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lillychannnn · 1 year

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Timaeus Isn’t the Only One

Windbloom with Genshin men ft. Cyno, Albedo

Drabbles - GN Reader (No Pronouns) - Fluff (slightest angst in Albedo’s but ends with fluff) - Romantic - SFW

It seems that Timaeus isn’t the only one who's gained a love interest this Windbloom festival…

Cyno

Cyno had several agendas for his trip to Mondstadt. Of course his principal reason was Collei’s protection and accompaniment, though another not so secret motivation added to his decision. How could this reason be anything other than Genius Invokation TCG?

Not only did he have the opportunity to commission a custom card back from the famous Calx, but Cyno would also be able to spend his precious vacation hours playing against folks in Mondstadt’s heart of TCG; the Cat’s Tail.

As soon as Collei had gone off with her local friends to catch up and see the sights, Cyno set off to the Cat’s Tail, his deck in hand, hoping to find some worthy challengers in the renowned tavern. Upon entering, Cyno took no time to tarry, immediately challenging the first person he saw with a deck to a duel. The Mondstadtian man in question was naturally a little shocked to be issued such a sudden challenge, but accepted none the less.

It took all of three minutes for Cyno to beat him. After accumulating three more consecutive wins in the next ten minutes or so, Cyno’s table had gathered quite the crowd. The tavern was ablaze with excitement, many players afraid and in awe of the evident master before them.

It was around this time that you entered the Cat’s Tail, planning to catch up with Margret and maybe stretch your card game muscles with a few rounds of Genius Invokation. What you didn’t expect was a crowd of people surrounding one table, holding their breaths and intently watching a game as if it was a chess tournament.

“Hey Prince, Shuyun, what’s going on? Was there a special event today that I wasn’t aware of?”

Prince meowed in response, Shuyun translating,

“Not exactly, but it seems we have a new house campion. And an outlander, at that.”

“A house campion? Is he really that good?”

“He’s beaten some of our best players in mere minutes. I’d say he has earned such a title.”

You’re gaze swept over the crowd again, hoping to see the illustrious card player between the audience members. The crowd cheered, jumping around and indicating that another game had been won by the campion. As the audience parted slightly for the small celebration, you caught a glimpse of the winner, a man dressed in Sumerian clothing, with a stern face that presently held a small prideful smile.

You turned back to Prince when he nudged your arm with his soft head, watching as he pointed his paw and nudged his head toward the man.

“You what? Maybe I will Prince,” you took a moment to pat his head, being mindful not to topple his tiny hat, before making your way to the crowded table.

“Would anyone else like a game?” The campion asked the crowd, face still flat, though his eyes shone with a subtle sense of fun.

“I’d love to,” you said, sitting down opposite.

“Excellent, let’s begin.”

The game was long and gruelling, with both sides losing two characters and using almost all their cards before the final round. The audience was impatiently watching, eyeing off each player's determined expression and holding their breaths as you played a final card, allowing you to destroy your opponent's last character with your own on only two health points.

The crowd cheered loudly surprised and excited to see someone beat the incredible stranger.

"You play with great precision and thought in your actions, I willingly accept my defeat."

"Thank you, but it was super close, I would believe that if I my deck had been shuffled a little differently I wouldn't have won,"

"Do not underestimate your own skill. But we can test your theory in another game. I am Cyno, the adventurer."

You introduce yourself accordingly and shake hands to initiate another game. The two of you go back and forth in several more rounds of TCG, each losing and winning in equal ratios. You continue on for so long that the crowd eventually dissipates, you and Cyno the only ones left in the tavern.

Cyno used a final elemental skill, destroying your last character card and ending what was likely the hundredth round. You sighed in satisfaction, it had been a long time since you'd had this much fun playing cards with anyone before. Cyno seemed to share your sentiment, sitting still at the table and not bothering to pack away his deck.

"I would suggest playing another game, but I think the staff want us to leave so they can close," You laugh, slowly packing your dice into a little bag.

