Ok I Know I Have Like 6 Asks In My Box Right Now, But I Keep Having A Bunch Of Random Ideas Lately.

Ong helo again, i want to req reverse streamer au w childe when the reader acc dies at the golden house where the traveller aka childe fight them amdjjsjsjs, i kinda wanna see how his reaction is. (Lets just say the liyue harbor osial attack was done by another hsrbinger)

Just this and if yoi dont write for angst or you dont wanna write this feel free to delete thsi req. (I got the request idea when j was reading your latest work, it was really good 🤸‍♂️)

Yeah give me that angst baybee im a sucker for sadness

I may be a bit bad at writing angst tho, its not my strongest in writing

Also i know you cant see in game bruises/scratches but lets just pretend they exist even out of cutscene

Lets pretend Y/n's little sibling in game is also named Teucer

-ˋˏ✄— Fallen Harbinger

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Tartaglia x Reader [ Reversed + Streamer AU ! ]

Pronouns: they/them

"Farewell, Fallen Harbinger."

CW: Angst! Death! Mentions of blood!

.navigation. // .genshin impact masterlist.

'Go to the Golden House,' the quest read.

It had just been another regular day for Childe. Wake up, do his morning chores, then do his regular, messily scheduled streaming.

And, as per usual, he had been streaming Genshin Impact, a well known game in the streaming community.

"The Golden House? Uh, okay then..."

He stole a glance at his chat, who were telling each other to shut up, while some only asked what would happen in confusion. Spoilers were probably deleted by his mods.

"Chat, you're scaring me, chat. What the hell is going to happen? No, no, don't tell me, I don't think I want to know yet."

Something in his head screamd at him, as a cutscene played. His chosen traveller looked around the Golden House before stepping closer to the Exurvia of the former Geo Archon.

And then, in stepped familiar h/c hair, their e/c eyes devoid of light despite the golden mora shining within the Golden House.

"Hey! The lil skrunkly!" He whispered, low enough to not desturb the cutscene.

They conversed for a bit, before the cutscene ended and a battle began.

"Surreder is a valid option, I promise I'll be gentle."

Childe swallowed his saliva, laughing quietly to himself.

"Oh I am going to have fun. Maybe."

─𖠄࿐

The fight ended, and Childe was shaking in his seat. He had barely finished phase 3, getting disracted many times.

Another cutscene played, revealing a tired, worn out traveller. But Y/n was no better, not even on his level.

Standing across the traveller, now out of their Foul Legacy form, was same old Y/n, shaking in their place as scratches and bruises littered their skin.

"Hah, you've bested me. How... intriguing. You truely are...as strong as they say."

Childe, having a chill run up his spine, stared intelty at his screen, deathly quiet.

"La Signora has even praised you for your strength, even if she had not faught you herself, yet. Hah, to get a Harbinger's attention and praise... You sure are a special one, huh?"

─𖠄࿐

Having none of their energy remaining, Y/n collapsed to the floor, on their knees. They could see the traveller hesitate to approach them, but they spoke before he could move.

"Well? What are you waiting for? I may have overused Foul Legacy, and it wont be too long."

They spared a glance at the traveller, and even in their weakest moment, a competetive and mischievous glint shone in their once dull eyes.

"Go on. Aren't you going to kill me?"

The traveller's breath hitched, before they chuckled once again.

"Haha, only joking... Unless you're up to it, of course. I'm not quite a fan of dying to Foul Legacy, but after a fight with the oh so great traveller? It was a fight worth dying for, I guess."

Coughing, blood trickled down their chin, and they wiped it off with the back of their hand.

"May I be able to hope to see you again? To have another battle? Perhaps in the far future, perhaps never again at all..."

Taking a step forward, the traveller ceased his motion as the Harbinger raised a hand.

"No need. Whatever healing you might try to do would not work. Foul Legacy takes my energy, decreasing my life span. Perhaps I wasn't meant to live long, perhaps my only purpose was to serve the Tsaritsa."

A chuckle, breathy and tired and solemn and...happy.

Happy to have someone to pass one last message for them.

"Before you leave," they spoke. "You'll probably be able to find one or two of the Harbingers here. One of them would be summoning a god banished to the depths below. You cannot stop them. Or maybe you can. But, before you leave."

They looked up, and despite the scratches and blood on their face, their half lidded eyes shined a thousand times brighter than all the mora in the Golden House.

"My siblings... My mother, my father... Everyone..."

They smiled, brighter than their eyes. It was soft and kind and solemn and genuine and sad.

A million words spoke through that smile. A million messages, a million apologies, a million grateful thank yous. Directed to their family, their parents, their siblings.

A million farewells. Directed to everyone.

Directed to the traveller. To Childe.

"Give them one last goodbye for me, will you? A hug, for everyone. A kiss on the cheek, for mum and dad."

A smile, solemn and bright. But never remorseful, never faux.

"Tell Teucer I'm sorry."

Falling to their side, they collapsed on the ground with a thud, and the Golden House was deathly quiet.

─𖠄࿐

Childe stared at the screen. Eyes wide, mouth agape. If you looked close enough, you could see his shaking form as the cutscene ended.

Another quest popped up.

'Bid Y/n L/n a final goodbye.'

And he wailed in his seat.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he made it seem more dramatic to make people assume he wasn't really badly affected by their death.

"I— what— NO! My skrunkly! My little meow meow!"

He moved his character to stand in front of Y/n, an interact button popping up.

'Bid your farewells.'

He did so, seeing his character change to the traveller, who kneeled down beside Y/n. Paimon floated down to the ground, placing a hand on their head.

"...We promise you, Y/n. Your family will be alright."

Taking a flower, a Cecilia from Mondstadt, the traveller gingerly placed it atop their head.

"...We'll be going now, Y/n." He said, and stood up.

Childe had been quiet the whole time, and he could see his chat going wild on the corner of his eyes, all screaming 'NO' or 'o7' or anything alike.

"What the fuck!?" He exclaimed, not touching the game. Rolling his chair backwards a bit, he turned his head to chat, hands intertwined in front of his face, covering his mouth.

He wiped his teary eyes and wet cheeks, trying to find his voice.

"That was too early! I thought I could ignore the death flags until further!!" He exclaimed, staring directly at his face cam. Running a hand through his hair, he dramatically slouched on his chair, groaning loudly.

"Nooo! I would have protected them!"

Suddenly springing up from his seat, he wailed even louder.

"THEIR FAMILY!! THEY'RE GOING TO BE FUCKING DEVASTATED! And— and— their siblings! TEUCER!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sueing Mihoyo Hoyoverse what the fuck."

─𖠄࿐

@Tartaglia Tweeted!

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT WHY I— NOOOO

@ScaryMouche Tweeted!

@Tartaglia do u know how loud u are wailing up there??

@Tartaglia Tweeted!

THEY KILLED THEM SCARA THEY KILLED Y/N

@ScaryMouche Tweeted!

WE KNOW YOUVE BEEN FUKIN CRYING ABOUT IT FOR THE PAST HOUR

@ScaryMouche Tweeted!

Honestly if u didnt pay most of the rent Dottore probably would have kicked u out before you lasted an hour in this house

@Tartaglia Tweeted!

Guys who wants to come with me lets make a personal shrine for Y/n in our backyard

@IlDottore Tweeted!

@Tartaglia Do that and I will burn you and the shrine.

—PATCHWRK !

⟣ tartaglia

notes: based off the fact that i am indeed a sleepy drunk, and also inspired by diluc’s lore with firewater, also childe lore. he can smell when something is done cooking?

warnings: self indulgent, childe is referred to by his birth name, russian pet names, suggestive themes, fluff

it’s always a beautiful sight to see your boyfriend, ajax, when he cooks in the kitchen.

second to the battlefield, this place is his domain. the sound of soft music plays in the background, and he’s completely in his element. the ginger moves his hips to the rhythm, swaying ever so gracefully while mumbling the lyrics to the current song under his breath. he’s always been a great dancer, so you’re not surprised. it makes you wonder if there’s anything he’s not good at.

you always adore seeing him in atmospheres such as this one, especially with how much he loves to cook. his lips are pursed in concentration, a cute crinkle to his nose on display from the small frown on his face. all of his movements are skilled and dexterous. his knife abilities—albeit ignoring the fact that he’s a harbinger—are precise and quick, almost like everything he’s doing is a second thought.

it may be the alcohol you had talking, or the everlasting love you have for him—or maybe both that gets you feeling extremely soft. the urge to kiss away the expression on his face is high, but you hold back on distracting him and starting something else entirely.

and speaking of distractions, your handsome boyfriend is sporting a v-neck crew shirt and some sweatpants. much different from his sharp work attire. and although loose, the material of his clothes are still somewhat form fitting. his back muscles had been flexing every so often in a way that makes it hard to peel your eyes away. you silently curse his lean muscular self for looking so soft and domestic. just really, how shameless—

“hey! you’re supposed to be helping, not slacking off!” ajax scolds, pointing a wooden spoon at you in a chastising way. but the playful lit to his tone suggests otherwise as he cocks his head, smiling. “mila, what are you daydreaming about from over there?”

you giggle, “sorry, i’m just admiring the view.”

he hums, his smile growing. “and is the view to your liking?”

“it’s likely.” you answering padding over to him.

“i hope so. i don’t look this good for nothing.”

once in his radius, he pulls you into his side, swaying you both as he stirs the food. he quietly tells you it’s his mother’s recipe and his favorite thing to make.

“may i try some?” you ask.

wordlessly, your boyfriend holds out a spoonful for you, and you happily eat off of the utensil. the juices and flavors evade your mouth, beating the rich aroma you’ve succumbed to long ago.

you close your eyes in bliss, blinking them open happily. “wow! it’s delicious, ‘jax!”

“it’s not done yet.” he explains, humbly. “almost, but not quite.”

“okay, perfectionist.” you laugh, going back for more. “still good enough to me.”

he pushes your hand back. “you’ll spoil your appetite.” he warns, frowning.

“i promise i don’t want a lot. just a smidge more. please?” you look up at him with the biggest doe eyes you can muster, and he falters, trying to look away and focus back on what he’s doing.

as uncharacteristic as it may seem, ajax does not put up very much of a fight. not that he could ever say no to you anyways.

he sighs, “alright…fine.”

while you sit and eat (after clearly giving up on helping), your boyfriend starts to ramble about some theater performance he wants to take you to in fontaine.

“so what do you think?”

you hum quietly in response, your cheek on your hand. “mmh that sounds nice…”

ajax glances over at you, concerned. you had grown awfully quiet.

“are you alright?” he asks, inspecting the rest of you for any strange signs. “we don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“i want to, yes!” your thoughts are jumbled. “and m’fine. why?” you add to reassure him, “just tired.”

‘tired? you were fine just fifteen minutes ago. so full of energy, actually’ he thinks, watching the way your eyes are suddenly drooping.

“well don’t worry, i’m almost done.” ajax assures.

“hey. did you put this in the food?” you hold up the open bottle of white wine, and some of the contents spill out. however, your boyfriend is quick to grab it once seeing how you’re swaying.

suddenly it all clicks in his brain. “ahh, i might’ve put in too much.” he chuckles, now noting the smell of the food a little bit different than usual. stronger and sharper like the wine. “that explains things. plus the firewater we had from earlier.” he recalls you taking an impressive amount of shots, trying to out beat him.

“didn’t you once say something about sharing firewater with someone in the cold makes them trustworthy? i’ve done half the battle!” you say with pride, albeit wobbling a little. “let’s go sit outside later! we’ll see who freezes first!”

ajax stares at you in awe before laughing—loudly.

“milaya, you always surprise me with just how cute you can be.” he pinches your cheeks before moving his hand to your lower back, steering you towards the couch. “now come on, sit down. you’re going to fall over at this rate.”

“‘kay.” you mumble, letting him guide you. you don’t really feel yourself moving until the plush cushion under you meets your bottom.

“i’m just going to clean up and i’ll be right back. i promise.” he reassures, squeezing your hand before releasing it.

you jump back up eagerly, “i’ll help!”

“no, you’ll stay here.” he pushes you back down gently before standing up himself. there’s a stern look on his face as he says, “you’ve had too much to drink. that’s my fault.”

a small huff leaves your mouth and you pout. your eyes start to water. “then…at least sit with me!”

“the kitchen has to be cleaned up, lisichka.” he reminds gently.

your eyes grow wetter. “the kitchen is more important than me?”

he gives you a look. “nothing could ever be more important than you. you know that.”

“then…you’ll stay. it is your fault after all.”

he laughs, scratching the back of his head, “alright then. but only for a little bit.”

the minute he sits down, you promptly slide yourself onto his lap, wordlessly making yourself comfortable.

“oh? what’s this?” his heart swells. you’re usually too shy to initiate something like this, often leading him to pulling you onto him.

there’s a confused look on your face. “you said to sit down and stay here, so i’m doing that.” you blink slowly, head tilting. “did i sit wrong?”

“no, of course not.” he answers, kissing your forehead. thankfully you’re too out of it to tease him, or he’d never hear the end of it.

he shifts you so your legs straddle his lap. your face is buried in his neck, breathing in the smell of his aftershave and the pinewood scent of him. one hand reaches up towards his soft locks and mindlessly plays with it.

ajax feels his entire being burning with exhilaration. while he knows how to handle his alcohol way better than you do, he is not immune to your touches. he could get intoxicated and drunk on any little thing you do.

a satisfied exhale leaves the man and he closes his eyes for moment, his nose nuzzling your cheek. the feeling of your warm palms sliding across his face pull him out of the moment before your eyes meet.

you hum, staring at him closely. “have your eyes always looked like this?” you ask.

he blinks. “like what? and why?”

“they’re so blue. i’ve never seen eyes like yours before.”

“no, they haven’t.” he answers honestly. he tries to avert his attention away from you, but your hands grab his face again.

“they’re so pretty…like the ocean…” you breathe, now poking at his freckles. “you’re so pretty…”

the man is pretty sure he’s blushing right now when you speak, rambling and comparing him like the sea. of the comforting warmth and unpredictability of the weather, all comparable to his nature—which you love.

you must be trying to kill him, because what he doesn’t expect next is for you to kiss him on the nose, and then his cheeks.

by the time he’s chasing your lips with his own, you’re pulling back, giggling quietly.

“hey, you can’t just tease like that—“ you slump against him, and he freezes, eyes widening.

“milaya?”

“…”

pulling your face back from his chest, he notes that you’ve passed out.

ajax tugs you tight in his hold, tucking your face in the crook of his neck. the smell of your hair makes his heart grow even bigger and fonder.

“by the tsaritsa, my cute girlfriend can’t hold her alcohol well,” he laughs to himself, absently tracing shapes into your lower back, “i’m sure glad this happened at home, or god knows what would happen out in public.”

he doesn’t really know if he’d be more worried about your own safety, or the things he’d do if someone dared to take advantage of you.

either way, his endless vow to protect you couldn’t be broken anyway anyhow. not even in death. he’d be loyal to you for a thousand life times.

bonus:

waking up groggily, you rub your eyes, shield them from from the unavoidable brightness of the sun.

while warm light hits your face, it only makes you feel hot and cold all at the same time. a feeling that should be welcoming only suffocates you instead as an ache converges the nerve points in your head.

“rise and shine sleeping beauty.”

you turn limply, eyes widening at the sight of ajax standing in the doorway.

“i was really hoping on you waking up soon.” he says pushing the door open further. he holds a tray of food in his hands. padding over to you he nods to the water and ibuprofen on the bedside table. “once you eat some, you should really take that.”

maybe its the sleep in your eyes or the fact that you’re not fully awake yet, but you tear up. “you’re always taking care of me.”

“yep, that is my job.” he places the food down, leaning over to kiss away any stray tears.

“thank you.”

he clicks his tongue. “what did i tell you about thanking me for things like this?”

you roll your eyes. such a stubborn man.

you quietly tell him that your brain is foggy, and while you partially don’t want to know, wish that he recall what last happened when you were awake.

“you should’ve seen how cute you were while drunk. i don’t think i could ever forget it.” he laughs once he’s done recapping.

blood rushes to your cheeks, your face aflame. “i’m not going to be able to live this down, am i?”

ajax laughs again, “don’t think so! although, being passed out for pretty much the whole day is alarming, so i don’t think we will be letting you near any alcohol anytime soon.”

your shoulders droop, “i guess that’s fair…”

“don’t be so sad! here, let me feed you!” he moves behind you, sitting down on the bed so his legs are on either side of you. his chest presses into your backside as he reaches for the food.

“‘jax i can feed myself just fine.” you say, going for the spoon, but his reflexes are faster.

“please?” he looks down at you, hoping his ocean hues favor him.

you sigh. “fine.”

the two of you sit in comfortable silence as he feeds you, and you being hungrier than you realize, finish everything quickly.

“i almost forgot! you owe me something.” he says coyly.

you frown, “huh?”

“after all that teasing yesterday…you left me high and dry…” he sniffs.

you blink, and suddenly it’s clear what he’s insinuating. “a kiss?”

“so you remember?” he asks.

you shrug, “just barely…”

“well, know that you’re aware—“ he scoots towards you, knees bumping your own before he’s pulling you towards him.

a yelp leaves you. “b-but i just ate food! and…and i need to brush my teeth!” you protest, but he’s still hovering close over you.

“so?”

there’s no use, because the minute you open your mouth to reply, ajax swoops down, kissing you wordlessly and hungrily. his tongue brief swipes over yours before he soon pulls back.

there’s a mild grimace on his face, “yeah, go brush your teeth.”

you shove him back on the bed, making him holler with laughter, “i told you!”

“it was still worth it, mila!” he shouts after you.

“fuck you.” you spit.

“with pleasure.” he smiles.

notes: my mom added too much white wine to food she made, so she’s the running inspiration for this. shout out to her!

Jujutsu Kaisen: Gojo Satoru X Reader

(Kaleidoscope Series || What If Chapters ||)

[Actors AU, Podcast with Satoru and Y/n]

[Notes and warning: Crack, fluff, Y/n, and Satoru being TMI in certain areas (nothing too nasty, Satoru is already a warning himself.) No hands or nails have been harmed during the making of this podcast/content. Word count: 3.6k]

[Thank you for the 600 followers everyone, thank you for visiting and may you always enjoy your strolls in this small corner! I'm not completely out of my little burnout but I really hope I got this one through. Anyway, Enjoy! And a Happy Birthday to Satoru's Voice Actor!]

Nail Art

"What am I going to say?" You look at Satoru humming as he set up the equipment by the couch in your room.

"I dunno, but that makes it fun," Satoru made an 'ok' sign with his thumb and index with his bright blue eyes sparkling.

"I'm seriously nervous." you rolled your eyes and rub your hands, clenching and unclenching the coldness to soothe the biting fright. He arranged this for Ijichi, and the tired manager gave him a heads up. Satoru's agency prefers clearing things up in a 'smoother' way rather than going through numerous press conferences and the like.

"Hey, it's okay Bubs, we got this, and... we can also reschedule it." Satoru's voice trailed off. His bright blue eyes filled with concern staring at your figure sweating and on edge.

The tiny part of you looking forward to doing this new venture with Satoru is screaming and thrashing around to push you and just do the thing. Meanwhile, the other half of you is hesitant, afraid that things may greatly change once you step into the unknown realm where your lover is a magnificent figure... while you... The anxiety of disappointment and dragging him down has been scratching your spine from time to time.

"You have to pinch me if I'm being awkward," you murmured, cringing at the possibility of making a fool out of you later.

"Just be you," Satoru step forward enveloping you in his tight hands "The simple you made me love you hard, and that's more than enough. You don't have to change yourself to fit by my side. Got that pretty girl?"

Your tense shoulders relaxed, returning your lover's hug and nuzzling his neck, you breathed in his cool minty scent that sets your heart at a tranquil pace.

"Okay," you nod and felt Satoru drop a kiss on the crown of your head as his large hand runs on your back, calming you down.

"Welcome to the GoGo Podcastttttt~!" Satoru cheered as the live stream started, the number of viewers is starting to pile up and there's a live chat going on asking where you are and questions the like.

You and Satoru sat face to face with each other on the couch, pillows on your lap with the mic in that stand and headphones on your head.

"Are we seriously calling this GoGo Podcast?" You eyed the camera and adjusted the black mask you wore. Still fidgety about the "uniqueness" as Satoru would address it, about this podcast of yours.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Satoru asks squinting at your unconvinced look.

"I dunno it sounds tacky." You shrug. Satoru made a YouTube channel last minute and is live streaming right now.

"Yeah," Satoru nodded. "I think it fits us perfectly. My name starts with 'Go' and soon your name will als—" leaning forward you covered his mouth to stop anything more from spilling his lips.

He glared at you and mouthed a 'stop it' which came out as "Smphm mph."

"Anyway, welcome guys to the very, very, very first episode of our podcast. I'm sure you guys know that I'm with my beloved lady, she's right here beside me so stop asking where she is," he huffed at the comments asking where you are after you remove your hands over his mouth. "What can you say Bubs?"

"Hi everyone. I'm Y/n..." Where's humor when you need one?! You sound like a plain textbook. "Today, Satoru and I decided to meet you guys, together... I hope you enjoy our company" You nervously laugh.

"Usually she's bubbly, but she's a little shy right now so take it easy with us guys," Satoru smirked. "So as we said, we'd do a podcast together! Thank you for allowing me to film with you," Satoru gazed at you with smiling eyes. "And I thought it'd be boring with just answering your questions, so we decided!"

"You decided, I was uninformed until the last minute," you punch his arm.

"Okay, I decided to surprise Bubs with a podcast and manicure corner! I enrolled in a short course yesterday before diving into this thing," Satoru pick up the pouch on the table, zipped it open, and one by one pulled out the newly purchased nail polishes and stuff.

"Were gonna answer questions while I do a manicure with Bub's fingers?" You frowned and look at the camera then back to Satoru.

"Yep, you can read the questions Bubs, I'm gonna be busy making your nails pretty." He rummaged through the pouch, pulling every color he thinks looks cute. "I'm gonna give you a nail art," Satoru made a chef kiss sign.

