Tumgik
#harbinger
kamvna · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media
✧ You left me waiting ...
705 notes · View notes
hypnoswrites · 2 years
Text
Handle With Care
My grasp on genshin characters is flimsy at best and ‘based on a single animated trailer’ at worst. This is the second variant. If canon makes this fic unreadable in like, a week, I won’t be surprised. I hope you all nevertheless enjoy this fic :)
Part 2
Warnings: yandere! Capitano, unhealthy relationship dynamics, threat of violence, fantasy hierarchies, nsfw, female reader, marriage, very bad communication and misuse of power, 7k words
Tumblr media
Gildendria only grew in very specific circumstances.
The acidity of the soil had to be just right, the margin of water the plant needed and could handle was very slim, and if any weeds were within a five feet radius, the plant immediately gave up and died. The only reason the flower even managed to survive the long toil of time was that there was a very specific species obsessed with the beautiful colours the flower made in bloom, namely humans.
Even the dried variant went for quite a lot, and you were once told that it was one of those flowers that annoyed florists all over the world since many people wanted a vase full of the flowers for their soiree but few actually realized the work needed to grow such a particular plant, instead complaining about the high costs and acting obnoxious.
You'd always had a fondness for the colourful bloom, like many others, primarily because your mother had always placed them in your room on your birthday. Back then, you'd not realized the nostalgic sight had cost so much effort, so when you tried to recreate the sight by yourself, you'd been surprised to see the first batch die out nearly immediately.
Instead, some weeds had grown, and in order to try again, you'd had to clear out the entire plot and put in new soil. Still, you decided to be relentless about this, not because the memory of the flowers itself was that strong, but because it was good to work toward something.
Especially since there was little else to do these days. You weren't complaining, necessarily, but you still relished in your little projects.
"My lady?"
You looked up from your inspection of the dirt, meeting eyes with your handmaiden, who seemed a tad hurried, as if your slow swivel to address her had annoyed her greatly. You smiled widely and moved back to sit on your knees. "Yes? Did Tige tell you to get me? I think I promised to help him with the laundry today."
"No, my lady." She bowed her head slightly. "The lord Harbinger will return in an hour. His entourage has just arrived with the message."
Your smile fell.
"Oh no." While your head had just been filled with nothing but ideas and concerns for the garden, a miasma of new thoughts entered your mind. You looked off into the distance, into the woods from which the lord of the house would burst out of within a mere hour or so. "That’s… not good."
"I've already alerted Tige to ready dinner, and I’ve made a headstart with the cleaning."
You turned back to Penelope, feeling a slight relief at the reminder that this wasn't just your problem. "Thank you. Thank you, oh dear Tsaritsa, thank you."
You stood up. "I need to get changed. This- please tell me the fire in his office is lit. He always wants to go there first."
Penelope's widening eyes told enough. "I'll get on it immediately. If my lady will just go to her chambers and clean up, I'll be in time to dress you."
"Perfect."
And so you hurried, your hands clutching your dress off the ground as to not muddy it further. There was not a universe in which you could present yourself to the harbinger in this state, needing to put on whatever you had at your disposal to make yourself look prettier. You’d also need to put on something other than this dress, but you still lifted it off the ground, not wanting to drag in anymore mud inside than you already had. 
This was a disaster, plain and simple. 
The first few months you’d stayed in the mansion, the relationship between you and the staff had been rigid, the fear put into them by the harbinger lord making sure not a single spec of dust would ever meet your eyes. As time progressed, though, both you and the staff had come to the conclusion that it would take quite a while before the owner of the mansion would return, and the fatui grunts he sent every few weeks to check up on things were easy enough to appease and send on their way. 
Safe to say, things had relaxed around the household. 
You’d moved outside of the master bedroom and chose a snug little room closer to the main hall, ate with the staff both during breakfast and dinner, and helped around the household whenever necessary. Winters were much more bearable with a few friends around a hearth, instead of alone in your chambers waiting for anyone of social standing to arrive. The line between you and the staff had blurred, and by now, the only remnant of the hierarchical nature remained in them calling you by your title, some with more amusement than others. 
You didn’t think the lord of the house would appreciate this, if he knew, and Penelope seemed to agree, rushing through corridors to make everything seem just like he’d left it. Meanwhile, you arrived at your chambers and undressed faster than you’d ever had before, brushing out the knots in your hair and attempting to put it in a somewhat fancy hairstyle. You had no idea what was in fashion currently, but braids were always nice, right?
When Penelope arrived in your room, you’d already managed to put on the correct undergarments, and she helped you with the rest, your back aching with the corset she had to tie around your middle. It had been quite a while since you’d worn it, and you hadn’t missed it. 
Rushing downstairs, you heard Tige yell over the stairs that he’d spotted the first carriages, 
Moments before the doors opened, you moved to stand next to the bottom of the stairs, seemingly caught in a candid moment instead of a perfectly staged position. 
It was completely silent for a tense few moments, the anticipation killing the lot of you.
And then the doors opened.
The harbinger let himself be preceded by a handful of Fatui soldiers, scattering without word through the household. You just hoped everything looked according to their expectations, if they had any. Within seconds there was a soldier in every doorpost, making both you and Penelope a bit fidgety, especially considering they all wore face concealing masks, making you assume the very worst in their disposition. 
Penelope stood right behind you, and very quickly patted your lower back in support, which you appreciated, especially since your breath hitched in your throat as the lord of the house entered through the doors. 
Capitano entered the mansion with authority, immediately usurping your place as the one in charge. Still dressed in his full armor, he silently looked around the entrance, possibly forming a judgement towards everyone’s behaviour, as well as the state of the building. It did not surprise you to see him ready for battle even in this time of relative peace, seeing as he’d not even rid himself of his gear during the exchange of vows. The fatui soldiers present all saluted when he crossed the treshold, making Tige and Penelope seem unsure whether to join in. 
He turned to you, and nodded in your direction.
"Wife." Came the simple greeting.
It sometimes occured to you he possibly only referred  to you in this way to remind himself of your relationship, since none of this so far felt very... matrimonial. You felt like you were entertaining a militant guest, not your own husband.
"Lord Capitano." You curtsied, trying to pretend like the movement was a bit more custom for you than it was in actuality. "Welcome home. It's nice to see you again."
“Likewise.” Always succinct with niceties, his gaze moved to Penelope, who was still standing behind you. “How many men can the mansion support for a week?”
Oh? Was this visit a mere supply run on the way back to Snezhnaya?
In any case, this was not a question Penelope could answer. She cleaned and did most of the heavy lifting around the house, but hadn’t handled any supply runs since you’d encouraged her you could do it yourself. You liked going into the village, especially with Tige in tow, since he had a lovely singing voice and kept you entertained during the journey. If anything, you reckoned you were the only one in the know what the mansion kept in stock. 
“Our stocks should cover about twenty people for a week.” You answered in her stead, hearing your friend sigh in relief behind you. Capitano shifted his gaze back to you. It didn’t seem like he minded you answering in her stead.
“I’ve brought more. We need food for around fifty.” 
You turned to Tige and straightened your back, trying to seem authoritative. The words that fell out of your mouth didn’t sound as you meant them to, however, ending up more like an optional request than a demand. “Tige. Perhaps you can go to the village and pick up some extra supplies?”
Tige opened his mouth to answer, but was silenced by Capitano raising his hand.
“No need. Recruit Vaslev.” The fatui soldier right next to your doorpost saluted and awaited command. “Return before dusk with supplies.”
“Yes, sir!” 