"Yes, it seems we are inconveniencing the staff. Although I will be back tomorrow. I hope you will come as well,"

"For sure, I've had so much fun playing against you Cyno. You're really amazing at this game, although I think I might be able to one-up you next time," You tease.

"Well, we will T-see-G." Cyno's usual stoicism did not shift with the uttering of the pun, though it did cause your own head to jerk in a chuckle.

"Pfft. I didn't take you as the kind to make jokes Cyno, but it seems to be a CARDinal part of your personality." You laugh, holding up a random card from your deck.

Cyno felt his subtle smile widen and his heart grow in kind. You laughed at his joke. You even returned it.

"Come have dinner with me."

Your head shot up at the sudden request, mind racing and mouth agape. Did... did this guy just ask you out?! Surely he was just making a request to spend time together platonically, right? You hardly knew each other after all, even though you had great chemistry and shared a lot of interests. Not to mention he was attractive, and his hair looked so silky. Okay now you were just complimenting him.

You know what? Whether Cyno was asking you on a date or just as a friend, you wouldn't mind.

"Sure, that sounds great," You smile.

Tighnari and Collei were beyond surprised when Cyno told them he went on a date the next day.

Albedo

You walked through the main square of Mondstadt, admiring the festive decor and lively atmosphere of the Windbloom season. Strolling past the fountain, you spotted Sucrose and Albedo conversing at the alchemy station. A smile lit up across your features, it has been a while since you’d spoken to the alchemists, especially with how busy the seemed to be recently. Your hopefully secret crush on Albedo also meant that you were always looking for a chance to talk, especially during the festival of love. Deciding to take the opportunity, you walked over to say hello.

“Sucrose, Albedo!” You called, turning the two toward you. “How are you?”

“Y/n, we’ve been well. I hope you can say the same?” Albedo smiled politely.

“Yes, it’s been a great Windbloom so far. I feel like I’ve barely seen you guys, have you been busy?”

“Yes, my position as Windbloom ambassador this year has certainly kept me very busy, not to mention this strange prophecy we’ve come across.” Sucrose explained, sounding a little out of breath, but satisfied with her work. “How had your Windbloom been? Is there anything I can do to help make it better?”

“My Windbloom has been just fine, thank you Sucrose. A little too regular, if anything. I hope that with all your work you’re still finding time to enjoy yourself. I would believe that as Windbloom ambassador, it’s most important that you feel good. Otherwise, how can you bring joy to others?”

“An excellent postulate, I too believe that Sucrose’s own happiness will affect her ability to help others with theirs. After all, a gloomy person would not do much to sooth your own worries.” Albedo reasons.

“Th-thank you, both of you,” Blushing at both of your concern, Sucrose adjusts her glasses bashfully. “When you said your Windbloom has been ‘regular’, what do you think would make it more impactful? Perhaps there is something I can help you with after all?”

“It’s nothing you’d be able to change Sucrose, but thank you,” you sigh, glancing wistfully across the square at the smiling, bustling citizens. “I suppose a festival of love and friendship just makes the lonely feel a little more alone. But it’s nothing big. I’ve got my own work and things I need to do, as I know you both have, so I’ll leave you to it. It was nice to see you both!”

“Yes, and you as well,” Albedo responded, although both he and Sucrose had a crinkle of worry in their brow.

“Um, we’ll see you later Y/n, I promise!”

You bud the duo goodbye, smiling and slightly regretting saying anything about yourself. You didn’t mean to turn the conversation so somber, hopefully Sucrose and Albedo still kept their lively attitudes despite your sudden sob story.

Although you did truely feel the effect of the events surrounding you everywhere you went. Although the festive air was fun, the novelty ran out quickly for you when you didn’t have anyone to celebrate with. Your friends were busy with their romantic pursuits, and only chatted with you shortly to update you on their success. Of course you were happy for them, but it stung a little to know you didn’t have the same.

Seeing Albedo today hadn’t helped your hurt. Despite the friendly conversation, speaking to him so casually only served as a reminder of what you knew deep down would never be. Albedo was a serious and studious, he would never have time for something so trivial as romance.

