Latest Posts by mi4-r4y - Page 3

working alongside you guys; pjsk

imagine joining their groups, like becoming a street preformer with vivid bad, a nightcord member, an idol, a bandmate, cast of the wonderstage, etc!!

akito and toya giving you a pep talk before every show, an and kohane yelling at them for being too harsh when they criticize your performance. getting drinks at the weekend garage every night, possibly helping ken out with an. finding yourself with them, growing as you preform more and more. kohane feels so confident when you sing together, an is having fun, akito is more relaxed about everything going well and toya's mind is off his father.

meeting in empty sekai to see nightcord waiting for you. ena is scolding you for being late while mizuki is calming her down. kanade and mafuyu sit there quietly, as usual. seeing kanade out occasionally and deciding to bring her places for a little treat, eventually meeting mizuki and ena on the way (and then inviting mafuyu). all of you guys leaning on each other for support, probably group crying sessions in empty sekai while miku sits there and listens. kanade feels as if she can rely on you to help her make mafuyu feel again, mafuyu trusts you with her worst feelings, ena is noticeably less harsh with you, and mizuki tries their hardest to make you smile.

rooftop practices with more more jump! minori hyping you up when you practice a solo, or doing a group huddle right before a show to encourage each other. live streaming together and showing everyone how well you guys mingle! minori is trying hard to inspire you, haruka always wants your input on how she can make the shows better, airi always working you hard to show you that you're just as talented, shizuku knowing that you won't judge her no matter what.

practicing with leo/need. saki is excited to see you show up, packing your instrument along. lots of group hugs and late night sleepovers!!! saki makes sure to take many polaroid photos of the group underneath a starry sky. saki feels excited and ready to improve with you, shiho is glad you don't immediately compare her to shizuku, honami bringing you apple pie treats whenever you look tired or down, and ichika making sure to let miku know all about your improvement.

rehearsal with wonderlands x showtime, your energy mixing perfectly with everyone else. hanging out everyday after school, doing absolutely everything you can before curfew. emu finds having you on stage makes her happy, she feels very wonderhoy with you around! nene knows she can rely on you during the show for anything, though she lets you know that you can rely on her too. rui loves how open you are to his ideas, much like emu, and he would love to let you watch him make more cool robots! tsukasa wants to become a star, but he wants you to be recognized too. (same with everyone else, but he wishes you were in the spotlight a little more often!!)

happy two years, project sekai!! you've been one of my favorite games since december 2021 and you are also one of my healthiest coping mechanisms 🫶🫶 short post because i am tired and slightly stressed

ruikasa thing i had to get out of my brain somehow

wondergays x showtime sleepover comic!!

I may not get bitches but i DO get full combos

XHRUEGDHEBDVDJ??? ;;;;

𖥻⠀،⠀‹ ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN ↷

▾ ꭛ ˖ ︴CHARACTERS : aether x reader

▾ ꭛ ˖ ︴WARNINGS : aether cursing, mentions of blood and injury

▾ ꭛ ˖ ︴NOTE : i made a seven deadly sins reference hehe. proof read, i wrote this at 1 am 💀

if you enjoyed my content, consider sending a tip on my ko-fi!

aether had always been odd, but not in an unpleasant way. rather, he was mysterious—yes, that is the proper word to describe him.

always soft-spoken, always smiling—so bright it can rival the sun—and always ready to solve whatever problem comes your way.

halting your movements, you stand in front of your household, captured in a daze. your thoughts were filled with a certain male blonde, not because you were too lovestruck—although that isn't too far of an assumption.

you were never graced by lady luck's mercy, but it had not always been like this. death never greeted you when you least expected it every waking moment. telltales of a curse passed down from generation to generation had you wondering whether you were its unfortunate victim.

however, you digress.

aether, as if someone godsend, is always there with his blade shining a dangerous glint, ready to deflect death's scythe. whenever death lingers a little bit too close, you best know that the male twin would have you in his safe embrace.

"it's as if he knew just what will transpire," you mumbled absentmindedly, unaware of your feet leading you out of the safety of your home and into the dangers of mondstadt territory.

recently, wolfhounds have begun appearing near mondstadt city. you could only hope that something large-scale as this isn't due to your awful fortune. it led you to believe bennett's bad luck is tamer than yours.

where would you be now without aether? a visionless person like you, not acknowledged by the gods, surely is not a threat to death. yet, what did your bloodline even do to receive such a curse—if your family really is cursed—and what is its nature?

alas, a normal citizen such as you, or as normal as one can be, cannot protect yourself from the unexpected outcry of the said wolfhounds that once invaded the territory of lupus boreas. as quick as lightning, disappearing in a blink of an eye and reappearing with their razor-sharp nails covered with a corrosive substance, you found yourself surrounded.

panic and fear overcame your whole senses and only then were you able to snap out of your daze. what can a mere basket with sweet madames do? your friends in springvale would certainly not like it if you give them ruined food.

you can almost taste blood in your mouth, the horrific taste of metal making you want to gag. death began to appear before you once more, this time, in the form of massive claws set out to rip you to shreds.

with your instincts into overdrive, you sidestepped one attack, only to land yourself in front of another. a cry rang out, and it only registered to you that the noise was your own when jolts of pain traveled throughout your body, paralyzing you on the spot. a substance so warm and sticky trickled down your arm, dirtying the ground and turning them red.

you looked up, your vision dimming, and razor-sharp teeth greeted you. your head will be cut off, and all you can think about is aether.

a glint of a silver blade blinded you, prompting you to close your eyes as drops of blood decorated your face. it burned but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in your arm. still, even the pain numbed down as your heart continued to pound erratically. 

it only registered in your ear that a familiar voice is screaming for your name, calling you desperately.

"aether…" you muttered knowingly before opening your eyes.

just like the many times he had saved you from death, his long and golden hair appeared disheveled, his face drained of blood, and his knuckles white from gripping his blade too tight. his golden irises eyed you with the same intensity, the same concern, and the same care.

when he saw your state, aether could feel his heart drop. he may have gotten rid of the wolfhounds, but you were still hit, their poison making it difficult for you to even move.

he could lose you at any given moment. not again.

"shit! we need to take you back to the cathedral!"

the next thing you knew, you were hoisted up in his arms, carried like a bride. the hailed hero of teyvat ran as if his life depended on it, your weight seemingly nothing for him. 

"don't close your eyes, okay, love? i'll bring you to barbara and she will patch you up." his voice trembled, you noticed, and the endearment did not escape your ear either. unfortunately, there were more pressing matters at hand.

even in your predicament—with the adrenaline leaving your body, and the wound beginning to hurt once again—you still find it in you to form coherent thoughts.

"why…?"

it was not a question pertaining to why he saved you, but to ask why he always manages to be there for you no matter which corner of teyvat you find yourself in.

aether knew what you meant, and his lips that were shut tight before began to move. he clutched onto you so tightly, desperate to feel your warmth, reassuring him for the nth time that you were still with him.

"i failed you one hundred and six times, i won't let you slip away this time."

for he who once traveled worlds, now traveled time and space, breaking taboos and disrupting balance, all to find a timeline where you lived.

▾ ꭛ ˖ ︴END NOTE : likes and reblogs are very much appreciated. thank you for the 200+ follows! i may open requests for an event soon, idk not really confident still.

tw: death n suicide mention

nvm my favorite angst is when the characters cheats, reader finds out. The reader leaves and then dies (accident or kills themselves bc they can't live without the character) 🤷🏻‍♀️ anything that's has to do with cheating and death is just so good. Really pulls at the heart strings </3

absentminded musings.

“can’t stop staring at you, it’s like i forgot that staring is rude.”

(in which he either succors you back to disciplined focus…or simply makes for an attractive and infuriatingly worse distraction.)

characters: albedo, ayato, childe, diluc, itto, kazuha, scaramouche, thoma, xiao

“the fuck are you looking at?” scaramouche sneers at your dazed expression, snapping you out of your temporary trance. you must have lost track during your daily dose of his colorful reproaches and stubborn chiding, at some later point…which wasn’t exactly very difficult to distract yourself with. after all, his face seemed to be a much more interesting subject, and posed for a hundred rather curious questions — starting with how an attractive boy like that just so happened to have one of the shittiest personalities in the world. “…oi, you idiot. you’re doing it again.”

you’re about to plainly retort that you were simply being wrongfully accused once more, but you bite the words between your teeth when he suddenly draws his face closer towards yours, eyebrows scrunched in irritation and a bratty frown pursed on his lips. you feel your breath catch in bewilderment, and find yourself instinctively shying away from the eerily close proximity. besides, scaramouche isn’t particularly adept in the scope of feelings either, but one look at your oddly timid disposition and he knows you’re flustered because you’ve been busy staring at his face. he wonders if you’ve noticed how long he’s been quietly staring at yours too.

“archons, it’s like you lost your manners.” xiao snorts at the dazed look glazed on your features, only rolling his eyes at you when you suddenly meet his piercing gaze with an awkward and surprised expression contorting across your face. you feel yourself scramble to apologize with reddened cheeks for not paying attention to his words…and you felt even more embarrassed when you see his features quirk into disappointment, for you knew deep down that you had covertly spent the last few minutes staring at him instead of actually trying to hear his statements. “honestly, mortals are so damn annoying. maybe this will help you listen better.

you let out an abrupt gasp when you feel him suddenly pin you on the rail of the balcony, caught between his chest and the wood, and his slanted amber irises reflecting the enchanting sunset behind you. you swallow the thick lump forming in your throat, and wait for him to continue speaking where he had left off in the previous conversation. and this time you decide to hear him out, and hope that the sound of his low and comforting voice slowly drowns out the incessant noises that foster quietly inside the depths of your chest.

“see something you like?” ayato smiles, tilting his head curiously at you. halfway through the chess game, you had already decided it was best for you to give up and think about something else to soothe the depressing sense of defeat. ayato was undeniably brilliant, and it could be perceived within each one of his move-sets during the stretch of the game. he was also…infuriatingly pretty, you couldn’t help noticing the way his pearl white hair shone beneath morning sunbeams. you sigh to yourself, muttering an apology and shifting your gaze back down to the board, ready to accept your imminent and rather upsetting fate…when you notice how your queen just so happened to be within the range of ayato’s king on the field. “your move, y/n.”

you can’t seem to hide the joy that begins to spill across your face when you hurriedly make a move with your queen piece to the other end of the board, unable to control the shriek of victory as you jump up from your seating position and raise your arms in excitement — after all these dreadful years, you had finally won a single chess game against ayato! and you’re too engrossed in your unexpected triumph against the boy to recognize how ayato sinks his head in his hand to admire the smile glowing on your face. there’s not many people he can honestly say he doesn’t mind losing to, but he figures getting distracted by you mid-game and subconsciously allowing you to win…makes him feel happier rather than defeated at the astonishing notion of it.

“…are you still listening to me?” albedo muses, an eyebrow raised at your stupor expression after listening to him talk about his experiment for a few hours. which you didn’t actually find boring — in fact, it was rather interesting at first…but then you started wondering about the curious shade of blue in his effervescent eyes, and how his locks of blonde hair began to look oddly similar to a golden aureole. and before you knew it, you were dozing off as you stared at his lips, and albedo was already getting up in your face out of instinctive concern. “apologies. that was probably boring for you, wasn’t it?”

you shake your head with a smile, apologizing to him for distracting yourself with some pre-occupied thoughts. but albedo knows you’ve simply been busy staring at him for the past few minutes, and yet chooses not to mention it aloud to perhaps spare you the vocalized embarrassment. besides, who was he to call you out on the endearing gesture when he had often found himself occasionally staring at you too?

“staring is rude, sweetheart.” kazuha smirks, raising his bandaged hand to gently caress the side of your face, consequently tugging you out of your little daydream. you blink at him in confusion, avoiding his playful and accusatory gaze, while also boldly claiming you had listened to his words loud and clear. when you’re about to move forward from the awkward point of the conversation, he suddenly inches closer towards your body and shifts his fingers to skim over your lips, a sly smile quirking across his mouth as he sees the way your eyes widen at the unexpected action. “that’s real cute, darling. why don’t we hear you repeat what i said again this time, okay?”

and you absolutely loathe the way kazuha coyly simpers when he witnesses you utterly caught in your words, still busy poking and blatantly staring at your lips while you try (and unfortunately, fail) to form the proper sentences to say beneath his animalistic gaze.

“quit dozing off.” diluc sighs for the umpteenth time, snapping his fingers in front of your face. your glazed eyes flicker over to meet his intense scarlet gaze, and you merely smile in apology for allowing yourself to be distracted. but lately, you can’t really seem to help it — despite wanting to truly learn the art of winery, it’s already difficult enough to end up getting tutored and trying to concentrate with your boyfriend’s attractive face in your line of sight. “…did you write that down?”

you hum softly in assent, busy skimming through the entirety of what you had just written based on what he talked about for the last thirty minutes. however, what you’ll eventually fail to notice is how the tables have astonishingly turned — and for the ensuing ten solemn minutes of your diligent review, diluc’s attention becomes completely enraptured and foolishly dead-set on you.

“um, is there something on my face?” thoma awkwardly chimes, scratching his cheek in embarrassment when you finally realize you’ve been staring at him for…clearly way too long. which wasn’t entirely your fault! you were just never consciously aware of how attractive a man could look while passionately chattering about housekeeping, especially when it came to the courteous boy standing in front of you. “sorry, perhaps the concept was a bit confusing. why don’t i say that for you again?”

you hope he assumes it’s just that, to spare yourselves the imminent awkwardness upon realizing that you were actually secretly admiring his face. but when he turns around and you barely perceive the light flush of pink that clouds on his fair cheeks, you think to yourself that…you’re probably fucked, and you’re almost a hundred percent sure he just caught you openly gawking at him. but for some reason, something in his throaty cough and his inability to meet your unwavering gaze, makes it seems as though the feeling is mutual and oddly reciprocated anyway.

“maybe consider taking a photo, darling. it lasts longer.” childe snickers lightly when he sees you scoff at him with flushed cheeks. so sure, the cruel asshole was stupidly attractive and he clearly knew it. and sure, you may have stared at him for a tad too long this time…still! you could admit he was handsome, but you couldn’t bear to accept the fact that you were somehow, and perhaps almost impossibly, in love with such an arrogant and deceitful man. “i was kidding! jeez, don’t get all sensitive on me again. anyways, where were we…”

but you’ve probably never considered the fact that perhaps the reason why childe was so intent on flirting with you, was due to the fact that he had accidentally harbored some romantic emotions towards you as well. he’s normally good at getting to know girls and forming relationships with them, since you had always been more challenging than the rest, as well as difficult to get to open up. and although you’ve made it perfectly clear in your intentions that you would never even think about dating an utter jerk like him, he likes to think that the brief moment of vulnerability in your previously flustered state, gives him at least a sliver of a chance.

“you’re staring awfully hard, shrimp. it’s like you’re in love with me or something.” itto winks in a cheesy manner when he sees you come back to your senses — because the thought that pops in your mind processes as a concept that’s outrageous and utterly absurd. him? please. you’d be insane to want someone as terribly reckless and brute as him. but his horns are adorable, his face is oddly endearing, and deep down he’s actually some kind of silly, big and caring baby towards the people he cares about, including you… “you’re staring again.”

you’re not staring, you emphasize it to him again. you can still hear him right now, how he’s busy rambling about the irodori festival, and you’re too pre-occupied with drowning in his apricot-hued irises to discern how he slyly asks you to accompany him while visiting the merriment held in ritou. all you could do was nod at his request in stupor — and end up chastising yourself over and over later in the night, for carelessly falling for glazed orange eyes and that boisterous man who had walked you home with that stupidly victorious grin that evening.

DONT SEND THEM HERE

your big brother kazuha hcs were so cute 😭 i was wondering if you could also do hcs for either kaeya and diluc as big brothers

autophobia.

# — characters: gender neutral reader, kaeya, diluc, crepus

# — summary: “in family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” –friedrich nietzsche

# — warnings: mentions of death, fighting, panic attacks, anxiety

# — tags: hc/drabble format, slight canon divergence, hurt/comfort, LOTS of fluff, but also LOTS of angst, found family, implied (romantic) albedo x reader

# — notes: i know you liked the kazuha one because it was cute but because this concept with kaeya and diluc specifically actually crosses my mind a lot.. like a LOT a lot, this is a long one, so buckle up! as always, reblogs and reactions are appreciated, and i really really hope you enjoy!

# — tag list: @marius-z @the-gayest-sky-kid @kkiryus @keiq0 @favonious-captain

wanna join the tag list?

✧ — ❄ +🔥 — ✧

so i'm assuming you meant diluc and kaeya separately, buuuut... it's hard to put them separate when they are brother, though they behave otherwise

so let's say, for the sake of this post, you are their adopted younger sibling!

crepus took you in along with kaeya since you two were abandoned in the same place at the same time

however, you two were abandoned by completely different people, so no, you have no ties to khaenri'ah

(but, if you want smth that's like.. kaeya and the reader being sibling spies for khaenri'ah, i can make a whole 'nother post. i digress.)

as children...

you three were inseparable

kaeya and diluc bonded well to begin with, but with you added to the mixture, they may as well have been joined at the hip

diluc is the oldest amongst the three of you, and sort of gets saddled with caring for you and kaeya in subtle ways, even if crepus is present in your lives

he's kind of like the "leader" if that makes sense? he's fine with you and kaeya having opinions or dictating what activities you do for the day

but neither you nor kaeya can refuse diluc whenever he asks for something or makes a demand

(he will deny, as an adult, that he ever made demands as a boy. it's true that he didn't, but you and kaeya will sometimes tease him about it anyways.)

"kaeya, can you stop spinning them around like that? you two might break something and dad would have a heart attack if either of you got hurt." a young diluc peers over the top of his book at you and kaeya, who have been horsing around while he reads something about knighthood.

he's been taking his studies seriously these days in order to fulfill your father's dreams of becoming an esteemed knight of favonius. since crepus couldn't do it himself, diluc took it upon himself to do it in his stead. he's an overachiever in every sense of the word, and you thought he was the coolest brother in all of teyvat.

kaeya sets you down on the ground gently. "yes sir!" he salutes his brother, snickering when you copy his actions.

diluc snorts and rolls his eyes. "that's not even how the knights salute, kaeya. you'd know that if you studied more."

kaeya scrunches his nose. "hey, i take my studies very seriously, thank you very much. i just gotta make time for my siblings, unlike some people." he leans over and uses your head as an arm rest, not budging when you try to shake him off. "it's called time management, diluc. look it up."

your brothers bickered like this rather often, but there was never any bite to their words. you could always see them fighting back smiles as they went back and forth, trying to keep the upper hand on the other. a lot of the time, you were caught in the crossfire, be it physically or verbally. you didn't mind much, but sometimes they would get annoying.

you manage to shove kaeya's arm off your head. "for the record, neither of you are good at managing your time." you grumble. "diluc studies too much and kaeya studies too little."

"what, are you supposed to be goldilocks, then?" diluc closes his book, smirking at you. "are you supposed to be the perfect kid?"

you cross your arms over your chest. "well, duh. i studied for a little while today, and i'm playing with kaeya now. i'll study some more later. that's how you do it."

your brothers share a look of defeat and then turn their eyes back to you. kaeya ruffles your hair. "ah, our youngest is growing up so fast," he muses, "soon, they'll be the grand master of the knights and we'll have to follow their every command."

you sputter and try to push kaeya off of you again. when you fail, your struggling turns into an all-out wrestling match, with kaeya beating you in record time thanks to his longer limbs. "on second thought," your brother pants, "maybe i'd make a better grand master? what do you think, diluc?"

"sure, kaeya." diluc answers dismissively. "you'd be the greatest."

it's a respect thing, mostly.

never once has diluc lorded his title as eldest over the two of you, so you and kaeya came to respect and love him naturally.

diluc takes after crepus in more than just appearance.

even as kids, he was mature and responsible, but still maintained his boyish behaviors whenever you or kaeya were involved.

he's the older brother you ran to during stormy nights, since you knew for a fact that he would be awake anyways.

he's the older brother you went to for silent comfort

if you had a nightmare, diluc was the brother you went to.

(kaeya can pout about it all he wants.)

if you wanted to cry, diluc was the brother who would hug you silently until you've let it all out. he won't ask questions or push you for answers; he'll just sit there and be your rock.

i suppose in a literal sense, he's the warmth of your childhood. diluc is the sturdy, resilient, ever-burning flame that you use for comfort in times of need.

also, don't tell anyone, but diluc was definitely a hugger. a HUGE teddy bear.

kaeya was definitely the more tactile sibling

but if you denied diluc a hug or went to kaeya instead of him, he'd get all mopey and then deny it until you cuddled with him.

"you were pouting earlier."

"i don't pout. can you get out my room?"

you giggle. "i came to give you a hug, since i didn't give you one earlier."

diluc sits up with a groan, his hair wild. "is that why you're here at..." he peeks at the clock on the wall. "two in the morning?"

he sounds exhausted, but you can tell he's not going to reject you. he never does. you don't say anything -- you just stand there and wait for diluc to ask for what he clearly wants.

