#i'm sure there are things that would have clicked with zhongli but

[ashhh-14]

Tropes? Tropes but make it good

Characters- Diluc, Kaeya, Bennett, Albedo, Razor, Venti, Zhongli, Xiao, Baizhu, Xingqui, Chongyun, Tartaglia, Heizou, Ayato, Gorou, Thoma, Itto, Scaramouce, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Cyno, Tighnari, Neuvillette, Lyney, Wriothesley, Freminet,

Warning- suggestive in chongyun's (dw he's aged up here bubs)

Note- All characters are aged, a dot '.' Meaning scene change , font meaning past memory.

A/n- hope you enjoy!

Baizhu

Doctor patient dynamic

Gentle hands rubbing your back constantly as your coughing fit seemed endless once again. "I-I don't think I'll be able to watch the next lantern right with you like I promised doctor Baizhu." You smiled through the pain, the said man sighing, "Stop doubting my abilities as a Doctor (Y/n). You'll get better." Running his hand through your hair as you layed down, exhaustion making your eyes droop close. "I'll make sure of it, my Little Violet."

Kaveh

Childhood friends to lovers

"Look what I made!" He looked up as you placed something on his head, one hand coming up to touch it, " A flower crown?" "Mhm. Just for you!" He blushed.

.

"I got you something Kaveh~" He turned to you from where he was writing his thesis, "(Y/n) how many times do I have to say you don't have to buy me art supplies. Um let me buy you lunch as repayment." He looked into your eyes with a gentle gaze as you hopped on the desk beside his papers, placing a box. "Too bad. I already made some for the both of us." "(Y/-" his words got cut short as you gently placed your finger on his lips, "shush Kaveh."

Al haitham

Academic rivals to lovers

"Ugh not again." You muttered under your breath as you looked at the list of top scorers. "Try harder. Maybe you'll be able to get a little better if you work on your gold fish attention span." A voice came as someone passed by, knowing very well who this person was as you sighed in irritation.

.

Soft clicks of shoes were the only echos in the house of daena as Al haitham made his way towards a bookshelf, his eyes falling onto a figure. He placed his book on the table gently, rounding the table, he placed the pen down from your hand as he placed his cloak on your shoulders, covering you to keep you warm as he pushed the hair away from your face. "Stop pushing yourself so hard."

Wanderer

Grumpy x Sunshine

"Oh c'mon would it kill you to come with me?" You pleaded as your partner kept ignoring your request, "There's no point in me going with you-" "I think you should go with them. It'll broaden your spectrum and give you a new way of looking at things." A gentle voice came as your eyes sparkled at the person. "See?! Even Lesser Lord Kusunali agrees with me!" "NOT YOU TOO " He yelled, grumbling. You pout, crossing your arms over your chest as you stood up, "I'll be leaving Lord Kusunali, since he doesn't want to go, I'll go and ask Cyno. I heard there's a new card back released there too, he'll be happy to come with me." Nahida blinked up at you as you started walking, observing how your frown turned into a sly smirk as soon as a hand gripped your wrist. "Not happening. I'm coming with you."

Cyno

Co workers to lovers

"Hmm how long do you think this water will last us here Cyno?" You eyed the big bag of water in your hand as you kept walking on the flaming sand in the middle of the desert, "It should last us till tonight. Don't worry, there's a village nearby, we can restock our supplies and get some well desserved rest." You looked at Cyno, unamused "Get it? It's because we're in a dese-" For the first time he cut himself from his explanation, you sighing as if the heavens saved you as he told you to stay put, going to converse with a group of eremites that were closeby. You took a seat in the shade of a giant rock. 'Wait, why is he coming back with a-' "Get on it. Your feet aren't used to the hot sand of the desert, they're already red from the external temperature, it'd be bad if they get blisters. I borrowed us this Sumpter Beast, we'll return this on our way back." Your face started getting warmer, whether it was because of the temperature of desert or your general Mahamatra, you didn't know.

Tighnari

Student teacher dynamic

"Ow!" A book came in contact with your head as you sat on the chair listening to your master's unending lecture. "So the next time I see you head into a withering zone all on your own, I'll be cutting down your sweets that you love so much." Your eyes widened at that, not your sweets! "What did my sweets ever do to you! Plus, I had it covered in the whithering zone!" Smack "Ouch! Stop hitting me-!" Your breath got caught in your throat as Tighnari placed his book under your chin, tilting it upwards as he brought his face close to yours, looking into your eyes, "Next time you won't be doing something so reckless. Okay my Lotus?"

Heizou

Undercover agent(you) to lovers

[ (C/n) -> cover name]

"I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going!" You apologised to the young looking male. "Oh it's totally fine. Don't worry about it" He smiled, asking what your name was. "(C/n)" You replied, your smile widening when he asked if you'd like to go get a cup of coffee with him.

.

"Can you actually be serious for once Heizou?" You rolled your eyes as you kept walking through Chinju forest, sighing at your companion's carefree nature. He chuckled, " You want me to be serious huh?" You nodded," yes! It'd be- wa-!" Your sentence was cut off as your back hit a tree bark, your eyes leveling with none other than Heizou's himself. You shifted as he gazed at you in silence, noticing how he got much closer as each moment passed. His lips barely apart from your ear, he whispered, "Is this serious enough for you?.....(Y/n)."

Xiao

Eternal acquaintances to lovers

"You guys just loveee drawing on his face while he's sleeping don't you" you chuckled, feeling the cool breeze as other 4 yakshas drew little shapes on the face of the one sleeping. "Oh you know his expression is priceless whenever he finds out what we did!" Bosacius laughed.

.

"Do you ever know when to take a break?!" You were used to scolding him, and he was used to hearing it. A little too used to it. "Don't you smile when I'm here telling you to take care of yourself!"

.

Your eyes opened slowly, sounds of fireworks and a hand stroking your hair waking you up. You rubbed the haze out of your eyes, "Did they already start?" You pushed yourself up from what you thought to be ground, but lifting your head up you realised it was, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" He shushed you, gazing down at you gently as his thumb stroked your cheek. Your face grew warm as you sat up to avoid his stare, only to be turned around, feeling his head on your shoulder, his breath on your neck sending shivers down your spine. "S-Shouldn't you watch the fireworks as well?" You stuttered out, not able to focus on the display yourself. He just sighed, tightening his grip around you.

Zhongli

Newly shifted neighbours to lovers

He was in the middle of pouring himself some freshly brewed tea when a knock landed on his door. Your head tilted upwards to look at the tall male. You didn't know what you expected your neighbour to look like but you certainly didn't think of this. He looked... ethereal. "Umm I just shifted here and please take this." You handed him a paper bag. He looked at it and then at you, smiling, "Grace me with your company over some tea?"

.

"You really don't have to stay up this late for me." You said apologetically to the man sitting beside you, helping you with your thesis you had to write last minute. "It's totally okay. So as I was saying, this part of Liyue------" this went on for hours until he saw you rubbing your eyes. He chuckled," Is Liyue's history that boring?" "Wha- no of course not! It's interesting. I've never thought Liyue had so much to it." You smiled. A large hand came up to cup your cheek, making you look at him, and suddenly you realised how close you two were sitting for all this time. "Sleep's evident in your eyes" he noted as your eyes became hazy with sleep, "I'll take you to bed. My little dove."

Albedo

Klee's babysitter to lovers

"Klee no bombing the fishes again!!" You said to the little girl, so done with her shenanigans for this week. The little girl pouted, looking down until an idea popped into her head, "Lets go see Albedo then!" She smiled.

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The little ball of sunshine was sleeping peacefully in the corner of Albedo's lab wrapped in two blankets while you laid beside her, trying to fall asleep as well because you had nothing to do and there was nothing Albedo needed help with, but the cold was making it too difficult. Were you actually jealous of a little girl's pyro vision? Absolutely not. You don't know when you fell asleep, or rather, passed out.

'Oh. They're both sleeping peacefully.' He walked up to the two of you, quickly noting how your face looked a little pale. His fingertips touched your skin 'Cold' he thought.

The little girl was the first one awake," Albedo! I had this dre-" she cut herself short when she noticed her brother sleeping too...while holding you close to his chest. "Maybe Klee should sleep some more~!"

Razor

Pack members to lovers

The chase of two little pups continued in wolvendom until they reached Andreas, where they started their chase back to their destination, their minds on the piece of juicy meat the winner will get.

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Some things never really change, like you and Razor having a game of chase. The difference is, however, he's chasing you this time and you two's size differences now that you've all grown up. You landed on the ground with a soft thud, your back hitting the soft grass as you saw Razor on top of you, his skin glistening in sweat as he gave you a cheery smile, "I won again (n/n)!" You playfully rolled your eyes, "Yeah yeah I get you're faster than m- eep-! Razor-!" You giggled, trying to move away as he started licking your face and neck. His hands tightened around your wrists," No running far anymore" He whined.

Chongyun

Strangers to lovers

"But I asked for that popsicle first!"

"And I saw it first!"

"I'm their regular customer!"

"Not like I have them once a year!"

.

You bit off a little chunk of Chongun's icy popsicle," Hey what did I say about no having my popsicle!" You laughed, getting closer to him all of a sudden," Well if you don't want to share this popsicle, I can always make do with the other one you have~" thump

Yes he fainted.

Diluc

[Childhood known] Bartender-owner relationship to lovers

"If you'd like, you can work at my tavern. I can use the help and you can use the money." A kind offer he made to his childhood neighbour when you came back from sumeru and needed a job, not wanting to stay away from your homeland.

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A soft cry left your lips when a broken glass shard pricked your hand, you continued picking up the glass pieces the customer accidentally broke, ignoring the bleeding hand 'I'd have to mop the floor anyway.' A strong yet gentle grip pulled you up and towards the sink to wash and dress your wound, "Why'd you ignore it?" You bit your lip, not knowing how to answer. "Be careful next time." He sighed.

.

The number of people were relatively less today, maybe because of the windbloom festival, giving you an opportunity to relax and unwind with a drink yourself. The door opened as you turned your head to see who it was. "Ah master Diluc! Let me go get you some grape juice-" You were about to stand up when two arms caged you against the counter, leaning towards you," Stop calling me that. It's Diluc for you. Just Diluc."

Ajax

Contract marriage

'To stay with party A's family and take care of party A's siblings, treat A like a husband in front of A's family. The contract shall last for three years.'

Signed, (Y/n)

.

It's been 2 years since you signed that contract, staying with Childe's family wasn't bad, they all treated you very nicely and that a corner of your heart knew that your family was now out of bankruptcy because of this, you were content....for the most part anyway.

"Look who's home~!" A very excited Childe emerged through the main door, his servants taking away the bags he was carrying as he picked up Teucer. "I brought you Mr. Cyclopes figurine Teucer!" You smiled to yourself as you watched each of his sibling hug their older brother, used to watching the scene from afar at this point. What you didn't expect was him making his way up to you, his height towering over yours as you looked up at him confused, your face flushing as he pulled you closer to him by your waist, kissing your forehead, "How have you been my love?"

"G-Good." You stuttered out. All his siblings left the living room to give you two some privacy, happy to see the sight. He brushed the strands away from your face, looking into your eyes," Sorry about that. But I missed you. I don't know why, maybe because I look forward to seeing you now." Your eyes widened, "And... I want to take you with me the next time I leave. If you'll join me."

'Because It's not just a contract to me anymore (Y/n).' He thought.

Xingqui

Library crushes to lovers

Your eyes peeked over the book to look at the blue haired male, quickly hiding behind it again as his eyes fell on you. "Oh god please tell me he didn't see me." You muttered to yourself.

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"The realm of humans was known as the Zhongzhou, while the gods reside in Shenxiao. At the end of-------" he kept explaining the plot of his favourite book, not like you weren't listening, but half your focus was on looking at him.

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"Umm (Y/n). There's this new book shop that opened in north Liyue. Will you join me tomorrow?" Both your faces were warm when he said the words as you nodded shyly.

Itto

Oni dynamic

"Haha I won again! Take that (Y/n)!" The little oni jumped up as he came out victorious again. "Alright alright no need to rub it in the face Mr. Onikabuto."

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"Do you really have to leave (Y/n)?" You nodded as tears pricked your eyes, hearing the sad tone from your oni friend who you've always heard cheery no matter the situation.

.

"As my great partner (Y/n) came back after years of staying in Natlan, they'll be joining the one and oni Arataki gang! Isn't that great!?" The said oni swung an arm around your shoulder as you ducked, "Your arm's heavy Itto!" "Of course it is I'm an Oni you know! You don't expect me to weigh like a twing do you?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "But boss should we trust them? I mean-" "Well of course! I know (Y/n) for agesss do you think I'll take just anyone into the great Arataki gang huh!?" He pointed smugly to himself as you sighed. Yup, he'll never change, and you won't have him any other way.

Kamisato ayato

Arrange marriage

Your eyes faced the floor of komore teahouse during the whole conversation of your father and the head of Kamisato Clan, accompanied with his sister and their most trusted servant. You saw the two Clan heads shaking hands from the corner of your eyes, knowing everything is sealed. You never even saw what your to-be husband looked like.

.

"Wouldn't you look at me even now (Y/n)?" Gentle voice of your soon to-be husband spoke as he held both your hands in his significantly bigger ones as the priest made preparations to start the wedding rituals. You swallowed nervously as you slowly looked up, your eyes falling on the mesmerizing lilac ones.

.

An arm wrapped around your waist from behind while the other one took away the hairbrush in your hand, placing it on the dresser as kisses were placed on your neck," My gorgeous wife." You closed your eyes, leaning your head back against his shoulder," Says the man who gave that word a meaning."

Bennett

Adventurer-medic to lovers

"Yup, bad luck again." You sighed as you bandaged his knee again. "I'm sorry (Y/n), for troubling you so much. I try to be careful but..." he rubbed the back of his head. "I know Benny, not your fault, just your luck." He nodded, giving you a thumbs up and a cheery smile as you finished bandaging his wound. "Butttt" you intergected when he was about to say something, "Nothing some tasty Chicken-Mushroom Skewers can't solve!" His eyes started sparkling the moment you said those words, making you giggle. "Yay let's go!"

Kazuha

Crew mates to lovers

"Wait up please!" You yelled to the ship that was about to leave the docks of Inazuma. You ran as fast as you could against the wooden planks 'Bad day to be wearing a Kimono damn it.' Apparently your voice wasn't loud enough for the Captain of The Crux to hear and your heart already started grimacing the loss of boarding the ship just a foot away as it started leaving. A sudden gust of wind lifted you up as your eyes closed shut in terror, the next time you opened them, you were on the ship, with nothing but a maple leaf in your hand.

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You were leaning against the railing of the ship, looking at the vast ocean in fasination until a strong gust of wind passed, swaying your footing, almost tumbling you over but a hand to your wrist pulled you back just in time before it could happen. Your breath was caught in the throat due to the event, and because of the stranger with platinum hair and ruby eyes that saved your life. He was.... breathtaking. "Careful, the wind can be flickering unexpectedly once in a while. It's a vast ocean after all." He smiled.

Venti

Troublemaker and muse

You raised an eyebrow as your beer fell off the table, a person climbing on it instead. You looked up to see who it was, silently grimacing over your spilled beer. "Are you gonna pay for my beer or not" you said looking up at him while he ran his fingers along the lyre, "I'll pay you back with my wonderful performance~!" You sighed in irritation.

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Your form busted through the tavern's door in the middle of the night, scanning over your surroundings before your eyes landed on the mop of green you were looking for. You swiftly made your way over, carrying the windy bard over your shoulder like a potato sack as you slid a pouch of mora in master Diluc's direction with an apologetic smile. "Put me downnnn I wanna kiss you!!" He whined on your shoulder as your face matched Master Diluc's hair.

Thoma

Ayaka's best friend

"Here let me help you with that." He took the heavy looking bags from your hand just as you entered the Kamisato estate. "Ah thank you Thoma." You smiled at him.

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"I'm also inviting (Y/n)." Ayaka spoke to her brother over supper and Thoma couldn't help but chime in," If they're coming, It'd be great if I can make their favourite dish." Ayaka and Ayato gave each other knowing looks as Thoma looked between them, confused, "Did I say something wrong?"

.

"I'm sure (Y/n) could use some help for this event. I hand this task to you Thoma." Said Ayaka as she gently pushed him into a room and slid the door closed so he couldn't escape. "Thoma it's you-!" You squeaked, surprised by the sudden entrance. "Y-Yes Lady (Y/n). Lady Ayaka said I should help you if you were to face any difficulties. So do you need any assistance?" He scratched the back of his head. Your eyes fell onto the kimono belt in your head and then at him, your cheeks warming, "N-No it's fine." He wordlessly came towards you, taking the fabric from your hand, silently waiting for you to turn around as permission. You did, your breath getting caught in your throat as you felt his hands do their work, his hot breath hitting the back of your neck. A few moments passed, your head becoming lightheaded with each second until he did the final knot, whispering in your ear, "It's done, my princess."

Gorou

Subordinates to lovers

"Bear with it" you said as you poured the disinfectant over your commander's bleeding gash. He suppressed a hiss as you blowed on the wound in hopes to make it feel less burning. "Can you be more careful Gorou? There was no reason for you to come in front of me to stop that arrow!" You glared at him. "Your mother entrusted you to me (Y/n)" he tried reasoning. "As if Lady Kokomi didn't tell me to bring you back safe and sound!" He just chuckled at that.

.

You were laying down on the make shift infirmary's bed when a very happy Gorou emerged through the door, out of breath as if he ran all this way (yes he did) "(Y/n)! We did it! The war's over!" He ran over to you and hugged you tightly, you noticing how his tail was swaying back and forth. You chuckled. "I'm so happy (Y/n)! I can finally ask your mother for your hand in marri-" Your eyes widened.

"Oh god i shouldn't have said it like that- (Y/n)? (Y/n)?! Oh god don't faint-!"

Mhm, franatic Gorou is pretty cutee~

Kaeya

Fake dating

"Oh~, who is this pretty person beside you Kaeya?" Lisa ask, intrigued. "My partner." Kaeya smiled.

That was five months ago.

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You two sawyed from side to side to the silent beat of the music as you looked at him, "So when is your 'target' arriving Kaeya? It's been 4 hours." "Oh don't worry. He'll be here soon enough. My brother can be a little late. He is returning to Mondstadt after months after all." He replied, looking into your eyes just as the venue's door opened to reveal the said man. In the blink of an eye, Kaeya's face was buried in the crook of your neck, " The hell are you doing?!" You whisper yelled at the man, not knowing what he was up to now. If you knew something about Kaeya, it was his unpredictable mind. "Just making sure my brother believes this of course. He has very keen eyes for lies you see. I want to prove to him that I can infact find an adequate partner for myself." "You sure it's not because of that 5 dozen wine bottles he put at stake." "That's just an added bonus!" He smirked as he rose up to his full height, taking your chin in between his finger and thumb, bringing your face closer to his, " Plus, Who knows? I might actually persue it to make it real."

Neuvillette

Second chance [mates][immortal reader- non specified species]

"I'll wait for you" said the man you loved so dearly with a solemn look in his eyes. "Don't" was all you said before you departed to the underworld, having not done anything wrong yet having no choice.

.

A hundred years passed since your own lover sealed your verdict, your heart wrenching with pain each time you think of it. 'He had his reasons. It's for the sake of fontaine.' Your heart longed for the hydro dragon, but you've made your heart think that 'He must have wanted this.'

.

The day finally came when you reached the surface again, and what you didn't expect was to see him waiting at the entrance. "Neuvillette...." You whispered, your eyes trying to drink back the tears they started producing on their own. The said man walked towards you in slow strides, his mind detached from his surroundings except you. Strong arms engulfed you in a delicate embrace, cradling you against his chest as if you were made of porcelain. And as much as your mind told you to pull away, your hands only gripped him tighter, crying against him. A few moments passed when you looked up at him, " Where's your partner?" Your heart broke as you asked that question, but you needed to know. "Right in front of me." He whispered. It was hard for you to believe him, you expected him to move on. "Did you forget.." he started, his lips placing a delicate kiss on the corner of your lips," That dragons mate for life?"

Wriothesley

Classic Husband x Wife

As soon as you stepped foot into your husband's office, the door being shut behind you, you heard fumbling noise. You made your way up the rounded stairs, crossing your arms over your chest as you made your way over to him, "Don't tell me you're drinking tea again Wriothesley." You narrowed your eyes at him. "No of course not. Why would I drink more when you set a boundary of 7 per day" he chuckled. "Oh?" You raised an eyebrow, leaning against his desk as you wiped the corner of his lips," What's this then?" You showed him the sugar powder on your fingertip. He chuckled nervously, "You see-"

.

Gentle kisses across your face is what woke you up, your hand tightening against the fabric....wait. You looked up and around you, realising you're in Wriothesley's office and in his lap, clutching onto his shirt. He softly kissed your forehead," Morning sunshine. Ready to go to the surface today?"

Lyney

Opposites attract

"Well someone looks a little out of it on a fine day like this." Your footsteps came to a halt as a guy stopped in front of you. His hand came up and passed by the side of your hair," Let me make it a little better" he chuckled as he pulled a rose 'out of your hair.' It was pretty, you thought taking it from him and giving him a small smile,"Thank you."

.

You pulled him along with you by his ear gently while he tried keeping up with your pace," I was just entertaining them!" He reasoned as you continued walking," You were clearly still there when they told you they didn't wanna see your tricks." "But it looked like they could use some help!" He whined. "Not everyone deserves you lifting up their spirits Lyney." You sighed. "Well, I can always lift your spirits up. If you know what I mean." Bonk

Freminet

Fated divers

Your hands splashed the water around you as oxygen depleted at a fast rate from your body, you tried tugging on the vines tightly wrapped around your foot in hopes to break them but they won't let up. You extended your arms up in an attempt to swim back to the surface but it was becoming harder by the second. It wasn't long before black dots started covering your vision and you started sinking further down.

Your eyes open with a start, the endless water still surrounding you but there was a stranger, with his lips on yours.

.

"Hey there Freminet~!"

"Oh hi (Y/n)" he gave you a small smile, looking up from where he was tinkering with clockwork. "I got you Seabird Sojourn!" You smiled as you sat beside him, looking closely at the details of his doing. You took his hand into yours, making his freckled cheeks blush a pink hue," Let's eat first before it gets cold."

Written by Yours truly

Masterlist

#al haitham x reader #cyno x reader #tighnari x reader #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #diluc x reader #childe x reader #tartagalia x reader #ayato x reader #bennett x reader #kazuha x reader #neuvillette x reader #wriothesley x reader #lyney x reader #genshin x reader #genshin fluff #scaramouche x reader #kamisato ayato #kaedehara kazuha #genshin impact #genshin scenarios #venti x reader #kaeya x reader #neuvillette #wriothesley #venti #lyney #childe #zhongli #xiao

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

wjieiouwujjj that dragon creator ask was so cute, I love you for doing such a fantastic job writing that. Could I maybe ask for acolytes finding out that their creator with dragon features is absolutely living for any affection gestures like touching their tail, or the base of horns if they have ones, and is literally melting down into whoever who will do it. Maybe with Zhongli and any of Kamisato sibling? If the ask arent open, please just ignore it. Have a good day

Dragon!Reader Want Affection—Gib Now! >:(

Hello Anon! Don't worry—as I am currently writing this, my mailbox is open! I'm so glad you enjoyed the post with Dragon!Reader in it! I wish you too a good day/night :)

Alright, so how did it all begin? Well, Dragon!Reader, upon getting compliment thrown after compliment, started to feel a little...touched starve, to say the least. Sure, the compliments are cool and all—but it felt pretty empty, you know?

So! In solution to this, the Almighty Creator decided the next 3 acolytes to give them some affection would be the ones they would visit the most in the span of a few weeks (at most? A few months) in a straight row.

Of course, you didn't announce this to the world, wanting to see if your people would take initiative first to satisfy your needs and wants. That is, after all, what they had promised to do once you re-descended back down to Teyvat, yes?

Click Me For Part 1!

(Disclaimer: Might be OOC!)

Zhongli

Of course, out of everyone, he would be the first to notice this sudden change! He is a dragon himself, you know!

But, instead of deciding to give head pats out of the blue on the street, he decides to be a little more sly about it. So, naturally, he's going to invite you over to have some tea in the mountains. More specifically, his adeptal abode he still has.

"Please, wait a moment, Your Grace. I shall prepare the finest tea I have for you."

Once you get there, the first thing you get is a hug and a soft rustling of your hair. Zhongli is mindful to not hurt your dragon horns, of course. Man would never want to hurt you.

Sitting down at a table, enjoying some tea and talking about stuff, and the dude decides to pat you on the head for even the simplest of knowledge you share with him.

This guy understands what it's like to be a touched starved dragon, so he knows all the signs.

Man would be so ecstatic to realize the Almighty Creator is deciding to visit him as a "thank you" for the small amount of affection.

Prepare for a lot of hugs and head pats, this guy will make each of your visits worthy of your time.

Kamisato Ayato

This guy, this sly guy...He would honestly pull a gentleman move and give you a kiss on the back of hand when you decide to see him in the Kamisato Estate.

He probably figures out quickly that you want some physical affection, and, upon realizing that he figured it out, he decides to do it fast—something is telling him that the Almighty Creator is giving out some sort of trial.

Plus, he just wanted to make other people jealous that he gets your attention much longer than most others.

"Is something of the matter, Your Grace? Your face is red, if I dare to be blunt." Gives you that small smile of his that tells you he planned this all along. You sigh—this guy was as cheeky as ever.

Imagine how happy he was that he gets to give you more of these gentleman-like behavior since you're visiting for a few weeks straight in a row.

Would make sure no one gets close to you—Ayato wants to be selfish and greedy of your attention alone for a little longer.

Kamisato Ayaka

Tying this with the previous one, since Ayato and Ayaka basically live in the same estate and all that—Ayaka would be happy that the Almighty Creator is visiting them several weeks in a row.

She may or may not have just increased how many times you were going to spend in every Kamisato-owned place, for she had unintentionally hugged you once out of pure joy to seeing you at the front door.

"Your Grace, you're back! Please—allow me to see you in. Would you like some treats? I can have Thoma prepare you something." Genuinely acts like the best host you can ever ask for. She would make sure all of your needs are met.

You can just see the pure joy Ayaka is having of having you here in the estate. Ayato is also happy about it too, so it's a win-win situation for both of the Kamisato siblings. Besides, they don't like to actually fight each other (unless it's sparring), but they do tease one another often.

Enjoy your stay :) It's probably very worth it with Ayato's gentleman-ness and Ayaka's Good Hostess-ness.

And done! This is a whole lot shorter than I thought it would be, but I hope you all enjoyed it! See you around! :D

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: I feel like I made Ayato too OOC SOBBING—It probably is :') I'm so sorry Ayato Lovers—I have failed you—

Ahem, anyways—this post was certainly more of a challenge for myself! I'll be honest, I thought I was going to fail very miserably when I realized I had to do Zhongli and Ayato—and I'm still kind of feeling that as of right now tbh. I hope you like how it's written, Anon!

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#genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #sagau #yandere sagau #sagau genshin #sagau cult au #sagau idea #sagau x reader #genshin cult au #genshin self aware #self aware genshin #sagau ayato #sagau ayaka #sagau zhongli #WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO SAGAU AYAKA TAG????

[heizouwtff]

𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜

𝘸��𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘧𝘸 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥

𝘰 𝘦𝘮 𝘨𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵! 𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺~

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

𝚊𝚕𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚖

it was a bright sunny afternoon... kaveh and alhaitham both had urgent matters to attend to. leaving you by yourself, however, you didn't mind. it was far more peaceful without kaveh's disruptive presence, but you did miss your boyfriend... only a little though. to pass the time you had decided to take a nice soothing... shower. you knew neither of the two would be home soon so you didn't even bother to close the bathroom door.

you were so distracted with getting your clothes on that you didn't notice the faint sound of the door opening. click click. you could hear a stifled laugh coming from the doorway, and you opened your eyes to be met with the sight of your boyfriend. who had plastered a cheeky smirk on his face. "dear, do you feel no sense of shame?" he asked with a grin. "what if kaveh saw you like this?" he let out a chuckle, beginning to enter the bathroom. "you won't need to get dressed anymore, clothes on the floor. now." he said in a lustful voice as he closed the door shut. "oh and do keep it down... we never know when kaveh will arrive...~"

this was the side of alhaitham only you saw... no one would expect the grand acting sage to be so needy for his lover...

𝚔𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚑

you were almost certain you left the bathroom door locked, but clearly, you were mistaken as kaveh sneakily slipped inside. "mm? you didn't invite me in on your little show?" he took a step closer to you. "[nick-name] you know I don't like being left out..." he murmured putting your hands in his. "how'd you even get in?" you asked, clearly amused by his antics. "I have my ways..." he gave you a smirk. "and what I mean by that is that I picked the lock." he winked at you in an attempt to seduce you. "haha... well then I suppose you can help me get ready." you couldn't deny the fact he looked adorable, so needy for you.

"oh but dear... you aren't going to be getting ready anymore." kaveh attentively observed every small detail of your appearance. "we're going to be doing something else!" he clasped his hands together, giving you another charming wink. you stifled a laugh in response to him. "and what may that be?" you smirk, gazing intently at him.