“It might be safer if Tige went, or went along in any case.” Why were you objecting to this, why did you open your mouth, why were you being an idiot? Capitano once again didn’t respond to your interruption, and you wished like many other times that he’d put off that helmet for once, since you had no idea what he thought of your suggestion. “The woods around these parts are quite easy to get lost in.”
“Recruit Vaslev will be fine.” Capitano turned to the recruit, who seemed to grow stiffer with each second the attention focused on him. “Won’t you?”
“Yes, sir! Not a problem.”
“Good. Does that satisfy you, wife?”
There was only one answer you could give.
You tried not to shiver. “Of course. I didn’t intend in any way to offend the fatui’s capabilities.”
Your husband was back for a mere minute, and already you felt like you were walking on eggshells, scared of setting off the bomb in front of you. He’d never hurt you, you chose to believe, but you’d seen him hurt people, and you weren’t accustomed enough to violence to compartmentalize that in a way that didn’t make you scared of him. 
The most prominent reason for your fear wasn’t necessarily his title, or the harm you knew he could rain down without consequence, but your lack of knowledge of his disposition. You didn’t know him at all, didn’t know if he cared about you in any capacity, and that made his power all the more terrifying. 
“I know.” He stepped past you and walked straight to the dining hall. You were surprised he even knew which way to go. “Is dinner ready?”
You side-eyed Tige, who nodded, and took a deep breath as you followed after your husband. “Yeah- I mean, yes, of course.”
Only mere moments later, you were seated opposite of him, several plates in front of the two of you filled with steaming food. For a second, you’d assumed Capitano would take off his helmet to eat, but apparently, the lower part of his helmet was detachable, so you were still only able to see the bottom half of his face. From this distance, you could see several scars you vaguely remembered.
It took a long while, both of you dining in silence, but eventually, he broke the tense atmosphere without giving you even a moment to ready yourself.
"Tell me how life here has treated you.” You looked up from your roast, having been picking at the same potato for the last five minutes. The food was delicious, but you tended to eat warm meals in the afternoon with the rest of the staff, so your stomach didn’t exactly welcome another full plate of food. Across the table, your husband looked expectantly at you. Well. As expectantly as one could with only the bottom half of a face. “You look well.”
“Thank you! That is kind of you to say.” That was a relief. You’d partly worried your hair would’ve been frizzled from the day out in the forest, but it seemed your braids had worked their magic. “I’m doing very well. It’s a very nice area here, way warmer than Snezhnaya. Is the campaign going well?”
“It is going fine.” His tone cut short any further questions, and the stories you’d readied to tell died in your throat, making you resume pushing the same potato back and forth, waiting for him to finish. Moments later, he clearly decided he’d eaten enough and stood up, clicking the lower part of his helmet back in place. “I have some work left.”
You nodded, grateful in this turn of events you’d anticipated. He’d only visited here twice before, but each time he’d left for his office mere moments after meeting with you. Even the short-cut dinner today had been out of the ordinary. Perhaps he’d been really hungry.
Your evening suddenly opened up, and pushed away thoughts of gardens and flowers returned to the surface. Maybe, if time allowed it, you could check in on them without Capitano noticing. 
“Certainly. I’ll be in-”
“You’ll be in the masters chambers at ten.” Not a request. An order.
“Ah. Okay. Of course.” You had to remember that he was a military man, probably unaccustomed to asking. He demanded and he got, a privilege he’d earned by becoming a harbinger. You wondered how he talked to his fellow colleagues since he didn’t even manage to speak to his own wife with a semblance of informality. “I hope your work goes smoothly.”
He turned to leave the dinner hall and didn’t respond to your statement, probably deeming it unnecessary. 
It took a minute, but eventually you couldn’t hear his boots resounding on the stone flooring anymore.
Looking up at the ceiling, you smiled and made a small sound of relief. That went well, right? He’d not been angry, or angrier than usual, just a little hurried to get back to work. You didn’t know him any other way, so this seemed fine. 
You quickly stood up and walked toward the front entrance, eager to check on your precious plants before you’d have to suffer through a, probably ungodly, awkward night of sleeping next to the harbinger in the masters’ chamber.
Unbeknownst to you, Capitano was angry, and definitely angrier than usual.
While there were many things that demanded a harbingers attention, the current thing on the forefront of Capitano’s mind would have to take precedence, especially since he couldn’t walk past the staff of this mansion without wanting to bash their heads in. Trying to subdue his temper, he called forth his wife’s handmaiden, a strong-looking woman he’d hired especially because of that. It seemed he’d misjudged. 
“My lord, how can I-”
“Do not bother.” He continued writing reports as he spoke, unable to give this his full attention. War was a lot of fighting, yes, but it was also a great deal of logistics, and Pulcinella tended to get fussy if he didn’t send the correct orders in time. The winter was fast approaching, which meant this was a busy time. “What is your excuse for your abominable work here?”
“My apologies, I do not know what you mean?”
“My scouts announced that my wife was alone in the woods while we approached.” He tapped the wood of his desk with his index finger, the metallic tip grating to Penelope’s ears. “Where was her security detail?” 
“It is safe here, my lord.” The handmaiden assured, clasping her hands in front of her skirt. “My lady likes to garden, and we’ve secured a small plot of ground on the border of the forest to do so. There is really no danger.”
"Are we talking about the same person?" Capitano raised his knife and plunged it into the table, roughly enough to rattle all objects on top of it. "My wife is of weak constitution and should not be left unguarded. Do you mean to tell me you are capable of disabling threats while she’s on the other side of the mansion?”
“Well, no-” 
“Then I expect you to pick up the slack and do your job.” He ordered, his voice like ice and his military experience shining through. “I’m still undecided whether or not to impale you on the flag posts in front of the door or to merely fire the lot of you.”
He did not pay the panicked yelp of the handmaiden any mind, only feeling a modicum of irritation the staff he’d handpicked for his wife didn’t even have the strength of mind to control their emotions in front of their masters. His wife���s admission she’d felt comfortable in her stay here made him decide to have mercy this once, a kindness he didn’t feel keen on handing out often.
“We understand, my lord.” Penelope bowed as deeply as she could, her courtesies laced with panic. “Please forgive me.”
"Before you go." Capitano added, finally quitting tapping the wood with his finger, the office silent outside the heavy breathing of the servant. "Has your incompetent bunch kept a guest log? Who has been in contact with my wife?"
"Myself and the other servants. No one else, my lord"
“If I find out that is incorrect,” He promised. “I think I’ll kill you after all.”
“Understood. I-I’ll tell the rest of the staff to vacate the premises before nightfall.”
“You do that.”
Tumblr media
It was way past eleven when the door’s to the masters’ chambers finally opened.
Capitano walked in with a heavy stride, only stopping when he noticed you standing in the midst of the room, clutching a small package in your hands. He didn’t greet you, and instead stared at you wordlessly, waiting for you to do whatever it was that you were trying to do. Swallowing down your nervousness, you held out the bundle in your hands.
"I-I have my own garden here." For all your effort to seem more ladylike than you were, you still couldn’t find the strength to get through a single sentence without looking away and stuttering. Whenever your husband was involved, any social skills you possessed seemed to vacate your body. "I'm trying to grow Gildendria but that’s not going so well. I did manage to get some nice looking snow lillies, like the one at the wedding, and thought you’d might like them since you arranged most of the occasion.”
“I did not chose the flowers.” Capitano curtly denied, pulling off his gloves. “They were provided by someone I hired.”
“Ah. I see. Well then.” Unsure what to do with your gift, since he didn’t move to take it, you just placed it on the table near you and took a step back. “That’s a shame. I, uh, dried some, for you to take with you. Schneznaya isn’t kind to flora, but this should be okay.”
