Home Is Where The Heart Is

thinking fluffy thoughts about scaramouche.

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"Are you in love with me?" (Albedo's version)

Albedo pauses, but only for a mere moment. You couldn't tell if he had paused because of the question, or if he had found something wrong with the vial in his hand. 

"Curious," he states. 

"Curious?" You parrot, "What is?" A deep pit is now forming in your stomach. Perhaps this was not your smartest idea, attempting to probe into his mind to find out if he held similar feelings as your own. 

"Your question," he replies, "I'm pondering over what exactly provoked it." 

"Uh," you mumble, the air around your face suddenly becoming warmer, "Just wondering." 

He only replies with a hum, seemingly returning to his research as if you had never asked anything to begin with. The pit in your stomach from earlier proceeds to become worse, beginning to gnaw at you like a savage animal. 

"What would happen if I said yes to your question?" 

You don't automatically process his inquiry. "Huh?" 

Albedo turns around to face you, the vial is no longer in his possession. "What if I told you I was in love with you? What would you do then?" 

"I-uhm," you cannot find the words, they fail you. "That's a difficult question to answer, because I don't think you actually are." 

"Curious," he says again. "I don't fully understand the word 'love', as I have previously stated before. However…" 

However? 

"To say I'm not quite fond of you, would be incorrect." His index finger and thumb cradle his chin.

"You…" 

"Actually, would you be kind enough to help me with another experiment?" 

"Huh?" You say again, "What type of experiment?" Your tone is hesitant, giving away your nervousness. He shows you a small smile, but says nothing; it only adds to your confusion. 

It happens in the blink of an eye: the space between the two of you is now nonexistent. Albedo is close enough to you now, you can make observations you wouldn't normally be able to from afar. His eyes twitch, glancing from your own eyes to your lips. Observing. 

"Albedo?" You don't mean to squeak out his name, but he had never been this close before. So intimate.

His fingers hook your chin, lightly tugging your head upwards. Your eyes lock, and you stay in that pose for a few seconds. 

His lips touch your own, brush up against them with curiosity. You don't have time to put the puzzle pieces together; his lips are already claiming yours. 

He pulls away after what feels like a few good seconds. 

"Interesting."

--

|Tags:|

@sierrascribbles , @dulcesiabits , @lesbianrumi , @tater-tati , @paperbagpetrichor , @halcyon-writings , @yandere-romanticaa , @josuke8 , @phen0l , @yearning-moon , @universal-imagines , @yuezhong , @wangshengs , @fugufishie , @acxciia , @with-the-ink-of-a-ghost , @wisteria-blooms ,

---

stop this is the cutest shit 🥺🥺

15 + 16 with oikawa pleth 😳😽✨

ofc bb! And I saw that you were having a bad day so I wrote it with extra fluff

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x Reader

Prompts: 15 "You just kissed me??" "Oh my god I just kissed you." "Do it again." 16 "This is the 20th kiss I've given you." "And yet I need more."

The crowd screamed along with the boys as they won against Karasuno in the interhigh finals.

You rushed down to the court, eyes darting around, looking for the familiar 1 on the back of his jersey.

"Oikawa!" You scream, seeing him scream in victory with Iwaizumi.

Now, you weren't dating him yet, sure there were mutual feelings, but Oikawa was too busy to act on them, and you were waiting until a point where he wasn't being followed by the many many fangirls he had.

"Y/n!" He yelled, rushing over.

Overcome with happiness and emotion, he grabbed you by the hips and pulled you into a kiss, chest heaving when he finally pulled back, drunk with happiness.

"You just kissed me??" Oikawa laughed in disbelief, he just kissed you.

"Oh my god I just kissed you." His eyes searched yours earnestly looking for any indication that you didn't like him in the way you thought he did.

"Do it again." You breathed out, and he did, he cupped your face with his hands and pulled you into another kiss, only pulling away when Iwaizumi smacked him on the back.

"Get a room" He's smiling though, happy that they won and happy that Oikawa finally made a move on his longtime crush.

Oikawa rolled his eyes and leaned in to talk into your ear, the stadium still loud.

"Want to go on a date after?" Sending him a nod, you let go and point at the door, an indication of where you'll wait for him.

He nods and sends you on your way, going to bow and thank the spectators.

It's about a 20 minute wait, you reliving the kiss and how Oikawa pulled back with only admiration in his warm eyes.

"Can't stop thinking of me?" He's dressed in a regular t-shirt and athletic pants, still slightly sweaty from the game, and from the backwards tshirt and slight breathlessness you can tell he rushed out to see you as soon as he could.

"I could say the same about you."

He walks over and leans in a little, eyes flickering between your eyes and lips, wordlessly asking for consent.

At your nod he leans in and captures your lips into a kiss, it's softer this time, lacking the passion and toughness that stemmed from the excitement in the stadium, but it in no way lacked the love it held earlier.

You walk of the stadium, hands clasped around his arm, shivering slightly at the spring air.

"Oikawa, kiss." You look up to him, and see him smiling giddily at your request, pressing a soft kiss on your lips, and pulling away with a smile.

Yeah, he'd never get tired of this.

You go to a nearby convenience store, getting snack and giving eachother kisses as you walk around.

He walks you home as it gets dark, hand firmly clasped in yours, his jacket around your shoulders.

"Thanks for today." You smile, the roads becoming more familiar as you get closer to your house.

"Thanks for agreeing to be mine."

You smile and lean up slightly.

"Oikawa, kiss me."

"This is the 20th kiss I've given you." He laughs, poking your nose and smiling widely. The outdoor lamp and light from inside your house illuminate his face, causing a sparkle in his eyes and lighting his skin up.

"And yet I need more." You sigh, mustering up the saddest look you could, even with the happiness coursing through your brain.

Oikawa sighs, matching your energy despite the smile tugging at his lips.

"Who am I to deny a beautiful person their kiss?"

He pulls you into a last kiss before you head inside, waiting at your door until you lock it, before heading back and throwing a fist in the air once he dot to the street, dancing slightly, unaware of you peeking out at him through bedroom curtains.

"Dork." You smile fondly as he skips down the road, this night clearly having been one of his best, and to be honest it was one of yours too.

; yours

# childe x gn!reader

# cw: slightly? very?? suggestive, mildly nsfw ig, no smut tho, fluff, messy kisses and hickies and spoilers for childe’s real name :3

# note: thank u to @hawq-s for encouraging my horniness lmao, this is my first time posting something as suggestive as this, i for one do not know how to place hickies this is entirely from my knowledge from reading :’)

synopsis — childe asks you to give him hickies, but you don’t know how. fortunately childe is very willing to teach you.

you were washing the dishes just after dinner when childe came up from behind you, his hands slipping around your waist. you glance back at him and frown when you see him pouting at you.

“what’s up with you?” you ask, looking back at the dishes you’re washing.

he pouts some more and huffs out “give me a hickey, babe.”

the glass you’re rinsing almost slips from your fingers, you take a breath and put the glass down and turn to him. he pulls back slightly, his hands slipping down to your hips. “what?” you’re proud of yourself from holding back a stutter.

but childe has always been able to read you like an open book, he grins. “c’mon, gimme a hickey, pretty one.”

you avoid his gaze and look past him, this time when you answer him, you faill to answer smoothly. “i… i don’t know how, childe.”

you see him blink and you swallow, then he’s grinning wider, one full of teeth and you’re sure you saw his eyes glint.

“aw, that’s too bad.”

and then he’s leaning closer, his breathe tickling your face. “then, how about i teach you?”

Keep reading

my first kiss went a little like this.

masterlist!

# — pairings: albedo x reader

# — characters: gender neutral reader, albedo, kaeya

# — summary: someone tell albedo that first kisses are supposed to be a little more romantic.

# — warnings: n/a

# — tags: drabble format, fluff, first kiss with albedo

# — notes: it's almost 1 am and i've got a crush on a genshin boy. as always, reblogs and reactions are greatly appreciated, and i hope you guys enjoy!