You sighed as you entered your home, deciding not to keep throwing the hapless pity party and get some work done instead. You would just have to get over it, you huffed. It’s not like anything was changing anytime soon.

You sat down across the couch, slouching after completing your work, staring into space and trying not to let the sensation of loneliness creep back now that you weren’t up and about. A knock at the door brought you from your stupor, pushing the doubting thoughts back for a moment as you curiously approached the door. You certainly weren’t expecting any guests, but what you saw when you opened to door couldn’t have been expected.

Albedo stood outside your home with a gentle smile and a full bouquet of winding, snow-white flowers the likes of which you had never seen. Your mouth gaped open as you blinked, your chest light as you tried to hold back your imagination. Surely this couldn’t be what your heart desperately hoped it would be?

“Albedo, what are you doing here?”

“Why, I simply wanted to visit you. As well as take the opportunity to present you with my Windbloom. I hope you will accept it,”

Albedo carefully handed the vine-like flowers over to you, your arms cradling them as you admired the otherworldly blooms.

“Did- did you create these?” You asked, wonderment filling your voice and reflecting in your eyes.

“Yes, I believed it was only reasonable to present you with something unique. Something to reflect how I feel... for you.” Albedo's calm features never faltered, his eyes only dropping for a second in what you could only guess was a rare shyness.

“What- I mean why-,” you tried to breathe, not quite sure how to ask the question burning in your mind. You settled with a whisper, “Why are you giving these to me?”

“Is that not obvious? I apologise if I have not been as upfront as I would have preferred, but I did not want to cause you any grief in the case you didn’t reciprocate my feelings.” Albedo explained, voice softer than ever. “I find myself infatuated with you, Y/n. You occupy more of my thoughts than any other, and I feel myself drawn to you at all times. It was only earlier today when you commented on your lonesomeness that I realised it was worth my taking a chance to make both of us happier for it. So if you’ll allow me, would you accompany me to dinner tonight?”

You smiled wide, bashfully taking Albedo’s hand in your own as you stepped closer to him.

“I would love nothing more. Thank you, Albedo. You’ve no idea how much this means, how much I like you,”

“If it is anything like how I feel for you, I’d imagine you are quite spellbound at the moment,” the alchemist chuckled, taking your cheek in his palm and caressing the skin.

It was only that morning that you found yourself tired of the Windbloom festival. Yet now, you wished it would never end.

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lillychannnn · 2 years

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Whoa, i love your new dad posts about childe and zhongli! Can i request it too for kaeya? How he tried his best to grasps that he is now a happy father after his dark past? Thank you ❤️

" TEARS DO NOT SUIT US "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: kaeya/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff, hurt/comfort

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: there are things that even kaeya doesn’t know and maybe that’s alright because perfection isn’t expected of him anymore. all that matters now is that he tries.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: spoilers on his backstory

late nights were spent locked in his office with a cup of coffee as he stares off to the distance — sometimes to the stars that frowned at him, sometimes at his reflection that didn't even attempt to hide his dejection, and sometimes, to nothing in particular.

it was wrong. he wasn't arguing that his decision to run away was a justified act because he knew that it wasn't. it wasn't right for you to be the only person trying to hold the house that you two built together up, it wasn't right for you to believe that the reason for his sleepless nights at the headquarters was related to work and it wasn't right for you to be left in the dark when he promised that it'll be the last thing he'll do to you.