"you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

you nod.

diluc sighs and scoots over in his bed. "get over here, you brat. i'm sleepy." when you climb in beside him, he tosses the comforter over you and hugs you close. he smells like cinnamon and you sigh contently. "can't believe you woke me up for this." he grumbles.

you snicker. "love you too, 'luc."

"whatever."

as the resident middle child, kaeya took it upon himself to balance being a big brother and a little brother all at once

i know it may sound easy to people without siblings, and maybe even some actual middle children may say that it's not that hard

but middle child syndrome is very real, and when you step back and think about it, it's really hard when you're kind of overshadowed by your older and younger siblings.

he doesn't feel any sort of negative way about it, but kaeya is a smart boy -- he knows that he put himself in a difficult position by behaving the way he does

he babies you, even though the age gap between you two isn't very large.

kaeya is the older brother who seeks you out instead of the other way around.

and for some reason he never makes noise when he moves?

(is it related to his mission? find out next time on the next episode dragon ball z)

it's something he LOVES using to his advantage, by the way.

"shit!"

kaeya makes an accusatory noise. "what would father say if he heard you say something like that?" he leans on the doorway, a playful smirk on his lips. "did i really scare you that badly?"

you clutch at your chest in an attempt to slow your racing heart. "would it kill you to make a little noise when you move? for barbatos' sake, i could have died just now."

kaeya's expression falters for a moment, but he glosses it over so quickly, you think you may have seen incorrectly. "dramatic as always. anyways," he extends a hand out for you to take, "our dearest older brother is heading into the city and wants us to come with."

"it's not a request, is it," you ask, taking your brother's hand. you roll your eyes when kaeya tells you that no, diluc actually did ask. but because neither you nor kaeya can say no to him, you two were already going along. "figured as much." you sigh.

i'd like to think that by the time kaeya was in his late teens, he had adopted a particular manner of speech

specifically, the one he uses as an adult

it's corny to you, but you secretly think it makes him even cooler than he already is

because kaeya is exactly the kind of cool protagonist-like boy you read about in stories

he's always had his eye covered ever since you two met, and he's always carried himself with grace

now that you're an adult who knows of his past, it makes sense

but little you just wanted to be like their big brother

and honestly, kaeya did what he could to mold you in his image

not to say he told you his secrets, but whenever he saw his habits in you, it made his heart break and swell at the same time

truly, the most painful parts of his childhood was realizing how much he loved you and diluc

"...why are you wearing an eyepatch?" diluc raises a brow at you. "is there a secret costume party in the mansion that i don't know about or something?"

just as you're about to explain why you're wearing it, kaeya comes stumbling into the room, his hand covering his right eye. "there you are!" he yells.

diluc snorts so loud he has to cover his mouth. so that's why you had an eyepatch on -- you took it from kaeya. from the frantic look in his eye, diluc thinks you may have just taken it off of kaeya in his sleep or something.

you shriek and duck behind diluc, who's failing at masking his laughter. "don't hurt me!" you yell from behind your brother. "i just thought it looked cool!"

kaeya growls. "then you should have just asked to try it on, you dirty thief! who takes shit off someone's face like that?!"

diluc actually barks out a laugh and kaeya fixes him with a glare capable of freezing over anything. "sorry, sorry." he tries to apologize as he makes a face in an attempt to school his expression. "it's not funny, i'm sorry."

"you're still smiling." kaeya deadpans.

"to be fair," diluc snickers, "you've got sticky fingers as well."

it's true; kaeya definitely has a habit of taking the belongings of others -- yours in particular, actually -- and hiding them in the most absurd places. he must have never thought someone would return the favor like this. he sighs, the fight and frustration leaving him.

now that he's looking at you from behind diluc, kaeya can't help but feel proud of the fact that you're acting like him. it was an amateur heist on your part, but with some more practice, you could be just like him someday. he sighs fondly at the thought of it.

"fine, you got me." he concedes. "but can you give it back now? i kinda need that."

kaeya will forever be grateful to have you and diluc as siblings, because even though you were all young and curious, neither of you asked why he wore an eyepatch -- or at the very least why he worked so hard to keep it hidden from view. you step out from behind diluc, the cloth still over your eye, and kaeya feels his heart stop for just a moment. he loves you so dearly, his precious little sibling, but...

remember your purpose, something hisses at him. don't get too attached.

it's too late for that, he thinks. kaeya hold out his other hand, thanking you when you place the eyepatch in his hand. "don't do that again, yeah?" he says softly.

surprisingly, kaeya's gentle tone makes you feel scolded -- mostly because he doesn't speak like that often. you duck your head and murmur an apology.

"hey." kaeya flicks your forehead. he's wearing his eyepatch again, and that warm, brotherly smile that makes you feel safe. "it's okay. i'm not mad at you; never have been, never will be. it's okay."

you nod shyly. if kaeya says it's okay, you think, then surely, everything will be as he says.

to you, kaeya was the brother that helped you with everything

for example:

while diluc helped you master your swordsmanship, it was kaeya who taught you the basics

from stances to defensive maneuvers, kaeya covered everything

he even taught you the basics of other weapons as well -- somehow he was adept with all of them, and he didn't hesitate to share his knowledge with you

it's kaeya who uses you as an arm rest and uses his height to keep things away from you

it's kaeya who steals from your plate when you aren't looking

it's kaeya who teaches you how to swear

but it's also kaeya who stays up all night whenever you say you feel unsafe

it's kaeya who doesn't judge you when you ask him to check under your bed or in your closet for intruders or hilichurls

it's kaeya who shares everything with you and diluc

it's kaeya who helps you catch and bottle crystalflies in the vineyard during sleepless nights.

it's kaeya who braids crystalflies into your hair, and let's you do the same to his as gets longer.

(it's also kaeya who manages to rope diluc into these crystalfly braiding sessions.)

it's kaeya who comes to you when he's having a bad day -- kaeya who asks you to just hold his hand and say nothing while he calms down

"having another moment?" you ask quietly. you were in the middle of painting something for adelinde's birthday when kaeya suddenly walked in and sat beside you, dropping his head on your shoulder.

you never knew what it was that tormented him so much. you hated whatever it was that turned your brother into a shadow of himself, but no matter how much you wanted to fix all of his problems, you couldn't. kaeya wouldn't talk about it, and you knew better than to pry.

so, you did what you could.

kaeya nods silently. you can feel him shaking ever so slightly. you move to put the paintbrush down so you can hug him, but he shakes his head.

"don't mind me," he chuckles despite himself. he sounds fine, but you know better. he takes your free hand in his, tangling your fingers together. "do what you're doing. i'll be fine soon."

every time. every single time kaeya has his moments, he pretends like it's nothing or like it's bothering someone. you have to swallow back the comforting words.

kaeya's always preferred physical comfort, anyhow.

you give his hand a light squeeze and keep painting. "remember the breathing exercise diluc taught you." you murmur. when you feel kaeya nod again, you hum.

your brother dozes off on your shoulder after half an hour. at least he's calm for now. you glance down at your fingers.

even in his sleep, his grip is still tight.

so... what changed?

you all know what happened the day crepus died.

if you don't, allow me to paraphrase:

when your father died, your brothers' respective personalities took a hard left.

diluc, having watched crepus' life come to an end right before his eyes, became vengeful after the knights of favonius instructed him to hide the truth.

as for kaeya, it was as if all of the traits that you admired so much in him became amplified in all the wrong ways.

you always knew he was keeping a part of himself locked away, but you didn't realize just how much until he came clean about it.

and you... well.

kaeya and diluc weren't the only ones to receive their visions that night.

but, for the sake of brevity (and accuracy), allow me to share some of kaeya's lore with you:

and this is verbatim, mind you.

"if khaenri'ah and mondstadt went to war, which side should he support? to whom should he offer his assistance: his birth father, who had ruthlessly abandoned him? or his adoptive father, who loved him and raised him?

"for the longest time, kaeya had agonized over these impossible questions, caught between the opposing demands of loyalty and duty, faced with an impossible choice between truth and happiness.

"but now, crepus' death upset this delicate balance. he felt liberated, but also ashamed of how selfishly he was responding.

"as an adopted son, he should have saved crepus, but he had arrived moments too late. as a brother, he should have shared in diluc's grief, and yet as their father lay dying on the ground he had hung back behind his brother, that ancient plot running through his mind."

- kaeya's vision lore.

so where do you fit into all of this?

you were somewhat like kaeya -- a child ruthlessly abandoned by their parents during a stormy night to fend for themself

unlike your brother however, you had no internal strife. you had no attachment to a destroyed nation -- no questions of loyalty to follow through your adolescent years into early adulthood.

you were just... you. another grieving child of the ragnvindr family.

but because you weren't like kaeya -- because all you knew was the dawn winery, diluc, kaeya, and crepus -- it might have been you who felt the fight between your brothers the most

you shouldered most of the pain from their separation, probably even more so than your brothers would ever admit out loud

because they were your only family. you may have been too young to understand the concept of abandonment when it happened, but as you grew older, the fear only grew with you

you fought so hard to keep your brothers and father close to you -- to keep your family intact

what you fear most isn't hilichurls or abyss mages or even the fatui

it's abandonment.

i'm sure you've asked this at some point, but what does the title of this request even mean?

autophobia (n.) - the fear of being alone.

your knowledge of khaenri'ah isn't very expansive.

all you know of the fallen nation is what's been taught to you through history books, but even then, there wasn't much to cover. as kaeya speaks, you try to remember all that you could from your history lessons as quickly as you can.

khaenri'ah, as you recall, was godless nation. not because they were abandoned by one, but because they had no need for one. the nation was thrown into ruin by monsters and gods alike, and as far as you knew, there was nothing left of it.

so, at first, you reach out to kaeya to comfort him for his loss. he's lost so much in his life, hasn't he? but as you're reaching for his arm, he jerks away from you, regret and shame pooling in his eyes. "kaeya..?" you whisper brokenly.

your brother's expression is pained as he tells his story to you and diluc.

none of it makes sense to you. you can't seem to wrap your head around the idea that your brother was sent to destroy mondstadt from the inside out. he would never do that -- he couldn't. as tough as he seemed, kaeya was just a big ball of fluff on the inside. the boy you grew up with wasn't capable of being a--

"traitor." diluc's voice is hoarse and low, coming out as a growl. you snap your eyes over to your brother, glaring at him to shut him up, but he pays you no mind. he looks furious enough to kill, and all three of you can feel the hostility that rolls off of him in waves.

kaeya doesn't help the situation as he opts to provoke diluc. gone is the remorse he once had written all over his face; in its place is a false sense of amusement. you'd think he was seriously enjoying diluc's anger if you didn't know him any better. kaeya shrugs nonchalantly. "if that's what you wanna call me, so be it." he says.

diluc's hackles rise and you instinctively place yourself between your brothers. "you lied to us," he seethes, "for decades, you've been lying! to me, to our family, to-- to mondstadt!"

kaeya has the gall to chuckle. you feel diluc surge forward, but you force him back. "honestly," he tsks, "our poor father is dead and that's what's got you upset? you really do take your job as cavalry captain seriously, don't you?"

you feel your jaw drop. this entire time, you've been trying to convince yourself that this conversation wasn't actually happening -- that kaeya was just playing a really poorly timed joke to lift your spirits. but the longer it goes on and the angrier diluc gets, the more it sinks in that this... this isn't a joke.

your father wasn't the only one to die that stormy night.

diluc shoves you to the side seemingly with all his strength as he lunges for kaeya, his weapon materializing his hands. you crash into the wall hard, but when you groan, disoriented by the impact, neither of your brothers stop to help you. you're strong enough to handle pain like that on your own, but kaeya and diluc vowed to never harm you -- or each other -- on purpose many years ago.

you're forced to watch as the vow dissolves into nothingness as diluc stabs the floor where kaeya had fallen.

"is that the best you've got, captain?!" kaeya taunts. he's light on his feet and his eyepatch is missing, allowing you and diluc to see what he's been hiding since he was a boy. his right eye glows an ethereal shade of yellow in the dim lighting of the hallway. he looks unhinged and hysterical, a wild, carefree grin marring his once gentle features. "you won't be able to stop me like that!"

"stop it!" you scream. "please, don't do this!" the words come out so loud, they manage to rip your throat raw in an instant. your brothers pay you no mind as they mercilessly attack each other; if someone didn't know they were brothers, they'd think they were fighting to the death. belatedly, you realize that they are.

"we took you in," diluc shouts as he parries kaeya's blade, "fed you, cared for you, loved you, only for you to stab us in the back?!"

"to be fair," kaeya grunts in response, "i haven't stabbed you in the back just yet. stay still, though, and i will."

you watch helplessly from the side as your family crumbles before your eyes. you give up on trying to stop your brothers. in terms of strength, they've got you beat; if you were to try to insert yourself in this battle, they'd likely do more than just injure you. the very thought of them accidentally killing you instead of each other makes you gag.

your childhood shatters with every clash of the swords that you hear. with every clang, another part of your relationships dies. all at once, your lungs stop functioning. you can't breathe -- it's as though someone is stepping on your chest with no intent of letting up. your stomach is about ready to rid itself of its contents as one thought becomes clear.

you're going to be left all alone again. left to fend for yourself in the same storm you were abandoned in all those years ago.

suddenly, a searing heat and a biting chill overtakes your senses, forcing you to take a deep breath. the shock of the temperature change makes you look back at kaeya and diluc, whose weapons are now encased in cryo and pyro elemental energies respectively.

you're struck with a sinking feeling of dread as their swords press against each other with diluc's flaming claymore starting to overtake kaeya's broadsword. kaeya's fingers are slowly being frosted over as his elemental energy spirals out of control, and you see diluc's hands starting to blister and peel with the heat of his pyro.

at this rate, they're likely going to kill themselves.

you're on your feet and holding your own weapon before you can even stop and contemplate the consequences. you understand that diluc and kaeya have you beat in terms of strength.

but your strength, however, comes from your speed.

your brothers are blown off their feet in opposite directions with the force of your slash. the three of you remain motionless for a moment, each of you panting with exertion and emotion. you stare down at your trembling hands, amazed by the power you had, and nearly faint at the sight of an anemo vision resting comfortably in your palm.

you'll process this later, you decide. right now, your brothers were more important.

"enough!" you cry. "that's fucking enough!"

diluc scowls at you, but it's weak. he must be exhausted from having burnt out so much energy so quickly due to the vision activating on its own. "you heard that asshole," he growls at you. "he would've killed us all a long time ago! and now you're stopping me from killing him?"

"the cavalry captain of the knights of favonius doesn't kill people, diluc." your words are punctuated by embarrassing sobs, but you don't care. "especially not their siblings. can we just--"

diluc spits out some blood, interrupting you. "if you're going to stand here and preach to me the value of a family that no longer exists," he pushes himself to his feet with the help of his weapon, "then we're done here."

"diluc fucking ragnvindr, don't you dare walk away from this." you try to threaten him, but it doesn't work. diluc starts walking and you swing your sword in his direction, leaving a clean slice in the wall he was leaving on. your anemo energy is unstable and volatile, but you have enough control over it to use it at will. you hate that that is what gets your brother to stop and listen to you.

"look," you pant, "we're all hurt in more ways than one. c-can we just... i don't know... try to heal together? please, i-- diluc, you never explained what happened to father, a-and," you turn to kaeya with tears on your cheeks, "you were there. you never explained either! why?!"

for a second -- for just a split second -- you see the kaeya you grew up with. "i..." kaeya catches himself, ridding himself of any vulnerabilities. his face darkens, and your stomach twists at the sight of this stranger wearing your brother's face.

"i don't owe you any more explanations." he says. he jumps to his feet with ease, but it's obvious that he's in excruciating pain. "i told you everything you needed to know. do with that information what you will." kaeya's voice is so distant.

on the other side of the hallway, diluc glares murderous daggers at kaeya. "i'll handle you someday. mark my fucking words."

you don't think you can take much more of this. "diluc," you try, "we're siblings! could you just--"

"i have no siblings."

you go completely still. every part of your body halts and stumbles as it tries to start again. you let your weapon dissolve as your lips begin to tremble. "w-what?"

"are you deaf?" diluc's crimson eyes burn right through you. this isn't the man you grew up with. you're not sure who you're looking at. "i said i have no siblings." he groans as he stumbles away. "whatever. i need to prepare for my father's funeral."

you don't put up a fight as you watch diluc hobble away. you turn to kaeya, still unsure if you heard correctly. maybe you were so overloaded that you were having auditory hallucinations. "k-kaeya," you stammer desperately. you don't even know what to say to him. "please."

the last glimmer of hope is extinguished as kaeya turns on his heel and walks away without a word.

for the second time in your life, you are abandoned.

this time, though, you know you will never forget it.

so... what happened? what now?

diluc buried himself in work and set off to travel the nations in search of answers for crepus' death

and a few years after that... well, we all know the tale of mondstadt's beloved "darknight hero".

you ran away from home about two days after the fight, joining the adventurer's guild and wandering the nations at a leisurely pace

which meant that diluc had the dawn winery to himself.

kaeya went on to become cavalry captain of the knights of favonius. diluc never did rat him out.

he's notorious for his reckless, yet clever and cunning behavior, his charm, and his super high alcohol tolerance

you make a point to avoid the city of mondstadt at all costs. there's no point.

there's nothing there for you anyways.

but the story doesn't exactly end there.

things don't get better as the years go by, but your brothers do mature.

they're... cordial with each other. sort of. enough so that they can hold conversations with each other, even if they do escalate into super passive aggressive arguments

they each hold enough regret to fill an ocean about the night you all separated.

kaeya is less conflicted about his choice between mondstadt and khaenri'ah, but he wishes he chose a better time to say it all.

he regrets brushing you off when you tried to unify them when you needed each other the most.

diluc lies awake at night thinking about how crushed you looked when he denied having siblings at all. your face haunts him well into his adult years.

he wishes he had listened to you -- if only he just listened.

as for you... you don't hate them.

at least you don't think you do. you haven't seen your...

you haven't seen kaeya or diluc in years. you don't know how you'll act if you ever come across them again.

you've mastered your vision and perfected a style of swordsmanship that you created based off of what kaeya and diluc taught you all those years ago

maybe someday, you'll be able to show them how much you've grown.

you wonder if they'll be proud of you the way they used to be.

will you ever see each other again?

inevitably, all roads lead back home.

after completing a difficult bounty in dragonspine, you make your way into the city of mondstadt for some much needed rest and relaxtion without much thought. it's a lot more... desolate than you remenber it to be. perhaps the quiet will do you some good; you just want to relax for a while, anyways.

after collecting your rewards and locating an inn to stay in during your time here, you decide to wander the streets. mondstadt is certainly less lively than you remember, but there are a few new and familiar faces that you come across during your stroll.

you run into aether, the blonde traveler who took a liking to you when you met in inazuma. he felt indebted fo you since you were the only person in inazuma who made a genuine effort to get him connected to the raiden shogun without trying to involve him in internal political affairs.

"not my home, not my business," you told him with a shrug. "the same goes for you. you're an outsider and people love to remind you of that, so use that to your advantage."

paimon tells you with a mouthful of food that aether started running into more trouble since he took your advice, but that he's stronger because of it.

"if you ever need my help again, you know you can commission me, right?" you nudge aether before you two part ways.

the traveler raises a brow at you. "are you asking me to pay to hang out with you?"

you whistle quietly. the aether you met in inazuma wasn't this brazen. you laugh, impressed. "i gotta make a living somehow." aether punches your shoulder lightly and you wince jokingly. "okay, okay! your presence is payment enough. happy?"

"extremely so." the traveler grins. you two part ways after that, with you laughing at paimon's enthusiastic waving. you continue your trip down memory lane as you walk the streets of mondstadt.

you come across amber, eula, and lisa, who you've met in passing before that day; you greet jean, who welcomes you with open arms; you even happen across albedo, who actually hesitates to speak to you.

you stayed with the chief alchemist for a few weeks up in dragonspine, basically helping him clear out any dangerous spots so he could conduct some research. during that time, you two grew quite close, and only three days before your departure did you two realize that there was something more than just snow in the air.

eventually, your trip ends at the angel's share. you're not much of a drinker, but something light wouldn't hurt, would it?

it would, you realize once you step inside. most of the patrons are off to the side, far away from the stools. but, there's a knight with long, blue hair sitting on the stool teasing the red-haired bartender on duty.

"welcome to the angel's share," the bartender sighs, seemingly on auto-pilot. "can i... oh."

"yeah. oh." you shoot back on impulse. too many years have passed for your biting tone to be interpreted as a joke, because both diluc and kaeya flinch.

what were you thinking, coming in here?! you knew you weren't a drinker, but you just had to pick now to try and start?

you weren't mentally prepared to look these two in the face -- not after what happened. you tried your hardest not to blame them, but no matter how many times you looked at it, they were in the wrong every time. bitterness grew old and sour deep inside you -- it was the main reason why you and albedo were stagnant at the moment; your fear of abandonment was too strong for you to commit to something like a relationship.

the chattering of the bar patrons continues in the background, but as the three of you stare at each other, it all seems to fade into silence.

"you're home," diluc speaks after a long pause. he's a lot bigger than you remember him. if you weren't so pissed at yourself, you'd tease him about when he was a scrawny boy. he looks almost relieved to see you -- did he think you were dead or something? "it's... been a long time."

you blink at him and hold your tongue. if you speak, you fear you may say something you regret.