✧ — 🏵 — ✧

unsurprisingly, the first time albedo kissed you, it was for research purposes.

the two of you are alone in his lab in mondstadt, and you're standing beside him, examining his notes while he waits for you to give your opinion. you may not be an alchemist, but albedo knows the benefits of having an outside opinion. of course, when sucrose returns from her trip, he'll have her give her educated opinion as well. you're silent as you read the notes closely, trying to make sense of every line. albedo's pleased that you're so invested in this, but... something’s bothering him.

you're bothering him, actually. not your presence, no, but your lips.

lately, albedo's been distracted by you. he's not sure when it started or why, but these days, he's been sensitive to your mannerisms. he's always been attentive to details -- he has to be, otherwise he'd probably have singed off his eyebrows (or worse) by now -- but he's never been that way towards anyone other than klee before.

for example: a few weeks ago, albedo noticed that you had a tendency to bite your lip whenever you were deep in thought. that was one of the many things you did whenever you were thinking hard, actually; he noticed that you would sometimes chew on the inside of your bottom lip or cover your mouth with a hand whilst humming.

he also noticed that whenever you finished laughing at something, you had very faint laugh lines around your mouth; an indication that you must have been incredibly amused.

and, when you two got lunch together per your suggestion, you had a habit of licking the corners of your lips in quick succession -- likely a method of ensuring that there was nothing lingering there.

thinking himself strange for paying such close attention to that, he took it upon himself to do a little bit of research.

...it didn't take long for him to realize that the common denominator was your lips. the issue now was what he was supposed to do with that information.

fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it), albedo ran into kaeya during his studies and explained the problem. the cavalry captain had the time of his life laughing at a bewildered albedo's expense.

"i'm not sure what's so comical about my research." albedo said. he isn't the type to get offended very easily under normal circumstances, but listening to kaeya crack up after hearing about his recent project was starting to make his hackles rise.

kaeya wiped a tear from his eye as he caught his breath. "albedo, you've got to be one of the most interesting people i have ever met." he finally said. he sighed, his lips still upturned in a smile. "why are you telling me this, anyhow?"

"i believe i've told you why already, cavalry captain. i just wanted your input, but i'm considering retracting my request."

"ah, ever the professional, this one is," kaeya chuckled. "you want to know what i think? i think you're attracted to them."

albedo blinked. kaeya snorted. "attracted to them? i don't see why i would be. this just suddenly started, so i..."

his sentence went unfinished as he turned over the idea in his head. attraction? albedo hasn't felt attraction outside of a platonic sense for anyone besides the traveler, and even then, there was still a line of friendship that he had yet to cross with them. and surely, kaeya was referring to romantic attraction, wasn't he? but why? he had no experience with it, so--

kaeya sighed, interrupting the alchemist's thoughts. "i can hear what you're thinking. you must be wondering why, right? well, don't. just let yourself feel it, and stop treating it like it's alchemy." an emotion albedo couldn't place flickered in kaeya's eye and his smile softened into something less mocking. "you can't always explain away relationships, albedo."

lost for words, albedo nodded. perhaps he would have to take that under consideration.

while albedo understood that kaeya may have been right about relationships, it wasn't all that easy to give up his natural approach to experiences. he decided to continue his research for a little while longer, keeping in mind the words of the cavalry captain. finally, he came to one conclusion:

he needs to kiss you.

if he covered your lips with his own and stamped out the flames of curiosity that only grew hotter by the day, then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to get on with his life.

so, when you finally finish reading the notes, albedo has a hard time focusing on your feedback.

"i think you're a bit too detail-oriented, albedo," you say, your forehead creasing as you skim the paper again. "maybe you should zoom out first since it seems like you've hit a bit of a snag."

"is that so?" albedo replies half-heartedly, his eyes never leaving your lips. it's almost mesmerizing. "is there anything else?"

you look from the paper and see albedo looking at you but you can't shake the feeling that he's somehow looking elsewhere. his eyes are on your face, but lower than they should be. your body temperature skyrockets when it dawns on you that his eyes are on your lips. you silently hope that he hasn't noticed your sudden nervousness, but you see him raise his eyebrows.

"is something wrong?" albedo asks, his bright teal eyes meeting yours. "you've stopped speaking."

you avert your eyes. it's true that albedo was already looking your way, but you feel like you're being observed, and not even in a scientific sense. something about the way albedo's eyelids lowered while he was looking at your lips was making your mind race. d

does he know how intimate of a look that is? albedo isn't one for doing things without purpose; the very idea that he was staring at your lips with intent makes you flush. this would be so much less embarrassing if you didn't harbor feelings for him. maybe you were just delusional; he wouldn't kiss you, right? he wouldn't kiss anybody! albedo's not a kisser, that's just not his style, so--

"you still haven't replied," albedo speaks again, breaking you away from your thoughts. he tilts his head and you suddenly realize that he's closer than he was before. again, his gaze jumps from your lips back up. "are you sure you're--"

"sorry, i think i must've stepped forward while i was reading." you chuckle shyly. this kind of pressure isn't good for your heart -- not in the slightest. you take a step back to gain some distance, but albedo follows you, taking a step forward. "um..."

"there's something i'd like to try with you, if you'd allow me." albedo takes your chin between gloved fingers. your entire body locks up. "i'm afraid it will require you to relax."

archons, he's so observant, it's almost unsettling. your tongue swipes over your bottom lip quickly and you see albedo follow the movement. this is the exact position of people who are about to kiss, but you take a shaky breath, still trying to convince yourself that that's not what albedo's trying to do.

albedo brushes his thumb over your mouth. "relax."

you shiver. "i-i'm afraid it's not that easy. you're behaving like you're going to kiss me. did you know that?"

the alchemist hums in what seems to be approval. "how astute of you. that was my plan, actually."

...what.

"you were planning to--"

"kiss you, yes. may i?"

it's a miracle you haven't passed out yet. you run through your options at lightspeed.

on one hand, you could say 'yes' and get to kiss albedo. he's probably doing this for a project, but being his lab rat doesn't sound too bad right about now.

on the other hand, if you do kiss him and it really is just for a project, then you'd have kissed the man you've been head over heels for and receive nothing in return. you two would have to proceed as though nothing ever happened, and honestly, you'd probably just leave mondstadt to avoid ever having to see him again.

you make your decision fairly quickly. "you may," you whisper. kissing albedo is a once in a lifetime experience, you figure, so you may as well do it once before you die. albedo inches closer until your breaths are intermingling. you want nothing more than to stop breathing and live in the moment, but you're pretty sure that would ruin it, actually.

albedo finally tilts his head slightly and closes the gap between you two and... you're kissing.

you're kissing the chief alchemist of the knights of favonius.

it's a very gentle press of lips that doesn't last very long, but it's enough to send your soul to celestia and back. you're the first to pull away after a few seconds; you didn't want to, but any longer, and you probably would have tried to deepen it. albedo's fingers haven't left your chin, but when you get a better look at his face, you see him start to frown. "was... that okay?" you ask, breathless.

albedo presses his lips together as though he was trying to commit the feeling of yours to memory. "again," he says. it doesn't sound like a question. he must notice, because he rephrases it. "can we try that again? longer this time; i'm a little unsure on something."

you weren't going to make it out of this lab alive.

"unsure on what, exactly?" you ask. really, you just want some peace of mind. "i-i'm sure there's an obscure book about kissing in the library somewhere."

albedo's reply is immediate. "no." his frown deepens, but he looks almost.. disappointed that you would say that. maybe you're just imagining things. "no, i would much rather do this with you."

you say a silent prayer:

if there are any archons who can hear me, thank you.

you nod stiffly. "uh, sure, i guess. what do you want to try then?"

albedo seems relieved by your response. "i've come across people who tend to move their lips while kissing. should we try a deeper kiss, then?

a giggle stumbles out of you. this is going to be one hell of a story to tell someday. you apologize right away, explaining that people don't usually express their desire to kiss someone like this.

albedo nods. "i see. next time, i won't ask, then."