"something real fun..." kaveh smirked. "now hurry, you wouldn't want alhaitham to catch us right...? we still have time until he gets home~"

𝚣𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚒

it was a complete accident. he didn't even know you were there... and he apologized numerous times. "oh [name] my apologies... i did not mean to disturb you..." he spoke in an apologetic tone. "awh, no it's ok..." you say in a reassuring voice as he looked down embarrassed. zhongli always found it rude to interrupt a woman like that, especially you. so you would usually have to initiate things...

"you know... you could perhaps join me?" you give your lover a cheeky grin and his eyes immediately light up. "really? are you sure?" you nodded, giving him an adoring gaze. "i don't mind at all~" you give him a playful grin.

zhongli usually takes this as a sign to just dive into it. he picks you up gently and places you on the bathroom counter. "tell me if I'm going anything wrong, my dear..." he pressed a kiss to your hand before bringing his hands to your waist.

this would surely be a tiring night...

𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚎

as soon as he saw your body in front of him, he lunged at you, knocking you both down on the floor. "why hello there~" he said in that annoying tone. you rolled your eyes, "what do you want childe?" you asked, clear irritation in your voice. "oh I just want to spend time with you... is it wrong to want to spend time with my [nick-name]?" he asks with an awfully flirty tone. you sigh, you were pretty used to his flirtatious ways with you... but sometimes you just got a little more flustered and irritated about things.

"[nick-name]... wanna play a game?" he asks, giving you those not-so-innocent eyes. "childe... I'm in the middle of changing." you say, scoffing at him. "that's the point silly!" he seemed so amused. "this way we'll have even more fun!!" he lets out a laugh before looking down at you with a devious grin.

"you get what I mean right?" he asks, tilting his head. that stupid smirk was still plastered on his face. "yes childe, I get what you mean..." you roll your eyes. "and be quick about it... we can't waste any more time." you say throwing your towel to the floor.

"oh I just knew you would agree~"

𝚡𝚒𝚊𝚘

he was really flustered.

xiao had just finished taking out a squad of demons. so it was natural he wanted to spend some time with you after a hard day of work. and the poor boy didn't even realize what you were doing in there, just inviting himself in.

"[name]-" his breath hitched, eyes widening. "o-oh... I did not mean to disturb you..." he looked to the side in a shameful way, a blush tinting his cheeks. you couldn't help but laugh at the sight, bringing a hand to your mouth. xiao shot a glare at you. "w-what is so funny?!" he had a look of contempt but it was obvious he was actually quite flustered.

"aha... nothing xiao," you say, wiping the small tears from your eyes. (take note these are happy tears.) "but you really don't have to apologize..." you murmur a grin appearing on your face. xiao scoffed, "f-fine then... don't take my apology you ungrateful.. hmph." he crossed his arms, clearly too weak to even offend you in any way. "oh xiao..." you give him a soft smile, you looked as if you wanted to say something more but you stayed silent. xiao crossed his arms in reply...

he wondered how you would look without that towel...

⋆｡°✩

𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗼, 𝗸𝗮𝗲𝘆𝗮, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗰 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝘀𝗿𝗿𝘆𝘆𝘆𝘆𝘆

#genshin impact #alhaitham #kaveh x y/n #xiao x reader #childe #zhongli

[tokkishouse]

If requests are closed ignore this but can you do xiao x reader?

The reader is an adeptus as well one xiao wasnt aware existed till the chasm incident when he saw a small crystal fly coming towards him before zhongli saved him.

How would he react and fall for the reader?

Fluff please? I've read too much angst

Requests are not closed! I was a little confused about what specifically you were looking for so if I need to adjust, by all means, let me know ❤️ I tried to make this fluffy but I think. I made it too solemn. Also, thank you all for 300+ followers. I'm so glad you all enjoy my writing. It really motivates me to keep at it 😊

(Sfw) Falling for You

Characters: Xiao x GN!Reader

Warnings: Spoilers for the 2.7 archon quest, reader is an adeptus with a pyro vision, it's fluffy?? To an extent? A bit of a somber end but no one necessarily dies

WC: 1.6k Words

Check out Pt. 2 Here! (nsfw)

Xiao felt his body grow weaker as he fell deeper down into The Chasm, the panicked voices of his allies but a distant sound. He had put all his energy and power into sending them back home-- he had done his duty faithfully. There was no need to feel regret or fear for the inevitable.

Just as his eyes slowly fall shut, a small red crystal fly flutters towards him. Only for a moment, a glimpse of life before his eyes. Before he can focus too hard, a glimmer of yellow shines, and geo-energy shoots right at him. Warmth encases him and as he closes his eyes, the crystal fly disappears.

Soon after, he appears outside The Chasm with the others, who hurriedly run over to check on him. His mind is racing and the residual energy is buzzing off of him. The words of concern from his allies fall on deaf ears-- all he could focus on was what he saw as he was falling.

That crystal fly...why is its energy so familiar...

✦✧✦✧

The next time Xiao feels that familiar energy, he's out patrolling the beaches near Wangshu Inn. One of the renters at the inn mentioned a hilichurl camp that was giving trouble to passersby and he wanted to investigate for himself. When he arrived, he saw you standing there, back facing towards him, in the center of what he can assume is the remains of the camp.

Smoke and water vapor rise around you and the smell of burnt wood and flesh floods his nostrils. You made quick work of the camp, as there was barely a mask left behind in the wreckage.

"I'm glad to see you are able to be up and moving fairly quickly, Alatus."

Xiao tensed a little-- you never turned around and yet you knew who was behind you.

"I'm an adeptus. It is not easy to take me down," he replies, tightening the grip on his spear. "Who are you?"

You finally look back at him, wearing a smile that does not quite reach your eyes.

"I am Y/N. Nice to meet you."

Xiao's breath hitches as he meets your eyes. There are speckles of red in your iris, reminding him of embers flittering off a flame. The longer he holds eye contact with you, the more intense the feeling of his heartbeat gets. It's loud and rumbles like thunder. He was sure there were no other adepti, and he definitely did not sense your presence in the chasm before. So how...

"I'm quite new actually. Only a few hundred years old-- nothing compared to your age I'd imagine," your voice pierces through his head, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I signed a contract with Morax and was spending my time in Natlan. However, when he told me what you were up to, I made my way back here."

Xiao studies your face, looking for any trace of deception. But your smile, while ingenuine, revealed no such thing.

"Then, you were the crystal fly?" He questions, and you nod, your smile widening.

"Ding ding ding-- we have a winner! I help Morax figure out where you were so he could rescue you. Although, I'm sure he would've found you all on his own eventually. He is the Geo Archon."

You pull out a pocketwatch from your bag, clicking your tongue when you see the time.

"It appears that I'm running behind on another errand. You'll have to forgive me, Alatus," you apologize, putting the pocket watch away. Just as you're about to run off, he stops you.

"Xiao. Call me Xiao," he insists. "That name carries memories and a history that is no longer relevant."

You look back at him, eyes scanning over his features properly. After a bit, the warmth from your smile reaches your eyes, and you nod.

"I'll see you around, Xiao."

✦✧✦✧

You and Xiao meet up more after that day. At first, you'd make bi-weekly trips to Wangshuu Inn, relaxing on the rooftop under the shining moon with Xiao as you recount your adventures to him. You remind him of Ganyu or even Yanfei, with you all having closer proximity to humans and even the mannerisms you've managed to adopt.

On one particular evening, you both exchange your favorite meals: he lets you try almond tofu, and you offer him a delicacy from Natlan. Neither dishes are to the other's taste, and you laugh it off as a result of "different environments." Nonetheless, you always bring him something to try and he does grow fond of the spicy and sweet candies that come from the land of pyro, along with the adeptus that guards the nation.

It wasn't until you had been coming for about 4 months that the yaksha finally realized his feelings for you. It was during the Lantern Rite Festival-- everyone was coming together to celebrate the memories of those who had passed. The streets were bustling with life and joy-- a sight that he knew you would not want to miss

Currently, Xiao is walking around the streets, searching for you. You promised that you would be there to release a lantern with him.

"Where are they?" He ponders to himself as he watches festivalgoers walk past and interact with the merchants.

A sudden warmth fills his chest, startling him a bit. He looks up and sees you standing on the roof of one of the buildings, holding a lantern. You flash him a grin and leap off. Catch me if you can, your actions read. Xiao grunts and he leaps after you, not wasting time.

You two race across the city toward the harbor, jumping over congested roads and excited patrons. It's not long before you land at the edge of the dock, Xiao landing right behind you.

"You're a tad too slow, Alatus," you tease, turning to face the yaksha. He grunts, looking away.

"You had a head start."

"Is that what we're going with? The 'head start' excuse?" You laugh, and Xiao is reminded of the bells that ring as merchants push their carts down the streets, selling their wares. A familiar and welcoming sound.

"You already have a lantern," he comments, deciding the change the subject.

You look down at the object in your hand, the heat from the candle inside warming your palms. It was carefully crafted, with a fire-breathing dragon painted outside. The way the flames danced inside made it look like the dragon's fire was alive and moving.

His, on the other hand, had a large peng bird painted on the outside, its wings spread to wrap around lantern. As the fire danced, it gave off the illusion of the wings flapping.

"Shall we release them together?" You ask, and he nods, stepping closer to the edge of the harbor.

You both stand there, waiting for the people in the city to release their lanterns first. You enjoy the environment around you-- a cool sea breeze blows past and you can hear the soft creaking of the nearby boats. The waves crash against the harbor walls and if you listen really closely, you can hear the slow breathing of you and Xiao as you stare out to the sea.

"You confuse me," Xiao states, earning an amused look from you.

"Oh? How so?"

He swallows thickly, his gaze focused on the ground and his mind racing as he searches for the right words to say. How does he explain the unnatural feelings he's felt all this time.

"You leave me wanting to see you daily. The time spent away from you has me feeling more irritable than usual. When you are here, it's like my karmic debt doesn't exist and I am allowed to simply be," he starts, slowly looking up to meet your gaze.

"I find needless chatter about everyday occurrences needless, and yet every time you're near I wish to hear you speak more. My head hurts and my chest aches, but they pain me more when you're gone...How does that work? Is it an adeptus ability you have trained to weaken me?"

You stare at him, gaze unwavering. It's overwhelming-- it's suffocating. You don't react or respond right away, and it's making Xiao feel like you're tearing everything he said apart, piece by piece. Why won't you look away? Why do you keep staring at me with such firey passion? Why oh why do I still want you to look on, to only keep your eyes on me?

"Alatus."

He gasps at your sudden proximity and nearly stumbles back. Your voice is light-- if the wind blew harder he'd have an issue hearing what you have to say. The embers in your eyes burn brightly.

"Do you want to know what those feelings mean?"

Amber eyes stare back at you, revealing millions of thoughts scrolling by. You can feel his breath against your lips, and your heartbeats are like drums beating in synch. Time seems to slow down and it's just you two in the harbor. You both wait with bated breath for his response.

"Yes," he breathes out finally.

Your lantern is released, floating up into the sky to join the hundreds of others that spread across the starry night, and warmth spreads across Xiao's lips. You taste of jueyun chillis and sugary rice pudding, and it's all he can taste. All he can feel is your body against his and the inviting movements of your lips on his. He releases his lantern next and wraps his arms around your body, the firm grip a reminder of his desire to not let you go. Not yet at least.

Under the sea of golden light, you two share a lover's embrace. Duties are but a second thought-- the first being entirely devoted to each other.

Requests (both sfw and nsfw) are open~!

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact one shot #xiao x reader #genshin impact xiao x reader #genshin impact xiao #tokki writes #genshin impact xiao fluff #xiao x reader fluff #xiao fluff

[genshinluvr]

Through the Kamera Lens | Obsessed with You 2

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: Itto has gotten a new kamera from the Deputy of the Arataki Gang, Kuki Shinobu. He decides to take pictures with every chance he gets and has chosen you to be the model for his candid shots. At first, you didn't mind that it was Itto that was taking these pictures of you, but what if it wasn't just Itto that had been taking pictures of you while you were unaware of it? Random pictures of you start to appear in your bedroom, and soon, these pictures are accompanied by letters from your new secret admirer.

Note: To be honest, I didn't really expect to be making a second part of "Obsessed with You," but here we are! I swear, for the past month, it's like many things have been testing my patience, and I have been through hell and back because of the things that have been happening in my personal life. I'm not entirely sure what next week's fic is going to be about; I'm leaning more towards another individual character fanfiction because it's also a request. But we'll have to wait and see since I do have an almost 10-hour orientation to go to for my university this coming week. I can't skip out on it or leave early because our attendance is tracked, and I won't be able to register for my classes if I don't stay for almost 10 hours there. To all of my new or returning readers, I post on AO3 as well, so if you have an AO3 and see a work similar to this, it's me (Aaliah_exo on AO3). I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Mentions of murder, stalking, pictures taken without consent, suggestive themes are mentioned

Word Count: 10.9k

Read Part 1 of Obsessed with You [here]!

“Say Beetles!”

CLICK!

You flinched and covered your eyes after the light flashed in your eyes. “Wow, that’s a really bright kamera flash.” You said, trying to blink away the dark spots that would appear each time you blink.

“Itto, you buffoon! You could’ve blinded [Y/N] with that kamera flash!” Childe scolds the oni, lightly smacking Itto upside of his head before snatching the kamera from Itto’s hands to inspect the image that Itto has taken of you. A film slowly slides out from the kamera; Childe takes the film out from the kamera and begins to wave it in the air gently.

Xiao examines Childe before asking, “What are you doing to that film?” He approaches Childe and snatches the picture from Childe’s hands. Xiao looks at the picture but does not see you in the photo that Itto has suddenly taken of you. Diluc looks over Xiao’s shoulders, his arms over his chest while trying to get a better look at the picture.

“I’m not seeing anything,” Diluc stated, turning over to Itto and Childe.

“Aw man, did the picture not develop!?” Itto groans, walking over to where Xiao and Diluc stood before taking the picture from Xiao’s grasp. Childe leans over to get a better look, only to stifle his laughter behind the palm of his hands while Zhongli studies the white film in Itto’s hands.

“The photograph did develop; your thumb was in the way,” Zhongli stated with an amused smile appearing on his face. You snorted and got up from your seat before taking the picture from Itto’s hands to get a much clearer look at the photo that Itto had taken of you.

“Zhongli’s right, Itto.” You said, handing the photo back to the tall oni. “Your thumb got in the way of the lens and pretty much covered most of the picture.”

“If you want to take a picture of [Y/N], maybe have someone else do it instead,” Dainsleif says, resting his arm on your shoulders. “Capturing beauty can be complicated, but with patience and skill, it should be a cakewalk,” Dainsleif added, glancing down at you. You felt your face becoming hot from his comment and gaze; you cleared your throat shyly while trying to find a way to distract yourself from feeling flustered.

“Dainsleif, you smooth talker!” You teased, lightly batting at his arm before snuggling up against him with a smile on your face.

“Hey, I want some snuggles too, sweet thing.” Kaeya approaches you with his arms over his chest, with a teasing yet endearing smile on his face. 

You looked at Dainsleif, who nodded his head almost hesitantly. You walked over to Kaeya and wrapped your arms around his slim waist while he snaked his arms around your shoulders, pressing kisses on your head repeatedly. You smiled with contentment and sighed happily, cheeks pressing up against Kaeya’s chest. The door to the abode flies open as Heizou, Aether, Thoma, and Ayato walk through the door. They had a grim look on their face, making everyone in the living area stop what they were doing.

“Hey, you four! What’s with those expressions on your faces?” Gorou asks his ears twitching with anxiety.

“There’s a dead body that was found in Liyue Harbor,” Heizou stated, his eyes scanning everyone’s faces to see their reaction. Your eyes widen while the others look at Heizou in shock and confusion. A dead body found in Liyue Harbor? 

Venti asks softly, “Is there a murderer going around in Liyue?” Diluc and Kaeya held onto you tightly while you pressed your body up against theirs, feeling your hands becoming damp with sweat. You didn’t know if there were murderers on the loose in Teyvat, ones that have yet to be identified. While the Harbingers are residing at the abode with you and the other men, you were sure that they weren’t the ones that were killing people at random times. Plus, Childe and Scaramouche did say that the other four Harbingers have not done much Fatui business other than paperwork and interrogations.

Albedo strokes his chin before asking, “Do you have any other information on this situation?” He looks at Heizou, Aether, Thoma, and Ayato curiously. At the same time, the news of a body being discovered in Liyue Harbor was sudden. Albedo was wondering what could be the cause of death of this murder victim.

Aether looks over at Heizou, who signaled him to respond, “The body was found floating face down in the harbor. He’s a young male in his twenties, Liyuen, and the Millelith is still trying to identify him.” 

Thoma pressed his lips together before slowly speaking up, “People are speculating that the unidentified person was murdered or that he could have died from an accidental drowning.” That got everyone thinking. Accidental drowning could be a possibility, especially when Heizou, Aether, and Thoma have yet to mention whether there was bodily harm on the corpse or not.

Ayato hums, his eyebrows furrowing as he is deep in his thoughts. “When we approached the scene of the crime, we noticed something interesting about the victim,” Ayato says, looking up at everyone with an intense gaze.

Baizhu leans forward in his seat, “And what would that be, Lord Ayato?” His golden eyes sparked with curiosity.

“While the Millelith is trying to identify the body, we,” Ayato points at himself and the other three men that stood beside him, “know the identity of the victim.” 

Kazuha looks intrigued, “Oh? You four know the identity of the deceased person?” He asks thoughtfully.

Thoma nods his head, “Yes, we know the identity of the deceased person.” Thoma looks nervous but is eyeing two people in particular as he replies to Kazuha’s question.

“In fact, all of you know the deceased person, even [Y/N],” Heizou says. Everyone in the room began to murmur to one another, trying to think of someone that everyone in the room knew. Someone that isn’t living in the abode, nor are they dating you. 

Scaramouche lets out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his face out of frustration. “Can’t you four tell us who the deceased person is?!” Scaramouche demands with a scowl that emerges on his face. “I’m sick of these mind games you four are pulling on all of us! Just tell us the name of the dead person!” 

“The dead person is Yifan.” Aether blurts out.

“Yifan?!” Everyone around you chorused, looking at one another in disbelief. The last time everyone saw Yifan was when the other men made sure that Yifan had stayed away from you. To hear about Yifan’s sudden death and his body appearing in the harbor, face down, felt suspicious. While Childe, Scaramouche, and the other thirteen men had beat Yifan to a pulp just for stalking you and making you feel unsafe in the abode, they didn’t kill Yifan. Or, at least that’s what you think.

“Which one of you killed Yifan?” You ask, turning to face the seventeen men in the living room. All of the men held their hands up in the air to show that they had nothing to do with the sudden death of Yifan. You hum, poking the inside of your cheek with the tip of your tongue while trying to think of a person that could be the reason why Yifan is deceased. While you disliked Yifan for being a total creep with no boundaries, you don’t think he would suddenly take his own life away. If the men in front of you had denied being involved with Yifan’s death, then who could be the one that killed Yifan?

“Dearest, I believe that you’re thinking way too much into this. Yifan is dead, yes, but none of us have anything to do with his death.” Zhongli says, walking up to you to give your shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah! If we wanted him dead, we would’ve killed him the night he snuck into the abode!” Childe exclaims.

Diluc lets out a slow sigh, “I would hate to agree with the Harbinger, but he is right. If we wanted him dead, we would’ve killed him that night.” 

“Then what could be the cause of his death? Well, who could be the one that killed Yifan?” Venti ponders, his lyre materializing in his hands while he hops onto the wooden stool. 

You didn’t think that anyone could be the cause of Yifan’s death. As much as your boyfriends despise the deceased Liyuen man, they wouldn’t go that far to kill someone if they were to overstep the boundaries. Although some of your boyfriends won’t hesitate to kill someone for you, they still have some self-control and wouldn’t kill someone because someone had made you feel uncomfortable. At the same time, Yifan has crossed numerous boundaries that you had created to keep a great distance between you and him.

“If none of us killed Yifan, then who was it that killed him? Surely his death couldn’t be accidental.” Kaeya says, looking at the others skeptically.

“It was me, your honor! I am the murderer.” Dottore says dramatically, entering the estate with the other three Harbingers following in tow. Dottore had on a smug smile before sitting on the couch, his legs spread wide before resting his hands on his thighs.

“You killed Yifan!?” Gorou asks, his eyes widening in shock and fear.

Pantalone chuckles, looking at the seventeen men with a pleased look on his face.“Of course, we’re going to kill someone that has overstepped our beloved’s boundaries. People like him shouldn’t even be allowed to live long, don’t you agree?” He raises his eyebrows at the other men in the room with the corner of his lips quirked up.

“A man as vile as Yifan doesn’t deserve to live,” Pierro gruffly states. 

“As if they’re any better than Yifan?” Kazuha whispers to Albedo, who subtly nods his head in agreement.

“It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it?” Albedo murmurs, looking at the four Harbingers through his thick lashes.

Baizhi raises his eyebrows at Kazuha and Albedo before muttering to the two shorter men, “A bit ironic? I believe you meant that it’s very ironic.” 

“Anyone who isn’t a Harbinger is better than those four,” Xiao grumbles, tightening his grip around his biceps.

Childe and Scaramouche walk over to the gossiping four with their arms over their chest; both Childe and Scaramouche do not look amused at all. Albedo, Kazuha, Xiao, and Baizhu fall silent when the two Harbingers step in front of them— well, one harbinger and one ex-harbinger.

Childe lets out a long exhale, giving the four men a fake smile before stating the obvious, “You know that both Scaramouche and I are Harbingers, right?”

“Oh? What’s this?” Capitano asks, picking up the white film from the floor before inspecting it. The other three Harbingers walk over to Capitano to get a closer look at the item that Capitano held in his hands. Dottore took the small film from Capitano’s hands and held it up to the light, his eyes squinting behind his mask.

“It looks like an undeveloped photograph,” Dottore commented, handing it over to Pantalone, who now held it close to his face to get a clear look at the picture.

Pantalone hums to himself before shaking his head, “The photograph is developed; someone’s thumb is in the way of the lens, that’s all.” Pantalone places the image on the ottoman before turning toward the other men with a smile on his face.

“Wait, I’m on the fence.” You spoke up, your eyebrows narrowing while examining the four Harbingers who were looking back at you. They looked at you with curiosity as you walked up to them and then looked over at the men. “I don’t think they’re the ones that killed Yifan. Yes, Yifan is a weirdo and deserves the absolute worst, but I don’t think these four killed Yifan.” You said, chewing on your bottom lip.

Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Scaramouche, and Zhongli raised their eyebrows at you. They couldn’t tell if you were serious or not. After all, you don’t know what the other four Harbingers are like— especially Dottore. It was weird to see these four bloodthirsty Harbingers decide to put on a mask and pretend that they care about you when in reality, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill you off if the Cryo archon were to order them to do so.

Diluc takes a deep breath, “[Y/N], care to explain why you don’t think these four psychopathic murders didn’t kill Yifan? They did admit to it.” 

“I didn’t say that they weren’t the ones that didn’t kill Yifan. To me, I see it as a fifty-fifty kind of situation because instead of them killing Yifan, these four Harbingers would’ve made him suffer by torturing him and experimenting on him until Yifan begs them to kill him already.” You said, tapping on your chin with your pointer finger.

“[Y/N] has a point, but none of the four men— Ayato, Thoma, Aether, and Heizou didn’t clarify whether there’s bodily harm on the corpse or not,” Kaeya commented.

“Why do we care about Yifan’s death again? Last time I checked, we all hated the man, and now we’re trying to find out who killed the creepy stalker?” Scaramouche asks, throwing his head back before rolling his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

“Yeah! Let’s get back to taking pictures!” Itto says, holding up the kamera with a giddy grin on his face, waving it around for people in the living area to see.

Ever since someone gifted Itto a kamera (it was Kuki Shinobu that gifted Itto the kamera, she was hoping that it would keep him out of trouble), Itto has been going around, taking pictures of people without them knowing. In your world, they’re called candid pictures, but to Itto, he likes taking pictures of people when they’re caught off guard. It was funny and fit the theme that he was going for. For example, Itto took a photo of Diluc and Zhongli tying their hair while having a conversation. The picture looked nice, and Itto was quite proud of it! 

But then he took a photo of Childe while Childe was in the middle of sneezing; Itto howled with laughter when the picture developed and showed the hilarious face that Childe had made while he was sneezing. Disgruntled, Childe wrestled with Itto on the ground while trying to take the hideous photo of himself out from Itto’s hands. The two rolled around on the ground, shouting profanities at each other while having a death grip on the picture of Childe.

“What are you two fighting over?” Kazuha asks, leaning against the wall with an amused look on his face. Itto and Childe stop squirming around on the floor before looking at the young samurai like a deer caught in headlights, but they continue to hold onto the horrendous image of Childe with an iron grip, both refusing to let go.

“Itto took a really awful picture of me, and he wouldn’t let me get rid of it!” Childe exclaims, pulling on the white photograph with a scowl on his face.

Itto lets out a “pfft!” before yanking the film from Childe’s hands, pushing the ginger-haired Harbinger off him before getting up from the ground. “Of course, I’m not going to get rid of the picture, Childe! It’s hilarious, and I believe that it perfectly captures who you are!” Itto says, striking a dramatic pose with a peace sign in front of his right eye and a huge mocking grin on his face. Aether and Heizou pop out from behind Itto, snatching the photograph from Itto’s hands to get a closer look at it. Almost immediately, Heizou and Aether burst out laughing, holding onto their side.

“We need to show [Y/N] this! I bet they will love it!” Heizou says; Aether gives Heizou a mischievous grin, nodding his head in agreement. 

Childe sputters in disbelief after hearing what Heizou has suggested to Aether. Before Childe could protest, Aether and Heizou disappeared with the unpleasant photo of Childe, running up the stairs to where your bedroom was. Childe lets out a strained gasp before releasing Itto and running after Heizou and Aether. Aether and Heizou burst into your bedroom, chests heaving from the amount of running they’ve done, panting before running over to where you were lying. Heizou and Aether go silent for a moment, glancing over at each other with wide eyes. They look over at the clock in your bedroom, only to see that it is still early in the morning.

“We should go, [Y/N] is still sleeping! We wouldn’t want to disturb their sleep just to show this horrendous picture of Childe.” Aether says, nudging Heizou while walking over towards your bedroom door.

Heizou begins to sputter, “But we have to show it to them now! What if Childe goes Foul Legacy on this piece of horrendous artwork!?” Heizou whines, waving the picture in Aether’s face. Aether opens his mouth to reply, only for Childe to appear at the doorway, panting while glaring at them with murder in his eyes. Aether and Heizou look over at each other, gulping. Without a second thought, Aether and Heizou bolt over to where you were sleeping, both climbing into your bed and under the mountain of blankets, clinging to your unconscious body. You cracked your eyes open, feeling groggy from your sleep.

You felt something— or someone, cling to you tightly. You lift your blankets, only to see the two anemo users staring up at you with wide eyes. “Aether? Heizou? What are you two doing?” You mumble, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes before yawning. You tossed the blanket off your body to cool down after feeling your body beginning to overheat from the two people attaching themselves to your body.

Aether and Heizou don’t say anything; they gesture to each other for a moment. Childe was now standing at the foot of your bed, glaring down at both Aether and Heizou. You slowly sat up on your bed but quickly fell down with Aether and Heizou still clinging to you with something in both their hands.

“Oh? What’s this?” You ask, reaching down to grab the item from their hands.

Childe screams, “No! Don’t grab it!” He jumps forward to grab the image from your hands, only for Aether to yank it towards his chest. Childe lands on top of you, knocking the air out from your lungs. What a lovely way to wake up from your sleep. You let out a strangled gasp and tried to push Childe off you while trying to catch your breath. Childe lifts himself off you and gives you a sheepish smile, brushing your messy hair away from your face.

“Morning, snookums! You look super cute today with the dried drool on the side of your lips that trailed down your adorable yet squishy cheeks.” Childe grins at you cheekily before wiping the corner of your lips and cheeks. 

You whined and pushed Childe’s face away, your face feeling hot from embarrassment. How dare he point out the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you? Especially in front of Aether and Heizou! Childe laughs loudly before burying his face into the crook of your neck, snuggling up against you while wrapping his arms around you tightly. He begins to pepper kisses on your face, completely forgetting about what his goals were before bursting into your bedroom to catch Aether and Heizou. While Childe was completely distracted, Aether nudges you before handing you the picture. You grabbed it from Aether’s hands and flipped it around to see what the film was.

While you were staring at the picture with tired eyes, the other men entered your room to see what the commotion was. Once your vision cleared up, you attempted to stifle your laughter. The longer you stared at the picture, the more it was harder for you not to laugh. Childe lifts his face up from your neck and tilts his head to the side to see what you were laughing at. To his horror, it was the horrendous picture of him mid-sneeze. You burst out laughing; your head was thrown back against your pillow, your body shaking with laughter.

“What is [Y/N] laughing at?” Thoma asks, walking closer to the bed. Childe snatches the picture from your hands before getting up from your bed and running off with it. Behind your closed lids, you saw a flash of light and the sound of a kamera shutter. You cracked your eyes open, your laughter slowly dying down as you tried to sit up on your bed. You wiped the tears that ran down your cheeks and clutched onto your now sore stomach. 