"you're all grown up now." kaeya speaks next. you see the same regret start to swim in his blue eye, only this time, it's been amplified by time. he sounds so fond and proud -- he sounds like a brother. "i see you've got control of your vision."

you hiss internally. all three of you are in control of your visions. why did he feel the need to bring that up? and why did he sound like that? the time for praising one another has long since passed.

"are you two done pretending like you care?" you snap. diluc and kaeya wince, but don't answer. you march over to a table in the furthest corner of the bar and put your head on the wooden surface.

all the enegy you thought you had for the rest of the night pretty much bleeds right out of you after that. you don't have what it takes to face them, and you certainly don't have what it takes to walk anymore. you doze off, exhausted by your thoughts.

when you come to, you're in a familiar bed. the panic that rises doesn't last very long. you know exactly where you are, and you have a pretty good feeling you know who brought you here.

the sun is pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling your room with its light. judging by its height, you'd estimate that it's about midday. were you really that tired? you bury your face in your hands and groan loudly. if your hunch was correct and diluc and kaeya brought you here -- brought you home -- last night, then that meant they were planning on talking to you today.

either they were going to talk to you when you left the room, or they would come to you.

the latter ends up being true when you hear knuckles rap an old rhythm on your door. bitter as you may be, you can't help the smile that crosses your face. that was your code when you were kids. "what's the magic phrase?" you manage to say after a while.

kaeya's voice comes through the door. "would you believe me if i said i forgot?" he cracks it open and sticks his head inside. "it's been so many years, you can't blame me."

you shake your head fondly. "get your ass in here before you piss me off." kaeya slips through the door but doesn't close it. you raise a brow. "diluc, i know you're out there. weirdo."

your eldest brother pushes open the door and strides inside. neither of you speak for what feels like forever. the two of them have spoken to each other over the years, but with you back in the loop, they feel as though they're back where they started. you fix your eyes on your hands as you try to organize everything that's flooding your brain.

"i'm sorry." diluc finally says. he's sitting on one side of your bed and kaeya's sitting on the other, and both of them are looking at you with so much sincerity that it makes your chest tighten.

you narrow your eyes. "do you even remember what you're sorry for?"

diluc swallows thickly. "how could i forget? it's only been in my nightmares for about five years."

nightmares? you look away, suddenly ashamed by your callousness. "is that so." you mutter.

"i think it goes without saying that i'm sorry too," kaeya says next. "to both of you. i don't.. i don't think any of us would be in this position if it weren't for me."

neither you nor diluc answer right away because in a way, he's right. if kaeya had just waited a little longer, or delivered the news a little more delicately, things may have played out a little differently. you sigh through your nose.

"it's... not okay." you answer bluntly. you could never lie to them -- not then, not now. "it's never going to be okay."

"i understand." diluc nods stiffly, his voice tight. "truthfully, i don't know how to apologize properly. for years, i thought about how i'd reconcile with you two, but.. nothing ever came to mind."

"i wasn't finished." you level your brother with a glare. "it's never going to be okay, but... i don't mind talking to you guys." your brothers start to look hopeful for a second, but you shake your head. "it'll take a very long time to forgive you, and even longer to trust you again, assuming that i choose to do that at all."

kaeya reaches for your hand slowly, tapping his fingers on yours experimentally. when you don't pull away, he intertwines your fingers with his the way he used to when you were kids. a fresh, unwelcome set of tears rushes to your eyes. you hate it -- hate being so emotional after all this time, but...

sitting here before your brothers makes you feel like a kid again. you feel smothered by the amount of love you once received and gave them in return. you curl your fingers, tightening your grip on kaeya's hand. he's so much colder than you remember, but there's an unmistakable warm that's seeping through.

"i could never handle you crying," he chuckles shakily, reaching over to wipe the tears that escape. "especially if i was the one who made you cry."

diluc grabs your other hand. he doesn't say anything; when you look at him, you see that he's got his other hand covering his face. "i don't even know what to say to you." he says, his voice muffled. "you shouldn't even be giving me the time of day -- not after what i said."

you sniff. "you're right, i shouldn't. but," you squeeze his hand twice. "at the end of the day..."

at the end of the day, you were still siblings, whether diluc believed it or not. your experiences together were too real, too fresh in your mind, even now, to be fake.

"at the end of the day, we're family." you sigh.

you were going to need time -- a lot of time -- to heal and to forgive. it was going to be a slow, painful process as you try to heal a wound that's long since scarred over, but you were still willing to do it. you weren't going to let this final glimmer of hope slip away from you -- not again. and neither were your brothers. deep down, you still trusted and loved them, and they, you.

clinging to that faith, no matter how small, you decide to take the first step.

✧ three hours.. no proofreading (nothing is ever proofread on this blog LOL)... im going to bed now, gn <3

fleeting colors in flight ✨🏮⛅

the twin’s smiles are so precious (´∀｀)♡

𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

-> pairing: aether x reader

requested? yes .. no

cw: nsfw ( minors dni ), dumbification, dacryphilia, edging if you squint, multiple orgasms, sir k., no prep, ahegao, degrading, begging

please note this has not been proofread and there may be grammatical and spelling errors.

as a member of the knights of favonius, you knew about the "hotshot" of the knights. kaeya's stories about him made you excited. lisa said they were a 'cutie', and you knew then and there you had to try them out.

you asked jean to call them to her office, telling her it was important. she did so, assuming you were just excited to meet the new honorary member. as he arrives, jean takes her leave, allowing the two of you to have some 'private time' together.

"so, has kaeya told you about my endurance training?" it was a genuine question. you had 'trained' some of the knights, and you wondered if any of them had taken the time to warn him.

"no." aether's reply was curt, firm. you licked your lips, he would be fun to break. in a swift motion your lips were on his, savouring his taste. you forced your tongue onto his, exploring his wet cavern whilst you hear him moan. as you pull away, he opens his mouth to retort, but you pinned his body against the desk.

"this can go one of two ways, aether. either you make this easy for me, or i can some fun trying to break you," you tease, lifting his shirt to play with his nipples.

"f-fuck off..." he moans, trying to push you off of him. "don't touch me."

"your body seems to say otherwise," you reply slyly. "i can see your erection through your pants. you're suck a whore."

hearing aether pant as he struggles to get you off of him eggs you on further. you get onto your knees, slipping his pants down as you take his throbbing erection into your mouth.

"st-stop, please..." he moans, but his body betrays him as he bucks his hips into your touch. "we shouldn't be doing this... i don't want this."

you ignore him, feeling him hit the back of your throat. the high-pitched, breathy moan he releases as you do so is palatable, satisfactory. "stop... if you keep doing that, i'm- ah- m'gonna cum!"

as those words leave him mouth, you stop. he whines, placing a hand in your hair as he begs you with his eyes to continue to suck him off. you chuckle, turning him around and forcing yourself inside.

"s-sir, fuck!" it stings, you weren't even fully in and yet you were still hitting his prostrate. "i-it hurts... please stop..~"

"let's see how long it takes for you to cum, hotshot." and without warning, you're thrusting in and out of him. his ass clenches around you as he screams out slurred yeses and fucks. sloppy tears are falling from his eyes as he feels himself cumming, velvet walls clenching tightly around you as he reaches his orgasm.

"that's not very long," you tease. "you still need a lot of training, but don't worry. that's what i'm here for." listenimg to his incomprehensible, slurred babbles arouses you to no end. "listen to you, such a whore. being so slutty when you asked me to stop before."

"hah ~ s-sir! fuck me harder, please! feels, hnng, feels so good!" you do as he asks, speeding up your pace as you feel his walls clench around you again. "yesh, m'gonna- m'gonna cum!"

you stop, and aether whimpers as you smack.his ass. "why'd you stop..."

"you asked me to. if you want me to fuck you, beg for it. tell me how much a whore like you wants my cock," you tease, thrusting into him and watching as he arches his back.

"please, sir fuck me. i want you pound me with your cock, please~ destroy me, fuck me so hard i can't walk. milk me dry, please. i need it."

before he can say anything else, you're pounding him into oblivion. his face is pressed into the desk, and he's crying out your name repeatedly like it's some sort of holy mantra. saliva is dripping down his chin as his tongue lolls out, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"m'gonna cum! fuck yeah~ pound my ass, sir!" aether screams out as you constantly hit his prostrate, feeling his orgasm wash over him as he cums again. his hole clamps down on you, pushing you over the edge as you cum inside him, filling him with your seed.

"i expect to see you here tomorrow," you coo, but aether's mind is long gone.

Genshin Impact 2.5 - Anime Version

May I request the reader being childe’s younger sibling in their teen years and ends up falling into the abyss while he’s off in Liyue

what happened to you?

# — characters: gender neutral reader, childe/ajax, skirk, zhongli, aether, lumine, kaeya, albedo

# — summary: you're not the same person ajax left behind.

# — warnings: blood/fighting/injury mentions

# — tags: hc/drabble format, egregious canon divergence, angst, fluff ??, abyss prince aether, kaeya and albedo are associated with the abyss, traveler lumine

# — notes: when i saw this req, i got so fucking excited, you have no idea. this is so cool to think about, holy shit. when i say i sat here and wrote this for hours, i mean it very very seriously. also, if it wasn't already obvious, i have a thing for making the reader strong, so this is really up my alley. anyways, as always, reblogs are appreciated and i'd love to know what you think about this! i hope you enjoy!

# — tag list: @marius-z @sxnnyserene @favonius-captain @the-gayest-sky-kid @chichikoi

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it's actually not specified just how many older siblings childe has, but it is known that he has some

so let's say for the sake of this post that you were born after ajax

the gap between you two isn't very large -- he's in his very early twenties and you're in your late teens -- but it's enough to make a difference

he treats you almost the same as he treats tonia, teucer, and anthon, and no matter how much you tell him to stop, he just .. won't

don't get me wrong, ajax is an amazing older brother

it's just that he has this habit of treating you like a little kid

you followed closely at his heels when you two were a bit younger

you looked up to him despite him being a timid boy, because though he was timid, he was ambitious

even before he became a fighter, he vowed to protect you by any means necessary

so, onto the abyss.

when ajax returned after being missing for three days, you tried to cling to him as you usually did, but a simple glance at him told you everything you needed to know about him

whoever it was that came out of that forest... wasn't your brother.

something was missing in your brother's eyes when he came home that day -- something important. you didn't notice it at first, but you were still the first to notice something was wrong.

when he ran away with nothing but a bag of bread and a shortsword, you shared in your mother's grief, even at the age of 10. with snezhnaya's unforgiving weather, you were sure that you would stumble across ajax's frozen body within a day. your father was on a trip somewhere far away, and your mother was too busy tending to your lively home to set out to search for her son herself.

"we just have to wait," your mother told you, her face swollen from crying for hours. she loved each and every one of you more than she loved herself; if something happened to any one of you, it would surely break her down. you wept with your mother as she cradled you in her arms. "by the grace of the cryo archon, he'll return." she whispered.

you, like many other snezhnayans, trusted in the cryo archon's judgement, even if she was merciless at times. you said silent prayers for two nights, hoping that she would answer.

when dawn broke on the third day, you truly thought the tsaritsa heard your desperate pleas.

you were the first one awake that morning. you often climbed into bed with ajax since you had frequent nightmares and a horrid fear of the dark, but without him there to fight off the terrors of the night, you couldn't sleep very well. you quietly trudged around your house with your favorite blanket draped across your shoulders. mornings were quiet in your house, even if there were so many of you living there.

you gazed tiredly out the window at the snowy terrain. you remembered your mother's words about waiting and rested your head on the cool windowpane. you would have given anything to see your brother walk out from the forest in the distance, safe and sound.

apparently, you didn't have to give a thing. movement in the distance caught your eye and you squinted, straining your eyes to try and make out the features of the stranger. as they got closer, you pick up the faint image of a familiar shortsword.

it's him. it had to be. you were sure of it.

not caring if you were wrong, you shed your blanket and flung open the door, your face aching with how wide your smile was. "ajax!" you screamed at the person.

they halted in their tracks at the sound of the same and waited for a few seconds before they picked up the pace, sprinting towards you. once they got a little closer, you noticed the familiar head of orange hair and ran to meet them halfway, your bare feet sinking into the snow.

your mother and siblings came running down the stairs behind you, afraid that something had happened to you, but stilled themselves when they saw you tackling your brother into a crushing hug, the two of you collapsing into the snow with loud laughter.

"we were so worried about you!" you cried, your arms tightening around your brother. he was still laughing. "why did you leave us?"

ajax pushed himself up and took you along with him, hoisting you into his arms as he started towards the house. you yelped at the swift movement and wrapped your legs around him. "i wanted to explore by myself for a while," he said, his hand patting your back. "i scared you, didn't i?"

you nodded quickly. "mhm! more than the monsters under the bed!"

ajax made a soft sound. "that's no good. i'm sorry. i'll make it up to you when we get inside, okay? let's get you warmed up first."

your entire family doted on ajax all day when you two got inside. you all treated him to his favorite foods and games while your mother inspected him for injuries despite his insistence that she stop.

that should have been the warning sign.

when the day ended and everyone returned to their rooms to head to sleep, you and ajax stayed on the living room floor and talked about his time away. you told him about how you tried to be a big kid with him gone -- how you tried and failed to fight off any monsters that may have been lurking in your room. ajax patted your head with an apologetic smile.

"i'll crush those monsters for you tonight, okay?" he said.

at first you were excited to agree, but as you looked at your brother with the same starry eyes you always did, you found that something was.. off.

maybe it was the wording of his promise that tipped you off. he sounded far too enthusiastic about the idea of fighting off non-existent monsters. you knew very well that there were no monsters in your room; you were just afraid of the dark. it made you feel better to think there were so you could pretend to beat them up and conquer your fears. if you were both aware that this nightly monster hunt was a game, why did he look so excited by the idea of a battle?

you stared at ajax for a little while longer, trying to figure out if you were just making stuff up because you were scared. once you were in panic mode, it was hard to not see everything as some sort of monster. ajax was always the exception to that feeling.

or at least, he used to be.

you nodded and made an excuse about having to use the bathroom, scurrying up the stairs as quickly as your feet could manage. your breathing began to pick up as you recalled what you saw -- or more precisely, what you didn't see -- in your brother's eyes.

the two of you were beneath the ceiling lights.

then why couldn't you see the lights reflected in his eyes?

ajax wasn't stupid. he picked up on your sudden fear of him right away that day.

he found it odd, though, that you didn't behave as though you were afraid of him.

there was a wall between you two that wasn't there before, but every so often you would reach across it, even when he caused trouble and started unnecessary fights.

your relationship mended itself over time because of his gratitude.

you were the only member of the family who knew of his early promotion to harbinger status. you disagreed with his way of life, but you tried not to treat him any different.

ajax was a different person altogether, and yet you still tried to accept that new person as your brother.

ajax, now childe, revises his vow:

to protect you and your light at all costs.

he did what he could to protect you, even from afar when he was sent to liyue. you exchanged letters with him that were separate from the ones he sent to the family

he would detail his plans and his complaints, and send you special gifts recommended by this zhongli person he met.

he tells you via letter one day that he met a fascinating blonde traveler. from a moment's glance, he knew she would be the perfect sparring partner and he told you as such

but towards the end, he tells you how much he thinks you would like her.

she was a lot like you, apparently.

so naturally, you decide that you have to meet her. crazy as your brother may be, it's not every day that you hear about ajax being so amazed by someone who wasn't the tsaritsa

you pack your stuff and sneak away in the night, making your way to the harbor by taking a shortcut through the forest

unfortunately, you ended up taking a very, very, VERY long detour.

when you come to, you immediately realize that there's a gap in your memory.

you remember tucking away ajax's last letter to you under your pillow; you remember walking through the forest to get to the docks; you remember being startled so badly by a passing deer that you slipped.

after that...

your body enters survival mode in an instant as you take in your surroundings. you were a smooth, ebony marble floor and as you look around, you notice that the rest of this room -- this castle -- was made of a similar material. you appear to be in a dark throne room of sorts; there was some obvious wear and damage that tainted the room, but there was an undeniable elegance in the obsidians, navys, golds, and silvers that made up the room.

how did you end up in a castle, of all places? did you fall and hit your head so hard that you fell into a coma? were you just dreaming? what throne room would be in the middle of the forest?

"another one?" a voice comes from in front of you, where the throne is. you blink rapidly when you actually see a blonde man in strange clothing sitting there. he wasn't there before, was he? you were alone a second ago.

"do the people of teyvat only know how to stare?" he scoffs at you, crossing one leg over the other. "what happened to common greetings?"

the blonde stranger has eyes that match the golden plating of his clothes, you notice. they burn holes through you as they seem to glow brighter in the dark atmosphere. he's suddenly joined by two other men; one with long blue hair and an eyepatch, and another with ashy light blonde hair and teal eyes so bright, you almost feel the need to shield your eyes. the newcomers stand on opposite sides of the throne, each of them assuming different postures.

"with all due respect," the man with teal eyes speaks. his voice is smooth and quiet. "the people of teyvat are not used to circumstances like this."

the blonde in the throne clicks his tongue impatiently. "then why do they put themselves in said circumstances?" his eyes haven't left yours for a second. you're too shell-shocked to speak; it must show on your face, because the blonde outlander raises an eyebrow at you, a small smirk forming when he sees you back away. "cute. they're afraid of me."

you struggle to find your voice. "wh-who," you swallow dryly, "who are you people? where am i? how did i get here?"

the blue-haired man leans on the throne nonchalantly. "my, my," he croons, "so many questions, and you've only just arrived here, little one." he chuckles when you visibly shudder at the sound of his voice. "i think we ought to introduce ourselves, no?"

the man with teal eyes hums in agreement. "i think that'd be best. we need to appear less threatening if we want them to start talking."

you make a small squeaking sound. what were they going to do to you if you didn't talk? thanks to your years of being around ajax, you picked up on his ability to read environments very well. this new place is terrifying and reeks of ancient death, but the men before you seem completely harmless, though that does little to soothe you. you were an intruder in their eyes, and only the archons know what they might do to an intruder like you.

you squeeze your eyes shut, fearing the worst. you just wanted to see your brother again -- wanted to see how happy he was in liyue. you didn't ask for all this. you just wanted to go home.

"it's been a while since someone's come down here." a woman's voice comes from behind you, scaring you enough to make you yelp out loud. her voice is rich and rough around the edges. she chuckles as you scoot backwards on the floor in an attempt to stay away from her. "we got ourselves a scaredy-cat this time, your highness."

your highness?!

you whirl back around to look at the blonde man in the chair. the white accents of his clothes and jewelry glow in response to the title. he was royalty? your stomach drops as your brain reminds you of what happens to people who disrespect those of such high standing.

"enough, skirk." the prince orders. "don't give them the wrong idea."

the woman -- skirk, apparently -- shrugs and walks towards the throne. "fine, fine." when she gets to where the prince and the other two men are, she shifts her weight onto one leg as she examines you from afar. her eyes suddenly light up with recognition. "say, kid; you wouldn't happen to be related to an 'ajax', would you?"

you feel the blood drain from your face. "h-how do you know my brother's name?"

skirk laughs. "i knew you looked familiar! say, how is he these days? i've been meaning to kick his ass again someday, but he never visits."

the prince snorts. "you'd prefer if people fell in this hellhole more often?"

"eh, it keeps me on my toes."

"how," you raise your voice abruptly, "how do you know my brother? answer me!"

you're not sure where you got the confidence to speak to these strangers with such force, but as time passes, you realize that you're cornered. each of these people possess so much raw power that you can almost taste it; even if you stayed quiet, you'd be no closer to escaping this place unscathed. so, you figure you may as well get as many answers as you can before they kill you.

you feel yourself break into a cold sweat at the thought of dying here. you were going to die alone -- your family has no idea that you left home and ajax thinks you're still at home, helping your mother around the house. none of them would know that you ended up here. ajax, anthon, tonia, teucer... none of them would know a thing. tears sting your eyes but you blink them away.

skirk makes an impressed noise. "your brother wasn't as brave as you, y'know." she praises. "he tried to act all tough in the beginning, but i heard him crying himself to sleep for like, a week. but you... you've got guts. i like it."

you give skirk your dirtiest scowl and feel exasperation build when she smiles at you. ajax ended up here when he went missing all those years ago? well, it was no wonder he came back a different person; these people were fucking insane. he's lucky he was able to fight and survive for so long.

skirk's words replay in your head. did she say ajax was here for a week? but that doesn't make any sense. he was only gone for three days.

"what is this place?" you ask after a moment.

"and that," the prince suddenly stands, "is where i come in. i think we should get on with these introductions, don't you?"