"You have to be gentle, got it 'Toru?" You worriedly eyed him who made grabby hands asking for your left hand.

"Trust me Bubs, I'm a pro," Satoru winked, scooting close to you and putting your hand above his knee. "I've always been gentle with you..." He whistled that you have to pinch his cheeks to stop him from spewing something else.

"Yeah? I trust you—" You deadpanned, shuddering at the sight of him holding the nail pusher. "—Anyways, I'll read the first question."

"Game!"

Ijichi sorted these questions yesterday and you trust the man's intelligence and capabilities. Scrolling through the list you read from the bottom-most question first.

"Hello, Gojo Satoru-san, and to your girlfriend. I'm genuinely curious how long have you been together?"

You cleared your throat and look at Satoru who brought your hand up and showed it to the camera. The comment is flooded with wanting to also book a reservation in Satoru's salon.

"I was going to do cuticle care but her hands are already pretty so I'll skip that part."

The heck?

"What kind of salon owner are you?"

"The kind that loves you the most." Satoru gave you a naughty look and Cheshire grin.

You resist kicking him from the cringe fuzzy butterflies he's trying to create in your tummy.

"Be serious. Like how long we've been in a relationship or how long we've known each other?" Confusion clouded you while subduing the urge to grab your hand back from your boyfriend applying the base gel.

"We've been officially together for..." Satoru looks up, counting mentally. "3 years... 2 months, and 3 weeks."

"Satoru and I met each other two years prior we became a couple. So we've known each other for more or less five years."

This is quite easy...

"What's that, a turtle?" You asked Satoru who's now painting your nails with a baby blue nail polish.

"Excuse me? This is art." Satoru scoffed at you and exposed your finger to the light.

"Is that a real gold leaf?" You asked leaning closer to scrutinize the shimmering details he's adding to your fingers.

"If that's gold I would've already showered your nails with it. Continue Bubs," Satoru shoo you away so he can continue his 'job'.

"Okay... Second question. What's your partners' most annoying habit." You laugh and adjust your mask. Ijichi intentionally included this.

"Do I have to answer this honestly?" You laughed when Satoru lookup with an offended look.

"Remember who's holding your hand right now Bubs."

You shake your head in laughter and replied to the question.

"I usually wake up around midnight to use the toilet and the toilet seat is ALWAYS raised. So I asked this guy here if he raises the toilet seat."

"No, I do not!" Satoru protested.

"But who would do that aside from you?"

"For your information, the reason I do not raise the toilet is that I sit down when I pee."

"Babe! My goodness," an image of Satoru sitting down on the toilet flash through your mind and it looks... Like an ostrich forced to crouch.

"Hey, here's my side to that," Satoru turned to the camera. "I sit down for you," he pointed at you. "Like, if I stand when I pee then everything gonna splash around and you're gonna sit down on that, huh?"

"Still, who's raising the toilet seat? It's just the two of us using this place. Unless you tell me our house is haunted."

Satoru shut his mouth, gave you stinky eyes, and ignored you, holding your thumb to continue his work. You turn to the camera and shrug.

"So yeah, Satoru's annoying habit is raising the toilet seat at night without putting it back. Babe, I think we need to private this video because of sensitive content."

"Nah, it's not like we said any nasty thing. Y/n's annoying habit is, she takes too much time taking a shower. Like I was dying to use the toilet to poop but I can't coz she's not even shampooing after 30 minutes of being inside."

"TMI. I swear this video is to be private. We have a toilet down the 1st floor." You rolled your eyes.

"Third question, why did you hide your relationship?"

You waited for Satoru to finish proudly showing off your thumb to the camera before answering. You don't have the heart to tell him his nail art looks like a butchered octopus with chopped golden tentacles

"We want privacy during the early stages of our relationship and I can say that it was the best decision we took as a couple," Satoru answered.

"Why are you doing it one by one?" You turn to the live chat who also agreed with you about Satoru doing the process like a snail.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Babe, nail artist first coat all the nails then the light, then the second coat then the light, then third coat then the light then the details then the last coating then the light."

Satoru stared at your nails with a confused puppy look like his whole life has been a lie. He then looks up to you and the camera.

"But the teacher taught me like this yesterday," he mumbled

"Ugh!" You slump your back and sighed in defeat. "Who taught you?"

"Suguru brought his girlfriend's manicure set and taught me."

Well, of course, it's the two dumbasses... You facepalmed and told him to continue.

"Fourth question, what's your first impression of each other?"

Satoru looks at you. You've never really mentioned what's your impression of him.

"I don't remember. I do not believe in the 'first impression lasts' because you can't classify a person just after seeing him or her acting all snobby or shy, there's always something beneath that it's up to you if you would like to know about that person. Like I remember Satoru being annoying and rambunctious when we hang out with our mutual friends and I honestly cannot handle high-tension people—" Satoru's shoulders deflated at your words. "—But Satoru is calm and patient, I remember I spilled the whole... What was it, Babe? Vodka? On your Brioni suit at the gala."

"It was tequila, and you were tipsy that time," Satoru added.

"I thought he'd go ballistic behind the curtains but he was like, 'okay come with me at the back'"

"Then I asked her. Are you lost baby girl?" Satoru deepened his voice.

"Then he even asked for water to sober me up. Satoru is very patient. It may not be my first impression of him when we met but it was the impression that stick to me at the earlier stages." You chuckled, adjusting the mask while smiling underneath.

"Hey don't ignore me!" Satoru bit his lips, as he add the third coat on your middle fingernail. "If I know that's the way you'd pay me the attention I should've bumped into you much earlier," Satoru mumbled making you flick his head. "I have a first impression of you Bubs. So when we first met Bubs was wearing this minimalist outfit of a checkered light blue blazer, with a white top and white pants and you have this tote bag while reading a romance book in the cafe. And my first thought was she's a beautiful snob. She ignored me, like 101% no hi or hello until Suguru and Shoko came and introduced us. Why did you ignore me Bubs?"

"I didn't even notice you sitting in front of me. By now I know that you know when I read I have this solitary bubble that ignores everything and everyone around me. And no way, do you remember all of that? I don't even remember what you wore that day."

"Yeah I remember, you were even wearing that promise ring your past boyfriend now your ex gave you because I'm your baby now." Satoru rolled his eyes. "She's very casual too, barely talked to me when we first met even when Suguru and Shoko left us and I ask her if I should walk her home. So my first impression of Bubs is that she's a drop-dead gorgeous snob."

"You put the drop-dead gorgeous to evade sleeping on the couch?"

"What? No way!"

"Anyway, fifth question: what's your reaction to Gojo's kissing scenes."

Ehhhhh... Internally you screeched and Satoru look at you batting his lashes with a grin.

"Have I reacted badly?" You asked Satoru who shrug. "Before Satoru and I became a couple, I already understood that it can't be avoided, that's part of his job. We have mutual friends who are also in the entertainment industry. I'd be a liar if I say I wasn't affected but the thing is if I keep dwelling on that it'd make me vain and cynical so instead of trying to keep it getting into me I talk it with Satoru." You look at your lover who stopped working on your nails and is fully giving you his attention. "There's this border that will always separate what he does in work and what we are together. Work is work. It doesn't affect me anymore as much as it used to. I learned to trust him and also learn to trust myself that I'm enough for him... Does that make sense?" You chuckled and Satoru bit his lips chuckling with you.

"Oh I just wanna add," Satoru interrupted grinning to the cam. "I have this action movie with Suguru, a few months ago but it's still not out in the cinemas. That one where I played demigod and warrior. Bubs were there with me! She played a minor role, right? Right?" Satoru giddily poked your belly.

"Ijichi-san's gonna stab you with his pen for revealing that." You pouted.

"She looks extremely gorgeous in her cute dress. Yadda, yadda!" Satoru squirmed almost toppling over the table and nail polishes.

"Yamete!" You growled clamping his mouth shut. "Babe it's not pretty anymore," you whined seeing the gold leaf askew from all his squirming.

"We almost kissed in that movie," Satoru winked at the camera making the live chat explode.

"Stop feeding them unnecessary details." You flick his head with gritted teeth.

"Next, sixth. If you wanted privacy why did you date a superstar?"

Satoru pouted at the question. You were quiet for a moment.

"Just because he's in the limelight I don't think I need to refrain myself from being with him. Satoru never made me feel less than I am. When I'm with him I don't feel our love story is necessarily something people would watch and dream about but when I see him, I see someone who would stay with me when I'm wrecked or happy. And I found someone with whom I can be unafraid to show both my frustrations and passionate side. Satoru and I aren't mysterious and privacy obsessed but we prefer staying chill and at the back because those moments are for the both of us and we want it the way it is."

"For me, I dated Bubs because she treats me with Kikufuku—" Satoru laughed at your rolling eyes. "—Kidding aside, I had a few rough roads while courting her one, the reason is she just got out of a break-up and wasn't interested in going in any relationship. So I had to lay low. I can't go all out surrounding her or else I might suffocate her because I know I can get annoyingly clingy when I get my hands on her and I don't want her to feel constricted. I don't have a problem being public with her but I agree that I also like our privacy, it's our little secrets."

That surprised you too, and the chat was filling in with how sweet you two are, or if you two are considering going public now that you're both officially recognized as a couple. But you ignored those, not wanting to be drowned with the flow of social media netizens.

"Seventh... Babe no!" You gasp when Satoru clips your nails and it bites too big for your liking. "Are you trying to give me claws?" You gaped at your imbalanced nail and turn at Satoru who look at you, eyes wide open, stunned by what he's done.

"Don't worry, I'll wash the dishes until it grows back," he swallowed nervously.

"That's not the point, and we have a dishwasher for that. Good grace," you grumbled. "You're dead after this."

"She bullies me!" Satoru whined.

"Seventh... My gosh Babe, no! Enough clipping nails put the nail cutter away." You warned him who hesitatingly put the nail cutter away and put base gel now on your left hand.

"What's your favorite movie?"

"Your movie or any movie?" You asked Satoru who shrug.

"My favorite movie was the loyal dog who waited for his master at the train station," Satoru answered.

"My favorite is about a quadriplegic and his caretaker who fell in love, though nothing was official he taught her how to live her life. Then in the end this man applied for service in Dignitas, and the caretaker was left with a sum of money and a letter from the man. And my favorite movie of Satoru is, Six Eyes Trilogy."

"Why?" Satoru hummed, smiling.

"I love how you projected the character of a teacher who strives to educate his students without sheltering them... Then the process of how your grey character lost hope after being betrayed by the higher-ups. I can't explain it with words but that was bone-chilling when you realize there's no salvation and then you became your own story's antagonist. I cried a lot when your character lost his eyes there because he may have lost his eyes, but he found his freedom. Yeah, the chills."

"Yeah, I knew you were head over heels for me," Satoru giggled and you pinch his nose.

"Eight. Is your girlfriend in the entertainment industry?"

You shake your head and Satoru held out his hand to adjust your mask so you could properly breathe.

"No, I am not. I work in a different industry. I have my own business."

"But Bubs, visit me in my sets. She sends me those white roses and brings me lunch when she's near the site. I post them on my Insta, her tamagoyaki is my fave."

"Second to the last, the ninth question.  How do you make time for each other with busy schedules?"

Satoru finally finished your nails and brought them to the camera with a proud smile. You don't have the heart to tell him it looks like a kid's doodle.

"Bubs either visit me in my sets, or I go to her job place. She has lots of business trips so it can get a little hard to match our schedules but the last week of the month is our alone time together. When I have three days open, I usually follow her when she's overseas that's why I have many photos abroad, and she's the one who takes my photos too~ But wait a minute." Satoru grabs the camera and places it above your nails.

"I did good right? Rate me in stars Bubs."

You cannot hold back anymore and just laughed.

"I love you so much," you held his hand and squeeze it.

Satoru stared at you with a deadpan look and groaned.

"You did great baby, thank you. Next time you should also try learning massage and hairdressing."

"So you can turn me into your salon?" He raised a judging brow at you and returned the camera to its holder while tidying the stuff back to the pouch.

"You don't like that? That's another talent."

"Nope don't like," he pouted and sat back facing you.

"You should read the last question," you handed him his phone and he scroll down to read it.

"Ten, what's your message to your fans?" Satoru cleared his throat. "I hope you like our first podcast, I bribed Y/n with a large sum of ice cream to join me. We're happy to share our small corner with you guys and it was nice to answer your questions. It has been a pleasant night and have a good night's sleep everyone."

Wow, he smoothly wrapped that up...

"Good night everyone thank you for joining us!"

Behind the Scenes

You stare at your nails while having an internal battle about what your oh-so-awesome boyfriend has done. There's a leaf bundled together looking like a ladybug and another looking like a chopped turtle. How did Satoru manage to do that? You also don't know. He didn't apply the last coat too.

"I'm starting to rethink my decisions in life..."

"What? It's cute! You don't appreciate art Bubs." Satoru scoffed and grab your hands admiring them again.

You let him be when he took a picture and showed it off on his Instagram, his fans pointed out a few tips to Satoru on how to do it properly and he promised to give Suguru a beating for deceiving him at their nail art classes.

—GreyCaelum

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME

Check out the Masterlist for more

All rights and credits of the Jujutsu Kaisen character(s) mentioned images(s) and songs(s) used belongs to their respective owner(s)

General/Kaleidoscope Series Taglist: @ice-icebaby @aeanya @gummy-dummy

CALM AFTER THE STORM

contents: nanami kento x gn!reader, jjk s2 spoilers (shibuya incident), hurt/comfort, reader is implied to have died years before the shibuya incident, cooking together as a love language, kissing, reunions, death

what is death if not a new beginning?

or, nanami makes his journey to the afterlife. it's not so bad.

it's strange, nanami thinks. he had forgotten what it meant to move without pain, and yet here he is, dancing without a care in the world. his joints don't crack, his knees don't ache. he could have sworn he had injured his eye, and yet, here he is, witnessing the ocean in its full, unfettered glory.

pantai cenang is beautiful. idyllic. not a curse in sight. nanami takes a moment to soak it all in. fine white sand. crystal blue water. coconut trees. there's a distinct lack of people— surprising, given how popular the beach is with tourists— but nanami knows better than to question such a blessing.

there's a little cottage in the distance, one that doesn't exist on any map. in his heart, nanami knows you're inside, humming as you wash the vegetables you'd picked from the garden. it's been too long since he's seen you, held you in his arms. months. years. his heart squeezes. ah, that familiar ache— yearning. he quickens his pace.

absence makes the heart grow fonder. in his mind's eye, you twirl in the sand with him, feet nimble. he spins, more graceful than he’s ever been. he soars. he falls. fighting is dancing in the same way that the waves batter against the shore— beauty and violence, art and destruction.

nanamin! a shout echoes across the water, and nanami lowers his arms, turning on instinct to the familiar voice. even in his retirement, it seems that he can still hear the voice of his loudest student.

ah, he's exhausted— this is what he gets for indulging in the sun. he can sense your frown already. you'd always fretted over him, all soft hands and gentle touches.

the scent of blood rises on the wind, but there is no fear. even sharks need to eat. such is the way life and death dance together.

nanamin! the voice shouts again, or maybe it’s an echo of the first call, bounding across the surf. his fatigue overwhelms him like falling in love— slow, then all at once.

he is so, so tired of fighting.

faster than he can comprehend, there’s a firm pressure against his stomach. a mosquito buzzes around his face. he swats it away idly. there’s something he’s forgetting. something important.

nanamin!

ah. that’s right. he doesn’t have to worry anymore.

“itadori,” he says, voice carrying over the waves. “you’ve got it from here.”

there’s a gut-wrenching snap in his core. it severs something vital, and yet… he’s never felt more alive. he is a hollow-boned creature, like the birds. finally, the weight of the world is no longer his to bear.

your presence calls to him, draws him in from across the beach, and he turns towards your siren’s song. his lips form the shape of your name. in the blink of an eye, his hand is on the doorknob to your cottage.

"i'm home."

you whip around so fast that nanami almost fears your neck will snap clean in two. “kento?”

“it’s me.”

there’s a split second where the world freezes. the light from the late early evening sun dances amongst dust motes. your lips part, and nanami trembles with the force of his want for you.

then, like the tide to the moon, like planets to a star, you crash together. you fly across the room into nanami’s waiting arms, two puzzle pieces finally clicking into place. when he kisses you, you taste like salt, like grief, like joy. it makes him want to kiss you more, kiss you harder, so he does.

you pull away, and nanami only just resists the urge to chase your lips.

"you're... so early. i didn't expect to see you here for a few more decades." you cup his face, fingers tracing over the familiar curves of his cheeks, his jaw. nanami turns his face into the affectionate touches.

"and leave you to eat dinner alone?" nanami leans in again, kissing the tears from your cheeks in a few quick, fluttering brushes of lips against skin. “i’m officially retired. where else would i want to be, if not with you?”

“you’re so romantic today.” there’s a choked quality to your voice.

oh, nanami thinks. it’s really been too long. “i’m romantic all the time for you.”

“i missed you.” apropos of nothing, the words tear from your chest, like you can’t hold them back anymore. your face crumples. heat pricks behind nanami’s eyes as you bury your face against his chest, frame trembling with the effort of holding back your tears. “i missed you so much.”

comfort has never been nanami’s forte, but with you, it’s as easy as breathing to hug you closer, to make soft, soothing sounds, to rub gentle circles over your back.

“i missed you, too,” he says, a confession. the world swims in his vision. he blinks rapidly. “more than you could ever know.”

he rocks you back and forth, back and forth, holding you as you shake apart in his arms. there’s no pressure to perform, no shareholders to impress, no curses to exorcise. only you, and your love, and your touch.

and he gets to have this forever.

nanami’s not sure how long you stay there, only that his skin still hungers for yours when you press a teary kiss to his cheek and maneuver out of his hold. you sniffle, wipe your eyes, and offer him a familiar apron with a watery smile. “here. you still remember how to cook, right, mr. salaryman sorcerer?”

“what are we making?” nanami takes the proffered apron. i’m the cook, it reads. he glances down at your apron, already knowing what it says. kiss the cook. the corner of his mouth twitches up.

“hainan chicken rice,” you say. “when in malaysia…”

“of course,” he says. “pass me the knife.”

it’s been a while since he’s handled a sharp blade. the handle sits in the palm of his hand— rough, worn smooth by years of use. a tool of the home. he finds that he likes the weight of it.

the rhythm of cooking is an intimate waltz. one, two, three. he crushes the garlic under the flat of his knife, then minces it. bits of garlic cling to his fingers, and he picks it off, shapes it into a pile. the papery peel is swept aside, to be returned to the earth.

the edge of his blade is used to peel ginger. short, quick strokes— not a motion wasted. when he’s done, the ginger’s aroma tickles his nose, as sharp as his knife. he slices it thinly and places it next to the garlic.

you heat oil in a pan as he works, humming a low melody. he hasn’t heard it in years, but it’s as warm and familiar as the bed you share. when the oil starts to sizzle, you add in his minced garlic, his sliced ginger. the scent spreads through the room, savory and safe.

you produce rice from a small rice cooker. it’s not ideal to use freshly cooked rice in fried rice dishes, but nanami has every confidence you’ll manage. while you stir in the chicken fat and bullion, he looks around for something else to set his blade to.

cucumbers, fresh from your garden outside. nanami taps one gently, a faint smile pulling at the edges of his lips at the hollow, satisfying thock. it’s quick work to peel them, revealing pale green flesh. it’s even quicker work to slice them. he loses himself in the task, in the comfort of your presence, and lets his muscle memory take over.

“are you using your technique on those poor cucumbers?” there’s a smile in your voice. nanami glances down at the cucumbers, and sure enough, they’re sliced in uneven fractions of 7/10.

the motions of violence are not so easily forgotten, but true peace lasts only in the memory of war. nanami gives you a small smile, presses a soft kiss to your temple, and resumes cutting his cucumbers— evenly, this time. even the sharpest of blades can be repurposed.

dinner is a quiet affair. two plates, two cups of tea, two settings at the table. conversation flows as easily as wine. your foot nudges against his calf— once, twice. he nudges back, delighting in the radiant smile that you can’t seem to hold back.

both of your plates sit empty upon the table. the last dregs of tea cool in your cups. cleaning up is quick, made quicker by long-established routine: he washes, you dry. on the last of the dishes, he leans into you— a silent request. you lean back— acquiescence.

he will never tire of touching you. instinct is a trembling little creature in his heart, and you are the soft hands that soothe him, letting him pull you flush against his chest. minutes drip into hours, and the sun begins its slow descent as he cradles you in his arms. somehow, you migrate to bed, and then everything is warmth and love and perfection.

these quiet delights, this tender intimacy— nanami revels in it, revels in this little life, this future you share.

“the sun is setting,” you murmur, a tender look in your eyes. you’re a vision painted in gold light, an angel in soft sheets. he could soak in you forever. “it’s almost time to go home.”

“is home as good as this?” he takes your hand, presses a kiss to the back of it.

“it’s better.” you slip out of bed, and he follows you outside. a gentle breeze ruffles his hair, brings him the scent of salt and the sea. the sun dips lower on the horizon, and yet, the light only brightens. it’s not harsh, but a gentle, beckoning warmth.

“are you ready, kento?”

“you’ll be with me?” it wouldn’t be a home without you.

“i will. i promise.” you take his hand, lean in, press a kiss to his cheek. tension drains from his shoulders like the low tide. a home with you is more than he could have ever dreamed of. “let’s go home.”

together, you walk into the light. neither of you look back.

tags: @angelshub @enchantedforest-network

"𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊"

┗━━⊱ 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 ⊰━━┛

⊱ 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒔: 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒖 𝑮𝒐𝒋𝒐, 𝑺𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒖 𝑮𝒆𝒕𝒐, 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒊, 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒐 𝑲𝒂𝒎𝒐, 𝑻𝒐𝒋𝒊 𝑭𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒐, 𝑺𝒖𝒌𝒖𝒏𝒂 𝑹𝒚𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 ⊰

✩⁺₊✩☽⋆Warnings: Swearing ⋆☾✩⁺₊✩

𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿✿⋆·˚❀˚·⋆✿

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 @𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓9 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏! 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 <3333

─═✧✧═─ 𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕦 𝔾𝕠𝕛𝕠 ─═✧✧═─

It had been an unusually quiet afternoon when your sister showed up at your apartment unannounced. You were out running errands, leaving Satoru alone at home. He was lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone, when the doorbell rang. Expecting it to be you, he opened the door with a bright smile, only for it to falter slightly upon seeing your sister standing there.