He didn’t move to inspect the closed batch of dried flowers and instead undid the top clasp of his armor. Turning around, he moved to his side of the room, where little more stood than a large armoire for his clothing and the few possessions he’d brought. 
The complete disregard for your gift stung, but you tried not to let it get to you, slowly figuring out your husband wasn’t a very warm person. He’d gifted you this place, and generally let you to your own devices, which you appreciated, but he seemed uninterested in actually pursuing anything more than a marriage of convenience, even if you still did not know what exactly about you was convenient for him. 
Perhaps he had someone else in Snezhnaya, and merely kept you around for appearance sake, though you were not nearly high born enough for that. Your parents had been astonished when the marriage proposal had come in the mail, immediately spending fortunes to assure his choice would seem the right one. It did not bring you bitterness to imagine a lover for Capitano.
If anything, there was relief to be found there, since that meant you were free to go about your own life, to some degree, without having to take his feelings into account. He did not care for you, that meant you were free to also not care for him, marriage be damned.
Still, there was a little bit of grief at the notion of a completely loveless union. No girl dreamed of it, for many a reason. The slightly idealistic fantasy you’d had of the powerful harbinger being absolutely smitten by you had been proven false countless times, and with the forgotten dried flowers on the bedside table, died out completely.
Looking up from the bundle of dried lillies, you saw Capitano undressing for bed, finally removing the helmet he wore nearly religiously.
You'd only seen his face once before on the wedding night, where he'd spent just long enough to do the vows and fuck you in the honeymoon suite before he'd been shipped off abroad. 
Part of you wondered why he kept his face hidden, since he was quite handsome, if a bit rugged. That wouldn’t be an issue for a harbinger, you reckoned, since authority needed to drip off anyone claiming as much power as they did on a day-to-day basis. A weak harbinger didn’t survive the winters of Snezhnaya.
His long black hair flowed beautifully down his back, the clear softness of the locks contrasting with the harsh musculature it covered. His build made his bodily strength clear, his lack of armor barely diminishing his presence. For a second you mistook the small bump on his stomach as pudge, but even that turned out to be pure muscle, since it didn’t seem soft like you wanted it to be.
He was used to exert force, and if his stature didn’t make that fact obvious, the many scars on his body did. Long reddish stripes going across his back, thinner skin on his chest indicating large wounds that had barely healed. His face wasn’t exempt from this, curling and bending scar tissue covering most of the left side. The most horrifying scar you could see from here was one on his right leg, seeming long and deep enough to have dented the entire limb.
There existed those with visions to heal, right? Could he not have removed all these? You shook your head to dispel those thoughts. If he could, he would’ve, and it was his business whether or not to remove them. Perhaps he had moral objections to the matter. Either way, it felt like none of your business.
The pain this man had probably already endured in his life exceeded what you could imagine. Not wanting to stare, lest he catch you in the act, you lowered your gaze to the cold stone floor beneath you.
You took a deep breath.
Following his example, you undressed cordially, stripping to your undergarments and throwing on a thin dress to sleep in.
Feeling flush with embarrassment, you climbed into bed with your husband, who had decided to settle on top of the blankets,  reading some report by the candle light. You knew this was supposed to be normal, but you felt naked in your flimsy robes and you had no idea how to behave in front of the harbinger. Were you supposed to initiate something, start a conversation, or merely turn over and fall asleep?
He'd not looked up while you’d undressed, which both made you feel better and worse at the same time. The sting left by his disregard of your gift re-opened, and again you were reminded that he had no interest in keeping up appearances, even for you. 
In the back of your mind, you wondered whether you could ask him if you could sleep in your own room. So far he hadn’t shown any interest in having sex with you again, so you couldn’t find a lot of reasons why he might refuse your request. You ended up deciding not to ask. The mere possibility he’d get angry convinced you it wasn’t worth the possible good night of rest awaiting you elsewhere.
Since he didn’t say anything or make a move to touch you, you eventually just turned to your side and closed your eyes, unable to sleep but also unable to stand the anticipation of not knowing what was to come. 
About an hour later, though you couldn’t say for sure that much time had passed, he suddenly spoke up. 
"Wake up, wife."
As if you'd been asleep.
"Hnn- yes?"
"I'll be here for the next month. After that I have to go to back to Shneznaya for business. I expect you to accompany me, so prepare your affairs before then."
"Oh-okay." You immediately agreed, before realizing exactly what you were saying yes to. "If you don't mind me asking: why do you want to bring me along?"
"I wish you to come. That is all." Then, as if an afterthought he added: "I've also fired your staff, effective immediately."
You sat up, rubbing your eyes for a moment, and wordlessly stared at him, mouth open. “Are you making a joke?”
“Of course not.”
He really wasn’t.
“Why, then?” You scurried onto your knees, fully awake now and ready to argue this issue until he gave in. Tige and Penelope were your sole friends here. Even if you’d be shipped off, you wanted them to have a good life, not having to worry about food or shelter ever. “They’re good people.”
“Good people.” He scoffed, still unwilling to meet your eyes. “You don’t need good people as servants, you need good personnel. They’ll be replaced by some recruits under my command until we leave the area.”
“No!” You cried out, indignified. You were about to argue that he couldn’t do this to you, but realized halfway the thought that he was perfectly capable of doing so. This was his house. You were merely living in it. “Please, if they misbehaved or something, I’ll talk to them and we can work things out. You don’t have to fire them immediately.”
“Talking things out works when the issue is small, like a skeeved table cloth. “ He bit at you, making you cower and flinch back. “Allowing the lady of the house to assist in chores and go out into the forest unaccompanied isn’t a mistake, it’s negligence.”
 How did he even know that? 
Perhaps he’d forced the issue with Penelope, or questioned other members of the staff. You didn’t expect them to mention it, considering it was their own lives on the line, but you didn’t doubt Capitano’s methods either. It didn’t matter if he knew. This still wasn’t acceptable.
“I am perfectly safe here!” You countered, grasping at the sheets below you. It felt like you were a small dog yapping up at its owner, the way Capitano ignored your signs of distress and met it only with cold irritation and disinterest. “And I insisted on helping. I didn’t see the point in sitting around when there was work to do.”
“And that is my mistake, I’ll admit.” He wasn’t admitting anything. If anything, his words were mocking, insulting you to your core. “I assumed you’d be ready to lead a household, but instead you played friends and forgot your position.”
"But-"
"I do not wish to hear your arguments." He rubbed his eyes for a second in irritation, but continued reading afterward nonetheless, apparently not finding the conversation riveting enough to actively participate in it. How anyone could be so callous, you didn’t understand. "The decision has been made. Go to sleep."
"Please!" You grabbed his arm, finally making him look up from his reports, if only to look utterly scandalized you’d thought it appropriate to let your skin touch his. As if you were disgusting. "I- They're really important to me. It's also my fault, so please don't send them away for my lack of... experience running a household."
 He just looked at your hands, firmly clasped around his arm, with unreadable eyes, his gaze torn away from his papers for the first time since the conversation had begun.
"...I'll be better?"
"Wife. I am not a man you can convince with appeals to desire." As if you were burning him, he tore your hands off him. You choked for words while he grabbed your chin and squeezed your face. "It is not up for discussion."
"I am not-"
"It. Is. Not. Up. For. Discussion." He let go of your face and motioned towards your pillow, encouraging you to stop bothering him on this. "Go to sleep."
How-
Why would he-
The indent of his fingers in your cheeks hurt, and you slightly touched your skin, feeling the inevitable bruise that would follow the way he’d grabbed your face, squeezing it together as if you were a misbehaving child instead of his damned wife.