"how pathetic," he mumbled with a humorless smile as he took a sip from his lukewarm cup, "what a man you've become."

pathetic was kaeya who didn't know what to do. pathetic was kaeya doing the one thing he's good at — hiding away until the fear subsides into something manageable because god knows that it'll never disappear from his heart. pathetic was kaeya who chose to satiate the voices in his head that manipulated him with his insecurities like he was a weak man when now of all times, he had to be strong for three.

four hours earlier than the new usual — eleven o'clock in the evening. he knew you'd be fast asleep, too tired from the stress of work and chores combined, and despite having a heavy heart, there was gratitude and relief. perhaps it was selfish of him, maybe even unfair, but kaeya wanted to be infallible in your eyes and not... whatever he was right now.

before he could fall into another spiel of self-deprecating thoughts, a sharp cry broke through the night, and suddenly, he moved. it's instinct, it's subconscious, it's natural.

he was awkward as he tried to navigate through the dark hallway, feet thudding as soft as they could against the flooring. was it alright for him to do this or was he overstepping his boundaries by suddenly deciding to be a father after many weeks of being absent in his child's life? kaeya suddenly paused, lips parting in horror midway through twisting the doorknob open.

would you look at that... he was just like his father...

kaeya gritted his teeth before pushing the door open. dirty, bitter, maddeningly foul. even the demons in his head didn't hate him as much as he did at that moment.

but as if he was made for it, he knew what to do. peering over the crib, periwinkle met periwinkle, and all the seas of turmoil calmed for both father and child. an easy smile — the easiest he has had in the past month and an adoring glaze over his tired features. kaeya was a sight to behold.

"hello, little bunny... miss me?"

the baby giggled, hands closing and opening, beckoning for their dad to cuddle them or lift them up or anything — just needing his touch that instant. with a soft laugh, kaeya leaned down, letting the child grip on his hair as he gathered them in his arms, stiff and a little clumsy but warm... so warm that the baby couldn't help but coo the moment they found their new home.

"you enjoying that?"

'that' was the baby leaning against his chest, curiously listening to his heart that beat and beat and beat until it almost hurts because this... this affection, this security, this comfort... all of these he was depriving himself of for the longest time for a reason not even half as good as this.

"you need to be a little quiet at night, bunny. you'll wake up the entire city!" a boop on the nose, which prompted a giggle from the baby, "i don't know what i'll do if someone files a complaint against you and it ends up on my table! oh dear... what would master jean say? will you get daddy fired?"

with a toothy grin, kaeya trudged to the small sofa you insisted you needed to have while attempting to play 'peek-a-boo' with the thoroughly amused baby. plopping down the soft cushion with a thump, he made a mental note to thank you later for being so stubborn because that sofa was godsent.

"so, what does my lovely partner usually do to make you sleep, hm?"

he didn't expect an answer but it still came in a very deep gurgle that shouldn't have come out of a little, pretty being such as his child. with a genuine snort, kaeya slowly laid across the couch, one arm folded as a pillow while the other remained around the baby who was now nuzzling their cheek on his bare chest.

"hmm... do you want to hear a fairy tale?" no reply.

"i suppose that's a no. something to eat?" the baby blew him a raspberry much to kaeya's delight, chest vibrating as a laugh poured out of his lips.

"definitely a no. then, what do you want little bunny?"

the child merely blinked at him innocently and if kaeya didn't know any better, he would've felt as if the child was mocking him for being so ignorant. though if he was being honest with himself, the little taunt wasn't undeserved.

"fine then... would you care to listen to daddy's little rambles?" kaeya sighed, closing his eyes as he ran a hand over the small tuft of hair on top of the baby's head.

"my father was never around — too busy with plotting this and that. he never taught me how to tie my laces or how to start a fire when you're out in the wild. he was never there to watch me grow up nor was he there when i needed to be loved."

"he would frown at my tears and curse me for being weak. he would never even think of wiping them for me." but kaeya did and with a gentle hand, he swiped the remnants of the tears shed before this intimacy.

"and as a child, i always thought that the 'wrong' was with me — that i'm the one who's unworthy of being loved. so i tried, i tried so hard to please him... but he left me anyway. alone and unloved in a place far away from home."

kaeya groaned, muscles straining as he sat up so the baby was in his lap instead of his chest. grabbing a stray piece of napkin, he wiped the drool that slowly slipped off his baby's puckered lips.