"next time?"

no response. instead, albedo kisses you again, taking you by surprise. for someone who's never kissed anyone before, he sure does know how to start. you sigh into the kiss unknowingly and feel albedo's fingers twitch. you slowly work him into it, moving your hands to rest gently around his neck to get him more comfortable.

he pulls away. before he can ask his question, you decide to take the liberty of adjusting your position. you take his hands and put them on your waist. "it's a more intimate way of sharing kisses," you explain. "but if you really want to learn, you have to follow my lead."

for some reason, albedo's eyes flash with what you think is irritation. "have you done this before with someone else?"

"yes?"

"interesting." he doesn't interested at all. "again."

you don't question him and do as he says. in the moments that follow, you affirm your belief that albedo is a very fast learner.

maybe too fast, actually.

somehow, he's taken control of the kiss from you, speeding up and slowing down the pace seemingly just to mess with you. you don't fight it for a while, content with the way your lips seem to fit together perfectly. you tried to pull away to tell him off, but he held you in place, grazing his teeth on your lip to keep you going.

it was almost as if he was starting to enjoy himself.

"albedo," you call his name and your voice comes out breathier than you intended, "albedo, gimme a second, i need--"

the alchemist pulls away and drops his head on your shoulder. the two of you are a little short of breath, but you don't have it in you to complain. your lips are tingling. "i should have stopped sooner," you say, tapping his shoulder. "are you alright?"

albedo doesn't say anything. he's breathing fine, but he's just not replying.

"albedo?"

"i think," he finally says, straightening himself out, "we need to take a break."

"a break?" you parrot back. "but that would mean you want to--"

he wants more. you flush again and take a few steps back. the more distance between you two, the better. you don't want to be too hasty. "yeah, sure, that's fine, of course!" you blabber. "do you know how much more you want, though?"

albedo sits in a chair a little ways away. his fingers are hovering over his own mouth and he glances at you, his eyes gleaming.

"as much as it takes to satisfy me, i suppose."

✧ it's very very late at night, so the ending is rushed and messy, but i do hope you'll let me know if you enjoyed it!

---

May I request a fake dating scenario with Childe? (sorry i know its cliche but its my favorite trope🙈) Perhaps he and f reader are on an undercover mission to gain intel at a function, like a dinner party or a festival of some sort, and Childe is way more interested in committing to the bit than the mission itself. Like, he intentionally took on an easy mission so that he could indulge in his time with the reader because he "takes his job seriously" or something like that😏

Fatui operative reader*

—

“You said you’d take this seriously.” You chided him, pushing for the fifth time his hand away from your hip while you looked through the crowd for your target. It should have been a rather easy mission: get close enough to the ambassador that they’ll tell you about the incoming shipment. Once you got what you needed you’d inform the other operatives waiting near the docks, they’d sneak in during the night and lift all the goods before anyone grew wise to the situation. However, after much pestering from a specific Harbinger, this simple task was turning into a headache inducing nightmare.

“I am, dear.” He ran his finger over your ear and out of your peripherals you caught sight of the calculating grin that pulled one side of his lips.

“You don’t have to pretend right now, no ones looking at us.” Pretending to rummage through your pouch, you noticed a esteemed looking figure walking through the door, someone as elegantly dressed as that must be your ambassador. “She’s here.” You whispered, nudging your chin in her direction and slipping the money pouch back in your side bag. “Let’s get closer.”

“Don’t get to hasty, let’s see what she does.” Childe moved behind you, his hand sliding over your back and making you hyper aware of each and every inch he occupied. His chest somehow so noticeable even though he never touched you with it, the proximity of him as he leaned against the wall and draped his arm over your shoulder before pulling you closer made your brain fuzzy and, for a moment, you lost sight of her. “Can you make out what she’s saying?” He spoke in a lower tone, an attempt to keep his words only for you or … was he trying to make you shiver.

Carefully, you focused your attention on her lips. Eyes squinting against the light as you tried to decipher what she was saying. The expression on her face shifted from one of familiarity to irritation, but it was so slight and quickly replaced by a smile her companion never caught it. “She’s upset.”

“Why?”

You opened your mouth to explain only to be cut off by his arm sliding off your shoulder so his hand could run down your back. The slow trail he made up and down your spine made you furious; you were trying to do your job, trying to get what you needed and to not be swayed, distracted by the pounding of your heart or the hot breaths you took while sharing the intel. “Sh-she’s asking why the shipments late.” Stopping his hand with your clenching fingers, you pushed his wrist back toward his chest and swore you heard a soft giggle at your side. Coughing, you continued. “It looks like he’s telling her it’ll be here soon.”

“Are the goods on the boat, look closely.” With a sigh, you strained your eyes to see, took in everything that you could in order to see her mouth form the shapes you needed to see.

“Yes!” You shouted a little louder than you anticipated and, because of that, the ambassadors turned toward you. You felt completely see-through under her eyes, a stab of fear shot through your heart when she looked at you, directly at you. In one fell swoop, Childe lifted you in the air and spun you around so much you lost your balance and you weren’t even using your own legs. “Ch-!”

“You said yes!! You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.” He let you slide down his chest but before you could fully grasp it all, he moved in and soon your lips were covered by his. The tight grip you had on his shoulders began to relax, your toes touched the ground but he continued to hold you; arms wrapped around your body, mouth commanding yours with lips so heavy you wondered how he exerted so much pressure onto them. When he released you, the air in your lungs came rushing in all at once while your mind did it’s best to refocus.

Things faded in slowly. Childe’s thank you’s to an applauding crowd, the drifting sound of your heart as it began to slow, the heat of your cheeks as you hid against his chest.

“She’s gone, we should follow her just in case.” He whispered into your hair, hand resting against your back while yours shook against his chest.

“You did that on purpose.”

“What makes you say that, comrade.” Lifting your eyes to see him, taking in every ounce of deviousness that radiated off his skin, you knew this partnership would be the death of you.

“Yo-you shouldn’t tease people like that.”

“Am I not allowed to tease my sweetheart? Where’s the fun in that.”

“I’m not really your sweetheart, remember.”

“Who says?” Childe ran his fingers over your ear until they found the back of your neck and you swore his intentions were clear as he leaned in for another kiss. Why was he so good at this fake dating ruse, it wasn’t fair. Your heart shouldn’t be so affected by this and yet …

“Childe …” Your eyes fluttered closed and you prepared for a kiss that never came. “Childe?”

“Expecting something, comrade? Our friends getting away.” Everything slammed back together as if he had slowly pulled you apart moments ago; how was he able to do that so easily? Frustrated, you clenched your jaw and pushed past him but when he ran after you only to slip his hand into yours it took everything you had to hold back a confused and irritated scream building in your throat while he easily let fall laughter that made your heart weak.

sincerely,

yours truly (part one). / sincerely (part two).

premise: your diligent efforts to uncover the identity of your secret admirer had ultimately amounted to nothing. in fact, your investigations only raised more questions — your companions' strange behaviors and shifty-eyed gazes hadn't completely escaped from your awareness, not to mention you've become... privy to some of their affections...

and what is the last thing you need while trying to search for one person who liked you? more people to like you, of course!

but that is exactly what you receive. (goddamn it all.)

includes: zhongli, kaeya, scaramouche, itto & the real secret admirer !

note: oh god i have done it. it's even longer than the other one but since this is the 10k celebration fic, it's only rightfully so! i hope you enjoy this... likes and reblogs are appreciated <33 please read the first part if you haven't already!

zhongli:

all things considered, zhongli is an unrelated figure to your personal issues, not particularly concerned with such trifling matters. you lived worlds apart, and he's generally preoccupied by his own studies anyway, too absorbed in his thesis to mind who has a crush on who and whatnot.

yet it seems as if fate is intent on pulling you two together whether you like it or not.

you belong in different majors, your lecture halls on opposite sides of campus, and he's an upperclassman. not to mention the upperclassman everyone looks up to, the senior equivalent of albedo. though he holds an air of benevolence and warmth, he's unapproachable in the way nobody would dare impose themselves in fear of bothering him with their presence.