As if struck by lightning, you immediately got out of bed and stormed over to your closet, grabbing the first decent piece of clothing in your sight and putting it on.
"Wife."
You ignored his call and ran out of the chamber, your bare feet cold on the stone floors. Wife this. Wife that. Perhaps you’d respond if he called you by your name for once in your life. It wouldn’t surprise you if he didn’t know it.
Behind you, just before you closed the door, you heard him nearly growl out a final threat, a last warning to come back with hanging head and apologize, and for the first time tonight, you decided to not go the easy way. 
"You do not run away from me."
 “Watch me.” You yelled back, disappearing into the many corridors.
There were still fatui soldiers at every corner, but as you briskly walked past them, they didn’t stop you, probably since they’d had no order to do so. You were allowed to walk inside your own house, were you not? Despite thinking this, you heard some talk behind you, and realized that if Capitano ordered them to drag you back, they’d do so without argument. 
You weren’t as scary as he was. 
To avoid this, you quickly went inside your old room and locked the door behind you. Only Tige and Penelope knew you slept here normally, and there was no way they’d rat you out. Not immediately, anyway.
Throwing yourself on the bed, you immediately burrowed yourself into your familiar blanket and started crying. 
First, he disregarded your hard work and now this? Why was he dragging you away, making sure your friends were left ruined in the process? He also hurt you, pushed you around the bed and accused you, of what? Of trying to seduce him to get your way? What kind of person did he think you were? 
This wasn’t just ruining the childlike dream you’d had of love, this ruined your belief of this being a marriage of convenience. What about this hurtful man was convenient to you? A man that thought so little of whisking you away of anything you’d grown used to? He was a monster, plain and simple, and it seemed the war had truly sapped anything worth loving out of him. Bastard. Bastard. Bastard.
Despite your seething rage, it felt much better to be in your own room, even if you knew the comfort wouldn’t last. He’d call you childish for running, probably, and only add it to his arsenal of things to berate you for.
As if summoned, the second you imagined his lecture about running away, a loud banging noise made you yelp and 
“Let me in.” came the guttural demand from behind the door. You felt a tinge of fear tickle the back of your neck at his tone m. You didn’t need to see his face to qualify this emotion as pure anger. “Now.”
“No!” You yelled back, rolling over onto your back so your words wouldn’t be muffled by the pillow you’d cried into. “Either you change your mind- or- or I’ll-”
The words you’d meant to say died in your mouth as Capitano broke the door down with a resounding kick, immediately striding over the wreck and toward you at a brisk pace. 
You’d-
You’d meant to threaten with divorce.
Where you utterly suicidal?! The second you saw him in this state, you knew you shouldn’t throw such words around. If he’d been irritated earlier, he was livid now. Capitano had already shown he didn’t mind hurting you if it served his designs and while he didn’t care about you as a wife, your life wouldn’t be guaranteed if you were even less to him.
 “Or what.” 
“Nothing.” You whispered, trying to disappear in your blanket.
“That’s what I thought.” Capitano barked, hooking his arms under your neck and knees and lifting you off your bed, ignoring your instinctive attempt to hit him with the pillow. "I've been busy, and have not had time to deal with you properly so far. I'd assumed you would've been capable enough to abide by yourself for a while, but of course, I was wrong assuming you are competent enough to do anything by yourself."
“Why are you so mean to me?” You sniffled, nose filled with snot and cheeks eyes puffy with tears, your words sounding more like cries of desperation than actual words. "Let- let go of me! I can walk by myself"
“I am not mean to you.” He scoffed, disregarding your claim and carrying you back all the way to the masters’ bedroom, past many fatui guards who averted their eyes when the two of you passed. Embarrassment rose in your neck at the knowledge they were all witness to this scene, and even more anger at the fact that you knew your husband would blame it all on you. “Do you realize how pathetic you are? You lack any sort of useful skills, cower at the slightest provocation, trust everything with two legs and lack the intelligence to even realize your own weakness. In the months that I was gone, all you’ve accomplished is making some friends and growing utterly useless flowers. In this war-torn world, you’d be killed within days if I did not choose to protect you.”
 “How are you not being mean to me right now?” You cried incredulously the second the door behind the two of you shut closed. “You’re either insulting me or ignoring me, and I’d wish you kept to the latter.”
The harbinger glared down at you. “I have been nothing but courteous to you. If I truly lacked any regard for your opinion, as you claim, this night would’ve gone in quite a different direction.”
Instead of putting you down, as you’d expected, he carried you all the way back to the bed and placed you down in his lap, one arm firmly secured around you to probably dissuade any further attempts to get away. You sniffled again and buried your head in your own hands, your chest rising and lowering haphazardly while you sobbed. He didn’t respond to your crying in any way, and even aggressively grabbed his report he’d been forced to drop during your short escape. 
Eventually, you tried to settle down, since it didn’t seem he was planning to let go anytime soon, but he didn’t hold you comfortably, causing you to attempt to shift back and forth to find a better position. You huffed as it didn’t work, and instead had to deal with the slight discomfort.
To your surprise, as you did this while he continued reading like nothing had happened, you felt a hardness beneath your thighs, to which you needn’t guess what was happening. All night he’d barely spared you a second glance, and he got aroused now? It seemed you’d truly been wed to a sadistic man. 
Trying to pay it no mind, sex was the last thing you wanted from him right now, you just huffed and tried to dry your tears with the back of your hands.
“Can I try to sleep a bit?” You softly asked, just wanting this night to be over with.
“Fine.” He let go of you, and you tried to deftly move off him, which didn’t go as smoothly as you’d intended, as you inadvertently pressed your ass against his crotch, worsening the condition you’d attempted to avoid.
Capitano exhaled a tad shakily as you did so, and within seconds, you were no longer in his lap, instead pressed into the mattress, the harbinger bending over you with burning desire alighting in his eyes, though he attempted to fix that immediately, his face quickly morphing back to his stern and irritated expression.
“I’ll repeat myself once.” His dark hair pooled around your face, a curtain making sure you could look nowhere else but his furious expression. “Appeals to desire will not work on me. Stop trying to change my mind. It will not happen.”
“I’m not! I was just trying to get off you.”
“Save the lies.” He hissed. “You think you’ve got me wrapped around your thumb, don’t you? A foolish man too idiotic to see how his wife is manipulating him into doing her bidding? I’ll have no part in it.”
“Why do you keep implying that I’m trying to- to seduce you?” You looked to the side, his hair an easier sight than the utter malice pouring forth from his person. The bed creaked under the weight suddenly forced on one side. “I’ve done nothing of the sort.”
“Then either you are an idiot, unknowing of the effect you have on me, or a liar.” He scoffed. “Though, in light of recent events, it would not be so hard to assume a lack of intelligence in your case.”
“Can you say even a single sentence without insulting me? Or is that out of your reach?” Rejuvenated in your anger, you slapped his shoulder, as hard as you could in this position, repeating it when there was no immediate backlash. It did not even slightly shift his position atop of you, but it did make his expression darken even further. You did not let it intimidate you any longer, and instead met his face with your own livid eyes. “I’ll play no part in whatever game you think you’re playing. Either let me sleep in my own room, or stop making me feel bad with every syllable coming out of that mouth.” 
 For once, he didn’t immediately respond with more insults, and instead looked down at you with what you could only describe as pure disdain. The hair on your arms rose up as you waited for him to say anything in return, since you didn’t feel safe enough to continue voicing your feelings. Whatever remaining patience he had, it had died out. 
“That’s enough.” Capitano remarked, softer than you’d expected. 
He sat up and got out of bed.
