#genshin impact spy au

[stcrfeesh]

the complexities of simplicity

(and the friendships built with sandwiches)

No warnings apply; Safe for work.

The retelling of the roundabout way Al Haitham tries to become friends with you.

Or, how not to be spies with covers as employees in the corporate world.

Al Haitham was such a conundrum. Unlike everyone else, he was different.

Despite the field he was working in, one where he was required to lie, he was still never one to engage in false pleasantries and hollow compliments. He’d openly refuse to take time out of his day to chat about the weather to get the information he needs—the twists and turns were unnecessary to him.

If he could walk into an establishment to steal information, then he’d do just that. It was simpler to walk in and then walk out without being detected anyway. It wasn’t like anyone would suspect some feeble man for information theft. Why would they? After all, he was just another paying customer using the washroom after trying out a new coffee blend.

Al Haitham gets what he wants and what he needs, in a roundabout, but oddly efficient way. Why aim for the straight path to his goals when he could simply jump to his goal? It would save him so much more time and effort—save him his breath and thoughts.

The path between point A and point B was, indeed, already simple. Even a pigeon would understand such simplicity. But in his mind, anything that was already efficient would always have something to make it even simpler.

The simpler it was, the less work he’d have to do, and the less work on his plate, the better. It was like dealing with fractions in math—always answer with the simplest form.

He was a conundrum in the way he contradicts himself. The lengths he’d go to for certain things; an extensive plan on how to steal intel without having to talk much with anyone, or perhaps, commissioning someone to fashion a device for him so he wouldn’t have to water the plants outside every single morning himself.

Al Haitham in all of his contradictions, turns simplicity into complexity, and sometimes, it made your head spin in confusion.

You would always see him enter the building at eight in the morning—on the dot every day. It was the same routine for the most part; a cup of coffee in his hand, and his coworker? Friend? You weren’t sure, but the guy would always be complaining behind him as he rubbed the sleep off his eyes. Then, Al Haitham leaves at four in the afternoon. At that time, though, without his partner—who you’d usually see cursing his very being—in tow.

In all the days he’s passed by you, you’d give him a smile—not the same one you give everyone else, though. This smile was reserved for him alone, you thought that perhaps, he needed a little more kindness in his life—so, you’d smile at him every morning and every afternoon to greet him. Much to your dismay, however, he never greets you back. No “good morning” or “thank you”, and especially not a single glance towards you. And so, you have come to a conclusion.

Al Haitham was not nice. Though, of course, not in the way where you’d call him an absolute prick. He wasn’t a dick, per se, he was just… unsociable. Well, maybe he was a little bit of a dick for never greeting you back, but it wasn’t like a greeting less affected your entire life. He was just some sleeper agent working on the top floor of the same company you’ve been stationed in, who, also happens to not like making small talk.

Yes, that was definitely it. Perhaps he liked being in his own little world where nothing bothers him, and you could get around that. That much was understandable. After all, with years of undercover work at the front desk of a company where the rudest people in all of Teyvat would barge in with their incomprehensible demands, you too would like to be in your own little world.

Alas, such is life in the world of espionage.

Al Haitham wasn’t an important part of your life—okay, maybe he was, but that was if, and only if your covers were to be blown. You weren’t high up in the ranks to have had the immediate clearance to know his codename, it even took you half a year of running errands for headquarters to figure it out yourself. Turns out, Al Haitham, the quiet man who’d never greet you back, was the Agent Vulture everyone either feared or idolised. Or both.

Should your covers be blown, you’d trust him enough to get the both of you out of trouble. That was assuming he’d even lend you a hand.

You wonder then if he knows you were just like him—a sleeper agent, which you now begin to doubt he does 1. He probably doesn’t even know your name despite the gold name tag pinned onto your uniform. Does he even see you greet him? You’ll never know, to be honest, nor do you ever plan on knowing.

That thought changes, however, on one unsuspecting morning.

You watch him enter the front doors. On the dot at eight in the morning. His companion mutters curses under his breath as he follows behind him. Today, you manage to make out what the blond man was complaining about.

“Oh, I don’t know, Al Haitham,” You heard the blond whisper sarcastically. “Maybe a ‘Thank you so much for helping me out, Kaveh’ would do!”

You watch Al Haitham inch closer towards the front desk, probably to clock in. He hisses at his companion, “Why should I thank you, oh great Kaveh? I pay for your share of the rent. Isn’t that a ‘thank you’ enough?”

Kaveh, you let the name resound in your mind. So that’s what the blond guy’s name was. The name sounded familiar to you, but you couldn’t pinpoint why or how. Not that it mattered.

When they were near enough, you put on a smile to greet them, “Good morning,”

The blond guy, whose name you now know was Kaveh, stops ranting furiously at his companion and flashes you a toothed smile. “Yes, hello, darling, good morning.”

Al Haitham presses his hand against the clocking device, and it makes a little ding sound, signifying that he’s successfully clocked in. You already assumed he wouldn’t pay you any mind like always did, that he’d walk away, but he doesn’t. He stops in his tracks, to look you directly in the eye.

He doesn’t glance at your name tag, but somehow, he says your name as if he’s known the entire time. You hadn’t expected him to know your name, quite the contrary, actually. You believed he didn’t even know your face. So, when he says your name, your jaw drops the slightest in shock, and then you snap it back shut when you realise you must’ve looked like a fool.

“Yes?” You answer simply, testing the waters. “Is there something you need?”

He shakes his head letting you know that he didn’t, and then hands you something wrapped in wax paper, “You left your lunch, so I bought an extra sandwich for you instead.”

Now you’re just confused. What in Teyvat was he even saying? What does he mean you left your lunch at home? You narrow your eyes at him, wondering if he was a double agent out to get you, but his expression remains as stoic as ever. Had it not been for his fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk, you would have believed what you wanted to believe.

Message, you managed to gather from his tapping. You nod, getting his message as you take the item from him. “Oh… I was in a rush earlier, and I forgot to make lunch for myself. Thank you, you didn’t have to trouble yourself.”

Al Haitham nods one last time before he and Kaveh disappear into the hallway.

When they were finally out of earshot, your front desk partner playfully bumps your shoulder. She grins at you, and you immediately knew she was up to no good, “I see you have someone bringing you lunch now… I wonder who he might be. Boyfriend, perhaps?”

When she says that, you couldn’t help the snort that comes out of you. You? A boyfriend? And the best operative in Sumeru, no less? When Shroomboars begin to fly.

“He’s just a friend,” You lie—or, maybe, it was a small little white lie. Al Haitham wasn’t your friend, you didn’t even know his favourite colour, but you knew him just enough to get your lie to work. Plus, you certainly weren’t lying when you denied being in a romantic relationship with him.

You are a spy, an asset specifically placed in this specific company in case someone from your faction needed immediate help. Dating was far, far off the list of things you needed to do.

“Just a friend?” She asks you, her voice full of doubt. “Dear, you can’t expect me to believe that. Friends don’t just bring each other lunch because they’re friends.”

You frown at her mindset, that was untrue. Friends do bring each other lunch from time to time. You flick her forehead. “Not everything is about romance, you know?” You stare at the wrapped food in your hands. You knew better than to play with food, but you were curious, so you squish it lightly—it was probably a sandwich.

You cough, clearing your throat. The next thing you say, now this—this was a lie, “I need to put this away. I’ll be real quick.”

“Be quick,” Your desk partner reminds. “The front doors will be opening soon.”

And that’s what you did. Quick on your feet, you find yourself in the break room in no time. When you notice that the room was deserted, you carefully unwrap the wax paper. You find a small card tucked between the wax paper and the sandwich (you were right).

Report to headquarters at 6 PM.

You flip the card around to find nothing else. You stare at the card for another moment longer. Not only did he actually know your name, but he also knew who you were—that you were an operative like him. Which now begs the question, was he just being a dick the entire time?

You shove the card in your pocket before placing the sandwich in the fridge.

Seriously. You thought to yourself, was it so hard to just tell me this in person?

Al Haitham giving you homemade sandwiches did not stop that one time.

The next morning, he gives you another one. Using the same excuse as the day before, but this time without the message from headquarters. He does it again every single day for the next week, and then the next two months. Throughout it all, he uses the exact same excuse over and over again, “You forgot your lunch again,”

On one of those mornings, you raise a brow at Kaveh. A silent question of why. What was his companion planning? Why must it be you, in particular? But, when Kaveh furrows his brows, you realise then that even his own companion had no idea—the poor guy was even confused.

“Here,” Al Haitham says, handing you the sandwich. He stops to look at you for a short moment, and begins to tap his fingers against the desk as he speaks, “It’s cheese and turkey.”

Tap, tap, tap, tap—A message.

“Oh,” Is all that you’re able to let out, despite all the thoughts racing in your mind. “Thank you again, Al Haitham.”