“That is the best thing I’ve ever seen!” You said, slowly getting out of your bed. You try to detangle your hair with your hands, your face scrunching up when you feel a tug at your scalp while detangling your hair. “Oh, great.” You mumbled, walking over to your brush to brush out the tangled strands. 

Itto hands an image of you over to Venti and Gorou before holding his kamera up to take more pictures of you while you are distracted with your hair. In the photo, you looked so happy. Just looking at the picture made Gorou and Venti smile, their hearts swelling at the sweet sight in front of them. The view of your smile and the sound of your laughter never fails to make them happy. In fact, they felt like they have fallen for you all over again.

“What a beautiful smile.” Gorou whispers, his cheeks tinged pink while keeping his eyes on the picture in Venti’s hands.

Venti let out a soft exhale, his left hand coming up to press against his racing heart, his cheeks tinted pink at the sight of your smile. “I think I’ve fallen in love with them all over again,” Venti says softly, looking up at where you sat while trying to get the knot out of your hair, your eyebrows furrowed with concentration, your lips puckered in an adorable pout. Itto quickly held his kamera up to his face and quickly took another picture of you; your eyes widened, and you glanced over in Itto’s direction. Itto lowers the kamera from his face and pulls the developing film from the slot, and waves it in the air with an excited smile on his face.

“Did you just take another picture of me?” You ask, blinking at the oni that was across the room. Itto gives you a massive smile before taking another picture of you. You felt your pupils shink from the flash; you drop the brush onto your lap before you rub your eyes with a mumble. If Itto continues to take pictures of you, you might become blind from the flash that came from the kamera.

“Oi! I’m going to go blind if you keep taking pictures of me with the flash on!” You exclaimed, glaring at Itto playfully.

“As if you weren’t blind already, you find those Harbingers attractive,” Xiao says, sitting down at the edge of your bed. You looked at Xiao with your mouth wide open, speechless. 

You scoffed in disbelief, the corners of your lips quirking up in a smile. “Listen, you didn’t need to call me out like that, XiaoXiao.” You said, pouting at the yaksha before grabbing the brush on your lap to continue to brush out the knots in your hair. “Man, this knot is really annoying.” You groaned, tightening your grip around the brush.

Albedo walks over to you and gently takes the brush from your hands, “May I?” Albedo asks, pointing at your other hand that was holding onto the strands of hair that are tangled together. You nodded your head and scooted closer to Albedo. He stood behind you and grabbed onto the knotted parts of your hair before gently brushing out the knots. Another flash of light blinds you; you groan and cover your face with your hands.

You groaned, “Itto!” You looked up from your hands and at the joyful oni. It seems like Itto really enjoys the kamera that was gifted to him. You wonder how many pictures Itto is going to be taking before he runs out of films for the kamera. “‘Bedo, if I go blind because of Itto, will you make new eyes for me?” You ask, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

“That’s a little bit dramatic, don’t you think?” Dainsleif asks; you scrunched your face up before muttering something under your breath. Albedo cracks a smile before wrapping his arms around your shoulders and pressing a kiss on top of your head; you smile shyly before letting yourself melt into his arms.

“Albedo is my favorite out of all of you, by the way.” You said, turning around and burying your face into Albedo’s chest. “He showers me with affection, and he happily detangles my hair for me.” You added, snuggling up to Albedo like a cat.

Baizhu chuckles softly, “I don’t think you should be saying that when there are possessive people in the relationship.” 

You slowly pulled away from Albedo and blinked, coming to the realization that Baizhu was right. You were doing nothing but putting a target on Albedo’s forehead just by saying that he’s your favorite person. You slowly turned to the other men and saw the look on their faces, it was unreadable, but you could clearly see that the others were not happy over the fact that you said that you favor Albedo.

You sighed dramatically with a lighthearted eye roll, “Okay, okay, you’re all my favorite!” Everyone perked up at your comment. “But if any of you do anything to wrong me or make me feel dumb, the percentage in favoritism goes down by one percent.” You joked, pointing an accusing finger at each man in the room.

“Well, gentlemen, it looks like I will be the one to be in the lead,” Zhongli says, crossing his arms over his chest with a faint smile on his face. The others around him scoff at Zhongli’s comment. As if Zhongli would be the one you’ll favor the most; it’ll be them that you’ll prefer instead!

“I’m joking, I’m joking. There won’t be any favoritism going on; I love each and every single one of you equally! No competitions!” You said, getting up from your seat before feeling for the knotted hair, only to notice that Albedo was able to get it out for you. “Anyway, since I was rudely woken up by my two sweet boyfriends hiding under my blankets and clinging to me, I think breakfast would be nice.” You said, stretching your limbs before cracking your knuckles and your neck, causing the other men in the room to flinch at the sound. 

“Babe! You know that we’re not the only ones that had rudely woken you up from your sleep! Childe was the one that jumped on you!” Aether exclaims, latching himself onto you with a dramatic pout on his face.

Diluc’s eyes widen in shock, “He jumped on you?” Before you could respond, Diluc stormed out of the room to search for the ginger-haired Harbinger. You could see the steam coming out of Diluc’s ears, his face red with anger.

“I think we should stop him before they kill each other.” You said nervously, rushing after Diluc to make sure that he doesn’t kill Childe over it. 

Needless to say, ever since Itto was gifted a kamera from Kuki Shinobu, the oni has been going around, taking pictures of people. But the person that he took photos of the most was you, and it was always while you minded your business. The men weren’t pleased about it at first, but then Itto had to bribe them with the option of him taking pictures of you and certain men together without the two of you noticing him with a kamera from a long distance. Itto was pretty much the abode’s private paparazzi, except he had good intentions.

The photos that Itto has taken of you and the other men consisted of you napping with one of them, cooking with them, sparring with one of them, snuggling up against one of them while they read a book to you, and many more. The pictures that Itto has taken of you and the men would be either framed on walls or kept in a photo album that Pierro had oh-so graciously gifted to Itto for his newfound hobby. Now Itto has a collection of photo albums where it’s just you and the men (and him, of course) doing regular coupley things together! It was sweet, and you loved every bit of the memories that Itto has captured through the kamera lens.

Until one day, you saw a photograph on the floor of your bedroom, slipped from underneath the door when you were all alone in the abode when the men were out. You got up from your seat and squatted down to grab the picture, curiosity getting ahold of you. You flipped the film over, only to see that it was an image of you, laying on a hammock underneath a tree in the abode, immersed in the book you were reading. You would think that it’s a nice candid picture of you until you’d realize that someone had taken the photo of you while you’re all alone in the abode.

“Huh, that’s strange. Did Itto take this picture of me before he left?” You ask yourself, slowly getting up from the area where you were squatting down at. 

You walked over to your desk and placed the photograph on your desk, not thinking much of it. Maybe Itto did take a candid shot of you before he left the abode with the others, but even if he did, how did the picture end up in your room when he and the others haven’t returned to the estate? You sat down at your desk and stared at the photo that was taken of you, trying to remember the moment Itto took this picture of you, but nothing came to your mind.

You shrugged your shoulders and scratched your head while muttering, “I’m thinking too much into this.” You got out of your seat and laid in your bed, pulling your blanket up to your neck with a quiet sigh. Maybe Itto did take this picture of you, or perhaps the other men snapped this photograph of you, who knows. Either way, the photo came out nicely, and you sort of liked it! Maybe you’ll hang it up on your wall or something, but for now, you just want to take a nap until the men return to the mansion. When the men returned to the abode, you didn’t mention anything to them about the random photograph that was on your bedroom floor. Instead, you acted like nothing had happened and kept the image hidden from the men. Plus, you keeping that one picture hidden from your boyfriends isn’t really a big deal, right?

Gorou plops down on the couch beside you, his arms automatically snaking around your waist as he snuggles up against you. “So, did anything interesting happen while we were gone?” He asks, nuzzling the tip of his nose against your cheeks.

“No! I was bored out of my mind!” You whined, letting your body become limp in Gorou’s grapes, sniffling playfully before burying your face into his chest. “I was so bored that I was contemplating on getting a job somewhere in Teyvat!” You said, looking up at Gorou, then at your boyfriends who were sitting around you and Gorou.

Kaeya smiles, moving your legs to sit down where you once sat before letting your legs rest on his thighs. Kaeya brushes your messy hair from your face, “A job, you say? Do you want to work for the Knights of Favonious?” Diluc makes a disgusted noise, causing you to crack a smile. 

“I don’t know! I don’t believe that anything government related is my thing. Since I’m not technically from your world and nor am I a citizen of any of the regions in Teyvat, I prefer a job that is simple!” You said. “Plus, I get stressed easily and don’t work well under pressure.” You quickly added.

Zhongli interjects, “Well, working is never easy. Have you thought about continuing your education of some sort? You are a student in your world, correct?” He looks at you curiously.

You nod your head, “That’s correct. I was a university student in my world way before I was brought into your world. But I’m not sure if I can continue my education in Teyvat when the things I learn in my world are very different from what people in Teyvat learn.” You said, tapping on your chin while Gorou played with your hair.

Kazuha hums softly to himself while stroking his chin before inquiring, “Doesn’t that mean that [Y/N] will have to start at a grade school level and work their way up to academia?” 

Albedo nods his head, “Yes, it’s very likely that they’ll have to start from the very beginning and work their way up to academia.” 

You immediately shook your head, “In that case, I will not continue my education in Teyvat! As amazing as that would be, I don’t have the patience to get familiar with all things Teyvat history, language, mathematics, science, economics, politics, law, arts, and many more. It’s a lot to do, and my brain will malfunction.” You laugh sheepishly. “Plus….” You trailed off, your lips puckering before you looked away awkwardly.

“‘Plus’ what?” Ayato asks, sitting on the armrest of the couch beside Gorou, reaching over to grab you by your cheeks, squishing them together in the process, before turning your head to make you look at him in the eyes. You stared at Ayato with wide eyes, you were about to say something, but the kamera flashing startled you. You pulled your face out of Ayato’s grasp and saw Itto holding the kamera up to his face with a cheeky smile on his face.

Baizhu clears his throat, “Continue.” He says, adjusting the glasses on the tip of his nose with a smile on his face.

You huffed, “I would go to school in Teyvat, but I don’t want to be far away from all of you! And I can never get up early in the morning, and you guys know that I can never wake up early in the morning.” You said. You got off the couch and walked over to where Itto stood before taking the white film from his hands to look at the picture that he had taken of you and Ayato. You grumbled under your breath when you saw how unkempt you looked in the image compared to Ayato. You looked like you just got out of a fight with an abyss Herald while Ayato looked like a handsome prince interacting with a troll from under a bridge that saw the light for the first time.

“You’re talking down on yourself, aren’t you?” Scaramouche asks, bringing you out of your thoughts.

You squinted your eyes at Scaramouche, “And how would you know that exactly?” Your right eyebrow arching up.

Xiao sighs softly, “You tend to make self-deprecating jokes about yourself without even realizing.” He gives you a disapproving look with his arms across his chest.

“Your expression also gave it away, but please remember that we love you just the way you are!” Thoma says, pressing a kiss on the side of your head affectionately while placing his arm over your shoulders, pulling you close to his chest.

Dainsleif nods his head, “Please keep in mind that the way you see yourself is different from how we see you.” He caresses your cheeks in his hands with a sad smile on his face.

You whined softly, “Stoooooop, you guys are going to make me cry!” You groaned, covering your face with your hands before ducking down your head.

Venti panics, “Windblume! Please don’t cry! You know how much it hurts to see you weep!” Venti runs up to you to snuggle up against you, his face rubbing against your shoulders with a pout on his face. As if that would make you feel even better, the other men ran up to you to comfort you and to make sure that you were okay. You saw a flash in the corner of your eyes; you looked over to where the flash of light came from but didn’t see anything. You looked over at Itto quizzically, who smiled at you sheepishly. 

“Sorry, I think I accidentally took a photo,” Itto says, rubbing the back of his neck. You brushed it off and grabbed onto his hand and gently squeezed them.

You thought the one photo of you on the hammock was from Itto, but more and more photos start to appear in the abode while you are alone and the others are out. At first, you thought it was a prank of some sort that the men were all in on, but when you brought it up, everyone was confused as to what you were saying.

“Very funny, you guys.” You said, walking into the living room with your towel wrapped around your body, your hair soaked from your shower.

Heizou looks at you in confusion, “Very funny what?” You stared at the men blankly, waiting for one of them to come clean.

“I know it’s one of you that’s playing a prank on me,” You said, crossing your arms over your chest, gripping onto your towel tightly. You were going to get them to confess sooner or later because this so-called prank wasn’t even funny anymore.

“Play a prank on you? As you can see, we haven’t been at the abode much.” Scaramouche interjects, rubbing his temples with a sharp exhale.

“Snookums, as much as we would love to play a prank on you, we have things to do outside of the abode as well, you know that, right?” Childe hugs the cushion against his chest, raising an eyebrow at you. You cursed to yourself internally. Childe was right. If they wanted to play a prank on you, they would’ve been acting weird when you confronted them. Yet no one had the reaction you expected; they were all confused when you brought it up. You felt your heart sink to the pits of your stomach after realizing something. If it wasn’t Itto or any of the other men in the abode that had taken that specific picture of you, then who was it? Could there be an intruder of some sort? No, it can’t be. The abode is secured, and only specific people are able to get into the teapot. You shook your head and turned around to go back into your bathroom, leaving the men to themselves while wondering what you were talking about. You closed your bedroom door behind you and locked the doors, slowly walking up to your desk and staring at the envelope on your desk and the pictures laid out in front of you.

Each of the pictures was taken while you were unaware of your surroundings. One where you were in the bathhouse while butt naked, another photo was taken of you while you were changing your clothes, and other images were of you in a compromising position with the other men while unaware of the person that had snapped that photo. This one picture, in particular, made you feel like you wanted to rip your skin off your body. It was you and Venti, sitting on your bed with you in his lap, both completely naked from the top half of your bodies, your hands cupping his face, lips hovering over his while his hands were gripping onto the fat of your ass while staring into your eyes, his tongue peeking from his lips. In the envelope, it contains a letter written by someone. 

“My dearest [Y/N],

It angers me to see you with these men who don’t care about you. They would leave you all along in your mansion while they are out, tending to whatever business they have going on. It hurts to see you all alone, with nothing to do and no one to keep you company. If I were to be your lover, I would spoil you with my love and attention. It is clear that these twenty-one buffoons do not love or care about you with how they are always leaving you at the abode all alone! 

My hands were itching to hand these photos to you personally, but I did not want to scare you off. These photos are my absolute favorites that I have taken of you, and I believe that you look absolutely breathtaking and lovely in these images. The way the water trails down your naked skin, the way your eyes roll to the back of your head when the warm water engulfs you is absolutely mesmerizing. You are indeed a beauty. Did you know that? This distance between us is driving me crazy, and I yearn to be by your side. But fret not, my love. I will be by your side very soon. You and I will finally be together, and those twenty-one men will finally be out of the picture. I will reveal who I am to you very soon.

Forever and always, 

Your secret admirer.”

You examined the handwriting, hoping to recognize it from one of the men, but alas, none of the men has that handwriting. It was elegant, but it did not look like any of the men’s writing. While writing does not have gender, this handwriting, in particular, is a bit interesting. The dots on the “i’s” were hearts, and the ends of each letter curled up slightly. You grabbed the pictures and letter, putting them back into the envelope before walking back to your bathroom to change into your clothes. Whoever this “secret admirer” of yours was, you will find out who they are, whether they like it or not. 

Since the men are busy with their duties outside of the abode, you’ll have to either figure out who this secret admirer is or just brush it off and hope for the best that the person will stop when you continue to ignore their odd way of courting you. You ended up choosing the latter and acted like nothing was going on, despite feeling like there was someone staring into the back of your head when you were not looking.

The more you tried to ignore the situation, the worst it was gradually getting. Each picture you kept receiving got even worse and even creepier. If one of the men were in the photo with you, they would be scratched out, or x’s would be drawn on their eyes. It was strange that this person was going through so much effort to get you to be with them and to show how much they did not like your relationship with your boyfriends. Behind each image were little notes about how much they’ve missed you, how they yearn to be by your side, how they wanted to get your boyfriends out of the picture, etc. 

You ended up putting these weird pictures and letters from your creepy secret admirer in a small box and tossing it under your bed to never look at it ever again. Most people would throw it away or toss it into a pit of fire, but you were gathering evidence just in case you have to file charges against this person to the Knights of Favonious, Shogunate, or the Millelith.

“Fine, if this person doesn’t want to stop, then it looks like I’ll have to find a way to confront them about it.” You said, opening the cardboard box that contained evidence. 

Maybe with these images and letters, you’ll be able to find a hint as to who this person was. When the men fall asleep in their respective bedrooms, you would get up in the middle of the night and leave the abode, hoping to catch the person that claimed to be your secret admirer. On different nights, you’d explore other regions alone.

You plopped down on the seat outside of Good Hunter, sighing in defeat. “What am I even doing? I’m not going to be able to find this person at all.” You remained sitting in the chair for the next ten minutes, trying to collect your thoughts while ignoring the feeling of someone staring at the back of your head. Your stalker, or “secret admirer,” has been following you around Mondstadt and has yet to reveal themselves. If you were to turn around to try to confront them, all you would see is a crowd of people walking and minding their business while you stood there, looking lost. 

You slowly got up from your seat before making your way to the entrance of Mondstadt. As much as you wanted to stay longer in Teyvat to find the culprit, it was getting late, and you didn’t want any of your boyfriends to worry about you if any of them were to wake up in the middle of the night to check up on you. While walking to the front of the city, you stop in your tracks when you hear footsteps echoing with yours. You furrowed your eyebrows before continuing to walk; the person began to walk when you resumed walking to the front of the city.

Once you have made it out of the city, you took off and ran to wherever the teapot was floating. To be frank, you always forget where the teapot was placed whenever you leave the abode. It’s one of the reasons why the men don’t trust you to leave the teapot all by yourself because you will forget where it’s placed in Teyvat. You ran through Whispering Woods, hoping the person would stop at the entrance of Whispering Woods, but you were wrong. The person continues to follow you, but they keep a reasonable distance. The woods were dark; it was hard to see. You shield your face from the tree branches, your chest heaving with every breath you take; your legs feel like it is going to give out on you very soon. 

“Where is it? Where is it?” You panted, your heart thundering against your chest as you frantically searched for the floating teapot. Because you were in the woods and didn’t have a flashlight on you, it was almost pitch black and the only source of light to guide you through the woods was the full moon hanging above your head. Like any classic horror movie, your foot got caught in the vines, causing you to trip and tumble down the hill. You quickly got up from the ground before limping to find where the abode could have been placed. You hear a tree branch behind you snap loudly; your head snaps towards the direction where the noise came from, only to see Gorou and Diluc appearing out from the darkness. You felt the sense of relief wash over you when you saw them emerge from the darkness. You collapsed to the ground, your legs weak and exhausted from the amount of running you’ve done.

“[Y/N], why did you leave the abode in the middle of the night!? You could’ve gotten lost or hurt!” Diluc scolds you, walking up to you before helping you up from the ground.

Gorou wraps his arms around you before helping you up from the ground, saying, “You had us worried when we went into your room and saw that you weren’t there!”

The bushes rustle, putting you on edge. You pressed yourself up against Gorou, shaking like a leaf, fearing that your “secret admirer” was finally going to reveal themselves. Ayato and Xiao appear from the darkness, approaching you, Diluc, and Gorou.

Xiao grabs you by your bicep, pulling you towards him, “Why did you leave the abode?” He demands, his eyes narrowing at you. You shrunk under their gaze and looked away from them, unsure of how to answer Xiao’s question.

Ayato sighs, “I believe that it’s best that we interrogate [Y/N] about it when we get to the abode.” Ayato says, pinching the bridge of his nose. The men reluctantly nod their heads before escorting you back to the abode. When you five arrived back at the mansion, the seventeen other men were waiting for you, Ayato, Diluc, Xiao, and Gorou. They looked pissed and worried.

“Care to explain what you’ve been hiding from us for the last few weeks?” Kaeya asks, towering over you.

You look at Kaeya weirdly, “What do you mean? I’m not hiding anything from you all.” You lied, letting Baizhu and Albedo approach you to treat the scrapes that you’ve gotten from your tumble.

“There’s no use in hiding it anymore, [Y/N]. We saw the box you’ve been hiding underneath your bed.” Thoma frowns. You froze in your spot as the four Harbingers approached you before tossing the images on the coffee table, the pictures scattering everywhere, letting everyone see the photos you’ve been hiding from them.

“Do you want to explain to us what these photos are and who has taken these pictures of you?” Capitano asks, picking up a random picture on the table before holding it up.

Pierro interjects, “And don’t play dumb and try to lie to us. We’ve read the letters as well.” He held up the envelopes, his eyebrow raised.

You sighed softly, “I may have an admirer, but they’ve taken it too far, and I don’t know who this person is.” You said, your gaze falling onto the coffee table before looking away from it. Now that the men knew what you were hiding this entire time, just the mere sight of the photographs made you feel disgusting and embarrassed. 

“How long has this been going on exactly? There’s a lot of pictures taken of you without your knowledge.” Dainsleif asks; you shuffled through the pictures on the table before handing it over to Dainsleif.

“A few weeks, I think. This was the first picture that was taken of me while you were all out tending to your businesses outside of the abode.” You said. “At first, I thought it was Itto that had taken this photo of me, but then more pictures started appearing, and soon enough, letters accompanied those pictures.” You said.

“Is that why you asked us whether we were pranking you or not?” Aether asks, sitting down beside you. You nod your head, resting your head on your hands. You didn’t know what else to do other than to confront this “secret admirer” of yours. You knew that if you were to do that with your boyfriends, it’d scare off the stalker, and you would never know who this person was. You were hoping it was a prank, but after seeing the reaction from the twenty-one men, it was not a prank at all and that someone was watching your every move.

“That still doesn’t explain why you were out of the abode in the middle of the night all by yourself. You hurt yourself, and you could’ve gotten yourself kidnapped by this anonymous person.” Zhongli says, kneeling in front of you before reaching out to grab your hands.

You sighed in defeat, “I tried to find that person myself. But I failed to do so.” 

“You were being followed in the Whispering Woods; it’s most likely the person that has been stalking you for the last few weeks,” Diluc says.

“I believe that this person has been infatuated with [Y/N] for a long period of time but has finally decided to take it to the next step,” Albedo commented, wrapping the bandage around your scraped knees. 

Venti frowns, “Well, what do we do now? How are we going to lure this creep out from the shadows?” Venti asks, sitting down beside you to wrap his arms around your waist.

“I hate to say this, but we might have to use [Y/N] as bait to lure them out,” Baizhu speaks up, tucking your hair behind your ear.

Kazuha’s eyes widened at Baizhu’s comment, “You want to use [Y/N] as bait?! You know that can put [Y/N] in harm's way, correct?” Kazuha’s red eyes burned with rage.

Dottore chuckles softly, “Now, now, Kazuha. Baizhu is correct! The only way we can lure this secret admirer out is by using [Y/N] to bait them.”

Childe shakes his head, “Absolutely not! We are not using [Y/N] as bait to lure some pervert out from the shadows! There are plenty of ways to track this creep down, and using [Y/N] as bait isn’t one of them!” 

Capitano snorted, “Oh, come on now, Childe. Usually, you’d be on board to use someone as bait.” 

Childe gently pulls you up from the couch and wraps his arms around you protectively, “Not when the bait is [Y/N].” Childe shoots a glare at Capitano, Dottore, and Baizhu before looking down at you and cooing at you softly while pinching your cheeks and brushing your hair away from your face. He wraps his arms around your shoulders before pressing a kiss on the crown of your head.

You sighed and rested your head against Childe’s chest, your arms wrapped around his slim waist. As much as you don’t want to be the bait, you need to know who this stalker was so you can finally get a moment of peace… right after you press charges against this person or file for a restraining order if that exists in Teyvat, of course. You slowly pushed yourself away from Childe’s chest.

You hugged your body tightly, “I guess I can be bait, but as long as I’m not alone with this person.” You said, letting your arms fall to your side. 

“We won’t let you be alone with this person; we’ll be hiding up in the trees in Windrise and wait for this person to show themselves,” Venti says.

Thoma looks at Venti quizzically, “Why Windrise? Why not the Grand Narukami Shrine or Yujing Terrace?”

Zhongli stands up and dusts his clothes off, “It’s best for us to catch this person somewhere where there aren’t many people around. The Grand Narukami Shrine and the Yujing Terrace have frequent visitors, thus can make it harder to get this “admirer” to reveal themselves.” 

“Okay, then let’s go to Windrise now and hope to catch the admirer tonight!” Heizou says, clapping his hands.

Your eyes widen before looking around at the others, “We’re doing this tonight?! I thought we were doing this some other time!” You squeaked.

“The longer we put it off, the bolder and braver this person will become,” Scaramouche says; you slumped forward and pouted to yourself. 

Just when you thought you had enough of the fiasco that has happened tonight, it has gotten even worse than you thought. At least this will be the final time you’ll have to deal with the so-called “secret admirer.” Right? The men have come up with a plan where you will be lying underneath the tree in Windrise while all twenty-one of them hide in the tree to wait for your little admirer to approach you and reveal to you who they are. 

Chances are that your admirer might not show up tonight, or they will! But it was a fifty-fifty chance, and everyone hoped that this person would show up. Or else it will continue on and escalate even more. Here you are, laying underneath the massive oak tree in Windrise. You looked up in the tree and saw the twenty-one men giving you a reassuring smile. 

Gorou whispers loudly to you, “You’ll be okay! We’re right here with you.” Even though he wanted to shout down to you to reassure you, he didn’t want to risk getting his and the twenty other men to be seen by your admirer.

You closed your eyes and turned on your side before curling up into a fetal position. You would rather sleep in the abode, but maybe sleeping under the giant oak tree in Windrise isn’t so bad, especially when you feel a gentle breeze. Perhaps it was Venti’s subtle way of comforting you without revealing their hiding spots. Before you knew it, you drifted off to sleep under the twenty-one men’s watchful gazes. Not even an hour had gone by, and you were woken up from your slumber by the sound of leaves crunching and tree branches snapping.

You kept your eyes shut, not wanting this person to know that you were woken up by the sound of leaves crunching and branches snapping. You curled into a tight ball, praying that this person wasn’t going to do anything to you while you were “unconscious.” The footsteps got closer and closer to where you lay; the person stopped in front of you and kneeled in front of your face.

Itto grumbles under his breath, “Dammit, they’re covered.” 

“For someone who wants to reveal their identity to our precious [Y/N], they sure are a coward,” Ayato scoffs, rolling his eyes while watching the person get a bit too close to you for their liking. 

You cracked your eyes open when you felt someone brush their thumb over your cheeks, tucking your hair behind your ears. You looked around with bleary eyes before rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. You looked up at the person and let out a choked gasp before sitting up suddenly, alarming the men hidden in the tree.

The cloaked person whispers, “Apologies for waking you up, my dear. I couldn’t help myself.”

“You’re….” You stood up and backed away from them, eyes wide in shock.

“Oh, are you disappointed to see who I am?” They frowned, their shoulders slumping.

You gulped before laughing nervously, “I just didn’t expect to see you…” You trailed off. Eyes scanning the cloaked person. “Donna.” You whispered.

“DONNA!?” Kaeya and Diluc whisper loudly, looking over at one another with wide eyes before looking back down to where you and the cloaked person stood. The cloaked person sighs softly, taking the hood of their cloak off, finally revealing who they are. Alas, it was Donna, the girl that was hopelessly in love with Diluc.

“I thought you were in love with Diluc.” You stated, crossing your arms over your chest with your right eyebrow raised with skepticism. 

Donna shakes her head, and she reaches out to grab both your hands. “I’m not in love with Diluc anymore! I’m in love with you!” She claims. You felt dizzy. This was all so sudden, and someone like Donna was in love with you? “All of those pictures, all of those letters, it was all from me!” Donna exclaims.

You shook your head, “Donna, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m in a relationship.” You said, trying to pull your hand away from her grasp.

Donna scoffs and rolls her eyes, “Of course, I know that you’re in a relationship with those idiotic men. You’re better off without them, and you’re better off with me instead!” 

You yanked your hands away from her grasp, “Donna, I swear if this is some kind of a sick joke to you—”

“It’s not a joke! I’m in love with you, [Y/N]! Why can’t you see that you’re meant for me and only me!?!” Donna screeches, lunging towards you. You ducked from under her arms and held both your hands up, not taking your eyes off of her for one minute.

“Why aren’t any of them stepping in!?” You ask yourself, subconsciously looking up at the tree where the men were hiding.

“You deserve to be with someone who will love you until their final breath! You deserve to be with someone that won’t leave you all alone while they’re out and about! And you know who that is? That person is me!” Donna pants, her hands trembling with fear and anger. 

You rubbed your temples, feeling your head starting to ache. “I’m sorry, Donna, but I do not feel the same way. I’m in a happy relationship with my boyfriends, and they make me happy.” You stated.

“Why?” Donna cries. “Why them!?” Donna screams, her voice echoing through Windrise.