"maybe it was a blessing in disguise because, for the first time, i met a man who, in a sense, loved me for who i am. he took me in, worried over little scrapes and bruises that were nothing to my real father and... he taught me that love is for everyone, be it a sinner or a saint."

bitter because of resurfacing memories, sweet because the source of his new ones was just in his grasp. "in the end, he left me — left us — too."

it was too quiet and usually, the quiet unnerved kaeya. silence meant he could hear his heart pump out blood, hear the muffled screams of his arguing neighbors, hear the loud, confusing pulls of the conflict in his head. but today felt different and silence only meant he had the time and place to flesh out the fears he had been avoiding for the past few weeks.

"i'm scared." a flicker of light or maybe, a teardrop that didn't follow through, "i don't know how to be a father because i never had one. i'm scared that i'll be like him and i'll end up hurting you. i'm scared because i can't bring myself to trust myself."

"little bunny if you knew what goes on in here—" in here was his heart and his mind. "you wouldn't trust me either."

"most men would hold their children and see their bright future, flower gardens, and white fences — growing old. i see you and i... i see the city burning, i hear your cries, i feel your pain in my hands. you deserve so much... so much more than me. i'm sorry. i'm so sorry. gods, i'm sorry."

but how could a man who holds their child as if they're porcelain, talks to them as if they are a god, cries for them as if a softhearted reader — how could that man ever hurt them intentionally?

"i'm sorry you had to be stuck with me but... i'm going to try my best. i won't let you go through what i did. i'm here. i'm right here and i'm not leaving. no more running away."

no more running away. seemingly appeased by his declaration, the young child's eyes fluttered to a close, allowing themself to be pulled into the welcoming arms of slumber. cautiously, kaeya brings his child back to the crib, eyes misting over in relief and adoration.

"you know... they never fall asleep that fast."

"ah, ah..." kaeya wagged his pointer teasingly, lips lifted to show that charming grin you badly wanted to kiss off, "where are your manners? did no one tell you that it's bad to eavesdrop?”

"i really don't want to hear that from you, mr. i-hang-around-the-tavern-for-wine-not-gossip."

with a huff of amusement, kaeya approached you, arms wrapping around your waist as he pulls you close. "i concede. how long have you been awake?"

"i wasn't sleeping. i'm always too tired to greet you properly nowadays so... i wanted to do it right this time around."

"darling i—"

"now, don't do that. don't apologize. you did nothing wrong."

you breathed out, incredibly relieved to finally have him in your arms after what felt like years. his sweet perfume that was reminiscent of sandalwood and coffee invaded your senses and it truly felt like coming home.

"you know..." you started, pinning your chin to his shoulder as your eyes found solace on the undisturbed crib. "i was aware that this situation would be hard to adjust to. it's entirely new for the both of us and given what you went through, i could only imagine what it's like for you."

he could feel you breathe — feel your pulse — and it calmed him as strange as it sounded to the untrained ear.

"i know that you don't see yourself being a good father but i do and your child does as well. and sure, maybe you won't ever be the perfect father but we don't expect that from you. that's too high and too cruel to be set on your, or anyone's, shoulders. you being here tonight? that just proves you're already so much better than many others."

"we'll get through this together— hey, wait." you pulled back, concern dripping on your face as you felt water droplets against your nightwear. "don't cry. it doesn't suit your pretty face."

kaeya let out a watery laugh, hands moving to wipe the tears that unknowingly started to fall from your eyes as well, "nor does it suit yours."

"and theirs, as well." you followed his gaze to the source of the quiet snores that filled the room. "look at me."

kaeya interlaced your hands, placing them against his chest that throbbed painfully in newfound determination, "i'll do everything for you two if it meant you'll be happy and safe. both of you... you're so special and i'll try to be a father and a husband you both could be proud of."

"honey," you sighed, overjoyed and content, "you already are."

there were so many unpredictable things in the world but they meant very little to kaeya — not when he’s happy, not when he’s loved, and not when he finally found people he could confidently call his family.

━━ ☆ NOTES: hello! thanks for requesting. i may or may not have slightly derailed from the original topic but i hope you still liked it nevertheless!

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: dad!au masterlist

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