"what?" you blurt. "b-but you didn't answer my--"

the blonde ignores you. he introduces himself as aether. "currently, i'm in charge of whatever is left of this place. this," he points to the man with teal eyes, "is albedo. this man here is kaeya," he points at the man with blue hair, "and this--"

skirk holds up a hand, cutting aether off. you wonder why she hasn't been punished for her insolence yet. "i think i'll do a proper introduction later." she says, her eyes locked on yours. "believe it or not, we have some history together."

aether nods understandingly and makes his way over to you. when he takes a knee a little ways away to look at you at eye level, you belatedly realize that you've been on the floor this whole time. your face warms with shame; you're making a prince kneel because you're too weak to stand on your own.

now that he's closer, though, you notice how... kind his face really is. from this distance, his eyes look less like blinding lights and remind you more of the sun. you almost start to feel warm under his gaze. why was he looking at you like that now when he looked like he wanted to kill you a little while ago?

"you must be scared out of your mind, huh?" aether asks. he's lowered his tone for you. when you don't back away from him, you see the ghost of a smile appear on his face. "i'm sorry about earlier. we have to put up a front if we want people to respect us if and when they show up here."

"who wouldn't respect a prince like you?"

aether's laugh is low and mirthless. "you'd be surprised. here, if you want respect, you have to earn it by any means necessary. we test any intruders by intimidating them because humans reveal their true colors when they're at their most vulnerable."

you blink, dazed by his words. hasn't ajax said something like that before..? "s-so... did i pass?"

you didn't think you said that very loud, but apparently you did, because kaeya and skirk snicker from where they stand. you feel your face burn. aether's smile grows. "yes, little one." he rises to his feet and extends a hand to you, offering to help you up. you hesitate but take his hand regardless, pulling yourself to your feet with aether's help.

"you pass."

what happened then?

as nice as that little introduction to the abyss order was, rest assured that things did not remain that way.

first of all, aether and albedo explain to you in no uncertain terms that you cannot leave this place unless the abyss lets you

you basically have to prove yourself -- prove your worth -- if you want to come and go as you please.

and so, skirk puts you through training

and let me tell you, her training is HELL.

for weeks, you lie awake because of the pain she puts you through for hours at a time.

her endurance training tests not only your stamina, but your pain tolerance. she pushes you to the brink of death and barely waits for you to come back before she's on your ass again

you feel like giving up by the time the first month is over, but skirk sits you down after training one day and explains that you were progressing ten times faster than your brother did.

"ajax wasn't weak," she says, "not by a long shot. but he didn't have any prior training, and that stunted his growth." she hands you something to drink, chuckling when you gulp at it desperately. "did ajax even train you? also, slow down, kid, you might choke."

you gasp for air once you think you're fully hydrated. "no," you say between breaths, "he didn't."

now that you were acutely aware of your natural strengths and weaknesses, you know that you were born with better instincts than the average person. skirk told you that it was actually intuition, but you felt it was more than that. maybe it was a combination of the two.

if it was your intuition, then you would know why you felt the way you did in certain situations. intuition was born out of experiences and was based in your subconscious; in your case, you would have had to experienced all sorts of danger at some point to know why you respond the way you do.

but you didn't have any experience. up until now, you were a completely normal sixteen year old with a normal(-ish) life. somehow, your quick reactions and responses were already hardwired into you. with these sharp instincts, you quickly became a better fighter than even your brother.

skirk frowns at your words. "he should have. there's a lot of potential in you, and you're only just now tapping into it. now," she taps you twice, "let's get back to it."

you groan and stand, ignoring the screaming of your joints.

"oh, and one more thing." skirk pats your shoulder fondly. "happy birthday, kid. let's go."

you gape at your instructor. you never told her your birthday.

somehow, between the hellish training and near death experiences, you found a family in the people you met in the abyss.

your 17th birthday came and went, and before you knew it, you'd been in the abyss for six months.

by this point, you've grown close to the abyss prince

he's incredibly multi-faceted, which made more sense to you when you learned that he wasn't even a being from this world

he's a lot more terrifying and powerful than he looks, which didn't surprise you, considering you could feel power rolling off of him from the moment you met

you also learn that he's a twin and that they're separated from each other. he looks so guilty when he tells you the story.

"i walked away from her." aether says with a bitter smile. "i can't leave this place -- these people. not until i've finished what needs to be done. i'm sure she'll understand soon."

you hum in understanding. if ajax was here for three months, then surely he knew about this too. you wonder, distantly, if you'll be able to reconnect with him after this. "can i ask what your sister's name is?"

aether's smile becomes fond as several memories flash before his eyes. "lumine." he murmurs her name so softly; so reverently. you smile in return. you get that feeling. "her name is lumine."

"i was going to liyue to meet her," you inform the prince. his eyes widen a fraction, but he doesn't look displeased. "ajax talks so highly of her, so i wanted to be her friend."

aether rests a hand on your head. your smile fades when you think that he reminds you of ajax.

"she'd love you as much as i do." the prince says.

you find a family during your time down there.

what happens when you leave?

reality is not as kind to you as i've made it seem

age means nothing in the abyss. you are not spared a single detail. you know everything from your time there.

you fight alongside the remaining peoples of khaenri'ah, doing the job that the famed twilight sword could not.

you are highly respected and feared, but you become jaded in response.

you earn your electro vision while fighting monsters, but it means nothing to you. not when you know what you know.

a year passes in the abyss before you are told by albedo that you should leave with him.

(assuming that ajax was in the abyss for three months but was only missing for 3 days, the same would apply to you. 12 months = 12 days.)

he has responsibilities in mondstadt, but he can ensure that you arrive in liyue safely.

he, like aether, kaeya, and skirk, have become family to you, so saying your goodbyes is a tearful affair

sort of. you haven't cried in almost 5 months now, but you're not emotionless. you don't know the next time you'll see aether or skirk again, so its only natural you get choked up

you take albedo's hand and suddenly... you're in liyue harbor. you have no idea how he managed to get you here, but before you can thank him, he's gone.

you're on your own now, but it doesn't daunt you much. you decide to sightsee before setting off to find your brother.

ajax has become... secondary.

it ticks you off that the people of liyue hold rex lapis in such high regard. if only they knew how much blood their beloved archon had on his hands.

you're also disgusted with your former self; you can't believe you once thought the tsaritsa was worthy of respect. going home seems like a terrible idea.

keep in mind, you're still just a kid, but you've adopted the mind of a warrior -- of a soldier.

(although you will admit, it's strange having had a birthday in the abyss only to re-emerge and still technically be sixteen, but we move)

you have the marks of a soldier all over you; the faded bruises, the scars, fresh and old alike

the calloused hands, the honed senses..

you and ajax are now on the same page; you both see yourselves as weapons

but now, you are weapons pointed at each other.

what does he think when he sees you?

after being your own tour guide and familiarizing yourself with liyue harbor, you decide that it's finally time to face your brother.

you head to northland bank and walk in with your head held high. you know how the people of snezhnaya judge those who look as though they don't belong. the fatui, as snezhnayan citizens, must be even worse than the average person.

you may have been raised in a home overflowing with love, but just outside that home was a nation so unforgiving, even the weather acted as judge, jury, and executioner on behalf of the citizens.

you make your way to the receptionist and keep your expression as blank as possible. "i'm here for the eleventh." you say. it rubs you the wrong way having to address your brother in such a manner, but you brush it off. "where is he?"

the receptionist, ekaterina, glares at you suspiciously from behind her mask. she must be sizing you up. "i'm afraid i don't know who you're referring to." she answers you slowly. "did your parents ask you to say something like this?"

you actually chortle. she has a point; you may not feel like it, but you're still a child. plus, kaeya taught you that you shouldn't try to make yourself tough. doing that would make you seem like an inexperienced idiot. ekaterina asks you what's funny and you shake your head.

"it's nothing. no, my parents didn't put me up to this." you drop your shoulders and roll them back. you'd been holding them so high this whole time because you've never had to put your training into practice on actual people before. the tension seeps right out of you as you realize how easy this is. "i know what i said. should i not have called him the eleventh? should i call him by name?" you smirk when the receptionist begins to fluster. "what? did you think i didn't know who he was?"

"i... would advise against it." ekaterina says. she looks left and right before calling another employee over. they discuss something in hushed tones for a moment before you see the other person start ushering people out of the bank.

confused, you put your hands behind your back and grab your wrist. the sudden emptying of the bank puts you on edge, but you know better than to call on your weapon before your potential opponent does. "is there a reason for this?" you ask as politely as you can muster.

ekaterina gestures to the door and you turn to see two fatui agents blocking it. that was your only exit. "miss, either you explain what's going on, or i find the eleventh myself." you warn lowly. "i'd rather not do the latter."

the receptionist ignores you. "you're a dangerous person, calling on lord harbinger so freely. rather than trouble him with your presence, i believe we should handle you first."

you sigh. not even six hours on the surface and you're already being challenged. you release your wrist and shake your head. you know what you came here for; if your brother was going to be the one to handle you, then you'd prefer that.

"i'd rather not harm you and your co-workers, ma'am." you tilt your head in an attempt to come across as harmless as possible, but you feel the presence of the two fatui agents slowly approaching from behind you. did they think you wouldn't notice them because of their cloaking? "you have about five seconds before i call on him myself. i know he's here."

"your bluffing skills need work, little one." is all ekaterina says before she tilts her chin up. it must be a signal, because the two fatui agents are suddenly speeding at you from both sides.

you avoid them with ease and use all the air in your lungs to call for your brother. "ajax!"

"alright, alright."

to the surprise of the agents who have their knives pointed at your throat, ajax strides down the stairs in the back, his face dark. "is all of this really necessary?" he's speaking to the agents, who have all bowed before him. "who could possibly warrant this kind of behavior from you?"

you clear your throat, forcing your brother to look your way. you wiggle your fingers in greeting and laugh at his expression. "i think they mistook me for someone else." you chuckle.

ajax's humorous expression becomes unreadable very quickly. it's hard to pinpoint what exactly he's feeling as he looks at you. "you..." he murmurs. he steps towards you and holds your face in his hands as gently as his hands possibly can. he flicks his other hand to dismiss the remaining agents, his eyes not leaving yours for a second. "you're here..?"

your smile grows tight with confusion. "uh.. yes? are you gonna start interrogating me now?"

ajax puffs out a breath. "no, that's not..." he suddenly pulls you into a bone-crushing hug.

"a-ajax, this wasn't the reunion i had in mind," you wheeze as you struggle to hug him back. "are you happy to see me or not?"

your brother sniffs softly. "mom told me... you'd gone missing." his voice is quiet and shaky. even before his return from the abyss, he would always lower his voice when he was on the brink of tears. "you ran away from home, didn't you..?"

you're not sure what kind of sharp pain stabs your chest, but you think it might be guilt. without thinking, you did the exact same thing to your parents that your brother did, except this time, they must genuinely believe that you're dead. you tighten your hold on ajax. "i was coming to see you," you confess. "you made lumine sound really cool, so i... i left. i, uh.." you grimace slightly. "got lost."

ajax lets you go at that and goes back to staring at you so intently, you think he's looking for something. just then, you think he finds it, because he suddenly looks disturbed. "you got lost." he repeats. there's something stony and suspicious in his tone. you don't like it. "where exactly? do you know?"

he knows you're lying. or at least, it seems that way. you decide to play dumb. "i dunno," you lie, "i've never been outside snezhnaya."

that part wasn't a lie, but ajax still looks at you in disbelief. "you're not telling me everything." he's starting to glare at you now. "tell me the truth."

"i told you the truth, ajax."

"people don't just go for missing for twelve days, come back alive, and have no recollection of what happened." ajax crosses his arms over his chest. you're picking up on some growing hostility. not disappointment, not relief... hostility. "either tell me the truth, or--"

"or what?" you snap. you knew things would be different when you got back, but you didn't think it would be like this. part of you wanted to keep your relationship with ajax intact, but as the two of you go on your guard, you know that that's not going to be possible. "what will you do, ajax? fight me over a lie?"

ajax's eyebrows twitch. "why do you think i'm going to fight you? do i look like i am?"

"don't act stupid," you gesture to his posture. he's not in any fighting stance, but experience tells you that he's preparing himself for battle. you're not sure if he's going to go on offense or defense, but it doesn't matter. he's wary of you, and he's doing a terrible job of hiding it. "you're terrible at masking bloodlust, ajax."

your brother visibly tenses and takes a step back. recognition flashes in his eyes. "what did you say?"

"i said you fucking suck at hiding when you want to fight. be more subtle about it. i don't wanna fight you anyways." a part of you begins to ache at the way ajax is acting, but at his core, he's the servant of the very archons you were now trained to resist. he was your enemy now, whether you liked it or not.

the ache spreads through your whole body and your frustration fizzles out. why did it have to be this way? you started your journey just to see ajax, so why? why was he looking at you like that? you reach towards him. "i really, really don't want to fight you, ajax." you say brokenly. "please."

ajax doesn't share in your sentiments. you've never seen him in action before, but now, you think you understand what his enemies feel when he's before them. he shakes his head slightly, his expression pained. "would you stop saying my name like that?"

"what? ajax, i--"

"only my family calls me by that name," he cuts in sharply.

tears sting your eyes. "ajax..."

"you're not my little sibling." it looks like it hurts him to say it -- like he doesn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth, but he continues. "i don't know who you are, but you aren't them." he pauses to turn some words over in his mouth. "but... if you are, then... i need you to tell me the truth."

you shake your head. "of course i'm your little sibling! b-but i can't tell you everything, okay? i want to, i do, but skirk, she--" your throat closes. you've said too much.

ajax rushes forward and holds your shoulder tightly. "you met her. i fucking knew something was wrong with you -- that's where you were."

"i c-can't say anymore than that," you cry, tears falling on their own accord. you were so close to losing ajax completely just now. even if you two could never be what you once were, you didn't want to lose your brother. he was all you had now -- if you went home, they'd likely give you the same treatment they gave him. "i was there, but i can't--"

"twelve days... a fucking year?" ajax looks mortified at the thought of being in the abyss for so long. shattered sympathy fills his eyes. "what happened to you?"

you shake your head mutely. you've already said too much. if you say anymore, you might ruin the delicate balance that aether's worked so hard to maintain. so you hug your brother, finally sobbing as the horrors of the past year replay in your mind.

it was terrifying, what happened there. the things you saw and learned were enough to bring the strongest person to their knees. but you, a mere child, stuck around for an entire year, fighting a war you had no business being involved in. you were exhausted and damaged, and you nearly lost the only family you had left.

ajax presses you to his chest, shushing you quietly. "alright, alright. you're safe now." you sob again, and he sighs shakily. if you could see him, you'd see the silent tears on his face. "you're safe."

✧ it's been like. six hours. i really hope this didn't fall apart at the end... anyways, i suppose i'll announce that i'm planning an interactive story event to celebrate reaching 400! it's still in the planning stage, but i just wanted to let you guys know bc i'm really excited :D okay i hope you enjoyed it bye !

Hellooo do you have any aether x reader fic recs ehe :))

answered: [1:25 am | 18th january 2022]

hello anon!! i am VERY sorry for answering this so late, i have barely opened tumblr lately because i've been busy with school 😔

i haven't read much aether x reader fics but just for you i've gone through the tag, and here's the ones that i liked the most! unfortunately i couldn't find any sole reader x aether fics, only headcanon posts but i hope you'll enjoy them! some are angst, some are fluff. i am not sure if there's anything specific you wanted.

(also if any of the writers i tagged see this, i loved your work too!)

by @kazewhara

through the fire and back again

abyss prince!aether x reader

by @bluexiao

i miss you very much, my love

can i brush your hair tonight?

expectations vs reality

by @xienn

even after death

by @xyliope

genshin boys as unhappy endings

by @windblooms

genshin bubble tea dates headcanons

So I decided to look up what songs are turning 10 this year and I'm very *dabs* old and upset

heather

loading...dom subject 2 albedo x sub gn reader

summary: only if you knew how much I liked you but I watch your eyes, as he walks by. what a sight for sore eyes brighter than the blue sky. he's got you mesmerised with i die.

warnings: spoilers for shadows amidst snowstores event, smut, m4sturb4t10n, he is imagining all of this, unprotected s3x, or4l (reader giving), throatfking, rough s3x, penetration (reader receiving), dumbification, angst, I just realised this kinda has yandere implications but very very slight it's not meant to be read that way S2 isn't possessive/obsessive over reader but he does feel bitter over their love for albedo and wishes it was him so he vents it out I won't tag it as yandere but if what I described feels uncomfortable for you then you don't need to read it

(if I ever make a part 2 I'm gonna make it dom reader)

Alone in his hideout, deep within the mountainous Dragonspine, he lets out a sigh of relief as he pulls down his shorts. His eager hand cups the tent, palming his crotch while his teeth bites the glove off his free hand before tossing it aside. He repeats the motion with his other hand while his ungloved hand resumes the movement on his crotch. It dips into his underwear, pulling out his awaiting cock and wrapping his palm over it.

He wishes it was you. He wishes your soft hand was the one rubbing his cock. He wishes you were on your knees, looking up at him with needy eyes. He wishes you were here. But no. He doesn't have to wonder about your whereabouts. You were with him.

He saw the two of you today. That person was carrying you on his back. Fresh bruises and scratches littered all over your body. Goes to show how much of a failure he is. If it was him, he would have been able to protect you. He wouldn't have allowed anyone to lay a hand on a beautiful human such as yourself. He could have been better than that so-called perfect version of himself.

But your eyes weren't filled with disappointment or anger towards that person. Even with droopy half lidded eyes, there was a content smile on your face. The sight sickened him, filling his stomach with nauseating filth that made him want to throw up.

He first met you at midnight. By then most humans should have left Dragonspine. It was that day he discovered you weren't "most humans". You had mistaken him for Albedo — good — and chastised him for staying up late. You noted it would be too tiring of a journey for him to head back to his camp so you dragged him to stay the night at your camp. You cooked dinner for him, fussed over his unhealthy habits — Albedo’s habits more accurately — and asked him about his day. Never did anyone care for him as much as you did. But that blooming warmth was extinguished when he realised you cared for Albedo and not him.

"You can take the bed tonight. I can sleep on the floor,"

"Why can't we just share the bed?"

Your bright face turned into one of embarrassment. "S-share? You...want to share a bed with me?"

He tilted his head. "Yes, isn't that sensible? Humans preserve their natural body heat when they huddle up together."

It's only rational. He didn't understand your hesitation. That is until you two were actually sharing the bed. He strokes his hardened cock, remembering the way your plush body pressed up against his. The way your hot breath brushed against his neck. The way you wriggled under the covers in an effort to spare some distance between you and himself. The way you bit your plump moistened lips and avoided his gaze. Fuck, those lips. What pretty, pretty lips. He wanted to kiss them until they bruised. He wanted to bite them and shove his tongue past them. Or maybe he could shove something else.

His imagination painted a painting of you still on your knees but with your lips parted open. You were trembling under his intense stare that bore into your skull. He was getting impatient, and he felt like he had to use all of his restraint to not give into the urge to stuff his entire cock in your mouth. He groans at the image of your dumbstruck face as you struggle to take his dick. But he rewinds that thought and decides to tease you instead. With a smug smirk, he imagines himself rubbing his cockhead against your moist lips, smearing it with pre-cum. Your eyebrows would furrow and you would force yourself to take all of him. It would be too much for you of course, so you would choke but stubbornly try to continue even when tears clouded your vision. Instead of easing, he would be rougher, harshly grabbing your head and taking control to just fuck your mouth like his own cocksleeve.

He hisses, speeding up his strokes. He wants to cum right now. He needs to cum right now, he needs to cum, he needs to cum he needs to cum he needs to—

White spurts out his cock, tainting the ground. In his imagination, a surprised sound slips out of your throat, muffled by his cock in your mouth. You would gulp, forcing yourself to swallow everything he gives you and he rewards you by patting your head. At last, he relaxes as he calms down from his high, returning back to the present where he is sitting alone on his bed, jacking off to you. So this is an orgasm…

The concept of sex is not completely foreign to him. He has read books about it, and he understands that it is not just for reproduction, but as a show of love and trust. Given your feelings for Albedo, you've likely had desires to engage in this activity with him.

In the days you've spent with him, he noticed the lovesick look in your eyes whenever you looked at him. Thinking he was Albedo, you followed him around like a clingy puppy, went out of your way to prepare meals for him and gave him little trinkets that you thought he would like. What a lucky bastard. To have people who accept him as one of their own, to have a family and to be loved by such a perfect human.

He'll take it all from him. He'll take his identity, he'll take his family, he'll take you the moment the opportunity presents itself. You'll be happy too. He'll profess his love to you and you'll happily accept. He would have you for himself and he'll finally be able to kiss you just like he has been longing to do. He would be able to savour your sweetness. He would be able to savour your body.

Wetting his cracked lips, his hand dips down once again. He adjusts himself to the centre of the bed, ridding himself of his undergarments so he could spread his legs freely. Sweat cascades down his features, his neck burning as he allows indecent thoughts of you to roam in his head.

You would be laying bare under him. He hasn’t seen you naked before but he knows from staring at your body for an ungodly amount of time — he claimed it was just an attempt to sketch you — that you would be fucking hot. He would be looking down at you, desire burning within his teal eyes that would threaten to light you aflame. A carnal flame that yearned to devour you whole.

He skips the foreplay; his mind racing to conjure up a stimulating scenario. Moans reverberated off the cavern walls that he calls his home, serving as an incentive for him to pound into you faster. He wrecks your hole, plunging in and out with such force that makes your eyes roll into the back of your skull. You’re choking on air, choking on your words as you try to call out to him.