As he was about to leave, you stop him, “Hold on!” You pull out the box hidden in a cubby behind the desk before walking towards him, “I was making cookies last night, and I made a batch too many. So, uhm, these are for you.”

That was a lie. You made the cookies for him, and you were quite certain he knew you were lying. But, if your lie works, then it works. He didn’t need to know the truth.

He raises a brow at you, and for a glimmer of a moment, you swore you saw a smile grace his lips. It was small and subtle, but you swore you saw it. Maybe you were imagining things, maybe you were not—you were leaning toward the latter, though—but regardless of whether it was real or a mere trick of the light, you thought that smiles suited him. It made him look nicer.

“Al Haitham!” Kaveh called, letting out an annoyed groan. “Come on! What are you still doing over there?”

“Thanks,” Was all he tells you as he takes the box from you. You hold your breath for a moment, afraid his hand would brush against yours, but it doesn’t. Not even the slightest bit, and you almost let out a snort in front of him. Thankfully, you were able to stop yourself.

“Thank you,” You reply, like the fool that you are. You cough, pretending something was just stuck in your throat. “I mean, yeah, sure. No problem.”

Al Haitham nods, following his companion further down into the hall. When you were certain he was gone, you let out the breath you were holding. What the hell?

Of course, it wouldn’t, you think to yourself. Why should it? You weren’t some protagonist in a cliché romance novel scene.

You return to the front desk, peeking inside the wrapper of the sandwich he had made for you. You discreetly slip the note out, stealing a glance before shoving it into your pockets. Eyes darting towards your desk partner, you let out a sigh of relief. Good, she didn’t see.

Meet me for lunch, if you’d like, was what was written on the note. And you do, you meet him for lunch a few hours later. You find him waiting for you by the front doors, in his hand a brown paper bag—which you assumed was his packed lunch.

“Hello,” You greet politely. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

“I didn’t. Let’s go?” The man begins to walk, and at first, you assumed he was going to leave you by yourself, but he doesn’t. He looks back at you, waiting for you—again. That was embarrassing.

Despite the heat that was evidently creeping onto your cheeks, dusting them with a shade of pink, with your whole chest and whatever arrogance was left in you, you decide then and there that Al Haitham wasn’t the dick you thought he was. Of course, he still wasn’t nice in your books, but he was a decent guy.

You jog up to him—at least, with your heels, you attempt to. “Thanks for the sandwich again, Al Haitham.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me every time you see me, you know?” He chuckles. You immediately look up at him in surprise. He chuckles. You’ve never heard him chuckle before. Holy archons.

“You don’t have to keep bringing me a sandwich either,” You tell him. “Actually, why do you give me a sandwich every single day? Are you trying to condition me or something?”

If you thought a chuckle was surprising enough, then you weren’t prepared for the laugh he lets out. Al Haitham laughs at your words—at the notion of you thinking you were being conditioned by him.

“I’m not, don’t worry,” He says, still laughing. “I just find making an extra sandwich for a friend therapeutic.”

At that very moment, realisation finally dawns on you. The sandwiches were because he wanted to be your friend. Al Haitham wanted to be your friend. The twists and turns he went through all because he wanted to be your… friend. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself at that.

In the little moments you had been allowed to catch glimpses of him beyond the stoic exterior, you learn that he was one contradicting and ironic man. He was a man that made the most simple of things complicated, and a man who was too honest, despite the life he leads as a spy.

Al Haitham was not nice, you were definitely certain of that. He was not someone who engaged in false pleasantries to get into the good graces of people. So uncharacteristic of an operative—or, at least, that was what you think.

He was blunt—a little too honest, but you realise then that in a life where everything around you was a lie, you didn’t mind having an insanely honest man for a friend; even with all the contradictions and irony.

“Friend,” You repeat, smiling at him. “Well then, friend, would you like to have lunch with me every day from now on?”

“I see no reason as to why not,” He replies. “Friend.”

Who knew sandwiches were such a good, albeit roundabout way to make friends?

This is me experimenting with insert-reader fics. Please take my silly interpretation of Al Haitham. He's a funny guy. I am also sorry if this doesn't make sense. I'll probably rewrite this some day. I just needed to get the brainrot out of my head to continue writing off the precipice. I hope you enjoy, though!

A sleeper agent, also called sleeper cell, is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization not to undertake an immediate mission, but instead to act as a potential asset if activated.

GENSHIN MASTERLIST  |  KO-FI SUPPORT

© stcrfeesh 2020-2023 — reposts, translations, and any other form of reproduction of my work is prohibited.

#al haitham x reader #alhaitham x reader #reader insert #genshin impact #genshin impact fanfic #genshin impact spy au #canon divergent genshin impact #spy au #espionage #al haitham #off the precipice #fluff #kaveh #coporate au

[reiiseyes]

haikaveh adopted ratio AU

#my art #art #digital art #genshin impact #haikaveh #haikavetham #alhaitham #kaveh #hsr #honkai star rail #hsr fanart #genshin fanart #ratio #dr ratio #silly au tbh #inspired by spy x family #look at them

[f-ai-n]

Rumors in the Palace

(Pierro is not Kaeya's bio dad HC/Fatui Adopt Kaeya AU) If you're wondering what's Kaeya's role in the AU, here's a lil comic that kinda explain it :)

#LISTEN #if diluc can become a CAVALRY CAPTAIN AT 14 #kaeya can be a spy at like 10 #he already were smart enough to help diluc ascend to his captaincy before 14 okay #he has the ability #anyways. #genshin impact #my art #fanart #kaeya alberich #kaeya #fatui adopt kaeya au

[the-original-skipps]

JELOOOO since u wanted more inspo can i suggest a scenario where the reader actually gets found out and was kidnapped what would he do? anyways I HOPE U HAVE A GREAT DAYY

|| WHEN YOU GET KIDNAPPED. || SPY!SCARAMOUCHE ||

wow I didn’t think anyone would read my posts but I’m glad you did. thanks for the marvelous idea I hope you enjoy another dose of spy scara

You have no clue how you got yourself into this situation. One moment you were on your way back home from grocery shopping. The next you were covered in complete darkness.

Though it might just be the blindfold covering your eyes from seeing. With your sight gone you feel your other senses heighten. You can feel your heart beating erratically out of your chest, each breath you take known. The rope rubbing against your wrists leaves an uncomfortable burn. You repeat to yourself that you mustn't panic, by now someone must have noticed you were gone. The first person to come to mind was your boyfriend, Scaramouche. Tears prick your eyes at the thought of him and the possibility of never seeing him again.

Before you could further wallow in your sadness, you perk up at the sound of panicked shouts echoing throughout the room you were held in. You try to make yourself seem smaller hoping they wouldn't notice you. With every bang and shout you flinch in anticipation on when it would end. After a while the room goes deadly silent and you could only hear the sound of what you assume was heavy boots approaching you. You wait anxiously on what's to come next before you feel a hand gently cup your cheek. The sudden touch makes you flinch as your breath hitches, only next to be blinded by the sudden light. You grimace, slowly blinking bringing your sight to focus; you see a blur of black and indigo.

"Hey, are you hurt?"

Only when you hear a familiar voice your body perks up in remembrance, your eyes focus to see Scaramouche crouched down in front of you his brows furrowed with orbs speckled with worry. Your lips quiver as the tears you held back before come flowing naturally at the sight of your lover. He reaches around you to untie your hands, you wince at the burns they left. Once your hands were free you threw your arms around the man, burying your face against his chest. Holding him tightly as if he was just a mirage that might disappear if you let go. Words don't leave your lips, only cries and whimpers. You can feel Scaramouche sigh in relief as his once tense body relaxes at your familiar hold. His arms circling around you to return your embrace. "I...I'm glad you're okay." He whispers quietly as breathes in your known scent. You could only hold him tighter in response, a rush of emotions flooding you. You don't know how you got yourself in this situation but you were glad to know it ended with him.

Too absorbed within your emotions you failed to notice the number of unconscious bodies that lay around you or the stain of red on your lover's hands. No matter, he'll explain himself to you later for now he is just glad to have you back within his arms again. 

#genshin impact #genshin impact imagines #genshin scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche x y/n #wanderer x reader #wanderer x y/n #spy scramouche au #skipps writes #genshin impact reader insert #genshin impact x reader

[sl-vega]

*ೃ༄ CLASSIFIED INFO

Pairing: [SPY!] Heizou x [SECRET AGENT!] Reader

Genre: rivals to friends to lovers, mystery, espionage, action, comedy, spy/secret agent au, modern au, social media au

Synopsis: You're considered one of the top agents in the business. You're calm, cool, collected, and always focused on ensuring the mission is successful. Of course, all of those wonderful qualities go right out the window whenever a certain Shikanoin Heizou happens to get hired for the same mission as you. Your two agencies are rivals, and you tend to always run into each other out on the job. You're hired to protect a target? Heizou's there to kill 'em. You're hired to assassinate a threat? Heizou's there to protect them, or steal the kill before you can. You can't stand him, and he adores messing with you, and you're perfectly fine with things staying that way, but when the two of you are forced to work together to track down a wanted thief duo, you're forced to see your rival in a new light.