With a casual, almost relaxed stride, he walked over to his armoire and opened it. For a second you expected him to get dressed and leave you here, which wasn’t ideal, but also didn’t oppose you as much as you knew it should. 
Instead, he fished out three strips of blue leather you remembered he used to clasp on the armor on his torso, and walked back toward you, the creepy smile he suddenly wore freaking you out way more than his anger ever had. It stretched over his face, conveying more darkness than his glare had ever been capable of.
Scuttering over to the edge of the bed, you nearly crawled away far enough to escape his reach, but he grabbed your thigh just in time and kept you in place just like that, not needing to even use a modicum of his actual strength. 
“What- What are you doing?”
He didn’t reply, but kept the smile on his face, the expression seeming unnatural on him. For a second, you wondered if this was why he kept his face hidden, since no human being could look at such an expression of mutilated joy and remain convinced Capitano had any humanity left in his heart. 
He bound your hands to the wooden head of the bed, ignoring your frantic slaps to his chest and shoulders as you tried to stop him. When both your hands were tied, you tried to kick him, but as if completing a simple chore, he bound them together, making your movement too restrained to be able to reach him. 
“You cannot say I haven’t attempted to handle this more delicately.” Lastly, he tore a bit of your night dress and forced it inside your mouth, tying it around your head to end up as a makeshift gag. “I dined with you, protected you from those who’d cause you harm, and didn’t even try to fuck you without your clear expressed interest. I handled my ends, and if you hadn’t insisted on being such a brat, you could’ve been well asleep by now. Instead, we are stuck with this situation.” 
“I have realized that while you are as weak as they make them, you require a hard hand to steer.” For the first time tonight, he handled you with relative gentle touches, even caressing your cheek. “Do not worry. I will fulfill that role without complaint. I care enough about you to do so.”
4K notes · View notes
lifeinpoetry · 1 year
Text
I’m greedy / as any god. More scars.
— Shelley Puhak, from "portrait of the artist in the pediatrician’s waiting room," Harbinger
937 notes · View notes
mossymandibles · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Some more stuff of Harbinger and Nimbus
262 notes · View notes
Text
Ultimate Word Tournament!
Season 2
torille (Finnish) /ˈtorilːe/ "to the market square!" commonly used as an exclamation or celebration when anything Finnish is mentioned in a non-Finnish setting.
harbinger (English) /ˈhɑr.bɪn.dʒər/ A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
280 notes · View notes
moobble · 11 months
Text
You asked for it (Capitano)
!!SMUT UNDER THE CUT!! 
Virgin nb reader, aphrodisiac, oral (receiving), slight mention of overstim, possessiveness 
Tumblr media
You wanted nothing more than to tease the high ranking man known as ‘The Captain’. His arrogance made you want to catch him off-guard for starters. Scaring him from around the corner in the quarters, electrocuting him when you’re alone, sometimes even tackling him to the ground. And all of that was to get at least a tiny reaction, a gasp, a groan, a flinch. Yet, nothing of the sort was released. The masked man was as stoic and as rigid as ever.
“Come on, it can’t be that hard!” You kept telling yourself. “This is just try #13604! I can do it! That scum won’t be so confident soon!” You were once again heading up to his room. You were sure he was in a meeting at this time. So sure that you didn’t even need to get a second glance at the schedule assigned to him. It was just a perk as his assistant. 
You were searching for a little something as blackmail. You had no idea where to start, as his room was filled with storage units and whatnot. Upon entering his room, a lovely scent hit your nostrils, making you feel slightly tired. But who were you to give up? Despite the comforting incense and luxurious decorations, you still wanted to get a reaction from the harbinger. 
Starting with his wardrobe. Stepping around the king-sized bed, you opened the dark wardrobe littered with silver accents. Suits and tuxes were hanged up, complete by the few sets of shoes underneath them. You took a closer look inside pockets, unopened boxes and even shoes. To no one’s surprise, there wasn’t anything blackmail worth.
Checking his bookshelves, desk drawers and other places, the only place left was the walk-in closet next to the bathroom. Not wanting to risk anything, you gently opened to closet door and peeked inside. Your eyes were met with darkness. A rather good sign, to be honest. You pushed the light switch to turn on the lights. Seems like the coast is clear. You went inside and started checking out his clothes. Some were designer, some weren’t. Some were ripped and others were polished. Quite bipolar, but it gives him some personality. It’s good to see that at least his clothes were like any other person’s. Yet, this still wasn’t what you were looking for.
It’s getting quite hot in this room. You turned on the AC, hoping to cool off a bit. Does warmth help keep clothes clean? I think I should probably do some research or my own... You deadpanned. A wonderful scent filled the room, making you almost unable to stand. You sat down on the soft cushioned chair in the middle of the room, sweat beads rolling down your skin. “So hot...” You mumbled out, fumbling with the hem of your shirt. You debated on taking your shirt off, still thinking of all the possibilities. Still, not wanting to suffer overheating, you lifted the shirt up and threw it to a far away corner. 
Before the scent could shut down your senses, you hear a click and the AC shut off, making you whine at the increasing heat your body was producing. “Tried to sneak up on me again? Too bad I already knew about your plan.” You heard the deep voice from the entrance. “And you have fallen for my trap. Such a naive little thing you are...” The man chuckled, now closer than before. You could hear every step getting closer and closer to you. “I mean, you should’ve known from the start. Just when you entered. The smell, it was very little, but enough for anyone to tell it was an aphrodisiac.” You tried sitting up, only to be pushed back down. 
“So hot...” You mewled, barely making any sense of the words coming out of his mouth. “Of course, any inexperienced person wouldn’t know of such things. But I, for one, thought you would back away from the scent. Now, you know that I’ve got you wrapped around my finger.” Little did you know, some of your attempts at teasing him made his face flush or his breath hitch. This time, the temptation was too much to let you go. Seeing you squirm under his gaze, incoherent words spill from your mouth. “Now all you need to do for me is relax.” 
The much bigger man backed away, waiting for your invitation. “Please,” you quietly begged, pulling your waistband down. You struggled a bit, twisting and turning before you finally got rid of all the clothing articles on your body. “Very well.” The Captain made his way over to you, kneeling in front of you and spreading your legs apart. He got a good look at your glistening intimates, feeling mesmerized by the mere sight of it. You squirmed a bit at his breath hitting the sensitive organ. 
Capitano then let go of your thighs for a moment, unclipping his mask and putting it to the side. His beautiful eyes gazed up at your face as he kissed and licked your inner thighs, teasing you with his smirk as his mouth got closer to your core. He gazed at your eyes longingly before giving your sensitivity a thorough lick. His eyes now focused on it, hands gripping your thighs. His tongue left tiny licks, looking at the facial expressions you were making every time. 
You pleaded for more of his touch until he complied, using his hand. He just looked at the way you reacted under his touch for a moment before returning his mouth to work. Capitano was licking and sucking on your most sensitive body part at this moment, making you unable to think of anything other than the pleasure, the leftover aphrodisiac in the air filling up your body. 
“Come on, cum for me, you pretty little thing.” The harbinger let out a low growl which vibrated throughout your body, finally making you snap. Your body shook, tears rimming from your eyes. “Just you know, I don’t plan on stopping until you’ve passed out.” And he meant it, slowly slithering his tongue inside your hole, still stimulating you, prolonging your pleasure. You were pretty sure everyone in the quarters could hear you. Of course they could, Capitano made sure of that, leaving all the doors open. 
“Won’t stop ‘till everyone knows you’re mine...”