"Satoru," she greeted, a hint of something unreadable in her eyes. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you about something important."

Though slightly wary, Satoru stepped aside, allowing her entry. She walked in, clutching a folder tightly against her chest. They settled in the living room, your sister on the edge of the couch and Satoru casually reclining in an armchair.

"What's this about?" Satoru asked, his tone polite but guarded.

Your sister took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what she was about to do. "Satoru, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but you deserve to know the truth about your wife."

His eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of unease passing through them. "Go on," he said, gesturing for her to continue.

With a dramatic sigh, she opened the folder and pulled out a stack of photos and printed text messages. "I found these. I thought you should see them."

Satoru leaned forward, taking the photos from her. He began to flip through them, his expression shifting from curiosity to mild amusement. The photos showed you with another man, and the text messages painted a picture of a secret affair. However, Satoru immediately noticed the inconsistencies: the poor quality of the photoshopping, the time stamps that didn’t add up, and the way the text messages sounded nothing like you.

"Is this supposed to be evidence?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Your sister nodded earnestly. "Yes. I know it’s hard to believe, but Y/N has been cheating on you. I just thought you should know the truth before things got any worse."

Satoru couldn’t help but laugh out loud, shaking his head. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

She blinked, clearly taken aback by his reaction. "What do you mean? This is serious, Satoru!"

"Oh, I’m taking it seriously," he said, his tone suddenly sharp. "I’m seriously considering how someone could think I’d fall for such a poorly executed lie. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the obvious signs of fakery?"

Your sister’s face turned red, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "I just thought—"

"You thought wrong," Satoru interrupted, his voice firm. "I know my girl better than anyone. This? This is nothing but a desperate attempt to create doubt."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Satoru cut her off with a raised hand. "Look, I don’t know what your motives are, and frankly, I don’t care. What I do care about is your sister. And I trust her completely. So whatever you’re trying to pull here, it won’t work."

Standing up, he walked to the door and opened it. "I think it’s best if you leave now."

She hesitated for a moment, then stood up, her expression a mix of anger and defeat. "You’ll regret this, Satoru," she hissed before storming out.

Satoru closed the door behind her, letting out a sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head in disbelief. He knew your sister had always been a bit jealous of your relationship, but this was a new low.

When you returned home a short while later, you immediately sensed that something was off. Satoru’s usual cheerful demeanor was slightly subdued, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"Hey, everything okay?" you asked, setting your bags down and walking over to him.

Satoru pulled you into a hug, holding you tightly. "Yeah, just had an interesting visit from your sister."

You pulled back slightly, looking up at him with concern. "What happened?"

He sighed, leading you to the couch. "She came over with some fake evidence, trying to convince me that you were cheating on me."

Your eyes widened in shock and anger. "What? Why would she do that?"

"I don’t know," Satoru said, gently cupping your face in his hands. "But what matters is that I didn’t believe her for a second. I trust you, princess. I love you more than anything, and nothing she could say or do would ever change that."

You nodded, feeling your heart swell with love. "Thank you for believing in me."

"Always," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. "I love you, baby girl, and I always will."

─═✧✧═─ 𝕊𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕦 𝔾𝕖𝕥𝕠 ─═✧✧═─

Suguru sat at a cozy corner table in a quaint café, his favorite book lying open in front of him. He glanced at his watch, noting that you should be arriving soon. The café, with its warm ambiance and the soft hum of conversations, was one of your favorite places to meet.

Just as he was about to take another sip of his green tea, the door swung open, and to his surprise, your sister walked in. She scanned the room until her eyes landed on Suguru. With a determined look, she walked over to his table.

"Suguru, do you have a moment?" she asked, her voice urgent.

Suguru raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled. "Sure, have a seat. What's going on?"

She sat down quickly, pulled out her phone and began scrolling through it, finally landing on a series of photos and messages. She placed the phone on the table and pushed it towards Suguru. "Look at these."

Suguru picked up the phone and started scrolling through the images and messages. They depicted you with another man and conversations suggesting an affair. However, Suguru quickly noticed the watermark on the bottom of the text messages and the photos, making it clear that these were all fabricated.

He set the phone down and looked at your sister with a calm but firm expression. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied, her voice rising. "She’s been cheating on you, and you deserve to know!"

Suguru leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her face. "Do you honestly expect me to believe this?"

"Why wouldn't you?" she shot back, frustration evident in her tone. "I’m trying to help you!"

Suguru sighed, shaking his head. "Help me, how? By giving false information to me?”

Your sister's face turned red, anger and embarrassment mixing in her expression. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," she muttered.

"I think you do," Suguru said softly, leaning forward. "You’ve always been a bit jealous of our relationship. But this… this is too far. I trust your sister completely. I know her, and I know she would never do something like this."

Tears of frustration welled up in your sister’s eyes. "You’re making a mistake, Suguru."

Suguru's eyes hardened, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Listen carefully. I don't take kindly to deceit, especially when it revolves around my partner. If you ever try something like this again, you'll regret it. Do you understand?"

Your sister recoiled slightly, fear flickering in her eyes. She nodded quickly, gathering her things and leaving the café without another word.

At that moment, you walked into the café, your face lighting up as you spotted Suguru. You waved, making your way over to the table. "Hey, what’s going on?" you asked, sensing the tension.

Suguru took your hand, pulling you into the seat your sister had vacated. “Nothing you need to worry about, my love~”

Your eyes flickered with concern, but you trusted Suguru implicitly. "Are you sure? You seem a bit tense."

He smiled, the warmth returning to his eyes. "Just a minor inconvenience. It's all sorted now."

You leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "Okay, as long as you're sure."

Suguru lifted your hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles. "I'm sure. Let's enjoy our time together."

You nodded, feeling a sense of peace settle over you. "I love you, Suguru."

"I love you too," he replied, his voice full of conviction. "And nothing will ever change that."

─═✧✧═─ 𝕂𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕠 ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕚 ─═✧✧═─

Kento Nanami was in the midst of a busy day at the office. Papers were scattered across his desk, and the hum of conversation and ringing phones filled the room. He glanced at the clock, noting it was almost time for his lunch break. He had planned to meet you at a nearby restaurant for a quick bite.

As he was about to leave, he received a call from the receptionist. "Mr. Nanami, there's someone here to see you. She says it's urgent."

Nanami frowned, slightly irritated by the interruption. "Send her up," he replied, deciding to deal with this quickly before meeting you.

A few minutes later, your sister walked into his office, looking visibly distressed. "Kento, I need to talk to you. It's about my sister," she said, her voice shaky.

Nanami motioned for her to sit down, his expression calm but inquisitive. "What's this about?" he asked, folding his hands on the desk.

She took a deep breath and pulled out a small box from her bag. "I found something, and I think you need to see it."

Nanami took the box, feeling a bit puzzled. He opened it to find a necklace he had given you, along with a letter. The letter was a handwritten note that appeared to be from you, detailing an affair with a colleague. His heart sank momentarily as he read the words, but he noticed subtle differences in the handwriting that didn’t match yours.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, his tone neutral but with an edge of suspicion.

"I found it in her things," she replied quickly. 

Nanami leaned back in his chair, studying your sister intently. "You expect me to believe this because of a necklace and a note? Do you think I don’t know her handwriting?"

Your sister’s face flushed with embarrassment and frustration. "It’s not just that," she said, pulling out her phone. "I have texts, too."

She handed him her phone, showing a series of messages supposedly from you, confessing to an affair. Nanami read through them carefully, noting the odd phrasing and the timing that didn’t align with your usual schedule.

Nanami sighed, his expression darkening as he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a cold, intimidating tone. "I see right through you, you know. And frankly, I don’t like what I'm seeing. If you ever try something like this again, you'll regret it. Do you understand me?"

Her eyes widened in fear, and she nodded quickly. "W-What? I don’t–"

"I know what you’re trying to do.," Nanami interrupted, his gaze piercing. "But our relationship is built on trust. This—" he gestured to the box and the phone, "—won’t change that. Don't test me again."

She gathered her things and left the office, clearly shaken. Nanami took a deep breath, trying to dispel the frustration before heading to the restaurant. He knew you would be waiting for him, and he didn’t want to bring any negativity into your time together.

When he arrived, you were already seated, a bright smile lighting up your face as you spotted him. "Hey, how was your morning?" you asked, sensing a hint of tension in his demeanor.

Nanami took your hand, pulling you into a gentle kiss before sitting down. "It was... eventful," he began, his voice softening slightly.

Your eyes flickered with concern, but you trusted Nanami implicitly. "What happened? You seem a bit tense."

He sighed, squeezing your hand reassuringly. "Your sister came to my office today. She brought some... fabricated evidence, trying to convince me that you were cheating on me."

Nanami's expression softened as he looked into your eyes. "I saw right through it immediately. The handwriting didn't match, the texts were out of character for you, and the timing didn't add up. I confronted her and made it clear that if she ever tries something like this again, there will be serious consequences."

You smiled at him and kissed him on the lips. “I love you so much, do you know that?”

He smiled back, his eyes full of warmth and love. "I love you too. More than you can imagine."

You leaned in, resting your forehead against his. "Thank you for believing in me, Kento. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."

“Ah, don’t worry about it, honey. It's done and over with now, and I know for sure it won’t happen again. So, lets just put it behind us for now and enjoy our lunch together, hm? We can go deal with your sister later.” He said, making you smile.

“Of course. There's nothing I would want more~”

─═✧✧═─ ℂ𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕠 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕠 ─═✧✧═─

Choso was always a bit nervous at family gatherings, despite how much your family loved him. He often felt like he didn't quite belong, even though everyone went out of their way to make him feel welcome. Today was no different. The backyard was filled with the sound of laughter and the aroma of barbecue. He was standing near the grill, chatting with some of your relatives, when your sister approached him, a serious look on her face.

"Choso, can we talk in private?" she asked, her voice low.

Choso nodded, excusing himself from the conversation and following her to a quieter corner of the yard. "What's going on?" he asked, his brow furrowing with concern.

Your sister pulled out a small photo album from her bag. "I found something, and I thought you should see it."

Choso took the album, feeling a knot form in his stomach. He opened it and flipped through the pages. The album contained photos of you with another man, appearing close and affectionate. Some pages even had handwritten notes that hinted at an affair. Choso's heart clenched as he looked at them, but something felt off. The lighting in the photos was inconsistent, and the handwriting didn't match yours.

“Im sorry, Choso. You deserve better.” She spoke

Choso studied the photos and notes again, his suspicion growing. "I appreciate your concern, but I need to investigate this myself."

Your sister's face showed a flicker of irritation, but she quickly masked it with a worried look. "Why? Isn’t this proof enough for you? What more could you possibly need?!"

He ignored her, his mind already working to piece together the truth. "Give me a moment.," he said before walking away to find you.

He found you in the kitchen, helping to prepare some dishes. As soon as you saw him, you smiled brightly. "Hey, are you having a good time?"

Choso managed a small smile, but his mind was still racing. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Your smile faded slightly as you nodded, leading him to a more private area of the house. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath, pulling out the photo album. "Your sister gave me this. It suggests you're having an affair."

You looked at the album, shock and confusion clear on your face. "What? Let me see."

He handed you the album, watching your reaction closely. As you examined the photos and notes, your eyes widened in disbelief. "This isn't real. The photos are doctored, and this handwriting isn’t even mine."

Choso nodded, his initial suspicion confirmed. "I thought as much. The inconsistencies in the photos and the notes... it doesn't fit."

Your eyes filled with tears of frustration. "I can’t believe she would do this."

Choso wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close. "I trust you. I just wanted to make sure you knew what she was trying to do."

"Thank you for believing in me," you whispered against his chest.

He kissed the top of your head, his voice gentle but firm. "Always, baby. Our relationship is stronger than any lies she tries to spread."

You pulled back slightly, looking up at him with a grateful smile. "What should we do now?"

"We'll confront her together, later," Choso said. "For now, let’s enjoy the rest of the gathering. We won’t let her ruin our day."

As you returned to the gathering, hand in hand, Choso felt the need to love all over you. He constantly was giving you little kisses all over your face when he could. He stayed by your side the entire time, his presence a comforting reassurance. He helped you with the dishes, playfully splashing water on you and making you giggle. You fed each other bites of food, sharing secret smiles and stolen kisses. At one point, you found yourselves dancing to the music playing in the background, swaying together under the warm sunlight. Choso twirled you around, and you laughed, feeling happier than ever. The love and trust between you felt unbreakable, a fortress that no one could breach.

He squeezed your hand gently and whispered, "You know, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Your heart melted at his words, and you leaned in to kiss his cheek. "And you're mine."

─═✧✧═─ 𝕋𝕠𝕛𝕚 𝔽𝕦𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕠 ─═✧✧═─

Toji Fushiguro was in the middle of an intense workout at the gym. The sound of weights clanking and people chatting filled the air, but he was focused on his routine. He enjoyed these moments of solitude and exertion, pushing his limits while thinking about you. Just as he was finishing a set, he noticed your sister entering the gym. She spotted him and made her way over, a determined look on her face.

"Hey Toji…got a second?" she asked, her tone serious.

Toji wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded, leading her to a quieter corner of the gym. "What's up?" he asked, slightly annoyed by the interruption.

She took a deep breath and pulled out a stack of printed papers from her bag. "I found something that you need to see. It's about her." she said, talking about you.

Toji raised an eyebrow but took the papers. He began to skim through them, his expression growing more serious. The papers were printed screenshots of messages, supposedly between you and another man, discussing intimate details and plans to meet. As he read, Toji's eyes narrowed. Something felt off—the language was formal, not at all like the way you talked, and the dates and times didn't align with your usual schedule.

"I knew she was unfaithful. She always gave me that vibe.” Your sister continued. Toji stared at the papers for a moment longer before crumpling them in his fist. "This is bullshit," he said bluntly. "I know her, and this isn't her."

Toji took a step closer to your sister, his eyes cold and hard. "Listen closely. I'm only giving you this warning because you're her sister. If you ever try to sabotage our relationship again, you'll wish you hadn't. I don't take kindly to deceit, and I won't hesitate to make you regret it. Do you understand me?"

Fear flickered in her eyes as she nodded quickly, not daring to say another word. She quickly gathered her things and left the gym, clearly shaken. Toji watched her go, his expression remaining stern until she was out of sight. He then took a deep breath, trying to dispel his anger before heading home. He knew you would be there, and he didn't want to bring any negativity into your time together.

Toji managed a small smile, though his mind was still on the earlier confrontation. "It was good. Feeling strong," he replied, walking over to you and wrapping his arms around your waist from behind. He pressed a gentle kiss to your neck, making you giggle.

"You seem a bit tense," you observed, turning to face him. "Everything okay?"

Toji nodded, his eyes softening as he looked at you. "Yeah, just had a bit of a situation at the gym, but it's taken care of."

You raised an eyebrow, curious but trusting his words. "Well, I'm glad it's all sorted out."

"Me too," he said, pulling you into a deeper kiss. "So what's for dinner?"

You smiled, looking up at him, "Your favorite—steak and roasted vegetables."

Toji's eyes lit up with genuine happiness, his lips trailing down your neck. "Sounds perfect, doll~."

─═✧✧═─ 𝕊𝕦𝕜𝕦𝕟𝕒 ℝ𝕪𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟 ─═✧✧═─

Sukuna's palace was as grand and imposing as ever, with its vast halls and ornate decorations. The air was thick with a sense of power and mystery. Sukuna was in his private chamber, reviewing some ancient scrolls, when he noticed a commotion outside his door. Your sister was being escorted into the room, looking both nervous and determined.

"State your business," Sukuna demanded, his eyes narrowing as he observed her.

"I have something you need to see, my king," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she handed him a small, ornate box.

He didn’t even bother to look, he could tell what your sister was trying to do. He instantly burned them up

“W-What are you doing?!” She asked with widened eyes.

Sukuna stood up, towering over her. "You think I would be so easily deceived? Do you really believe I wouldn't recognize a poorly executed plan?" His voice was low and dangerous, sending a shiver down her spine.

She took a step back, her confidence quickly fading. "I...I–"

Sukuna's patience snapped. In an instant, he was in front of her, his hand around her throat, lifting her off the ground effortlessly. "You thought wrong. And now, you'll pay for your insolence."

Your sister's eyes widened in terror as she struggled to breathe, her hands clawing at his grip. "P-please... I won’t do it again..."

"You dare try to undermine my trust in her? You dare think you can deceive me?" His grip tightened, his eyes glowing with a murderous intent. "Know your place."

She gasped for air, tears streaming down her face. "I'm s-sorry... please..."

Sukuna sneered, his face inches from hers. "I should end you right here. But for her sake, I'll spare your pathetic life this once." He released her, letting her fall to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. "But if you ever try something like this again, there will be no mercy."

Your sister scrambled to her feet, nodding frantically before fleeing the room. Sukuna watched her go, his expression remaining stern until she was out of sight. He then took a deep breath, calming himself before heading to find you.

When he found you, you were in one of the palace's beautiful gardens, tending to the flowers. As soon as you saw him, you smiled brightly. "Hey, how was your day?"

Sukuna managed a small smile, though his mind was still on the earlier confrontation. "Fine. What are you doing out here?” He asked

“Helping the flowers~” I say as I look back at all of the various flowers surrounding us.

Sukuna's eyes softened slightly as he watched you tend to the garden. "They look good," he remarked, stepping closer but keeping his distance.

"Thank you," you replied with a smile. "I thought it would be nice to have some fresh flowers for the palace."

He nodded, his gaze lingering on you for a moment. 

You kissed his cheek before continuing your work. "So how was your day?"

"Fine," he replied, his voice steady and reserved.

You sensed there was more to it but decided not to press him. "Well, now that you’re here, shall we spend the rest of the evening together?"

Sukuna nodded, another small smile playing on his lips. "Yes, let's."

I LOVE THE CAMERA SO, SO MUCH—AND THE CAMERA LOVES ME ! / / xavier , zayne, rafayel & sylus . . .

ever since you went viral on the internet, your relationship has become the evvy and dream of users globally. just what about you guys was so groundbreaking?

warnings: f!reader, established relationship, modern!au without the monster protocore stuff, ooc!sylus??? this is my first time writing him im scared yall, internet fame, fluff, suggestive on zayne's part, relationship tingz mostly inspired by douyin couple tiktoks (im so lonely brah.)

w/c: 2.15k (about 500-600 each.. whew. sylus ws the longest...)

author's note: if u guys can figure out what photo reference i ws talking ab in zayne's ily (hint hint that one nanami fanart) also did u guys peep the rv reference in the title??? #reveluv #streamcosmic art cred: angye on twt

XAVIER didn't think that he'd go viral for something as silly as interupting your tiktok by carrying you away, then again he didn't even know you posted it.

it didnt just go viral because the two of you were in the cutest matching hoodies, but because he swept you off your feet so smoothly and almost effortlessly.

soon after that, comments flooded your page gushing about how they'd wish they had a boyfriend as clingy and affectionate as him, and you two had started a new trend.

after that video, many followed you because they fell in love with you and your relationship, almost begging for more crumbs of you two. your page was then full of the two of you more so than before, photos of you two in onesies cuddling, stargazing, and even little day-to-day vlogs.

your fans just kept eating them up, and he had to deal with the impending consequences of it.

"XAVIER, come pose with me!"

the grey-blond haired man sighed, dragging his feet towards you. "don't you think we're done? we've taken so many already..."

you raise a brow, "we didnt take any this whole week? cmoon, the camera's rolling, let's do that dance i taught you!"

"but it's late, and i wanna go to sleep... we can take some tomorrow morning or something..."

you give him the sternest look you could muster, and he generates the biggest puppy eyes he'd ever done, looking down at you with a small pout as his hands hung loosely around your waist.

"a kiss then?"

you roll your eyes affectionately, "you can have your kiss after this i promise! pleaaaseee xavier?"

it seemed that he wasn't gonna take no as an answer, as he kept leaning in towards you, determined as ever.

your face was burning as you chuckle nervously, leaning away from him. he slowly inched closer, until you were at a point where you could go no further without any help.

realizing you had no other choice, you sighed with a pout of your own, and XAVIER took this as a chance to pull you closer and press a kiss to your lips, making you giggle. you pressed your fingers lightly to his lips as he swayed you side to side, and you couldn't help but laugh and follow suit.

"XAVIER!"

you posted the video not long after that, a cute song in the background to cover the sounds of your voices. within just 2 hours, it went viral, taking its spot as your number one video.

"ughhhhhh is this too much to ask for?"

"if you look closely you'll see me laying on the street."

"u guys r my fav couple ever pls don't ever break up!!!"

it was safe to say you never got your dance.

ZAYNE took quiet pride in being your boyfriend—and he took it very seriously as well. he'd fuss over you even more than before, making sure you were okay at all times

you'd joke about how he was acting more as your husband than your boyfriend. he'd brush your comments aside, saying you think too much (funnily enough his ears were quite red)

your relationship went viral due to the sillyness you brought into it, the little antics you'd pull around him as you two would go through your day-to-day life being the highlight of the week for your viewers

but what really made you two so popular was in the gentleness he'd treat you with. his words may seem curt and blunt, but his actions said anything but that. in your mini vlogs, ZAYNE would display tiny gestures of affection, ranging from delicately fixing your jewelry and carrying your purse to zipping up your dress and putting your heels on for you.

"hey god... it's me again..."

"i want a rich doctor bf too!"

"my parentsssss <3"

your viewers would nitpick at every little thing, hundreds of fan edits taking over the app by storm, and you'd repost every single one of them

"ZAYNE! i'm home! sorry, usually i'd be the one to be early but the association had-"

you stopped, frowning as you realized the lights were off, the only source of light coming from your kitchen. making your way there, you were met with the back of your boyfriend, seemingly working very hard on something.