CW: swearing, violence, mentions of guns, brief mentions of gore/blood (nothing too serious/graphic though), mentions of alcohol, mentions of gambling, y/n and the rest of the cast are portrayed as young adults

*ೃ༄ MEET THE AGENTS

FAVONIUS ll TENRYOU ll OTHER FACTIONS

PROLOGUE-stealing the job, and the kill!

01-not you again

02-girls quit fighting

03-teamwork makes the dreamwork (but this is a nightmare)

04-TBA

(and much more to come!)

additional notes: 

-this smau was actually to be expected

-since i posted the scara one, i may as well post this one

-I AM SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS

-this one will come one my xingqiu smau is finished

-so b4 next year probably

-taglist is open

-vee in her james bond era guys

-take a guess as to who this wanted thief duo is

(OPEN) TAGLIST: @glxssmemories, @pastellbg, @uuyuomi, @freyao7, @kaitfae, @peaceindreams, @eutopiastar, @kyon-cherri, @romyoia

#heizou x reader #heizou x you #heizou x y/n #shikanoin heizou #shikanoin heizou x reader #modern au #social media au #genshin impact #smau #genshin au #spy au #secret agent au #undercover au #genshin #genshin social media au #modern smau

[ink-blot-thoughts]

Wait holy shit if Childe had fallen into the abyss just a bit younger and was yeeted to the fatui at the same age...

Do you think he wouldve been adopted by Arlecchino's orphanage?? Now there is an AU I wanna see. Murder gremlin Childe who's only parental figures for years have been hot scary abyss woman and hot scary Harbinger woman.

No wait I'm so into this she makes him wear the scarf and scoffs about his ridiculous stomach window in Harbinger meetings and he instinctually does the "Daaaaaad" whine and the other Harbingers are trying desperately not to laugh cause they know Arlecchino is down to shank a bitch.

Just. Childe raised by Arlecchino. Chefs kiss.

#genshin impact #genshin impact fatui #childe #tartaglia #childe tartagalia #genshin ajax #arlecchino #the knave #fatui harbingers #genshin au #no but please this is my dream #and then arlecchino meets Skirk and they kiss #Childe in Liyue being raised as a spy but just murder gremlin enough not to be very good at it holy shit #holy shit Arlecchino storming Fontaine when he gets arrested #like we already saw her being passive agressive as fuck about lyney and lynette even being accused #could you fucking imagine if one of her 'kids' was arrested #look its like 3am im exhausted and simping hard for arlecchino please let me live in my fantasy #HOLY SHIT TARTAG HAS A SPY NETWORK OF KIDS LIKE NINGGUANG CAUSE HES A+ BIG BROTHER AND HAS MILD SPY TRAINING #no guys i swear this works so well

[windwheeler-aster]

in the shadows

summary: the life of a spy is a dangerous one... and it certainty complicates their love lives.

masterlist

pairings (separate): diluc, kaeya, childe, zhongli, and xiao x reader 

reader info: uses gender neutral pronouns (they/them), reader is a spy (diluc, zhongli, xiao) or a target (kaeya, childe), and reader is not traveler

word count: 4,397 words (16 min~) // 880 words per character (3 min~)

genre: Spy AU, Modern AU, romance

format: headcanons and blurbs

warnings: violence (mentions of knife, gun usage, assassinations), cursing, kind of suggestive themes (kayea’s part), reader being hospitilazied for injuries/being on a lot of medicine (zhongli’s part), and brain damage/injury mentions (xiao’s part, reader)

a/n: wow... i really can’t believe i started posting to this blog a year ago yesterday. it’s amazing how far i’ve come since that moment... and i wanted to thank you all for the continuous support since then💖 to another year of writing! 

song recommendation: Play With Fire (feat. Yatch Money) by Sam Tinnesz

diluc ragnvindr, a fellow spy at your agency

he’s known around the agency to be a master of roleplay and disguise

rumors have it that he sometimes completely disappears into a role when assigned the longer missions

the higher ups love him, of course, so he always gets missions with the best pay

not that he needs it, though

another popular rumor amongst the paper-sorters of the agency is that mr. ragnvindr is secretly the heir to the largest wine tycoon in the country

being one of the on-field members of the agency, you know that rumor is true

and it peeves you off to no end that this already rich man is getting... well, richer

but... he’s still diluc, the best person to fall into any role needed

and, of course, your agency has paired you two up on a mission where diluc and you must pretend to be the perfect couple to protect a treasured client of the angency’s (read: the company’s biggest investor)

it’s almost unbearable for you

but the way diluc holds onto your waist, his forearm pressed against the small of your back, makes you think otherwise

and maybe, just maybe, mr. ragnvindr isn’t as horrible and stuck-up as you predicted him to be...

Another one of the servers came floating by your circle, offering glasses of champagne to everyone. Your target, an older gentleman, folded in half with laughter as he struggled to tell a joke. He accepted a glass of champagne, as do the two people standing closest to him. When the server turned to you and Diluc, you eye the flutes of beige-colored liquid with an appreciative gaze. 

But then Diluc’s fingers pressed gently into your side, causing you to look at him. 

We need to keep our minds focused, his eyes say. 

We need to fit in, you argue silently. 

But you comply to Diluc’s suggestion. You look at the server and dismiss them with a polite nod, and then turn back to the conversation at hand.

“— and he said to me,” the target wheezed, holding onto one of the other guests’ shoulders for support, “‘If you keep treating me like this, you’ll be losing your best employee!’” he wheezed again, and then said his punchline, “And I told him, ‘I’m not looking to retire anytime soon, young man!’”

The group chuckled, you and Diluc having to force a laugh to play along. When your eyes met, a look of understanding was shared between you two. Sleazy C.E.O.s, the worst clients the agency can give us.

Your target looked over to you and frowned. Panic seized your heart as you shifted your weight onto your other leg, leaning into Diluc more. What’s his problem? Do we not look... couple-y enough or something? Crap, is he going to blow our cover and cause a huge fuss because of it? I swear to the archons above if this fool tries anything I’ll—

“Mr. and Mx. Ragnvindr,” your target greeted. “You still haven’t helped yourself to some drinks. How come?”

Shit. You looked to Diluc with panic. Out of everything you two prepared for, a reason to not drink was not one of them. Archons above know that this man wouldn’t listen to a simple explination if it depended on his life. So you both struggled for a heartbeat before Diluc opened his mouth, an excuse on the tip of his tongue.

“Although we appreciate the offer, my love and I—”

But before Diluc could continue, a shrill scream echoed across the room. You both leaped away from one another and stood in front of your target, your backs facing him. As you and Diluc reached for your concealed weapons, you both heard party-goers begin to shout. 

“Shit, he has a knife!” 

“Everybody, get down!”

“A knife? At my party?” your target grumbled from behind you two. 

But before he could get himself hurt, Diluc stopped him.

“Sir, I will have to ask you to sit back and let the professionals handle this,” he murmured, glancing at you with a sly grin. “Ready, love?”

You smirked and quickly pulled out your weapon, letting it flip in the air before you caught it by the handle, gracefully. 

However, you almost drop your weapon to the floor when you glance back at Diluc. Your cheeks were set aflame once you realize how hot— no, elegant Diluc looked in a suit. And the way his lips pulled from a tight-lipped line into a handsome grin almost made you buckle at the knees. 

But right now is not the time to get feelings, you reminded yourself.

“Of course I am, sweetheart,” you answer him, finally. Then, you add in a hushed whisper so your target couldn’t hear, “now let’s show this idiot why the agency sent their best agents to protect him.”

song recommendation: Sucks by RealLiveAnimals

kaeya alberich, a handsome stranger who has been talking to you for the whole evening

he’s handsome and suave, and not to mention smart as a whip

so for the entire evening, you two have been laughing and joking about the absurdity of this party

and you can’t help but catch the way he melts, ever so subtly, after you finish laughing

or how he guides you throughout the party, purposefully picking secluded areas so you two can hear each other over the noise

and even though you just met him today, kaeya made you want to spill every secret you had to him

which would have been perfect for kaeya— if you hadn’t stopped yourself from doing so

his agency had assigned him to pull secrets from you, someone who just so happened to be a close friend of another mission’s target

they had expressed for him to use any means necessary to get this information

which just translated to “seduce them” to kaeya, of course

although he’s had worst clients to seduce, kaeya was sure you’d crack by now

but you haven’t, and it doesn’t help that the chemistry between you two feels too natural for him

because the last thing kaeya needed was to fall head over heals with you

but with the way the moonlight streams down onto your face, it’s getting harder and harder for kaeya to resist the urge to kiss you

On the private balcony, Kaeya and you had the perfect view of the night sky. You gazed at the stars with an appreciative gaze while Kaeya’s eye wandered anywhere but the sky. As you made up constellations in your head, a quiet distraction from the handsome stranger, Kaeya shamelessly stared at you.