Part 2 maybe??? Written on 2023.04.29 3:35PM
445 notes · View notes
n0brainjustvibes · 6 months
Text
I'm harbinger. And I'm harbinger And - (x5)
THE NUMBER LADS BROTHERS
193 notes · View notes
tartar-sous · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
beauty and beast tartali au ft harbingers (2022)
⚠️Only use “TartaLi” when tagging our Tartaglia x Zhongli work, don't tag it as “Zho//ng//Chi” or “Zho//ng//ChiLi". Respect our hard work, thanks.⚠️
262 notes · View notes
alissa-xyz · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The number of bullets falling from their suits was comedy gold!
253 notes · View notes
childesglove · 1 year
Text
Did You Cheat On Me? Revenge Taste Bitter
Summary: Childe thought you had cheated on him and he decided he was going to take revenge, even if it hurts both of you. PS: Nobody cheated so don’t worry
Part 2
Warnings: Angst with comfort, Hurt, Implied Violence, Reader has anxiety attack, not proof read, verbal abuse, a lot of screaming
____________________________________________________
“Tell me, who is that man?” Childe yanked your arms towards him harshly making you fall towards him, “ did you cheat on me?” His face was contorted in a fiery rage, there was this coldness in his eyes that sent a shiver down your spine.
“What are you talking about?” You shook your head, confused and offended that Childe would even ask you this. Did he think this lowly of you?
“Don’t.You.Lie.” Childe’s hands were balled into fists so tightly his knuckles turned white before he suddenly hit the wall beside you with a loud thud. You jolted as your eyes widened in shock and fear, you did not understand what was going on and you never saw Childe acting this.. violently around you.
“What the fuck? Childe what the hell was that..” you raised your voice but he cut you off, “ you unfaithful bitch, I’ll make you regret this.” With that, he slammed the door shut leaving you alone.
The next few days was pure hell.
You lost your job. When your Ex is a harbinger, there’s nothing much you can really do when he decided he’s going to ruin your life. All the years you spent studying, fighting for your dream were all like a joke now.
“Ajax, can we-“ you stepped into his office but was brought into an abrupt halt when you saw him holding another women. Your fingers trembled as you clutched the strap of your bag tightly, you stood there frozen as your eyes met his.
He was smiling.
There was a spark of satisfaction that danced like fire in his eyes, his lips twisted into a slight smirk.His smile dropped when he saw a single tear slipped out of your eye.
Your breath hitched, unsure of where to look as more tears start to escape. You felt like you can’t breath, you knew that familiar feeling.
An incoming anxiety attack. Something you have not experienced since you got together with Ajax. Because he’s always there to tell you everything is okay, hush you to sleep when you’re trembling and shaking.
The man that made you forget pain taught you what betrayal felt like today.
You felt disgusting.
Childe gaze lingered on your back as you left, he did this out of spite but there was no sense of satisfaction, the taste of revenge felt bitter and awful.
With a sudden, violent motion, he swept his arm across the table, sending his books flying in all directions. “ Get the fuck out.”
The fatui subordinate, who disguised as his new girlfriend, scrambled and quickly took her bag and left quickly.
Part 2 coming soon
578 notes · View notes
kamvna · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media
arlecchino ✧ the knave
390 notes · View notes
monkeyhazard · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
"Il Dottore" 🧪
1K notes · View notes
hypnoswrites · 2 years
Text
Thunderstorms at Night
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
Finally! The sweetest and most patient @genuinelydisappointed commissioned me for this piece, and I hope you all enjoy the final part of wife and husband <3
WARNINGS: graphic detailing of injuries, mention of needles, yandere Capitano, mention of murder, marriage, mention of nsfw, 4k words
Tumblr media
It is raining outside. 
The quick realisation comes to you moments after waking up, though you’ve yet to open your eyes. It is the gentle pitter patter against the windows, the stream of water cascading down the drain, that makes the rain obvious nonetheless. It soothes you, as it has always done. This was the kind of weather where you’d be permitted to run toward your mother’s chambers and cuddle up, feigning a fright for thunderstorms you’d never really possessed. 
And yet you still ran, and cried, just so your mother would sigh and pat the bed, allowing you comfort and safety in her arms. 
Rather slowly, your eyes do blink open, though they shut just as fast, realizing it is not even close to dawn yet. 
It is cold, despite your firm clutch on the blankets. It stops you from immediately falling back asleep, and is probably why you woke up in the first place. There’s no fire in the room, as there’d not been need of it yet, though your tolerance for the cold is less than most Snezhnayan’s. Nonetheless, the chill that now courses through the room finds no rival in the cloth that covers you, making you shiver and curl up to try and get warmer. 
It hadn’t been this bad yet, though your toes had felt freezing yesterday as well, but you’d not woken up from it in the midst of night. Not like tonight. It’d always been manageable, the warm skin of your husband heating you up through the harshest nights Teyvat had to offer.
Ah. 
There was the issue. 
He was not here yet. 
Since returning to the castle, you’d seen little of him. He went between training, to work, to even more work. The few moments you did get were overwhelmingly dense with passion, as Capitano tried to make use of his time as efficiently as possible, throwing you over his shoulder whenever he had a moment to return to you. The nights had so far been yours as well, but it seemed tonight things had drawn out.
You folded the pillow over itself, pressing your face firmly in the soft fabric.
It was probably around three in the morning, if the darkness was anything to go by. You’d slept quite deeply before your awakening, your body still overwhelmed with emotions stemming from something imaginary. It was miraculous how a mere fantasy from the brain could create such immense emotions, yet be forgotten merely moments after opening ones eyes.
As expected, you couldn’t really fully remember your dream, just that it was strange. There were still scenes flashing through your brain, events that had surely taken place during your slumber. You’d seen old friends, the bakery you used to steal small baked goods from when you were a child, the stern governess your mother hired that had tried- and debatably- failed to teach you how to act like a lady. The plot of the dream was non-sensical at best, and frightening at worst, and felt more like a haze than something you’d ever fully be able to remember, even though currently it felt like it was on the tip of your tongue. 
By the time you re-awoke to the sound of the door opening, you hardly realized you’d even fallen asleep again.
No dream this time.
The light from the corridor slipped through the room for just a second as your husband walked through the door, the candlelight immediately dissipating as the door closed. It was definitely him, you could tell, even though his gait sounded... off. Normally he barged into rooms, uncaring how the rinkle of his armour and the power in his stride would straighten every spine on this side of Teyvat. Now it sounded slow, and the pace was more akin to someone with a limp. 
You, slowly and with bleary eyes, turned around in bed to face the entrance, meeting eyes with Capitano, though you wondered if he could even see you in the darkness. 
Even if he couldn’t see you, he clearly heard you turn around.
“Go back to sleep.” He grumbled, making his way to the bed, clutching his side in a way you’d never seen him before. “It’s late.” 
“Are you okay?”
He sighed and removed his helmet, placing it gently on the bedside table. “I’m fine.”
Deciding to just ignore everything he said, you sat up in bed and crawled toward him, close enough so you could see what was wrong, even if there was barely any light. He didn’t look back at you as you approached, continuing to remove his armour, huffing as he did so. 
The reason for his obvious discomfort became clear very fast, dark red splotches on his skin, wounds covering the entire upper half of his body. A particular nasty gash on his left rib in particular caused you concern, the cloth surrounding it soaked in blood. 
“Oh- Oh no.” You whispered, immediately jumping out of bed and sprinting towards the door, opening it to quickly grab a candelabra stationed just outside. When you returned, the yellow light confirmed exactly what you’d already seen, the tell-tale red hue of blood all over his body. “You’re hurt.”
“I told you to go back to- damnit.” Still clutching his side, probably trying to stall the bleeding, his shoulders tensed when you went to stand next to him. “Will there ever be a time in my life where you’ll just listen to me?”