You stared at the brunette in front of you, “You want to know why?” Donna nods her head eagerly. “I’m with them because I feel safe when I’m around them. They protect me; they love me, and they care for me.” 

“And!? I can do all of those three as well! I killed that insolent bastard that had made you feel uncomfortable!” Donna exclaims, glaring at you with hot tears running down her face while her chest is rising and falling at a rapid pace with each breath she takes.

“You killed Yifan?” You choked, your eyes widening in fear and shock. Donna nods her head and wipes the tears off her cheeks.

“See! I told you I could protect you from the people that make you feel uncomfortable! What makes me any different from the men that you’re currently dating?!” Donna demands as fresh tears slide down her cheeks.

“They don’t take pictures of me while I’m in my most vulnerable state. Sure, Itto takes candid pictures of me while I’m not looking, but his intentions are pure. Yours is disturbing and makes me feel uncomfortable.” You spat, glaring at the woman in front of you.

“Please, [Y/N]. Please, give me a chance! I’m way better than those twenty-one idiots!” Donna sobs, dropping onto her knees with her forehead pressed against the grass. “I’ll worship the grounds you walk on. I will worship you like a God! Just, please!” Donna looks up at you; endless tears continue to roll down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Donna. But my answer is final.” You said, turning to walk away from the tree.

“Fine! If I can’t have you, then no one can!” Donna screams. You stopped in your tracks; your back continues to face her direction. What did she mean by that? You hear rapid footsteps approaching where you stood; you turn around to see what Donna is doing, only to see her charge at you with a dagger in her hands. A geo shield materializes around you, blocking the hit that was directed at you from Donna. Donna screeches and begins to stab at the shield over and over again. Zhongli was immediately by your side, expanding the size of the shield while glaring at the brunette in front of him.

“So, you have decided to try to murder someone just because they did not reciprocate your feelings?” Zhongli glares at Donna before wrapping his arms around you protectively.

“The Knights of Favonious will be taking her into custody now,” Kaeya says, strutting up to you, Zhongli, and Donna with the Knights of Favonious following after him. Kaeya turns towards the Knights and gestures for them to take Donna away.

“What?! Keep your hands off of me!” Donna screams, throwing her arms around wildly, causing the dagger to nick one of the knights on the cheek. Donna gasps and drops the blade. The knight glares at Donna before grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her forward before putting her hands behind her back.

“You’re under arrest for an attempt of murder, resisting arrest, and injuring a knight.” Huffman glares at the brunette before taking her away with the other knights in tow.

“You know, I did not see that coming at all,” Aether says, hopping down from the tree.

Diluc lets out a humorless laugh, “Who knew that the strange secret admirer was none other than Donna herself!” Diluc crosses his arms over his chest with a quiet sigh.

“Now that we’ve uncovered who this strange person is, I believe that it’s time for us to return to the abode,” Heizou says.

“Yes, please! I’m so tired, and I don’t think I can stay awake any longer.” You said, leaning in Zhongli’s arms. “Who knew that it would be Donna.” You snorted, shaking your head.

“It really took an unexpected turn.” Dainsleif mumbles, standing by your side while rubbing your back to comfort you.

“Yeah, you’re telling me! Who knew that she was the one that killed Yifan!” Kazuha says, shaking his head.

Albedo walks up to you with a reassuring smile on his face, “Let’s go home, yeah?” He held his hand out for you to take.

“Yes, please.” You sighed softly, grabbing onto Albedo’s hands. “And, can someone please sleep with me tonight? I don’t think I can sleep peacefully after what happened not too long ago.” You said, turning to your boyfriend.

“I’ll do it!” The men chorused, holding their hands up in the air. They all glared at one another; their hands remained in the air.

“I’m too tired for this.” You sighed. “All of you can join me. Just please don’t crush each other.” You said, walking with Albedo to the abode while the other men followed close behind you while bickering with one another over who’s going to sleep where in your room as long as they were close to you and as long as you felt safe and could sleep without fear.

Note: Okay, so this fic is wayyyyyy longer than the first part of "Obsessed with You." 💀 I didn't plan for the fic to be that long, but I guess that's fine LMAO! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this fic! Next week's fic will most likely be a request because I haven't done a request since the beach fic, so it will be an individual character fanfic as well (it's Venti, it's a request) because this person didn't really specify any other characters in the story or the reader being the isekai'd!Reader. Anywho! For those who are new or returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

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[ticklystuff]

As much as I wanna send Kaveh and Alhaitham… I’ll be good this time~

Lee Childe, Ler Zhongli, hips 👀

send no more, thx!

wc: ~1.3k

a/n: wahhh thanks for requesting them! i decided to use this for childe's birthday hahaha i wasn't going to write anything for him initially but then i decided i didn't want to break tradition so i wrote this last minute fic at 3 am hahahahasdkljfsd the things i do for him

---

"Xiansheng, the recipe uses baking powder, not baking soda!"

"Xiansheng, you're supposed to fol- FOLD the batter!"

"Xiansheng, I need you to- can you just sit by the couch?"

And that is exactly what Zhongli did, taking a seat on the old sofa after practically being nagged out of his own kitchen by Childe himself during what was supposed to be their quality baking time. His arms crossed inwards and an irate huff left his lips as he watched Childe multitask between mixing the cake batter and reading the cookbook, though, one glance at the ginger's furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips was enough to ease Zhongli's nerves the tiniest bit. 

Was it common for Snezhnayans to do all the heavy lifting for their birthdays? One would think so if the pair's interactions were anything to go by, with all the nervous glances Zhongli would catch from the other, to the way Childe constantly stalked back and forth in and out of the kitchen, which eventually ended with Childe taking over the baking for the day. "I-I just just like to make sure that the food I'm eating tastes good.. to me and others!" was one of the many side comments that Childe had made, specifically when he had snatched the whisk away from Zhongli's hands. Now that he thought about it, what exactly did Childe mean with that remark?

"Xiansheng! Where do you keep your cake pan?"

Pondering aside, Zhongli looked up to see the many hanging cabinets of his kitchen open and ajar, their contents nearly spilling out as Childe scanned the mess of each shelf. The other had hopped up on the counter, knees resting against the surface with the rest of his lower legs hanging over the edge, back turned to Zhongli. "Right cabinet, middle shelf," Zhongli sighed, watching as Childe pinpointed the pan, before hopping off the counter. Despite having only met Childe within the year, the other had certainly become quite comfortable around Zhongli and his home.. a little too comfortable.

There was a 'thud' once Childe's feet hit the floor after hopping off the counter, cake pan in hand. Zhongli observed as the other began filling the pan with the sweet batter, before hurrying out the house to the oven outside. Watching Childe constantly move about only made Zhongli realize how little work he had put in for Childe's birthday, not that that was particularly his fault, due to how Childe conducted things, but it would be nice to be able to treat him, especially since Childe was so accommodating for Zhongli's own birthday. A nice little gesture to show his appreciation. His brain went about the best way to address this, only for Childe to come rushing back into the house, before making his way to the couch.

"Finally," Childe breathed a tired sigh, flopping down on the couch and crossing his legs as he rested his feet on the coffee table in front of them. "We can relax for a bit, Xiansheng."

Zhongli shot the other a click of his tongue, giving his legs a swift nudge with the side of his knee that prompted an apologetic 'oh' from Childe as he set his feet on the floor. "You mean you can relax for a bit," he said with a cross of his arms. "Allow me to handle the rest of tonight's preparations."

His proposition was met with a cheeky eye roll, not that Zhongli should've been surprised. "You've already helped out a lot, though," Childe stubbornly huffed, a clear sign that he wasn't intent on listening. "Besides, I haven't gotten to making the frosting for the cake yet."

"Ajax, it's.. your birthday," Zhongli tried to reason with him, unsure of how else he should go about convincing him. "You are still young; spend your time at leisure."

Childe just gave a short wave of his hand and shook his head. "See, when you grow up with such a large family, you hardly get the chance to relax," Childe explained, his hands moving in motions with his words, before ending with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's hardly a big deal, though, because I'm already used to it."

"Ah, but is your family here for you to stress over?" Zhongli couldn't help but let the corner of his lip curl into the tiniest of smirks as Childe's expression visibly changed, seemingly scrambling for a rebuttal.

"That's-" he shifted on the couch, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "That's irrelevant because there's a cake that still needs frosting made."

"Ah-ah, nope," Zhongli quickly stood up and reached out to snake his arm around Childe's waist, eliciting a frustrated whine from the other as he prevented him from leaving the couch just in time. "Please, just relax for the rest of the day."

"Zhongli!" Childe hissed, slapping at the forearm that kept him trapped to the older man. "Zhongli, let go! I-I'm serihihihohohous! No-! Nohoho! W-What are you dohohohoing?!"

The question was quite rhetorical in nature and Childe knew that and Zhongli knew that Childe knew that. It wasn't uncommon for the two to resort to rather.. unconventional means when in disagreement with each other. Said methods were foreign and initially difficult for Zhongli to wrap his head around when his time with Childe was nothing more than a budding relationship. Childe would often often justify his actions with reasons like "I always tickle my younger siblings!" as if Zhongli wasn't exponentially older than the people in question. With time, however, Zhongli eventually came around and he too realized how handy this special technique could be when utilized for his own biddings, especially with how Childe seemed extremely susceptible to his own medicine.

"Zhohohonglihihi! Stahahap!"

"Just relax for the rest of the day," Zhongli repeated verbatim, his thumbs pressing into Childe's hip bones with each syllable, forcing the other to bounce erratically within his grasp as laughter continued to spill out of the other's mouth.

"Dahahahahmn it!" Childe's fists curled into balls of pure aggression, repeatedly lashing into Zhongli's arms, while also forcing his elbows into Zhongli's ribs in an attempt to escape the couch. To Zhongli, though, these were nothing more than little taps, a mere hindrance to the geo archon himself.

"You're going to be too exhausted for cake later if you keep this up," Zhongli chuckled as Childe's laughter seemingly grew louder with frustration. Everything to Childe was a challenge and Zhongli was well aware how much the ginger would hate to give up, especially on his own birthday of all days, but that just meant Zhongli would have to work harder in his own way.

"UghahAHAhaha!" Childe practically cried out with gritted teeth, his arms and legs flailing about in Zhongli's hold once his free hand began to pinch at hip, applying just the right amount of pressure that drove Childe up the wall. "Okahahay! Fihihine! I-I gihiHIHIhive!"

"Promise?"

"YeheHEHehes! Come on! Leheht gohoho!"

Once satisfied, Zhongli unraveled his arms from the laughing mess in his hold, chuckling to himself as Childe nearly stumbled over himself to get away, scowling at Zhongli from the other side of the couch. "Worst birthday ever," he grumbled out, before grabbing a cushion and chucking it straight at Zhongli's face.

Zhongli simply let the pillow come into contact with his face, tossing it back with minimal force, before standing from the couch and walking over to give the rather grumpy birthday boy a gentle pat on the head. "I'll go ahead and take care of the frosting then," he said with a smile, eyes unable to meet with Childe's own when the other so blatantly avoided his. When Childe didn't object, Zhongli turned around to make his way to the kitchen, finally able to work at his own leisure.

"Ah, Zhongli?"

"Hm?" He glanced over his shoulder to see Childe now sitting cross-legged on the couch, facing him with arms folded.

"Ah," he cleared his throat before speaking again, "just wanted to say that when it comes to making frosting, make sure that you-"

"Ah- hush," Zhongli interrupted him, prompting the other to sigh. "Relax, it's your birthday. I'll take care of everything."

#chili #childe #zhongli #genshin impact #tickling

[stellartales]

Hello! Can I requests headcannons for Zhongli’s kiddo? I liked the headcannons for pregnant s/o and I was wandering how you’d think they’d look like, traits they’ll inherit from him, other character’s opinions on them and just general stuff! (Anything you’d like to think of, also I can’t help but picture that Zhongli would have a daughter-)

Thanks for reading <333

thank you for such interesting request! i'm glad you enjoyed the headcanon :3 for those wondering, anon here is referring to this headcanon here. The content relating/answering to this ask would not really be formatted in the same way as I've written my existing headcanons tho.

HEADCANON: what would his offspring be like?

I don't know how or why but I understand what you meant by you not being able to help picturing our Geo Daddy having a little girl — it somehow clicks with me too as I read your req?

APPEARANCE

It's a little hard to say since the mother is...well a reader (basically anyone who read that headcanon), which means i don't have clear picture of how the child would look accurately.

But his child would definitely inherit his tall genes, maybe get his eyes as well — meaning the same bright and sharp look he carries, possibly the goldenish amber eyes.

since he/she came from Zhongli who is obviously not human, ahem, god/adepti, his/her hair would be the same as his; dark brown hair which fades to amber brown at the tips. if it was a daughter, i'd imagine her to have long hair, and if it was a son, his hair would look a little unruly, similar to Zhongli (Idk why but imagine his son with a hairstyle like Chongyun's but in Zhongli's color)

ABILITIES

Okay I had to dig around and study Ganyu and Yanfei for this. Cause I wasn't sure whether do they inherited their parents' adepti powers or not XD From what i've read, their powers (as we all know. duh) are from Visions like any other characters in Genshin.

...so based on this, Zhongli's child probably wouldn't inherit Geo power from her/his dad? their powers mainly be from Visions just like Ganyu and Yanfei. (...but again, Zhongli is a god right? maybe it's different?)

but one or two things I'm sure of would be immortality. (definitely able to live as long as thousand years).

she/he would probably have like super good endurance, strength, able to withstand harsh climates, maybe shapeshift like him. Has a good knack at weapon mastery and combat since Rex Lapis was known to be the strongest Archon who won a seat during the Archon War — he was known by many names...God of War, God of Stoves, God of Contract etc.)

Most combat abilities she/he gained are from Zhongli himself because they would favor the polearm over other weapon types after watching how lightning fast their father fight using one.

RELATIONSHIPS

with ZHONGLI himself:

definitely close to his child. Likes to bring child around Liyue, telling the stories behind the different ruins or areas. Child loves watching the Chinese opera with him and listening to stories at teahouses but in their opinion, Zhongli is the best storyteller (like c'mon even i'd love to hear him talk all day; can't blame them). One of the child's favorite thing to do is listen to bedtimes stories from their father, always gets lulled to sleep easily.

the child is his greatest treasure alongside his s/o. Zhongli is protective over them (duh) but at the same time, he would not overbearing and let them the space to learn, struggle and pick themselves up; a bit like how he had looked over Liyue quietly as Zhongli the incognito Archon.

The child could certainly always count on their father to give them the best advice and the best listening ear.

HUTAO

idk why but when i thought of them living in the city, my mind went straight to this girl haha

Child is definitely intrigued by Hutao but Zhongli wouldn't trust to let them be alone with the director, afraid they would start learning strange things from her HAHHA — he learnt this the hard way:

one incident when he had to leave the parlor for a while to run a quick errand, only to find that she had put the child inside a child-sized coffin to let them take a nap when there was a cushioned bench to lie on. on their way home, Zhongli gets pestered by the child to buy a coffin, wanting make one their bed. dear archons, the route back to their home seemed painfully long that day — Zhongli had a hard time trying to help his child understand why a coffin cannot be used as a bed and what was the purpose of it.

that day, he swore never to leave Hutao alone with his child ever again.

XIAO

Xiao would be fiercely protective of this child — it is afterall Morax's offspring. He would feel like it is also his duty to keep her/him safe. Xiao is definitely not a people person, much less a person who knew how to interact with kids so he would prefer to watch over the kid from afar.

if Zhongli had to leave it up for someone to watch over the child when he or s/o couldn't, and there was only Xiao — Xiao would be rather reluctant, voicing his concerns about the karmic debt he carries harming the child. if it was really up to him to watch over the child, he would still do it while keeping the child literally one arm's length away. He would put in a lot of effort to place a small distance between him and the child.

— due to this, Xiao would be dubbed "the weird older brother" by the child. (yes older brother. not uncle, cause the child is calling him based on Xiao's youthful appearance.)

MADAME PING

as written in the headcanon that Madame Ping was quite involved in the life of the child since he/she was in their mother's womb, she is practically a grandmother figure to the kid. Definitely would be the first person in mind to help look after the child if Zhongli and s/o couldn't. Similar to Zhongli, Madame Ping have many stories to tell about Liyue to the child. I'd say the kid likes to hang around in her abode too cause it's tbh quite interesting don't you think?

anddddd this is all i can think of.

thanks for requesting and reading :)

#zhongli headcanons #zhongli genshin #zhongli x reader #zhongli daddy #zhongli ask #genshin imagines #zhongli imagines #zhongli scenarios #zhongli as a dad #zhongli genshin impact #genshin zhongli #genshin xiao #hutao imagines #madame ping #genshin x reader #genshin impact

[sohcah-toa]

Teyvat Blossoms - a series ❀

Teyvat Blossoms [click for the main masterlist]

Chapter 1: Would you like a drink?

cw — smut, f reader, gentle, unexpected, unprotected, vanilla, slight fluff, reader wearing diluc's hoodie

tip or donate at ko-fi

❀

"We'll definitely have the prettiest stalls than all the others" Your eyes sparkled, drawing on your pad. You then felt a tap on your shoulder causing you to yell. You look around and see the person "O-Oh, Diluc! you startled me!" you hide your pad, embarrassed, you're not exactly the best artist.

"I apologize. I kept looking for your earlier, why are you still in your office? It's getting late" He said, you look at the time and he was right. You've been brainstorming for hours.

You immediately put everything in your bag and stand up "Oh right. How about you? Not going home?" you asked, he doesn't live that far away.

"About that — can you help me?" He asked, you nod and grab your bag. He kept averting your gaze and is fidgeting.

"Sure, what's up?" You asked him. He seemed a little bit nervous

He coughed nervously, clearing his throat "I-I made a drink of sort" he rubbed the back of his head, still not looking at you at all.

"Relax Diluc, it'll be fine. Take me there" you tell him. He's very responsible. The others are probably asleep by now or at home already. Zhongli actually shares a room with Xiao, it's a whole other story.

Diluc took you to the mini tavern you had at the inn. It was clean in there, it smelled good too. You haven't been here in a while "Wow Diluc, you're definitely not breaking my trust huh? This place still looks amazing"

"Of course, I take my job very seriously" He said, preparing the drink "If it's alright with you to wait, I'll make the drink now. It's better if it's freshly made"

You nod "No problem at all" you watched as he does his magic. He moves so gracefully, mixing drinks, pouring, no mess was made at all. He was really skilled. You picked the perfect person for this job. You had no idea why he chose to work with you, it's just a small business.

He then gave you the drink. It looked so beautiful, you knew exactly what flower it was supposed to be "It's — a small lamp grass. Diluc, this is amazing! It's glowing!" your eyes sparkled.

"Very perceptive" he smiled a little, your heart just jumped seeing that. To change the pace of things, you drank it.

He waited for your response with a serious face. He looked tired, he was, but he still looked good. What's his secret? As these thoughts run through your mind, you never realized that you finished the drink.

"I-It's amazing" You coughed a little "I'm sorry I drank it all" you gave an excuse, you had no idea you did that. You were so focused on staring at him.

He smiled a little "No worries. It's flattering. I tried infusing real lamp grass into it but I don't think it's perfect yet. Diona is great at these things, I should learn a thing or two from her"

You had no idea what he was talking about! "It's already amazing, Diluc! I don't know much about drinks but I know when I enjoy it" you smile at him, telling him the truth. He sighed with another small grin.

"Thank you. Get some rest, I'll clean up" he said, starting to fix things but then you helped him. You can't help it. He looks so overworked, you thought maybe you were too bossy earlier.

Then you keep thinking if the others are like this too. If they're overworking themselves. You sigh at the thought, helping Diluc clean up. You decide to check on everybody tomorrow.

❀

The next day, you call everybody to your office again "If you guys need any help, I'll help you" you tell them. Suddenly, they became alive.

There were multiple comments about it but eventually it died down and everybody went back to their jobs. After a few hours, you checked on every single one of them.

Childe was cooking for the other customers, you're guessing he didn't have enough time to brainstorm for the event food yet. Kaeya was hanging out with him again! So you gave them an earful.

Zhongli was drawing some designs while not busy. You never approached him but you always see that Scaramouche guy always complaining to him about everybody.

Thoma was busy cleaning, after that he continued to make the designs, he's very fast.

As usual, Itto's doing nothing. He's the guardian of Wangshu, that's what he says anyway. He's a guard.

You thought of another person, Albedo who works at the library but you never bothered him to do anything since nobody will go to the library during the event .. probably?

You then went to the mini tavern, to Diluc's and there's the regular customers: Venti, Rosaria and Kaeya. Kaeya's in here again .. well .. atleast he's not bothering Childe.

"Busy day?" You ask, sitting in front of him. He nods, continuing his work "Everybody seems to be doing fine .. I think so" you laugh.

Diluc gave you a small laugh "They'll be fine"

"Another for the bard" Venti said, raising his glass "Hey owner, since the Teyvat Blossoms is coming, don't we get a discount or better .. free alcohol?" he raised an eyebrow, his finger on his chin as if thinking.

You sigh "The event is like months away. Pay your debt!" you point at him.

Rosaria doesn't really speak much but you can see her smile from time to time.

"Well, I'm excited for the parade" Kaeya said, smelling the wine in his glass "It'll be a blast"

"No Kaeya's allowed in the event" You said, making Diluc laugh, serving you another one of the drinks.

"You're kidding" Kaeya smirked, this guy is so hard to annoy but you always try your best "Why do you hate me so?"

You roll your eyes "You always disturb Childe while he works" you avert your gaze, both arms folded in front of your chest.

"You want him for yourself? How greedy" Kaeya released a soft snicker. Your face turned red immediately.

"Stop teasing her. Here" Diluc gave Kaeya his drink to shut him up "Don't listen to him, he has nothing better to do"

"He's just trying to flirt with you and he keeps failing" Rosaria glared at him while he just gave her a sweet smile.

"Enough talk about flirting and teasing. Let's get drunk!" You already know who said that, the bard.

A few hours later, everybody went home except you and Diluc. He was cleaning up and you were still drinking. Thet's when he asked you something "Want to— try my other mixes? About the event of course" he said, nervous because he was lying.

You nod "S-Sure" feeling tipsy "What's the flower tonight?" you asked, leaning in a little closer to the counter then to his face, you hiccup and lean back "I'm sorry" feeling embarrassed.

He can't help but smile at how adorable you were being "You're drunk, let's rest for today. You can have my other mixes another day" he said, helping you.

❀

One week has passed, you helped everybody with designs and output. You and Diluc have been practicing all this time. You felt closer to him. He's very talkative once you get to know him.

"Would you like a drink today, boss?" He asked, it was that time of the night again. Nobody was there, you were behind the counter with him. You've picked out a few tricks yourself, learning along the way. You and Diluc decide to make a drink for each other today, according to the theme of course.

You ponder for a while, trying to make a valberry drink but you were so clumsy "Diluc— heeeelp" you whined, almost crying "I'm so messy I'm sorry!" you try cleaning up when accidentally the drink fell on your lap.

"Oh no" Diluc said, helping you. He grabbed a couple of tissues and started wiping your thighs. You immediately felt your heart race. You drank a little and he did too but there's no way you're both drunk.

You gulp "W-Wait, um, Di-Diluc" you were embarrassed. When Diluc finally realized what he was doing, he stopped, his ears and face red and hot.

"Sorry.." He muttered, he held your hand and pulled you back. Your heart pounding with every step, not knowing what he was about to do.

He took you at the back. There were a couple of boxes and it smelled like wine. He was quiet and just grabbed something, it was a hoodie then he gave it to you "Here, to cover yourself up"

You can't help but smile, you took the hoodie and wore it, it was so big that it looked like a dress! The hoodie smelled good "U-Um, can you— I'm going to— can you leave for a second?" it was kind of awkward. He immediately nodded and left the room.

You finally started breathing freely. You slid your skirt off and folded it nicely then sighed "Geez, mixing drinks .. it's not for me" you kind of felt cold just wearing panties under the hoodie "Hmm, well, I should just take my blouse off too, feels weird wearing it"

You took the hoodie off and took your blouse off too, now you're just wearing your underwear. You immediately wore the hoodie and it was so comfy "Really smells like Diluc" you smiled, snuggling on the cloth. Then there was a knock on the door. You said "Diluc? Come in"

He then went in and immediately saw the folded clothes you took off. His whole face turned red "S-Should we continue making drinks or — I mean you should go home and rest" he averted his gaze.

You laugh a little "Oh come on, I was in the middle of making a drink for you!" you pulled his hand and went to the counter and continued.

He was so nervous around you. He thought you were so cute wearing his hoodie, how it looked like a dress when you wore it but also he thought it was so hot, you wearing his clothes. He never thought he would see it. You were his boss and friend, he can't think of inappropriate stuff about you.

He gulped, watching you mix drinks, you did something wrong but he was too nervous to tell you.

"Um, can you help me?" You were kind of doing a lot. He chuckled then helped you "Thank you and thank you for the hoodie, it's really comfortable"

He clenched his teeth, trying his best not to make skin to skin contact with you while helping but it couldn't be helped. His hand touched yours, it made his heart skip a beat. You looked so beautiful, smiling while doing this drink. He can feel the heat coming and leaving his face.

"Done!" You said, this brought Diluc back to reality "Taste it!" Diluc slowly put the straw in his mouth, you stare at him, realizing how handsome he is. You touched your face to cover your face.

He turned to look at you and said "It's really good" he smiled. You two just stared at each other's eyes, sparkling, Diluc pushed the drink a little far away to avoid it from falling.

You stared at each other for a few seconds, he then leaned closer, you feel your heart beat faster and faster. His hands went to your waist, forming an embrace, pulling you closer to his face. You were just letting it happen.

You close your eyes and feel his lips on yours. You wrap your arms on his neck, the kiss getting deeper and deeper by the second. His wrap on your waist was getting tighter, pressing his body against yours.

You then separate with each other, a string of saliva parted you. You were breathing kind of hard "D-Diluc— we—" you didn't finished. He pulled you towards the back room, closed the door then pinned you on the wall.

He placed his thumb on your chin and whispered "I can't resist you anymore" he leaned closer to whisper in your ear "You're making me feel things" he said before kissing you again, this time he was aggressive. Your hand held his face, pulling him even closer, making the kiss deeper and more aggressive.

You were both breathing hard, you tried entering your tongue inside his mouth, his eyes widen but eventually he played with yours using his, exploring your mouth.

He placed his hands on your ass and carried you up, still pinned on the wall, you wrap your legs on his hips. The kiss still intense.

Nobody said a word, his hand started to roam on your thighs, inside the hoodie "D-Diluc, this position is kinda hard" you mutter in between your kisses.

He let you down and stopped for a while to breathe. He looked everywhere, he really wanted this to happen. He carried you bridal style, making you squeal and laugh a little. He just smiled at you and laid you down on a table after throwing the stuff above it.

He crawled on top of you with a smirk "You're right. This way I see all of you" he took his shirt off. You were looking up at him and thought how hot he was.

He leaned closer "Why are you staring at me like that?" he smirked again before kissing you.

You touch his face with a giggle "You're so hot right now" you were a blushing mess. Then you start making out again, aggressively. He started grinding his hips onto yours, letting you feel his erect cock.

He moaned softly on your neck, licking and kissing it, he whispered "I can't — take it anymore"

You moaned, feeling good "Then .. put it in" you whisper back, kissing his neck softly.

You hear him unbuckle his belt and take his pants and underwear off. He pulled your hoodie up, revealing your underwear.

"Y-You want me to take the hoodie off?" You ask him, averting your gaze from embarrassment.

"No, keep it, it's sexy" He said, taking your bra and panties off. He touched your breasts gently, he started fondling it and pinching it, teasing you "God ,you're so beautiful" you moaned as his fingers rub your already erect nipples. He leaned even closer to your breasts and then sucked it.

You released a louder moan "D-Diluc! S-Sensitive pa—" you moaned even louder, feeling his tongue circling your nipple, you grabbed his head and stroked his red locks "T-That feels — good"

He looked at you while sucking your nipples, seeing how you react and he wasn't disappointed, he definitely liked that look on your face but it was hard to see with him sucking your breasts and all so he thought of another way to see it clearly.

He pulled back and rubbed his fingers in your folds, you hold onto his other hand and moaned "D-Diluc" this time he definitely sees all of you. He rubbed your clit, slowly at first, observing how you would react. You cover your face but he immediately removed it gently.

"Don't. I like seeing your face" he smiled, putting a finger in your wet pussy. You feel his thick cock on your leg as he fingers you. He moved it in and out and then eventually added another finger. It felt so good that you were going crazy.

Your breasts bounce as his fingers goes in and out of your damp hole "I-I'm putting it in" he said, pulling his finger out and positioning himself at the entrance "Are you — ready?" he asked you first even though he can't wait anymore.

You nod, pulling his neck closer to yours for another kiss. It's not like you were a virgin but it was a pretty long time ago. He starts entering, it hurt at first but once he was in, you felt full and full of pleasure, your mind black, lust consuming you.

He started moving "Y-You feel so good" he whispered, looking at you while thrusting himself in and out at a slow pace "So warm and tight" he was breathing hard. Your hands roam around his torso, feeling his abs and shoulder, he's so hot, how did you not notice it before?