“Hah– arghk! Ah–! Albe– mMH! Kkhn...Albedo!”

His daydream disrupted, he winches. Ah, that’s right he wasn’t given a name, was he? Well that doesn’t matter. Once he replaces Albedo he can wipe all memory of him from his mind. He can pretend he has always been Albedo. It would be his new identity, not that he has one in the first place. Although he can enact his plan – dispose of Albedo and take his place – and take you in the process, somehow it...hurt. It hurts knowing that whenever he sees those bright eyes full of adoration looking at him, it is aimed towards Albedo and not him. When you shower him in love, it's full of your love for Albedo and not him. Even if he replaced him, the one you love would always be Albedo and it will always be since you fell for him in the first place.

He grinds his jaws as he forces himself to return to his daydream. He imagines himself fucking your harder, harder, harder, fucking you so dumb that you can’t even talk. He doesn’t want you to talk if you are going to call out for him. He’ll get used to it one day. Maybe. But right now, the thought of you lusting over that disappointing failure his master calls a “pinnacle of creation” makes his fucking blood boil. You scream in pleasure, nails digging into the sheets as he buries himself deep within you. He’s the one making you feel this way. It’s him. Only him. Yes, if he keeps doing this, if he keeps giving you pleasure, you’ll realise he’s the one for you, right? You’ll fall in love with him right? You’ll forget about him, right?!

“Fuck, (Name)! Forget about– hgh– him... forget about him, forget about him! He is worthless, he is nothing! Hah, fuck…I love you! I love you more than he could ever! Fuck, fuck, fuck, (Name), I love you, I love you! Fucking take it!”

He violently slams into you one last time before spilling himself inside you; he’s marked you as his. You squeal, you greedy hole squeezing him and milking his cock. He pants, kissing your cheek as he pulls out. You hand cups his cheek as you return the kiss, smiling as you whisper to him.

“I love you,”

He opens his eyes, his hand dyed with cum. Sweat drips down his body, his entire body feverish and his hair begraddled. Gods, what have you done to him? He lets out a long breath, about to get up and clean himself off.

“Albedo?” he freezes. “Is that you?”

Forelsket Masterlist

Forelsket: (n.) the euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love

Synopsis: After a falling out drives you and Albedo apart one year ago, you find yourself returning to Dragonspine, the same place that led to everything going downhill. But this time, you’re accompanying the traveller and his floating companion. Are some things best left buried beneath the snow or are there still secrets driving the two of you farther apart?

Total Word Count: ~52.1k

Status: Completed

Prologue

Act I: Abience 

Act II: Serendipity 

Act III: Metanoia 

Act IV: Ineffable 

Act V: Redamancy 

Epilogue 

Bonus Scene: Albedo’s Birthday 

Notes:

It’s a slow burn! And while this is an Albedo x GN!Reader fic, I’ve put a lot of thought into the Reader’s relationships with other characters as well and who they are

My apologies if any of the characters are OOC, I’ve tried to capture their personalities as best I can

Ehem, Albedo x Gn!Reader x Yandere!Imposter!Albedo where fakebedo manages to lure reader away but Albedo catches on chases after them, leading both Albedos to fight each other :3

Of course~

𝒜 𝐵𝒶𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝓉𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒯𝓌𝑜 𝒮𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓈 𝒪𝒻 𝒜 𝒞𝑜𝒾𝓃.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Albedo x GN!Reader x Yandere!Impostor!Albedo

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Albedo decides there's something (Y/N) must see but first he has to do something. How come he comes too quickly?

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: Possesive Themes.

ᴀ/ɴ: Yandere is not my specialty but I do like doing my best for them fufu.

*✧･ﾟ:͙⊱••✩••̩̩͙⊰•*✧･ﾟ:

"It won't take long." Albedo told (Y/N) who nodded as they enjoyed their current meal while Albedo began to descend the area near the camp.

It didn't take long for familiar footsteps to approach them. "(Y/N)?"

(E/C) eyes looked at the Chief Alchemist. There was something off about Albedo this time but (Y/N) wasn't too sure what it was.

"Yes?" They replied as Albedo approached them even more, holding out his hand toward them. Taking their hand, Albedo began to direct them outside the radius of the camp and into what (Y/N) knew as the more dangerous side of Dragonspine. The sheer cold was close to frostbite. Despite (Y/N)'s preparation for such a cold weather it was never good enough for those areas. The luminous warm seelies seemed so welcoming at this point yet the strong grip that Albedo contained on their wrist was more than an iron grip. It wasn't until the precise force of being pushed away as a parry defense stature took over Albedo against another copy of himself. Pushing back this sudden copy of himself, Albedo reached out to (Y/N). Wide eyes watched as yet another defense stance was taken. "You." His voice uttered.

Eyes remained open, the dripping of blood into the sand formed not only a horrifying growth but a clear indication that (Y/N) had been led astray by the actual copy meanwhile the Albedo who attempted to take down the one that so kindly accompanied (Y/N) was the real one.

"Stop getting in my way!" Albedo shouted. His hand pushing the original Albedo away by a few miles. Taken back from the force, the fake one hoisted (Y/N) up and held their waist close. "Stop getting in the way of (Y/N)'s deserved affection."

"They doesn't belong to you. You may use me as a vessel but taking them as well is a no from me. Just because we are from the same tree does not mean you get to bite in the apple I chose." At those words, the copy's eyes glowed such a beautiful replica of the heart of Dragonspine. Sweat rolled down (Y/N)'s forehead at the sudden overwhelming warmth coming from the copy of the homunculus.

"(Y/N) is mine." The copy hissed. "In fact they have not moved back fo you knowing that you truly are the original."

(E/C) eyes met the teal ones with pure worry. Albedo pushed his body forward as Albedo parries the advancing attacks. But does not realize that the goal had been to put the needed space for (Y/N). "Run (Y/N)!"

Those words only pushed their body to sprint. Having come vigorously before from time to time, it was no wonder that (Y/N) wouldn't get so lost easily. Discarding of Albedo had been in the replica homunculus, however there was no counting back on the further trap Albedo had set him in. "THEY WILL BE MINE! You do not deserve them, I deserve them! I will always deserve more than you-!"

Albedo stepped away as the freezing waters only seemed to further freeze the replica. Albedo looked over his shoulder, his expression stiff at first before it grew darker. "(Y/N) deserves only the best. Whenever that is me or not, they will decide, brother."

albedo on albedo crime

im back at it again

edit: forgot his birthmark we are pretending it is 3rd albedo thank YOU

hellu!! ((spoilers for the new event if you haven’t done it!)) I’ve had this idea for like an albedo x reader where it involves his impostor from the new event & i was wondering if you’d be interested in writing something that involved his impostor 👀👀? ITS SO VAGUE SORRY HAHA BUTJFJKGLG I’d love to see what you write if you’re inspired by it 😳💖

A/N: OH THIS ASK IS SO WONDERFUL I'm a little worried about the vague spoilers in the ask though so I apologize to anyone that happens upon this and doesn't know yet!! Ty for the asks anon!!!

Edit: ok I just finished writing this and it ran a little long, but it's not too lengthy. I just got a burst of inspiration.

The actual fanfic is underneath my rlly long theory ramble in case u wanna skip that part LOL i just needed to tell someone about it...Tumblr is a gr8 place for that. (Maybe I should make a separate post for it, but I'm too lazy. sorry anon.)

Pairing: Albedo x GN!reader (pre-relationship or pre-existing relationship, your choice.)

Genre: There's really no theme... mystery perhaps. Tbh its kind of wholesome. One-shot (or maybe not... will there be more? idk...)

Word Count: 1086

Warnings: MAJOR Spoilers for the recent Albedo event!!, Albedo is acting slightly possessive again (idk why i always write him that way), but tbh he just wants to protect you.

Theories!

There are 3 Albedos I believe (not just in theory, I think there were actually 3.), 2 were creations of Rhinedottir and one was the creation of the imposter Albedo (But it wasn't actually an Albedo, it was simply a mutated plant that was used to mimic and distract him from something else.)

I believe that the 1st Albedo is the Albedo we know to be the "impostor" and the 2nd one is the Albedo that we know and that the first Albedo was somehow not what Rhinedottir wanted and she attempted to dispose of him. (Not very nice dude...) Anyway! Since Albedo calls the impostor "Master's failed specimen in the dragon's belly", I think he may be either referring to the impostor just being in Dragonspine OR that Durin was used to dispose of the first albedo. (Weird, I know...) That could've been how the impostor ended up in Dragonspine. No theorizing there, he also could've just walked LMAO.

Also, during Albedo's monologue during the end, I feel like it was definitely from our Albedo's point of view, at least up until the very end where he talks about being human and being brought into the world. Maybe it's to show Albedo's astounding amount of empathy despite being synthetic, or it's to show the original Albedo's true feelings? Not sure there. Either way, it is extremely sad.

Things were different now that the two of you were aware of it. The feeling of being watched couldn't simply be blamed on the wild animals and camouflaged creatures in the area anymore. You would be working quietly when suddenly you would share a look with him. Then his sword would be out.

He had made the choice to let his imposter live. But at what cost, he now wonders. The cost of his focus? Or his sense of safety in solitude?

You weren't all that bothered by it. Nothing remotely deadly had happened since what had gone down a few weeks ago.

"Albedo," You said to the blonde, who was currently staring blankly at the vial in his hand. He was shaken from his thoughts and focused back on the vial, which he now noticed was not the color it was supposed to be. He made a slightly disappointed expression before turning towards you.

"What is it, Y/N?" He asked, setting the vial back into the rack.

"We're out of mint," You say, rocking back and forth on your heels. "I'm going to go collect some."

So far, Albedo had refused to let you out of his sight. You hadn't been able to go looking for ingredients or get a moment to yourself for days.

"Ah, okay." He said, before retrieving his sword. "Let's go."

"Well, um... I was hoping I could go by myself." You said, avoiding making eye contact with him. His arm with which he brandished his sword sort of went limp and he kind of just looked at you like he was thinking about something.

"I have a sword too, you know." You laughed nervously, pulling out your own. The one he'd given you. The one he'd said only you could brandish. He was silent for a moment more.

His brows knitted together slightly before he nodded.

"Okay. Be careful. Shout if you need me." He said, looking into your eyes rather intensely from where he stood a few feet away, "I will hear you."

You nodded, before waving and turning away.

You weren't all too worried about being alone, given that nothing eventful had happened. But maybe that was because the two of you hadn't been apart since then. Then again, it didn't seem to have any trouble with causing problems for groups of people. You thought back to the avalanche.

You picked mint carefully, placing it into your bag. It was rather nice to be alone, even if it's just for a little while. You adore Albedo, but his presence can be smothering. Anyone's is when you're unseparated for that long. It was no fault of his for wanting to keep you safe.

You wandered from the path to collect some Starsilver you'd spotted growing from a rock. Leisurely, you collected the brittle material to bring back to Albedo. You heard a rustle a few feet away from you and flicked your eyes towards the sound. It was too quiet.

Just then, you heard heavy steps crunching in the snow behind you. You whipped around quickly, sword drawn in an instant.

It was Albedo. You glanced immediately at his neck. No diamond, this was not your Albedo. He simply stood there and stared at you, it was rather unusual.

You clutched the Starsilver in your hand and tried to open your bag to drop it in there so you could make your escape.

"Why do you carry those?" He asked, suddenly. His eyes glanced down to the ore in your hand. His face remained blank. No trace of curiosity. Just blank.

"The Starsilver...?" You asked, extremely confused. He closed his eyes momentarily and nodded. "It's for paint."

He shook his head. "I know, but they are the lackluster sort like you talked about."

His eyes seemed to dull. You glanced down at them, but you couldn't tell the difference, despite the advice of Albedo, Paimon, and the traveler last time you'd collected some.

"Well, it'll all be turned into silver paint, anyway. I'll use it if Albedo doesn't." You shrugged, strangely feeling like you could let your guard down. Your arm relaxed a bit.

He took that moment to lunge forward to grab you by your shirt collar.

"ALBED-!" You tried to yell, but he covered your mouth. You struggled.

"Teach me how to paint." He muttered, gripping your clothing tighter. You dropped your sword and lifted your leg to kick him away. He stumbled but regained his composure quickly.

You simply stared at each other. He grits his teeth in frustration and turned away, walking back in the direction he came from.

Teach him to paint? Does he want to create more creatures? You don't want to be responsible for something like that if that's what he is trying to do.

But maybe he wants the simpler aspect of it. Surely there's not much for him to do up here. He'd needed Albedo's notes to create the Whopperflower, so he's clearly not a genius at alchemy either. It's a good way to pass the time, the same reason that Paimon had wanted the traveler to learn.

You snapped your head towards the sound of quick footsteps coming towards you. Symbol-clad neck. Your Albedo. His sword was out.

You didn't know what to say when he stood there a few feet away, seeing that there was nothing wrong with you. He straightened up.

"What do you need?" He asked. He didn't mind that you weren't in trouble. He was relieved, actually.

"Nothing..? Ahh, well." You said, still dazed from the events that had just taken place. You quickly formulated a lie. You weren't protecting the impostor or anything like that, right? Just making sure Albedo wasn't worrying about you anymore.

"I picked some mint and a Whopperflower surprised me..." You laughed nervously. He seemed to relax. "I guess I'm still a little paranoid from last time, sorry."

"Don't apologize." He said, "It is merely human nature to become wary of things that have affected you in the past. Especially if those same events can occur again." He said, stepping closer to you. He wrapped his arm around your mid-section and looked towards the top of the mountain.

The wind blew cold.

"Let's go back now." He said after being silent for a few moments. "I'll cook dinner."

"Okay," You mumbled. You looked back over your shoulder as you walked beside him back to camp. You swear you could see a flash of blue eyes between the brush and snow.

rushipedia ☆ 2021

okay, but, please, please— i'm begging on my hands and knees 🛐🛐 give me god!reader with consort!aether please, i'm starving and i'm parched 🤲🤲 he is the plot and nobody can say otherwise, i'm such a simp for him you don't understand— god!reader who had chosen aether from the start and showering him in the overflowing love they has for him??? delicious. absolute delicacy. giving aether the five star weapons (yes, as in, more than one) he deserves, building him on every single element and triple crowning him???? yes. yes. absolutely. anything for my beloved. 🧎‍♂️🧎‍♂️ just, absolute aether appreciation, please. just, god!reader loving aether and aether loving god!reader.

also kisses everywhere, just kisses and hugs and cuddles and holding hands and snuggling and and and and

crowning every element???? babe are you okay??????

but - i mean, i have to just appreciate the simp it's honestly kind of impressive. and Aether's hair looks so soft... but also why he kinda look like he's supposed to be a consort... if that makes sense?

Sidenote - uh... I think this ask awakened something in me... Aether is...so pretty? And he'd be so nice to cuddle? And he'd be so willing to love you?? He's?? Amazing??? haha..

Warnings: romantic reader x Aether, reader uses gn pronouns

Consort!Aether Headcannons

He'd always been your favorite. He was your first vessel and he'd remain the most prominent until finally finally you desended upon Teyvat. Your divine presence became so much more than your hands controlling him through a screen. Your hands touching him, with nothing in between like a screen, your skin on his, was intoxicating and he became a puppy at only your touch.

"Aether!" You had said his name first, before you had called out to any of the others, the many acolytes that would bend to your call. Out of all of them you went to him first, called for him first when he could finally hear your voice in Teyvat. You cupped his face and grinned, "I'm so happy to finally see you in person!"

He had nearly had a heart attack. He would kill almost anyone in Teyvat for you, his god, who had so generously given him your divine gaze. Who had loved him from the start, never letting him go. Even as every vision wielder in Teyvat vyed for your gaze, you never took it off of him.

It was a surprise to nobody but him when you asked him to be your consort. A lovely ring in your dominant hand, the other in his soft blond hair. His face had gone a bright red, he wasn't able to form any words, only able to nod enthusiastically. A dumb, bright smile on his face.

You had kissed his forehead, his nose, his cheeks, his lips, his hands, and the ring you had slipped onto his finger.

He so desperately wanted to give back the love you had shown him from the very beginning. All of the artifacts you had put on him, all of the ones you had leveled up and given to him. From the dull one stars to the shiny five stars he now had. Even the weapons you had given him. The best sword you had, and once you had arrived in Teyvat you had stripped your other, stronger, acolytes of their weapons. You had given them to him, bows and claymores he wasn't sure how to use. But if you, his lovely god, wanted him to learn he'd do so!

"Take it." You'd kissed his knuckles, smiling against the skin, "Take all of it Aether, I want only the best for you. My first and only."

But- he was yours! You were gifting him too much and he just wanted to repay you so badly! You'd gifted him artifacts, talent books for every element, more five star weapons than he knew what to do with, you loved him with every ounce of your being. He wanted to repay you for proposing to him, for gifting him everything he could've ever wanted and more.

"Anything you want from me," He pratically begged, his head on your lap, "You can have it, I just wanna repay you for your kindness your grace."

Your fingers threaded through his hair and his eyes fluttered at the heavenly sensation. Though you'd done it a million times he would never get sick of it.

"Just stay beside me," You had whispered to him, "That's all I need, is you Aether."

Aether's heart clenched and he'd lunged for you, tackling you into a hug. Your laugh made his heart flutter and he could hear the stars twinkle happily with your joyous voice. His arms wrapped around you tightly, never wanting to let you go and you held onto him with the same gentle fervor.

His head laid on your chest, his arms wrapped around you so tight so as to not leave any air between you two, your arms around him, your hands playing with his hair, your legs tangled together. He could feel your ring as you played with his hair, and he could feel his matching one pressed on his finger.

He nuzzled his nose into your neck, seeking solace in every inch of your body. Wishing to be glued to your side forever.

You chuckled as his hair tickled your nose and nuzzled your face closer to his soft hair. Breathing him in and smiling softly. Your limbs were tangled and bodies pressed so close together so that you'd never be apart every again.

There'd be no reason for you two to every be apart. For Aether, the Traveler, would follow you to the ends of any world, even ones he didn't belong.

♡ ALBEDO ♡

"I'm sorry for always being so clumsy..." By reader to Childe.

P.S. Congrats for 500 followers!!

Clumsy Mistakes

Childe x Sensitive!GN!Reader (Both live in Liyue)

Summary: You have always been a clumsy fool, but Childe had proved many times that he accepts and loves that about you, he even finds it endearing sometimes. But when work related stress finally got to him, your lover just couldn't take you constantly ruining so many things for him anymore, so he shouts at you, spiting out the most hurtful words he could muster. Childe didn't realize what he had done, until you're suddenly just so scared of him.

Prompt: "I'm sorry for always being so clumsy..."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Childe had shouted at you, you're just helplessly crying in front of him, trying desperately to fix and pick up the papers you had wrecked from the floor.

All you wanted was to give him a piece of the cake you baked and a cup of coffee so that he wouldn't feel tired and droopy as he works, you know he likes to knock all his paper work in one day.

And yet again, your clumsiness took over, managing to make you slip and get the food you prepared all over the papers that Childe spent the whole week working on. At that moment, as you tried desperately to fix your mistake, all he could see was red.

"I... I'm so s-sorry, Ajax. I-I can help you clean it up---" You were cut off as Childe grabbed your wrist and yanked your body up, and instantly, your body shook in fear, tears started to form in your eyes from the bruising grip of his hand.

"I am so fucking done with you!" He threw your own arm at you, making you stumble back slightly. Your other hand gently gripped your bruised wrist, hissing at the pain. "I am so tired of your clumsy ass ruining everything for me!" He rubbed his hands on his face in sheer frustration.

"How in the world can someone be so weak?!"

"Aj--"

"I would've been so much better off if I just never met you!"

You couldn't say anything, his words sent endless jabs to your heart. But just knowing that what he said really is true, it just broke you apart even more. It is your fault that he lost a lot of work progress, It is your fault that this is happening, it is your fault that his life is going downhill.

It's always your fault.

"Didn't you hear me?! I said get the fuck out!" You felt immense fear consume you as Childe grabs your wrist again, his harsh grip making your bruise ache even more. You whimpered as he dragged you to the door, and it feels like your wrist is finally bleeding.

"A-Ajax, please, it hurts!" You finally screamed at him, but he ignored you, throwing outside of his work room.

You fell onto the floor, hot tears streaming down your face. He had slammed the door shut on you, and you're left to cry in the living room of your shared house.

Slowly, you got up, resting your back on the wall and hugging your knees as you let your tears fall, sobbing quietly.

You hated how you couldn't control your sobs, your lungs burned from choking on your own frustration.

Just like everyone in your life, Childe had finally realized as well, how pathetic you really are.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Childe felt a pit in his stomach all day at work, he couldn't wait until he got home. He wanted to apologize, he might've been mad about what happened, but that's no excuse for hurting you, both emotionally and physically.

The Harbinger had planned to make it up to you, cook you your favorite dinner, give you a massage, cuddle with you all night, maybe even take you out for a date!

Yet it felt like he was slapped in the face, as he sees you cowering in fear right in front of him, were you scared of... him?

Childe's heart ached as you shook in fear, every time he was even remotely coming closer to you, your eyes would water and your fist would clench, like you think he's gonna hurt you.