professors only speak of his name in accordance with endless words of praise, and legend has it that any paper he proofreads is guaranteed to receive a high grade... not that anyone could confirm it, since nobody has been gifted that luxury.

except for you, of course, living the y/n life — you'd been slaving away on your assignments per usual at diluc's cafe when, in a moment of misfortune, zhongli had crashed into a waiter and spilled his coffee on your papers, soaking pale sheets in brown splatters and smudging the inked sentences you'd painstakingly written for the past hour.

if only your laptop hadn't run out of battery, you wouldn't have resorted to drafting with pen and paper. or you could have done your work in a later date instead of being productive for nothing. fuck.

witnessing your expression crumpled to disbelief and misery, zhongli apologized through offering his assistance in doing your assignment with you. and oh boy, he did it well. it was better than what you could've ever done, the insight he provided beyond profound. he was humble even as you showered him with compliments, still looking quite apologetic for the fiasco he caused.

and. right. it could've ended there. after that occasion, you would wave at him if you passed by each other at the hallways, but that's where the extent of your relationship ended, a pair of underclassman and upperclassman who'd known each other once.

but of course it's never that easy.

he pops up when you least expect it, running into you frequently even though the rumors articulated “you'd hardly get a glimpse of him since he's busy all the time” clearly. and he's acquainted with people you know well, just that you never paid attention to it; keqing seems to respect him a lot, so does xiao, ganyu perks up whenever he's brought up in conversations, and childe sticks to him when given the opportunity. perhaps it was only a matter of time that you begin a friendship with him as well...

but what's up with these horribly timed drama tropes you keep experiencing with him?!

bumping into him and dropping your books to the floor so he offers to walk you to the library, locked into a room when a professor asks you to collect materials for class with him and the door has a faulty knob, getting photographed by a student while you study in the same table and everyone assumes you're dating,,

you've been seeing far too much of him.

everyone's patience has been wearing thin. xiao tries his best to keep his annoyance at bay but fails. childe has resorted to bribing zhongli for free lunch to lead him away from you. albedo straight up drags you to the opposite direction whenever he spots zhongli within vicinity.

but it's like there's a force of nature compelling you to stick right back to him.

hosting events for college fests had never been your kind of thing, but attention follows you if you're acquainted with famous people, and keqing was unwilling to be an emcee if she didn't have a friend alongside her to act as a second host. of course, that meant everyone was deadset on dragging you with her.

you're not very keen on standing on a stage to face the whole school like a kid participating in a talent show, but you've never been good at saying “no” to your friends.

hence why you find yourself clutching on a microphone now, blinded by bright stage lights. you would much prefer if you were part of the audience. or if you were in ayaka's place instead, holding up cue cards behind the curtains.

there's some kind of beauty pageant going on, a popularity contest for the prettiest people in uni. votes are collected via online polls, and you're tasked to reveal the top 10. you don't doubt for a second your friends will all join you on stage eventually, and you've already asked ganyu to drag xiao up the platform if he tries to escape. sweeping off a piece of confetti by your shoulder, you flip open the folden paper in your hand and announce the winning names.

zhongli steps up as one of the candidates for first place and you faintly hear gasps of awe and high pitched squeals.

you nod at him in acknowledgement, and he returns the gesture in kind. you head on over to hand him a mic of his own, keqing busying herself by doing the same job for other contestants, and...

in your carelessness, distracted by fumbling with the paper in your hand to hide it back inside your pocket, you trip over an electrical cord.

you've been waiting the entire night for the time where you'll eventually embarrass yourself in front of a crowd. perhaps a voice crack in what's supposed to be a tense situation, a stutter in your words, falling off a stage even, but here it is, even more horrifying than what you could've imagined.

squeezing your eyes shut instinctively, you brace yourself for the hard surface to tumble onto. instead, what meets you is something squishy, someone's hands gripping around your shoulders, and-

FUCK. you banged your knees on the ground.

the first thing to pop in your mind is a myriad of swears that could stun a sailor.

the second is the oddly plush surface your lips had landed on.

the third is the sight of widened golden eyes. they look very familiar. but you'd rather not think about who they belong to.

the ugly screech of the microphone dropping to the floor is drowned out by gasps, yelling, and the scandalized choke of keqing behind you. xiao — who did end up being a contender for the stupid popularity contest and is standing only a few meters away, makes an alarming noise that could trigger a person's fight or flight reaction.

you hastily attempt to rise to your feet, but the floor is slippery what the actual fuck, and zhongli, oh for fuck's sake, innocent and oblivious zhongli grabs your hips to keep you steady.

.....of course the accidental kiss and caught in a compromising position tropes were going to happen eventually.

kaeya:

“it's from me.”

your gaze travels from the fresh, new bouquet of flowers emitting a sweet fragrance lying in your arms, and the face of the man currently standing before you, lips curled in what seems to be a supposedly reassuring smile.

“you mean... this and the carnations last time?”

his lips are still firmly quirking upwards, admirably patient in spite of reiterating the same phrase over and over again whenever probed with your repetitive questions.

still, he doesn't quite give off the impression of someone deeply infatuated.

and okay, not to be narcissistic, but you expected a secret admirer to... well, admire you more, yet this person looks as nonchalant as ever.

and he doesn't look like the type to profess love through subtle means. at all.

you'll be blunt. you've heard of kaeya. who hasn't? whether it be of mischief, or something more scandalous in nature, he's more or less always involved with trouble, gossip about him traveling fast. it may be an insane prank in the boys' dormitory or someone he bedded (who's supposedly out of everyone's league, yet fell for his charms so easily), you hear of his name quite often.

it's just that you didn't expect you'd associate yourself with him...

and if you have at least two brain cells to rub together, you can easily piece together the conclusion: this guy is definitely talking out of his ass.

nobody has ever heard of kaeya pining over someone so badly that he personally sent bouquets and other small gifts to appease them, admiring them from the shadows. it's so clearly not his style. if he likes someone, he'd flirt with them a bit and cleverly worm his way into their heart, and absolutely not give away presents expecting nothing in return.

but if he's not your secret admirer, then for what reason is he pretending like he is?

you want to seek the truth, and playing along for the meantime sounds like the best option. and this may draw out the real secret admirer, the sly part of you voices internally.

thinking it'll be rude to turn him down publicly (since of course he initiated this exchange in the middle of a crowd, and that only gives you more reason to doubt him), you decide to see how things go first.

if anything, this whole “wooing” business with kaeya seems like it's done out of spite. does he have a bone to pick with you? or he made one of those stupid “it'll only take a week for you to fall for me” bets with his friends? hopefully not, because that's terribly out of trend.

your indifferent responses do nothing to deter him from sticking to you like glue though, doing this and that to earn your favor. he's... not doing anything wrong, actually. if you didn't know any better, you'd think he's like any other eager guy who wants to receive your love.

he does a great job of remembering what things you like and dislike, making a habit of inviting you out for a meal in your favorite restaurants every now and then or taking note of what movies you're looking forward to so you could watch it in the cinema together.

... it feels more like hanging out with normal friends now.

kaeya eases into the idea of that notion, too, insisting on meeting you outside of his shady “i'm your secret admirer” business. it doesn't take too long until you begin to reach out to him as well, inviting him to go shopping with you to look at jewelry together (and dear lord, does kaeya know how to accessorize) or giving him a ticket to the amusement park when kokomi bails on you. (“so i' m just a rebound? a back-up plan?” kaeya arches a questioning brow, acting deeply hurt to provoke a reaction. you smack his shoulder and he laughs in mirth.)