"zayne?"

he turned around, greeting you with a soft look of surprise. "oh. you're here." he stepped towards you, and now you could see that he was wearing an apron over a dress shirt and pants.

"go to your room. i left a change of clothes for you on your bed."

you looked at him confusedly before realization and guilt struck you. "...oh! oh my gosh, i'm so sorry! i forgot it was our anniversary! i'll-"

you shut up as he looks at you with an amused lift of his brow, taking this as your cue to go get changed.

turns out, ZAYNE had taken a day off without you realizing it. he spent the day getting your apartment ready for your anniversary. and he had everything set alright.

"i can't believe you did all of this yourself... i mean- wow..."

you two enjoyed a nice candlelit dinner with your favorite foods and drinks, and you kept having to resist the urge to just tug him closer with his tie and plant kisses all over his face.

wait, unless...

"ZAYNE, could you come here?"

ZAYNE thought the two of you were done, wanting to spend the rest of the night with you in his arms-it turns out you had a different idea

"you still haven't gotten your reward."

you uploaded a new post to your instagram page, captioned "my sweet doctor <3" with pictures of your dinner that night

and on the very last slide, was a picture of him turned to the side with lipstick covered kiss marks over his face and shirt, ears a pretty shade of red, and your hand pulling him in by his tie

your fans could only ever imagine what happened after that

it was just after your date with RAFAYEL at the aquarium did the topic of who his lover was striked appeal to the media. apparantly, some fans recognized him and sneakily took photos, eagar to find out who his girlfriend was.

at first, he was annoyed by it, but after seeing compilations of videos where he'd see you two, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to indulge the public.

soon after that, his pages both on instagram and tiktok had tiny easter eggs of you, whether it be your clothes, a second of you in the background of his videos or even in his paintings.

the comments would be full of "did u guys see the ___ in the background?" or "to have a painter as a bf... im jealous..."

to fuel the fire, you'd feed your already large fanbase your own easter eggs of him. one of his paintings in the background, a shirt of his on your couch, a split second of your wallpaper shown, etc.

you were just having fun, you didn't expect anything to really come out of the antics you both were pulling in front of the public.

however, you both thought wrong, as it didn't take long for the people to put two and two together.

"RAFAYEL... my legs hurt... when are the fireworks gonna start?"

"shhh just be patient, we can stop here if you want?"

you two were at one of the largest beach festivals at linkon, and after a whole day of running around and trying everything, your legs had gotten sore.

you and RAFAYEL sit down on the cool sand, the water from the waves inching closer and closer. you could hear the commotion coming from the festival, but all you could focus on right now were the waves in front of you.

"ugh... you're right. all that running around has made me exhasted. don't be surprised if you have to carry me home."

you flick him on his forehead as he weakly puts his hands up in surrender and lays down on the sand. you lay beside him, your arm propping your head up.

"i had fun today though. it's felt like ages since we went somewhere in public together."

he hums, pulling your hand towards him to rest on his face. "yeah... its too much... maybe we should just settle down back at-"

"oh my god, is that RAFAYEL? and... is that his girlfriend!?"

you quickly turn around and were met with a group of fangirls. you turn back around to rafayel to see him already sat up, motioning for you to follow him.

"i know you said you were tired but..."

you read his mind instantly, getting up and grabbing his hand. you both start to run away from the clicks and flashes of the paparazzi, giggling and laughing while doing so.

the fireworks had finally started behind you.

after that whole fiasco, you and RAFAYEL retired to his bedroom back at his studio, breathless and exhausted.

as you two soundly slept, the internet was currently in shambles after finding out your secret relationship, leaked photos of you two running together and getting into your car having made it on every platform.

and as his phone rang with notifications, he had an inkling of what happened.

"whatever..." he thinks tiredly as he pulls the covers over you and him.

"...i can deal with that tomorrow."

SYLUS was never shy in showing you off as his girlfriend, but never once discouraged nor encouraged your moves to post the two of you together

yet the moment you posted the huge bouquet of roses he'd sent to your apartment via luke and kieran and it blew up, it was almost like he was urging you to show him off

you didn't even mean for it to go that big, you just thought they were pretty

and yet, he'd sneak in small comments during your conversations like "the view here is pretty, wanna comemorate it?" or "look, our outfits are matching, i could get kieran to take a picture of us together if you'd like?"

you'd taken the hint pretty quickly, rolling your eyes as you brushed it off each time, until you had a change of heart one day

you posted a video of you touring the city on his motorcylce, one hand wrapped around his torso and the other holding your phone, showing off the view and the well, broad, shoulders and back of your boyfriend

and as you can probably tell, it went viral, with many users commenting how they'd wish they had their own biker boyfriend who'd take them across cities

he scrolls through the comments in his freetime, lips turned upwards and already planning your next hit

"SYLUS...? what's the meaning of... this?"

just a minute ago, SYLUS walked up to you and asked if you'd like to go shopping, that it was on him. you agreed hesitantly as you got up, suspicious of his intentions already.

and without giving you time to think, he picked you up with one arm and has not put you down since.

"well, i thought it'd be nice to treat you, it's been a while afterall."

"...we went to a michellin star restaurant like two days ago?"

"hm."

sighing, you reel your head back and notice a glint in the dark hallways of his manor, along with hushed voices and camera clicks.

was that... luke and kieran?

"wait, wait, wait, wait— i think i saw luke and kieran—"

he swiftly glaces behind you two with furrowed brows, and then gave you a small smirk. sometimes you can't tell if he's teasing you or not.

"pay them no mind, they're probably up to something again. best not to find out now."

he looks at you curiously, "or is this your way of saying you want out? i was gonna pay a visit to the claw machine with you... i heard they had a new limited edition plushie..."

your eyes snap back to his, "no, no! this is fine... i'm sure i was just imagining things."

he gives you a triumphant smile and keeps walking, yet your mind can't help but wander back to what those twins were doing...

and it turns out your suspicions were right all along, for after you came back home from a successful night of shopping, your phone was abuzz with notifications coming from your friends

luke and kieran had secretly recorded the two of you when he picked you up, and made sure to show the black card that was in SYLUS'S possesion

you'd have never thought he'd go along with a plan as silly as this with the two of them, but they were his assistants afterall.

later, you were bored out of your mind, so you decide to scroll through the comments.

"hows it feel to live my dream!?"

"i'll get it one day... one day...."

"if i ever had a boyfriend like that, i'd never let him rest."

and as you look over at the sleeping man beside you, you definitely understood them.

‧₊˚.𖧧. BEING A STREAMER!

including! — (in order) xiao, hu tao, albedo, kazuha, childe <3

genre/warnings! — fluff, streamer! au, ooc childe SHUT UP its canon to me, they’re all so in love it’s sickening, dedicated to [ @starglitterz ] !!! if you don’t know my darling quill actually has an ongoing series surround streamer!xiao SO IF YOU’RE INTERESTED here is her [ masterlist! ], based off personal opinions of who i can actually picture streaming!

༉‧₊˚. SYNOPSIS! — what they’re like as streamers + being in a relationship with them <3

:: XIAO! ♥︎

gaming streamer!

genuinely very dedicated to his gaming, he can get into storylines but prefers combat & action-adventure over anything

though when he’s not up to fight, he enjoys chill idle games where he’s really just talking with his chat <3

he’s not the most talkative unless the gameplay calls for it, but everyone just enjoys watching him play because of how absorbed he gets

━━━━ IN A RELATIONSHIP :

his chat will never not make fun of him when you’re on screen

it starts as him just immediately muttering “intermission.” into his mic and switching to his idle screen whenever you enter

then one time he fatefully forgets to mute his mic and boom! the jig’s up, they all know how in love he is behind the scenes

the way he blushes and practically forgets he’s on camera as he loses himself focusing on you; they’re spamming emotes and the like labeling him a simp

he glances directly at his face cam, clutches his headset’s mic and says “not a word.” in the most intimidating voice he can muster, but how is he meant to intimidate his chat when they’ve already seen how soft he is?

and if you’re playing the games with him !!! absolutely forget about it he’s done for

even if you’ve got no idea what’s going on, he’s happy to teach you (which he’d never admit on stream though everyone already knows)

he loves how you interact with his community, you giggling and reading out comments that he in turn gets to quietly answer with you, a small loving smile never leaving as his eyes roam his monitors

in conclusion, you two are very cute <3

:: HU TAO! ♥︎

gaming streamer!

very lively all the time !!! her streams are more experiences then anything

also a fan of combat, but horror & thriller games are undoubtedly her favorites

she doesn’t scream or get scared, but everyone else does and that’s what makes it fun for her >:D

━━━━ IN A RELATIONSHIP :

no one can tease her because she’s too busy teasing you</3

“my my, look at you! strolling into my office all cute like this while i’m streaming, are you trying to seduce me?”

whenever she sees the door behind her creak open through her face cam she beams, awaiting the small “…are you streaming?” you always ask for confirmation when you enter

rapid comments immediately pour in the chat, all of them containing strings of your name and various exclamations of excitement

she loves you, so of course her chat has to as well

ushering you in, she pauses whatever’s displayed on her stream and immediately asks if you wanna stay, chat continuing to go insane about the the possibility of them getting multiplayer content that’s always the cutest

whether or not you wanna play is up to you, of course, but she’ll definitely ask you to come on stream and play with her at least once, even if you’re basically just watching !!!

her mods usually have to remind her she’s on camera so she doesn’t completely lose it and end up kissing you right there

even if you’re just bringing her something, the few seconds you’re in the back and she gets to rewatch and see you wave at the camera or smile or laugh, they’re always her favorite clips

“that’s my love, always stealing the spotlight from me.”

:: ALBEDO! ♥︎

artist & gaming streamer!

his streams are the ones that people always say they fall asleep to, in a comforting way of course <3

he’s so calm all the time, and his viewers just love to relax & vibe with him

the times he does play games, they’re always rpgs or open world exploration! he adores being able to just roam around in a game and go on about the beauty of it all

━━━━ IN A RELATIONSHIP :

by far the most flustered by you being on stream with him

he doesn’t mean to be, he usually just isn’t prepared for you to make an appearance at all

his most clipped stream is one titled “just sketching :)” where he’s sharing his screen as he draws someone, an unidentifiable person (so he thinks), and someone donates with the message “is that your partner?”

his eyes go wide in realization and he immediately switches screens, saying nothing and opting to switch to gaming

he puts chat on emote only mode whenever you’re on because he thinks he might pass out if he’s teased, and it always explodes with his custom love emote (he draws them himself)

“you can’t keep flustering me on stream like this…” he mutters to you as quietly as he can, the softening of his quizzical eyes intimately drawing you in

you grin, brushing a strand that’d been tugged from his braid behind his ear and cupping his cheek. you tease, “my apologies, mr. kreideprinz.”

enunciating your chide with a quick tap to his nose, you leave him be, knowing he’d come find you later after the camera’s off. he clears his throat, readjusting his pen and removing the “intermission” screen from his stream

“was that them?” he reads a comment aloud, locking his jaw and looking down to hide his growing smile

“of course it was.”

:: KAZUHA! ♥︎

reading/writing & gaming streamer!

there’s a bit of music sprinkled in there as well, but his main three topics are usually above

his streams are also ones people fall asleep to… unless he’s gaming. then no one is truly safe

his closeted chaotic nature falls forward as he begins gaming, especially if there’s high stakes or fear factors involved

━━━━ IN A RELATIONSHIP :

he always becomes even more soft spoken when he’s discussing you, as if you might shatter should he talk about you too rashly

his chat loves when you’re brought up cause he gets all smiley, even if he’s raging because of minecraft spiders

“i dare say you all like them more than me.” he laughs as a donation that’d asked about when you’d be joining him on stream again disappears

there’s one time he’s writing a haiku, his chat just as stumped as he is as he struggles to conjure up a last line, and you enter. a mug full of tea, freshly brewed with all your care

you remain at the side of the camera, only your hands dipping in to hand him the mug. he looks to you, a ghost of a “thank you” slipping from his lips as you dip down and kiss his hair

series of “IS THAT THEM?” and “AWWWW” range through his chat displayed on the side, and they all swear he’s never looked happier

he’ll never object to you joining him on stream! he has so much fun when you play games with him, laughing as he finds you getting frustrated on the same levels he was previously losing his mind over

keeping his light way of speech even when he’s playing almost never happens, and while it might be shocking for some, it’s nice to be able to see this side of him that before was only shared with you, now with a whole community <3

:: CHILDE! ♥︎

gaming, lifestyle, and …everything streamer!

he can truly get away with anything, and it’s awful

the type to be dragged into doing outlandishly long streams because of a bet he lost with his chat

a certified whale for any games that involve paid features (don’t let him anywhere near genshin dear god)

━━━━ IN A RELATIONSHIP :

like a puppy whenever you come on camera

he gets so happy when you’re on with him !!! smiling with his teeth all throughout the stream, leaning towards your ear to flirt within his whispers (which everyone most definitely heard)

“are you gonna come stream with me?” he gasps when you walk into the room, the freckles amongst his cheeks igniting with the small blush he sports

he’s so in love with you that his chat is too

“childe, is your s/o single?” is said in a donation, to which he sarcastically clicks his tongue and replies “i think they’re taken and i’m so mad about it, they’re so fine—”

whenever he holds polls as to what games he should play, horror is always the winner (because they all know he can’t handle it)

and so whenever it gets too scary for him, he calls out for you and asks you to stay with him for moral support </3

has kissed you on stream before and will do it again. sometimes the comments get too comfy for his liking and he has to remind both them and himself that he’s yours

no matter what it is he’s doing, he already loves what he does! it’s just the tiniest bit more fun when it’s with you :D

thank you so much for reading !!! stay safe & ily <3

| "ᴵᶠ ˢᴴᴱ ᴴᴬˢ ᴺᴼ ᶠᴬᴺˢ ᵀᴴᴱᴺ ᴵ ᴬᴹ ᴰᴱᶜᴱᴬˢᴱᴰ"

- ꜱᴇʟꜰ!ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ʜꜱʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴇɴ x ꜱᴛʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ!ɢɴ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ.

- ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ: ᴀᴄʜᴇʀᴏɴ, ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ꜱᴡᴀɴ, ᴋᴀꜰᴋᴀ

- ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: ᴘᴜʟʟɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪʜɪʟɪᴛʏ ʟᴇꜱʙɪᴀɴꜱ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ʙᴀᴅ ꜰᴀɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀ.

- ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ᴅᴏᴡɴ ʙᴀᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ᴄʀɪɴɢᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ & ᴄʜᴀᴛ (ᴡᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ɪᴛ), ꜱʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴏᴏᴄ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀ?, ꜱᴡᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ, ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇꜱ

ꜱ/ɴ = ꜱᴛʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ

+ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ? ꜱᴇᴛ… ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ!

The light emitting from Y/N's computer being the only source of light inside the small streamer's bedroom. Blinds and curtains were closed while the steady stream of users chatting 'Hello' in their livestream multiplied.

"Welcome back to another stream everyone! I have to be just a little quiet today because... It's night, Dark as hell." Y/N spoke with a nervous grin in their face, Chat just spammed random emotes while others asked what they would be doing today.

"So, If you haven't been on the last streams of me just farming every single nook and cranny in this god forsaken game then we are going to be pulling today!"

"....I have saved for SO long omg.." They muttered while booting up the game, A grin now placed on their face as they finally shared their screen.

"I'm on 10 pity and 50/50 so.. I just REALLY hope she comes home! Please! PLEASE! I have pre-farmed and everything!" They yelled quietly while in the dark abyss of their bedroom. Chat just spammed whatever they felt like as Y/N finally showed the wishing screen.

*warning: This may be a bit off script on Kafka's part*

- ＡＣＨＥＲＯＮ || Self-Annihilator

- Acheron would have never once believed she was made for entertainment, Every tragedy she has seen, Every fight she had been engaged to and won most preferably. Yes, She believes she at least has some reasons to not only be made for 'Entertainment'.

- But here she stands, Back pressed against the invisible box she is caged in along with other people who have never been "pulled" by you.

- Her aloof personality helping her understand that "Oh yes, I see. I was merely created to be a puppet, an entertainment. I see."

- Glitching in all her glory, She had always had her eyes on you. From the very moment she gained sentience. Seeing the puppet you control from reality talking to her, Forcing the trailblazers to do your bidding.

- Always hearing you talking about her, Your absurd comments about her is beyond comparable to those of atrocities. Talking to other beings she never even hear at least once speak, Although a robotic voice she could hear, Talking to you and your loneliness.

- Yet, She can't help but feel endeared about some of your comments, Your presence when she would be talking to the Trailblazer had a sort of calming effect on her.

- Still, She absolutely despises you. Have you no sense of pride or dignity?

- She wonders. Just how far can she go before you truly understand what it means to leave a life of fakery.

*ੈ♡⸝⸝🪐༘⋆*ੈ♡⸝⸝⋆*ੈ♡⸝⸝🪐⸝⸝*ੈ♡

"Omg look at her!" Y/N gushed as they stared at the splash art of Acheron. Spam clicking on Acheron's face as some sort of wishing ritual.

"Fellas, is it gay to wanna get stabbed by her? I mean, You're literally getting entered on by a woman." Y/N said suddenly with an eyebrow raised, Looking straight at the camera.

"cupcakemangabaker: We officially lost them"

"YouLeftMeHanging: I bet it's neon purple and fades to black at the base"

"IKnowYoureReal replying to YouLeftMeHanging: WOAH HUH?"

YouLeftMeHanging has been put to timeout

"Alright well! Enough of that! We got ourselves a gay to catch fellas!" Y/N spoke in their most southeasterner accent possible. "Yeehaw brother!" They spoke as they finally clicked the 10 pull.

"Hm.." She hummed as a bright light suddenly engulfed her.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" They yelled all of the sudden while standing up from their seat as the ticket had a faded rainbow on it, The music changing signifying that it is in fact is a 5 star. "Omg wait wait, No no... PLEASE OMG! WAIT WAIT!" S/N immediately turned off the background music.

As Pompom finally gets blown away and the doors of the astral express opened, The first thing that came on Y/N's screen was

Harmony.. Atleast Bronya... Yay.

As the screen continued against the streamer's wishes, For a split second, The path immediately changed to Nihility.

"Acheron..." Merely a borrowed name. You know my nature, remember my deeds... Thus, I am Acheron." The voice line played as Acheron showed up in front of Y/N's monitor.

Mouth wide open with a dumb struck look on their face, Y/N was both confused and thanking the hoyo-gods for giving them Acheron.

"Now wait just a goddamn minute. We all saw the Harmony icon right? I wasn't hallucinating that shit?" Y/N asked nervously, Wondering if they just hacked the game despite literally not having any sort of mod in game.

"KinkyKnifeCollector: Imagine it's one of those self aware au's I've been reading lmfaoo"

"IDontDoWellWithRopes: i bet another acheron is behind that one too"

"Oh please, That's never happening." Y/N said while rolling their eyes, Clicking on the skip button as they already got Acheron.

10.

10 Acherons suddenly flooded the streamer's screen, "umm..Guys? This really scary" The streamer quoted as they looked back and forth to their screen and camera.

"This is a dream..probably.. because NO WAY." Y/N was starting to second guess themselves at this point. Did they have a hack client? There was no way this was ACTUALLY possible.

"I mean like come on, If hoyo wanted me to get gangbanged by Acheron they should just make her real!" Deciding to just fully ignore chat, Nervously making jokes to lighten the mood. Specifically their mood, Because what the fuck is this bullcrap?!

"ilovemangaandbaking: OMG HOW?? Please please pull on my account ples please pelase pealase"

"[MOD]AMatchIntoWater replying to ilovemangaandbaking: Brother eugh"

"DisgustRunsThroughMyVeins: I bet it's a man (I'm a man).

As Y/N hurried to place Acheron on their team, They are immediately reminded once more that they managed to get E6.. In a singular 10 pull.

Finally placing Acheron on their team, Switching to Acheron immediately as they finally let the most excited scream ever, Even when they said it was night, I'm sure the neighbors won't mind a few screams of terror.

- ＢＬＡＣＫ ＳＷＡＮ || Memokeeper

- Black Swan was a bit shocked at first. After all, Who wouldn't be shocked by the revelation that you are created to be played with?

- Still, She had to be composed as always. Talking to this mascot and husk of a person that occupies the player from reality itself.

- When she no longer mattered did she suddenly get transported into an invisible box in the dark void of the abyss. Space was quite literally moving faster than she had ever seen in this.. box.

- It was little uncomfortable, walking on air. Sure, she could pass through walls but at least she had some sort of grasp of where she is and what she's standing on. Now she has no concept of where in the world she is and she feels like a migraine is coming.

- Her only knowledge of people she is stuck with coming from the trailblazer and even then, the information is barely enough to get her to have at least a conversation with most of them.

- A lost child, A soldier, A guardian... The Astral Express. and some.. sassy lost child with another sassy lost child. She's beginning to see a pattern with the Xianzhou Loufu now.

- She absolutely was bewildered with your comments about her. Something about you wishing to be used by her glass hands.. She supposes she should ignore that part unless her mind delves deeper within the meaning of that.

- Will you still say the same thing when you're face to face with her or will you be consumed by fear itself?

*ੈ♡⸝⸝🪐༘⋆*ੈ♡⸝⸝⋆*ੈ♡⸝⸝🪐⸝⸝*ੈ♡

"haha very funny chat." Y/N spoke blankly as they pressed on another 10 pull, Who knew such character would be so hard to get! Chat was already betting that they would lose their 50/50 on hard pity.

"everyoneisaddlcreference: I BET 100 BUCKS!"

"IgnoringMeAreWe: I BET MY SOUL!"

"Okay we don't HAVE to go that far with the bets calm down!" Y/N spoke, Their No BS facade crumbling as they let out a huff of amusement. "I would let her fuck me, Peg me just come home PLEASE."

As the streamer finally reached hard pity, Chat was already spamming Ls on them, Cyberbullying was their love language they supposed. "I'm taking the fattest L right now dude.."