"Y-You're big" You whisper, trying your best at dirty talk. He leaned even closer, your nipples rubbing on his chest while he moves faster than before. Your moans become louder, you were going crazy moving your own hips to match his rythm, so his dick could go deeper in you.

He was sweating and you were too, both feeling tired but he doesn't stop at all. He went faster "I-I'm .. close" he whispered, kissing you aggressively again, your tongues playing with each other while he rubs your nipple.

Your moans became screams of pleasure "Diluc! S-Stop, I'm cumming!" he kept hitting the right spot, not stopping even he felt like cramping, he wanted to cum with you so bad.

His dick continued to go in and out roughly "Fuck! Cum with me" he said, grunting. After a few more thrusts, he moaned and pulled out, cumming on your stomach "Shit, sorry"

You came too, you looked down on your stomach and he came a lot "I-It's okay" he grabbed some tissues and wiped it off. He put his pants on and you pulled the hoodie down, too lazy to put your underwear.

You tried catching your breath first, but you stared at his back while he fix stuff up, clothes were everywhere. He turned to look at you and you quickly avert your gaze "I-I'm sorry about this.. I don't know what's gotten over me"

He walked closer to you in an instant and said "N-No! it's not your fault— I— I lik—" just when he was about to say something, someone knocked.

He immediately put his shirt on while you wear your underwear. There was a voice behind the door.

"Diluc? Are you there? There is something I'd like to ask you" it was Zhongli.

You feel nervous all of a sudden, of all the people, why does it have to be Zhongli to see you come out of a locked room with Diluc?

Diluc sensed your nervousness and whispered "I'll go out first and take Zhongli somewhere else, you can come out in a minute"

You sigh in relief "T-Thank you" he kissed your forehead then went out, making sure not to open the door too wide "Zhongli. How are you?"

Then the door closed. You ran up to the door and listened to the voices getting farther and farther. You wait for a second and come out "That was crazy" you whisper to yourself while walking towards your office "I feel like a teenager sneaking off like this" you giggle to yourself and remember what happened earlier "I can't believe .. Diluc and me .. oh god" you cover your face in embarrassmentnand bumped into someone.

"Boss?" Thoma said "Wow, that's really cute!" he said with a giant smile. He's such a sweetheart so you just laugh it off "Where did you come from?"

"Oh um just helped Diluc with his theme" You didn't lie "Anyway, need some help?"

"Maybe tomorrow. Rest is important too boss, so rest up alright?!" He said, worried, holding both your shoulders.

You nod "You too"

❀

The next day .. Diluc and Zhongli was inside your office. You remembered what happened again and feel yourself blush.

"Boss? You okay?" Diluc asked, he too was blushing but he was so much better at hiding his feelings than you.

You nod "What's the problem?" you ask them, this Scaramouche guy is what you're guessing the problem is.

"Uh— Scaramouche" Zhongli said "He's been complaining a lot lately and I can't get to work because of it. I just asked Diluc last night on what to do"

"I told Zhongli to just ban him forever" Diluc said, he said it with a straight face "And that I wasn't kidding when I said that"

"Well, we can't really afford to lose a customer. He's always here and there aren't really a lot of people here except when there's an event nearby" you sigh and rubbed your forehead "Don't worry, I'll talk to him, him and Childe are kind of close .. I guess?"

Both men nod and leaves the room after saying goodbye. You sigh "Fucking Scaramouche, always a pain in the ass, that little motherfuc—"

Later, you went to Childe and of course .. Kaeya's there again. You were already in a bad mood so this made it even worse "What the hell are you both doing?!"

"Just taking a break" Childe said, playing games on his phone "Why are you here?"

"You have tons of orders" You sigh, feeling stressed out "You two .. seriously" your eyebrows furrow "Get back to work!"

"Geez, he can handle it" Kaeya said "He always does this and he never fails to make an order. Believe me, I was here" he chuckled a little, two of them not even batting you an eye, too busy playing.

"Looks likes you need a break" Childe said "Take a break boss" then both of them laughed.

Usually, you aren't that angry at them, just having playful banter but this time you were in a really bad mood and they're not helping. You tried breathing in and out but the two were just so stubborn, saying other stuff that annoys you even more.

"See that Kaeya? Told you I always get what I want .. look at me freely playing this game and still doing my job amazing—" before Childe could even finish his sentence, you slapped hand causing the phone to fall down.

The two of them were surprised. Childe picked his phone up then you all saw that it was cracked. You suddenly felt guilty but didn't speak at all.

Kaeya stood up "I'm sorry" then left leaving you with Childe. Kaeya was scared, it wad the first time he saw you snap and he just wanted to get away as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for Childe, he works here "S-Sorry" he muttered, standing up then getting back to work. You felt like crying so you did and then ran away.

To be Continued ❀

ppl that asked to be tagged: @stygianoir @atsukawolfcat @yay-its-tj @e7t3 @dainsleif-when-playable @nookiesposts @emperatris-rinaka

#teyvat-blossoms❀ #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin #genshin smut #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact smut #diluc x y/n #genshin impact diluc #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #diluc smut #diluc x you

[zhongyeet-me-to-the-moon]

Till we meet again part 4

Previous chapter here

Till we meet again Masterlist.

Pairing: childe/foul legacy x reader

Type: story, slow burn rekindling

Warnings: Mentnions of child s*lf h*rming near the end but nothing too graphic

There were a few things different from the foul legacy you saw before, albeit few as they were.

The most noticeable was his lack of speech, degrading to nothing more than a few clicks and squawks similar to a raven or a crow.

The second was the single eye on his mask blinked, maybe it did it before but you never noticed it till now.

The last was the cape, now turned to a pair of wings akin to a moth, still just as deep navy blue, with seemingly the stars shimmering in it when it hit light.

If it was anyone else you would almost call it beautiful. Though it was him, and it wasn't by choice, so it wouldn't be much of a compliment even if you did say it out loud.

The first couple days were horribly awkward, part of your contract was you had to sit and eat with him not just bring his food up. You tried asking what he'd like to eat, but he was still giving you the silent treatment so you just bought what you wanted in double portions.

The conversation wasn't much better with him practically being mute selectively or not. You talked about the few things you did for the parlor, going on "ride alongs" as it were with Hu Tao meeting clients. "To learn the business" was the excuse but truthfully you weren't paying much attention. Part of you saw it invasive since you weren't actually working there.

"I heard about what you did here as well, that you were the one that killed Rex Lapis, summoned osail, no wonder the fatui are on Liyues watch list now." You chuckled at the thought, Childe felt a bit of pride enter him again, but then he recalled the fight with the traveler that left him in this state and it all came back to him his situation.

This fucking sucked.

"Oh the replacement books should be coming in tonight as well. They must've paid a lot for that amount to come so quickly. It must suck not having much to do in the mean time. Zhongli had new ones from the ones you had come in so I hope you weren't in the middle of reading one." He didn't answer again, you sighed in frustration. "Look I know were not exactly on the best terms but I'm trying here ok? Can you at leat do the same?" He let out a squawk in your direction, you rolled your eyes. "Gee thanks."

Giving up you grab the plates and folded the table up, placing it next to night stand as it was really the only place it would fit.

"I'll be back for dinner, try not cause a ruckus while i'm out."

You walked downstairs with a sigh, putting the plates in the small kitchen that the parlor had.

"Hey mopey, how's the patient upstairs?"

You're still not used to how quiet Hu Tao appears. "Going about as well as you think it might." You add.

"Well at least there hasnt been any banging! Must mean they like you." Oof, you scoffed at that.

"Doubt that. He's barely said a word to me since I arrived."

"So it is a he. Interesting."

"Yes and before you try snooping anymore, I'm under contract not to go into details about it."

"I know I know, it's just so frustrating to have such an important secret like this be right under my nose! I can't even talk to Zhongli about what funeral rights to perform if it goes unwell!" She sighs dramatically and goes to sit on the counter your washing the dishes near. "To have a secret wane on the heart so small, let secrets lie till death do call." She laments. You roll your eyes at the poetry. Strange to hear such an eccentric person speak so elegantly, though you've now seen times where she takes her job very seriously with the customers that come in. She's grown on you that's for sure. Partially due to the fact she's the only other person you've talked to since arriving.

"Well he's not going to die any time soon, so get that thought out of your head Missy. I just wish he'd try a little to get along with me."

"Yes Zhongli did mention that this guest wasn't fond of many people, maybe try doing something with him instead of just meals?"

"That's easier said than done Hu Tao, he's under house arrest."

"Oh there's lots of things to do indoors! Board games, play music, painting, maybe buying a kamera and taking pictures outside will help the cabin fever."

"Or remind him of the situation he's in."

"Well it never hurts to try, you haven't seen much of Liyue yourself since being here. Unfortunate since there's so many nice place here. How about you buy some of the things I mentioned before to start!" She takes out a notepad and pencil that she had in her pocket, writing down a list of locations to get the items. "I know this must be difficult for both of you, but you seem nice enough to put a smile on anyone's face. I certainly don't regret meeting you. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you are on good terms with him like he is with Zhongli." You smiled at the reassurance and dried your hands to pick up the list.

"You're sweet Hu Tao thank you. You sure you won't need me in the mean time?"

"I can handle things just fine here. Go out and enjoy yourself for a bit ok?"

You gave Hu Tao a hug goodbye, finishing putting the dishes away before grabbing a basket to put the items in. At some point you got a bunch of copies of papers with Hut Tao and Zhonglis signature so you can give the the vendors to put it on the Funeral Parlors tab. Though you did pay for some of it out of your own pocket, didn't seem right to put it all on them when it's your personal stuff.

It was sunny today, so you planned on having a snack near the docks before it came time to bring Childe his lunch.

Maybe cooking something from the mother country will help lift his spirits a bit.

You bought the items listed, a few board games, some canvases and oils along with a couple sketch books and carol. ( buying the thicker set ones as his current state left his hands not being able to hold much). Everyone was very accommodating for the most part. Though tension did rise a bit when you brought up being from Sneznhneya. You even bought a lute for the heck of it, you had no idea if he played, never did when you were together in 3 years, but you know he does like music. When it came time to go back you had seen a fair share of the Harbour, and walked the top bridges of the buildings to get a better view. It truly was a beautiful city, even if in the distance ships could be seen still picking up debree from the Jade Chamber, shame you couldn't see it when it was high in the air. You always heard it was Liyues prize possession. Maybe when it gets rebuilt you can visit some time.

The last items you bought were the ingredients for Shchi, a cabbage soup you often had when you were sick as a kid. A fond memory. You bought all the ingredients, taking care they were packaged well and the greens won't be squished before making your way back, the sun just beginning to set when you did.

Hu Tao talked while you cooked, you made sure to have enough portions for her to enjoy some as well as the lady at the front desk (who you learned only went by her title ferrylady. Macabe but at least you had something call her i guess?) . You were bombarded with questions about the food from home, for a while your job in that building was all forgotten, it was just two friends getting to know each other. You ladled the soup in two containers and put the basket of the items you bought around your arm and made your way up. You took note of the large packages of presumably books that laid waiting outside the door.

You knocked lightly on the door to let him know you were entering before maneuvering yourself as not to spill anything.

Coming in though, he was sleeping. You set the items down on the bedside table.

You haven't seen him sleep yet in this form, it was peaceful, there was no pensive look in his single eye or frustration. You truly do feel bad with the situation he's in. Out of curiosity you reached to pet the main of hair he had, it was soft like fur, thick and ruley due to lack of care. Does he even have a brush? You never entered the bathroom he had. Eventually though you worried the soup would grow cold so you began to shake him awake. "Childe? I brought dinner, can you wake up for me?" It took a bit more shaking till he grumbled awake, he flinched a bit upon realizing you're touching him, which you removed your hand promptly. "Sorry. The soup would get cold if I had you sleep any longer though."

You stand up, beginning the routine of taking out the folding table and placing the soup and sides on the table. At this point a smaller table that could fit in his bed was brought in since he didn't want to eat at the table with you, so the routine for setting that up also began as he rubbed the sleep out of his...eye, and groggily watched you in silence. Then he saw the soup you prepared and all the sneznhneyan sides along with it. He chirped in confusion.

"Nice right? I thought eating foreign food for so long must not be great for the palette. So I made the simplest recipes I could remember." You put the soup and sides down on his table along with the silverware. He hesitated for second till you stopped watching him and ate yourself.

Archons it was so good. He thought. Memories flooding back of being home with his sibling fighting over who got to help cook and helping wash the dishes with his parents after. He missed home. He didn't think he'd be here this long, he was meant to leave back to Sneznhneya 2 weeks ago. He refused to acknowledge the memories of eating dinner with you so many times before this.

"I bought some board and card games and paints to help pass the time. The books came in as well I just need to bring them in, but Hu Tao thought it might be nice to do something other than reading." You spoke, bringing him out of his daze. He chirped a bit in confirmation that he was listening.

That's process at least right? You still don't really know what he's saying but at least he's saying something.

You both ate in relative silence after that, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it has been the last couple days now. You picked everything up and and set the items you bought and books on the shelf before bidding him a goodnight.

When you left he just stared at the door for couple minutes, then realized a couple minutes later he was crying. He tried to stop it, putting his hands to his face to rub them away, only to get mad at the reminder he only has one fucking eye now. He scratched at the scabs forming around his mask that he hoped the fur covered, recalling the night before all but taking something to try and cut the damn mask off.

He layed down on the bed, staring up at the new fabric that covered the canopy. He didn't know how much longer he could handle this, the weight of all of this finally settling in now that Zhongli wasn't visiting to give update on his progress to finding a cure. And archons did you being near make everything worse.

He never had regrets for his actions before. But if he just said yes to you buying a house with you, to taking less jobs for the fatui and refused to come to Liyue in the first place, then none of this would've happened. At the moment he wasn't regretting leaving you it was mostly just taking this job, getting so deep that he summoned a God and everything. He laughed a bit how earlier in the day he felt pride. Pride? Fuck. He laughed again, as he always did to try and soothe himself.

Zhongli better come back with an update soon.

.....

#childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #ajax x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #foul legacy x reader

[yupuffin]

If you had told me before that there would be a time when a particular piece of media would show me a character voiced by Keith Silverstein and I would say "no thanks, there's a different character I like more" then I would NEVER have believed you, but here we are

#it's seriously the weirdest feeling because he's been my favorite voice actor literally since i was like 11/12 #i used to latch on to characters really hard solely because they had his voice #but i guess the last time that happened would have been 2012 which is 9 years ago now #the secondhand excitement for zhongli is real though #i'll just never be over how my heart was like nope. i see you but i want a different one. #i'm sure there are things that would have clicked with zhongli but #there was no way to know ahead of time about all of the things #with xiao that would click on such a deep level but here we are #my heart just seems to know what it wants even when i have no way of knowing myself XD

[glazelilyy]

operation: mistletoe

pairing - xiao x gender neutral reader [MODERN AU!]

word count - 13 450

genre - fluff, crack

format - fic

warnings - reader and xiao share a bed (no sexual implications whatsoever), [hu tao, yanfei, ganyu, and xiao are all siblings with zhongli as their father], food, possibly ooc xiao, xiao changes clothes in the same room as reader (who isn't looking)

summary - after years spent pining over his childhood best friend, xiao's two little sisters have stepped in to help him profess his love during their annual holiday dinner party in a four phase mission titled operation: mistletoe

a/n - happy holidays!!! @amatxs i'm your secret santa! <3 this is my gift to you for @/favoniuscodex's secret santa event! i hope you like your gift (even though it's much longer than i anticipated aaaaa)! i adore childhood friends to lovers AND there's only one bed (REAL) and the combination of xiao + liyue family dynamics was just MMMM immaculate hehehe, i had so much fun writing this! :D <3

for all the mess that his mind was in, xiao was sure of only two things:

his hands have never felt more clammy and sweaty, not even the silky fabric of his obsidian dress pants could wipe away the nervous condensation that had congregated on his palms.

you're just as gorgeous as the last time he saw you.

granted, he had only just seen you yesterday while helping you unload the copious amounts of luggage you'd hauled home from your college campus into your hotel. additionally, you'd been wearing and old t shirt and a pair of unassuming sweats—which in comparison to the beautiful evening clothes you adorned now, really couldn't hold a candle to it. but there's definitive part of him that knows his heart threatens to leap out of his chest any time he sees you no matter what you're wearing.

"well? you just gonna let me freeze out here?"

if only he was like one of those suave characters in those dramas hu tao was always watching—he would've pulled you close and whispered something so alluring that would have had you weak in the knees and full of stuttering replies. unfortunately for him, you had to do nothing but stand there and he'd be weak in the knees and a stuttering mess.

"right, please come in."

the door clicked against the lock beneath his fingertips and once more he was left to bask in the comfortable silence between the two of you as you shed off your evening coat. he's always appreciated how you managed to fill the silent voids he'd create with either your swan-like voice or understanding silence.

sometimes, there was no need to say anything. but just this once, he really wished that his mind could let him say the words he's always wanted to say.

"wow, nothing's changed, huh?" you mused as your eyes roamed over the familiar setting of the adepti household.

though he's never given much thought to it, xiao couldn't help but agree: the dent where you'd headbutted into the wall while playing tag with him at the age of nine near the shining, black piano in the living room was still on full display. the noticeable yet unnoticeable chip in the the wood of the living room love seat where xiao had accidentally swung his dad's gold club while trying to play a round of indoor golf with you when you both were twelve was still there and unflattering as ever. the porcelain cups you'd made each other in high school pottery class still sat carefully placed in a glass cabinet.

not much had changed since you'd been away.

"i guess. papa still gives me the side-eye whenever he sees the couch dent though." he snorted and masked his frazzled blush with a nostalgic smile, hands stuffed full in his dress pants pockets.

"aw, i'm sure uncle zhongli isn't still upset with you about that," you giggled and bumped his shoulder with your own, "after all, you were crying loads and begging him not to separate us."

his ears hissed a bright red as he huffed in embarrassment and turned his chin away to fixate on the soft snowfall from beyond the front windows.

"why is it that you always remember the most embarrassing things about me?"

your finger tapped against your chin for a moment, lips stretched into a playful smile accompanied by a thoughtful hum before you replied: "well, it's not just the embarrassing things. but what's embarrassing to you is often very sweet to me. besides, as your best friend i'm obligated to hold onto all the embarrassing moments so you don't forget 'em."

sweet, sweet, sweet—the word swam laps around the crevices of his mind. did you think he was sweet? what does sweet even mean in this context? do you mean sweet as in sweet like "cute"? but what would "cute" connotate in your words?

"xiao? hey, you alright?" the familiar side of your palm came into view and waved up and down in front of his face.

"y-yeah, i'm fine," he brushed off the thoughts from his mind and coughed into his clenched fist to mask the crack in his voice, "papa's in the kitchen if you wanna go greet him, i'll be there in a minute."

your hand glided up his shoulder blade and rested snugly on his shoulder; the single, reassuring squeeze of your hand sent electric shocks all throughout his body and reignited the erratic thumping of his heartbeat.

"alright," you started, eyes bathed in mirth with just a sparkle of concern and worry, which you followed with that sweet, sugar-coated laugh of yours that blessed his ears, "but you better hurry up before i eat all the gingerbread cookies."

his golden eyes, hazed over with a sense of longing, watched as you disappeared around the corner in the direction of the kitchen. once alone, he allowed the blush he'd been suppressing to engulf his burning face, which he opted to bury deep into the sweaty softness of his clammy palms. the pearly white dress shirt practically stuck to his skin with how much his nerves rattled inside his body just beneath the thin skin of his arms.

"yeesh, that was kinda pitiful."

xiao's head whipped up in alarm and from the top of the stairs sat his two little sisters: yanfei, who in all her golden-pantsuit-glory sat beside hu tao, whose pretty red dress floofed around her shins, seated on the stairs.

"hey hey, you were doing that overthinking thing again weren't you?" hu tao jeered, hopped up from the mahogany stairs and leaned her bottom on the smooth railing to slide down. she landed gracefully, tulle of her dress puffing around her while yanfei chose the safer option of trotting down the stairs.

"i wasn't." he muttered and fiddled with the fabric of his black tie, avoiding the knowing gazes of his sisters.

if being the brother of two little sisters and one older sister had taught him anything, it's that sisters (at least his) are awfully perceptive.

"ha! that's a hoot—your jaw totally dropped when you opened the door for them. not to mention you completely froze up just now, what the heck was that?! what happened to all the romance training yanfei and i put you through?"

the "training" in question was beyond embarrassing—should you ever find out one day, xiao would be sure to purchase a cottage in a faraway country and change his name and appearance—and involved hu tao pointing to a whiteboard of popular articles from romance magazines and yanfei correcting him on being a true gentleman via the usage of romantic anime scenes (though kamisama kiss looks like a good show, he doesn't think he can ever watch it without the connotations of his "training").

"look, the night is still young AND we're all ready to go. operation mistletoe can still work out!" yanfei reassured, confidence oozing from her prideful smile.

"operation...mistletoe? what are the two of you talking about?"

yanfei and hu tao shared a single, knowing glance before yanfei pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and unfurled it before xiao's eyes.

the top of the paper was titled "operation mistletoe" in bold, red pencil crayon and outlined in a shimmering gold. beneath it was an abhorrently drawn picture of what looked like him (he could only guess based off of the familiar forest green shade of his hair complete with the highlights he'd gotten recently) holding hands with a figure that looked similar to you with hearts drawn in the empty space in between.

"this is our four-step bonafide plan to finally get you to confess to (y/n)!" hu tao cheered.

"we've been working on this for ages. we know how much you care about (y/n) and honestly it's getting kinda frustrating seeing you not confess when they obviously care about you too." yanfei chided, ignoring the look of intrigue on xiao's face at the mention of your name and his feelings.

"you think...you think they feel the sam-?"

"aaaaaand that's not all!" hu tao interjected, wide, cheeky grin on her face, "we even came up with cool code names! yanfei will be "agent snowbell", because that's a super awesome name. i'll be "agent jingles", because that's an even MORE awesomer name- ah ah ah! don't tell me awesomer isn't a word," xiao quickly shut his mouth and let his sister prattle on, "papa and yuyu can't be agents since they don't know about the operation so they don't get cool names, and (y/n) will be the target."

"hey, genius," yanfei snorted and elbowed her sister, "you forgot xiao's name."

"oh right!" hu tao clapped her hands, cheeky smile soon turning downright malicious. "you will be known as agent grinch!"

"...why am i the grinch? never mind that, this is ridiculous. as thoughtful as this idea is, the two of you are not to interfere." he scoffed and folded his arms across his chest, eyes pointed and warning much like a parent.

"one: you're the grinch because i said so, but it was largely because i blanked out on holiday characters. two: c'mon xiaoooooo, let us help! i promise we can be helpful, just let me and yanfei work our magic!" hu tao pleaded, grabbing onto his clammy hand and squeezing it with all her might.

"no offense, but you're kinda terrible at communicating how you feel about (y/n). just let us help! we ARE the romance experts after all." yanfei puffed her chest out with pride etched in her irises.

the more xiao thought about it, the more he found himself agreeing: nearly twenty years of being graced with your presence from birth to adulthood, and he still hadn't been able to summon up the courage to let you know just how much you mean to him. it was ridiculously frustrating: to know that you were just within the reach of his fingertips, close enough to see and bask in your rays yet too far to embrace wholly and love in full.

maybe he'd regret indulging in his high school sophomore-aged sisters who probably only based their knowledge of romance off of media, perhaps he wouldn't. but his mind was clouded by the drum of his heart, and maybe his little sisters were right: a little nudge was all he needed.

"...fine, but don't be weird about it." he mumbled.

a sense of unease brewed in his stomach as he watched his sisters cheer and jump around with wickedly wide grins on their faces. gods know that if he ended up embarrassing himself, he'd never be able to live it down let alone in front of you. suddenly, a wave of regret washed over him at the thought of hu tao's notorious pranks.

but it seemed far too late to turn back as his two sisters grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

"operation mistletoe..."

"...is now underway!"

xiao could only hope that should things fall apart, he'd be able to salvage what he can.

continued utc!

phase one: gingerbread cookie decorating

agent grinch will approach target and request to decorate gingerbread cookies with them. from there, agent grinch will lead them into warm conversation while slightly hinting at his feelings. agents jingles and snowbell will have the job of ensuring that agent grinch and the target are left alone in the kitchen at all times to ensure the maximum romantic atmosphere.

xiao has never felt more ridiculous:

a frilly, baby blue apron that belonged to ganyu wrapped itself tight around his dress shirt and pressed against his tie. hu tao had wanted to tie a ribbon in his hair to match the look, but resigned after some convincing from yanfei (and a promise of half of tonight's dessert).

"this outfit is ridiculous. i look ridiculous." he scowled, thumbing at the cottony checkered material.

"nawww trust us! people love a man who knows his way around the house...or at least looks like he does," hu tao muttered the last bit under her breath, but xiao's ears were much too keen for them to slip by unnoticed, "besides, if you get your shirt messy that'll ruin the rest of the operation!"

begrudgingly, xiao resigned and let yanfei gently push him towards the kitchen doors.

"remember, you're gonna ask them to decorate cookies. make sure you ask them about their time at college, and then bring the conversation back around to the time you spent together as kids. if you panic, just compliment their eyes and clothes. got it?" xiao opened his mouth to respond, but was never given the chance as yanfei chirped out a "great!" and pushed him through the flapping kitchen doors.

he stumbled in on shaking legs and whipped his head up to see you and his father carrying on a pleasant conversation while preparing the food in the oven. the clatter from the wooden doors broke the comfortable atmosphere and two pairs of eyes trained themselves on xiao in all his blue-frilly-aproned glory.

"xiao?! dearest, are you alright?" zhongli quickly slid off his over mitts and hurried towards the fallen xiao, who scrambled to pick himself up from the pearly white kitchen tiles.

"y-yeah...i'm good. thanks, papa." he muttered and brushed the invisible dust off from ganyu's apron.

"xiao! you're just in time! uncle zhongli said the gingerbread cookies are ready to decorate, i was about to call you!"

xiao hadn't even noticed that you'd hurried to his side and your hand was now comfortably resting on his forearm. the skin beneath it seemed to blossom a striking rose red, visible and glowing beneath the sheer white of his shirt.

"hey, seems you already came prepared! this apron looks so pretty on you...-ah! isn't this ganyu's?" you hummed and eyed the fabric pinched between your forefinger and thumb.

'too close, too close!' the alarms blared firey red in xiao's head and seeped towards his cheeks and span of his neck.

"are you alright? your face is all red..." the cool breeze of your knuckles gently washed against his scorching forehead and ruffled the unruly strands of hair near his face.

he swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded vigorously, dismissing your hand as he rounded the kitchen counter in search of anything to distract himself. you followed suit and—much to his surprise—pulled out a cooled tray of gingerbread cookies, complete with icing bags of various colors and little, ceramic bowls of sweets of all kinds: from chocolate chips, to gummy buttons.

"i know how much you like decorating the cookies, so i asked uncle zhongli in advance to prepare this for us! what do you think?"

xiao's eyes roamed over the array of sweets and decorations you had set up, and all with him in mind no less. hu tao and yanfei's plan was already off to a smooth start, and you had unknowingly made it ten times easier for him.

just as he was about to thank you, the kitchen doors flew open to reveal an overly nonchalant yanfei and hu tao, whose curious and eager eyes didn't fail to notice the closed distance between their brother and you.

"papa! feifei and i were wondering if you could help us put some more decorations up in the living room?" hu tao looked up with what xiao could only describe as her "puppy dog" eyes.

zhongli tsked and used his large palms to smooth out hu tao's frazzled, chocolately locks with one hand, and fixed yanfei's golden necklace with the other.

"have you forgotten we have a guest?" he gently chided, and looked over towards where xiao stood side-by-side with you.

"you little gremlins!" you giggled and opened your arms wide, "how dare you not give me a hug!"

something that xiao loved most about you was your ability to move with the ebb and flow of his family. it was in your willingness to come over and help his father out with dinner when both he and ganyu were away at work or school, or when yanfei and hu tao managed to get themselves into some convoluted shenanigan that you made haste to unravel. his little sisters running into your arms with gleeful smiles and giggles full of mirth was such a familiar sight, but it was one he'd never grow tired of, not even for a second.

"we'd never forget! we were just saving it for later." yanfei beamed in your arms.

"alright, girls. which decorations would you both like to put up?" zhongli resigned to his daughters with a defeated smile and rolled up his sleeves. "excuse us just a moment, (y/n). xiao will keep you company."

hu tao and yanfei gave you one last hug (and one last gleaming glance of encouragement towards xiao) and bolted off to drag their papa with a hand in either of his to disappear out of the kitchen, not before hu tao threw xiao a thumbs up and yanfei mouthed a "good luck" in his direction. rambunctious, was the word xiao would describe them as.

"well, shall we?" you gently nudged his shoulder and placed a blank cookie in front of him.

"wait-" he urged, eyes flickering to the rack of aprons nearby.

his hands tugged down his familiar forest-green apron and with stuttering hands did he carefully loop the fabric around your neck, "your clothes will get dirty if you don't wear an apron."

"ahh so i suppose that's why you opted for ganyu's apron then? blue does look pretty good on you." xiao scoffed and fumbled to tie the apron string into a proper bow behind your back.