He burned the image of you into his head, secretly envying the stars who captured your attention. He memorized the way you held onto yourself, how your hands rubbed up and down your forearms. Kaeya also found it important to remember how the warm air left your parted lips, mesmerized by the white puffs of breath you let out. For the mission, he reasoned.

Although, nothing about the mission needed him to stare at your lovely lips. 

Perhaps it was just the moonlight illuminating you, making yourself irresistible to Kaeya. Your lips, so pretty and tempted to him, that make the competent spy lost in the throes of love. They were so tempting that Kaeya really did consider pushing himself off the balcony’s railing and juat kiss you.

But then he chastised himself for being so foolish, almost forgetting his purpose of the evening. So, Kaeya kept reminding himself as he gazed at your lips again. This is for the mission.

“What are you looking at?” 

It took Kaeya a moment to realize you had just spoken, which effectively snapped him out of his trance.

“Is there something on my face?” you fretted, grazing your fingertips over your face.

“No, it’s uh— it’s nothing, don’t worry about it,” Kaeya stuttered out. But then, quick to resume the task at hand, he added, “I just noticed how lovely you look under the moonlight.”

His heart leapt into his throat when you smiled. 

“Thank you, Kaeya.”

“No problem, darling.”

You looked back to the moon, your attention so easily stolen from Kaeya. He watched as you shivered, ever so slightly, and moved your hands over your arms even more now.

And, without much thinking, Kaeya unclipped his cape. The sound brought you back to him, although you seem confused. But then you realized what he was doing and quickly stepped aside from him, a poor attempt at dodging Kaeya’s kindness.

“Please, I insist,” Kaeya offered the cape to you, again. “I don’t want you getting cold. Alright, sweetheart?”

You eyed his cape, warily. “But what about you? Won’t you be cold without it?”

“I have plenty of layers on already. I’ll be fine without a few,” he said as he placed the cape over your shoulders. “I think I’d look better without a few layers, don’t you?”

The butterflies in his stomach, which he was not aware of until now, soared as you gave him a once over. He shivered under your gaze as you brought your gaze, ever so painfully slow, to his. Usually, his agency assigned him passive clients that always fell for his charms. However, your level of boldness was somewhat foreign to Kaeya. And, truthfully, Kaeya wasn’t used to this much attention from a client. 

But he was far from opposed to it.

He saw you bite your lip once you met his eye after one more once over of Kaeya. Although he should have been thinking about the mission, all thoughts of it were absent from Kaeya’s mind. His heart had began to ram against his chest and his blood pumped in his ears. There was no hope for him now.

Slowly, your hand reached onto Kaeya’s tie and you pulled him close. He was ashamed at the small gasp that slipped from him as you tugged him close to your face. From the tips of his ears to the very center of his nose, it all burned as he was too flustered to think about anything coherent.

Then, you finally answered Kaeya’s question.

“I think I’d have to agree with you, Kaeya,” you whispered dangerously. “Now, let’s go find somewhere more... private to prove this theory of ours.”

song recommendation: Killshot by Magaelena Bay

tartgalia, more commonly known as childe, is known as ruthless assassin

he’s a wonderful asset to his agency, as he’s very skilled in close and long ranged combat

his only draw-back was his unusual enthusiasm to killing targets

which didn’t matter much unless he was placed on seduction missions

when childe was placed on those missions, which was a rare feat on its own, he went to unsettling extremes to protect the target from attacks

safe to say, the agency quickly forbid him from those missions...

these days, childe now spends late evenings and nights on rooftops

he’s laid flat on the roof with a grey beanie shoved forcefully over his fiery orange hair, much to his displeasure

childe will lay there for hours, mostly humming a tune to himself as he awaits a voice on the other line of his communication device

of course, he’ll have enough time to read over the mission’s file

childe will even try to scope the target out, his eyes peeled for their face through the venue’s windows

usually after spotting them, he’ll just keep an eye on them as he awaits for further instructions

now, tonight’s mission was different. as childe was absolutely shocked when he had read over the mission file

because since when did the agency go after targets who were just so perfectly childe’s dream date?

Childe’s eyes skimmed the lines, over and over again. The words didn’t really sink in the first time, not until his third time reading it. But he was still so frantically obsessed with you, who would undoubtedly be perfect for him. Childe tried to read between the lines, going over every meaning of each word typed up. Each detail of you that he was given seemed compatible with him, even if some weren’t even close to his own ideals. 

He chuckled, quietly of course, as he poured over each word again. His mother always used to say he needed someone to “keep his head on his shoulders.” It was about time I found you, he thought with a devilish grin.

“Tartaglia,” an impatient voice snapped at him over the intercom, “are you even listening to me? Shit, did his intercom die or something? For f— no, Rosalyne, this is exactly why we don’t have Jared from accounting to prepare mission equipment.”

Nonchalantly, Childe pressed a single finger to his headset as he continued to browse your file like a teenager poured over a magazine. And he twirled a curl of hair, pulled out from beneath that damned beanie, and began to twirl it around his finger. 

“Good evening to you too, Scaramouche,” he said calmly. 

Childe smiled when he heard his partner fumble over the intercom. “Oh, you mother fu— you’re the worst, y’know that?” Childe could practically see him roll his eyes. “Did you get a chance to look over the mission file yet? You didn’t answer me the first five times.”

“Boy, did I ever.”

“Why are you talking like—” Scaramouche groaned as he connected the dots, “Tartaglia, please don’t tell me you—”

“—found my soulmate and already began planning my wedding?” Childe rolled his eyes as he finally closed your file. “Scara, you always know how to take the words right out of my mouth.”

“You idiot,” Scaramouche all but screeches over the intercom, causing Childe to flinch. “Do you even remember what your job is? You’re literally being sent to eliminate them—”

“Do you think the agency would make an exception? For me?” Childe asks, distracted. “I am their best assassin, after all. Surely I could spare just one target… and take them on a date afterwards, or whatever.” Another groan came from Scaramouche. “What? I’m just sayin’.”

“Do you realize how stupid you sound right now?” Scaramouche sighed. “Who knew you could get so easily love-struck by just a couple of photos and—”

“There’s pictures?” Childe all but screams. 

Before he can wait for his partner to continue, he hurls himself to the folder in question. In his love-fueled rush, he had forgotten to check the folder for anything more. He hurriedly grabbed the photos, acting like a starved man, as he caught his first glimpse of you.

If it was possible to fall in love again, Childe did so read then and there. Scaramouche, unfortunately for Childe, heard the ginger’s quick intake of breath as he feasted his eyes on you.

But then Scaramouche’s groaning pulled his attention away again. “Man, Rosalyne is not going to like this.”

“Do you think she’ll allow it?”

“She’s a big softie— of course, she’s going to allow it. But…”

“But, what?”

“I don’t know how Pierro, or even Capitano, would react… much less the Tsaritsa herself,” he murmured.

“Surely I can—”

“Shit, Childe, twelve o’clock,” Scarmouche interrupted. “They’re approaching the open balcony, alone.”

Instinctively, Childe lowered his eye to the telescopic glass as he leveled his gun. Soon, Childe saw your head bob through the crowds and find an escape to the open balcony. Subconsciously, his finger hovered near the rifle’s trigger before he quickly placed it elsewhere. From his perch on the rooftop, he watched you with such intensity that Childe was sure you could feel it from this distance.

“Childe, take the shot.”

He hesitated. “I… I can’t do this.”

“Dude.”

“Do not ‘dude’ me, Scaramouche.” Childe hesitated. Then he added, “Get Rosalyne on. I need to talk with her.”

“Ajax, don’t—”

“Just put Rosalyne on the phone,” he almost seethes, desperate for a life with you— a complete stranger to him if not for a small profile and collection of photos— controlling him entirely now.

Scaramouche sighed, for the final time. “Alright man. It’s your funeral, though.”

Better mine than theirs, Childe thinks as he begins to craft compelling reasons to grant you mercy from his agency.

song recommendation: Feeling Good by Micheal Bublé

zhongli is the agency’s best informant

he’s organized, easy to trust with those charming hazel eyes of his, and incredibly intelligent 

and not to mention the total heart-throb of the office

but zhongli is also incredibly professional

if you’re ever in contact with him, expect prim and proper emails, texts, document notes, and even manner of speech

but when zhongli is paired for your missions? that’s all seemingly out the window

he’s sweet and kind towards you, greeting you with a warm smile every time he sees you

and zhongli even brings you your preferred drink to your desk

he says its so you can hydrate and keep yourself alert while writing out your mission report

but truthfully, zhongli just wanted another excuse to see you

especially when you have been going on even more dangerous missions as of late

zhongli really hates seeing you all bruised and battered up 

and he practically seethes with hatred at your boss whenever you end up in the hospital after missions

so, he tried to take things into his own hands

just send them on a detour this mission, he told himself, editing the mission document he would give you tomorrow. give them a small vacation, then they can get back on the trail.

however, zhongli didn’t expect his plan to backfire so hard that you end up in the hospital

he hopes that you won’t connect the dots about this mission’s failure— at least until he gets into your hospital room to explain himself

In your injured state, you barely heard the first knock at the door. The doctors had you on so many different medications you could barely keep your eyes open, much less concentrate on your environment. But when you heard the second knock, you turned your head to the door. More so in annoyance than curiosity, as it was proving to be difficult to sleep with that damned knock distracting you.