"Im..ImTheProtagonist!: Point and laugh everyone."

"sentientcupcake replying to Im..ImTheProtagonist!: ick."

"Im..ImTheProtagonist!: WHAT DID I DO?!"

"Omg... PLEASE JUST GIVE ME BLACK SWAN HOYOVERSE!" Y/N yelled as they slammed their desk, It was mostly for the bit of course but maybe breaking their desk might.. work?

"WITH THESE STELLAR JADES I SUMMON, BLACK SWAN!"

"WHAT THE-"

The ticket had a faded rainbow trail on it, It was barely noticeable but Y/N saw it and immediately screamed in happiness. Fuck them neighbors and fuck chat too, IT IS HARD PITY AND JUST GIVE THEM BLACK SWAN.

"Please! All I beg for is Black Swan, I will treat her right!" The streamer added, They were stood up already, hunched in front of the camera as they clicked past the other lightcones they acquired.

"Y/N.. Intriguing name. Hmm... and a fate that's quite elusive." Black Swan's voice rang inside the streamer's headphone, It felt like her voice was echoing inside their brain as they just stared at the splash art of Black Swan.

"SoldMySoulForPoetry: Oh man, I just lost 150 bucks :("

"YourReality: Why is no one mentioning that bs just said S/N's real name LMFAO"

"somearejustmyfavoritesongs: Probably because"

"SpiderDance!1!!1: Oh shit hoyo-police got to him"

"wow.. I mean damn, What the hell." Y/N mumbled as they finally sat themselves back in their chair, Looking over at their chat before awkwardly clearing their throat. "Damn, What just happened?" They chuckled as they clicked past Black Swan. They should probably end stream, they already had Black Swan now and It was so late anyways, plus they had to hangout with their friends tomorrow.

After saying goodbye to chat, Y/N finally let out a heavy sigh, leaning back on their chair as they began to ponder what the hell was that. No use thinking about it, It's just some pixels on a screen anyways.

"You won't even give me an ounce of your thoughts? How unfortunate."

"WHAT THE-"

- Ｋ Ａ Ｆ Ｋ Ａ || Stellaron Hunter

- Of course she knew it, Elio and his scripts, it's a ton of fun messing with you in the Space Station.

- But oh how she loved messing with you even more in the Xianzhou Loufu. You're so easy to read, Your questions had always been anticipated by her. Hearing herself say how your her child just left her wanting to laugh straight in your face.

- Thank god for the unbroken codes, She could mask it well. Although it's more or so of her facade that she keeps up, How adorable seeing you worry about her.

- Perhaps it might have even left her feeling a little giddy and endeared by your subtle love for her.

- It's not even subtle but still, It's like a high school crush. Atleast that's what Silverwolf said, "Ugh, What do you even see in them Kafka?", Honestly, she herself does not even know. All she knows is your absolutely adorable.

- Your words really do leave her breathless, From laughing that is. It's cute seeing you gush about her and literally yell your heart out every chance you see her outside of your quests.

- But now, She has a chance to see you once more. There's not many chances of you seeing her since her banner had been long gone, Too bad you're a new player.

- But don't worry, A few tweaks and tricks by her companion will surely get that job done.

- You'll see her again. again and again until all you see is her. Just Kafka, In your reality. It's not gonna be a dream anymore, no.. no. Just you and her in the endless vast sea of space.

⋆·˚ ༘ <3*⋆·˚ ༘ *⋆·˚ ༘ *🔭!

"Guys, I'm not hacking I swear." Y/N spoke seriously as they checked their second monitor, Wondering how in the world they managed to get on Kafka's banner when it practically ended AGES ago. "This is like.. What is this? What even is this, I am so confused bro."

"I haven't even managed to farm THAT MANY stellar jades yet, I'm still stuck on the Loufu what the hell!" Y/N stated while throwing their hands up in the air, The wishing screen only having Kafka's banner on as well as the signature lightcone. No second banner, No standard banner, JUST Kafka.

"ilikefantasynovels: Guys donate to S/N so they can buy oneiric shard."

"Falckason: they're so poor charity is considered a heaven-sent for them LOL

"ItBoy donated $500: Take the L S/N"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN TAKE THE L, YOU DONATED 500 DOLLARS! also by the way thank you, I really appreciate it." They whispered the last part onto the mic as they put their face cam on full screen so the users couldn't see their credit card details.

"This is not scamming chat, My game is just built different." Y/N spoke with confidence as they finally switched the screen back to the wishing menu. "Obviously, I'm using 500 dollars worth of stellar jades just for Kafka."

"WindResistance: you were gonna get E6S5 Kafka one way or another"

"TRUE! That's sadly but not that sad.. very true. Look I just love her so much is it too much to ask for?!" Y/N yelled dramatically. "If I get her on my first ten pull I will end stream!"

Chat obviously disagreed with whatever stupid declaration S/N was saying in the heat of the moment. I mean come on, They were on 10 pity with literal dogshit luck!

As Y/N finally clicked the 10 pull button, The trail of the ticket glowed with a trail of rainbow, An obvious sign that it was a 5 star. Chat went wild seeing the streamer get a 5-Star on their 2nd 10 pull. Bombardments of 'WHAT' and random emotes flooding the small streamers chat box.

And the first thing that showed on Y/N's screen was...

"Hi, Astral Expressers... Well, you caught me." Kafka's voice line played, Chat spamming whatever emote they felt like while the streamer jumped off their seat and knelt down on the ground, As if praising every God they knew.

Sounds of dramatic yelling and crying were heard far off from the mic as Y/N was spouting nonsense before they immediately stood up and retuned to their desk. "Alright boys and girls! ENDING STREAM!" Y/N yelled once more into the mic before sincerely bidding the chat farewell, Ending the stream completely.

Y/N sighed heavily, A boulder lifted off their shoulders as they sat back down on their chair. Blankly looking at the screen of Kafka's splash art as they let a small giggle of happiness escape them.

"Kafka... Kafka" They hummed as they skipped past the pull, Before being bombarded by 7 different Kafka's and Bronya's light cone. "Oh what the hell?" They mumbled under their breath as they did double-take on their screen, Tiredness was slowly creeping up on them. They didn't even know if this was reality anymore.

"I should.. probably head to bed." They mumbled once more under their breath, Turning off the game and PC before heading to bed. Slowly drifting off to sleep as they laid in bed. Too bad you didn't realize the whispers of a certain someone.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨! 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘓𝘓 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘩-𝘣𝘺𝘦 <3

(Asks are open :>)

"𝐁𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐨𝐧!" ᡣ𐭩

synopsis: You get a call from an old add you posted regarding babysitting, and it happens to be one of your old highschool counselors. Wait- he has kids??

tags: dilf!Wrio x college student!reader, praise, oral, penetration, creampie,

wrd cnt: 2.3k

a/n: this has got to be one of my top 3 fics good lord

Babysitting was just a side hustle, and you'd usually end your services before 8pm, just in time to take a shower and be in bed by 9. This time, your plan was moreover….derailed from the start.

You got a very urgent call from an old friend, could you even call it a friend?

One of your highschool admission councilors caught wind of an online ad in regards to childcare on a pretty popular website, and you recognized the number all too well.

Mr. Wriothesley, who helped you write your entrance exam essay was now contacting you for a babysitte. Why does he need a babysitter...? As far as you knew he wasn’t married.

You dare not decline, not through text anyway. It was the least you could do for him, after all...but it was a stressful time for you and really needed a break.

But it had been a few years, and you were reluctant on how your relationship would even function at this point.

You were well over the age that you'd known him in highschool, and he'd surely see you as an adult now...but best to keep things professional, as much as you could.

It was a little hard to decline, especially when you just parked your car in his driveway and get greeted by him at the door; a small child launched over his shoulder as you can see another run around in the kitchen with a box of cereal.

Shaving cream was smudged on one side of his face while you notice droplets of humidity left from what seemed to be an early morning shower cascade across his bare chest, and his bulging shoulders, pants covering him with a belt undone. Makes sense why he so eagerly needed some assistance.

"Y/n! Thank you so much for coming over today on short notice...Meet these two troublemakers". He jests.

You reply with a smile and say hello to what seem to be his children, a small boy and his younger sister.

"It's nice to meet you!" You say, the children unamused as they run off to go do whatever maniacs do.

"I'm sorry we can't have a longer conversation- I'm running late to work. But! l'll keep in contact throughout the day and whatever's in the kitchen is yours, be home around 7:30, thanks again!" Wriothesley said, finishing his run on sentence in haste while grabbing a shirt off the wooden hooks and stepping down to his parked car, door slamming shut on his way out.

Well...aside from no directions or rules you were pretty prepared so you let it slide, he needed the slack, cleary

But there was only so much you could give him.

You treated his kids like any others, prepared them a nice meal...or three, and did all the things like pretend to be the mailman when playing house and help them solve the 10k puzzle piece at least halfway short of 800 pieces to go, while managing to put them to bed around 7.

But there was no word from Wrio other than the bihourly checkup that would sometimes be skipped.

8 o’clock rolled around and you were still sitting down on his couch, flipping through late night television and waiting for anyone to show up so you could leave.

His kids were great, of course a lot to deal with, but great. Still, you needed to get back home and study for a midterm.

It's finally around 8:50 and you hear the keys jingle inside the doorknob, your head turning so fast it might fall off.

"Y/n...how are ya?" Wrio says, a big smile on his face once he sees you, a book bag handing off his shoulder. You catch yourselves looking at him a little too long already, almost forgetting how annoyed you were at his behavior.

His tone was mellow as he could sense the little ones are sleeping. In a similar whisper, but more passive tone, you reply "great...l left the key on the table, thanks so much again", picking up your bag and attempting to leave.

"Hey hey- what's the matter? Don't you wanna catch up a little over some dinner?" Wrio says, softly shaking the box of takeout in his hand.

"Mr. Wriothesley...I really have to g-"

"Mister? Oh darling don't be so formal, we're both grownups now."

You chuckle politely, trying your best not to snap.

"It's really late and I-"

"Come on, you've earned it! Let’s catch up, tell me how my favorite student is doing!”

"Mr. Wriothesley! you said you'd be home before 8 and it's almost 9...and I have a lot to get back to!" You exclaim, forgetting yourself and the children upstairs.

Eyes slightly widened, Wrio placed down the coat draped over his arm onto the couch, moving closer to you before setting the rest of his things down to the side table.

"Y/n...I'm sorry, I had to stay a little late but I should have let you know, what's wrong?" "I'm sorry for raising my voice- I just...l've been stressed and I wasn't really in the babysitting gig for a while but I didn't want to say no to your request and didn’t know how…”

Surprising you further, Wriothesely makes his way closer to you, a large hand pressing against your back in a tight embrace, his chin resting on your head in a warm hug, you felt his chest against yours and you almost forgot yourself again.

Wriothesley smelled like comfort and he made you feel it even more.

Stroking the back of your head with his large palm, he soothed you.

"It's okay y/n, I know it gets hard, you know I appreciate you making time for this, if you can’t do it again I completely understand your feelings honey.”

You could feel yourself melt into him, his stature almost encapsulated yours.

You almost roll your eyes at the feeling of his strong arms holding you, grazing up and down your back and waist as he parts himself from you to look down, meeting your gaze after the embrace.

His eyes were so inviting and you placed your hands on his shoulders, barely thinking straight.

But you soon met again, this time with your lips.

It was unsolicited, unexpected, but that made it even better.

You couldn't even remember why you were so angry before, what you had to prepare for tomorrow morning.

His hands held your face on each side, slipping his tongue against yours slowly, so slowly.

All that was left in your mind was how strong Wriothesley was, how easily he picked you up and how his hands felt underneath your thighs as you were in his grasp, how he carried you back onto the couch, pressing you into the cushions as he hovered over you, one hand on the trim of the sofa and another on your waist, his tongue moving with yours.

This was your college counselor?

Right now he was anything but that.

All you could focus on was how good it felt when he kissed your neck, how his lips sucked and nippled at your warm skin.

"Fuck..right there, don't stop-“

Wrio slightly chuckles, "I never expected my star student to be so demanding..."

"Just do it..." You urged.

"I think you'd ought to treat me with a little more respect, don't you think so?" He replied.

His thumb found your hard nipple, playing with it through the thin fabric of your shirt, slightly teasing it through your bra.

"Wrio..."

"What happened to Mr.? You dropped that pretty fast...l kinda turned me on." He smirked.

"Please.... Mr. Wriothesley.." You pleaded, dragging down your shirt and bra to reveal your breasts, placing his own hand onto your chest and making him squeeze you.

"That's more like it." His lips say before latching onto your tits, tongue fixated on circling around and over one of your nipples as his fingers pinched the other, his knee grinding into the area inbetween your legs in the meanwhile.

"Mr. Wrio-"

Strands of spit attach to you as he comes up with a breathless reply "Yes sweetheart?"

"More..." You beg.

"More? More what." Wriothesley asks.

"More of this..?" His fingers pinch your nipples, watching you squirm.

"Or this?" His knee pressing against your lower region harder.

"Y-yes...there" You say, grinding yourself into his knee in response.

"Such a naughty girl..." He mentions, unbuckling his belt as he pulls you up by the neck.

"Wait-…..what if they wake up?" You ask in concern.

"They won’t if you can keep quiet." He says, a small wink before he kisses you once more.

The sight was almost surreal. Before you, sat your highschool counselor on the couch, his arm over the rest of the couch with his cock in the other hand, and you had to admit it was big...you almost didn't know if it could fit anywhere.

But you had to try, right?

"Come here princess" Wrio said, cupping your face to bring you down to his crotch, making you lay down further with your face right infront of it.

Hesitantly, you started stroking his cock, feeling how thick it was in your hand, barely able to touch thumb and middle finger together. You gave his tip a few kitten licks, sucking on it and swirling your tongue across the slit where his precum oozed out.

"Don't tease. suck it- ahh! properly..fuck y/n... look at me." He grunts, pulling your hair up higher, using it to pull you deeper into his cock as he forces you to look into his eyes.

"Yes- now you're getting it...smart girl, just like that."

You watch Wriothesley brows furrow and his head get thrown back from pleasure, the pool of arousal only growing now inbetween your legs.

"Ahh- yes, just like that, keep going hun." He pants, his hand tangled up in your hair as he's unbutton his shirt now, laying bare to your wandering eyes.

Before you get a chance to come up for some more air, you feel his trapped hand keep you on his cock some more.

"You're gonna swallow it right baby? For me yeah?" He asks, whispering almost before you feel splashes of cum enter your mouth, running down your throat and coating your lips.

Wrio pants harder and watches intently as you lick up ever drop he's spilled out, collecting it with your finger as you suck it all for him.

"That's my girl." He says proudly.

"Mr. Wrio..." You whisper, climbing on top of him now, making your way up as you sit on top of him.

Before you can even voice your thoughts, his lips are back to yours, kissing you like he'd never done it before.

He practically yanks off your clothes, starting with your bottoms; throwing them to the floor and leaving you only in your panties.

You can't believe what a tease he is himself after scolding you for it...

"Wrio...stop teasing."

"What was that? I didn't hear you y/n" He says, fingers rolling back and forth on your panties, feeling the wetness soak them up as he kisses your pretty nipples and sucks on them lightly, just how he knows you like it.

"You're so wet.... did you love tasting my cock that much?" He giggles, looking up to your eyes with a nipple still in his mouth.

"Mmh- Fuck!" You have to hold a hand against your mouth as you feel him pull aside your panties and stick his fat cock inside your cunt without warning.

“So much profanity” He mutters, taking a large hand to spank you, making you squeal right through your palm.

He runs his hand up and down the side of your figure, a single finger trailing up and in between your breasts, going down as he puts a palm to your lower stomach, feeling the tip of his cock that's thrusting inside you as he presses down on it further.

"Mmmm...that feel good? I’m so deep inside you pretty." Wrio says, smirking up at you as he watches your face burn up while he slams you down on his cock harder.

He hit the spongy spot deep in your pussy over and over again, every hit felt like a shock of pleasure riveting up your spine. You could almost pass out.

But you didn't want him to stop, you wanted more, you needed every last drop of him inside you to feel completely whole.

And that's exactly what you got. It felt like hours went by of his thick cock stretching your hole, you could feel how sore your ass was from slapping against his thighs. The sounds so sinful it made you blush. You could tell Wriothesely was so close, the way his pulled you closer to him, pressing your bodies together while he grinding you into him, doing all the work for you after you worked so hard for him. "Y/n....fuck, fuck, fuck... you're gonna make me cum already..."

You felt tears trickle down your eyelids as it became too much, pleasure washed over you as you came all over his cock, a white ring forming at the base of his member. The sight only driving him into his own pleasure, a pleasure that painted the walls of your cunt completely white; dripping out slowly from your little hole as Wrio pulls his cock out, just to plug himself back in again.

'fucking hell…you're so cute when you cum” he coos, “youre available next friday right?"

Surely you'd be free that day.

whimsic4alwasab1 ™ - do not copy, translate, modify, or claim any of my work as your own.

Dragonfly

zhongli/f.reader

genre: morax/zhongi, immortal!cursed!reader, miko/shrinemaiden!reader, angst, hurt/comfort(?), slow burn, reunion, traveler is NOT y/n, implied xiao/traveler,

warning(s)!!: mentions of: death/repetitive deaths, war, past suicides, the suffering of immortality in a mortal body, for the sake of this fic dragonflies are semi-common in teyvat/liyue lol, xiao considers zhongli/reader parental figures, things will definitely not follow canon timelines, Xiao is a frequent/important character, characters may be ooc (im sorry)

w.count: 15.6k (i am so sorry)

SYNOPSIS: fate and time are cruel kings ruling over even gods. morax is no exception. the only human he ever fell in love with was twisted by fate to battle him in a brewing war. the image of the burning temple that she resided in rested behind his eyelids and not a day goes by that he does not still mourn and yearn. time had cruelly taken you away from him. or... had it?

“Hello Traveler!” The soft yet chipper voice of the ever-pranking funeral director calls out from behind the blond Outworlder. The day in Liyue was still young and bright as the umber-clad young lady walks up to both them and Paimon who had floated herself bouncily from the Traveler’s right shoulder to the left. 

“Oh,” Paimon begrudgingly acknowledges, form bobbing in the air comfortably. “It's Hu Tao.” 

“Paimon,” Traveler scolds, crossing their arms over their chest. Paimon just sighs as the blond looks to the funeral director who had come close enough for conversion and unfolds their arms, bringing them down to their sides relaxingly. “Good to see you, Hu Tao,” they greet with a small nod.

“Indeed,” Hu Tao nods back, closing her eyes briefly in glee before reopening them. “It is lovely to see you. Are you here to visit Liyue? Or, perhaps another pressing matter brought you back to this nation once again.” 

“It’s nothing drastic,” Traveler dismisses. “We just.... had some time on our hands. So, we’re just visiting.” Partially, that was the truth. However, the full truth was that there was most definitely something the pair could be doing instead of wandering around Liyue. But it was important to take time for yourself sometimes, right? 

“Well, feel free to stop by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor if you’re interested! I’d be happy to host the both of you for a meal.” 

“You mean, Zhongli would host us?” Paimon quips up knowing that, as Hu Tao’s consultant, Zhongli’s job descriptions can vary in terms of tasks. However, when Paimon spoke Hu Tao lifted her arms up towards herself. One wrapped around her chest and rested the elbow of her other, resting her curled fingers against her chin in thought. 

“Perhaps, not this time. Zhongli has had something on his mind these days.” The woman brought her curled hand and arms back down, now gesturing them softly in front of her as she spoke more. “It would feel distasteful to ask him to host guests at the moment.” 

The mention of Zhongli being mentally occupied made the Traveler and Paimon look at each other. They were privy to a lot of information the consultant kept tucked away from public knowledge- for good reason. The staged death of Morax for one. Although Hu Tao had once speculated that Zhongli could possibly be an Adeptus, she surely didn’t know that she wasn’t exactly far off from a bullseye. 

Still, the fact that Zhongli, the former Lord of Geo, was distracted so much that Hu Tao had essentially dismissed him of some of his duties was a concerning thought. He never seemed the type to dwell so much on something that it obstructed his work.

“I’ve tried asking him about it before,” Hu Tao continues, “since he gets like this around the same time every year. All he’s ever spoken to me about it is that someone he knew from his past had died around this time. It felt… wrong to pry into his past more for some reason.” It wasn’t an odd statement coming from her. She often took her work very seriously, even if she herself was a spitfire of a young lady. 

“Someone from his past died?” Paimon asked, already knowing about his past with the Adepti and The Seven. Perhaps, it had something to do with them? Either way, the concern was planted in the Traveler’s chest, so it felt only natural to find the ex-Archon and try and get some answers out of him. Maybe, since the pair had already known about his identity it would be easier to talk about. Or, that was the hope at least. 

Hu Tao and the Traveler spoke briefly for a moment longer with the usual snarky comment from Paimon before going their separate ways. Hu Tao had apparently been on her way out to fulfil a clients few specific requests and her stop for a chat was pushing to make her behind on her work. Paimon didn’t mind if she went on her way sooner rather than later, the dealing with the dead had always been creepy to the floating companion. 

Regardless, Hu Tao was a nice lady. Traveler would make sure to stop by and see her more, maybe indulge her hobby of poetry a bit. 

The two had walked around the busy streets of Liyue for a while trying to find Zhongli. He wasn’t at the funeral parlor, much to their dismay at making it an easy search, so they just starting wandering hoping to catch him somewhere along the way. Soon enough, they had wandered just far enough to catch a glimpse of his long brown tailcoat at Liyue Harbor. 

In retrospect, they should have started their search here if the funeral parlor was a bust. 

Zhonglig stood with his hands tucked neatly into each other behind his back, shoulders slack as he looked out over the landscape. He was basking in the solitude at the top arch of the harbor’s bridge when he hear the approaching sounds of footsteps. Turning his chin, he unclasped his hands and let his arms fall from his back before turning to greet the approaching Traveler. 

“Ah,” his deep voice reverberates and only the closest to him can detect the faux sound of a choked strain in it. “Greetings, Traveler.” 

