn't want to die.
"What do you mean by that?" the youngest segment asked, wide red eyes looking up to you with confusion and slight fear.
You ruffled his hair, and he hugged your torso clutching the fabric muttering into your shirt, "I don't want to die."
18- He's the second youngest and extremely cocky. If you've read this drabble then you basically already know how 18 would react in essence. But to those who haven't.
He would be confused at your words. Similar to 8, if the og zandik has passed he will have a slightly different reaction (Cockily asking you if you're speaking of a future that has already come to pass or if you are threatening him). If the og zandik hasn't passed yet he would be confused, brushing off your vague warning only focusing on the fact that you think he'll do great things lol.
His eyes narrowed at you before he smiled, all teeth.
"Oh? You know you can just tell me you think I'll do great things," he said, mischief dancing in his ruby eyes, "I can do without the nonsense however."
25- I kinda see him as being reserved, he has emotions but he buries them deep choosing instead to act with logic as opposed to selfish desires.
25 would take your words with seeming grace, eyebrows furrowing together slightly in confusion at your words, lips pursing beneath his mask at the ominous threat in the end of your so called prophecy.
tbh regardless of when he hears it, his reaction will be the same. Furrowed eyebrows, confusion dancing in his crimson eyes, lips pursed beneath his mask away from prying eyes. You'd wonder if he even cared about your statement if you didn't know him better.
His eyebrows furrowed together at your assertion.
"Interesting prophecy, did you come across it in one of your books? Or perhaps you enjoy leaving me with such crypic messages."
curiosity and confusion danced in his eyes as he awaited your response.
35- Omega. I feel like he's the most interesting of the six segments. I completely agree with you, he would def be cocky in his response. BUT he isnt dumb, while your so called prophecy intrigues him, he masks his Skepticism at your warning with cockiness.
Oh, and his response most definitely depends on whether og zandik has died yet or not. If he has, then he is narrowing his eyes beneath his mask what information did you have to push you to this conclusion, while simultaneously grinning at you and being cocky in his response.
If he hasn't, he is still skeptical of you, but just sees the prophecy as you being worried for him. If this is the case he will probably give you some half baked cocky response before continuing with whatever he was doing, the prophecy swimming in the back of his mind as he worked.
"Oh, worrying about me already?" he scoffed, "Don't take pity on me just because the original is gone."
He cocked his head to the side, eyes hidden beneath the mask, "I'm not some weakling whose simply going to die because of the 'price of my success.'" he sneered, "and even if I do die, I am first and foremost a scholar, that outcome should be the focus of the hypothetical me confronted with such an event. Why would I worry about such outcomes now when I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
45, I think by this point he is more mellow, still excentric (do not get me wrong lol) but definitely more mellow than say 18 or 35.
While he would be confused and intrigued by your prophecy, I think he'd take it more as you being concerned for him and the others' wellbeing. He'd probably tell you that he appreciated your confidence in his work but that you shouldn't worry about him too much (some of his cockiness coming out here)
"Dont worry about me, I'm a harbinger afterall," he paused, seeing your expression remained pensive, "and remember, I've been alive for too long to let death catch me now."
65, very similar to 45 he is extremely mellow compared to his younger versions. Unlike the others however, his expressions are completely covered by his plague doctor mask making it difficult to see how he truly feels about the prophecy.
I firmly believe he would be the one who actually took the prophecy at face value, especially if og zandik has passed at this point.
"I see," he said softly, continuing to write notes from an experiment earlier that day.
seeming to sense your apprehension at his lack of reply he closed his lab notebook.
"There is no need for you to fret about my relationship with death," he paused his words and he turned his body to fully face you, "I am prepared to pay such prices in the pursuit of wisdom my dear, but do not thing I am simply going to lay down and die for such frivolous reasons. I have countermeasures in place."
Anyways thank you for listening to my TED talk lolol.
Imagine getting isekai-ed (or hell a time travel au could also work for this) and meeting academia Zandik and getting close to him knowing that he could kill you at any point.