But you were shocked to see Zhongli’s face in the door. He smiled once your eyes locked with his, but then turned to his right to look at something. After a moment, he nodded and began to open the door to your room.

“— make sure not to cause stress to the patient,” your doctor warned.

“Alright. Thank you,” Zhongli assured, facing the doctor as he closed the door. “We’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Good, because—”

But Zhongli had already shut the door. His shoulders relaxed as he let out a small sigh of relief. He glanced over his shoulder to you, more than relieved that you were all right. But then he was puzzled at what you were looking at, as it had caused your mouth to part. 

“Are… are those for me?” you tentatively asked.

Zhongli realized what you meant and looked down. In his right hand was a large bouquet of roses, the colors ranging from deep scarlet reds to pure whites. He felt odd for still holding them, as they were a gift for your recovery, so he began to walk over to you.

“I’ve never gotten flowers before…” you murmur as he places them in your outstretched hands. “Oh, Zhongli… they’re so pretty.”

“Do you like them?” he asked.

You smiled as you clutched them to your chest, “Of course I do.”

Zhongli smiled in return. For a moment, Zhongli stood over you as he admired how you inspected the flowers. But then you returned his gaze, unexpectedly, and he felt shy for the first time in… well, a long time, actually. 

He sat on the hospital bed, in a place where you did not occupy. For a moment, he struggled to find the words to express himself. He wanted to say he’s sorry for making you go through hell and back because he wanted to protect you. He wanted to explain why he wanted you to be safe. And he wanted to explain why that is, why he felt like only he could protect you. 

But you managed to speak before he did. 

“Thanks for visiting me,” you murmured. “I’ve never gotten flowers before.”

“Really?”

You chuckled, “Yeah. I guess I’ve never been the type of person that gets flowers… but thank you.”

Seeing that you were distracted, Zhongli swallowed his guilt and tried to apologize.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he murmured, “something that I should have done—”

“Zhongli,” you carefully set the bouquet on your nightstand. “Can… Can it wait?”

He looked at your tired expression and gave in to it, even if the guilt was eating him alive. “Yes.”

“Thank you. All this medicine has been making me so tired. The doctor said it’s normal, but still…”

”Would you like to be alone?”

“No… no, don’t go,” you reached out for his hand, your movements sluggish when you finally captured his wrist in your grasp. “I still want to talk to you— I just can’t handle big news right now, doctor’s orders. Is it okay if we talk about something else though?”

“Of course,” he assured you, trying to brush off the guilt and hurt. Another time, he told himself. 

“Thank you,” you mumbled, “now, how was your day?”

Zhongli looked at you, who was probably on ten different medicines to keep you alive. You, who didn’t look your best after being shoved into hospital scrubs. You, someone he had been loving quietly from afar, who came back from the brink of death and acting so casually about it.

And Zhongli gazed at you with the same love-filled stare he had been giving around the office, during meetings, and whenever he thought you weren’t looking. But you looked so unbelievably happy when he gave you the roses, and even now you looked content just by being in the same room as him. And Zhongli, ever the love-struck fool at heart, decided it would be best to comply with your demands.

“My day was good,” he murmured simply as you already began to drift off.

song recommendation: Do I Wanna Know? By Arctic Monkeys

xiao, a long time rival of yours

he’s also a fellow spy, the best of his agency in fact

you’ve heard that he might as well be a rogue agent at this point, if not for his personal ties with the agency

and you’ve seen him in action before, on your own missions

xiao is quite... merciless towards his enemies

and he’s not much for conversation either. or cooperation, for that matter

and, hilariously enough, both your agency and his keeps assigning you on the same missions with the same targets

which has ended in you two, on multiple occasions, racing to get to the target first

because, for some reason, the rule of “first come, first serve” prevails the most between spy agencies 

and xiao isn’t afraid to do anything to win in this competition

he’ll leap terrifying heights and gaps between rooftops, he’ll tear down shelves to trap the target more easily, he’ll do practically anything

it’s almost like he’s actually hunting the target

which wouldn’t be far from the turth, but—

and you’ve always gotten the impression that xiao didn’t care about what happened to you

whether you won or lost the competition, he’d disappear a moment later

that was until he saw you, wounded in your failed attempt at catching your shared target

and suddenly xiao’s goal didn’t seem as important as before

You knew the mission was over as soon as you saw Xiao’s striking yellow eyes. 

He called your name tentatively, crouching down to where you were on the ground. Xiao was grateful that he couldn’t see any blood, but he didn’t let it show. 

He pushed you into a sitting position, gently cradling you against his chest.

“Xiao?” you murmur, trying to tilt your head up. “When did you get here…?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Xiao muttered as he made you look at him with a hand on your neck. “Does anything hurt?”

You shook your head, or at least tried too. With each passing second, it seems your eyes have been growing heavier and heavier. 

“Hey, stay awake,” he tried to say in a calm voice, but his nervousness overrode it. “Hey— hey, no, stay with me c’mon,” Xiao shook you, gently, which seemed to work. “Stay with me, please.”

You furrowed your brow at him. “Why are you—”

“Don’t question it,” he muttered, placing your arm over his shoulder. “Can you stand?”

You nodded, getting up on shaky legs as Xiao shouldered some of your weight. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Xiao glanced at your cheek, as eye contact was proving to be too difficult when you kept looking at him like that. As much as his cheeks warmed at the gaze, he tried to blame that fond gaze you gave him on the potential brain damage.

You two started to walk along the pathway out of the warehouse. The agency will come and get the target, Xiao reassured himself. I’ll send them a memo explaining the sudden—

“Your eyes are pretty,” you blurted out.

Xiao blushed, completely caught off guard. “What?”

“Your eyes are really pretty,” you said with more emphasis, causing Xiao to blush even more. “I never got to see them up close.”

Xiao’s mouth remained separated for a moment. No sound came out except for the crack of his voice, which caused him to look away from you. 

You’re a trained spy and assassin, he said to himself, now is not the time to realize your feelings.

“You must have knocked your head on the wall really hard,” Xiao murmured, finally. “But, er, if it means anything to you… your eyes are really nice to look at, too.”

“Really? Then why won’t you look at me?”

As though it was a command and not a simple prompt, Xiao looked at you. His breathing stopped for a moment as he took in your features up close, unknowingly coming back to your lips over and over again. And yet he didn’t seem to notice how you did the same, mouth slightly parted as you drank in the image of Xiao. Each speck of yellow in his eyes, each strand of hair, the way his muscles tensed as he breathes shallowly— all of it, burnt into your memory now.

Xiao blinked and then looked away from you, coming to his own conclusion. 

Yeah. Definitely brain damage. 

taglist:

@x-zho @cxlrosii​

thank you for reading 💖 all forms of interaction to my posts are appreciated 💖

#wheeler's works #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #diluc x reader headcanons #diluc headcanons #kaeya x reader #kaeya x reader headcanons #kaeya headcanons #childe x reader #childe x reader headcanons #childe headcanons #zhongli x reader #zhongli x reader headcanons #zhongli headcanons #xiao x reader #xiao x reader headcanons #xiao headcanons #spy au #modern au #romance #coworkers to lovers #strangers to lovers #rivals to lovers

[luxtax]

Lynette sketchpage ; I am obsessed with the concept of her cutting her hair short when she was younger. Also monster features like fangs and funky eyes give me lifeblood, let Lynette be a proper monster girl as a treat.

#lynette #genshin impact #art #illustration #sketchpage #I hate drawing people but I do think I am getting better I'm in a very experimental era with them #in a modern AU I can see her as an assassin/spy intel gatherer for the Fatui #I also wanted to try out this new pen that is supposed to be like posca pens I like it! I need more practice tho

[therealmofamorus]

(Prompt, Original Male Stud Crossover, Spy) Aether and Chongyun are a duo of spies that are told to follow a target in a club. But then they are interrupted by Sombra and Widowmaker, who make it clear that they are interested. They each pick the guy that they want, Sombra with Aether and Widowmaker with Chongyun, and do their best to seduce them and make them forger the mission. (Seduce, Imminent Sex)

Aether and Chongyun are a duo of spies whose mission is to enter a local nightclub and follow their target in order to gain any information from their target.