“Hello, Zhongli!” Paimon greets floating just a fraction ahead of Traveler. “What were you doing?” She already begins to pry with a suspiciously high-strained voice. It just makes Traveler silently sigh and shake their head. She really needed to work on being more conspicuous. 

It’s quiet for a moment before Zhongli already catches on. Perhaps he can be a bit dense about certain aspects of the mortal realm, but he was by no means a fool. A smile finds its way on his lips in a moment of mild amusement at Paimon’s grace, or rather lack thereof. 

“I was merely lost in thought. Reminiscing about the past, you could say.” 

“The past?” She pressed again.

“Paimon,” the Traveler hisses for the second time that day. The floating girl just opened her jaw in mock offense before floating closer to them. 

“What? What did Paimon say now!” 

Zhongli’s low chuckle was a soft tune that at least showed he wasn’t offended by the blatant attempt at coaxing his thoughts out of his lips. 

“Did the Director send you to find me perhaps?” The fact that he was trying to slowly steer the conversation away wasn’t lost to the Traveler. Paimon and them both looked back to Zhongli shaking their heads. 

“Not exactly,” Traveler starts. 

“We did run into her though,” Paimon tacks on. “She told us you had been down in the dumps, so we came to check on you!” Paimon’s small hands came to her hips and her chest puffed out as if proud of her actions of checking in with a friend. 

Zhongli chuckles once again at the way Traveler places their hands on their hips as well,. Though, they were instead sending a playful scowl at the back of Paimon’s head.

“It is quite refreshing to see the two of you bicker,” he chides. “It certainly helps in easing the mind.” Once more, the two’s attention was drawn back to the former god. 

“So,” Traveler starts before Paimon could interject with something else, “there is something on your mind?” There was a growing fit of silence between the group of three, no one speaking in fear of shattering something they couldn’t exactly describe. Zhongli seemingly caved with a minuscule sigh kept more to himself than the harbor’s breeze. 

“The assumption that I’ve been a bit… preoccupied is correct. Lately, it seems I cannot focus on certain tasks for too long. My mind has a bit of a tendency to wander around this time of year.” Zhongli can already see the look of curiously mixed with concern written into the eyes of both Paimon and Traveler. His own eyes flick around the bridge and beyond the harbor’s main port before returning back to his visitors. “If you’re very interested to know, then I would not mind trying to explain it all over some tea. Though, it would be best if we took the topic of conversation elsewhere.” 

The sudden shift in his demeanor was almost palpable. It was like a cloak of grey mist started to waft around his very being at the mention of speaking his mind. Now that the two outsiders got the confirmation that whatever it was that was plaguing him was of the past he doesn’t let others know of, they were ready for a lengthy story. 

Zhongli had graciously invited the Traveler and Paimon to his personal abode, a place they had never even set eyes on. Of course, they knew he had to have had a place to stay and sleep, but for some reason it felt like all he ever did was walk around Liyue, do his work at the funeral parlor, or listen to stories at the Third-Round Knockout. It shouldn’t have been a shock to know he had his own home, but all the same, it was. 

It was simplistic inside, with the shelves being the only things of high value because of all the collected items he had bought and stored on them. Gesturing them both to a set of chairs between a table, he began brewing tea to serve as promised. 

Traveler sat awkwardly at first. Shuffling around in their chair while Paimon floated around the open space of the house being nosier than she should’ve been truthfully. Still, Zhongli didn’t say anything about her snooping so she continued to do so until the homeowner returned with a tray in his hands. 

A decorative teapot sat in the middle of the dark, wooden tray atop a plain towel; the steam of the hot, freshly brewed tea wisped out gracefully from its spout. Beside it were three small teacups placed upside down that clattered with the smallest sounds of finely made clay as he set the tray in the center of the table. Along with them was a small dish of cubes of sugar and a small creamer that held milk inside it. 

Zhongli skillfully took the teacups and flipped them over, setting them all upright and easily pouring the exact same amount of tea into each. The brew was dark and the steam wafted around the tabletop before dissipating into the air only to be replaced immediately with more. He slid two cups toward Traveler and the other to Paimon once she stopped her floating around and settled once again as the third member of the current party. He offered the milk and sugar to the two of them as well. 

“I prefer my tea black, but please help yourselves.” Zhongli settled into his own seat easily. One arm resting on the arm of his perch and the other on the table top to curl his fingers around the cup he had prepared for himself. His legs crossed out of habit and it was then that the Traveler realized he had taken off his tailcoat. It was purely out of habit to take it off when he had arrived to the privacy of his own home, and he didn’t even realize it himself- not that it mattered. It was simply a different look than they were used to. 

Paimon began dropping sugar cubes into her cup a bit too clumsily as small droplets splashed on her hand from the objects breaching the liquid causing her to yelp. In turn, the two seated companions offered her chuckles of amusement as she blew on her hand. Of course, it was hardly an injury- it was more a fright than a burn. 

“It’s hot,” Zhongli chided. 

“Gee, you think!” She then started dropping in cube after cube much more delicately. Or, rather she would drop them from the same height as before but immediately fly away when she let go so the upcoming splash wouldn’t touch her again. The Traveler made their own additions to their tea as well, but much less messily. 

The three settle into a comfortable silence filled with small sips of tea and clicks of returning cup to wooden table top. That is, until Zhongli broke it by placing a small wooden box on the table in front of him to join in with the teatray and it’s accessories. 

It was an elegant box the size of his fist. Golden edges wrapped in angular designs and a locked latch in the front of it. On the top of the lid was the symbol of a Geo Vision. At first, the two travelers thought that maybe this box is what he stored his fake Vision in when it wasn’t on his person. Pulling a small key from under his long-collared shirt, he unlocked the box and opened the lid. From where the Traveler sat with the lid facing them, they still couldn’t get a peek inside. 

The last thing they expected Zhongli to pull out of the cushioned, plush lined box was a hair ornament. 

Modeled in the shape of a dragonfly, the piece was carefully handled by the ex-archon and placed so very delicately on the table. The wings of the dragon fly were filled with a crystal that shone green and teal, the colors shifting with the light and angle as which it was gazed upon. The piece itself was designed as a hairstick, acting as an elegant means to pen up locks of hair- the metal rod of the stick seemed well suited for such a job. Matching teal-green crystal beads hung from the bottom tips of each wing as decorative tails. 

It was a beautiful piece to gaze at. 

Zhongli kept his hand on the table right next to it, his fingertips just a breath away from touching it again. When Paimon got a bit too close while gazing at it, Traveler could see the slightest twitch run through his fingers. As if the ex-Archon was anxious about Paimon getting too close to it. Still, to not be rude he said nothing as she continued to narrowing gawk. 

“Paimon, back up a little,” Traveler said, sitting forward a bit to try and act like they were trying to get a better look while simultaneously trying to get Paimon to back off a bit. When Paimon floated back to her place by her teacup, Zhongli’s shoulders loosened like he was relieved at the distance between the reckless floating fairy and this clearly important item. 

“You were curious on what has been on my mind, yes? This is a one reason I’ve been rather… absent as of late.” 

“You’ve been spacing out over a hairstick?” Paimon asked astonishingly. Zhongli shook his head. 

“Not quite.” His fingers uncurled and genly brushed over one of the beaded tails, letting the crystals bump over his fingertips. His eyes softened, yet that cloak of grey melancholy came back to him. “It’s more about who this was going to belong to.” 

Traveler and Paimon both had questions, but remained silent. They both settled into their respective places ready to listen to the story he was surely about to unweave. They knew that the tea would grow cold and kettle drank empty by the time it was all finished. Though, the look in his eyes and the way his voice grew softer in a way that pulled at the heart made the eternity of sitting in one place much easier to bare. 

“This ornament was going to be a gift to someone I knew a very long time ago. I never had the chance to give it too her, however; so, I keep it here with me where it is safe. I cannot bare to throw it out, even after all this time.” 

It seemed crazy, how the two swore his eyes had grown misty just saying those few sentences. How this story is going to start all because of a crystal dragonfly from millenia past.

There were many places that had been tainted and driven to ruin due to the war raging by the Archons. Gods were battling each other for power, others trying to flee from another’s unjustly wrath. Some even tried defending their people instead of taking place in battles or retreating. It was chaos and there were few corners of the old world of Teyvat that wasn’t splattered in a thick muck of bloodshed. 

Still, that didn’t mean everywhere had been tainted. No. This fact rang true as Morax had discovered one fateful day a small territory cleansed of blood and impurity. 

Hidden behind a barrier he had stumbled upon in the middle of a half dead forest, the invisible viel hid everything beyond it from sight. In fact, if he hadn’t happened to be near it, the Archon probably wouldn't have noticed it in the first place. The barrier itself easily gave and allowed him passage inside which led him to believe it was more of a mask than a shield. 

Walking through it led him to a forest of lush floral and trees that thrived surrounding a small section of land that housed no more than 500 people perhaps. A small village with huts scattered around plots of farmland and a rather luxurious palace atop it all. It was a farcry from the near-deathly state of the outside world and the whiplash of it made him momentarily wonder if he was somehow succumbing to some sort of hallucination. 

Morax walked through the dirt paths all the way until the thick wall that cut off the eastern styled palace from the rest of the people. Walls tall and made of a stone the God of Geo had to have created at somepoint. The craftsmanshift of it was marvelous he had to admit as there was not the slightest crack between the stacked stone. Easily vaulting himself onto the tall wall, he gazes beyond it’s perimeter. 

Inside of the sturdy walls, he could see six different buildings. Along the two side walls of stone stood two houses each. Two west and two east, separate yet built so similar he could easily mistake the four as clones of each other if not for his experienced eyes that had seen such fine details over his life. Connecting these four abodes from west to east were grey, stone paths. The same cobblestone led beyond the front gate he had forwent as he perched atop the wall and led straight forward to a single building that was larger than the rest. Morax assumed that was the main estate just from the grandeur of it compared to the lacking other four. 

Though, the final building is harder for the curious immortal to see. It was built directly behind the main estate, no doubt also connected with the same clean stone paths that weaved through the courtyards. All Morax could see of this building was it’s roof, the same tiled and burned color as the high status homes around it. 

Morax straightened his body from it’s crouched position and began to gracefully walk along the stone wall. Getting new angles of the buildings inside, he soon grew close enough to the main estate that he easily lept to it’s roof. Landing as if the air lessened his weight, he could now view that one single building he hadn’t yet more clearly. 

Immediately, the Archon recognized it as a temple that without a doubt housed priests and priestess alike. Some may be masters at their craft and others may be but small, inexperienced fledgings beyond those sacred walls. 

The idea of a temple like that in an uncharted and untainted territory flared his curiosity. So much so, he was hardly in control of his instincts as he once more lept gracefully from the estate’s rooftop onto the stone paths. His barefeet made a sound of collision when his heels touched the man-made path, and continued to make the same shuffling sounds as he walked straight into the temple. 

Morax did not run into a single person in the temple, though he could hear matras and practices from around different open training fields. Even the soft plunks of arrows being driven into targets for archery precision and the chiming of bells for cleansing. The open halls of the temple and the roof over his head that kept the sun’s heated glare from his figure felt comforting. 

Being in a place so filled with peace and sounds of anything but war was outlandish to the otherwise warrior-type god. Morax had contracts to fulfill and his own principals to protect while fending off other gods trying to level his unnamed throne. Taking out a few of his own violation never did any harm to strengthen his gag between himself and others.

The god had walked so freely that he soon found himself under the sun again. Instead of in the open halls of marble floors and burgundy columns, Morax was standing amidst a field of wild grass, flowers, trees, and bushes. It was like the lush forest outside the stone perimeter allowed a single bit of it’s ecosystem inside the temple just for the mortals to bask in. 

A small humming of wings quickly caught Morax’s attention amidst the sounds of the wind’s breeze and dancing leaves. His chin led his head in the direction before coming to see a small dragonfly hovering around him before landing on his shoulder. The view of the insect was neary cut off by the hood he always wore over his head, but the bug itself was peaceful just resting it’s wings on the god’s shoulder for respite. 

For a moment, the warrior of countless battles felt relief. For just that moment, the weight of such responsibility with his temperament lifted all because a small insect decided to rest on him. 

The dragonfly’s respite did not last. The little critter’s wings began to hum again and soon began to hover off and before Morax could stop his feet, he found himself following it. Bare feet stepping over well worn paths of flattened grass and dirt patches. Not long from where had previously stood, he stopped at seeing where the small insect had flown to in lieu of himself. 

The eyes of the archon landed on the first person Morax had seen since entering this temple- although uninvited, presence unknown and undetected. Reaching out a delicate hand with her index finger extended, the dragonfly landed easily on the appendage. 

A priestess knelt elegantly in the tall grass, previously inspecting herbs when she heard the familiar buzz of wings. The hakama pants that folded at her legs were neatly pleaded without a crease out of place and her kosode tucked perfectly into the trousers- not a wrinkle to critque. Her hair had been loosing tied back with a red hair ribbon that fluttered in the breeze that kept the tall grass swaying like waves of spring. 

The wind picked up when the dragonfly lifted off her fingers and off back towards Morax. It was like the little creature had led him straight to her and was now directing her vision back so they could meet each other’s gaze. 

It was all thanks to that one, small bug that Morax and first made eye contact with you.

“Oh,” your small voice of surprise- at seeing such an odd looking man in the overgrown, private gardens of the temple- carried on the same wind that the dragonfly danced in. You stood and dusted off your knees, knocking any sticking dirt off your bottoms before standing up properly. You inspected the man in front of you.

Arms dark as earth with cracks of glowing gold. Clad in a white cloak that split five ways down  and encompassed with a golden belt at his waist with a hood pulled over his head. The hair you could see whipping lightly in the wind behind his back was dark in color matching his arms. His trousers were wide open and baggy around his legs, only encasing snuggly around his ankles. His impressive stature gained your attention easily and you could tell he wasn’t exactly something mortal. It would be ridiculous to think just at the sight of his arms alone, not to mention the air around him seemed so… powerful. 

“My apologies, I wasn’t aware we were expecting a guest today,” the courteous smile you sent him made him wonder if you weren’t at least a little apprehensive of his unexpected presence. 

“You weren’t made aware because no one aside from yourself is aware of my being here.” 

“I see,” you muse. “I hope you are aware that qualifies you as a trespasser.” 

“Trespasser?” Morax gapped, losing his composure for a moment. His brows dipped in offense under his hood, his pride kicking into his throat through his words. “I am no such being.” 

“Ah, but aren’t you just? You said yourself, no one knows you’re here. Yet, you end up in the presence of this temple’s Miko. If that does not mean you’re trespassing, what does?” Morax’s eyes hidden under his hair and flick from your head to your feet and back up again. You were the head shrine maiden? You seemed so young and yet you held such an important position? It planted a pebble of doubt in him.

Then again, if he focused on you properly, he could barely see a small circular arua around your frame. It was like a barrier was placed around you, one protected you from the outside and anything that could taint you. Exactly like the barrier surrounding the territory he had more or less invaded. Honing your spiritual power like that so young, he would’ve perhaps tutted in impressiveness if you hadn’t challenged his very being moments ago. 

Still, Miko or not, he still outranked you. Crossing his arms over his chest, their golden geo pulsed with a soft light. 

“With such a rank you possess, are you still so unaware when a God stands before you? A pity.” 

“On the contrary,” you smile to him and his brow again twitches at your nonchalance. “I’m being quite respectful if you think on it. If you were simply a noble who lives among the palace homes, I would’ve quickly dealt with you since only a select few from outside are allowed entry into the temple. Much less this garden which is private and limited to my attendance only.” 

“Are you implying you could force me away at any moment should you please?” His voice grew tight in challenge. His sense of traquilty from before discovering you was dimming and the frigid air of his battle sense were returning even as the wind continued to caress you both. 

“I assure you I would do no such thing. I’m simply proving that even in the presence of a God, I will not yield since I do not even know which is in front of me. Not to mention, this land has no God to speak of or for. So, if you think about it that way, I am where one would hypothetically stand.” 

Oh. 

Morax felt something stir in his chest at the teasing tilt in your voice that spilled over your lips that curled into a smile. Your eyes were so clean and clear, it was like staring into crystals and he had the urge to create a new form of geo just to replicate them. The feeling was foreign to him, but it shocked him greatly when he realized it wasn’t an unwelcome stir. 

He finally dropped his crossed arms and began to decrease the distance between you both. Morax came to stand in front of you so he could get an even better look at your features. As such, you could now look easily under his hood as he stood above you. His eyes seemed to glow a lovely shade of amber that complemented his glowing, golden skin and dark hair. 

“Address me as, Morax,” he instructed. Your taunting smile turned soft and wide as your eyes closed in the most pleased expression he had seen in years. His amber eyes widened at the innocence and the small bells of laughter that left your throat towards him shook his unshakeable core. 

“That’s much better,” you said, now obviously pleased. “I’m, y/n. It’s an honor to meet you, Morax.” 

It was his name rolling off your tongue- spreading into the wind that had blown harshly for but a moment- that sent an earthquake that started at his chest and spread through his whole body. It was the sound of his own death sentence and he was once again shocked at how he easily accepted that he would definitely be back to this temple. Be back to this garden of overgrown grass and floral. 

Morax would definitely be back to you. 

As promised, Morax had been back to that temple several times since the first time he met you. When the weight of the archon war was- ironically- too heavy, or if he needed a place to escape just for a moment he would seek you out. It was quiet ridiculous how you had somehow wormed your way into his very soul and wrapped him around your finger. 

The Lord of Geo had come to learn much about you in the time he spent by your side. Your favorite flowers and scents, when you had started your priestess training, when you had progressed to the skill level you possess now and how long you had been the acting miko of the temple. Your favorite type of weather, or time of day, or season. In turn, he had confessed things about himself as well. 

How he had been around for as long as the world- or so it sometimes felt that way. How he’s in the middle of a grand and merciless war with other gods presumably because of issues to do with celestia. How he had taken many lives of both mortals and gods alike all for the sake of his own land and people. The very feeling of battle is engraved in his bones like names on a tombstone, yet it didn’t seem to push you away. 

It was laughable. The very Being of war and battle was utterly infautated with you, a mortal being of purity and values. Of course, you were alway assure him that what he did was just his own values, especially his strictness with any contract he made. You neved judged him for his sins and the weight they carried, but you never outwardly agreed with him either. You told him what he needed to hear, not what he wanted and he cherished those words so dearly. If he had any less self-restraint, Morax could easily let himself take your very words as law itself.

Yet again, it was another day he had left his duties behind him as he found you kneeling in the fields of grass once again. Leaping from the outerwalls, to the rooftops of the estate, to the roof of the temple, he easily lands like a pebble hitting sand next to you. It was the rush of air beside you that alerted you of his attendance rather than any sound he made- or didn’t make. 

“Hello again, Morax,” you greet as you thumb through the herbs and check the petals of nearby wildflowers. Morax kneels at your side before sitting fully in the grass, one of his knees bent up to prop his arm on with the other stretched out in front of him. A rather relaxed position you had insisted he use instead of kneeling for however long he visits would last. 

“Good afternoon,” he replies. It’s silent for a while after that. The atmosphere of simply being with you was good enough for Morax. That was until the urge to speak and hear you speak in return hit his throat. “Your people seem more rowdy than usual.” He didn’t need super-enhanced senses to tell that the noise had increased since his last visit. 

“You can tell that even though you’ve never properly been inside?” 

“I have been inside.”

“No one knew that thought,” you tease with a finger that flicked back and forth a few times. “So, it isn’t a proper stroll in my temple.” Morax playfully chuckles at your antics. “You are correct though.” 

“Is there a reason?” He had noticed it since he arrived, but the air around you seemed heavy. “Something seems to be weighing on you.” 

“You’re perceptive. I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked about that considering-” 

“Y/n.” 

You sigh before the hand that had been thumbing at flower petals falls back into the tresses of wild grass and to the ground at your side. 

“The monks are gathering in a rush under Master Jiang’s orders.” Morax’s brow furrows at the information. You had mentioned this Master Jiang before. He was apparently a traveling monk that had previously been nomadic. Though, since the archon war had only gotten worse over the course of time, he had settled in the safety of your barrier and subsequently in your temple. 

On the rare occasions you let your irritations get the best of you, you spilled your guts to Morax about how he was constantly chanllenging your power and position in the temple. Thinking he was better because he was older with more experience beyond the protective walls of your home. Along with the misguided misogyny of being a man. It was one thing after another, spouting off about anything that irked you until you got all your curses off your lips in the privacy of the archon. 

Morax had not met this Jiang- not to mention anyone else outside of you inside the temple sense his visits weren’t exactly documented- but he already strongly disliked him. Now, he was trying to taking charge of your temple?

“For what purpose.” You do no respond to him right away and it sends a jolt through his nervous system. “Y/n. For what purpose,” he repeats with a heavier tone. You let out a sigh that feels as heavy as your aura as you sit in the field of wildgrass and flowers with the closest being to your heart. 

“He’s afraid that we’re going to soon be effected by the war as well.” You didn’t need to specify which war, he was more than well aware which you were referring to. 

Among the other things he had learned about you, he had come to understand why your people were save from the archon’s destruction so far. It was because of you and your power. 

Inside the temple was a specific place for you to practice your skills and keep the barrier around your precious home. That didn’t showcase all you could do, however and Morax knew it. Keeping the living things inside safe and keeping all the taint out. If something did happen to get inside your barrier, you were quickly dispatched to purify it. You could tell the moment something breached your safe haven, all the proof he needed as his first appearance to you. 

You had admitted ot him once that the reason you didn’t immediately cast him out was simply because you didn’t feel any hostility from his presence. He had no intention on hurting your people or home, so you allowed him access in. That barrier was an extension of your power; constant proof you were so much stronger than that stupid old monk was trying to plat down. 

Morax had only heard the sound of your birch tree bowstring plucked once before, and the air instantly felt cleaner. He’d heard bells in the distant halls while he waited for you in the treetops of your private garden to avoid the chance of being seen. While with you, he had picked up on a masking you placed over him so he couldn’t be detected by others and kept safe from prying eyes. Your power still astonished him even after all this time. 