He still cooked your favorite food that night, but instead of feasting at it like you usually would, you just stared down onto your hands, not saying a single thing as your food remains untouched.

He tried to give you a massage, but even just him offering immediately made you shook you head.

And it was finally time for bed, maybe this time, you'll let him at least hug you.

His hope was crushed instantly when you grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the drawers. "Y/N?" You froze, you were just about to leave the room when he called for you, you refused to look at him.

"You're not sleeping here?" The answer was obvious, but Childe was just hoping that maybe he'll be able to convince you to stay with his sad voice.

You shook your head and the man behind you sighed, you wouldn't even talk to him.

You were just about out of the bedroom when your clumsiness got you again, making you trip on literally nothing and falling onto the floor.

"Y/N!" Childe was beside you right away, worry laced in his expression.

As he tried to help you, you scrambled away from him immediately. "Y/N, please... just let me help." Out of instinct, he grabbed your wrist to assist you, when you whimpered though, he let go of you.

"Ahhh... Nooo..." You cried, taking your wrist away from him and bringing it to your chest.

"Y/N..." Childe knew exactly where that bruise came from... him. He slides closer to you, ignoring you silent pleas, he lifted you up, before gently laying you down on your shared bed.

You avoided eye contact with him, and he just sighs.

"If you really don't feel comfortable sleeping beside me, then... you can sleep here, I'll sleep on the couch." Childe had turned around, picking up the pillow and blanket that you dropped, ready to head out.

...

"A-Ajax..." You called for him, and heavens did his name sound so good coming from you.

"I'm sorry for always being so clumsy..." The way your voice sounded, how you sounded so ashamed of yourself. He turned around to face you before smiling.

"Hey, at least you're not an asshole that hurts people you love when you're angry." Childe had said jokingly, before walking out and closing your bedroom door.

...

...

...

Childe felt a little kiss land on his lips, his tired eyes opening.

He saw your beautiful face, lit by the moonlight that shone through the window. He felt another kiss again, after that, hearing your quiet giggle.

"Goodnight, Ajax. I love you." One final kiss on his lips, you stood up, ready to go back to bed. As you walked away from his "sleeping" form, a smile formed on his face... you two would always say I love you to each other and a quick kiss every night.

You'd probably be embarrassed if he ever bring this up, so it'll just be his little secret.

"I love you too, Y/N."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

This actually made me cry a bit while I was typing, hehe. I hope you like it, angst is one of my favorite things to write. Thank you for requesting!!!

Hii, May I request something? :0 Soooo...Y/n being Kazuha,Aether(bc this boy si so underrated)and Childe's little sister, and she is in those teenage age you know, and she gets hurt badly. What would they do to comfort her?If requests are not open feel free to ignore it! :D. <33

"ohana" means family...

# — characters: fem!reader, aether, lumine, paimon, childe

# — summary: ...and family means nobody gets left behind.

# — warnings: blood/violence mention

# — tags: hc/drabble format, canon divergent, platonic/familial hurt/comfort, fluff, sibling bonding, heartbreak (reader)

# — notes: y'know, i don't see much sibling!reader content! maybe that's just me, but even when i look, i don't see much.. so this is refreshing, thank you for the req, anon! i did spin the request a bit and only did two characters, though. as always, reblogs are appreciated, and i hope you enjoy!

✧ — 𝐚𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 — ✧

since you are the youngest -- born a year or two after the twins -- he and lumine treat you like you are the only star in their sky

you were too young to remember your parents, and after traveling so much, you all but forgot about them. your siblings were the only family you needed -- the only family you wanted.

(also, you don't mind them doting on you, but you wish they would stop babying you from time to time.)

before being stranded in teyvat, the three of you would travel between worlds together, experiencing all kinds of people and cultures and traditions, having all sorts of fun

the three of you only have each other, so you cherish one another very deeply. fights between you were actually rather rare

mostly because of your unstable lifestyle; if you fought and separated from each other, what were you supposed to do? all of you tried to avoid trouble with others and each other out of caution.

but then you encountered the unknown god and lumine went missing.

you and aether were stuck in an unfamiliar land with your new travel companion paimon, basically forced to help solve the problems of the people of this world until you get answers leading to lumine's whereabouts.

it wasn't all that bad at first; being gifted with the elements of both anemo and geo alongside your brother was exhilarating, and in your down time, you two would train and play around, keeping your spirits high

you and aether grew increasingly frustrated by your lack of clues, but you held each other up as best you could, trying to keep pushing forward

and then, with the help of dainsleif, you finally, finally got to see lumine

but... she refused to come home with you.

she left you.

a tense silence suffocates you as you and aether look over liyue harbor. not even paimon knows what to say after what just happened. you try to think of something to say -- something, anything -- but each time you open your mouth, you feel your throat tighten. now that you were in a quieter place, you felt like the sheer amount of thoughts that flooded your mind would start spilling out of your ears.

what were you supposed to say, anyways? were you even going to talk about it? what did any of that even mean? why were you still doing this? why couldn't you go home?

why did she leave you behind?

aether finally breaks the silence, his voice strained. "we need to keep moving," he says. his fists are trembling and his eyes are teary, but he tilts his chin up and takes a steadying breath. "if we want to understand what lumine was talking about, then we have to do what she says."

you frown at your brother. lumine was always the more stern sibling -- she was like a leader of sorts. without thinking, you and aether did what she said; she had very good judgement, so it wasn't much of a problem. but after all this--

"you still want to follow her?!" you cry. you didn't mean for your voice to come out so shrill and watery, but you can't help it. normally, it'd take you longer to get to this point -- to get to your breaking point -- but aether's attempt to put on a brave face makes your poorly built walls come crashing down. "you still want to do what she says? she's given up on us, aether, why would you still want to be in her good graces?!"

aether's glare is stony for all of two seconds before it smooths out, a glimmer of sunshine returning to them again. he calls your name as softly as he can muster. "that's not what i mean, and you know that."

you know he's right. a rational part of you agrees with him; if you want to have any hope of getting out of this world that has literally been forsaken by its gods, you were going to have to persevere. maybe at some point, lumine would return -- maybe she would keep her word and join you once more -- but until then, you were distraught, your heart shattered into near irreparable pieces over your sister's absence.

you sit yourself on the grass and grab a fistful of it, hoping the feeling will ground you. "what if she doesn't come back, ae'? w-what if she changes her mind and attacks us? you saw what she was capable of! she's a stranger now, aether, she--" you don't blink back the tears this time. "she had her sword. we don't have ours anymore. why is she doing this?"

aether doesn't move for a while. he watches silently as you break down, your frame shaking as sobs start to pour out of you. he doesn't know what to do either. as the eldest, the responsibility of caring for you and finding his twin sister fell on his shoulders, but he hadn't expected for lumine to just... refuse. the sight of you begging and pleading with lumine to come home replays in his mind, forcing his eyes shut.

the vow you three made all those years ago has been broken. you were never supposed to hurt each other like this; you were supposed to be each other's foundations. that hasn't changed one bit -- when lumine came back, he would be there for her as he always has been, and so would you. until then, he was going to protect the family he had left.

aether opens his eyes again and brushes any stray tears from his face before sitting next to you. he pulls you into a tight embrace and you return it immediately, burying your face in his shoulder.

you feel terrible; he should be the one crying, not you. sure, lumine is just as much your sister as she is his, but she's his twin; his other half. you tighten your hold on your brother. he's shaking like a leaf in the wind. he must be trying to carry the world on his shoulders right now. but as long as you were here, you'd never allow him to do that alone. "you're doing it again," you sniff after a while, your voice muffled by his shoulder. "you can let it out."

aether puts his hand on the back of your head. he's pulling you closer, if that was even possible. it's as if he's afraid you'll slip through his fingers too. "you need a shoulder to cry on, not me." he mutters. "just--"

"aether."

your brother flinches at your tone. he chuckles tightly. "who's older here, me or you?"

you return the gesture, burying your fingers in his blonde hair. he probably won't let it out yet; he's never been the type to do so. he and lumine were far better at controlling their emotions than you were. for now, you suppose you'll let it slide. "whatever," you sigh. "you can stop squeezing me, you know. i'm not gonna go anywhere. promise."

aether loosens his grip on you, but he doesn't let go. that must have been exactly what he needed to hear. "me neither." his voice is small, but his words are affirming. the two of you sigh in unison, making you giggle. "i'm not going anywhere. i swear."

it was you and your brother against this world. you wouldn't have it any other way.

✧— 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 — ✧

absolute pain in the ass older brother. the worst. horrible. annoying.

i'm kidding... sorta.

childe is the older brother who smushes your face with his hand just because he can

the brother who puts his entire body weight on you and challenges you to push him off

the brother who will literally fight you for the last snack in the pantry

but he's also the older brother who sits there and lets you play connect the dots with the freckles that barely exist on his face

the brother who does his best not to embarrass you when you're around friends or potential suitors

he's the best wingman in the world and the coolest older brother ever

his harbinger status means nothing to you

you're a big girl! you know what that means!

you don't brag about it; you show off your brother in a very different way

childe is prepared for many things. one could even say that he's prepared for anything.

monster ambush? no problem. an ancient deity threatening to sink all of liyue harbor? simple!

but childe... ajax was not prepared to see you sobbing in his office at northland bank.

when he arrived a few minutes earlier, every agent went on their guard. it's normal for them to do that since he's their boss, but something about their alertness was suspicious to him. he approached ekaterina and demanded to know what was going on.

"lord harbinger, it's..." the receptionist trailed off. her eyes were hidden by her mask, but childe could feel her looking away. he started to tap his finger on the wood; a sign of his growing impatience. not wanting to upset him further, ekaterina came clean. "it's your sister, sir."

childe's finger froze. "what about them?"

"they arrived not too long ago looking for you, but..."

"if you're doing this for dramatic effect, i will inform you right now that you're doing a terrible job. that," childe's finger began tapping again, faster this time, "and my patience is wearing very thin. what happened to my sister? tell me; that's an order."

though she was frightened, ekaterina couldn't bring herself to say any more. "she's in your office, sir. she wouldn't talk to any of us, so i feel that you should see the mess for yourself."

the mess? childe nodded briefly in thanks and sped to his office. it wasn't a far walk, but it felt like an eternity. were you okay? did someone hurt you? he grimaced as his hand hovered over the door to his office.

if someone did hurt you, was it because of him? it was no secret that he was a part of the fatui, and you'd been seen with him on multiple occasions. after the osial incident, people became particularly hostile towards the fatui, and even though you weren't a member yourself, you received the same foul treatment they did. probably even worse since you were childe's sister.

childe could handle the heat and he knew you could as well, but if someone touched you...

fueled by a sudden wave of anger, he swung open the door to the office and saw you hunched over in a chair, your face in your hands. you were trying to muffle your sobs from the sound of it, and--

was that blood on your shirt?

ajax is crouching in front of you in an instant. he's always been good at consoling you and your siblings. to the others, he's the perfect older brother; the one who sends trinkets and souvenirs from his travels; the one who's always kind and considerate, even when he's upset. but when he tugs your hands away from your face, he's anything but gentle.

he confirms what he saw before getting closer. there's splotches of blood your shirt, and when he inspects your hands closely and sees your knucles cut and bruised, he puts the pieces together. "you got in a fight." he says tersely. "whose blood is this?"

"s'not mine," you sniff. you try to pry your hands away, but ajax's grip is unrelenting. you don't know why you bothered in the first place. you look away from your brother, feeling like a scolded child under his harsh gaze. ajax always, always told you never to fight unless absolutely necessary. he was very clear about why you shouldn't.

"there's strength in numbers," he told you quietly. he was almost whispering, as though he was telling you something he shouldn't. "people won't stand up for you in a fight -- they would gang up on you instead."

you wrinkled your nose at him. "but you always fight people in groups."

ajax flashed you a cocky grin and squeezed your nose, chuckling when you fought him off. "yeah, but that's because i'm stronger than you, kid." his grin dropped off his face as fast as it came. "now pay attention. do you know why else you shouldn't get into fights here?"

you thought for a second and pointed at the electro vision on your hip questioningly, but ajax shook his head at you.

"close, but no. the second reason," he started, "is because of this." without warning, he pulls a small dagger out his back pocket and holds it to your neck. you don't waste a second, moving to disarm him as quickly as he taught you. almost in the blink of an eye, you've taken the blade from your brother and pressed it against his neck. his smile came back, this time full of pride.

"now, do you know why i don't want you fighting others?" he asked. "it's because you're my sister."

call him a bad influence, but ajax feels a familiar sense of pride swell in his chest when you tell him the blood isn't yours. there's also relief mixed in there somewhere, but it's overshadowed by the satisfaction. he doesn’t smile at you though; he's got to keep up the act. he wants to praise you for doing a good job, but you were a wreck before he came in, and you obviously wouldn't be covered in someone's blood for no reason. he keeps 'big brother mode' turned on and lets you go. "well? what happened?"

you find a clean part of your sleeve and wipe your face free of tears. you're trying to stall for time, but ajax can tell. you sigh and recount the story to him.

it wasn't your fault.

you were minding your business, taking a stroll down by the docks when some large fishermen recognized you and began to shout for you to leave. you ignored them; this happened every so often, so it was easy to tune them out. you kept on your stroll, walking down by the water.

you've always been fascinated by the water, even when you were still in snezhnaya. you envied your brother's hydro vision once, but after giving it some thought, you figured that there was no one better suited for it than him. that, and it made sparring with him all the more interesting. after basking in the sun for a little while longer, you decided to head back to northland bank to wait for ajax to return. but as soon as you turned to leave, you found yourself blocked by four boys, each one taller than you.

"do you guys need something?" you asked.

their scathing words went in one ear and out the other. each of them had something to rude say about you; they must have been trying to get a rise out of you.

enraged by your nonchalance, one of the boys shoved you, hard. you caught yourself just before you could fall into the water and gave them an icy glare -- it was the one you've seen ajax give his opponents every now and again. it obviously didn't have the same effect, because the boys decided to rush you.

after that...

"after that?" ajax prompts you to continue, but you shake your head. "then, why were you crying? did they hurt you? do i have to intervene? talk to me."

man, if only the fatui knew ajax could look like this. the stern look has long since faded and been replaced by concern. he's pulled out his handkerchief and started wiping your face and hands with such tenderness, you almost forget that he's a harbinger. you tell him the truth. "some locals saw me fighting." you mumble. "they called the millelith and said i just went beserk and started punching them, but they touched me first, ajax! what else was i supposed to do? none of them believed me -- no one helped me, no one stood up for me, i-- i was so alone, and--"

your brother balls up his handkerchief and sits in the chair beside you. his arm wraps around your shoulders and he shushes you as tears begin to fall again. for a while, he just lets you cry. if there's anyone on teyvat who knows what you're feeling, it's ajax.

he sees so much of himself in you. it terrifies him; breaks what's left of his heart into smaller pieces.

a large part of ajax wants to resort to his usual methods. he wants nothing more than to press you for details so he can find the people who hurt you and teach them a lesson, but when he glances at you again, he figures that now is as good a time as any to give it a rest. this isn't a mess he'd ever be able to clean up, and you've been hurt enough; he doesn't want to make it worse.

instead, he drops a gloved hand on your head. "you did a good job," he says with a serene smile. for a split second, you see some light in ajax's eyes. it always happens whenever he speaks to you or your other siblings -- it's one of your favorite sights in the world. "i'm so proud of you."

"but," you frown, "i beat people up."

ajax laughs heartily. "you think i'm gonna be mad at you for fighting someone? me? really? c'mon."

he has a point. he did advise you not to fight, but if it can't be helped, then it can't be helped. you lean your head on his shoulder. "i still made those people hate me."

ajax hums. "well, they're gonna hate you -- hate us -- regardless of what we do. that's just life. i wish i could send you home, kid; i'm sorry you have to go through this because of me."

his voice goes soft at the end. he must be beating himself up about all this. you flex your fingers, hissing when the cuts begin to sting. "i don't wanna go home, ajax. not without you. i can handle this! i guess i just need more practice."

your brother tilts his head down at you, an incredulous smile on his face. "you were just crying because you got in a fight and you're already trying to start another one?" he asks. he nudges you gently off his shoulder and makes his way across the room. he comes back with a first aid kit and kneels in front of you again, taking your hand and starts to treat the wounds. "if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were trying to take my job."

you wince when an alcohol pad swipes over your knuckles. "who knows, maybe i'll become the new eleventh harbinger some day."

ajax looks up at you, his eyes flashing. you know that look very well. "is that a challenge?"

"you bet your ass it is!"

"that's my girl. as soon as i'm done with your hands, it's on. clear?"

you nod sharply. "crystal."

✧ (i've never felt so alive <(￣︶￣)> i hope you enjoyed it!!)

Hi this doesn't necessarily have to be a request but what do you think about the concept of dating abyss prince!aether? I think it's a very interesting concept especially since we as fans only know so much.

i was going to write this as a request, but i feel like i wouldn't be able to accurately express how strongly i feel about this in such a structured manner LMAO

so here we go Messy Format, i am so sorry y'all, i've been lacking lately... i promise i'll do better,,

anyways, abyss prince!aether x gn!reader below the cut <3

how would you even meet?

a fantastic question!

so, for Dramatic Plot Reasons, you are actually lumine's second travel partner, right? and you help keep her on track while she searches for answers for aether's whereabouts

like after the dvalin incident when lumine is asking venti questions and receiving vague answers, you are beside her, glaring daggers at the former archon in an effort to get him to talk.

"we didn't save your people just for you to be tight-lipped." you snarl. "this one-sided transaction shit won't fly."

lumine tugs on your arm as a warning and waves apologetically at venti. all of you just encountered la signora and watched as he was forcibly stripped of his gnosis -- of his divine status. venti is already a shadow of his usual self as it is, and your harsh words weren't helping.

"i-i'm sorry venti, ignore them." she apologizes on your behalf. lumine gives you a look of disbelief when you yank yourself out of her grip, but says nothing. "thank you for your information. it really helped."

"like hell it did." you mutter under your breath.

venti gives you a patient smile; the one he gives everyone when he's not in his usual playful mood. "their anger isn't misplaced, traveler," he hums, "i really am sorry that i only gave you more questions than answers, but i promise you: morax is the oldest of us all. he'll have the answers you need."

i think i'll cut that there, because i just want you to understand that at the beginning, you are lumine's backbone

you say what she's too kind to say

her desire to find aether consumes her every waking moment, but she just can't ignore people in need! so she can put her mission on the back burner for just a little longer, right?

wrong. you completely disagree.

you'll let her do what she needs to do when it's unrelated to your quest, but as soon as you're with someone who may possibly have answers, you put your foot down.

sometimes, lumine would joke that you want to find aether more than she does

you don't even know what he looks like. you just want lumine to be happy. she's your best friend

so where does aether come into all of this?

this is where we diverge from the plot.

you first encounter him on a late night walk through the forest.

you and lumine were camping out for the night after a very long day of running around with klee, jean, and albedo

you were feeling restless all day, but you couldn't figure out why

for some reason, for the past couple of days, you've been feeling... watched. you feel like there's someone watching you at every corner.

you're with lumine at almost every hour of the day, but even when you two are apart, you feel those eyes still on you

so you're strolling through the forest, trying to keep yourself sane when you stumble across a small hilichurl camp

it's nothing serious, just a few shooters and one big one with a shield

you easily handle the shieldwall mitachurl and the pyro and cryo shooters

but during your fight, you didn't hear the warning horn calling for backup.

you're dusting off your clothes to head back to camp when you hear something heavy slicing through the air behind you

it's an axe mitachurl

you react far too late to stop it, so you close your eyes and say a silent goodbye to lumine as you prepare for what you assume is the most painful death known to man..

but it never comes.

you crack open one eye to see what has so graciously allowed you to live another day only to find that it's not a what, but rather a who. the mitachurl from before is disintegrating on the ground behind the person's feet, so you open your eyes to get a better look at your savior.

it's a man with long, blonde hair, golden eyes, and peculiar clothing. something starts to click in the back of your head, like rocks sparking to make a fire. do you... know him?

rather than look at the faded body of the monster he just defeated, his eyes are fixed on you, his expression unreadable.

"um," you mumble, "thank you...?"

your savior raises an eyebrow. "are you trying to get me to tell you my name?" when you nod, he huffs a humorless laugh. "you'll figure it out soon enough. but, i will admit, i was under the impression that you were a lot stronger than this."

you blink a few times out of shock. was he insulting you? "pardon me? i just didn't hear the warning horn. it wouldn't have been the first time."

the blonde man turns around and walks away from you, and it's only then that you see the white and gold sword disappearing from his hand. "it would have been your last, had i not stepped in." he turns to face you again. "otherwise, i think lumine would have had to find your body herself."

lumine? he knows lumine? the sparks in your head ignite so quickly that you become dizzy.

"aether?" you say in a hushed whisper. you're far away from your campsite, but you say his name as though it were the most scandalous secret you've ever been told. "is that... are you aether?"

somewhere deep down, you hoped to celestia that you were wrong. you really did. but when aether's lips split into a solemn smile, you feel guilt and panic begin to twist your insides into knots. "y-you're here," you stammer. "i have to go tell lumine--!"

you start to run back but aether is swift, catching your wrist in an almost bruising grip. you whirl around to look at him thinking he would be furious with you, but instead, there's a forlorn look swimming in his eyes. your heart tugs; he looks just like lumine. there was really no doubting that they were twins.