"¿Te importa divertirte conmigo y mi amiga azul aquí~? (Translation: Care to have some fun with me and my blue friend here~?)" A flirty voice asked in spanish said to the golden-haired spy who was gawking and blushing at her lewd, skimpy clothes and the word "Grab Me" was on her two round ass cheeks.

"Come to my web and I will give you the widowmaker pleasure~ (Viens sur mon site et je te donnerai le plaisir de devenir veuf~)" A husky french voice said in a cool tone of voice, exudes seductive malice toward the blue-haired youth who was trying and failing not to stare at her lean, supple figure, especially of her rear end decorated with large hand and lipstick markings.

This mission got a lot more difficult as they struggled between committing to their mission...and having some fun with this slutty-clad beauties.

#overwatch #overwatch smut #genshin impact #genshin impact smut #aether #chongyun #amelie lacroix #olivia colomar #overwatch sombra #overwatch widowmaker #original male stud au #original male stud au prompt #spy au #spy au prompt #crossover au #crossover au prompt #seduction #imminent sex

[ask-keahi]

Closed rp thread with @wwindblumee

*Keahi had arrived at the boutique, he had just gotten done with a mission but his clothing needed to be repaired due to said mission damaging it and creating a few holes, he’s in a different suit at the moment as he patiently waits for the suit that was used in the mission to be repaired as it would be a quick fix, but he doesn’t mind if they end up finding a replacement for it either*

#keahi #keahi x venti #keahi x venti rp #genshin impact #genshin impact oc #genshin oc #rp #genshin impact rp #genshin impact venti #venti x oc #genshin venti #venti #Keahi x Venti spy x family AU

[gierosajie-art]

Whumptober 2023 Prompt List | No. 9: “Learning everything ain't what it seems, that's the thing about these days.” | Mistaken Identity | “You're a liar.”

[Spy Venti AU]

"I thought I could trust you."

He should've been more careful.

Venti hadn't meant to let slip anything. Nevermind that it had been someone else that lead the boy to pick up the trail of lies he had so carefully scattered into nowhere. If anything, he should've put a stop to it before the ball ever got rolling in the first place. It's as good as having told Dvalin himself.

The slam of the door rings like a fired gun in the thick silence.

Maybe he really wasn't meant to stop moving. To think that he of all people could be a safe place to return to for someone else when he could barely keep a secret safe a betrayal's a betrayal. If Dvalin doesn't want him to be around anymore, he could disappear all too easily along with whatever threat he drags around him like a heavy cloak.

As long as he never uncovers anything regarding why Dvalin had been left alone all those years ago, then fine by him. Venti doesn't think he could handle any more reason to be hated.

It's fine. It's just...fine.

#whumptober2023 #no.9 #mistaken identity #'you're a liar' #genshin impact #art #fanart #spy venti au #genshin impact au #the art drawer #the self indulgent au being self indulgent sjdhdjh #the way I say this is my comfort au but this keeps happening-

[stcrfeesh]

off the precipice (懸崖勒馬)

READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED.

Content Warnings: Profanities, Violence, War, Death, Murder, Assassination Attempt(s), Assassination Plot(s), Mithridatism, Self-poisoning, Self-harm, Suggestive Content, Eventual Smut (Separated from main fic), Additional warnings to be added

Chapters will not contain warnings. Please read this Author's Note first before proceeding further. Again, reader discretion is advised.

Content Tags: Spy AU, Abyssal!Lumine, Canon Divergent, Gangs and Gang Feuds, Fake Marriage, Marriage of Convenience, Murder Mystery, Angst and Tragedy, Angst and Romance, More Ships Not Included in the Main Tags

More under the cut.

Full Synopsis:

Gangs have run the streets of Liyue for as long as anyone could remember; from the upper echelons of the glimmering harbour city to the rural communities of the Guili Assembly—and on top of the food chain are the Northland Ring and the Glazed Moon; always dancing on the edge of the precipice, struggling for power. Unbeknownst to outlanders and the citizens of Liyue, the gangs were nothing but a ruse to the Liyue Qixing to cover up their spy networks that protected the Liyuen public behind the scenes.

When red begins to flood the unmoving nation, a storm bringing upon demonic-like deaths terrorising the safety of the people, the gangs’ quarrel for power and control is put on indefinite hold, forcing the gangs to set their differences aside. In the eye of the storm is Lumine Viatrovna—a skilled operative of the Northland Ring, put under orders to work with Glazed Moon's god among men, Agent Alatus, to solve the mystery behind these gruesome deaths.

Prologue  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15

misc.  AO3  |  Playlist

One more thing I did not mention in the main Author's Note, so I'll say it here instead: This fic is inspired by two things—This fanart by enesfwee on Twitter, and Miss Chloe Gong’s Secret Shanghai (These Violent Delights, Foul Lady Fortune) series.

These two things were what pushed me to write this AU! Please check those out if you'd like to see the inspiration behind this fic!

© stcrfeesh 2020-2023 — reposts, translations, and any other form of reproduction of my work is prohibited.

#stcrfeesh; wave riders #stcrfeesh; series #stcrfeesh; undercover teyvat #off the precipice #懸崖勒馬 #xiao x lumine #xiao x reader #xiao x traveler #xiao x traveler!reader #genshin impact spy au #angst #fluff #spy au

[fourleavedjoe]

#isnt it perfect?????? #kaebedo #spy x family #klee #genshin impact #art #au

[waytoobsessed]

I just think people in suits are neat.

Spy au rots my mind

(If you like it, care to reblog? Please?)

#my art #genshin impact #genshin neuvillette #neuvillette genshin #neuvillette #spy au? #MY HANDS ARE SOOO COLD #genshin impact neuvillette #neuvillette fanart #neuvilette genshin #genshin neuvilette

[birdie123au]

Soft Smilies and Solutions

You and your heart had been set ablaze. You spend your spare time walking the fields of flowers, hand in hand with the wind, wondering if there would ever be an escape from the troubles that had been plaguing your relationships. Perhaps the best solution would be to face the challenges head-on, to have it out with them here and now.

The yellow lights in the Cathedral illuminated the otherwise dark, stained glass grand hall. The sound of soft whispers eloquently traveled to the front of the room. It was a peaceful night, yet the coldness within the Cathedral was an indeed contrast to the warm comfort you had desired. After being carried into the building, surrounded by two pyro users, you found the cold, stiff bed you had been placed on to be less than satisfactory. Placed flat on your back, you found it hard to move because of the pain you were in. Nevertheless, your right hand was being grasped by ones far smaller than your own; little Klee held onto your hand so tight that you can only assume that if she let go you would go with it. She had tear-stained cheeks, though was attempting to lift your spirits by mocking dance with her stuffed toy, Dodoco. 

You tried your best to laugh at the girl’s antics. Giggle each time Dodoco would bounce up and down, or show her your smile each time she made the stuffed toy give your hand a kiss. It was difficult, each time you laughed your skin ached on your chest. The sisters of the Cathedral were gathered around you, bringing you a wet cloth to put on your forehead, creams that numbed the pain on your skin, and the young deaconess, Barbara, used her healing hydro ability. 

Diluc stood five feet from the bed he had placed you on. Although you couldn’t see his face, you could assume that he wore the same expression he had when he first explained the situation to the sisters, one of blatant seriousness. He had originally been pacing the floors, evident from the sound of boots on the marble floors, though eventually the noise dyed down as time continued to pass by.

The sisters continued whispering to one another as they continued to dress your wounds. Burns . They kept on saying. Eyes drifting nervously between you and your husband. A pyro abyss herald was what you had called it. It was no surprise this alleged monster roaming around Mondstadt, setting people on fire, would spark fear in the eyes of the citizens. You had no doubt in your mind that one of the sisters would report your story to the Knights of Favonius, or maybe even the Adventurers Guild. The more the word burns was repeated, the more the atmosphere of the Cathedral changed.

Diluc appeared by your side, eyes wandering to where you and Klee held hands. His stone cold gaze then left to meet where the sisters were treating your wounds. His face grew especially pale at the sight. Is it really that bad? You fought the urge to ask. He seemed especially disturbed at what lay before him. You also knew that even if you asked, he likely wouldn’t have replied. The young master was especially stubborn. You weren’t all that sure he had even finished processing all that had been revealed tonight, perhaps those realizations were just settling in. 

“Will she survive her wounds?” he said. A simple, straightforward question.

“Oh! Yes sir, do not worry, she is in great hands! She will likely be healed enough to go home in just one days time!” the young Barbara replied, briefly taking her attention off her healing. 

Diluc’s expression softened ever so slightly, his eyes closing while sighing in relief. Seconds later he resumed his regular, guarded pose. Arms crossed with a scowl on his face. He grabbed the hand that Klee held onto before kissing them both. You and the young girl watched on silently as he grabbed his claymore sword that had been propped upon one of the many long, wooden chairs before he began walking towards the exit. Just like that, he was gone.