"don't start." he grumbled, and turned to face the counter again.

an empty void of a gingerbread person stared back up at him, awaiting the use of what was left of his creativity and composition to craft the finest of gingerbread people. his hands felt uncomfortably empty and so they reached for the nearest item: an icing bag of a horrid shade of red he wasn't quite fond of. looking to his side revealed that you were already getting started on your cookie, tongue poked to the outside of your mouth deep in concentration. it'd always been a habit of yours, but xiao would never point it out on the account that you look unbelievably adorable (and it makes his heart beat ten times faster than it shoulder).

xiao suddenly remembered the advice of his little sisters, and began to sort through the filing cabinets of information in his head while his shaky hands fumbled to pipe a red outline along the cookie.

"make sure you ask them about their time at college, and then bring the conversation back around to the time you spent together as kids. if you panic, just compliment their eyes and clothes."

"so...what's c-campus like-" he managed to stutter out, unconsciously reaching for the bowl of gummy buttons.

suddenly, his fingers brushed against a foreign texture that was definitely not gummy buttons. his eyes flickered upwards where your fingers gently brushed against his in the gummy bowl. electricity shot up his veins and rendered his mind completely useless as you gently bumped his fingers with your own and quietly hummed an "excuse me". you fingers lingered for a moment before you retracted your hand and stuck the buttons onto your gingerbread person. xiao could swear on all the stars above that one day you'd make his heart explode. his eyes, wide and full of an indescribable emotion, whipped up to you whose attention was still enraptured by the slightly dressed gingerbread person beneath you.

"campus, hm? well, it's alright i suppose. i miss uncle zhongli's dinners though. but there's this cool restaurant that has-"

as much as xiao adored hearing all about you, the tingles at the ends of his fingertips defied any and all means of comprehension. his mind was a fuzzy mess, yearning to once more bump his fingers against yours...or even stroke the apples of your cheeks, or run his thumb over the bottom of your lip-

no! no, he was getting too off track!

"if you panic, just compliment their eyes and clothes."

"panic" could definitely describe how he was feeling.

'breathe in, breathe out. remember what yanfei said: compliment their eyes and clothes if you panic.' he chanted like a mantra in his head, and turned his golden eyes towards you who was still rambling on about the amenities of campus.

"i-i like the f-fabric of y-your e-eyes!"

though xiao was aiming to mimic one of the sweet gentlemen he'd seen in one of hu tao and yanfei's romance training classes, his "compliment" came out frazzled and more or less barked out onto the counter. his face bloomed bright, cherry red from the tips of his ears to the span of his neck. he had meant to say "the fabric of your clothes is stunning, as are your eyes," so what the hell did he just say?!

from beyond the kitchen doors came a defeated thump, and he just knows that hu tao and yanfei will never let him live this down.

you had been mid-sentence, confusion now etched onto your face at his choice of words before you broke into a grin and sweet bursts of giggles bubbled up from your chest.

"was that your attempt at a compliment?"

groaning, xiao leaned his arms against the counter and buried his face into the coolness of his shirt to shield his glowing face from view. he jolted when your fingers, clean of frosting and ginger crumbs, gently ran through his soft locks. you'd done it so many times when the two of you were just kids both as a form of comfort and casual touch. your fingers in his hair felt so foreign after having been away from you for so long, yet there were honey-filtered memories of the same sensation that washed over him like a gentle tide.

"hey, it was a good attempt. i like the fabric of my eyes too," you teased and mimicked his position by folding your arms on top of the counter and resting your head on them, "you look pretty great yourself."

xiao revealed his face from his cavern of shame and faced you directly with his head still nestled onto his arms. the tip of your elbow just barely brushed against his and yet it sent tingles of electricity throughout his body and jumpstarted the rockets in his heart. just how was it that all you had to do was exist and he'd be enamored? he'd never be able to solve that puzzle though, that's for sure.

you said nothing more and let him get lost in the crevices of your eyes, half lidded and hazed over with an emotion he couldn't exactly read. silence was comfortable, silence was familiar, but silence shared with you was special and inviting. the soft smile on your face as you gently nudged him with your elbow communicated all the words and emotions he needed to know.

'what are you thinking about?' was the question your eyes seemed to ask, but even xiao couldn't define the cacophony of noise running around through his mind.

just as he was about to open his mouth, the steady, honey-glowing stream of comfort that connected you both was cut short with the raging scream of the fire alarm, followed by the abhorrent smell of burnt smoke. xiao shot his head up from his arms and whipped his head around in search of the noise, cursing the alarm for ruining the moment you were sharing with him.

"no! my casserole!" zhongli's figure burst into the kitchen, eyes frantic and worrying as he hastily put on his oven mitts and scampered towards the oven.

xiao hurried over to the alarm and silenced it, all while zhongli placed his now ruined casserole onto the stovetop and pressed his lips into a fine line.

"is it salvageable, uncle zhongli?" you asked from over his shoulder, grimacing at the bitter charcoal color the one vibrant casserole had taken on.

"i suppose not, my dear," he sighed and pulled out his phone, "shall we order takeout instead?" zhongli received all the confirmation he needed when hu tao and yanfei bounded in and began begging for mcdonalds.

thankfully, the gingerbread cookies had been graced mercy and were spared of the ghastly fumes and burning smell. xiao's cookie was only half-finished—a poor attempt at keeping his hands busy with a shade of icing he wasn't particularly fond of. whereas, his golden eyes locked themselves onto your cookie and found similar pools of golden staring back at him. the cookie had been outlined in a dark green, similar to his shade of hair complete with the matching highlights. there were even little orange lines under the golden dots of icing to mimic his eyeliner, and a squiggle of green icing to recreate the tattoo he had gotten the other summer. even the little gummy buttons were lined down the cookie's stomach from when his fingers had brushed against yours.

"is this...did you make this cookie of me?" he blabbered out, mouth agape and eyes wide with curiosity and anticipation.

you stifled a giggle and held up the cookie to appear side by side by a flabbergasted xiao with a prideful smile on your face.

"i think the resemblance is uncanny, what about you?"

he thought so too, but he should've handed you the red icing bag to mimic the tumultuous blush that began to spread across his face.

PHASE ONE STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: COMPLETE (?) DUMPSTER FIRE

phase two: holiday dinner

agent snowbell will rearrange the seating system so that agent grinch and the target are seated beside each other. agent jingles will ensure that agent grinch has the ability to show off his maturity and intelligence during discussions.

"okay! so maaaaybe phase one didn't go according to plan: you messed up the conversation bit, and papa's casserole ruined the romantic atmosphere, but it was still semi-successful, right?"

xiao shot his sister an incredulous look, as if she didn't hear him describe your eyes as "fabric".

"hey, chin up soldier! now we move onto phase two: dinner time!" yanfei cheered and clasped her hands in a pleasant manner, "papa made me in charge of seating arrangements at the dinner table this year, so i've arranged for you and (y/n) to sit together!"

"and i'm gonna ask you some super cool questions so that you can show off your intelligence, sound good?"

from a shelf to the side of his head, hu tao produced a stack of flashcards each with a topic or question hastily written down on the sheet white paper in bright red ink.

"give me a break—that last attempt was a disaster." xiao huffed and crossed his arms, embarrassment glazing over the rapid thump in his chest.

"but this time will go better! i made sure all my questions are about web design, i even googled interview questions!"

showing off wasn't something he was fond of, or partook in. even after voicing that thought to his sisters, they remained adamant as ever. there really was no helping a defeated older brother, and so he reigned himself in and nodded to silence their pleas. yanfei and hu tao shared an eager look with gleeful grins on their faces.

xiao couldn't help but once again feel that sense of dread, but perhaps it was the choked air of the cramped cleaning closet that hu tao had ushered yanfei and him into to avoid prying eyes and ears. it wasn't until he reached for the knob to open the door that it flew open from the other side and out came a tumble of adepti siblings with xiao flat on the bottom on his stomach, followed by a pile-on of hu tao and yanfei.

"wha-! what are you all doing?" xiao groaned and willed away the sharp pain from his back to peer up into his elder sister's plum-colored eyes.

"nothing, yuyu! don't worry about it, we were just- uh-" hu tao's eyes scrambled for an excuse when yanfei intervened with a pointed smile,

"we were just looking for air freshener! papa did burn his casserole after all."

ganyu's confused exterior melted away into understanding as she pulled up her siblings one by one and brushed their clothes free of dust. "don't worry about that, i'll go help papa out. why don't you all go sit down and get ready to eat?"

despite having sat beside you on more than on occasion, tonight felt different. perhaps it was because he sat beside you with a clear purpose and firm intentions. or, perhaps it was the devilish smile that yanfei had on her face as she discreetly switched your name card with ganyu's so that you now sat beside xiao. he felt hu tao's leg gently tap him from under the table, and looked up to see her thumbs raised, matched with her cheeky smile. xiao has never felt such an opposite emotion in his entire life; he'd describe it as being rocket-launched out to sea with nothing but his parachute to survive on as a raft. it didn't help that when you finally took your seat beside him (after cooing at the handmade name placements yanfei had made), your arm brushed ever so slightly against his and once again made the dormant butterflies in his stomach erupt feverishly. he couldn't help but let his gaze traverse a little bit and linger on your profile as you discussed something or the other with hu tao who sat across from you. his golden eyes drank in every line, curve, dip, dent, and fullness of your face and body. not to mention, it was as if cupid himself had been hovering over his shoulder like a cheeky cherub and shot his heart with one of his love-lathered arrows any time you laughed or smiled that beautiful smile of yours.

it was as if his eyes had taken you on as their muse and filled up the void within his cornea, retina, and irises with your beautiful image. truthfully, he wouldn't have it any other way: you were a true vision, stunning even in the most mundane moments.

"all right, dinner is ready! and, delightfully, not burned." zhongli chuckled, effectively breaking xiao from his spell of allure.

he turned his gaze away from you, internally chiding himself for acting so creepy as he focused his attention on his father who placed various bowls of takeout food onto the table.

"oooh is this from wanmin?" yanfei gawked, eyeing the scrumptious looking plate of jade parcels that zhongli placed in front of her.

hu tao practically drooled over the pot of adeptus' temptation that was placed near her, eagerly awaiting a spoonful with a silver fork in her hand, "wherever the heck it's from, it looks amazinggggg!"

zhongli smiled as he sat down at the head of the table, three daughters on one side, and you and xiao on the other. "please, let us celebrate and eat. may good fortune be bestowed upon all of you," he rose a goblet of wine in toast, to which xiao prayed that his glass of iced tea wouldn't slip from his clammy hands. he watched with a slight smile as hu tao eagerly dug into her jade parcels, while yanfei urged her not to down the whole thing in one go.

"xiao?" his attention was diverted from his sisters towards you, who held up a small plate of almond tofu with small candies decorated around the edge of the plate, "you like dessert first, right?"

as childish as it was, he did prefer his dessert first and nodded sheepishly as he took the plate from you, "please don't add this onto the list of embarrassing moments you're tallying for me."

you hummed for a moment as if in consideration, cheeky smile on your face, before replying, "hmm maybe, i'll keep this one on a spare file in my brain in case of any emergencies." you giggled, and picked up your own fork.

before he could brew up a comeback of his own, your hand gently overlapped his and brought the plate of almond tofu closer to you. your fork dug into the soft, bouncy texture and placed the delicacy into your mouth, humming pleasantly with every bite. meanwhile, xiao fought to regain his composure and did his best to will the blush away from his cheeks, hand still burning and pulsing from where you had so gently touched him.

"mmm! still tastes so good. remember when we'd walk to wanmin after school and get plates of almond tofu? chef mao would always give us discounts..." you trailed off, eyes finding his own with a nostalgic film over your eyes.

xiao did remember, every detail in fact. he remembered guiding your little hand in his own and standing up on tippy toes with fingers clutching wanmin restaurant's front counter. he remembered chef mao sliding them a large plate of almond tofu and urging that they take it on the house (he also remembered chef mao's constant teasing of xiao taking you on an "after school date", but he chooses to try and repress that part).

"yeah," he hummed, faint smile resting pleasantly on his lips as he found somewhere within the depth of his body: the courage to peer into your eyes from the side, "i could never forget."

his heart felt much lighter as you piled all his favorites onto his plate and handed it to him with little to no hesitation. somehow you always knew just what to pick (and what to avoid as well): pile on savory greens and tasty desserts and avoid fatty meats.

just as he went to bite into a juicy looking jade parcel, hu tao cleared her throat and began banging her fork against her flute glass full of cherry cola.

"any harder and it'll break, dum dum." yanfei snickered beneath her fist, propped up by her elbow on the table.

hu tao rolled her eyes and focused her attention onto xiao, where the sense of dread began to once again rise up in his stomach.

"(y/n), you know xiao's studying web design at college right now, don't you?" she chirped, bright eyes knowing and eager.

"yup! you should see the pictures of his projects he sends me, it looks like hell." you chuckled before stuffing a spoonful of black-back perch stew into your mouth.

"weeeeellll," hu tao paused to glance down at the cards in her lap (xiao presumes),

"did you know that the first prime minister of liyue was miss gui- wait...WAIT A MINUTE-!"

hu tao's cheeky disposition quickly collapsed into panic as she flitted through her flashcards, quietly mumbling little "no"s under her breath.

"agent jingles!" yanfei muttered through gritted teeth masked as a smile, "did you bring your history flashcards instead of the ones with web design questions on them?!" yanfei hissed, stretching her neck over to grab the untouched pile of flashcards in hu tao's lap.

"agent wha? what's that?" hu tao scratched the top of her head in confusion, before she was reminded by a glare and kick from under the table by yanfei, "OH OH RIGHT! my bad, snowbell." she giggled.

"gods you are hopeless," yanfei muttered and pinched the bridge of her nose.

xiao wanted the ground to swallow him whole and never have him return.

"aghh aiyah i SWEAR i thought i had the right ones! these were from my history exam." hu tao pouted and gently bumped her forehead against the table.

"what's going on with you two?" zhongli, firm yet gentle, eyed his daughters with a curious look.

"nothing, papa! nothing, we just wanted to fill in (y/n) about the cool stuff xiao does, isn' that right xiao?" yanfei quickly threw the fastball of conversation towards him, to which he could do nothing but agree with a tentative and hesitant forced smile on his face.

"are you a history buff now?" you gently elbowed him from the side with a coy smile dancing on your lips, "there's a great place near campus with tons of historical books, lemme know when you're free and we can go together."

he wasn't much of a history buff but now, he'd probably be asking hu tao for her flash cards later on.

PHASE TWO STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: SOMEWHAT SALVAGEABLE!

phase three: nostalgic photo reminiscing

agent snowbell will procure photo albums of agent grinch and the target from their youth and coax them into the living room to sift through the photos and reminisce. agent jingles and snowbell will be in charge of keeping ganyu and papa occupied as to not interfere.

baby pictures: the bane of his existence.

xiao has known no rest since his little sisters had somehow managed to get ahold of his baby pictures. there was no escape from their relentless teasing or the comments of "you used to be so cute! so what the heck happened?!" he's heard it all at this point.

so upon hearing yanfei explain the third phase, he's quick to shoot it down. "absolutely not."

"aw c'mon! xiaooooo they don't even have to be your baby photos, i'm sure there's tons of photos of you and (y/n) as kids. wouldn't it be great to reminisce?" yanfei pleaded, and xiao swore that she had absorbed the puppy dog eye tactic from hu tao.

"...papa or ganyu might know where the albums are, but what does this have to do with-"

"it has everything to do with (y/n)!" hu tao interjected, bowl of strawberry ice cream in one hand and miniature spoon in the other. if xiao inspected closely, it might've been a spoon that belonged to his father's collectibles but he didn't want to even imagine the scolding hu tao would be in for if she really was using one of his collectible spoons to shovel bits of strawberry ice cream into her gullet.

"think about it: you're reminiscing over your childhood, they see how your bond evolved, and how much you've grown and realize that they've fallen for you, and BOOM! they fall in love and you both get married and get a bunch of puppies and cats and feifei and i are always invited over to babysit them, the end!"

somehow xiao didn't think hu tao was being quite realistic. yanfei was always the more grounded one of the duo, but even she had her nonsensical moments. xiao would most likely count this moment as one of them, as she eagerly trotted into the living room with an armful of books.

"got 'em! hu, you go get (y/n)." yanfei ordered as she set the books down onto the living room coffee table.

xiao hadn't expected there were so many, then again his dad was quite doting and xiao wouldn't put it past him to take multitudes of photos.

"alright, here's the situation: papa and yuyu and washing dishes and cleaning, so hu and i will help them out and keep them distracted and away from the living room as long as we can. use the time to try and get them all warm and nostalgic, got it? this is super important for phase four, so try not to mess up!" despite the encouraging thumbs up and signature "yanfei-branded" smile, xiao couldn't help but deadpan a little at his sister's choice of words.

"hey! hu tao said you wanna show me something?" your familiar head popped itself into view, which yanfei took as her cue to leave (but not before mouthing "good luck" behind your back and flashing a thumbs up).

you shot a quizzical glance to the teenager and faced xiao once more with an incredulous smile on your face, "those two are acting kinda weird tonight, i wonder if they plan on pranking us." you chuckled and walked over to the couch.

xiao scooted over to make room for you, but you instead opted to send him into cardiac arrest and plop down right next to him so that your shoulders stuck together side-by-side.

"so, what's up? are these photo albums i see? are we doing some holiday reminiscing?" you giggled and eagerly traced your fingers along the spine of the albums.

he figured he may as well try and go along with yanfei and hu tao's plan, even if it hadn't been super successful previously. "yeah...i thought it'd nice to look back." he mumbled, hand fidgeting to rub the back of his neck.

his leg bounced, nerves flocking to the pulsating thunder of his heart as he watched you take the first book from the pile and turn open the page.

"aww look! it's a picture of us fighting over rexy!" you squealed and eagerly slid the book closer between the two of you.

asides from the ever-growing nervousness deep in his stomach from just your touch alone, xiao found himself recalling the faded, yellow memory with a faint smile as if it had just happened yesterday. the dragon doll, "rexy", was his favorite stuffed animal as a kid. but it just so happened that you loved rexy just as much, and most of your playdates usually resulted in the two of you chasing each other on stubby little two year old legs for the stuffed dragon's affection.

"rexy totally liked me better, by the way." you giggled and lightly slapped his bicep with the back of your hand.

"tch, no way. it's a stuffed animal..." he trailed off with a pensive look, only for it to dissolve into the slight upwards twitch of his lips and a sly glance from the side, "but i treated him the best."

your hand flew to your chest in mock hurt, yet there was no denying the playlist glint of mirth in your eyes, "i'm gravely offended by the implication that i didn't treat rexy right."

"i'm just saying it as it is." he huffed and crossed his arms.

"moving on from rexy, my beloved," he snickered at the honorific you used, which earned him a nudge from your elbow, "look it's our first day of grade school!"

xiao didn't quite remember that day, since the rain tended to beat out all other thoughts, but he did remember when you bounded up to him with a little froggy hat on your head, and handed him a matching one. the photo had captured when you had slung your little five year old arms around xiao's neck and held him close to show off your matching froggy rainhats. he also vividly remembered walking home hand-in-hand with you, jumping in puddles, and watching as snails and worms made their way across sidewalk pavements in complete awe.

"we should get matching hats again, frogs are all the rave now aren't they? you'd looks so cute with a wittle fwoggy hat on your head." you cooed and pinched the chub of his cheek gently between your forefinger and thumb.

the physical contact sent a jolt of lightning throughout his body and he felt the heat rush to his face faster than you could say "froggy" again.

"n-next page!" he quickly muttered, flipping the laminated photo over so that a different array of photos peered back up at him.

"awww i remember this photo, you were so nervous about going into the sea." you hummed, affectionately thumbing the sheathed photograph of you and xiao, hand-in-hand and ankle-deep in a crystal blue sea. zhongli had captured the moment just perfectly, with your head tilted backwards in laughter, gaps in your teeth perfectly on display, whereas xiao's fright was evident on his face as he desperately clung to your hands; if the embarrassment of the little blue floaties with miniature yellow ducklings on his two arms wasn't enough, xiao was pretty sure that he cried a ton moments after that photo was taken and demanded they go to shore to collect sea shells instead.

"why did papa only save the embarrassing ones..." xiao grumbled under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

you merely tilted your head back and released the sweet cacophony of your laughs from deep within your chest. xiao knew no sweeter sound nor melody that could ever compare with the snorts between your fits of laughter, or the choked coughing sessions you'd usually end up in after, like right now. his hand tentatively hovered above your back for a minute before it made contact with the fabric of your clothes and gently rubbed up and down to soothe your coughs.

"see, this is what happens when you laugh too much." he chided, attempting to mask the mirth and affection in his voice as best he could.

"oh hush, you worrywart." you waved him off and focused your attention back to the album in your hands.

xiao's hand still hovered near your back, and as if possessed by the cupid that had been hovering around his shoulders, he allowed his arm to carefully drape over your shoulders and pull you closer to him. the muffled squeals of joy from beyond the kitchen doors indicated that hu tao and yanfei had seen his act of bravery as well. his heart pounded wildly in his chest as he looked at your face, drenched in shock with a hint of intrigue. the small "o" on your lips quickly dissolved into a gentle smile as you placed your head into the crook of his shoulder and leaned back against the couch with the photo album shared between your laps. the muffled shrieks of joy indicated that hu tao and yanfei must have also seen that.

no matter how hard he tried, his heartbeat wouldn't cease its rampant thundering nor would his face calm its rouge fury. how many nights had he dreamed about a moment like this, where you'd be close by his side and your heartbeats would finally sync together in harmony?

'far too many,' he thinks.

you're silent as a mouse now, quietly flipping through the photo album with a nostalgic smile etched onto your lips. he can't help but be entranced with every detail that decorated your appearance, and every slight particular facial gesture or habit that made it much easier to read your moods. take right now, as an example: the scrunch of your nose as you looked at a photo of you and him in your matching, third grade halloween costumes of peanut butter and jam meant that you were trying to suppress a smile or a bubble of laughter. his arm has never felt such warmth.

now was as good a time as any, right?

"l-listen, (y/n), there's s-something that i...need to tell you," he started, face turning inwards and choosing to brave his storms and face you eye-to-eye.

but before he could continue, a clutter of noise rang from the kitchen followed by muffled curses and exclamations. you shot up from your relaxed position on his shoulder and shot your head towards the door.

"what was that?!" you mumbled, turning back to him with a worried look on your face as you pushed yourself up from his embrace and waited for xiao to follow suit.

still in a rosy haze and drunk on your embrace, it took a minute for his brain to finally get up to speed. you grabbed his forearm and hurried past the kitchen doors. xiao expected that perhaps something had fell or broken (or in the worst case scenario, a break-in). of course, in this family anything was everything but typical.

in all its grand glory, a pigeon of all things sat comfortably on the counter, pecking away at the oreos hu tao had taken out for a snack. xiao looked to the corner of the kitchen to see his three sisters huddled behind their father, who gallantly held a broom and a determined look on his face.

"both of you, come this way!" he ordered.

"oh nonsense, uncle zhongli. it's just a pigeon. here," with a nearby towel, you gently wafted the fabric in the direction of the pigeon. the pigeon, who seemed to mystically obey you, hopped down from the counter and sauntered over to the open sliding glass door as guided by your towel wafting. with one final flick of the fabric, the pigeon disappeared beyond the glass and flew off into the night sky.

"there! not so frightening now is it?" you beamed and shut the glass door.

"(y/n) you should've seen it! feifei cracked the sliding door to throw out some dust and BOOM!" hu tao's arms spread wide open and mimicked a plane flying in for landing, "in came the pigeon! i wanted to adopt it but papa said no." she pouted, crossing her arms and side-eyeing the older man.

with the threat of the pigeon now gone, the rest of his family began to tentatively move back throughout the kitchen. yanfei and hu tao shot him a double thumbs up and left him to stand beside you in front of the glass doors.

"so, what was it you wanted to tell me before we were so rudely interrupted by a pigeon?" you asked.

the "nevermind" that tumbled out of his mouth is quick and hasty, and it's little more than an excuse to excuse himself from the bewildering situation where he nearly poured his heart out to you, only to be interrupted by a pigeon.

PHASE THREE STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: A SUCCESS (???)

phase four: the big confession!

agents snowbell and jingles will decorate the back patio with fairy lights and candles. agent grinch will lead the target out to the back patio to watch the stars, where he will share his feelings with the target and live happily ever after!

"hey, that actually went pretty well!"

xiao did his best to blot out whatever other exclamation yanfei had made, too busy wrapped up in his own thoughts: was he too forward by wrapping an arm around your shoulders? but you leaned into him, so surely it wasn't the wrong choice, was it?

"hey hey, stop zoning out! we're in the home stretch here!" hu tao wagged her palm in front of his face and broke him from his daze.

"the pigeon fiasco ruined the moment, but you had a good run there! keep up that attitude, definitely." yanfei (who had somehow produced a clipboard) carefully wrote down something on a piece of paper.

what exactly she was writing, xiao could only guess.

"next up: the biiiig confession! now's your time to shine, lover boy!"

"confession?!" he jumped up from the living room couch with a start, eyes frazzled and worried and heartbeat more erratic than ever. "absolutely not, no way."

"xiaooooo you can't chicken out now! this is what the entire night's been leading to after all. feifei and i already decked out the patio earlier! all that's left to do is take them outside and profess your love like a disney prince mweheheheheeeee~" hu tao cackled, slumped over the arm rest of the plush couch with her legs dangling over the edge.

"i said no, i can't do this." his fingers found their way raking through his thick locks, other hand scrunching up the fabric of his white shirt within his fist as if he held in his hand his actual thumping heart. he had hardly heard when the kitchen doors opened and the familiar scent of ganyu's perfume wafted into the living room.

"have any of you seen (y/n)? a blizzard picked up outside and papa doesn't want them driving in the snow." ganyu's familiar mop of periwinkle locks popped into the living room. she glanced around in search of what xiao assumed was your familiar figure.

xiao looked towards hu tao and yanfei, who in turn looked at each other expectantly.

hu tao nervously glanced towards yanfei with an undoubted sheen of worry in her eyes, "feifei...you didn't already tell them to go outside on the patio and wait...did you?"

all color within yanfei's face drained as she whipped her head to xiao, confirming his suspicions with only the slight nod of her head. faster than he could even comprehend, his hands reached for a nearby blanket on the couch and his feet hurried towards the back door. all he could picture in his mind was your frigid skin and frosted fingertips, devoid of warmth and comfort as he whipped open the door and hurried outside in nothing but his father's outdoor slippers.

there you stood: with your back to him and clothes doused in a layer of frothy white snow, you stood against a backdrop of beautiful chaos and whirling snow. the fairy lights and candles hu tao and yanfei had set up earlier were blown off from where they hung and devoid of any sort of light. the biting snow burned against his cheek and exposed, bare skin as he walked towards you with the thick blanket grasped tightly in his hands.

"you're an idiot for waiting out here for so long." despite the harsh denotation of the words he muttered, there was a tentative gentleness to it that seemed to be reserved only for you. once close enough to your shivering body, he draped the blanket over your figure and held the material shut tight himself across your chest so that your back pressed against his chest.

"hey now, i can't disobey a direct order from miss yanfei herself. she said she had another surprise for me, but i suppose the surprise is no more?" your head cocked itself to the side to peer directly into his eyes.

"the only surprise you'll get from her is frostbite," he scoffed as he rubbed his hands up and down the sides of your arms over top of the blanket, "come inside now, you'll freeze out here."

"...maybe," you began, eyes still transfixed on the raging swirls of stormy snow that engulfed you; xiao turned his attention towards you with intrigue,

"maybe next time, i can actually experience the surprise she had for me." you mumbled, and leaned further back into his warm body.

deep down, xiao wished he had the guts to fulfil your desires.

PHASE FOUR STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE

"(y/n) i apologize greatly. i've given these two a good scolding for sending you outside in nothing but your evening wear." zhongli gestured to a sheepish hu tao and yanfei, who ran straight into your arms as you entered the house again.

"t-that's fine u-uncle zhongli! b-but for n-now i'd j-just like to g-get a little w-warmed up? i'm r-really s-starting to feel the c-cold now haha." you sputtered between chattering teeth, latching on tightly to the fleece blanket xiao had draped across your shoulders as you used your other hand to stroke the heads of hu tao and yanfei.

"yes, of course. ganyu will bring you some warm tea once i've brewed it," zhongli smiled kindly and turned towards the kitchen before seemingly remembering something and turning back to face you and xiao, "and my dear, you should spend the night here. i'd detest if you were to drive back home in all that snow, it simply isn't safe. i believe we have a spare sleeping bag that you can use."

"y-yeah! that's f-fine with m-me if it's okay with x-xiao?"

before he could even reply (and provide an answer he wasn't even sure of yet), yanfei and hu tao interjected:

"of course he's cool with it! isn't that right, hu tao?" yanfei popped up by your side, accompanied by a nodding hu tao.

"yep yep yep! xiao's got the warmest room in the house!"

one day, xiao swore one day he'd get his two little gremlin sisters back for their transgressions.

"i believe xiao still has a spare set of your pajamas from the last time you slept over, why don't hu tao and yanfei take you to go get settled in his room while you wait for your tea?" zhongli suggested, eyeing his youngest daughters expectantly and silently pleading for them to not cause any more trouble once more before disappearing beyond the doors to the kitchen.