"don't," he shakes his head and lets go of your wrist, "don't tell her that you've seen me."

"why? she's running herself ragged looking for you!" you feel sick to your stomach. he expects you to keep this a secret? this was why you were with lumine -- why you stuck by her side even in the worst of times. it was all for the sake of finding him. "you two could go home and be together again, but you're just... you're going to abandon her?"

aether's face darkens for a moment, but he seems to realize something before it levels out. "i'm... not abandoning her. it's just that there are some things she needs to do -- that i need to do -- before we can leave." he glances in the direction of your campsite; it's like he can sense lumine's presence. the white accents of his clothing and jewelry shine a little brighter as he speaks. "she needs to find her truth. i've already found mine."

you feel suffocated. there's so much going through your head -- so much wrong with this situation. you don't want to do as aether says, but you would be lying if you said you didn't feel power radiating off of him. it's the same kind that you felt from lumine, but aether's was so densely saturated -- so much stronger than his sister's. did he manage to get his old powers back, then? if you were to disobey him... what would he do to you?

aether's eyes flick back to you. "you're thinking that i'm going to hurt you." it's not a question. he knows.

you shake your head but it's useless. he's already picked up on it.

"i guess i'm not as... approachable as my sister." he chuckles to himself. he steps closer to you. "but i'm not going to hurt you. if i was, i would have let that mitachurl do you in."

"th-then what do you want from me?"

"your silence." aether hums. "and," he walks to a tree behind you, picks a windwheel aster from the ground and comes back to give it to you. "your attention."

he wants your attention? "if it's my attention you want," you reply, taking the flower from aether with shaky fingers, "then you already have it."

aether laughs again. he's been doing that a lot, you notice. is there something amusing about this? "i don't mean your attention in that way. in due time, however, i trust that you will understand what i mean."

"what?"

in the distance, you hear the howling of a wolf. the moon must be at its highest now. aether's eyes follow the noise before centering on you again. his gaze softens when he sees you tense under his stare. "it's very late. you should go back to bed." he says softly.

something about his tone makes your breathing become uneven. "what if i tell lumine?" you say. "i-i could tell her everything. i don't have to listen to you."

aether nods. "you're right, you're right. but," he steps away and makes his way deeper into the forest, "i trust you."

and just like that, he's gone, leaving you with the spinning petals of a windwheel aster in your fingertips and the smell of stardust in your lungs.

what then?

you don't tell lumine.

when you got back to camp that night, your best friend was awake and frantic, because she had no idea where you'd gone and because you didn't use your vision, she couldn't trace you with elemental sight

she was so afraid that you'd abandoned her too

you were in such a daze that you didn't know what to say, so lumine assumed that you ran into some terrible danger

it wasn't inaccurate, so you let her believe it

but you didn't tell her the truth.

after that, you begin to see aether more and more often.

mostly in passing, but you notice that he's actually trailing you two

but whenever he catches your eye, you notice that his eyes are locked on you and not his sister

you only talk to him at night, when the world has gone to sleep

aether reveals himself to you when you're alone and jerks you around with his cryptic speech and charming smile

every time, he tells you how much he trusts you, because you haven't told lumine of your nightly rendezvous with him

and every time, the guilt grows stronger.

partially because you're hiding such a big secret from your closest friend

but also because you know when you're falling in love.

what is loving the abyss prince like?

it's suffocating at first.

you shoulder the weight of the world by loving him as much as you do.

at first, you tried to convince yourself that it was hatred.

hatred for the man who forced you to be a liar

hatred for the man who gifted you flowers and exotic trinkets from the nations you hadn't visited yet

hatred for the man who embraced you like you were the most delicate being on the planet

because you came to yearn for his presence

nights when he didn't visit were the worst nights of your life

you almost had withdrawals whenever you couldn't see him

you tried your best to restrain yourself when you two would reunite after a while, but aether could always pick up on your neediness

you hated him, you tried to tell yourself

you hate him you hate him you hate him.

you don't know when that changed.

but you knew and he knew that neither of you were going to make it out of this strange relationship without heartbreak.

aether confesses to you on the peak of starsnatch cliff.

"to the people of mondstadt," he speaks to you over his shoulder as he plucks cecilias out of the ground, "people who confess their love here are fated to be together for eternity."

the very second those words leave his lips, your heart stops. it's a common thing whenever you're with aether. he makes your body do the weirdest things with the littlest behaviors. his words could stop your heart and his smile could make your mind melt. it was wrong -- it was so, so, so wrong -- but you couldn't stop it.

you try in vain to keep yourself calm. "why do you know that?" you ask. you're often blunt with the prince of the abyss. he's told you on multiple occasions that he finds it endearing, since most of his subjects wouldn't even dare look him in the eyes. you hear his tinkling laugh from behind you.

"just a bit of trivia for you." he says. he stands and heads over to you, sitting beside you on the grass with the little bouquet of cecelias in hand. their light fragrance carries on the breeze.

"i've always found mondstadt to be one of my favorite places in this world." aether muses. his eyes close and your fingers itch with the urge to touch his face. his eyelashes are as golden as his hair, long and beautiful. "nowhere else is as tranquil as this place. i've sent barbatos my kind regards more than once."

you gape. "you're on good terms with the anemo archon? but i thought you.." you trail off. aether's told you his story already -- his mission. he's so transparent with you that it makes you want to bury your head in a hole.

aether removes the gloves from his hands and gently strokes the flower petals. "i may be working against the archons, but i'm not that immature. i know guilt when i see it." he looks at you then. you freeze. "i know you feel guilty about this. about us."

"there is no us." you say. the words feel so bitter and disgusting on your tongue. "there's not supposed to be an 'us'."

"and yet here you are." the prince reaches out and cradles your face with a hand. "letting me touch you like we're lovers." he smiles when you don't pull away. you may not notice, but you relax at his touch. his hands are warm and calloused, his fingers and forearms scarred from centuries of battles fought and won. they're comforting to you, no matter how much you want to deny it.

you bite your lip. you can't lie to yourself anymore. you've lied to enough people as it is. you rest your hand on the back of aether's own. "why are you doing this to me?" you ask softly. your voice cracks.

rather than answer you with words, aether leans in and kisses your forehead. your skin sings at the contact. "because you're intriguing." he murmurs against your skin.

you laugh wetly. "you always say that. i need a real reason."

he kisses your cheek. "because you're capable," he continues. "you're mystifying," he kisses your other cheek, "you're trustworthy," he kisses your nose, "and because i..." aether stops and presses his forehead against yours.

you don't think you're breathing anymore. elation has built so much in your chest that you think you're going to burst. "because what?" you whisper. "why do you stick around me so much, aether?"

"say it again." he says. he closes his eyes with a sigh. "my name. say it again."

you obey. "aether."

"again."

"a-aether," you stutter, "what is this about?"

aether silences any other questions you may have with a kiss. it's the ghost of a kiss, really; a barely-there brush of lips that sets off fireworks in your head. "you asked me why i'm doing this." he speaks against your mouth. "it's because i'm in love with you."

you don't mean to say his name again, but it's the only word you can think to say in response. he kisses you properly this time. "aether, i can't," you feel like your very soul is shaking. you're conflicted, but if this goes on any longer, you're going to make your decision. "this is--"

aether kisses you again, drinking in your half-hearted protests. "you feel the same, don't you?" he asks when he pulls away. "i know you do. you wouldn't let me kiss you if you didn't."

"what did you do to me?" you feel a lump in your throat. you've never felt love so genuine -- so pure. but to feel that from the prince of the abyss order? it was tearing you apart. "why do i love you so much, aether? why?"

the prince kisses you. "tell me you love me again. please."

"i love you." the words come straight from your chest; from the deepest, most sensitive place in your body. you mean every word, every syllable. "i love y--"

another kiss. "one more time, star. just one more."

you sniff. you don't know when you started crying, but you are. aether's other hand cups your face, brushing your tears with his thumb. "i love you." you whisper. "so, so much, aether."

aether sighs, finally content. "and i love you. more than there are stars in the sky."

beneath those stars, your abyss prince kisses you tenderly, murmuring words of adoration all the while.

where does your relationship go from here?

from here, nothing changes.

you're so used to lying to lumine that you don't change how behave during the day

your nightly meetings with the abyss prince become more intimate, with you two always touching in some way

he tells you stories of himself and lumine in the past

or maybe he'll tell you of the happenings of the abyss

he does so in order to keep you and lumine out of trouble

aether doesn't hide a thing from you because you've already proven yourself to him

he was drawn to you because of your ability to keep his other half safe

you were helping her reach the answers he wanted her to reach, even after you two became official

at night, aether will sometimes fantasize about taking you along with him and lumine when they leave this world

there's so much he wants you to see, so many things he wants to show you -- to experience with you

but until then, he must complete his work here

there will be nights when aether is too furious to touch or speak to you

he trusts you, but not himself

because he's been the ruler of the underbelly of this world for so long, he feels as though he shouldn't be around you in fear that he will ruin you

that you will become a monster much like him

but really, all you need to do is remind him that you trust him.

kiss him all over, hold his hands, braid his hair, stay close by

because that's more than enough for him to understand that he's not some weapon of mass destruction -- that he's capable of good and deserving of love just like everyone else

he is still just a man lost without his family

he's so torn up about not being able to be around lumine, but the day when he can be around her -- when he can tell her the truth -- is quickly approaching

and it's all thanks to you

because of you, the twins can see each other much sooner than aether planned

you and aether plan to slowly ease lumine into the truth of your relationship when it comes time to tell her

but there will be no more lies. not anymore.

lastly, what is he like as a lover?

lumine told you once that her brother was a very tactile person

he's always been the more compassionate out of the two of them, so he's a hands-on kind of person

something you learn through experience

he's always touching you in some way, be it your hands, shoulders, etc.

he also always takes his gloves off if he's going to touch your skin

very big on cuddling... abyss prince or not, aether just... really likes the warmth of someone else.

aether has a very stern side to him that you see on occasion

mostly when he talks about what he does during the day

his eyes grow dull and his tone will freeze over. his face will lose all of its usual warmth and he'll probably squeeze whatever it is that's in his hands

that's really just a fraction of what he's really like when he's carrying out his duties as prince of the abyss.

also very big on gift giving!! he'll give you little things here and there, but there has never been a time when he hasn't given you something.

i think that aether is a very passionate lover, abyss status or not

but because of his duties, you need to be patient with him. he's prone to moments of panic or lashing out of anger

never directed at you, but things pile up during the day and he has to keep it in to maintain his reputation

✧ i feel like this was not exactly what anon asked for but i'm so?? in love with this idea?? yes yeah.

Vigil ✤ Kazuha

V i g i l

A/N: Here is the Kazuha angst, sweeties :')) I wrote this with my prepared angsty playlist hehe- I.. well, my heart cracked..

✤ She/her

Words: 3.9k

"Text in this format means dialogue in flashback!"

≿————- ❈ ————-≾

The memory of peering into the crib with excited blabbers remains fresh, untarnished with the passing of time.

It feels like it’s just yesterday when your mother reached for the wailing baby laying inside to hand him in your caring touch.

“This is your little brother, [Name].” you squealed when the boy clung unto your finger, “His name is Kazuha. Be a good sister for him, understand?”

“Yes!”

Ah, that did feel as if it was just yesterday.

“Nee-chan!”

Dropping the basket of laundry, you frantically looked around.

“Nee-chan!”

“Kazuha-!?”

He was sprinting, arms flailing as tears spilled past his eyes and panicked exclaims left his lips. His friend was chasing him from behind, laughing as he waved an undercooked fish—your brother’s worst nightmare.

Comedic but understandable.

“Tomo’s making me eat it!” your younger brother mumbled behind you, pointing accusingly towards his friend who sheepishly spluttered excuses at your stern gaze.

Taking the skewered fish in Tomo’s hands, you hummed, patting his and Kazuha’s heads.

“How about I cook something for the both of you, instead? How’s that sound?”

“Yes, please! Nee-chan’s cooking is the best!”

You can never get tired of cooking for the two of them, even if your sibling eventually asked to be taught, you find yourself still taking over cooking duty. Lovingly whipping up dishes is your forte.

It stuck around when the household eventually lost the attending servants following the fall of the Kaedehara clan. It even stuck through the grim times of your parents’ passing.

Kazuha had went through so much at a young age, changed little by little—and you aren’t oblivious to it. With his growth, you are a witness to his budding shell of maturity.

Single years fold into a decade and all of a sudden, the mirthful silverette who doesn’t last a day without calling you ‘big sister’ has grown up.

Far too quickly, to be honest, but who are you to hold him back?

“You don’t call me ‘nee-san’ nowadays,” you laugh jokingly, “My, you’ve grown so much, Kazu!”

He stares at the plates of food you set on the dining table, his sigh small and feeble as you continue gushing. Albeit he has a smile on his face, it appears tight. Forced.

But you turn a blind eye to that—you’ve always been doing it.

Now, however, it seems that your brother has grown tired of humoring you. It has been going on for too long.

“I’m not some child anymore..” his monotonous voice is so unlike him—it’s as if he no longer is the person you grew up with.

Having him address it bluntly prompts you to pause, the only sound being the sizzling of unagi meat, frying to perfection. The richness of its color, however, dulls when you process what your sibling has mentioned.

As if its vividness is an illusion meant to shield you from present-day reality.

Still, you shake it away, keeping the smile on your face as you set the fried meat on a new plate, turning to put it down on the table beside the other dishes.

“Oh, Ka-“ you stop, seeing the look in his eyes.

The way his carmine optics bore against your [c]s is foreign.

It’s scary.

It’s different. It’s new.

You sit down in front of him, trying not to show how restless you’ve become. Such an attempt is futile, of course, since you’re in front of the person you’ve been with for years.

“Kazu-“

Thud!

Silence zips your lips when he lays his chopsticks down. It isn’t by any means a slam—but someone like Kazuha doesn’t need to be outright with anything in order to express a negative opinion.

“So please refrain from initiating unnecessary coddling,” he cuts you off with a swivel as he leaves for the door. “I have grown up now, sister. I... need you less.”

What?

A multitude of emotions hit you at once, all coming from his sudden statement that feels like it can tear you apart. But oh—who were you kidding?

You know that this will eventually come.

The very day where he admits that he is capable of being alone. Without you.

The opening of the door causes you to stand from your chair, “Wait!”

He does as you said but doesn’t look back. His hand remains on the handle of the knob, unchanging of his decision to leave.

You tug the black and red scarf from your neck, inching close to the man so you can wrap it around his neck. “It’s cold outside.. won’t you at least eat something?”

It takes him a moment to respond—but his decision does not change.

He detangles the fabric on his neck and, without looking you in the eye, sets it in your hand, rejecting your offer.

“Later.”

And he’s gone.

≿————- ❈ ————-≾

Nothing changed much after he left with that declaration.

Often times he still returns in the dead of night, a smile on his face. It will only ever droop when you come in the room greeting him a lovely evening, and he will sigh.

“I told you not to wait up for me.”

He will depart for his room before he can hear your explanation.

It leaves you hanging, hollow with bitter hope and refusal to believe that you both have reached that time in life where he doesn’t need you as much.

Each time he turns his back, you are filled to the brim with sorrow you didn’t know you’re capable of holding.

Retreating to the upper floor of your home, you will stay at the balcony sighing your concerns away to the stars. To the place where you believe your parents are staying, listening to your bouts of frustration and worry.

“Was I a good sibling for him, mother? Father?” you’ll sometimes mutter as you play with your silver locks, the only thing you share with your sibling other than the forgotten name of a once esteemed clan.

And as you vent all these to the stars, you remain oblivious to the lone figure hiding by the shadows in the adjacent room. His frown is tiny. Sad, but not guilty.

Kazuha will leave once again before he’ll hear his sister’s frustrated cries.

Sometimes, he will chew over it when he is wandering Inazuma—thinking, pondering if perhaps there could’ve been a way to say it without hurting his sibling. But as he contemplates over and over, he finds that there is no easy method to admitting the truth.

His friend Tomo, albeit not being told anything, is naturally cognizant of the things revolving around the silver-haired siblings. The older sister’s presence has been diminishing and he can count her appearances at Kazuha’s side getting less.

He has implied several times to make up with the female even if they had no outright argument, and when faced with a baffled question of ‘why’, Tomo only smiles.

“Because you’re family.”

So simple and yet—when Kazuha thinks of the matter a minute longer, the taste in his tongue becomes acrid.

“What upsets you?” his friend questions as he coos over his white feline, “You’re not the Kazuha who’s always crying for big sister, heh.”

The silverette cannot even find it within him to send a retort. His silence, to others, is a message that typifies a want to be alone—but to Tomo, who has known him since they’re both children, that silence is different.

With a hum, he stretches his limbs, yawning as his cat rolls around the grass.

“You know, [Name] won’t hate you for wanting it,” he starts, “You want to wander, don’t you? But you feel like you’re tied down. You’re grounded—because [Name] is here.”

Kazuha flinches and his friend snickers.

Spot on.

“I’m just going to repeat what I said because I meant it, Kazuha. Tell her the truth. She’s literally the most understanding person I know—it’s not like she’s going to despise you for wanting something.”

“… I’ll think about it.”

Tomo sighs. It’s not what I was hoping for but it’s a start.

Remembering something that moment, Tomo lets out a loud scream that nearly sent his friend toppling in the nearby stream of water. Kazuha looks on with slightly wide eyes as the other man jumps to his feet, violet eyes gleaming.

“Oh, right! I plan to initiate another challenge!”

Another challenge…

Kazuha closes his eyes with a hum, “I do hope you’ll last another. You’ve been faced with the worst of the worst.”

The chuckles that leave his friend’s lips are excited and sort of expectant.

“It’s going to be the ultimate one of all! So if you’ll excuse me~”

≿————- ❈ ————-≾

Perhaps a talk with your brother will do you both good.

You’ve both been acting like strangers walking on eggshells underneath the same house and it is driving you insane. He’s not even looking you in the eye anymore!

Given his quiet personality, confrontation will be difficult, but he’s a cooperative person. Besides, he always hears you out.

There isn’t any reason for him not to when he knows that this will be done only for the betterment of the future.

So, with a nervous disposition but eager heart to settle things right, you lift the basket from its place with plans to head over to the market. It’s an hour or two before dusk, just the perfect time to shop for dinner.

“Mm.. some dry-braised salted fish for tonight sounds lovely.” You muse, remembering how the dish is your brother’s favorite.

Ah, the number of tries he takes to perfect and stylish it into his own can’t be forgotten.

It doesn’t take too long to cook it, but you’ll be making tons of other side dishes and dessert, so it’s best to start early!

You exit the abode, the smile on your face present as ever even when you’re greeted outside by a couple of Shogunate Soldiers. Their features appear sterner, their hold on their naginata rock solid.

“Are you Kaedehara [Name]?”

Hm?

“Yes. Can I help you?”

The soldiers lunge forward, spears falling to a position pointing at you from all possible angles, cutting any means of escape as you furrow your brows. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Your brother has defied the Decree of the Shogun and was hereby declared a criminal. Going against an Imperial Decree results in punishment inclusive to his immediate family.”

Your basket falls to the ground.

Thud!

Kazuha’s feet create a loud sound following his landing, a breath of panic expelling past as he rushes away.

The warmth in his hand escalates to a scalding degree, burning and searing like the fading power of Electro held within the golden casing.

To think that that was what Tomo meant.. !

He does not feel anger, no, just the burn of desperation and want to hide his friend’s Vision because he doesn’t want it to be taken away—to be placed in that statue that displays the lost ambitions of many others.

He’ll be damned before the Shogunate can take it… !

The criminal evades those at his tail, making swift maneuvers on rooftops and alleys without a second thought. His limbs are answering his every command, be it to duck, to jump—or to even draw his blade.

He is still ways away from the port but getting there won’t prove to be too complex for someone like him. He’s cut down plenty of the samurai in his escape from Tenshukaku,

Tomo…

“You’re family. Tell her.”

Family—

“This is the first one in a long time I’ve heard of it being extended-! To whom again? The clan that has lost its prestige a decade ago, right?” he almost trips in his sprinting, darting to an alleyway so he can further eavesdrop.

Did I hear that correctly?

A relieved sigh escapes when those chasing him run past his hiding spot.

Sucking in his breath, the silverette tightens his grip on the faded Vision of his best friend as he listens in the hushed conversation.

“Be quiet!” someone hisses, “If someone overhears us, what next? Still, I do feel bad.. they lost so much already. I can’t believe they’d drag an innocent person into it, too..”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. The Shogun issued the penalty to immediate families, right? As far as I know, there are only two Kaedeharas left—”

Kazuha feels his heart stopping. Kaede..hara?

There’s no mistaking it.

But why—?

Why would a punishment meant for him extend to her?

She’s innocent!

Going off-course, he sprints in the direction of his house. The house that he lives in with his sister who takes great care of him—the same sister he’s willing to leave in favor of chasing what he wants in life.