“That’s asinine,” he growled. The whole ordeal of it all just set the message that they didn’t trust you and your abilities. After all you had done since you were a child to protect these people, after everything you’ve sacrificed, and they’re doubting you now? When your powers were in their prime? It was insulting. 

“Morax-”

“Do not try and save their value but udnermining your own.” 

“I’m not!” You cry in exasperation. You let out another sigh before letting your body lean into his shoulder and against his propped up leg. Morax froze up as your body softly collided with his own. While you had him attached to your very being, hook line and sinker, he had never once touched you. Not a single brush of his fingertips to your body or even allowing your legs to touch as you sat side by side. 

The side of his body you rested on felt like a volcano on his geo-ingraved skin. 

“Sorry,” you whisper. “Could I stay like this just for a moment longer?” 

His arm that you leaned against came to wrap around your shoulder and push your head further against him. The archon lowered his leg to join the other on the ground just so he could have you closer to him. His chin rested by your forehead and he closed his eyes letting you invade every one of his senses. Squeezing your form as he felt the trembles you tried to conceal and force to stay inside, not letting yourself break as much as he wanted you to. Morax wanted you to feel safe and open with him, but he understood all too well how difficult a task that was as someone of your strict upbringing. 

“Stay here as long as you need. I will not move.” Morax was geo, the land itself. He created mountains and stone and they all know his name. He was a god of contracts and his words were just as serious as those that he holds so strictly to them. The Lord of Geo would stay your unyielding pillar for as long as you needed him. That he promised to himself as he felt your small drops of tears silently fall onto his chest that he dare not mention. The urge to wipe them away and treasure you like a fragile bell ached within him, but he dare not act on those either.

For but a brief moment, Morax- the Geo Archon- wished for a single second he was mortal. That he was like you.  

Morax had no idea how this happened. What had gone wrong? Was it him? Did his sudden intrusion into your life of purity ruin everything? As a god, did his divine hands finally touch something he was never meant to?

Weeks ago you had urgently awaited his normal time of arrival but as soon as he showed, you urgently told him to leave. To leave the temple, the palace, the barrier- all of it- and never come back. You had demanded he return to the world he knew, the one filled with smoke and war and ongoing conquests. His chest filled with thick, black tar as you screamed at him and he did what any sane being would do. Morax screamed back, unable to understand and he was losing his patience bit by bit.  

The Archon wanted answers, none of which he demanded for were satisfing. The monks had finally discovered that you had been meeting with an outsider from beyond the barrier; to make matters worse, they knew it was Morax who had been active in the outside war since it begun. They were focring you to make a decision and the best course of action was to push him away before things got too out of hand and would be to a point where you could do nothing. 

It made no sense to Morax. He could help, he was certain of it. He’d let you direct him, use him how you like and pull his actions like a puppet on willing strings. He’d follow your every order to the letter if you just wouldn’t force him out and shun him like you were desperately trying to do. 

You wouldn’t yield. 

Morax hated your stubbornness now more than ever. You finally forced him away with a bracellet you had made yourself that was nothing but clear-ringing, golden bells threaded with red string. The sound they made amplified your power and he knew at just the meresight of them you were trying to make him leave. 

With one flick of your wrist, he could feel invisible threads of nothing wrap around his limbs and begin to tug. Once more he tried to reason something- anything- out of you, but was met with nothing but a second ring of bells that yanked his whole being out of your barrier. Forced out and finding himself outside, he was furiously frustated. Summoning his polearm, he let out a cry before thrusting it into and then subsequently through the neearst tree effectively slicing it down.  

Your final words to him stay in his ears like a parasite- pounding against his eardrums so violently he was afraid they'd burst if they continued to torment him. 

“If you ever return, I will have no choice but to take further actions, Morax.” 

Morax had to stay away from you. It’s what you wanted; or maybe it wasn’t your wish- but it’s what you said. What you demanded he do. Still, he didn’t know when this happened. Morax didn’t know when he decided that the last thing he would ever do is stay away. 

Therefore, Morax still returned into your barrier and through your territory. Just as you had said, you were true to your words. 

The moment you felt his presence trespass inside your barrier, you evacuated the palace and with the same bells you sent him away with, you summoned him back. It was like he was teleported with magic, the same invisble strings that had yanked him out now drew him in. The ringing of your bells reverated in his ears before he was standing in that same overgrown field. 

Morax stood in the one spot he first saw you and you took presence in the spot he had found you kneeling. This time, there were no dragonflies humming in the air and something in him knew there never would be again. 

“I told you,” you choked. 

“I refuse to listen to a moral’s orders,” he bit back. It was a lie. He said he’d listen to your every word, and he meant it. Even when his desperate pleas to stay by you landed him nowhere by alone. 

Morax knew there was only one option left as he eyed the staff in your hand. Your grip was so tight around it your hand trembled with the sheer force of it. Your head shook with micro-swivels on your neck as you kept your eyes on the ground. 

“You should have.” Morax’s polearm materialized at his side in a moment before he took it’s familiar grip into his palm. He had only ever told you of his weapon, never wanting to show you in case it tainted you somehow. All that silly precaution seemed so pointless now. 

The gentle breeze he was accustomed to had become bone chilling as you lifted your chin to finally look at him. Morax almost caved seeing your angry tears, but as you moved to engage in battle, he let his body move on it’s own. The god who was so accustomed to battle just wanted to shut his brain off for this one. 

Morax didn’t want to do this. 

The battle between you both was a long one. You screamed at each other. Sometimes words, sometimes just sounds of angusih and pain. You knew Morax was holding back on you, you didn’t have the power to fully stop a god and you knew it. Morax knew it. Whether he was holding back because of his affections for you or because he was toying with you, you couldn’t figure it out. The power of your barrier did limit his abilities some, but it was hardly enough to be considered a handicap.

Still, somehow, you had knocked his polearms from his hand before you forced him onto his back into the grass. 

His cloack was torn and his arms of geo-glowing beauty seemed dim and dark like the shadow cast over his eyes. His hood had been knocked back while his hair was tosseled and battleworn. Your body and his were covered in cuts and burns and scrapes. Everything hurt from inside your body to the outside. 

You had him on his back as you climbed over him. Your legs pinned his arms down and your weight sat on his chest, the bottom of your staff pushing into his throat as your labored breaths shook throughout your whole body. All you had to do with lift your staff just a fraction and slam it back down and you could do some major purifying damage to his body. It probably wouldn’t kill him… but what if it did? Did you have it in your to purify a god? Maybe if you tried, it would take all your strength and you could die together. You almost scoff at yourself- 

-wouldn’t that be just poetic.

You could feel his own chest heaving under your weight and you knew he could easily throw you off him if he wanted to. Just like before though, he did nothing. He just lay in the grass beaten and battered as he glared beyond the staff’s pole into your face. You hated the look in his eyes.

“Will you not follow through?” He chastised with so much venom you wanted to vomit. The staff shook once with both of trembling hands holding it above his neck. You had to- it was your duty. You would be betraying your people if you let him live. For your people, for the cowardice monks who forced you here, for your ignorance for thinking you could keep Morax by your side without consequence. For everything you had trained for until now, you had to get rid of him. You had to!

Morax sucked in a breath as he readied his neck to be pulverized. Your staff came away from his throat… and soon your weight was being pushed off his body entirely. Raising to your shaking, exposed legs from your torn trousers, you took staggering steps backward from him. Morax’s glare morphed into shock as he raised to his elbows to watch you retreat. 

“What-” 

He watched  your chest heave with frustrated tears. Choked, uneven sobs tore at your throat as you screamed before throwing your staff far from your grip. You heard it clank against Morax’s discarded polearm and thought for a moment how ironic it was. Your weapon reuinited with his in your moment of weakness- your lowest point of failure. The moment you threw duty away and chose yourself for once. 

“I can’t,” you cry, falling to your knees into the singed and destroyed field that once flourished so wonderuflly. “Please, go,” you beg. Morax climbs to his feet, wincing at the wounds on his body before calling for his polearm again. Once it was again in his grip, he looked at the dried blood of yours that litered the blade. The Lord of Geo immedately dismissed it, watching it disapate into the air from whence he summoned it. He simply stood there, looking down at your crumbling frame. 

What were you doing? You were going against your practices and willingly letting a supposed threat escape. He took one step in your diection, still so woefully attached to you. Watching you tear at the seams and keep unraveling in front of his very eyes. He was at a loss; what could he do to even begin to ease your suffering when he himself was part of it?  

“No.” You could feel his eyes on you and his want to approach you burnt the top of your head at which he gazed. “Be gone.” You demand once again like the first day you chased him off. You didn’t hear him move and in a fit of nothing left, you tore off your bell bracellet and threw it in his direction. “Go back to where you belong!”  And in a mere moment, his presence vanished and you broke completely. The eyes of the monks watched as you sobbed in the gardens, the battle they made you wage concluding with no victor. 

“Zhongli…” the story behind the hairpiece and his grief was heavier than either Paimon or Traveler was expecting. 

“I had planned to gift this to y/n during one of our meetings. I knew she wouldn’t be allowed to wear it of course,” he chuckled bitterly to himself. “For a great many of reasons. Still,” it would’ve proven to myself she was mine. Zhongli cleared his throat. “Regardless, I think I’ve spoken enough for once. The tea has run out and you both surely have other arrangements as the day is waning.” 

“Paimon doesn’t think-” 

“Then, we’ll be off,” Traveler interjects. Zhongli was just being polite but what he was really saying was that he wanted to be alone. “Thank you for telling us. Y/n sounded like a wonderful person.” 

“Tis but a story.” The way he replied made it sound like he was trying to convince himself more than them. The two left his home, leaving him still sitting at the table with an empty teacup and still holding that crystal winged dragonfly like it was Teyvat’s most precious treasure. 

It was quiet between Paimon and the Traveler as they walked aimlessly around Liyue. The Traveler’s mind boggled at the information they had been told and grew curious to any they hadn’t. They were almost certain that there was more to your story, but Zhongli couldn’t bare to say anymore. 

“Wait,” Traveler stopped in the middle of the path, bringing their hand to cup around their mouth in thought. “That all happened during the Archon War, right?” 

“Paimon thinks she remembers him mentioning that. Why?” 

“Do you think Xiao would know anything about it?” Traveler thought about it, but if memory served Morax was the one who granted Xiao his name. As Paimon looked at the blond with wonder, a voice spoke behind them. 

“You called?” 

Paimon’s screech echoed into the air as the Traveler spun around, not expecting the very apedtus to show up. Xiao sure took the calling of his name seriously. 

“Paimon never-” the floating companion looked to the blonde. “Oh, yeah. I guess we kinda did.” Xiao crosses his arms as he stands expectantly. The daytime hours were few in remaints and the streets began to slowly thin in populous, so he was less reserved about being around people, Though, he still didn’t want to linger either. Regardless of his wants, he noticed the air of tensity around you both. 

“Did something happen.” It wasn’t a question, it hardly was when Xiao was involved. 

“Do you know anything about a woman named y/n?” Xiao’s body when frigid as he dropped his arms and quickly stepped up to the both of you. Coming nearly toe to toe as the Traveler squeaked and took a half step back. 

“How do you know that name.” Once again, Xiao wasn’t asking. Traveler looked around and decided that standing in the middle of the road wasn’t the best place for this conversation. 

“Let’s go somewhere else.” 

The newly formed trio had migrated outside the city and out into the wilderness by a river.  Xiao and Traveler took to sitting among stones, Xiao crossing his legs and Traveler letting their’s dangle. Paimon’s ever floating presence never going too far from the two. They sat and listened to the sound of the bable of running water, trying to find a way to reopen the previously halted conversation. 

“Did Rex Lapis tell you about y/n?” Xiao ripped the bandage off first, something Traveler was almost thankful for. “That’s the only possible conclusion I can think of if you know her name since she wasn’t memorialized during her lifetime.” 

“Yeah, he did. I’m pretty sure he chased us out before he could tell us everything though.” Xiao nodded. Earnest understanding shone in his eyes but there was something else behind those irises of his, but the Traveler couldn’t figure out what it was. “Did you knew her too, Xiao?” He nodded again. 

“Not long after Morax found me and gave me my name, I found out that he was frequently paying visitation to a mortal woman. I thought he was being reckless, so he took me to meet her one day.” 

“He took you himself?” Paimon questioned. 

“Yes. He wanted to prove a point.” 

Xiao could still remember his first impression of you.  You had scolded Morax as soon as he landed in the familiar garden, arms crossed and mouth opening in reprimands. Calling him foolish for bringing a highly detectable entity beyond your barrier- one he didn’t even realize he had breached with his archon- and that if you hadn’t masked his spiritual signal just like how you did with his own, he’d be in a world of trouble. 

Seeing Morax take your scolding as he stood there bemused, Xiao’s first thought was that he did not like you. He distrusted you. What kind of mortal argues with a god on what they can and cannot do like you did? It was ludicrous. Still, the moment Morax introduced him as his newest comrade named Xiao, you smiled at him. You sent along with that smile a warm welcome and he suddenly felt awkward. 

“Xiao,” you called to his back before he was to leave with Morax at the need to return back outside your walls. He did not turn around to face you, but he did not move until you spoke again. “Feel free to come back and visit anytime. I’ll keep you covered.” 

“Rex Lapis- Morax- was the one who saved me and gave me the name Xiao. I respect him and owe him a great deal- a debt I may not truly be able to ever repay in full. In mortal terms, some may say he’s like a father to me.” Xiao’s chin lifted up to the darkening sky. The day had felt so long, the Traveler hadn’t realized just how late it was beginning to get. “If Morax was a father, then y/n was my mother."

The yaksha can still remember the first time he had sought you out for himself without Morax with him he was recoiling from karmic debt. It didn’t take a genius to know that he felt lighter in your presence- your purifying light helping ease his burdensn whether you did so purposely or not. 

It was late into the night when you had awoken abruptly from your sleep to the sensation of Xiao passing through the barrier. You sprung up from your futon, quickly focusing on his approach and cloaking him the best you could. His energy was rough, dark and pulsing and it worried you. You quickly made your way out to the garden where you knew he’d be and unshockingly enough was when you arrived. 

Curled into himself on his knees, his arms wrapped around his torso as black smoke engulfed him like vines. Gasping and sweating, he weakly stay collapsed in the grass as you ran to his side. 

“Xiao!” You whispered in anxiety as you knelt next to him, your eyes teary in fright. “What’s happening to you?” He didn’t answer, just shook his head with heavy, labored breaths. The moment, your hand came to rest on his back, his eyes rolled back with a fraction of his burden easing off his shoulders. Xiao slumped into you, his shoulder and neck pushing into your legs as his head rested partially on your stomach. His sudden collison knocked you back into the grass, your previously kneeling form now firmly planted on the ground. 

“Please,” he gasped as your other hand had come to his shoulder that wasn’t pushing into your lap. “Please, could you… sing.” In truth, he wasn’t sure why he asked that of you. He didn’t know what possessed him to request something so odd, but regardless of the oddity, you did. Your mouth had opened and you slowly and softly began to sing him a lullaby he had never heard before that night. 

It was like a blanket of early morning mist started to coat his burning, heavy body. His aching came to a slow stop as his mind became clearer. You sang the lullaby over and over again until the effects of his karmic debt had disappeared into the evening air. Even when he went completely lax on your lap and your hands had moved to run through his hair and across his back, you kept singing until early that next morning Morax had come to retrieve his missing Adeptus. 

As Xiao in the present looked at the stars, tracing constellations, he once again was reminded of your lullaby. You sang that to him many times after that and he remembered every single instance. It wasn’t far-fetched to say that the reason Barbarto’s song’s calmed him so is because he’s reminded of you in those moments and tunes. 

Yes, Xiao came to revere you just as much as his Archon- even though you were just a mere mortal. 

“So,” Traveler spoke up softly, trying to gently pull him from his obvious reminiscing. “What happened to y/n? Zhongli mentioned that he had fought her, but what happened then? Did they ever see each other again?” 

“No,” Xiao’s face contorted into a grimmance as his fist’s balled in his lap. “Y/n was executed before Morax could ever see her again.” His fists were so tightly balled they shook, clearly he still resented the fate you had been subjected to. 

“Executed?!” Paimon exclaimed. “But- but why?!” 

“Because she let Morax live.” The yaksha’s eyes narrowed as he gnashed his teeth. “Those filthy monks that poisoned her temple confined her to a dungeon cell where they starved and deprived her of anything. Letting her suffer for days before placinig a curse and executing her all because she refused kill an Archon.” 

“Did those people really not like Archons that much?” Paimon asked. 

“They were monsters!” He exclaimed. “Y/n had been raised to choose the people over her own desires, but the moment she wanted something for herself they-” 

“Xiao,” Traveler interrupted, reaching out their hand to place it on his folded knee. 

“She didn’t deserve the fate they gave her.” Traveler only nodded at his solemn tone. “When her execution was carried out, Morax… he reacted to an extreme.” 

“An extreme?” Paimon inquires. Xiao nodded, lifting his head back up from where it had been tucked towards his chest in anger. 

“The moment y/n’s barrier disappeared Morax stormed inside. He destroyed everything he could get his hands on. I… I was with him.” Xiao was enraged at the news of your demise, but he knew as he watched the back of his Archon as took the lives of the lowly monks who dared try to outrank you that the grief and emotions Morax felt course through him far outweighed his own. 

By day's end, the entire palace, surrounding village, and temple were all up in flames or crushed into rubble. Standing among the burning wreckage that stunk of ash, blood and death Morax plunged his polearm into the earth and screamed with no one left to witness him aside from Xiao. Instead of trying to approach his archon, he instead kept his eyes on the remains of buildings going up in flames like a personal pyre in remembrance of you. 

“After that, Morax stopped talking about her to anyone. It was like he pushed her into the recesses of his mind and tried to erase her altogether. With the meeting of other Archons and the assembly of Liyue, it seemed like he was trying to move forward.” 

“Poor Zhongli,” Paimon whined. “Star crossed lovers sure are sad to think about.” 

“To this day, there’s no one y/n has cared for as deeply as Morax.” At Xiao’s confession, Traveler’s ears perked. Did they hear that right? 

“Hold on,” they started, “what do you mean ‘to this day’?” Xiao’s body stiffened. He cleared his throat before he looked away, hoping that silence would push past his slip up. “Xiao!” 

“It meant nothing.” 

“Liar.” 

“I am not.” 

“Paimon thinks so too!” 

“Your input does not encourage much.” 

“Hey!” 

“Xiao,” Traveler tries again, arms crossing over their chest as they straighten their sitting posture on the stone they still sat on. Xiao cursed himself at deflating so easily in the face of the blond’s pressure. 

The Adeptus took after his Archon in that sense it would seem. 

“If you can keep it a secret,” he hesitated, “then I have somewhere to take you.” Xiao’s face turned back and looked the Traveler into the eyes.  They could see just house uneasy his gaze was, yet still under it was a stern ‘this is important’ before everything else. They nodded deeply towards him and force another sigh from his lips. The two of them jump from their stone seats as Xiao points in a direction. “Then follow me.” 

“Paimon can keep a secret too!” 

“Somehow, I doubt that.” Still, Xiao let her follow him too. The more the merrier you’d say- or at least he hopes. 

“I had no idea there was a place like this in Liyue!” Paimon exclaims after Xiao had taken both her and the Traveler along a path through the forests and into a clearing. After approaching what appeared to be nothing, his figured seemed to pass through something. The two who accompanied him both gawked at his sudden disappearance into thin air before he was reappearing from nowhere. ‘Hurry up,’ he had told them as they cautiously followed his once again disappearing back. 

Beyond the boundary of nothingness was a fairly large home that was longer than the clearing thy where previously in. The path forward was lined with trees and during the daytime they provided comfortable shade for any who walked under them. Now though, they just casted nighttime shadows of moonlight. The air felt different from the forest’s air as well. As if it had been filtered through something and made even cleaner than normal. 

Xiao walked with confidence through the path of trees and up the steps of the elongated home like he had done it a million times before. He didn’t even stop to check and make sure that both Traveler and Paimon were still behind him and hadn’t instead wandered off. The lanterns that lit the halls cast moving shadows along the walls and they danced off Xiao’s back as they continued to trail after his heels. 

Soon, he came to a stop outside a set of doors before looking at Traveler briefly then back again. He knocked twice around the hardened sides of the doorframe and didn’t wait for any signs of noise before taking further action. Sliding them open, he stepped inside and the Traveler and Paimon naturally followed.  

It was a large room, a small floor desk tucked away on one side littered with papers, books and ink. Another set of doors opposite from the ones he had just walked through led out to an open terrace that further pushed out into a stone garden. On the opposite side of the room was an unfurled, messy futon that lacked a body to rest inside it. 

Xiao sighed at seeing the empty futon and made his way out the doors to the wooden terrace. Apparently he had found who he was looking for since he began to speak and it wasn’t to the Traveler. 

“Why are you not resting?” 

“How could I when I have visitors?” A voice answered him and it made the skin on the Traveler’s face flush. It sounded clear like bells and was as soft as a gentle stream. Holding such composure- it reminded them of Zhongli’s voice and how aged it was. Xiao backed up into the room again as someone had came inside. 

The dark hour left the woman mostly unseen, but Xiao was quick to start lighting a lantern for light. 

“Thank you, Xiao,” she commented as the wick began to burn with a flickering flame. Traveler’s face remained flush at the woman in front of them. She didn’t just sound wise, she looked it. Like she had seen many years and experienced many things- but still looked so young. Xiao moved to her side and Traveler didn’t need to ask if the woman in front of them was who they thought she was. “Are you friends of Xiao’s?” 

“Yes,” Traveler whispered before they cleared their throat and answered again. “Yes, we are.”

“I see.” Xiao cleared his own throat, turning his head away at the gaze the woman sent him. Luckily the lantern didn’t light the room the greatest so his tinted cheeks stayed between the duo and didn’t reach the Traveler’s eyes. Looking back, she smiled warmly and it seemed exactly like how Zhongli explained. “It’s lovely to meet you both. My name is y/n.” 