“Where is papa going?” Klee asked, her voice small and uncertain.

“Fo-for a walk.” You winced in pain. Hoping your story sounded convincing enough to ease your daughter's worry. 

The sisters' faces morphed into that of pity, their mood growing increasingly solemn as they continued their work. As the minutes passed by, you and Klee grew more and more exhausted. Adelinde, who had been standing off to the side, discussing the situation with one of the other sisters the entire time, soon took little Klee in her arms. You had asked her to take the girl home, so she could get a good night's rest and return to you the following morning. The thoughtful maid obliged, though with a little reluctance, wishing you a peaceful rest as the little girl blew you tired kisses. 

Young Barbara had finished all of her healing for the knight. Your chest and abdomen had been dressed fully in bandage with cold ointment in attempts to calm your inflamed skin. As your mind began to drift off to sleep, you thought about the night of the Krsnik Noc you had spent in Mondstadt. The imaginary warmth of the bonfire consuming you whole. 

————

Your skin rubbed up against your bandages in an increasingly uncomfortable manner. Arms linked with one of the sisters, Jilliana, as the two of you slowly made your way down the vast staircase that led to the town square. There were parts of your walk where you felt the only solution was to give up, growing frustrated with yourself that you were unable to walk normally, the pain becoming too much. Though each time, sister Jilliana would remind you that you had guests waiting for you at the Good Hunter for breakfast, and that you could most certainly make it. At this rate, we are going to be meeting for lunch , you would reply. Jilliana would sigh in defeat. 

The sight of the grand fountain in the middle of the square was a breath of fresh air. Literally. The heavy wind blew through your thin, white gown you had been wearing so as to not enrage your skin further. You had insisted on wearing a corset so that you would seem slightly more put together, though the sisters adamantly refused, instead opting to put an overcoat on you. Great, so now you looked like an old granny, walking around town in a casual outfit while occasionally limping. Jilliana laughed when you voice your concerns outloud, stating that she too felt this way when she had to wear her maternity outfits all those years ago.

“Mama! Klee is over here!” the little girl was frantically waving her arms as she called out to you all the way across the plaza. 

When the two of you finally made it to the table, you were met with four sets of eyes. Klee continued to stand on her chair, adamantly denying the requests from Adelinde for her to sit down. Dimitri laughed at her antics before getting up to scoot back your chair, his arm ushering you to sit. You smiled, letting go of Jilliana’s arm as you sat down in the chair. The fourth person sitting at the table was someone who you were not familiar. 

“Ma’am,” he said as he shot up from his chair, “my name is Lawrence of the Knights of Favonius! I’m here to ask you just a few questions as you and your family eat breakfast.”

You give a small smile, slightly weirded out by his formality. 

“Where is Master Diluc?” Dimitri asks, taking a sip of the tea he had ordered.

“Diluc?” you asked, confused, “I have not seen him since last night.”

Dimitri’s brows rise, he shares a glance with the similarly surprised Adelinde; “Is something wrong? Was he not with the three of you last night?”

Adelinde let out a little, uncomfortable laugh; “No. The master did not return last night. We assumed he was staying with you…”

Her voice wandered off as she continued her sentence. You weren’t quite sure where Diluc had gone, but considering you had just gotten a first hand account of what he could do when fighting enemies, you were sure he was at least alright. 

Lawrence cleared his throat in a loud, over exaggerated manor. The rest of you froze.

“My apologies, I don’t wish to intrude on your breakfast for any longer than necessary. All I need is an eyewitness account of the abyss herald.”

You nodded your head, though stopped momentarily to panic. What if the knights were also interviewing Diluc? How would the two of you give similar accounts of what happened if you hadn’t even talked about what you would say?

“Oh! Erm, of course sir.” you said. You recounted the story to the best of your knowledge, though instead of mentioning all that transpired with Diluc before you started to fight, you simply talked about how you were ambushed by the abyss herald right outside of your house. You weren’t sure how convincing your story sounded, or if the details made sense in a logistical way. Nevertheless, one of the first skills you learned when joining the fatui was the ability to stretch the truth. You thanked the Tsaritsa that you had been forced to learn this ability.

“Thank you very much ma’am, enjoy your meal!” Lawrence’s voice boomed loudly. He once more rigidly stood up from his chair, saluting you as he made his way towards the patio’s exit. 

“Well, he was really, uh, something.” Dimitri said. “Wait, Adelinde. If the abyss herald attacked from right outside the house, did you see anything?”

Adelinde set down her teacup before putting a hand on her chin, thinking; “Come to think of it, no, no I did not.”

Dimitri turned to you with his signature dumb, perplexed expression. You grabbed a hold of his lower arm before squeezing it as tight as possible. He yelped in pain. You pour yourself a cup of tea. 

————

“Klee loves the pancakes at Good Hunter!” the little girl said to the waitress as she came to collect the dirty dishes.

“You could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, huh Klee?” you replied.

“I could too!” Dimitri said, “They taste so similar to the ones back at home!”

Adelinde silently nodded her head. Wiping the corner of her mouth with her napkin. As the four of you stood up to return home, you were interrupted by a familiar, cocky voice.

“Well what do we have here?” the man said, “My own family , having a group breakfast, without me ?

The man placed a hand on his forehead, mocking betrayal.

“Master– I mean, Sir Kaeya? Adelinde replied with a shocked expression.

“Kaeya?” you said.

“Who?” Dimitri added.

“Uncle Kaeya!” Klee cheered. Running around the patio gates to jump into his arms.

“Well isn’t my timing impeccable.” he said, holding Klee in his arms. “The two people I was looking to talk to stand right before my eyes!”

He tucked a strand of Klee’s hair behind her ear; “Dimitri, sister in law of mine, may we have a little chat ?

You, Dimitri, and Adelinde shared a quizzical glance. Adelinde eventually nodded her head, grabbing her hand bag before taking her leave. Klee whined as she was taken from her uncle’s arms, calling for you to stop Adelinde. You simply giggled, telling Klee to be a good girl for Adelinde while the grownups were talking. The girl dramatically threw her head back with a sigh. Kaeya took the opportunity to hop the fence and sit down at your table.

As you went to retake your seat, you glared your don’t say anything stupid , expression at Dimitri, praying he would keep his mouth shut. 

“Y/n, how are you doing?” he began, “Word on the street has it that you have been attacked by a maniac abyss herald.”

“Yeah, last night! She totally got burned!” Dimitri cut in. You slapped your forehead.

“Hm, is that so?” He props his arms on the table, “Then I do believe I am owed an explanation.”

“An explanation for…?” you replied nervously, not quite sure where he was going with it.

“An explanation for the fact that the dear Master Diluc showed up to my house late last evening.” he said,

Your eyebrows shot up. You assumed there was bad blood between the adopted brothers after hearing the details of your very first meeting with Kaeya. The fact that Diluc would choose to stay the night at his house without telling anyone was surely surprising. 

“Why?” is all you could muster for a reply.

“That's why I’m here.” he said, “I have the exact same question. I mean, it's not everyday that your distanced brother comes by for a visit, refuses to entertain any of your questions, then proceeds to stay the night in your spare bedroom with no further context.”

“Wait, brother?” Dimitri asked, “Diluc never said anything about a brother.”

“Did he not?” Kaeya said, a knowing expression on his face, “How strange. I was told Diluc still refers to me as his brother often.”

Kaeya and Dimitri then synchronously turn their heads to face you. You give a restrained, awkward smile in response. You had been caught. Maybe Kaeya had never believed you in the first place, or perhaps he did. All you knew for certain is that he surely could see through your lies now. Well, since Diluc knew everything that was happening, there was no point in trying to hide anything anymore. 

“What do you want to know?”

————

“Wow.”

“That's, well.”

“My god.”

The two men stared at you, their expressions were the embodiment of the word shock. Dimitri was seen pulling at his hair, unsure what to make of the fact that you had found your target, that he had been your husband all along. Kaeya simply scowled, clearly less than pleased to learn that it was Diluc who used his vision against you.

“Well, I guess the two of us have even more in common.” He stated. You looked on quizzically. He used his hand to remove the eyepatch he had always worn, revealing a large scar across the front of it. Next, he pulled up the sleeves of his jacket, showing burn marks that closely resembled your own. It took you a few moments to process what he was showing you, but eventually you understood. You could finally understand what had happened between the two brothers. 

“The night my father died, well, lets just say the two of us–”

“–got into a fight?” 

He nodded at your question; “I suppose this was good information to know. Really good actually.”

“Why would you say that?” you asked.

“Well, let's just say I find it a little shocking Diluc didn’t outright kill you after learning you’re fatui. I mean, after all they did to his father and daughter…”

Daughter ? Daughter. You thought back to all the conversations you had about Klee and her biological mom, Diluc’s late wife.