"are you sure you're fine?" he spun you around to face him and let his eyes roam over your body in search of anything worrying.

"oh please, a little snow won't be the end of me. i'll be just fine. but you might wanna fix your tie." you giggled and reached for the silky black tie that the winter winds had strewn over his shoulder, and fixed it back into place. your fingers lingered for just a moment longer than they should've, and managed to steal the breath from his lungs as they caught in the nets in his throat. as soon as they had came into contact with his chest, your fingers disappeared and your warmth trailed off behind his two sisters.

xiao's eyes wandered to your waddling figure, draped in the thick blanket as hu tao and yanfei guided you upstairs. his gaze lingered on you for a moment before he tore himself away and defeatedly groaned into the palms of his hands. weary legs carried him to the seat of the living room couch, where he all but collapsed and dug his elbows into his thighs while cradling his head. the sigh he'd been holding in all night finally slipped past his lips as his entire body sagged in complete and utter exhaustion.

he truly was at a loss for what to do now: if he really was that romantically incompetent on his own, and his little sister's plan hadn't been a success, then what was he left to do? perhaps giving up was in order, but the mere thought of never holding you close in his arms and never addressing you as all the cheesy pet names he's ever thought of before made his heart pang in an indescribable manner. not to mention, there was the fine line to be crossed between best of friends, and sweetest of lovers. would there ever be any return tickets if he ever made it beyond the threshold should you not like him in return? what of the friendship that lasted for nearly two decades up to this point?

if only he hadn't tripped and stumbled down the rose covered path of love towards your inviting arms; perhaps then he wouldn't be psychologically tormenting himself with his own inadequacies. just as he was about to slip below the cusp of his thoughts, a gentle hand placed itself on his shoulder and the scent of mint once again engulfed his nostrils.

"what's bothering you, xiao?" ganyu hummed, perched on the arm rest of the couch as she rubbed soothing circles into his shoulder.

"nothing, everything is absolutely fine." he spat, despite knowing that ganyu deserved least of all to be the brunt of his frustration.

"h-hey, don't get upset...just trying to help," she sighed and placed her hands back into her lap covered by the silky blue dress she wore, "you can always tell me anything that's bothering you. i'll listen."

xiao was reluctant—far too reluctant to inform his older sister that he was head over heels in love with his best friend and that he'd been dragged into a plot devised by their younger sisters to finally get him to fess up his feelings. there was the stubborn part of him that feared bearing his truth and admitting that he was scared: of rejection, of messing up, of so many things. but reluctance aside, ganyu's familiar sunset eyes peered back at him with such care and attention, it was almost as though the words he'd been so violently repressed had become unclogged in his throat with just those few words of reassurance she uttered.

maybe he'll try his luck once more.

the details of "operation mistletoe" came out in jumbled nonsense at first, until ganyu urged him to take him time and he slowly found momentum. from phase one to phase four, and all the moments in between, as well as his burning feelings for you, all his words came out in quiet globs of emotional admission.

"i put my faith in hu tao and yanfei because i thought it would help me confess to (y/n)...but everything kept going wrong a-and on my own...i'm not enough to make them feel things for me...and i'm terrified that if i mess things up that they'll never want to be friends with me again, and i don't think i could bear that."

his head hung low in shame, fists clenched together in front of him. frustration flooded his veins at his own incompetence and shameful admission to the thoughts that had been plaguing him for years.

"xiao..." ganyu mumbled and slid down the arm rest to sit beside him. "i think you're trying too hard to be something you're not. yanfei and hu tao mean well, but in reality romance is nothing like it's depicted in anime or dramas. n-not that i have any experience!" she quickly clarified, waving her hand in dismissal.

"but on my own," xiao paused and looked at his trembling hands, "(y/n) would never love someone like me."

ganyu frowned and overlapped his hand within two of her own. "xiao, i've looked after you and (y/n) since you two were in diapers. even if they can't see you romantically, there's no doubt in my mind that they'll never stop caring and loving for you, even if it's platonic. most importantly, (y/n) would love you for who you are even if it means they deal with your communicative problems and standoffish behavior. n-not that t-there's anything wrong with that o-of course!"

xiao felt a small smile creep its way onto his face as he stewed in ganyu's words. in truth: ganyu was right. you weren't so flimsy that you'd toss him aside should you reject his feelings, and you were well aware that it was impossible to reproduce the suave character of a handsome drama lead in someone like him. you've stuck by his side for all these years, not an ideal version of him, just him as he is: wholly human and bound to trip and fall yet get back up again.

"take a chance, xiao. it's alright if it doesn't work out; i know they'd never leave you." ganyu hummed and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his spine.

"i should've gone to you for help instead of letting yanfei and hu tao drag me around all night." he laughed breathlessly to conceal the film of tears hanging from his golden eyes and hid his face in his hands.

"ah so you three were scheming in the cleaning closet instead of looking for air freshener, that makes a lot more sense now." ganyu giggled and nudged his shoulder. "you're much of a better person than you give yourself credit for, xiao. don't sell yourself short."

with a shaky inhale, xiao managed to shyly squeak out: "i really, really like them, ganyu."

"i know, you'd have to be a fool not to notice after all." she smiled and smoothed over the top of his frazzled locks, "tell them how you feel when you're ready."

the thing is, he wondered: how do you know if you're ready?

"heya! soooo we couldn't find the sleeping bag, ehe~"

his fingers went to press the bridge of his nose almost immediately as if to soothe the oncoming migraine that his sisters would inevitably give him. the sleeping bag was probably hidden away, stuffed under either of their beds, but he didn't have the energy to fight them on it.

"hey, it's no biggie. xiao and i have shared a bed plenty of times together, right?" you chirped as you nudged his side expectantly.

you had indeed shared a bed before, but you left out the crucial fact that you hadn't slept in the same bed as xiao since you were kids. there was absolutely no way his heart could take this, but seeing how you bounced up and down on the balls of your heels, eager eyes peeking through the doorway of his room, it looked like there was no saying "no" to you either way.

"y-yeah, s'fine." he mumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets.

you'd already changed into your pajamas and warmed up from the mishap of phase four. the tea ganyu had brought to warm you up had been half drunk and now you settled comfortably on the side of xiao's large bed with your phone in hand. xiao would think the scene quite domestic and sweet if not for the jeering presence of his sisters behind him.

"there's only..."

"...one bed! it's straight out of fanfiction!"

their whisper-squeals did little to calm his racing heartbeat and no sooner than they had spoken did xiao usher them off with hisses under his breath.

"okay, you two have had your fun. now shoo," xiao turned them around and gently pushed their backs out of the door to his room, but not discreetly leaning down towards them and whispering a hushed "thank you."

"hey, no need! (y/n) would be super lucky to date you." hu tao cheered quietly and shoved an encouraging thumbs up for him.

"exactly, we're just glad to help. aaaand this kept hu tao from pulling any disastrous pranks this year." yanfei side eyed her sister, who innocently peered back with starlit eyes.

even after wishing them goodnight and shutting his door, the nervous pitter-patter of his heart had yet to cease. the dress shirt he'd been wearing all night stuck to his skin and itched at his sides and he wanted nothing more for it to be gone.

"xiao? you gonna get changed or do you plan on going to bed looking like a butler?" you snickered from your seat on his bed, knees tucked tight against your chest from beneath his white comforter.

he merely rolled his eyes and shuffled towards his drawers to pull out a soft, white t shirt and dark blue checkered pajama bottoms. you turned on your side to allow him privacy, but even with your eyes fixated on the phantom blue screen of your phone, xiao couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. too many times did his fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt and too many times did he misstep while trying to put on his pajama pants.

"you okay?" you called, face still turned the other way.

"y-yeah! just...lost my balance." he mumbled out an excuse and slid the t shirt over his head.

with every step he took towards his light switch, his heart's pulse threatened to burst out of his chest. he could practically feel the slight thump in his throat right beside his bobbing adam's apple.

"tell them when you're ready." but when will he be ready?

with a flick of his finger, his room shrouded itself in darkness with only the gentle trickle of pearly moonlight to illuminate the large, obsidian floor rug that blanketed his bedroom. you looked towards him and shut your phone off, scooching over in his bed to make room for his body. as much as his limbs trembled, he managed to slip underneath his sheets and turned on his side so that his back faced you and his body hung off the side of the bed in order to give you as much space as you needed.

"what are you doing? you know the bed is big enough for the both of us, right?" you giggled, and his stomach jolted in his body as your arms slid around his waist and pulled him into the bed, closer to your body.

"i just w-wanted to respect your space..." he mumbled into his pillow, and with the heat that reverberated off of the fabric he was sure that his face was nothing but a blushing mess right now. you'd said something of comfort to him, but it was blotted out by the thumping in his ears.

your arms still loosely draped themselves around his waist, and the heat of your body gently brushed against his back and sent tingles up his spine. there was absolutely no way he'd be able to sleep with how hard his heart was pounding in his ears.

your name flew out of his lips before he decided to let his mind overwork him to the bone and interfere once more: "(y/n)?"

"hm?"

"i..." his lips went dry and all the words he'd been practicing over and over again in his head flitted off into the air. your hand gently pressed against his tense shoulder blade, silently encouraging to take his time. but all he could feel was the warmth of your hand against his back; even just your presence was enough to send his heart into hysterics.

you were it for him, he was sure no one else could ever make him feel as safe and warm as you did.

he wasn't sure when he had inched closer to the edge again, perhaps it was when he felt the ticklish fan of your breath against the nape of his neck or when you shifted closer so that your leg brushed against his. xiao simply thought his mind had finally chosen to descend into the realm of sleep when his view of his bedroom ceiling began to turn and the familiar yet unfamiliar sensation of falling engulfed him.

it wasn't until his back made a muted impact against the carpet did he realize that yes, he, as a twenty one year old man, had just fallen out of his own bed.

"xiao?! are you alright?" you scrambled to the edge of the bed and peered down at him with worry glossed over in your eyes.

he sighed and draped an arm over his eyes, a warbled smile stretching itself onto his lips. "yeah, all good." he mumbled.

just as he was about to suggest that you sleep in ganyu's room, a pillow hit his stomach, followed by the weight of his comforter. you tossed a pillow beside him onto the soft carpet and scooted off of the bed to lay on the other side of him on the carpet.

"what are you doing?"

you turned to him with a cheeky smile and fluffed out the ends of the comforter, "sleeping on the floor with you, duh," you snorted and fixed the pillow on the rug, "when we were kids we used to do this all the time during sleepovers when you couldn't sleep, remember? we pretended it was camping."

of course xiao remembered, he could never forget his sleepless nights only remedied by the comfort of his floor rug, and how much you complained about your aching back in the morning yet never blamed him for an inch of your pain. "yeah, but i never fell off my own bed first." he choked out a laugh and shoved the pillow under his head before burying the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"times change, so do methods." you joked and laid flat on your back so that both you and xiao stared up at his ceiling, where the glow in the dark stars you both had stuck up nearly a decade ago still clung to the chipped, white paint.

"do you think that we'll ever change?"

the question came out choked and barely uttered under his breath but somehow you managed to hear him even through all the thick barrier and fog he had produced.

"of course we will," you hummed as xiao turned his head to the side to avoid your knowing gaze. his eyes snapped open when your fingers hesitantly brushed against his own before intertwining with his fingers, "but we'll change together."

of all the love advice and training sessions hu tao and yanfei had put him through, never did it occur to him that you wouldn't leave him behind in the dust even if he struggled to convey his feelings. he had always felt the pressure to keep up and measure up to his best friend's amazing qualities, yet preserve the years of history behind them. and yet you so boldly claimed that despite change, you'd be right by his side.

how do you know if you're ready? maybe he is.

"i think i'm in love with you."

too nervous to face you, xiao could only zero in on the glowing stars on his ceiling and squeezed your intertwined hand to quell the nervous tide washing up in his stomach.

"i know," you giggled and raised your intertwined hands to press against your heart, which thundered just as much if not more than his.

xiao's heart stuttered before jackhammering against the thin roof of his ribcage as he shot up and whipped his head to look back down at you, still laying on your back and looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars with your hand still intertwined with his—as if nothing had happened.

"you....you knew?" he mumbled breathlessly.

you shifted so that you sat up and faced him, body impossibly close to his as you used your free hand to play with the tips of his intertwined fingers.

"welllll," you started with a cheeky smile, "you did propose to me when we were six."

xiao groaned into the skin of the palm he rubbed over his face. he, unfortunately, remembered every detail of proposing to you with a ring made of a daisy and taking you "wedding clothes shopping" in his sister's and papa's closets.

"for the record, i think i do too."

dreaming, he was surely dreaming, because there was no way that you reciprocated his feelings.

"y-you...me? love??" his pointer finger jutted against his chest.

"i wouldn't put it like a caveman, but yeah," you laughed and caressed your thumb over the back of his knuckles, "i do, i love you lots."

"oh," was all he could manage to say amidst the tides of emotions that washed over him: his heart was practically still with how fast it was beating, and he thanked the darkness for granting him the mercy of concealing the raging blush that had overtaken his face.

how many nights had he spent dreaming of the moment where his hand would engulf yours and trail imaginary lines over the bumps of your knuckles? so many, that as he reached his free, trembling hand up to stroke the apple of your cheek, he thought himself still asleep and dreaming of your love.

your warm nose gently brushed against his, and though the lips he's dreamt of since he was a kid were so, so close to him, he found himself planting his forehead in the crook of your shoulder and gripping your hand with a nervous fervor through stuttered breaths. your laugh hummed against his skin as you ran a hand through his locks and pressed a gentle kiss to the tender area of his temple.

he was no casanova or romeo, nor was he particularly the best at romance and love. but no doubt in his mind: if you could embrace him with honey lined hugs and kisses that made his insides melt just as he is, there's no other place he'd rather be and no other way he would've had the evening play out.

there was always an unspoken language whispered in the comfortable silence between you two, and somehow you always managed to understand the jumbled desires and conversations in his heart that never met the threshold of his voicebox. sleep wasn't calling, but the desire to hold you within his arms was.

and as he tugged you down with him, pulled the covers over your bodies, and held you close against his chest to peer up at the glow-in-the-dark stars above, xiao felt all the worries of his night melt away and fizzle off like glitter into the air around him.

in your arms and with the lull of your heartbeat did he finally find paradise: a lover's secret garden where he'd love to walk hand-in-hand with you for as long as time would allow him.

"shhh! not so loud, you'll wake them up!"

ganyu—as the eldest—always made it her priority to keep her siblings in order. but just this once perhaps a little indulgence was allowed, as she leaned against the doorframe and watched with a fond smile as yanfei eagerly took round upon round of pictures on her phone of you comfortably nestled deep in xiao's embrace under the covers.

"see! i knew hiding the sleeping bag was a good call." hu tao giggled and quietly tip toed to yanfei's side to observe the angles at which she took photos

the morning light had made a great highlight of the slight trail of drool from your lips, and the tousled mess that was their brother's hair.

"alright, you two, i think that's enough. let's go help papa start breakfast." ganyu gently chided with a whisper and ushered the two girls to her side.

"awww, these photos are gonna look so good in the album." yanfei cooed as she swiped through the pictures and obeyed her sister's orders to tiptoe quietly to the doorway of xiao's room.

just as hu tao was about to follow, the rustle of sheets behind her and a raspy "hu tao?" made her stop dead in her tracks.

"xiao! uhhh-" she nervously whipped her head to yanfei and ganyu, who pretended to not notice her silent plea for help, "we were just- uh- you know?" she sheepishly smiled and raised her hands in surrender.

he really didn't know what she was talking about, nor why all three of his sisters had decided to congregate in his room. but the slight shift of your body in his arms reminded him of all the events that had transpired yesterday, and suddenly the annoyance and fatigue melted away into honeyed bliss.

"so," yanfei started, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips, "was our operation successful?"

his head shifted on his pillow to peer down at you with what he felt were metaphorical hearts in his eyes. a gentle brush of his fingers against your temple gave hu tao and yanfei all the confirmation they needed as they dashed out of his room with bubbling, giddy grins on their faces. ganyu chuckled and let him know of breakfast's brewing before quietly shutting the door and leaving him to bask in the warm, morning silence and your warmth within his arms.

xiao prayed that you wouldn't wake from his gentle touches, but against all odds your eyes fluttered open to reveal the beautiful shade of (e/c) that he loved so much. your lips stretched into a hazy smile as your raspy voice mumbled a "good morning"...

...followed by a quick, chaste kiss to his lips.

it'd be so nonchalant, xiao would've dismissed it as if you'd sent him a teasing remark like usual if not for the realization that you had just kissed him as if it were already part of your routine.

"oh! i'm sorry...i just- i did that instinctively..." your hands flew to your mouth, apologetic eyes flickering to gauge his reaction.

xiao didn't care for firsts, just that the first person to kiss his lips was you: his best friend, and the person he loved more than anything in this world. his hand, warm from the heat of your bodies, moved to cup your cheek and thumbed just below your eye.

the minute his lips connected with yours once again, he didn't feel fireworks or electric sparks like hu tao and yanfei's romantic animes and dramas and articles described. rather, his heart felt as though it had been dipped into a sweet pool of warm honey, and if he concentrated hard enough he'd feel the gentle flap of butterfly wings deep in the pits of his stomach, and the faint, fragrant scent of dewy carnations and roses in the height of spring.

sooner or later, he'd have to get up and pull you up from the ground and listen to you complain about the cricks and soreness in your back. his father and ganyu would embarrass him with stories of his youth during breakfast while you stuffed your cheeks with fluffy waffles bathed in sweet syrup. and there was no doubt in his mind that hu tao and yanfei would fill you in on operation mistletoe.

but even within all its chaos and domesticity, xiao would never change a single bit of it: not his family, not you, and not the stupid four-phase operation that got him here in the first place.

OPERATION MISTLETOE STATUS: A SUPER DUPER WONDERFUL SUCCESS!

date published: december 23rd, 2021

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #xiao x reader #xiao gi #xiao fluff #xiao imagines #genshin impact xiao #xiao genshin impact #xiao genshin x reader #genshin xiao #xiao #genshin x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin impact headcanons #genshin drabbles #genshin impact drabbles #genshin scenarios #genshin impact scenarios #codexsecretsanta #works—☆

[genderfluid-insomniac]

Rainbow Anon~

Henlo! Yeah I'm alive somehow aha, this pandemic has taken my mental state through so many loops I thought I was done for xD; I loved what you've done for the visions! I was mayhaps wondering if it was possible to get something NSFW with the readers new visions?

Like, maybe things where getting heated between reader and Zhongli/Kaeya/Venti(separately) and their Vision sparks up or reacts in a certain way that gets reader or the characters flustered/turned on aha xD

If not then that's ok uwu(I'm 25yo dw~)

hey 🌈 anon!!! I hope you're doing alright!! Of course, I had so much fun with this and it's totally okay! I hope you feel a lot better mentally and physically, remember to stay hydrated! lov ya!

s/o’s vision sparks up during a heated moment (NSFW) part 2 the s/o getting a vision

༻Venti༺

His fingers pumped into you, never faltering and changing rhymes to keep you on your toes, giving you endless pleasure.

The anemo archon laughed mockingly at your desperate expression and teased you for being so needy, kissing and biting your neck.

You will for sure have marks there in the morning that could be seen if someone looked closely, something your boyfriend loved to point out to all of Mondstadt that you were his and exclusively his.

A small zap shocked you as he continued to finger you, surprising you slightly and turning your gaze to your vision on your clothing, seeing it glow and giving off crackles of electricity.

After attempting to briefly explain what happened and failing to convey it to him, blurting out that your vision was reacting to your body and to keep going.

A heavy blush settled on your face as you tried to accept the delicious feeling of electro dancing around and in your wet hole, closing your eyes and tilting your head back.

“Aw, is my windblume already cumming? Ah-uh I think it’s too soon~”

༻Kaeya Alberich༺

“Kaeya! It’s so hot-“ You were both cuddling which you should have known your boyfriend would spice up and find a way to turn it sexual.

He broke away from your neck to feel your forehead burning up and panicking a bit internally before realizing that your whole body felt like it was on fire.

A quick glance to your vision is what clued him in as to why you were on fire, smirking at your squirming figure and trailing a finger down your bare chest.

“You want me to make the heat go away?~” You vigorously nodded, your face harshly blushing as he asked you to beg and use your words to spell out what you wanted.

“I don’t want to be hot, please make me cold. Fuck me-“ The cavalry captain clicked his tongue and tilted your chin up, delightedly taking in your flustered expression.

“If that’s what you want, sweetheart.” Undressing you and grabbing some lube from the bedside table, rubbing some on his cock and using his cry magic to cool it down a little.

You arched your back and moaned when your body was introduced to such a cold change, panting and glancing up through lidded eyes at your arrogant boyfriend determined to fuck you stupid.

༻zhongli༺

You and your lover were right in the middle of an intimate moment, he pressed kisses against your neck and sighed as you slipped your hands past his clothes, weaving under his layer outfit and finally brushing against his bare chest.

Zhongli gripped your grin and passionately pressed your lips against his, leaning you against the wall and gasping when your fingers reached his nipples.

“S-so cold-“ He shivered and you pulled away, nervous it was unpleasant for your lover but your hand was pulled back to his chest.

Briefly glancing over your shoulder and seeing a faint pale blue glow from your vision, figuring it was acting up due to your high strung adrenaline.

You looked up to see a faint blush painted across the. geo archon’s cheeks, he shyly looked away and moaned when you pulled the stiff buds.

Slyly grinning you pulled his lips against yours and continued to play with his nipples, squeezing and tweaking them to elicit gorgeous lustful expressions.

He gripped your hand and led it down to his crotch, biting your lip and humming into the kiss.

Muttering pleases and rewarding you with lewd noises, pressing his hardening cock into your cold hand and jumping at the temperature change.

“Keep stroking my dick, darling. That’s a good cutie, we should use your vision more often.”

#venti x reader #venti genshin impact #zhongli x reader #zhongli #kaeya alberich x reader #kaeya alberich #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader

[teyvat-imagines]

can you write some headcanons for a s/o who gets overwhelmed, anxious and stressed and ends up piling her lips and fingers' skin, biting her nails.... x diluc, childe, zhongli and thoma?

Hiya! ^w^ Of course! I do only do up to 3 characters per request sorry D: Since I've done a similar request with Childe before, I've done this with Diluc, Zhongli and Thoma, I hope that's okay! ^w^

TW: Mentions of Self-Harm

Overwhelmed S/O Hurting Themselves

Diluc:

○ Diluc was a fairly observant man, so it wasn't difficult for him to spot you picking at the skin on your fingers. Or for him to notice the way you chewed the skin off your lips. What was more difficult however, was for him to pinpoint the cause of that reaction...

○ He spends some time observing you, not wanting to push you to talking with him if you weren't comfortable and most definitely not wanting to get into a serious conversation like that without having some understanding from his point of view.

○ It's a particularly busy evening in the Tavern when things finally click into place in Diluc's mind. As the room grows louder, boisterous drunkards singing and yelling and pushing and shoving, steadily becoming all too overwhelming for you; that's when Diluc notices you picking at your skin.

○ He gets someone to cover the bar and swiftly moves to you, guiding you to a quieter side room. There's the faint feeling of panic building in your chest as you realise you've been caught. But for the time being, the relief of being somewhere quieter wins out and you're more focused on being able to breathe again.

"Little flame... I won't question what you were doing. It's a conversation we can have one day if you want to, but I won't push you into it. Just know, if you're ever feeling like that again... My dear, I'm here for you. No judgement, no pressure. Just let me know and I'll do whatever I can to make things easier on you."

Zhongli:

○ Zhongli had picked up on your habit fairly quickly. While he wasn't entirely certain what exactly it was that caused it, he did at least know that you would often bite your fingers or pick at the skin there. It worried him a little... Especially as it seemed to be more than just a nervous habit... Was something bothering you...?

○ He wanted to give you space to come to him. But, at the same time, he didn't want you to suffer alone. It was something that the old Archon went back and forth over internally before ultimately deciding to speak with you about it.

○ Zhongli is gentle in his approach. There's no judgement, and he makes it clear from the start that if you don't want to talk about it that's absolutely fine. But honesty, keeping these feelings inside had been a burden that had plagued you for too long. So, with a deep breath and shaky hands, you told your lover everything.

○ He listened to you intently. Let you go through how you were feeling. The stress, the overwhelming anxiety that was plaguing you. He never once interrupted or made you feel silly, instead Zhongli would gently coax you to continue, or hold you if you needed a moment to just cry. It was nice to have everything out in the open. And of course, Zhongli would continue to support you.

"(Y/N), my love, thank you for telling me. I'm sorry you had to carry this burden on your shoulders for so long. You must be so tired... Please, rest dear. And going forward, we'll try to cope together, okay? If things are ever too much or you're struggling, let me know and I'll become a pillar of strength for you until you can stand on your own feet again."

Thoma:

○ Thoma was a busy man. Between being the "Fixer" of Ritou and of course working for the Kamisato household, there was seldom free time he had for himself. And when he did have that free time, he would always make sure to spend it with you.

○ You would never admit it to him, but just seeing how much he had on his plate though and how easily he coped, made you feel kind of bad. In your eyes, Thoma had so much more to do, yet he was never once stressed or upset. Meanwhile you couldn't get through the day without picking at your skin just to cope... What would he think if he saw that...?

○ Normally, you were able to shrug those thoughts off. Or at least distract yourself from them. But today was too much. A dam had burst inside you, and you couldn't hold back your tears as anxiety and self-hatred bubbled forth. It was like that, that Thoma found you. And he wasted no time in pulling you into his arms, smoothing your back and muttering soothing words.

○ It took some time for you to calm down, and you weren't even 100% certain you wanted to tell him why you'd ended up in that state... But, he had never judged you before. And he loved you, right...? Chewing your bottom lip, you made the decision and came clean to Thoma about everything. The anxiety, stress. The self-harm. He listened to you, no judgement on his face, just letting you talk. And then, he spoke.

"Hey, (Y/N)... It's okay, thank you for telling me. Life can be hard sometimes, and we've all got our breaking points. Heck the only reason I don't get completely overwhelmed is because I get to spend time with you! But, seriously, it's okay to get stressed. C'mon, going forward let's deal with this together yeah? If you're ever stressed or overwhelmed, let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help you~!"

#tw // self harm #genshin impact #genshin x you #genshin x reader #diluc #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc ragnivindr x reader #genshin impact diluc #zhongli #zhongli x reader #genshin impact zhongli #thoma #thoma x reader #genshin impact thoma #genshin imagines #genshin headcanons

[genshin-impacted]

empress of the first water // Zhongli x Reader (4)

Word Count: ~2.8k

Palace/Harem Imperial Drama AU: You are a princess, soon-to-be-Empress, and Zhongli is the teacher invited by the royal court to show you the ropes before you ascend to the throne after a royal tragedy.

Notes: female!reader (she/her), Zhongli/Reader, Zhongli POV, mutual pining ofc, fake politics, can I call this slow burn yet

[Previous] [Next]

Chapter 4 Synopsis: Of the secrets that people keep, how much can they say without saying anything about it at all?

.

.

.

You are falling for your tutor. That much, at least, is clear to you. Your quickened heart rate, the way your heart flutters when he smiles, and how your mood lifts when he praises you-- if wisdom is to know thyself, then you consider yourself wise enough to know that you see Zhongli xiansheng as more than just a teacher.

But what of him? You wonder, how does he think of you? Does he know what he means to you? Does he feel the same?

“My lady?" Amber asks you, when you dip your head underneath the rose-infused waters of your bath. "What is wrong?”

“Nothing,” you reply back quickly, hugging your knees to your chest. You take a glance at the mauve coat that Zhongli had left on your shoulders and think about how it will still smell like him.

Amber can only look at you in mild concern when you bury your heated face into your hands and try not to think of kind eyes, a warm embrace, and a gentle voice.

(But you do anyway.)

.

.

.

.

Zhongli finds himself talking more freely than ever in your presence, especially now that the two of you have made it a habit of walking around the compound or drinking tea to pass the time together. He talks about fantastical things or expands on random trivia he thinks you would enjoy, even though he finds himself more often than not overindulging.

Your eyes are bright and alert when he tells you about the folktales he had learned when he was younger, so he tells you as many as you can in the cold, wintry months. Under the cozy kotatsu imported over from Inazuma, Zhongli shares slices of mandarin with you as he retells the history of the Qilin to you-- a mythical creature whose stone statues stand at guard in front of the main compounds of the palace.

“In many stories, the Qilin is sacred pets of the gods and rank highly only below the dragon and the phoenix,” Zhongli says, accepting the last slice of fruit you slide into his hands. "It’s said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler."

“I see…” You listen to him attentively, hands absently clearing the table of the orange peels without saying a word. You let out a breath of laughter as you joke, “Hopefully, if I pray hard enough, the Qilin might gift their presence when I ascend to the throne.”

“Nonsense,” Zhongli replies immediately. “If the qilin does exist, you do not need prayer for the qilin to appear before you, as benevolent as you are, my Princess.” He takes the slice and brings it to his lips to taste the sweetness of the mandarin, catching a glimpse at the way you hide your smile behind your hand.