“Not when you’re acting like this!” Your judgement of the severity of his injuries was severely halted by a lack of medical knowledge. The only thing you could say was that there was a whole lot of blood. “Isn’t there a doctor here?”
Capitano shook his head with a slight bit of disdain. “None that I want to see.”
“Okay, uhm, is it okay then if we just bandage it up? Or at least wash it?” You touched his shoulder to get him to look at you, and tried to look as concerned as possible, since convincing him to do something he didn’t want to was complicated in its own right. “How did you even get hurt?”
“Someone troublesome demanded I spar with him.” The clasps on his shoulders came loose, his cape unceremoniously falling to the floor. The loss of weight seemed to relieve him, as eager hands continued to pull off the thick metal covering his body. “I believe he is currently in worse shape, if that’s any consolation.”
“It is not.” You sternly scolded. “Now, come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Even if I say I wish to rest instead?”
“Especially then.” You felt yourself grow slightly more fearful, the hesitant steps Capitano took and the blue complexion of his face worrying you more for his safety than you’d ever felt the need of before. “Please do not tell me you feel cold. I don’t want you to die.”
“You don’t?” A humourless smile appeared on his face. “It’d make life quite a bit easier for you. You could live of the fortune left behind without me troubling you any longer.”
“Don’t joke like that,” pushing down the urge to flick his forehead, you placed your hands on your hips, trying to look as authoritative as you could. In his eyes, you probably only ended up looking meddlesome. “now, let’s get you cleaned up.”                                                                                            
“…If you insist.”
“I insist.” You stated, standing up and grabbing his forearm, leading him toward the bathroom. There was quite a lot of luxury in this new abode, and the massive bathtub was one of the newest opulent gifts you’d received in your stay. Somehow the water was always warm, even though the current weather caused your toes to feel like they would freeze against the stone flooring, and the windows were blue in their frozen state. The constant heat of the water had something to do with a pyro vision, you’d heard. “You can’t go to bed like this.”
He scoffed, as if you were an idiot for thinking this was a big deal, but followed along nonetheless.
As the two of you entered the bathroom, its clean light blue interior greeting you as the wind greeted a traveller stepping outside, you let Capitano walk ahead of you, as he, despite his complaining, clearly knew what to do next. All you could do was stay near with a vague sense of dread, every little flinch he supressed as clear as day to your eyes. It seemed impossible for him to behave this way, you reckoned, as you’d never even considered he could be in pain like this. He’d always carried his scarred visage as a battle trophy, something to be proud of, not something born from agony.
Your hand shot forward and slowly touched his shoulder, pulling back immediately to investigate the red hue now staining your skin. It was bright red, even though the wound itself more accurately resembled black at this point.
He glanced upward as you did so, before deciding any further admonishment wasn’t worth the trouble, nor did he have the energy for it. A small mercy, in your case. While he rid himself of the final pieces of armor still clinging to sweaty skin, you readied the bath, looking over the balms and soaps next to the wide metal tub, wondering if any of them would be nice to put in. In the end you decided against it, the soap probably irritating his wounds more than it would clean.
Turning around, you noticed he’d undressed fully, as naked as the day he was born. Having grown used to the sight, your surprise only lasted mere seconds. It wasn’t like this was a sexual occasion, so there was no need for any discomfort to settle inside you.
Like this you could see the extent of his injuries as clear as day, and the sight did not soothe your worries. His entire torso, which you hadn’t been able to bruise even once despite multiple attempts to, was purple with yellow splotches. There were multiple gashes, and any spot that wasn’t covered in bruises was clotted with blood.
“Are you sure we don’t need to call in someone with healing powers?” You muttered, eyes growing wide at the sight of so much red. “This…” You motioned to his entire body. “Is too much.”
Capitano looked in the full-body mirror and grabbed some things from the dresser next to it. As far as you remembered, there’d only been robes and cloth inside that dresser, but Capitano fished out several arm lengths of thread and a rounded needle. You’d been present when a farmer had accidentally cut off his thumb while cutting meat, and you recognized the supplies to be used for sewing wounds shut.
More objections sprouted in your mind, but you didn’t voice any of them. He hadn’t responded to your question of involving someone with a vision, and that seemed to be intentional. When he noticed your worried glances and the frown on your face when he threaded the needle, he made eye contact through the mirror.
“You’ve already convinced me to clean it up. You don’t need to be here for this.” He said as he started sewing up the gash, needle disappearing into skin with practised ease. He barely looked at the skin before he pushed the needle through, tugging on the string to keep it taut. It saddened you that he’d probably been tasked with this a hundred times over, and you were also happy you’d convinced him to do this now instead of in the morning. He could’ve bled to death right by your side, a morbid thought that made you feel rather queasy. “Go back to sleep.”
“No,” You shook your head, feeling nauseous watching him sew himself shut, yet refusing to avert your eyes without reason. “I do need to be here.”
“Why?”
You pondered the question a few moments, deciding to fix the lighting while thinking about it, if only as an excuse to not watch him work any longer. The only light source currently was the candelabra you’d nicked from the hallway, but getting some other candles lit would surely help him see where he was pointing the needle.
“I think,” you started, pushing the fire of the candelabra close to a second candle, igniting it’s wick so the room was lit up with more yellow light, flickering against the blue stone walls. “you shouldn’t be alone during moments like this. I wouldn’t want to be alone if I was hurt.”
“That’s you.” He mocked, a cruel edge to his words. “You never want to be alone.”
“Okay, then just humour me.” Having grown accustomed to his casual insults, you tended to completely gloss over them these days. He never seemed to truly mean them, anyway. The time when you would’ve sputtered or run away at his words in a fit of anger was long past. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing you were bandaging yourself up all alone.”
Rather quickly, the gash on his side was completely sewed shut. You asked whether he also needed to sew the others, but without even blinking, he pressed his index finger into several of the smaller wounds, judging their depth and severity. As he withdrew his finger from the final wound on his shoulder, he shrugged and walked toward the bathtub, gruffly exclaiming more stitches wouldn’t be necessary.
You’d watched with a mad thumping in your chest, disbelieving how he could do something like that so callously. Still, making any more comments on how you believed he needed actual medical attention would only further anger him, and you didn’t want him to completely neglect his own health just to aggravate you.
Capitano stepped inside the bath you prepared.
The water turned red immediately, the liquid flowing off of his side in steady waves. Despite the pain the heat probably caused after being so cold for so long, Capitano didn’t even flinch, settling down in the water without pausing for a second. You dragged a small stool from the chambers into the bathroom and sat next to him.
The bathtub was big, but the man inside it was clearly not its intended audience, Capitano’s knees needing to bend just so he could sit down completely. His arms he draped over the sides, hands casually in the water, and as the warm water started feeling comfortable instead of searing, he threw his head back, black hair falling over the edge as he closed his eyes and sighed. Despite his exhaustion being palpable, you stayed by his side, a gut feeling telling you it was the right thing to do despite being excused many times already.
Minutes ticked by, and as the water turned from clear to opaque to fully red, and the man himself had yet to say a word, you took a moment to try and imagine what had happened to your husband. A fight with someone troublesome, right? Capitano had mentioned the other to be in worse shape currently, which he could’ve said as a euphemism for death, but you didn’t think he’d mince his words like that.
So the other person had survived.
That was something new.
Normally, whenever you heard about your husband battling someone, the end result was always the same. His opponents died, often in gruesome enough ways to be whispered of in the halls of the castle, though you still believed some guards were exaggerating, as you couldn’t believe the tale you’d heard of Capitano drowning a recruit in a puddle of water after they’d joked about the way the harbinger addressed you.