(he definitely tries for the “let's go to the haunted house so you can cling to me when you're scared” cliche but fails. why does he feel disappointed though...)

if given more time, maybe the time would come where you'll both just shrug off the secret admirer thing and continue on normally as friends. it'll be the last thing on your minds, a joke that never had a punchline. just some prank kaeya didn't see through the end.

but then it resurfaces when kaeya had already given you your daily dose of coffee — yes, he somehow knows the secret recipe you like, something you plan to ask him about later — but another cup is waiting at your desk, its once warm temperature turning lukewarm.

you inspect it, judging for yourself, and you confirm it's the same recipe you like.

so this one is from the real secret admirer then, the one who's still hiding in the shadows. that, or this recipe is just popular.

the people residing in the same room as you observe the scene with interest, because apparently your romance drama became a spectator sport, stares pinned in kaeya's direction.

you knew he was a fraud from the very start, but others do not, and he's not sure what to say.

someone else makes the excuse for him. “do you have another person who likes you, [name]?” amber asks innocently, essentially saving kaeya's ass without her realizing it. you let your gaze shift from her to kaeya.

“...maybe.” you place the two cups of coffee side-by-side, feigning nonchalance.

if the real secret admirer found out that someone's pretending to be him, this must be his way of saying kaeya's a fraud in front of everyone. after all, if he was actually the secret admirer, there'd be no need for kaeya to give you another cup when he'd already placed one on top of your desk.

and a couple of people already know who the real one is, anyway. xiao just doesn't want to tell you.

kaeya sends what seems to be a longing gaze your way but ends up turning away to head to his own classroom. he'd only offered to walk you towards yours, and you didn't share classes. it gives you more time to ponder how to confront him.

you didn't have to. he explained things himself.

it comes in the time you least expect, a peaceful lunch like any other. he suddenly arrived at your table, tray in hand, and sat opposite of you. “it's not me,” is the first thing he says, no context at all. he admits the obvious truth and you shovel more food in your mouth in your hopes of hiding how curious you are for what else he has to say.

“but i know who's been giving you flowers... and the coffee. also the chocolate the other day. i helped him pick out the presents, actually.” and that's where you choke because that's not what you were expecting at all.

“he was considering sending a love letter, but i told him you'd recognize his handwriting because you know him very well. and he refused to give a printed letter because he thought it was 'lacking' and you deserved better than that.” he scoffed at the thought. “and that's cute of him. endearing, if you will. but he seriously pissed me off last month and i wanted to mess with him a bit.”

“so you... tried to date the person he likes?” your expression sours. that's a dick move. he immediately shakes his head, as if to say perish the thought.

“not that. i knew for a fact you wouldn't like me anyway. i was just teasing him,” kaeya huffs. “and he got angry at me. well, it's a justified reaction. but i didn't plan on keeping up the charade for long. i only wanted to fool around for a few days.”

“and then?”

“...i missed the timing to pass it off as a joke. then we started to hang out like friends. but i assured him that you didn't actually think i was the real secret admirer, so he forgave me as long as i... do some work for him.”

oh. he's right about that though. and that also explains why kaeya looked so tired recently, helping out a friend with his project as a sincere apology.

“does he plan on revealing his identity anytime soon?” you can't help but ask, your eager eyes betraying the nonchalance in your voice. kaeya sighs at that, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms.

“i've been trying to convince him to. it's exhausting to look at him flailing about like an idiot. he talks about you all the time.” he frowns at the way your cheeks color. “you should try luring him out.”

you tilt your head in question. to show his point, he reaches out his arm, grabbing your hand. you let him do as he pleases, even as he brings the spoonful of your meal to his lips, and takes a bite out of it.

distantly, you hear a metal clatter against the floor and a voice cry out in surprise. you turn your head towards the noise, and you see—

the hell. it's just bennett tripping.

... but it's not like bennett dropped a metal utensil or anything. he is the one who cried out, though.

“wrong direction, sweetheart. you were supposed to look at the right. what a shame, you didn't see him picking up his fork like a fool.” kaeya laughs, releasing your hand from his grip.

he seems strangely reluctant in doing so, but you decide not to look further into it.

scaramouche:

at best, he is an unwilling spectator.

emphasis on “unwilling” because he truly does not wish to see you. like at all. you're pretty sure he hates your guts, but he'd amassed a lifetime's worth of misfortune and keeps seeing you... and the guys around you.

it's safe to say if your love life was turned into a k-drama, he'd probably seen the entire series.

he'd walked in on you when childe confessed he likes you, purple eyes narrowed into a sharp glare before he turned on his heel and left the room. he'd seen the way xiao looks at you, starstruck and excruciatingly fond, because of course scaramouche sat beside him in class (long, long ago they settled a mutual agreement to not speak to each other unless necessary, even if they hadn't verbally discussed it). he'd seen you at diluc's cafe, too, when diluc poured coffee at the angry customer. scaramouche's clothes were stained, as he was the customer sitting beside your table.

he'd seen you with kazuha when kazuha came to pick you up in the rain. he'd seen albedo draw sketches of you in the corner of his notes. he'd seen thoma with you while out for grocery shopping. he'd seen gorou follow after you not unlike a loyal puppy.

he's, reasonably, tired of seeing your stupid face and your stupid harem and he hates you.

by the looks of it, none of your friends like him. especially mona. she had a few arguments with him already. they didn't mix well, and scaramouche liked poking fun of the astrology she loved, a firm disbeliever of such things. “how is my birthday supposed to dictate my personality? or my relationship status? is this fortune-telling? tell me, then. what's my lucky color for the day-” and he only shut up when mona landed a clean kick to his shin.

...yeah. he's kind of an asshole. the type to scowl 24/7, glare at you for no reason, and bump into you without apologizing. then when you do try to make small talk to alleviate the awkward atmosphere, he scoffs and pointedly ignores you.

but you can't blame him for finding you and... the guys following you irritating. you imagine it must be an eyesore for outsiders. there's already quite a bit of rumors about you going around seducing men (and women, you add, because apparently you can't be friends with pretty girls without having those kinds of intentions... and yoimiya and ayaka could be somewhat touchy) and rumors are almost always wildly changed with each pass of gossip from one person to another.

of course your friends don't believe it one bit and are ready 24/7 to defend your honor, but scaramouche is very obviously not your friend, and he may regard you with something less than pleasing.

it's only understandable you're caught by surprise when you chance upon him picking a fight with people badmouthing you, shoving a boy to the wall with brute force you wouldn't expect from someone his size. (you berate yourself for making fun of his height in this kind of situation.)

“shut the fuck up,” scaramouche drawls out, fisting the boy's shirt collar. “your voice is grating to the ears. surely, you have better things to do than yap nonsensical bullshit out in the open?”

“what's your fucking problem?!” the guy responds, panicking within his grip. “it's not like we were talking about you! don't think so highly of yourself!”

that prompts a scoff from him, and he tightens his hold on the boy's collar. he immediately shuts his mouth, thinking it better not to retaliate. scaramouche's glare promises something beyond simple violence if he continued to act prideful.

somwhat satisfied by the fear glistening in the guy's eyes, scaramouche finally releases him. “scram.”

the group runs off, and you quickly duck behind a wall to hide from his sight as he walks away. you're not sure what to feel, conflicted by his usual prick demeanor and shockingly kind(?) actions behind the scenes.

unfortunately, your confusion reflects directly on your face. after a handful of times catching you staring at him, he finally snaps, “what do you want.”

your expression twists into something complex, and scaramouche's frown deepens. “uh... no, it's nothing, really...”

“you've been looking at me all day. do you take me for a fool?”

your face sours. so much for planning to thank him. maybe he didn't stand up for you and actually just found the noisy gossiping annoying enough to choke a guy and pin him to the wall. if it's scaramouche, it isn't too far-fetched at all.

and what were you going to say to him, anyway? it's not like he explicitly stated he did it for you. it would be beyond mortifying if you thanked him for it and he clarified that little detail, thinking you were stuck-up enough to assume the world revolves around you.

... no, that's too much overthinking, isn't it...

“well?” scaramouche impatiently taps his foot, raising an eyebrow expectantly. you hold back a defeated sigh and decide to stay put.

“sorry if i made you uncomfortable. i was, um, looking at...” who does he sit with again? “xiao!” you mentally apologize to your friend, using his name as an excuse.

impossibly, he becomes more irate than before, his taps ceasing into a calm quiet. the silence pierces more than the tense conversation prior.

without another word, he walks away.