“WHAT?!” Paimon exclaimed before slapping her hands over her mouth. Both at the discourtesy and the late hour she had yelled into. 

“I assume you have a great deal of questions,” you tell them, “but, for now I think we should table all that for tomorrow. You’re both more than welcome to stay here for the night. Xiao can lead the way for you.” 

With that, somehow the two travel companions ended up in a guest room with two futons and Xiao telling them to get some rest before leaving and presumably going back to your side. 

You had once again left your room to sit on the terrace and Xiao joined you. Sitting beside you, his head coming up to your shoulder in height as you both looked and focused on nothing. 

“Are you upset with me?” He asked. 

“Not particularly, no. Shocked, maybe. I wasn’t expecting someone else to follow in behind you from the forest.” 

“I apologize.” 

“There’s no need.” You slowly bring your hand up to rest on the back of Xiao’s head, a comfort to both him and you. Just like how Xiao described you as a mother, you didn’t ever think of him as anything less than what you assumed a son would be like. “It’s actually helped me with something that’s been on my mind lately.” 

Xiao just grabbed onto the sleeve of the robe you wore, not saying anything but conveying enough for you to understand. 

“I’ll explain it tomorrow. For now, how about a lullaby?” Even from the guest room and with Paimon already asleep, the Traveler could hear a faint song in the air before drifting to sleep. 

“Sooo, how old are you?” 

“Paimon!” Traveler yelled. “That’s rude!” 

“I was just asking a question!” 

“Ask a different one!”

The small squabble that earned a sigh from Xiao the next morning led you into a small laughing fit. The group of you were gathered in a drawing room used for when Xiao would visit you during your days. You’d spend time listening to things Xiao would encounter outside, and while it was a good way to pass the time you would otherwise spend alone, it felt better with more lively guests like this. 

“Xiao’s older than I am, so please rest assured I’m younger than you think.” 

“Xiao’s older?!” 

“Ahem,” the Yaksha interrupts by clearing his throat, “age matters aside, don’t you think now would be a good time for an explanation. If we’re gone from Liyue too long, Zhon- er- Rex Lapis could get suspicious.” 

“Why’d you correct yourself like that Xiao?” Paimon asks before you answer for him. 

“He feels like Morax’s mortal name makes me uncomfortable. I’ve told him time and time again that it doesn’t bother me, but he insists on using his other titles. Feel free to keep referring to him as you’re used to, I won’t get confused.” 

“How considerate of him,” Paimon dryly says, pulling another chuckle from you. 

“In any case, Xiao is right. I assume he told you about me, seeing as he brought you here himself.” 

“Sort of,” Traveler starts. “Zhongli is actually the one who told us about you. Xiao just told us more.” A shocked look passes over your features when you hear that the former Archon had opened up about you at all. “He said that someone from his past died around this time and we were worried about him. We kind of… pressured him into telling us.” 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Xiao said as he crossed his arms. “If Rex Lapis truly didn’t wish to speak about it, he wouldn't have. Believe me. He’s too stubborn.” 

“Be nice,” you lightly chide him. “Still, it’s a shock. I thought he would’ve buried his memories of me long ago.” 

“I’ve told you,” Xiao spoke up again, “Rex Lapis- he still-” 

“Xiao.” Your voice was stern for a moment before he clammed up. 

“Sorry,” he spoke defeatedly. Instead of staying quiet and letting the awkward air cloud up the room, he started up the discussion of why he had brought outsiders here in the first place. “Traveler, do you remember when I told you that Lady y/n had been executed?” Traveler nodded and was shocked at his use of a title. He didn’t use one at all when he was talking about you yesterday? Did he always address you personally like that? “Do you also recall how I mentioned how before she was killed, she was cursed.” 

“Oh yeah,” Paimon acknowledges. “Paimon remembers you saying something like that.” 

“It’s because of that curse that she’s still alive.” 

“They cursed her not to die? Doesn’t that seem kinda dumb since they apparently executed her for not defeating Zhongli?” Paimon’s face scrunched before her entire being deflated. “Paimon doesn’t get it.” 

“That isn’t quite correct. I can die,” you inform them. Xiao’s fist twitched as his gently grasped the fabric of his pants in his palms. “In fact, I have died several times. The curse i bare is that I cannot stay dead.” 

“Isn’t that still contradictory to what the monk’s were trying to accomplish?” Traveler asks. 

“Not necessarily. Back in my original life, I had broken a vow I had been raised on: placing my people above myself and never being selfish. That one sacred vow being broken was enough for Jiang to label me a treasonous traitor. This eternal life of mine is punishment for that crime.” 

“That’s so dumb!” Paimon exclaims. You continue to explain after she’s finished huffing. Her puffy face was quite amusing to look at as she crossed her small arms like she was offended on your behalf. 

“My curse resets my life to the point in time I was killed. Therefore, any injuries or illnesses I received in previous lives have all but vanished. I can still starve and freeze to death. I can become ill and contract diseases just like a normal mortal. I’ll die if I'm stabbed and I’ll scar if I’m burned. Still, even after all that, I’ll simply wake up again like none of it happened. This prolonged suffering is what Jiang and his acolytes were after.” 

“That’s terrible,” Traveler whispers. “Have you died many times?” 

“I’ve lost count.” You raise your hand to look at your palm that has been the same as the first time you woke up from death. In the ruins of your destroyed temple you were foggy minded and confused before your entire being filled with dread. “I’ve lived so many lives I cannot remember them all, but I know I’ve touched on every type. I’ve gone mad, harming people around me and myself. I’ve given in to every sin in hopes that they would allow me to die and not come back. I’ve even tried ending the cycle myself, but all to no avail.” 

You took a deep breath before dropping your hand back to your lap. 

“As stained as I am now, I’m hardly the priestess I used to be. I can never be that pure original version of me, but I’ve long accepted that. I’m quite… content with my life right now.” 

“Content my foot,” Xiao huffed. “You were planning to stay alone for a lot longer if I hadn’t found you.” 

“Wait,” Paimon piques, “found you?” 

“It was purely by chance,” you explain. “Sometimes, I’ll venture into Liyue but under a cloaked disguise so I’m not recognized or detected. Some years ago, I accidentally ran into Xiao near Wangshuu Inn and spoke his name purely out of reflex. He heard me and well, it was safe to say he wasn’t exactly pleased as he tracked me down.” 

“I was frustrated,” he corrected. “I came to find out you were alive and hiding for eons after thinking you were long dead.” 

“I know.” 

“Imagine how Morax would feel if he knew!” 

“I know, Xiao,” you repeat. “That’s something I actually want to talk to you about.” Xiao stills in his rampage before his arms slowly uncurl and his posture takes on something uncomfortable. “You’ve kept my life a secret for some time now, omnienting the truth from the Archon you respect so much. I’m sorry for asking such a selfish request.” You turn to look at the slack faced boy before bringing your hand to cup his chin affectionately. Traveler felt like they were impeding on a parental moment as they tried to look anywhere but you both. “If you want to, you can tell him the truth now.” 

Xiao’s hand comes to quickly clasp around your wirst that started to fall away from his face. His mouth opens before it closes again. He was torn between what he’s been wanting to do for so long and the open permission to actually do it. 

“Are you… for certain?” 

“Yes,” you swallow a lump in your throat. “I’m certain.” Xiao quickly takes your wrist out of his grip before he’s rushing to stand up. He stands with such a force he teeters on his feet before going to the door. He didn’t want to wait a single moment longer. “Xiao!” He stops momentarily and he’s reminded just for a brief moment how you spoke his name like that to his back the first day he ever met you milinia ago. This time though, he spun to look you in the eyes. “Take this with you,” you had gotten up from your place and placed your hand out of a nearby window. Bringing it back in not longer after, an insect of glimmering colors hummed through the space and landed on his shoulder. 

“A dragonfly!” Paimon exclaims as Traveler also rose to their feet ready to follow Xiao out. Xiao just nods before dashing out of the door. Being inside your barrier always made it hard for him to teleport between locations, so he had to get outside first. “Traveler, lets catch up with Xiao!” Paimon says, pointing after him. 

“Yeah,” they agree before looking back to you as you stay by at the window. 

“Get going now,” you urge before Traveler was awkwardly bowing to you and running out, calling Xiao’s name to try and get him to ‘slow down and wait up!’ 

Once alone again, you felt a coil settle in your chest. It was the same tightness you felt when Xiao had found you. Found out you were alive as you confessed everything to his insistent pleading after following you into your barrier. You braced your hands on the window pane before swallowing a lump in your throat. 

You never got the proper chance to tell Morax how you felt about him in your original life. It was wrong for a mortal like you to fall in love with a god- much less in the middle of a world altering war. You would’ve been far more foolish to confess your feelings than you were when you let him go. 

The tight coil only grows barbed spikes as you remember the last time you ever saw him. Laying beneath you as you pinned him down. Standing before you as you demanded him away. Feeling the empty air as he vanished right before you eyes. 

Xiao had told you that he was the one responsible for destroying your home. Burning it all down and destroying everything in his sight all because you had died. He was so filled with anguish and you didn’t know if you fully believed it. Xiao insisted that Morax hasn’t cared for a single soul as much as he cared for you. Even know as he lived as Zhongli you still hadn’t been replaced. You didn’t know if you believed that either. 

“I won’t regret this… will I?” You ask no one as you feel yourself start to pathetically cry. “Weak,” you call yourself as you stand alone in the empty home you constructed for yourself long ago. 

“Did you find him yet?” Traveler asks Xiao as they met back up in the middle of Liyue. Zhongli wasn’t at the funeral parlor and Hu Tao didn’t know where he had meandered off to before they came looking for him. He wasn’t at his home nor was he listening to that storyteller at Three-Round Knockout like usual. “Last place is the harbor. He was at the bridge when we found him, so let’s go look.” 

They made haste to the bridge, but with crestfallen faces it was devoid of any kind of descended Archon. They were about to recollect their thoughts and try and figure out if there was any other place he frequented they could try when someone spoke up behind them. 

“You all seem troubled,” the familiar voice of Zhongli startled all three of them as they all whipped around to look at him. He looked as composed as usual, maybe even a bit better than yesterday. Maybe airing some of his grievances helped him out a bit after all. Still, who knows how the news Xiao had for him would effect his mental well being. 

“Rex- ahem- Zhongli, I need to speak with you.” In the heat of the moment, Xiao almost addressed him as Rex Lapis. Calling him that in the middle of the busy day would be a mistake, so it was good he caught himself. Zhongli looked at Xiao’s steadfast gaze and let it travel over to the blond and their companion who’s always had an issue keeping quiet. 

“You all look stiff, like something has happened.” 

“That’s Zhongli for you,” Paimon remarks. “Always perceptive.” 

“So, it’s as I surmised.” 

“I’ll explain everything, but it can’t be here.” Xiao stepped in. 

“I understand,” Zhongli sighs. “Come with me. We can talk outside the city away from any possible prying ears. I would prefer to not be cooped up indoors.” 

Just like the day before, Zhongli took the group out to the same river Xiao did; it was far from the people and now he stood cross-armed and ready for any sort of explanation. Traveler stayed quiet, knowing it was Xiao’s wish to say something first and made sure Paimon stayed quiet too. If anything, they were there to make sure nothing got out of hand- this was truly between them. 

“On behalf of someone else’s word, I’ve been keeping something from you. It’s about… It’s about, y/n.” 

“Xiao,” Zhongli bit and Xiao felt the words get stuck in his throat the moment your name left his mouth. Zhongli’s tone was already on edge. Just the mention of your name was enough to make the Archon nearly growl. The former divine being had been feeling the blanket of grief hold him down more this year than previous ones, the fact that he opened up about you just the day prior to the Traveler made old wounds throb. The last thing he wanted was to talk about you and make everything hurt all over again for another time. 

“I understand you don’t want to talk about her, but please hear me out.” 

“I will not entertain whatever thoughts you think you need to say. Y/n died a long time ago, you should leave her in the past.” His words were ironic since he himself couldn’t even do that. 

“You don’t understand.” 

“Xiao.” 

“Please, she-” 

“Enough!” 

“She’s still alive!” Xiao, fed up with his god not letting him get a word in, blurted it out. He inwardly recoiled, not wanting to just say it like that. He wanted to ease into it, try and slowly explain it so Zhongli would accept it easier. “Y/n, she’s… she’s alive.” 

There was silence so heavy it kept Xiao’s head down with an invisible force. His eyes stayed locked onto the boots of the one person who he respected the most. If he had never felt fear before this very moment, now would be the perfect introduction to it as he felt the burning gaze of Zhongli on his skull. 

“Is that an attempt at a ill-advised jest,” Zhongli’s voice put on a dangerous tone. It was understandable and justified however. Who would just believe that the one mortal an Archon fell in love with thousands of years ago was alive? It sounded ludacris and Zhongli did not enjoy feeling like a fool. 

“He’s telling the truth!” Paimon defended. Her mental restraint on not talking snapped at seeing Xiao look so meak under Zhongli’s overwhelming stature. Zhongli’s gaze shifted from Xiao to Paimon who squealed at the intensity before flying to hide behind the Traveler’s shoulder. His gaze was hard, stern, and angry. 

“What could you possibly know? You only just learned about who she was through me- without my telling you so, y/n would be only a memory shared between Xiao and myself alone.” 

“We know because we met her,” Traveler tell him. His fists clench and his jaw locks. 

Zhongli couldn't stand lies or liars, and yet he wanted everything the group in front of him said to be bold face lies. Zhongli trusted the Traveler and Xiao the most out of almost anyone he knew presently. He trusted them with his secret and they always tried their best in their own duties and goal to find their sibling. He respected them and trusted them with his life as both Zhongli and Rex Lapis. 

But did he trust them with your life? 

With the promise of you being alive coming from Xiao and backed up by the Traveler, the former Archon was notably torn. He didn’t want to get his hopes up and have this all be some sort of illusion. A trick of the mind that will leave him crumbling just like the day he first lost you. He didn’t thinking he could take that kind of anguish again. 

The Traveler stepped up and took Xiao’s hand in one of theirs and the other took hold of Zhongli’s. Paimon floated out from behind them as the blond made both of the immortal being bring their gazes up to them. 

“Xiao can take you to her just like he did with us. Y/n is waiting.” The curled fist of Zhongli’s lessened enough to wrap around the Traveler’s comforting touch. He looked back at Xiao who had been looking at the blond with such gratefulness for salvaging the situation before calling his attention back. His amber gaze had loosened up, but they weren’t the normal eyes of Zhongli. Morax was peeking around the irises of the tallest among the group. 

“This is no lie?” 

“I would never lie to you.” 

“Yes,” he breathed out, “I know.” He took a breath, feeling so embarrassingly out of character. It was then that he noticed the small insect that had been on Xiao this whole time. The trio had seemed to forget you sent them back with the dragonfly, but Zhongli knew. He sucked in a breath as he looked at it. “Take me to see her at once,” he commanded. Xiao wasted no time in teleporting all three of his companions to the edge of your barrier he had memorized the location of. 

Zhongli’s hand was dropped by the Outworlder as he walked to the edge of it. He could sense the familiar power from years past and reached his hand up to place his palm on it. It bent with his palm like a bubble before it pushed through, rippling the distorted view of cloaked foliage behind it. He hesitated, but a slight push at his back had him walking in- well, stumbling in. 

His face mirrored the Traveler’s when they had first seen the area behind the barrier. He could feel you everywhere and his body started moving before he could stop. Xiao and Traveler called after him as he took off into a sprint towards the house under the tree’s shadows. It felt like a ribbon had tied itself around his wrist and was yanking him forward. The dragonfly that had sat perched and patient on Xiao had taken off with Zhongli, acting as a guide as it flew in front of him. 

“Take me to her,” he pleaded with the buzzing bug. “Like last time,” he remembered how a similar bug had led him to you that first time. He felt so vulnerable as he ran into the house, barging through the doors and dashing through halls with abandon. Zhongli felt mortal with his emotions controlling his actions and his desperation oozing out of his very core. He should be in better control of himself, but he can’t control his body no matter how much he tries. “Take me to her!” 

The dragonfly had flown to a corridor that led into a vast open space. Stairs of three steps led out into an open garden with bushes, flowers, and carefully created paths to walk. It was a far cry from the overgrown, wild garden of the past. A stone canopy held up with four strong pillars covered the peaceful place from the sun and a small stone table sat among the paths intersection. 

His breath was labored, chest heaving as the dragonfly continued out into the garden and his pace slowed down until the insect had taken a turn just outside the cover of the canopy. The dragonfly stopped, perching itself on an outstretched finger and Zhongli almost collapsed. 

“Thank you,” you said to the dragonfly before it lifted off your finger and took off in a random direction, its job fulfilled. The sun bathed you in a golden light Zhongli could remember from eon’s ago and as he stared at you, a tear fell heavily and unstrained from his eye. 

You weren’t sure what to say as you looked at him, but when you saw that tear fall you were ready to immediately apologzie. You never got the chance. Instead you were frozen in surprise when he had somehow appeared directly in front of you and encased you to himself. 

Sealing his body to yours, his arm wrapped around your lower back and one of his hands pushed your head against his neck. His back curled inwards, bending you backward enough so that your back arched and he could form you to him even further. You were so warm and he felt himself choke as his nose took in your scent from atop your head. It was different from before, but he could still smell you in it- altered or not. It proved that you weren’t some fake, you were real.

Zhongli nuzzled into the top of your head, greedily taking in everything of you he could. You had placed your hands on his sides before sliding them up to his back. One of your hands snagged into the fabric of his coat and the other stayed wound around his back. He could feel you start to shake and he felt a bit better than he wasn’t the only one overly-emotional. 

“You’re alive,” he whispers into your hair, voice cracking enough the wind could easily pick it up and take it somewhere far away. You just nodded into his chest as he somehow gripped you to him tighter, closer. “You’re alive,” he repeats like he’s trying to convince himself this isn’t a dream. 

“Yes,” you sob. “Yes.” 

As the two of you stood under the sun in a garden different from the one in his memories, he took no notice of the three other figures who had finally caught up to him after taking off on his own. Xiao felt a weight lift off his chest at seeing you two finally reunited and Traveler gently took his head in comfort. He had no chance to get embarrassed at the action, instead he just squeezed it back as he watched his long-seperated family cling to each other. 

Xiao felt whole again for this one moment and he knew that you both did too. 

“I’ve missed you so,” Zhongli confesses into your locks and you almost laugh if it wasn’t choked up on your dying sobs turned to sad sniffles. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.” 

“I’m sorry,” you sniff as you let your arms slowly start to retract from him. He knew that things needed to be discussed and explanations needed to start somewhere, but he was reluctant to let go. His arms released you, but his palms were quick to gently cup your cheeks instead to tilt your face up to him. Your eyes were swollen and the whites of them irritated due to your tears. He looked no better.

Zhongli ran his gloved thumbs over your cheeks and across your eyes when you closed them when he got too close with his touch. He planted his feet between yours before pushing his forehead on yours and choosing to bask in your sun bathed body before anything close to closure ensues. 

“Um,” you break the silence, but like last time, nothing else gets out before your interrupted. 

“Call me by my name.” 

“What?” 

“My name,” he repeats. “Please.” He didn’t want to hear his mortal name or any of his other countless name and titles he’s collected over the years.  No. His ears yearned for the name you knew him by. After all this time, he just wanted you to call him-

“Morax.” 

Zhongli collapsed at last. His hands that cupped your cheeks dropped as did he. He came to his knees in front of you, his empty hands easily latching onto yours in lieu of your cheeks. His head hung as he sat- kneeled- at your feet. You shuffled in astonishment and shock as he took your hands and pushed them against his forehead pleadingly. 

“Again.” 

“Morax,” you whispered and he could hear the embarrassment in your tone. He chuckled as a shiver ran through his entire being. 

“Once more.” 

“You’re being spoiled.” 

“I think I’m more than qualified.” He hears you chuckle and he could perish right here in this very instant without regret at the sound. It was just as he remembered.

“Morax.” 

“This time,” he starts speaking as he feels you slowly start to join him on the ground. Your hands had twisted in his grasp to hold them back. “This time,” he starts again, “you’ll stay with me, won’t you?” 

You pull both of your encased hands to your lips, kissing his gloves and he wishes he took them off. His wish must’ve been yours as well since you slowly started to remove his gloves and revealed the dark, golden imbedded skin he kept hidden to the public eye. Your eyes remained closed as you worked, like you had dreamed of doing this so many times you didn’t need your sight. Once again, you placed your lips on his knuckles and it was like his skin was alight with lava. 

Reopening your eyes, you adjusted your hands so that your fingers were now interlaced, fingertips resting on top of each other’s hands as your palms were on the warm ground to lean closer to him. You push your forehead back against his, breathing in his air that became tangled with your own. Smiling so softly at him that he released one of your intertwined hands to push his fingers into your hair behind your ear and pull you even closer to him. He wondered if he could meld your very existence into his own and become the earth itself among the garden.  

“I’ll stay until you don’t want me,” you declare.  

“I’ll never not want you, my dear. We have too much time to make up for and many stories to share, should time continue to allow it.”

“Time is nothing but a concept to me now,” you chuckle bitterly. You would tell him about it all later, but now wasn’t the time. It would dampen the mood too bitterly for your tastes.  

A contract was made under the sun behind a barrier that had kept you concealed and hidden from his faze. Your intertwined hands were the signatures finalizing that contract. Zhongli wasn’t ever going to let you slip through his fingers again- he promised himself that as he held tighter onto your warmth and you to his. 

Zhongli couldn’t wait to finally give you the hairstick he had held onto for a millenia in your memory. Even more, he couldn’t wait to see it glimmer under your locks of hair since there was nothing and no one holding you back anymore.  

a/n: pls god like/reblog/tell me your thoughts. this is babies first genshin fic and it's got so many words im so anxious i could throw up. i only edited this like one and a half times bc words became mushy and my eyeballs started melting. pls excuse the shift between past and present tense, my eyeballs - as aforementioned- are melting

if @scara7102 sees this it wouldn't let me tag you uh oh