Your eyes dramatically widened; “Oh god, did they kill his first wife?”

“First wife?” Kaeya laughed at the absurdity, “Diluc had no first wife , Klee was adopted.”

“What?” you said, “She was adopted?”

“Now I thought this fact was obvious. No offense, but the two really don’t look all that similar. 

“Care to elaborate?” you pried him for answers. 

“Klee was once a child experimented on in a fatui lab. A child test subject from Snezhnaya. Diluc went on a little, erm, persona non grata rampage a few years back, and well, let's just say Klee being home was a result of that.`` His voice was solem, though straightforward. 

You felt like you were going to be sick. Child experimentation was a word sometimes thrown around in your ranks of the fatui. You were an assassin, in charge of dealing with foreign and domestic affairs, and within your circle of fatus child experimentation was nothing more than a nasty rumor. Something nobody thought could really exist, even outside your department. 

Dimitri responded similarly, flabbergasted at the notion that child experimentation was true within the fatui, much less that the girl he had been referring to as his niece for the past several months was a victim of it. 

“How…how could that happen? Where were her parents?” you frantically questioned.

“Who knows.” he said, “Fatui destroyed all of the documents after the lab went up in flames. They were probably dead though, much like the rest of the children in the fatui.”

“I–I can’t believe it.” you said, glancing over to your subordinate.

“Well, thats all I really came here to say.” he replied, “I’m sure you have a lot of reconsideration to do over these next couple of days.” 

Just like that, Kaeya was gone. As you and Dimitri made your walks of shame back to the Dawn Winery, your skin still very much in pain, you thought about Klee. Little Klee all alone, scared in a dark, vain fatui lab. 

————

“What are they doing down there, uncle?” you said as you and your uncle watched from the top floor of the Zapolyarny military base. 

“Well, my dear, they are saying goodbye to their families.” Your uncle responded, sipping his tea while observing the people down below.

“Why are they saying goodbye, uncle?” you asked.

“Because, my child, they are being sent away.” He took a step closer to the edge of the balcony.

“Why are they being sent away? Will they ever see each other again?” you could tell your pestering was beginning to annoy your uncle, judging from the way his eyebrows scrunched upwards as you spoke,

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” he began, “I wish to tell you something very important, my child. There are some decisions in life that are far more difficult to make than others. Some of them involve leaving your family for the sake of purpose, others involve the opposite. It's the decisions we make that define how we live. If you want to be happy, you must make the decisions that are right for you.” 

“So, you're saying they go to work because it makes them happy?” you giggle, “I don’t believe that at all!”

Your uncle laughed along with you; “Yes, yes it does, little one.”

“Does your work make you happy, uncle?” you said. He nodded in response.

“Yes, but so does being with you. I do my work so I can provide and be with my family. That is the decision I have made for my life.”

“I like that decision a lot!” You said, “When I grow up, I want to make decisions just like you, uncle!”

All the two of you continued to chuckle together, you were suddenly interrupted by the boom of the office door opening.

“Y/n.” you father said sternly, “What in Teyvat are you doing here? Come downstairs at once! The two of us are leaving.

“Yes father…” you reply, before turning to your uncle one last time, “See you soon!” 

“Yes, see you soon, my dear.”  

————

It had been three days since Diluc was last seen at the Dawn Winery. Klee had questions, Dimitri was still in a state of shock. You were still recovering. 

You thought often about the various conversations you had during your past that had defined you most as a person. Majority of them involved your uncle, most certainly your parents, and other times your immediate supervisor, Sandrone of the fatui harbingers. As you were walking in one of Mond’s many grassfields, attempting to clear your head, you thought about all the times you spent hiding away in your uncle's office. 

Every time you had felt overwhelmed, overworked, upset, or angry, most of the time towards your parents, you would always sneak away to his office. Sometimes he was there, sometimes he was not. Nevertheless, you found yourself hiding away. You were surprised it took you so many years to realize, though you were now determined not to hide away any longer. For so long you had tried to hide from your emotions and aspirations. Look where that's gotten me now, you thought. 

As you looked around, taking in the scenery of Mondstadt. You felt an overwhelming sense of peace as you gazed up at the tall grass, copious amounts of flowers, and Diluc. Diluc? What in the name of the Tsarista is he doing here? 

He had yet to notice you, facing the opposite direction as he looked upon the fields of grass and flowers. You took this as your opportunity to confront him, praying to the gods it would go much smoother than your previous attempt. 

“The flower fields here are truly beautiful, are they not?” you asked, as you took your place right beside him. He wore his signature, cold expression.

You half expected him not to respond at all. Perhaps after thinking it through for the past several days, he had decided it would be best to kill you after all. And after what you had learned about Klee and the fatui, you thought his hypothetical solution may not be half bad. 

“Yes.” His short, monotone response caused you to smile. Though your expression quickly neutralized once more as he turned towards you, his expression was still that of anger and repulsiveness; “What are you doing here, Y/n?”

His tone was full of accusation. You shut your eyes as you took a deep breath; “Just thinking. Plus, I could be asking you the same thing.”

A silence fell over the two of you as you both refused to meet each other's eyes. So stubborn, that Diluc , you thought to yourself. You wondered if that's where Klee inherited her innate ability to argue. Argue over bedtimes, stuff toys, and cleaning up. Despite the revelation that the two of them were not blood-related, their actions proved more than enough that the two of them shared many similar characteristics. This thought brought a smile to your face.

“Well, I suppose the two of us need to have it out now.” you start.

“No.” he protests, “We most certainly do not.”

“Yes, yes we do.” your eyes meet his own once more, “You have a brother. An adopted brother. He is a part of the Knights. You hate the Knights. Is that why you hate him?”

Diluc scoffs at your rapid fire questions, crossing his arms defensively; “You have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Alright then. Let's continue.” you said, “You have a daughter. An adopted daughter. A daughter you rescued from the fatui. Do I have any idea what I'm talking about there?”

“How do you know–”

“–the adopted brother of the Knights.” you cut him off.

“Fine, something happened between the two of us. I see no reason to bring up these past conflicts. The two of us get along fine enough nowadays. Secondly, I had no reason to tell you about Klee’s history. In fact, now that I know you’re a fatui, I’m glad I kept my mouth shut”

“Wonderful. Now it's your turn.” you reply with a snark, crossing your arms to mirror his own position.

“If you so insist.” he gritted his teeth, “You're a part of the fatui, no, you're a high ranking fatui assassin sent to kill me and wreak havoc on my home city. Plus, the mayor of Snezhnaya–”

“My uncle. He is my uncle.”

“Uncle? Well isn’t that wonderful. I was married to the assassin niece of the fatui harbingers. An assassin niece who enjoys meddling in my personal familial matters.”

“Listen, when I first joined the fatui, assassin isn’t really what I had in mind–”

“So what did you have in mind? Join the military for a year or two? Pay for your college? What could have possibly justified your decision to join the fatui?”

“My parents.” you said, “Since I know probably more than I should about your late father, I’ll tell you a bit more about your in-laws.”

“ My in-laws?” Diluc asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, two rich people from rich families came together to live in a rich house, work in rich jobs, and have a rich baby.” you paused for a moment, “But, oh no! Their rich baby was a girl. That means that she must do this, but can’t do that, must marry him, but can’t marry them!”

You continued on your ridiculous rampage, waving your arms in the air for dramatic effect, until you finally arrived upon a realization. 

“I wonder what my parents would think of you…” you said, an uncomfortable silence falling between the two of you.

“You know..” you start, “I didn't know about the labs, or what they did to kids like Klee. I do bad things, I know… but I don’t– I didn’t…”

“I know.” he suddenly spoke up, “I know you didn’t from the way you treat Klee.”

“Would you…could you ever forgive me, Diluc?” you carefully ask. His lack of response fills you with dread.

“Are you going to stay?” he replies.

“What do you mean?” you say.

“Are you going to stay with us?” he takes a step closer to you, arms falling flat at his sides.

“Well…after knowing all I know. I think…I think yes.”

“Then marry me.” he replies, “Stay here with us. With Klee. Then perhaps I could think about forgiving you.”

You burst out laughing before making your way over to take hold of his face. He reluctantly closes his eyes while you lean in to kiss his lips; “You really are stubborn, aren’t you?”

prev // next

#diluc genshin impact #diluc x fem!reader #diluc x reader #diluc x y/n #diluc x you #klee genshin impact #genshin fanfic #genshin angst #genshin kaeya #diluc and kaeya #ragbros #confessions #but for real this time #first kiss #pulcinella #family drama #spy x family au

[natasha-reads]

There is no greater torture than having his amazing idea that's now yet quite fully formed so you keep picking at it and opening it up like a wound that's healed over and it keeps bleeding and you just KNOW if you let it sit you'll probably make progress but GAH YOU CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT-

#what is this #im trying to make a royalty au with ajax #royalty x spy #genshin impact #childe #ajax #tartaglia