...well. okay. that was safely evaded.

life continues on per usual. you don't interact for the next week, and you want to leave it at that.

except your life is a joke. a romantic comedy you never wanted to be a part of.

...you're assigned to a group project. with him. with childe too, no less. the childe who confessed his love to you not too long ago and you still have problems wrapping your head around it, not sure how to talk with him like you did before.

amidst this drama, scaramouche is stuck smack dab between you. he's unquestionably furious.

he's present when childe looks at you in the same excruciating way xiao does. he's present when childe tries to make jokes to ease off the tension, and it doesn't work in the slightest. he's present in the lingering gazes, awkward pauses when you graze fingers as you hand materials to each other, and reluctant conversations that never last any longer than seven clipped sentences.

scaramouche feels wronged. had he committed a war crime in his past life to deserve this despair?

and you. you just want to get this over with. collect information, make a powerpoint, and present in front of the whole class. easier said than done.

the three of you together doesn't sit right with you, but left with only two isn't any better either. childe and scaramouche don't get along if you leave them long enough for an argument to brew. scaramouche hates you and doesn't fill the silence when childe leaves for a bathroom break. childe tries too hard to talk when scaramouche leaves for a coffee break.

when the first day of working together ends, you nearly cry tears of joy.

“i can walk you home,” childe offers out of goodwill. it's certainly not because he has other intentions in mind, he's just concerned since it is pretty late.

“we take the same bus,” scaramouche speaks, for the first time joining your conversation. “we can go together.”

childe smiles in relief, lifting a hand to ruffle your hair. then he stills. old habits die hard. damn.

for his sake, you don't comment on it. you walk out of the library, scaramouche in tow.

the stroll to the empty bus stop isn't a comfortable one, but at the very least, you're accompanied by an acquaintance and you don't have to feel anxious being alone. you take a seat as you wait but scaramouche chooses to remain standing, placing a fair amount of distance between you.

“...you haven't made up?”

his voice is small, almost swallowed by the howling winds. you're surprised he wants to talk about it, but you laugh. “we didn't fight or anything.”

“fighting would've been better,” he replies. “an apology could still repair your relationship. but there's nothing you can do if you don't see him that way, and he can't see you as a friend.”

you look down at your feet, heels resting firmly against the pavement. “yes... it's tricky. i don't know how to act around him. i don't want to hurt him, but... maybe not rejecting him is painful, too.”

“then turn him down properly.”

“it's not that easy...”

“would you rather him still have hopes for a chance with you and eventually get disappointed instead of dealing with it once and for all?”

he makes an excellent point. it's reasonable enough... but you don't know how to bring it up with childe. not now. not yet. you'll have to think about it properly, the way to reject him with the least amount of discomfort from his side.

“receiving relationship advice from you... if someone told me this would happen today, i'd think they've gone mad.” you chuckle. “do you deal with friends whining about hardships like these often?”

“apparently, they think of me — someone who has no interest in dating — as the perfect person to consult for relationship problems.”

“hm? you don't date? do you like anyone, at least?”

he gives you a look. it's perfectly blank, devoid of his usual arrogance or irritation. you blink at him, the pause in the conversation stretching too long to be comfortable.

“you could say that. but i don't... try things i know won't work out.”

“...like?”

he rolls his eyes. “think about it this way.” he removes his hands from his pockets, approaching your seated figure. he comes startlingly close, mere centimeters away, and his fingers curl around your wrist. your lips part and close, and you wonder if he's trying to kiss your knuckles-

“if i told you now that i like you, with this many people who like you too, there's no way i'd win, is there?”

it's an example, you tell yourself. you asked him a question and he answered it.

“...so the one you like is popular...”

but his gaze looking directly into your eyes is too earnest, too honest. sincere. light reflects against the violet pools, a turbulent storm clouding within.

you neither nod nor shake your head. the bus arrives and you scramble to get on it.

scaramouche pulls you by the wrist when you nearly trip over the small set of stairs, leading you to a pair of seats. if you have something to be grateful for, it's that he doesn't try to talk anymore, using the pair of headphones resting by his neck for the rest of the ride.

itto:

itto barges into your life in a whirlwind of chaos.

it comes in the form of a stray volleyball plummeting towards your back, and the sheer force behind it knocks the wind out of your lungs. your knees buckle and you kneel on the floor, heaving violent gasps of air. the searing pain makes you wonder if you broke your spine.

distantly, a screech bellows from the court. a figure almost flies past the gymnasium's doors to check on your condition. “are you okay?!” it's gorou, you realize, his eyes blown wide with panic.

you don't want to worry him and say you feel as if you've permanently shattered a bone, but your back hurts like a bitch and you tell him so, “fuck me with a hammer, did a bowling ball crash into me or something?”

he ignores your interesting choice of words and answers, “my friends and i were playing volleyball, i'm so sorry! we didn't see you there at all!”

you steer your sight to the gymnasium entrance and oh my god. the doors aren't especially massive, and one of them is even closed, so what are the chances you walk past the small space and precisely get slammed by a stray ball? it's gotta be lower than a five star drop in gacha.

“can you stand?” gorou holds up a hand for you to take but you really can't move away from your fetal position without an explosion of ache jolting through your body. he's three seconds away from offering to carry you when someone else beats him to it.

“did you get hurt?!” a blur of white hair passes through your eyes, and you blink up at an unfamiliar man. gorou's friend, you're guessing, most likely the one who injured you too — that powerful force from the volleyball could only come from someone like him. tall, athletic, muscular. he's ripped. shredded. probably tore your muscle fibers too.

you don't let the pain cloud your mind. he didn't mean to kill you, you remind yourself. you stretch your lips into a smile, but it may just look like a grimace.

however, with a gentleness you didn't expect from him, he carefully hoists you on his back. oh. he's strong. and really warm.

...sticky with sweat too, but you'll try not to mind it too much...

“i'll carry you to the infirmary!”

your brain clears up from the haze of agony. “...wait, you don't have to-” before you get another word in, he rushes to the clinic, and you bypass many, many people. you settle for hiding your face as best as you can.

after proper treatment, he gives you a serious apology. you learn his name is itto, and you instantly recognize him. you've heard of the name itto before, that one popular student on a sports scholarship for basketball, but he's known more for goofing off with other sports teams. he's broken a lot of windows when he played baseball... and probably also broke bones of other people when he roughhoused too much on the soccer field. it's just that he's insanely talented, enough for most people to overlook his troublesome tendencies.

anyhow, famous or infamous, you can't tell yet. but he's very much willing to make up for your injury.

a free meal would honestly suffice just fine, but even after that, he insists on following you around, offering his assistance whenever needed. and, well. you have no problems with having an extra hand to help when you need to carry heavy equipment.

then he learns about the whole secret admirer thing and he proposes he'll help you lure him out.

“and how do you intend to do that...?” you inquire just as you enter the lecture hall, itto trailing after you and setting your bag on the table. his face splits into a grin and you have a vague idea of what he plans on doing.

he wraps an arm around your shoulders and tugs you close to his chest.

several things happen at once. a huff leaves xiao's mouth involuntarily. the crack of pencil lead breaking into pieces sounds from beside him, scaramouche holding the pen in his hand with too much force. the laughter ringing seconds prior comes to a halt, childe's face no longer displaying a bright smile.

itto blinks, retracting his arm. he didn't expect this outcome. “you have really overprotective friends, [name].”

as one would expect, you never got the results you want because too much people react to his provocations. it's tricky to pinpoint which one of them exactly is your secret admirer when they all like you the same. (this whole situation is truly absurd. it's not that you fed all these guys love potions by accident, right?)

itto doesn't dare upsetting gorou with this though, but with anyone else, it's free game. he begins calling you the most ridiculous pet names he could come up with, in the wrong place and in the wrong time.

my precious cupcake. my sweetest honeybun. little ducky. snugglepuff. they send shivers down your spine. (albedo is noted to be most affected when itto does this. it's not hard to imagine his brain cells frying when itto shamelessly calls you by such awful names.)

but then it becomes a habit. he's not doing it ironically anymore. his mouth had become accustomed to addressing you in manners only lovers do. more often than not, your friends would be caught by surprise when he wholeheartedly calls out “babe” to earn your attention and you turn towards him as if it's like the most natural thing in the world.

the cherry on top is when you attend one of his games for the basketball team.

it's not like you wore his varsity jacket to rub into everyone's faces the fact that you're dating. nor did you wear a cheerleader outfit of some sorts to show your passionate support as his significant other. you'd only come with gorou and kokomi, waving the banner the three of you made into the air as you were seated in the stands along the sides of the court.

when they won the finals, people on your side all rejoiced, flocking over to the team to praise them and offer their congratulations. thinking it would be better to stand by instead of joining the sweaty crowd, you stood aside with kokomi while gorou insisted on diving headfirst to the sea of people.

then a tall head approaches from afar. white hair, bright eyes, and a similarly blinding smile. “[name]!”

you didn't expect him to come to you. well. spares you the effort then. you throw a towel around his neck. “you're drenched in sweat. please don't touch me.”

he frowns. “not even a congratulatory hug?”