He’s willing to, but he doesn’t.

Because perhaps—perhaps if he stayed and buried his desire, then he will amount to the same greatness she has done for him. But he cannot stand it, either. As patient as he is, as kind and ‘gentle’, [Name] can always see through his face.

He’s always been antsy—always itching to wander and he’s stumped that his sister is well-aware of that fact. Still, she’s always playing the ignorant one, pretending not to care- still coddling him as if he’s little and he’s had… enough of it.

But now that the situation has pinned this misfortune upon them, the ronin realizes that she’s only pretending for his sake, as well.

“Cut that out, I don’t need it. I fear that.. you will only embarrass yourself.”

Wasn’t it him who refused to tell her of his want to roam free in the first place?

“I understand that I am your brother—but there is no need to worry over me all the time. I can look after myself, [Name]. Do worry about something else, instead.”

Wasn’t it him who stuck around, still?

The bitterness in his tongue increases with each leap of his feet. He doesn’t even process the race of his heart as he’s carried through the same path that leads him home. To his family—to his only sister.

Everything seems to pass by slowly, in a blur, like the specks that decorate his vision the more his mind throws stacks and stacks of memories. This is madness.

Complete and utter madness.

He rounds the corner to see the figure of his only sibling, her back turned to him—she cannot see him, but he can see the armed soldiers flanking around her.

His throat tightens and certainly, he wouldn’t have been able to utter a word due to how it feels like his throat has been crushed.

“[Name]!”

Yet, the furious scream that tears past his lips denies all kinds of ‘impossibility’ the instant he sees the female falling to the ground, the sight of red splatter making him draw his blade.

Whoosh!

The summoned wind is opposingly gentle to the brewing storm in someone’s beautiful carmine eyes.

“[Name]-.. !”

That voice.. Kazuha?

Sometimes, the depth of emotion in Kazuha’s eyes is too deep for you to understand. Despite being so silent, he’s so, so expressive with his stares.

That even when he isn’t trembling when he lifts your torso, you know how much he’s quaking from within.

“What are you.. doing here? You have to go,” you cough red when he adjusts you in his arms, the sight of the fallen soldiers reminding you of the situation at hand. “Quick—before they.. catch you.”

He shakes his head,

“I’m taking you with me, I have a boat prepared, come, let’s—”

“Don’t lie to me, Kazuha.”

He pauses, flitting his gaze down to meet yours. You hate how you can’t seem to focus on him, though. Your sight is blurring in and out, only providing small intervals of clarity where you can see the panic in his features.

A sight you didn’t think you’d see on him until now.

“I know you made it for yourself. You’ve been planning to leave home, weren’t you? I’m not..” you’re not oblivious to his wish, “I’m not mad. I was only holding you back, wasn’t I?”

He sucks in a breath.

“I-I-“

What was he supposed to say?

Weakly tapping his arm, you start taking quick breaths—just to take in all the air you can while tolerating the gaping wound from being impaled.

It hurts. You want to scream. It hurts.

But you don’t—because you do not want to appear weak to your brother.

You promised mother and father that you will not cry when faced with problems—he mustn’t see, Kazuha mustn’t see. But at this moment, you just want to break apart. Disbelief is kicking in, you can’t believe this is happening.

When—where did everything go wrong?

“Besides, I’m not of use to you anymore. As if I’ll last the journey to Liyue-“

“Don’t say that!”

You blink owlishly, gasping out in pain when his hand presses against your wound, futilely attempting to hold back the bleeding.

“K-Kazuha?”

Your own hand shakily plants itself atop his own, helping him press—as if his hand isn’t heavy enough to stop the flow—it down. It will hurt, but you can’t say for sure. You’ve already grown numb and your head is swimming.

Still, you focus on him.

Still, you help him apply pressure even if you know—even if he knows—that it’s too late.

“Don’t say that. You’ve..” his voice cracks, “You’ve done so much, [Name], you-“

You took over the clan household when our parents died. You struggled to make ends meet for both of us. And yet.. all I do.. all I do is… !

Kazuha angrily bites on his lip, his hold on his composure beginning to slip as his mind throws in a reel of olden days.

“I’m leaving, [Name]. Please don’t wait up, I may take longer.”

“I’m grateful, but I don’t need that anymore.”

“Stop that, already.”

He dips his head with a muffled cry. All I do is wander and desire for a future where I can roam freely. I haven’t even thought of you..!

“You’ve grown, Kazuha,” he snaps back into this harsh reality when he feels the hand atop his disappear, presently moving to brush his messy locks.

He doesn’t know why all of a sudden his sight is becoming misty, but perhaps—perhaps it is because he remembers when his sister used to brush his hair the same way with a loving smile.

It is the same touch he flees from nowadays.

The same touch now—the same loving smile.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right—you’ve grown so much.. and I’m still clinging onto the past.”

So lively, so beautiful and yet—

“You’re strong now..”

Yet it’s dying.

He presses harder on his sibling’s wound, almost sadistically—as if he’s hoping that it’ll ignite a painful reaction. “[Name], please, let me-“

Because if it hurt—then it means she’s still okay. She’s still responding.

“So capable.. so independent, you are.”

So why—? He almost chokes out a sob. Why are you not reacting to it!?

“Mother and father would be so proud of you. I am sorry if I was lacking in any way.”

“Please, [Name], you can’t do this.” He trembles, the composure he created so, so close to breaking as he gives up on endeavors that are pointless, to begin with. Instead, he tilts his head up, wishing to curse the heavens above.

For everything.

“I’m happy to be your sister, and.. I’m proud of you… Kazu..”

“Wait-“ he stumbles over his words, catching the falling hand of his sibling and registering how deathly pale she has gotten in a matter of seconds. “Wait, please—I-“

As much as he wants to voice out he’s sorry. For many things; for turning his back on her, for being distant when all they have is each other, he’s unable to find his voice when he sees the tears dripping out of his sister’s [c] eyes.

His strong older sister—weeping. It’s the first time he has seen her cry.

Her smile trembles—

“I love you. My nice.. little.. brother.”

—And her [c]s are then hidden forever.

The way she endearingly called him in her dying breath has him freezing, his heart pausing as if he had died along with her. But then the spark of pain welcomes him back to reality—to life.

And then he is leaning over her.

“[Name]..” breathless whispers escalate into panicked murmurs. “[Name]?”

His heart is pounding in his chest as he tries to shake her awake, like when he’d do when he’s eight and awake from an awful dream.

“Nee-san.. can I sleep by your side tonight?”

And although her [c] eyes are tired, she will still smile. “Okay.”

And she’d keep watch over him the whole night.

He’s reminded of it when he hopelessly shakes her awake, to no obvious avail. But he keeps grasping her arms, anyway, like he used to many years ago.

But things are different now.

“[Name]—[N-Name]!?”

He said it himself—he’s no longer a child.

“Please, don’t leave me- I- you’re all I have left!” The ronin’s composure finally breaks loose and his tears begin landing like a profuse waterfall. His uncontained sobs remain unheard.

This time, there is no one to wake him up from his nightmares.

“No—no, no- no, please..!” Kazuha weeps as he holds his sister’s cold hand, shakily pressing it to his forehead, imitating the sweet action she has always given him. A hand on his head, on his shoulder—or on his cheek if he’s tearful. “You can’t!”

She’ll tell him not to be sad because it’ll make her sad, too.

And he’ll hurriedly wipe his tears because ‘no! big sister mustn’t feel sad because of me!’.

Then [Name] will muster a smile as bright as the sun and hold his face in her warm hands, and press a kiss on his forehead. He’ll get red and thrash around, whining, ‘onee-san!’. And about how embarrassing it is so she mustn’t do it anymore.

Now, he is holding her hand in his own, trying to remember the same warmth it emitted just a day ago. Just a few hours ago. How long has it been?

And when he doesn’t feel the warmth—when he doesn’t remember the warmth, when all he feels is the cold and the obvious lack of love, Kazuha breaks apart.

His heart squeezes and his tears spill more, his lips parting to release the honorific he has dropped a long, long time ago. “Nee-san!”

“You don’t call me ‘nee-san’ nowadays,”

“Onee-san!”

“My, you’ve grown so much, Kazu!”

“Onee-san!”

I’m calling you. He cries, like a picture of misery. So why aren’t you waking up? Sister! He cries, like a heartbroken child.

The winds around him pick up, warning him of incoming men sent to apprehend and penalize him the same way they did to his sibling. It’s suffocating—maddening, even, and he wants to tear them all down himself.

But [Name] wouldn’t like that.

So, with a muted cry and bolster of willpower, he tears himself from the body of his kin, trembling.

He can hear the thundering steps of the samurai as he hurries to untangle the same black and red scarf [Name] has once attempted to give him. The same fabric he has rejected.

“I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry.” he hugs her with all his might, with his soul, and with his heart before he’s back up on his feet and running. I love you, too, nee-san.

“Get him!” someone roars from behind.

And although he wishes to turn and slice them away, he couldn’t—because he’d be seeing the fallen figure of the same person he had neglected to cherish. So, instead, he nestles the scarf around his neck whilst clutching onto the Vision of his friend.

Down the path, he runs.

Years ago, he will be accompanied by the people he loves, chasing a faraway future.

Now he is running on the same path alone, running after a dream that can now be turned into reality.

Far from Inazuma.

Far from home.

≿————-　❈　————-≾

a/n: did it hurt-

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　Return to the Scrying Glass　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

≿————-　taglist　————-≾

@lehra @melkxsh

Hello wello, may I request the genshin tall bois (Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Zhongli) with a gn reader where reader really likes them and its not a secret that theyve been trying to win them over but a situation forced the bois to admit that they hated/find reader annoying and they didnt know that reader heard everything. (Did that make sense?) please feel free to pour truck tons of angst. Whether it has comfort in the end is up to u :3. I hope you have a great day ❤️

— # 🫐Listening To The Truth | Genshin ✘ Reader(s) Hcs

⤤ Summary: The reader is ready to truly confess to the *genshin character* they like until they hear that Genshin character mention their name. Stating how annoying they are around them, and how they can’t stand them or working near them. Which breaks the reader’s heart.

⤤ Notes: I tried to make this as long as I could, and I also apologize for this request since it took longer than it should have. So like… yeah. I did two characters for now because I am hella tired, Kaeya & Zhongli will be added later. Also if this is seen without Childe or empty paragraphs, I accidentally published it without it being finished… also childe’s part is toxic. Don’t think what he is doing is correct.

⤤ Characters: Diluc & Childe.

Warnings: Heartbroken, Sad, Slight Suicidal Thoughts + Angst + Comfort & Toxicity From Childe

Diluc | Hard Truth

You managed to find yourself walking around Mondstalt looking for Jean. Seeing if she was with Lisa or Kaeya. Today would be one of the days where you were going to the Tavern and ask Diluc for some help.

Not that you really needed any, but because you wanted to express your true feelings to him. Cause trying to suppress those feelings inside was already hard enough.

You continued to walk closer to the tavern, realizing it was a bit too late for it to not be open. But you could see that door was slight open, so you peaked through it to see if anyone was inside.

In your sight you could see Jean and Diluc talking quite loudly from behind the counter. Listening to them talking about commissions and etc.

“Diluc, perhaps I should have [Name] show you” you heard Jean mention your name as a suggestion. “They know more about the hilichurls than most of us.”

You grew with excitement. If by all means you could spend more time with Diluc. There would be no point in complaining. Though the only thing that could be a pain in the ass would be fighting those hilichurls all day.

They were quite an annoying breed.

“No thank you.” You hear Diluc say coldly. Your once flustered heart, dropped.

“Why?” Jean asked and Diluc huffed loudly. You pressed your ear closed to the door.

“I am not fond of their behavior. They annoy me, at a great level. I can’t dare to spend another day with them distracting me from my work. They are just too… joyful.” He went on to complain. Each word leaving his lips making cracks in your heart. “They can be strong all they want, they’d be the reason of my death due to their annoyance.”

Slowly tears started to pour from your eyes as you stood up straight once more. Pressing your hand to your nose to keep the sniffles muffled, before running off quite loudly. But away from the tavern. Jean swiftly turned her head to the tavern doors and raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“You hear that?”

“Hmm?”

You ran as far as you could feeling your beating heart, crack like a fragile mirror. So with every few steps you took, you would try to wipe at the tears running down your face. But it didn’t work. It never worked.

You continued to run up the stairs, near the church. Before finding a nearby bench, where not many people or citizens were at.

You just lowered your head hoping no one would notice your tears that laid on face and fell to your lap. You were ready to continue your sobbing, until someone sat besides you.

“Kaeya?” You asked turning your head, swiftly to the right. Kaeya smirked slightly, and raised an eyebrow as to why you had so many tears coming down from your face.

“I saw you running here, so I assumed it was an emergency” he started.

“Oh…” you mumbled. “My apologies then”

He let out a chuckle.

“Why are you crying?” Kaeya asked, grabbing your chin with his hand, and wiping your tears away.

You couldn’t help but let out more sobs. But after some time, the words came out of your lips like a sweet melody.

— — —

For the next following weeks, you grew quite quiet, and just stayed neutral when you were with Diluc. You didn’t laugh, or joke with him like you usually did. Didn’t go to ask him of his favorite things nor asked how his day went. You just went and killed hilichurls and reported it to Jean.

And you stayed extremely quiet when it came to talking with Diluc or Jean. Whether they asked how your day went, or if you needed help. The most they could and would get is a nod or shaking head from you.

But of course when you were in the comfort of your house, behind doors, you were secretly in a relationship with Kaeya. You never wanted it to be too open to the public, but he did tease you a lot. Which made some of the knights question the two of you.

When you two were together at home, you both would either cook with each other, read books, do work, or sleep besides each other. Or just cuddle for hours. Usually the choice was up to you.

“[Name]” Jean called out walking down from one of the hallways. “Have you seen Diluc?”

You shook your head. And darted towards the doors, in a hurry to leave the place. Jean got a bit nervous and started to feel guilty, realizing that you weren’t like you’re usual self.

They had enough knights that have been traumatized and you were the only one who was actually able to spread some joy. But now seeing that you were no longer capable of doing that, she started to question if it was because of her.

When you walked outside, Diluc noticed your presence. But you didn’t notice him, and he watched you walk to the area where some of the Barbara fan clubs would be near. Especially Albert.

Usually in that area where many leaves would pile up and the traveler (aka Honorary Knight) would be forced to clean. Diluc started to follow you.

Even he has been curious on why you didn’t act the same. And as much as he wanted to admit that he preferred you to not be so loud. He quite missed it. Because after these few weeks and nearly a month passing, he realized that he feelings for you.

Feelings he realized he didn’t have before. So when he followed you, and realized you ran into Kaeya’s arms with such joy sparkling in your eyes as Kaeya picked you up. His heart didn’t shatter. But he could feel it drown.

Drowning in regret.

Childe | Rude Truth

You smiled wildly, as you entered the bank, and entering one of the back halls to go and see if Childe was still lingering in this fancy place. You could hear Childe’s voice coming from his office. As you could hear Scara’s voice as well.

So you stopped carefully right in front of his door. Hearing the two of them speak.

“I can do it myself, asshole.” Scara complained. “Besides why don’t you go and train with [Name]?”

You hear Childe let out a brutal chuckle.

“I hate them, that’s why.”

That one sentence. Left a crack right down in the middle of your heart. Making you feel disappointed and sad. The way the word left his lips were just so… cold.

“Cannot blame you, huh? They piss me off too.” Scara added, and it was enough for you to hear before tears ran down your face.

You ran away from the door loudly, running away as fast as you could and darting out through the main entrance. Running as fast as you could down a few more steps before crashing right into Zhongli.

Tears getting on his cloths due to you.

“Oh my archon!” You exclaimed, embarrassed and trying to hide away the tears. “I am so heavenly sorry!”

Zhongli let out a sigh gesturing his hands that it was fine.

“I am fine… but are you?” Zhongli asked, before wiping off some dirt he got on your shoulders. You couldn’t help but shake off your head.

He patted your head a little bit, as he wrapped an arm around your waist, and having to be by your side while you ranged and complained about what happened. While Childe secretly watched from the balcony.

— — —

After a couple of weeks you managed to get over Childe, and found yourself in a romantic relationship with Zhongli.

He was much better than Childe. He treated you correctly and always praised you for your hard work. Which was something Childe didn’t take very lightly. He didn’t realize how he felt until after he stated his hatred towards you.

It was hard when he was so used to you, running up to him and asking how is day went. It’s like you guys were already in a relationship. Which is why he didn’t take it kindly when you got in a relationship with Zhongli. He felt cheated on.

Now that you no longer clinged onto him, it pissed him every second of the day. So while he watched you right now, drinking tea with Zhongli outside, directly underneath the bridge type of balcony he was standing at.

He slowly wielded his bow, aiming it towards you. Making sure it would hit right in the middle of your neck. So that it could be an instant death. He kept fighting with his brain that it wasn’t fair. How he lost you so easily.

It wasn’t fair. It never was fair.

“If I had to suffer… he should too” Childe mumbled.

He released the arrow.

Can you write "You smile like an idiot when you are talking to them." with Kazuha?

Here you go anon! Got some help from @officialscaramouche with the plot here!

When you first joined the resistance, Kazuha was the one who didn't seem to be too bothered by you. It wasn't so much that he didn't like nor trust you, but it was rather that he seemed rather preoccupied. Often, the two of you would just sit, indulging in the sounds nature let out in harmony before he had to go for something else or you left when his friend came along, not wanting to be the awkward third wheel in the interaction.

Kazuha ran away with his friends dead vision in his hand, and when news came back to the resistance, you barely hold back your feelings. It was rather embarrassing to exhibit the feelings you had, practically beaming even thinking about seeing your friend again. Deep down you knew you had more than platonic feelings for him, but you never pursued these out of the fear of it breaking your connection with him entirely. Kokomi spoke to you after seeing how uncharacteristically quiet you got, knowing you had feelings for Kazuha. It was like the only person who didn't know how you felt about Kazuha was, well, Kazuha. The conversation was rather empty, only giving you a pat on the back before she explained Kazuha wasn't going to be back for some time. You nod your head, not giving a verbal reply.

"I think its cute." Kokomi hummed, catching on to how your eyes lightened up at the possibility of Kazuha returning, no matter how viable it was. "When you're with him, you smile like an idiot." She giggles, walking away.

Looking down at your feet, you feel rather embarrassed that you were acting so blatantly about how you felt, thinking back to it. You didn't even try to hide it! That probably didn't help Kazuha when he was on missions, likely getting daft comments about you looking at him like he was the best thing since sliced bread. You continue your missions, not letting the comments on your crush get to you. After a particularly difficult mission, you return to handover to Kokomi, surprised when she gives you an enthusiastic smile.

"Kazuha's back!" She sings.

You hand over like she didn't say anything, turning to leave before Kokomi stops you again.

"Kazuha's been with Gorou for a bit, they should be back from their mission in a while." She tries to get you to wait with her. "I'm sure he'd like to talk to you."

Knowing she wouldn't let you do any work until you admit your feelings to Kazuha, you leave, instead going to one of the other generals to get missions from them that weren't backed up by Kokomi due to the mission being rather risky, with little to no benefit.

--

"Hey, I just realised something." Gorou hums after dodging attacks from an enemy, putting them down swiftly. "You smile like an idiot when I mention their name!" He beams, looking to the side where Kazuha was as calm and collected as always.

"Is it so wrong to yearn for a friend?" Kazuha sings out, ignoring Gorou laughing as he runs away to help out other soldiers with their battles.

--

You didn't expect to be run into by a Ruin Guard, but you were rather relieved when you got rather lucky. The Guard was rather easy to dodge, allowing you to strategise the best way to take this down for materials. Luck seemed to be on your side, it seemed, as a strike of lightning zaps down on the enemy when it stopped in the water, essentially rendering it too weak to move. A single arrow is the last thing it needed to be brought down, and the Guard drops nothing. Sighing to yourself, you look around and see no other Guards in the area.

Returning to the camp, you report back to the general, explaining you were unable to get any materials from that particular enemy.

"Ah, there you are." Gorou huffs out, grasping your arm and glaring at the other general before heading off to the room that was known to many as the 'interrogation room'. Before you can protest, Gorou throws you in, locking the room before you could wiggle out. Feeling a pair of eyes behind you, you didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

The familiar scent, the familiar hum in the air, the familiar calmness emmanating from the other side of the room. You dare not turn around, knowing you would be unable to hold back how you felt when your heart swelled at Kazuha.

"Let me out, General!" You yell, trying to pick at the lock before you feel someone kick the door, making you fall on your ass. When you feel someone shuffling to get closer to you, you scold yourself for returning as early as you did.

"Can we talk?" Kazuha hummed into your ear, making you jump. Steadying your breathing, you don't turn around.

"I'm trying to move on." You explain, trying to convince yourself more than Kazuha. "I've embarrassed you enough with my prior acti-"

You feel two arms around you, Kazuha finding his head nestled in your neck. You find yourself relaxing into his touch, and Kazuha adjusts his grip so he's spooning you.

"I missed you." Kazuha kisses your cheek, laughing when he can feel your cheeks warm up at this action.

---

taglist: @tkooooop

The travel to inazuma!