Still, even if it was fake, it was sort of heart-warming that his affection for you was common knowledge among his soldiers, common enough for them to make up fake stories to scare new recruits. Looking at your husband, his eyes still closed as he relaxed into the warmth of the bath, you were suddenly overcome with affection.
Blaming the fluttering inside your chest for being tired, you reached into the bloody water and grabbed his hand, lifting it out of the water. His shoulders tensed as if he was ready to pull back his arm any second now if you did something suspicious, though his eyes didn’t open just yet. His hands were covered in callouses, the mark of a hard-fought life, but his knuckles held your attention currently: the skin completely shaved open, several small streams of blood flowing from the injuries.
“Did you punch someone?”
One eye opened.
“…Yes.”
“Hmm.” For some reason, you did not know why you’d asked the question, especially since the answer seemed so obvious. “Does it hurt?”
“I am not a little kid you need to soothe, wife.” He tugged his hand out of your grip, but you immediately grasped it again, making him narrow his eyes. “Do not belittle me.”
“I am not belittling you.” You said with heavy emphasis, hoping to carry across how little impressed you were with his constant need to interpret your behaviour in the worst way possible. “I just wish you wouldn’t hurt yourself like this. Even if it is something you can handle.”
“Technically I did not do it myself.” He specified, looking off at the wall while he said so, clearly thinking of the incident that had brought forth these wounds. “And you knew what kind of man I was when you married me. Women don’t marry military men for their long life spans.”
“This is the second time you’ve implied I married you for the money.” A teasing smile edged your face, though it felt disingenuous even to yourself, as you didn’t find it all that funny. It was meant more to ease up the tension in the room, the atmospheric weight of the situation pressing down on your shoulders. “Is that really what you think of me?”
While he didn’t reply, his implied reaction was clear, judging by his faux disinterested expression and tensing of fingers.
‘What other reason could there be?’
You raised his hand out of the water again and resumed looking over the wounds on his knuckles, something about them catching your interest again and again. Before you knew what you were doing, you raised his hand up to your lips and pressed a kiss against the skin. The sound of a sharp inhale came from your husband as you did so, the action clearly taking him off guard.
Still in a remarkably affectionate mood, you let go of his hand and repositioned your stool so it was right behind the bathtub. Without thinking of asking permission, you leaned over his shoulder and pooled some water in your hands, raising it to the top of his head. Drenching his hair at the roots, you grabbed some nice smelling oil and started rubbing it in his dark hair.
“What are you doing?”
“…Washing your hair?” Despite his clear confusion at your actions, you continued, knowing how nice it felt. There was something so comforting about someone else softly massaging your scalp. It felt like ages since someone had done it for you, but the warmth inside your chest at the memories was good enough. “It feels nice, right?”
Capitano didn’t say a word, but also didn’t move away, letting your fingers gently run through his hair, washing out the few clots of blood and tangles. While the task itself was pretty dull, it felt nice to see your calm ministrations ease his mind, his shoulders lowering and his jaw untensing probably for the first time in weeks.
“You should get hurt more often.” You joked. “We could have more nice moments like this if you did.”
For once, instead of an instant bitter retort, Capitano just kept quiet and seemed to think about your words.
Regretting the joke, since it clearly didn’t land accordingly, you ready yourself for an apology, but halt when Capitano turns around partially. His eyes are dark and with the way he turned around, you can see his muscles tensing underneath the water, opaque as it is, though you try to blame the flickering candlelight for the bleak image, since you do not want to even entertain the thought that he intends to look as dangerous as he does.
“Do you hate me?” The sudden dramatic question takes you off-guard, and while he’d made an effort to make the question sound as neutral as possible as if the answer would be inconsequential, only someone deaf would miss the vulnerability hiding underneath. The danger hiding underneath.
Uncaring of the fact that he is looking at you while you do so, you continue to rub the oil in his hair, pooling more water in your hands whenever necessary.
It’s hard to hate an injured man, and so you do not. Whether or not you hated him in day-to-day life was unimportant, and you wouldn’t be able to figure out a set answer anyway. Some days you loved him, loved how he protected you and gave you a place to stay, and some days you abhorred him for everything he did along the way.
The friends and autonomy you’d lost, or the comfort you’d gained.
It would do you no good to hate him, you pondered as he waited for your answer. If you were good to him, surely he’d be better to you. He’d promised that tenfold, at the very least. Spending your days feeling bitter and angry over what could not be changed was the least fruitful action you could think to take. It was better to love him and ignore the voice in the back of your mind that repeated your grievances over and over.
“I don’t.” You said, still unsure whether it was a lie or not. “Do you hate me?”
He stopped staring at you, returning to his earlier position. “Yes.”
“Oh?” You hadn’t expected that, and slowly stopped washing out his hair, wiping your wet hands on your upper thigh. The water was warm, so it felt pleasant. “That’s unfortunate. How come?”
He inhaled deeply and started speaking.
“You are a naïve and idiotic woman, overly attached and friendly with every person you come across.” At that you nearly smiled, knowing he was still bitter over you hitting it off with one of the Fatui soldiers while travelling. You’d never seen his fist as clenched as when you’d laughed at one of the soldier’s jokes. “You cry constantly, lack any sort of foresight, and spend your days tending to useless hobbies. You lack reason and have clearly made up your mind to defy me at any turn in the road.”
“And yet you seek me out daily, spend quite a lot of time in my bed, and get angry when I so much as leave the castle.”
The response is instantaneous. “You’d get hurt.”
“Why would you care?” You couldn’t drop your smile, his adamant refusal to admit any sort of affection toward you somehow making your heart swell more than with any other sort of kindness he’d granted you so far. “Don’t you hate me?”
“I do despise you, wife.” He repeated, adamantly. “Your lack of belief in my words is just another reason for it to be so.”
“Of course.” You hum with a mocking tinge to your voice.
“Stop that.”
“Hmhmm.”
“Ugh.” He scoffs before promptly lifting himself up and getting out of the bath. “You are incorrigible.”
Capitano doesn’t look back as he grabs a towel and a roll of bandages, immediately vacating the bathroom to return to bed. You softly laugh as he leaves, draining the tub and taking a moment to relax before joining him. It is late, and you are tired.
The second you get into bed, candles already snuffed out, familiar hands meet you halfway and drag you into a warm embrace. The heat of the water is still on his skin, defeating the chill you’d felt all evening. You’d never wake up if he kept holding you like this, the peak of comfort achieved in his arms. The stubborn words of hatred he’d spoken earlier repeat in your mind, but it’s hard to take them seriously as the harbinger presses his lips against your forehead.
“Do you love me?” You ask, to remedy the remaining doubt tickling the back of your mind.
He sighs against the nook in your neck, and tightens his hold, nearly squeezing the breath out of your lungs. There’s not an inch of space between the two of you, and it’s clear he doesn’t want it any other way.
“Of course I do.”
2K notes · View notes
lifeinpoetry · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
— Shelley Puhak, from "portrait of the artist as an artist," Harbinger
646 notes · View notes
mossymandibles · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Another byrd :3c
Harbinger’s one of the larger male Albatross griffins and is quite the territorial ass.
He’s certainly not one of Sylvaine’s pets but he seems to respect her nonetheless, enough to steer clear of her estate at least. This baffles others.
154 notes · View notes
Text
Ultimate Word Tournament!
Season 2
harbinger (English) /ˈhɑr.bɪn.dʒər/ A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
panromantic (English) /ˌpænɹəʊˈmæntɪk/ romantically attracted to people of any gender.
224 notes · View notes