“not when you're this gross.”

at least that wasn't a stern no. itto grins. “wasn't i great out there?” he cards his fingers into his hair, fishing for compliments. you thought he had enough of those from the crowd currently swarming him. “i did a ton of 3 pointers. you saw me, right?”

“would you be disappointed if i said i was on my phone the whole time?”

immediately, his face twists into an offended look. of course that was a lie. you laugh and lean on the tips of your toes to reach his hair, ruffling it into a mess. “kidding. you were amazing, babe.”

that moment, you hadn't seen his expression clearly, occupied with patting his head. perhaps you hadn't even realized what you called him.

but to everyone around you, they could see it, plain to the eye — the shock in his gaze, the small twitch of his lips, the rise of his brows. then his cheeks flush a lovely color as he stares at you under his lashes with a hesitance as one would look at the sun, longing to admire its radiance yet afraid to be scorched by its brilliant rays.

he takes the leap anyways, staring at you as long as he wanted.

a lovestruck fool, keen to your touch.

your secret admirer.

relatively speaking, it's an ordinary day so far.

or as ordinary as it can be with a life as silly as yours. the past few weeks didn't feel real. you wish they weren't. everything has become too complicated. everyone kept on acting suspiciously and skirting around you, avoiding eye contact only to observe you from behind.

your day starts out seeing thoma when you open your front door, both of you telling each other good morning. you pass by kazuha having breakfast at a fast food joint. then you run into itto first thing in the morning, where he gladly helps in carrying a 3d model of your project into class. kaeya swings by to bring you coffee since you didn't get a chance to visit diluc's cafe, not having the extra hand to carry among the pile you already have. you make your daily greetings, saying hi to your friends and annoying xiao, as you always do. you nod towards scaramouche, and you even had enough courage to say hi first to childe too. when walking to another lecture hall, you happen to meet albedo, gorou and zhongli in separate times.

then at lunch time, when you briefly leave your belongings alone for a moment, someone leaves a packet of candies stuffed into your bag.

a sticky note is stuck on the surface, “please meet me at the physics classroom at 6 p.m.” scrawled in black ink.

the penmanship is good. it twists in elegant curls at the edges, brush strokes light and even.

you're able to recognize it at first glance, just as kaeya has told you.

you've seen it enough times to burn it in your brain. you've rigorously studied notes with that same handwriting, after all.

at 5:56, you stand in front of the classroom doors. in different circumstances, you'd have second thoughts before blindly following somebody's orders but you know who it's from, and it is decidedly not a murderer out to get you.

you collect an intake of breath, and twist the doorknob.

the last traces of sunlight bathe the room in a heavenly glow, a haze of aureate like shimmering flecks of gold. the billowing curtains hide the figure standing by the windowsill, the gentle breeze caressing your cheeks as you squint in its direction.

the figure moves of their accord, the sound of a book snapping shut following their actions.

albedo walks out, a serene smile displaying on his sun-kissed face.

“...hey.”

your heartbeat pounds in your ears. though you expected his appearance, it does nothing to dull your surprise.

“it's you.”

albedo had always admired you in quiet adoration.

he can't provide a clear explanation why his gaze is naturally drawn to you, turquoise eyes sweeping by your countenance before he realizes it. but it started out simple, as everything does: a curiosity piqued, when he heard of a person tagging along the supposedly unapproachable girls in school.

gossip comes and goes every season, and albedo knew it will pass soon. it's only a matter of time before they cling to another topic to babble about. most likely something kaeya did again, because he chases after trouble like a dog with a bone.

rumors are nasty. they paint you in malicious light, a person seeking attention among the most eye-catching lot. you wished you were on the same league as them, they said. you were only after the benefits of acquainting with those girls, they said.

but you were special on your own.

the way you carried yourself with confidence, against the judgmental stares and muddled opinions. the way you hadn't cared about what other people said, because you knew best about the situation and you were different from what they made you out to be. the way you genuinely loved your friends, sincerely wishing them happiness and doing everything you can to put a smile on their faces.

you were dazzling.

your laughter rang like bells in his ears, your grin a delight to see. your voice was melodious as you prattled on about the latest film you watched, or as you hummed a song with headphones covering your ears. your colorful expressions were amusing, a reflection of the feelings in your heart.

as the professor drones out during lessons, albedo finds himself distracted by his daydreams. what if he stood beside you? what if he could partake in conversations, not only able to hear your voice but you'd also hear his? what if he was the one faced with your smile, the reason of your smile, the one who made you feel such joy?

what if you permitted him to go further? to brush hands with you, to intertwine your fingers in simple intimacy, to curl his arms around your waist in a loose embrace, to press a kiss on the corner of your lips-

his ears burned in humiliation. what on earth was he thinking?

but forget “seeking attention from others,” it didn't even seem like you were interested in dating.

you showed indifference towards the idea, avoiding mixers and drinking parties. you also turned down quite a few dates. not to mention albedo wasn't even friends with you. he wasn't even sure if you knew of his name.

then you showed up at the library, and for the first time, albedo was thankful for the privilege nobody bothered his table, so you could sit alone together.

you became friends after his (despairingly embarrassing) insistent attempts to acquaint himself with you.

and he files away the little details, storing the small things about you in the corner of his mind. what you like, what you dislike. what days were you free, what things you prefer over the other.

it's a happiness he relishes in, the comfort of your friendship. but his greedy little heart yearns for more, for what you cannot give.

he tries anyway.

he's running out of time. you're always surrounded by people, whether you realize it or not. but he considers himself a selfish person. he doesn't want you to be taken away.

he may lose you entirely if he does it wrong.

but you're already here, eyes gleaming, lips pressed in a nervous tight line. the red dusting your cheeks leaves some hope for him, so he musters up his courage and simplifies the storm of feelings that eats away his heart each day:

“i like you, [name].”

Holy fuck this is so pretty 🥺

awkward - a. keiji

(a/n): small self indulgent drabble, lowkey wish my first kiss was like this instead wtf i got

warnings: none

loosely based on awkward by tyler the creator

during your afternoon class when the sunlight would drift through the windows onto akaashi’s face, you couldn’t help but be enamored by his beauty.

his long lashes, slightly messy hair, and soft lips would be something you looked forward to during your morning class. and when the afternoon would finally come, you would be enamored all over again. and sometimes he would spare you a glance while you quickly looked away.

so when he finally asked you out, of course you obliged.

Keep reading

---

꩜  FEATURING  ﹕albedo x reader

𖠣   SUMMARY    ﹕you try to get your boyfriend, albedo's attention as he read books.