“You have a way with words as usual,” you tell him. “You spoil me with praises, xiansheng; how ever will I survive without them now?” You bemoan, laughing afterwards. Though he knows you’re joking--surely-- he still feels his heart tremble at your words. It is in these moments that he feels keenly how it is to be Amber, abashed by the praise that flows freely from your lips and by the fondness that rings true through the way you speak. To be at the center of your attention is something that Zhongli understands very well to be addicting.

It is only when Zhongli hears the light rapping of knuckles on wood does he realize how long he has spoken and how late it is.

"My apologies," Zhongli says, surprised from his thoughts to bow his head (you fussed at him about apologizing before, but even with your kind reprimands, it is hard for him to kick the habits ingrained in him). "I didn't mean to dominate the conversation this entire time. It's even time for supper--"

"Bamboo Shoot Soup," you pipe up instead, and he can only look up at you stunned as you thank the maid. She sets down the pair of utensils in front of the two of you and clears the table to make space for the large metal hotpot. "It's your favorite dish, isn't it?” You say cheekily, “I thought it was a perfect dish to eat during the cold weather."

What are the protocols to eating dinner with the royal family? Zhongli thinks to himself warily, feeling wildly as though he is constantly stepping out of line despite his learned nature. Still, you would scold him for his distancing, so Zhongli decides to do as the both of you please, as improper as it may be, and waits to be served.

The bamboo soup is beautifully slow-cooked, the broth milky white; just taking a waft of the aroma is enough for him to know that the meat is tender and the bamboo shoots are soaked to the center with flavor. The warmth that pervades is partly due to the fresh heat of the soup but also from the fact that you had remembered a detail he shared in passing. (He says ‘in passing’ but he had gone into detail about where to procure the best ingredients for each component of the meal while you listened to him with eager nods. The bamboo shoots, he recognizes, are from Qingce Village. Did you remember even the smallest details from your conversation when he speaks?) Like many other times before, he is speechless. It seems as though you are constantly surprising him-- for the better.

"What happens next?"

Zhongli blinks, the steam from his bowl rising up to his face. "Pardon?"

"Oh, never mind! We should eat first!" You say, smiling widely in a way that makes his heart leap. You pick up your chopsticks and click them together playfully. "But tell me what happens next in the story later on, Zhongli-xiansheng."

"One day you'll find yourself someone who listens to you and you'll talk their ear off."

Zhongli remembers Guizhong telling him this time and time again, though he never believed in it. He is old-fashioned, he always replies back. He is overly burdened by the expectations of his family and passionate in things that most others cannot care to relate to. How would he know that someday, as proof of the wisdom (or perhaps abundance of hope and love) that Guizhong held, he would find someone who cared enough to listen and look at him as though he knew the meaning of life itself?

The bright-eyed gaze you shoot at him lasts only a moment, and perhaps you don't even know the magnitude of your gesture, but Zhongli feels his chest burn nonetheless with gratitude and soften at the kindness you have shown him. He reaches out to place his hand gently on yours. "Thank you," he says, squeezing your hand. "I'll be sure to not lose my place in the story then so you can hear the rest of it."

He blinks when you look at him, frozen and wide-eyed, and that is when he retracts his hand, feeling as embarrassed as you look. "Ah, my apologies again--"

"No, it's-- it's alright," you stammer, looking down at your bowl. Zhongli feels his face redden and he drops his gaze as well. "But yes, you better remember! I'm counting on you!"

"Yes-- yes, of course," he says, clearing his throat. "It would be my pleasure to." Before Zhongli can wallow in mortification, he hears the beginnings of your laugh and looks up to see your smile as wide as ever. And just like that, he can feel himself be at ease again, just as you have always made him feel with your presence.

"Perhaps next time," he says, a small smile dancing on his lips, "my lady can tell me a story instead."

"Only if you fill in the details I missed," you quip back easily, and he laughs.

Even with an impeccable memory, Zhongli still cannot remember the last time he has ever laughed so easily and so readily as though he could never run out of laughter. He thinks of quiet hours in his study, pouring over pages of text without speaking till his voice grows hoarse from disuse. He remembers days of entertaining guests who never truly listened to what he was saying, and he finds that he is the happiest he has ever been for a long time.

He has you to thank for that.

This is why he responds back, with a soft reverence that is reserved only for you. "Of course." He returns your smile with his own. "I would be honored to, my Princess."

.

.

.

Reverence should be a tone well-practiced and used in the royal court, but when Zhongli stands aside during the proceedings, he hears very little of it directed toward you. You have half of the court talking over you despite your grace, and he can clearly see your patience wear thin when your presence goes unacknowledged by one of the court officials.

"My studies have been going steadily," you speak unto the crowd, clearly and powerfully, as though you have always known how to command attention. Projecting your voice, you maintain your gaze on all of them as you speak. Zhongli can see from the way your hands clench at your side that despite your display, fear has not left you, and for that, his pride for you seems to overflow.

"With the xiansheng, I can foresee being able to replace my great uncle for the time before the end of this year," you say. "I will have prepared myself dutifully until the time has come--"

"The end of this year?" One of the nobles exclaims in protest, making you pause. "How would you be ready at the end of the calendar when you have started lessons, not even yesteryear?"

"I can't imagine the magnitude of power placed upon the shoulders of the inexperienced,” another one drawls. “Perhaps, ah, the Princess will consider taking a husband to make up for it?"

Zhongli doesn't realize he's gripping imprints into the palm of his hands until he goes to raise his hand and realizes they have gone numb from his tension. The nerve of some of the nobles-- some of which he can recognize have never sought to be on your side. He wishes nothing more than to be able to provide them a verbal lashing, but he knows that neither you nor he can do anything at this point in time.

With knowledge comes power, and you do not know enough to utilize the title you have nor the inherent authority that comes with it. Though one day, you will, if he can help it, regardless of what has been expected of him.

It makes his skin crawl to know that many nobles look to him and believe he is on their side. How many times have they requested him to keep you away from the main chambers to check on your great uncle? How many times have they hoped he would provide falsities and ignorance in the guise of guidance so that you would never truly ascend to the throne? Even with the promise of power beyond his wildest dreams, Zhongli cannot bring it to himself to manipulate you in such a manner. Even though his hands are clean, he still cannot help but taste sin on his lips for knowing the harm that exists against you without your knowledge.

When is the right time to inform you, if at all? Is it kind or cruel of him to keep this ploy from you? (Is his judgment even sound, as muddled as it is with his rapidly growing feelings for you?)

You narrow your eyes, your lips pressed in a straight line, but you refrain, once again. And Zhongli feels a burst of pride at your show of restraint and composure fitting of a lady of your status. "Yes, this may be one of the things I will take into consideration, and I appreciate--" Zhongli feels himself tense at the way you spoke, "--the counsel of the court, though I still foresee my way coming to fruition regardless."

There is a stilted silence that follows your words, and you look toward the messenger who has come with the land's grievances in letters. "I believe this matter can be discussed at a later time," you say with finality. "Let us look at the first report from the harbor."

Using what you know from your lessons thus far, you guide the conversation towards solutions for the problems brought to the court by the people. You are too inexperienced to make decisions on your own, gathering opinions from your council; corrupt or not, they know more about managing land than you. But Zhongli sees how you watch carefully as the discussion continues, letting the information sink in so that you can utilize it in the future, and he is reminded again of how far you have come from a princess holding that urn to the prospective empress quietly learning how to lead a country.

(Is it any surprise at all that he is enamored with you?)

Court adjourns after hours, and Zhongli follows you as you leave first, your robes billowing behind you seamlessly as you hold your head up high. The guards bow their heads as you pass by them, your ladies-in-waiting slowly retreating from the room when you arrive, closing the door behind them. The moment everyone is gone, you sigh in relief, your shoulders dropping to a more comfortable height as you stretch your arms and legs.

“I applaud you on your conduct during court,” Zhongli says finally, amused by how nonchalant you act in comparison to how high-strung you are in front of others. “That was an impressive display of authority.” He sees your face flush from the compliment as you stammer out your thanks. He chuckles. "Perhaps I should start getting used to calling you 'Empress’ then, Princess.”

"Yes?" Zhongli replies, confused. "Is that not a title you would like to be referred to?"

"'Princess?'" He hears you echo, turning yourself to him, and Zhongli loses his train of thoughts when he sees your expression with brows pulled together, disconcerted. "Just... 'princess?'"

"No--well, yes..." you say, trailing off. Your hand, out of habit, nervously reaches up to fiddle with your brooch. "I was just thinking you would have normally referred to me a little differently is all."

Zhongli tilts his head slightly in thought as he watches you press your lips together in what he assumes to be in embarrassment. Has he been calling you differently without his knowledge? He doesn’t think so; you have always been the Princess for him, and he, your xiansheng.

But, ah, he thinks, he has not always called you ‘my Princess’ has he? (Astonishing what one word can change.)

For a brief moment, Zhongli’s mind wonders whether he has overstepped his boundary, but he quickly reminds himself with your words, that if you truly did not want him to call you by that, you would tell him. The fact you protested at his recent use of your title… It was the slip of the tongue; Amber has referred to you by the same title, and Zhongli has always, in some form, coveted the same level of intimacy that the two of you possessed. His fondness for you must have seeped into his words, and he would never have anticipated having you reciprocate.

That being said, could you blame him for feeling pleased that you wanted to be referred to as his Princess?

“But 'Princess' is fine,” he hears you say, gathering the composure to sweep your hands down your gown and appear nonplussed. You take out your fan and hold it to your face as you begin to walk toward the study. “I don’t mind it. You should call me as you so wish, I--”

Your laughter is enough as a sign of validation, but then he hears you say, shier than you have ever been, “My xiansheng,” and he thinks his heart balloons until it takes up the entire expanse of his chest with how much affection he feels for you.

"It is soon time for our next lessons," he says, following behind you without pause, "my Princess." And he watches, enamored, as you look back at him with a smile blooming on your face. "Is that... alright with you?"

“Yes,” he says to you, feeling as though that is the only thing he can say. You shoot him another captivating smile and turn, and all Zhongli can do is walk only a step behind you.

.

.

.

And he follows you for as long as you will allow him, hoping his choice to keep the darkness at bay is the right one.

#zhongli x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin zhongli #zhongli #female reader #genshin imagines #sry for repost tags did not work n made me sad #also smth about the possessive pronoun hits diff #imperial drama au

[cinnamonest]

Yoo you remember the venti x nun! Reader idea I sent you and said that I might come up with something for zhongli? I think I have an idea. For plot purposes xiao knows rex lapis is alive

Zhongli figures out why you don't want to marry him and approaches xiao and verr goldet one night and asks them to help him out, verr will keep him the furthest and sound proof room in the hostel and xiao will bring you there with the excuse of the yaksha needing your faith in morax for something.

You wake up to xiao breaking your window and basically throwing you out of bed ordering you to follow him and not ask any questions.

The way to the hotel is long and the silence of the yaksha doesn't make the travel feel shorter, the old stairs crack under you feet as of they were to break any second. Your chest hits his back when he suddenly stops in front of goldet, giving her a silent nod to receive a key.

' stay. Don't enter until I say' that was the only thing you heard from xiao in some hours but either way you followed the command, he was a yaksha, he was nearer to celestia than you would ever be, and you felt the need to have a certain respect for him. " Now, enter" you heard his voice behind the door, your hand fell on the cold knob, turning it slowly.

Between the door frame and the slightly open door you saw the dark room, you creep your hand in the space between the door and its frame tapping for the light switch when a hand stops you "I did say that you could turn on the light. Just enter" taking a deep breath to will yourself to enter.

As you expect, not a single light was on. " Seat" xiao was standing behind a wooden chair that was facing you and the door, you follow the command, still too tired to doubt his intentions and the suspicious ambient on this travel " you must know the news of the death of rex lapis, or morax, as you call him" the mention of his death makes you sigh lightly, you were sure another geo archon would step in and take care of the city but they wouldn't be the same deity you sworn your loyalty to " what if he wasn't dead? " You couldn't see him but his footsteps were going to the door, after they stopped you heard a light click of the door closing. Now getting nervous you stand up from the chair " xiao wha-"

His voice interrupted you like a thunder " did I say that you could stand?" His foot fell heavy on the floor and you could feel the vibration.

" now xiao, you said you wouldn't get so worked up" a deep voice resounded behind you " please don't worry dearie, i won't let him hurt you. If you don't fight back too much" the hands of the person fell heavy on your shoulders

" I apologize, rex lapis but for a mortal to think that they can kill an archon. How could anyone ever think a human could stand a chance against a divinity? Plain Stupid"

" now finish explaining" the person hands slipped from your shoulders to your forearm

" after his 'death' rex lapis started to reminisce in his vast time " you hear the drag of a chair on the floor and then what you suppose was the sound of xiao sitting down on it " from when the yakshas were created, how he taught them to wield their weapons to how they met a deadly end"

" xiao, I kind of need to go home, I have to go to the qingce village to read to.the kids and and..."

" oh, dear, you said you were so faithful to me but you can't even stay a bit late hearing me? Was you devotion only and act? You pain me" the deep voice sounded severe as if it was scolding a child

" look, please, let me go home, you are scaring me" your hands were on the man's heavy ones, trying to get away from his grasp, when you turned around you saw a little of his face when the window opened and let inside a ray of moonlight, you wouldn't have believed your eyes if xiao didn't critique you for staring " don't ogle rex lapis, human"

From under his hood you could only see his mouth and nose " took you long enough for someone who says to be fully loyal to me" he grabbed a stand of hair and lightly smelled it " i guess you might already guess what I want, your goodness of heart has not gone unnoticed by me, in fact I feel flattered. But now I will have to ask for a proof of your devotion, strip"

" what?"

" you asked on a shooting star for economic growth, your new job got you now economically stable thanks to my help, i fulfilled my part, now is time for you to complete yours," his hands were resting on your hair, holding you down and showing a little 'afection' " you are to have the archon's children to replace my place as liyue's archon. Tomorrow you will ask the consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for marriage and you will raise my offspring with the values a god should posses" slowly he makes you stand up and guides you to the bed

" no you don't understand, I can't, I won't"

" you want to break our contract?" Rex lapis hold on your wrist felt as if he was trying to break it " then be it then, I will take the economic prosperity I granted and, something more should do, it shouldn't be too hard to put fake clues that you were behind my murder, that will do"

" NO!" a yell escapes your throat, you don't want to lose your home and being chased by liyue geoarmy because they thought you were behind the the deicide " please no"

" then lay in bed now" his back was turned to you and you could hear him slipping out of his clothing " i promise this won't hurt"

You woke up the next morning, the bird singing and the sun shining, you saw at your side to see nobody, not like you expected to see rex lapis resting next to you, he must have left after you passed out. You grip your clothing making it look the less messy possible.

" remember. Zhongli. You are to propose to him" xiao voice surprised you, he was seated on the same spot you heard him go to at night " he should be entering his work now"

Not sparing a look at the anemo user you left, wishing to go home and bath for hours, when you entered your house you found a little memo in the table " zhongli. Funeral Parlor. -RL" you threw the paper, but when you went to the bathroom you found another, and another in your closet, and under your pillow. As soon as you managed to fall asleep you heard a voice yelling to you to wake up and go to zhongli, this went on for days until you swallowed your pride in favor of basic bodily needs. Giving up you dragged yourself to the parlor, wishing to end this nightmare and be able to sleep even if it was for an hour

" Hello! Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, I'm hu tao, owner of the business. How can I help you" the woman's voice was almost too high for you

" I'm looking for someone called zhongli? Is he here?"

" old zhongli? Yeah! Let me call him for you!" You couldn't thank her before she let out a ear piercing scream "ZHONGLIIIII, TO THE RECEPTION. YOU GOT VISITSSSS"

" yes, hu tao? It wasn't necessary to yell" a tall man with amber eyes answered

" you have a visit, from a pretty lady too, Casanova" his eyes fell on you and a light blush dusted his cheeks, even if you were too tired to notice

" i wanted to talk about your confession, the one you told me a few days ago"

" oh? Uhm we should talk in another place about that. This is a...." He turned his head and saw his boss whispering something he guessed was ' get her, tiger' or something similar " less than optimal. Let's go inside"

As you two walked inside you asked " did you... Really mean what you said back then?"

A silence formed between you two, for you it was passive Aggressiveness but, unknown to you he was savoring the moment, seconds before you claimed to love him, even if it was false it would be true soon enough

" yes, I did mean it and I still feel the same" he opened a door to a room with a table and a tea set " chamomile tea or rooibos tea?"

" ah? I'm fine with chamomile, thanks" you stood by his side while trying to go to the point " i know I turned you down in your confession but I thought about it and..." Zhongli would have sworn he was shaking with excitement " I really like you. Please be my pair" you lightly bowed, as if you were begging

It was time for Zhongli to act surprised, his eyes opened and he stopped breathing for a second before almost tackling you into a hug, he wouldn't let you use any excuse to not be together " i promise to cherish you for all eternity" he didn't take promises lightly

-🌸 How was the food?

I have been NOURISHED thank you very much hhhhh 👀👀

#q #lena's asks

[valberryy]

efficacy. — zhongli

hi!! this started out as an oc fic, but i thought i'd convert it to a reader insert!! i tried to change some of the more "explicit" oc info, so hopefully it's fine now!

pairing: zhongli x gn!reader

content warnings: mentions of blood/injury/death, contemplations of/vaguely attempted murder, slight swearing. if these topics are sensitive to you, i'd recommend clicking away.

i. 

[Name]'s life would be nothing without order. They found a certain comfort in routines—working at the bookshop with Jifang in the afternoons, working for their less-than-legal clients once night fell. There was an odd kind of safety they found in it, in completed contracts and crossed-out bounties on a board: as they wiped the blood off their blade at sunrise, they found themself glad they no longer lived at the whims of ice, and snow, and migrating deer.

Tonight was odd, though. 

A dagger twirled deftly between their fingers, and [Name] raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the informant sitting before them. A mask and hood alike obscured his face, and he seemed almost to hesitate slightly beneath their burning gaze—a newbie, then, or a fool.

"So?" they asked, their voice like a whip-crack in the silence. "Don't waste my time."

"Apologies," he said, and [Name] had to resist the urge to scoff. At another raised eyebrow the informant dug through his things and passed them an envelope. 

Gingerly, they tore it open. "...Wangsheng?" they muttered to themself, before glancing back up. "I trust you have the right compensation?"

A stiff, "Of course," was their only response. 

The knife between [Name]'s fingers stilled, before it became embedded in the cheap wood next to their now-client's head.

They stood, gave an almost-mocking flourish of a bow, and walked off without another word.

ii. 

[Name] did not glance up from the shelf they were restocking when the footsteps of another customer coming up the stairs came into earshot, only saying a gruff, "Welcome," as they grew closer.

Their only response was a content hum, and they resisted the urge to sigh in relief that this particular patron wasn't a chatterbox. 

The minutes trickled by in comfortable silence, as the man—for he was a man, [Name] learned, as soon as they looked up and towards his direction—browsed through their selection. The only sounds to be heard were the blowing of the breeze and the idle chatter of people walking past.

"What a fine collection you have," he said, and turned to face the counter they were seated behind. At the sight of his face they were thrust back into two nights ago—an unpleasant evening in a dingy old house, an envelope in one hand and a cheap knife in the other. 

Not now, they thought to themself. Not now, when the blood can seep into the floorboards. The smell will hang for days.

"Thank you," they elected to say in reply. "...Will you be buying?"

He nodded, a thoughtful hand on his chin. "Indeed. The entire stock, actually."

[Name] faltered. "The entire…?" They coughed into a fist, regaining their composure and leaning forward on the counter. "That's going to cost you, sir."

They could almost see the excited sparkles around him as he opened his mouth to speak again, and whatever thoughts they had on how elegant and refined he seemed were thrown out to sea.

"Yes, of course," he began, "there truly is no treasure greater than knowledge, after all—there is a subtle nuance to the art to capturing a moment in time so vividly using just words alone…" 

As he continued to ramble, [Name] rested their chin on their palm. The daggers concealed beneath their clothes were cool and heavy on their skin—a constant reminder, a subtle threat. 

When his voice trailed off they gave a small, polite smile, standing upright again. "If you have the Mora, there should be nothing stopping you, sir."

The faraway, almost dreamy look in his eyes grew lucid at the mention of Mora. "Ah, of course. Mora," he said, and started patting his pockets searching for his wallet.

When neither of them heard the telltale clinking of coins, they glanced at each other almost exasperatedly. 

"My deepest apologies—"

"...No, it's okay—"

The knife still burned against their skin, but they brushed it aside for a moment to grab an unwrapped copy of a book under the desk. They held it out to him, their face blank but the faintest, faintest hints of amusement dancing in their eyes.

He was…interesting. Dead men can rarely boast as much.

 "Take it," they said, simply. 

His eyes seemed to widen in pleasant surprise. "Are you certain?" he asked, and at [Name]'s casual shrug in the affirmative he gingerly took it from their hands. 

"Thank you kindly," he said, raising the package in the air and inspecting it. "I'll have to repay you, for this."

They looked at him again, and thought of the envelope from the other night, thought of how they could almost feel his pulse as their fingers brushed just seconds prior.

"I'll hold you to it, then, sir," they elected to say.

Not now, not now, not now.

iii.

On his lips played a gentle smile that [Name] couldn't help but to distrust. 

"There's a restaurant I believe you'd like," he had said. "Allow me to treat you for lunch, as thanks."

Their head had thus begun to swim with backup plans and what-ifs. Did he know? Was this some elaborate ruse to poison them? Surely not, right? They had been so careful up until now, too…

They blinked away their initial surprise and canted their head to the side. "Where?"

At that he went off onto another tangent, just as long as the ramble he had gone on a few days prior. [Name] found themself zoning out, glancing at where they knew his jugular was beneath his collar—or perhaps poison during their impromptu outing would fare better?

No, they scolded themself, there would be witnesses at a restaurant.

"...Don't worry, of course, I'll be sure to bring the Mora this time around," he said with a velvety laugh, and [Name] suddenly found themself back in the present.

They leaned forward on the bookstore counter, an eyebrow raised. "I don't even know your name, Mister Philanthropist." 

Another smile graced his features, then—apologetic this time, and he outstretched a hand for them to shake. "My apologies," he said. "I am Zhongli, consultant for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

Gingerly, they took his hand in turn. They could feel the rhythmic beat-beat-beat of his pulse under their fingers.

Soon, they thought. 

"Call me [Name]," they said, and forced themself to smile.

A few days later, it just so happened that both of their schedules were free. 

"Would you still be willing to indulge me?" Zhongli asked—he had been visiting more often lately, and it just so happened that many of his visits happened to be on the days [Name] was there, as well. Jifang seemed curious, and honestly they were as well—did he enjoy their company? Was there something about their short, curt responses that didn't turn him away?

Or maybe he was planning something, too?

Nevertheless, despite their raging paranoia, it wasn't like they were in much of a position to complain. Jifang seemed content at their new, distinguished guest, and [Name] took it as an opportunity to learn more about him for the time being. 

"...If you so wish," they said, plucking the book he was holding out of his hands to wrap it for him. 

"Only if you do, my friend." Damn him and his deflection. "But it is my firm belief that the generous receive what is due to them, in time."

They hummed idly as they thumbed through the book he had chosen—something or other about the natural beauty of Inazuma—and then glanced back up at him.

And that was how they found themself here, they supposed.

Their table was relatively silent compared to some others, but it was by no means uncomfortable or awkward. With the idle chatter of other people and the clear sky above as a backdrop, the two dined in comforting silence—only the clinking of ceramic against each other to be heard, and to [Name]'s surprise, no traces of poison to be found whatsoever.

As the sun began to dip down the horizon, and all their food had been finished and the bill paid, the two found themselves taking a stroll down by the docks. Zhongli's gaze was trained ahead, while [Name]'s flitted about cautiously.

"Forgive me if I'm prying, however…" he began, "...But you're not a native, are you, my friend?"

A jolt, then, a bolt of white-hot fear running through their limbs. Did he know? Did they give themself away? 

"I'm not," they said. "I was born abroad." 

A satisfied hum was their response, and when they turned to glance at him, they found the smallest of smiles on his face.

"It's getting late," Zhongli said. "Thank you for today. I'd like to do this again, with you."

[Name] took pause at that. They thought once again of the envelope hidden under their drawers, and the knives hidden under their clothes.

They thought about the way Zhongli rambled on about whatever tale it was the storyteller across the street had spun—how "that indeed is one interpretation of it, but in the original text, the author actually meant to imply that…" 

There was a pang of what almost felt like guilt in their chest, at that. 

"...And I, you," they said, finally, "...my friend."

iv.

Perhaps stumbling into your supposed assassination target's home half-bloody with an arrow sticking out of your side was not the brightest idea, but in [Name]'s defense were two things: first of all, they had no fucking clue it was Zhongli's in the first place, and secondly, they couldn't exactly keep running from their angry former client with an arrow sticking out of their side.

And thus whatever levels of discretion they normally would have had were thrown out the window as they climbed into Zhongli's in the dead of night, and probably knocked something over in the process (if the new bruises were anything to go by). 

(To be fair, they had been calling each other friends for a while now. Is this what friends did? [Name] couldn't be sure—their shady friends weren't exactly the best examples, after all.)

They had just sat up and groaned in pain when Zhongli came in, alarmed first at the noise and then at their sorry state. 

"...Sorry," they muttered through gritted teeth. "Thought the place was empty—ow, shit! I can—I can do it mysel—"

"Nonsense," he said, his voice and hands firmer than they had noticed before. "...I still haven't repaid you for your favour to me, after all."

They stopped for a moment, at that. "...I thought the lunch was repayment?"

Somehow, Zhongli found it in himself to laugh, albeit tensely. From where they were sitting, they could see his face a lot more clearly than they had before—the tenseness in his brow, the flecks of gold in his amber irises, the way his nose crinkled at the density of the smell of blood.

"No," he replied, "that was a thank you."

They hummed, before hissing in pain again. "Pull the other way; the arrowhead went in at an angle—"

"Ah, yes, my mistake…"

[Name] continued, "I suppose this is your repayment, then?"

They only barely hid their surprise when he shook his head again. 

"I'm doing this because I want to, [Name]."

(Somehow, they liked their name better when hearing it from him. Was it the timbre of his voice? Was it the appeal of hearing your name from a man who was supposed to be long-dead?)

"...I see."

As he sealed the last of the bandages and allowed them to adjust their clothes, he helped them over to what they assumed was a guest room, of sorts. He helped them to take a seat on shaky legs, and placed a firm, almost comforting hand on their shoulder.

"Promise me you'll be more careful, my friend."

They glanced away, their face oddly warm. Wasn't blood loss supposed to do the opposite? "I can't guarantee that, Zhongli."

He followed their gaze over to the floor, and then glanced back at them. "If not that, then I'd at least ask you to…rely on me more," he said, and something about the sincerity in his voice struck them as odd. 

They almost wanted to burn that envelope in their drawers when they went home.

[Name] glanced back up at him, forcing themself to face his questioning gaze.

"...I'll try." 

But only for you.

+1.

In [Name]'s life, there exists a line they do not dare themself to cross. On one side stands sweet Jifang from the bookshop, the tenacious Traveller and their friends, and the ghosts of their loved ones from Inazuma; and on the other stands themself and their other shadowy benefactors. 

The first to tread the line between the two was Zhongli—who, despite the bounty on his head, still managed to maneuvre his way into them somehow being able to call him their friend.

Honestly. The Seven damn him and his stupid charisma, and his stupid voice, and his stupid encyclopedic knowledge of silk flowers.

When [Name] woke up, they were not in their home. 

Through their shock they failed to register the bandages wound around their torso, and bit back a yelp of pain as the wound threatened to reopen. In the dark they could see their overwear folded neatly on the bed next to them, and Zhongli asleep, slumped over in a chair.

Suddenly, they were acutely aware of the old bone knife under their clothes—their only souvenir from home, unstained by blood for years, and years, and years.

Would Zhongli be its first, then?

Quietly they stood and dug through their folded clothes until they felt it—the uneven blade, the worn-down grooves near the hilt. They skulked their way over to where he slept, and tried to ignore how painfully peaceful his slow, even breaths were.

His eyes fluttered open just as they pressed the blade to his throat. He seemed too calm, though, not even a twitch of his hands or a hitch in his breath to give away any surprise at all. All he did was place a loose grip on their wrist—a stark contrast to their white-knuckled, shaking hand—and ask,

"What are you doing, [Name]?" 

They grit their teeth. "...I'm sorry," they said, "but I have a contract to complete."

Something in Zhongli's eyes softened at that. This was his domain, they realised—contracts, and contingencies, and wordplay. 

His grip on their wrist tightened, ever so slightly, and he traced his free hand over their clenched jaw. "But so do we," he replied. "I've still never paid you back, after all."

There was a pause, then—a long, pregnant silence. 

"May I kiss you?" Zhongli asked, his voice like a whip-crack in the space between them. [Name] said nothing, but the crease between their brows deepened further. 

The dagger embedding itself into the floor and the soft, firm press of their lips against his was enough of an answer.

#genshin impact #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact oneshot #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli x reader #too many thoughts!!!!! not enough braincells #i ammm just . barking #hoo #bee writes