Wanting so badly to tell him everything because even though he did such horrible things you don't want him to die, only to bite back the unfortunate future that awaits him choosing instead to enjoy the fleeting time you have with him and offer him instead a prophecy, a vague warning of sorts.
You looked at Zandik, he looked so young here. You don't remember exactly how it happened, one moment you were in your home, mourning the Doctor, the next you were in a lecture hall of the Sumeru Academia witnessing Dotto-
No he was not yet Dottore, you mentally corrected yourself.
You were witnessing Zandik, argue with an Academia professor on the accuracy of the professor's assertion. Something about ethics in research and the reason behind the rules of the Academia's research process.
Specifically, Zandik was arguing about the pointlessness of the research process.
"How is one supposed to push the boundaries of what is known or not known if we are confined by such paltry ethics?"
The class was silent, and the professor was fuming.
"Paltry?" The professor saw red, "we have rules in place to ensure no one crosses boundaries research was never meant to cros-"
"Oh and what boundaries are those," Zandik asked, a rhetorical question, "Better question, what use are rules when the institution that created them bends them at a whim?"
The professor looked like he was about to blow a gasket, and you finally broke, a small giggle escaped you lips before it was a full blown cackle.
This had to be a joke. It had to be.
You looked around the lecture hall, clearing your throat.
"Ahem, sorry about that."
The professor's rage was on you in a second and you and Zandik were thrown out of the class deemed nuisances.
And the rest was history.
Currently, you sat next to Zandik at a table in the House of Daena. He was reading a book on ancient machinery for some research paper.
"You're doing it again."
You bit back a smile, "it seems I am."
"Why must you stare at me when we have research to do," he said ears pink as he tried to berate you.
"Can I not admire the view?" you asked, enjoying the way his attention left the book and focused on you completely as his face flushed.
"cute"
"wha-" he cut himself off, clearing his throat and picking his book up again, "We have things we need to do."
How did someone as sweet as you go down such a path? you wondered to yourself silently. A sad knowing smile painted you lips momentarily, it started with Soreh didn't it.
You shook your head, the Zandik before you hadn't done anything damning yet so you shouldn't think like that. What if I told him.
You shut down that thought immediately. Tell him, and then what, wait for him to deem you crazy?
But you still found your thoughts drifting back, what if you did tell him, would it change anything?
Perhaps, perhaps not. You had no way of knowing afterall. Still, you decided to try.
"Zandik," you called, grabbing his attention once more.
"What?," he asked, narrowing his eyes at you, "you'd better not be distracting me for no reason."
You huffed back a laugh, "I do everything for a reason, Zandik, you just don't always see the bigger picture."
"What's that supposed to mean‽ "
You smiled, "I have a prophecy for you."
He humored you, "a prophecy?"
You nodded, "In the future, you will achieve many great things. Things you can't even fathom in your current state."
Zandik's red eyes widened at your assertion and bore into your own, and you saw it in his eyes. This was a future he dreamed of.
"However," you continued, watching the way his adams apple bobbed in his throat as you spoke, "in return you will face death three times."
He set his book down, opening his mouth to question what you meant.
"The first will be the death of your original self."
"My original self?"
You nodded.
"The second will be the death of your perspectives."
"My perspectives?"
You nodded once again.
"And what's the third?"
A bitter smile found its way to your lips, "the third is that which is promised to everyone who walks this plane that no one can escape."
Zandik narrowed his eyes at you, mouthing some of your statements back to himself trying to make sense of them.
Finally though he let out an agitated huff, "that makes no sense, I told you not to distract me with nonsense."
You shook your head, and laughed.
he'd understand in due time.
A/n:
He's such a cutie I'm sorry.
also sorry if this doesn't make sense lol, I wrote it in one sitting while I should've been studying :P
I'm debating making a second part to this, but the route the second part takes is dependent on the AU.
I mentioned in the first post that it could be isekai or a time travel AU, so now I suppose the question is what path do I commit to for the second part?
For the isekai AU it'd be more light hearted, in my opinion.
Think modern reader shenanigans less serious than the time travel AU.
Whereas for the time travel AU I'd have to get a bit more in the weeds of time travel (obv) as well as the rules that govern Teyvat.