꩜  WARNINGS   ﹕not sfw , praising , thigh riding

you stared at albedo miserably as he worked with the pile of old and large books placed on his table. you sat on the bed, your legs formed a W position as a pout was visible on your lips. no matter what actions you took, whether you tried to act all cutesy and even tried to touch yourself in front of him, your boyfriend wouldn't even give her attention.

you understood. he was studying one of his experiments again. but this time, he was so engrossed by it that he didn't even notice the things you did just for his attention. you whined as you stood up. your foot felt the coldness of the floor as you walked towards albedo.

your eyebrows furrowed when he still didn't turn his eyes on you. you clicked your tounge as the room that was once silent was filled with a sudden slam on the table. the cause? none other than you. his eyes immediately landed at you, one of his eyebrows raising up at the unexpected action you took.

"i want you"

he placed down the book he was reading as leaned back, his hands crossing as he looked at you "oh" he cocked up a brow. "what's this?" he smirked, enjoying the view of desperation on you face. finally.

"such a pretty girl can't even keep her pussy in check."

obviously trying to tease you who was now glaring at him. well, he suppose he didn't pay that much attention to your needs for the past few days and he definitely needed to make up for that. with the your boldness obviously acting as plus points, he decided to let her be.

albedo hands patted his right lap and your eyes lit up, your eyes asked confirmation. "hurry it up before i change my mind." he demanded as he got the book he was reading a while ago as you make your way to him.

you sat her legs between his thigh and a slight moan escaped her lip, the male groaning when he had realized that you were only wearing his t-shirts and some lace undies. "get off on my thigh"

you didn't hesitate — you were so needy that even if the man asked her to beg right there, she would do it. you didn't even care that he was reading a book as you try your best to cum on his thighs. it made you even more excited when you felt his hot breath on your neck.

you moaned as you started to move up and down, rubbing your clothed clit into his thigh. his other hand slid inside you shirt, holding your waist and guiding you as you ride his thigh.

"a-ahh fuck"

his other hand held a book he continued reading, he tried his best to keep his attention on the book though he failed when a certain hand clasp around his chin and turned his faced towards her. your expression was so erotic that it can be enough to turn him on, though, he had successfully controlled himself.

albedo frowned, "pretty girl is getting a little bit too clingy, huh?"

he said as he cupped your ass with his one hand, the book it once held into now on the floor as he guided the female. you wrapped your hands around his neck as you rode his thigh. the room was filled with the sound of your skin touching and moans from the two of you.

"b-bedo" you cried out as the pace started going faster. your knees accidentally scraping in between his legs which caused him to let out a moan.

he felt his cock harden at the simple contact and it made him want to see you cum as soon as possible. he had all of it planned on his head already. to make you cum while riding his thigh and then fucking you on the bed until her head can't think of anything aside of his name anymore. he wanted to fill you with his cum and he will make sure that you will take it all in. your moans were like music to his ears.

"there there, good girl, you sound so fucking good when you moan."

numbers can't even count how many moans you let out when the man's legs started moving his legs, matching her movements. and before you knew it, you had already reached your climax. even though you still had your undies, your cum still dripped into albedo's pants.

"now now, we have to punish you for that don't we?"

@athieira

---

irresistible

✧ genre: xiao, albedo, childe, zhongli, and diluc x gn! reader fluff

✧ warnings: none

✧ summary: what the genshin men simply cannot resist about you

✧ note: this is basically genshin men being simps for you (as inspired by one direction's song), as they should be <33 this is a little break from some of the angst that has been appearing in my posts for a while now so yes take some of this simple fluff and i hope you guys enjoy ^^

XIAO

the adeptus finds that your touches spark a longing in him that has him wanting more every time.

he always indulges in your sweet touches, whether they are biref or lingering on his skin.

during the times he's still a bit hesitant to intiate physical affection, he relishes in the way you'd slowly take his hand in yours.

he absolutely loves it when you lean your head onto his shoulder whenever you two are sat beside each other.

his face flushes a deep shade of red everytime and you can tell he's flustered by the way he clears his throat but even then, he'd never shrug you off or ask you to lean away.

he may be rendered a little speechless but he secretly loves any sort of affection you give him.

when he gets more open in your relationship, he'll start to initiate smaller acts of affection.

he'll get close enough to brush his hand over yours, glancing at you birefly as if to silently ask whether you were fine with him taking you hand.

or when you both are spending a night at the balcony of wangshuu inn, he'll stand close enough for your shoulders to touch.

his touches aren't that big and showy, but xiao doesn't ask for much. even the smallest contact with you sends his heart soaring and pounding loudly in his chest anyways.

ALBEDO

your local alchemist cannot get enough of your eyes.

the way they glimmer and shine with joy, or the way they look at new things with such wonder and curiosity, he just loves them.

as a scientist, he likes to observe things and take little mental notes in his head. that's why he always stares at your eyes whenever you're doing anything.

whenever you're talking to him about anything your passionate about, unlike most people who stare at lips, albedo would intently look you in the eyes.

he enjoys watching how your eyes sparkle with so much passion and love, is so absorbed in the way they widen slightly when you realize he's staring at them.

he'd do nothing but smile at you softly and tell you, "do you know your eyes glitter like the stars when you talk like this, love?"

even when you're focused on something, sometimes he'll tear hus attention away from his work to look at how concentrated your eyes are on your work.

whenever you two are in the opposite corner of a room for some reason, your eyes will always catch albedo's

his heart breaks when you cry though because your eyes only shimmer with tears and pain.

would definitely wipe your tears away and ask you to close your eyes, planting sweet kisses on your eyelids in hopes that it would make you feel better.

CHILDE

this man finds your lips completely irresistible and he will never get enough of them.

unlike albedo, he's the type of person who would stare at your lips when you talk enthusiastically about something.

he'd interupt your speech with a quick peck to the lips. it stuns you for a bit when he says, "sorry, baby. you looked adorable talking like that i couldn't resist."

childe would definitely ask you for some type of kiss every single day you live.

his day instantly brightens whenever you greet him with a peck to the cheeks, hair, forehead, etc.

kiss him anywhere and his lips will begin to turn up to form a thankful smile.

he'd always reciprocate with a kiss of his own to your lips, basking in the warmth and love they provide him.

he seems a bit clingy because of this, but you can't blame him when your lips are just that soft and addicting.

on days when he's tired and worn out, your kisses act like a little energy recharge for him. kiss him once and he feels like he could defeat the entirety of teyvat.

he always feels reassured and comforted when you give him a kiss. that's something he rarely feels as a harbinger, so whenever you kiss him he makes sure to treasure it and of course, reciprocate it.

ZHONGLI

zhongli cannot get enough of your words, the way you talk.

we all know he's around 6,000 years old so he knows millions of stories and has an endless amount of knowledge and wisdom.

still, he listens intently to any stories you have for him.

it doesn't even need to be stories, you can tell him about anything and he'd still look at you with such fondness and affection.

he absolutely loves it when you ramble on and on to him. he thinks it's adorable how much you know about a certain topic.

zhongli also lives for your little praises, thanks, and "i love you"s.

whenever you compliment him about anything, pride and love makes his heart swell, a small smile adorning his features.

mutters a little, "thank you, my dearest," before placing a small kiss to the top of your head.

bottom line, he will never get tired of hearing talk about absolutely everything and anything. even on days when you don't have much to say, he loves to hear your voice.

this man trusts you immensely and he holds your words to the highest regard so anything that comes from your mouth is precious to him.

DILUC

your smile is something that will always make diluc's day a lot better.

he just finds your smile so contagious and comforting. he is unable to stop a smile of his own from making its way onto his features whenever he sees it.

he would give anything to see any type of smile grace your beautiful features.

he takes mental notes on what you love just so he could brighten both your day as well as his.

in the mornings, when your both in the comfort of your own home, he'd always peck your cheek.

as a bonus, he'd wrap his arms around your smaller figure too.

he basks in the warmth you give when you lean into his chest, adoring the way a smile automatically comes to form on your lips.

often times he would get you some of your favorite snacks or flowers before heading home as well.

his heart completely melts when your eyes widen with surprise. he definitely pecks your forehead when you smile and tell him, "oh, diluc... you didn't need to, but thank you so much. i love them."

your smile heals him and dispels all the fear, sadness, and frustration he holds. he would do everything in his power to make sure you never lose such a beautiful thing.

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