Nothing too serious but less light hearted than the isekai AU
Regardless of the one that wins, it will be Dottore-centric lol and will feature the segments!
Imagine getting isekai-ed (or hell a time travel au could also work for this) and meeting academia Zandik and getting close to him knowing that he could kill you at any point.
Wanting so badly to tell him everything because even though he did such horrible things you don't want him to die, only to bite back the unfortunate future that awaits him choosing instead to enjoy the fleeting time you have with him and offer him instead a prophecy, a vague warning of sorts.
You looked at Zandik, he looked so young here. You don't remember exactly how it happened, one moment you were in your home, mourning the Doctor, the next you were in a lecture hall of the Sumeru Academia witnessing Dotto-
No he was not yet Dottore, you mentally corrected yourself.
You were witnessing Zandik, argue with an Academia professor on the accuracy of the professor's assertion. Something about ethics in research and the reason behind the rules of the Academia's research process.
Specifically, Zandik was arguing about the pointlessness of the research process.
"How is one supposed to push the boundaries of what is known or not known if we are confined by such paltry ethics?"
The class was silent, and the professor was fuming.
"Paltry?" The professor saw red, "we have rules in place to ensure no one crosses boundaries research was never meant to cros-"
"Oh and what boundaries are those," Zandik asked, a rhetorical question, "Better question, what use are rules when the institution that created them bends them at a whim?"
The professor looked like he was about to blow a gasket, and you finally broke, a small giggle escaped you lips before it was a full blown cackle.
This had to be a joke. It had to be.
You looked around the lecture hall, clearing your throat.
"Ahem, sorry about that."
The professor's rage was on you in a second and you and Zandik were thrown out of the class deemed nuisances.
And the rest was history.
Currently, you sat next to Zandik at a table in the House of Daena. He was reading a book on ancient machinery for some research paper.
"You're doing it again."
You bit back a smile, "it seems I am."
"Why must you stare at me when we have research to do," he said ears pink as he tried to berate you.
"Can I not admire the view?" you asked, enjoying the way his attention left the book and focused on you completely as his face flushed.
"cute"
"wha-" he cut himself off, clearing his throat and picking his book up again, "We have things we need to do."
How did someone as sweet as you go down such a path? you wondered to yourself silently. A sad knowing smile painted you lips momentarily, it started with Soreh didn't it.
You shook your head, the Zandik before you hadn't done anything damning yet so you shouldn't think like that. What if I told him.
You shut down that thought immediately. Tell him, and then what, wait for him to deem you crazy?
But you still found your thoughts drifting back, what if you did tell him, would it change anything?
Perhaps, perhaps not. You had no way of knowing afterall. Still, you decided to try.
"Zandik," you called, grabbing his attention once more.
"What?," he asked, narrowing his eyes at you, "you'd better not be distracting me for no reason."
You huffed back a laugh, "I do everything for a reason, Zandik, you just don't always see the bigger picture."
"What's that supposed to mean‽ "
You smiled, "I have a prophecy for you."
He humored you, "a prophecy?"
You nodded, "In the future, you will achieve many great things. Things you can't even fathom in your current state."
Zandik's red eyes widened at your assertion and bore into your own, and you saw it in his eyes. This was a future he dreamed of.
"However," you continued, watching the way his adams apple bobbed in his throat as you spoke, "in return you will face death three times."
He set his book down, opening his mouth to question what you meant.
"The first will be the death of your original self."
"My original self?"
You nodded.
"The second will be the death of your perspectives."
"My perspectives?"
You nodded once again.
"And what's the third?"
A bitter smile found its way to your lips, "the third is that which is promised to everyone who walks this plane that no one can escape."
Zandik narrowed his eyes at you, mouthing some of your statements back to himself trying to make sense of them.
Finally though he let out an agitated huff, "that makes no sense, I told you not to distract me with nonsense."
You shook your head, and laughed.
he'd understand in due time.
A/n:
He's such a cutie I'm sorry.
also sorry if this doesn't make sense lol, I wrote it in one sitting while I should've been studying :P
