Marigold Promises

marigold promises

— bonus. ultra secret project proposal

— previous || masterlist || next

summary: you and albedo have finally reached a mutual understanding as your first year of college comes to a close. with a new school year comes a new beginning, and you start off strong with albedo asking you the oddest of arrangements: "would you like to be lab partners?"

author's notes:

i'm pretty sure i've made more pubmats for this smau than i ever have for school hahaha

if you'd like a hint as to what yae's working on, it's inspired by gorou's character story and hangout ^^

taglist (i):

@fvkkyu @mintreen @edreee @khyllynnn @xxmirrorballxx @aiikalvr @yaefics @unsterblich-prinz @aequha @alch3myy @lovely-althxa @nei-rinn @cridtiins @zestrya @skylions-den @moriiartt @theother-victoria @sunsethw4 @dazaisfavgf @serossidechick @koiir @lazy-sanns @sweetbunnybunbun @dee-zbignuts @redactedhimbo @yurstepm0m @fanfictwarrior @fuyaa @saoiirsee @ireallylikehamsters @kissingkzuha @whosxangel @kitsuvil @orionicchaos @blurr3db3rry @semi-orangeapple @kunikuzushiit @atlatcaheart @wrrapedroundmyfingerlikearing @scarafrisbee @lost-wicked-artist @kairxse @elysiasbae @eurekatanya @empathum @tatiratty @zannivrs @mikismusings @sunoo-bby @astolary

— the taglist is currently CLOSED! shoot me an ask or a reply if you've changed your url or you'd like to be removed.

Me is happy now :)

be my mistake — then be mine.

a genshin impact smau | xiao x fem!reader

masterlist | episode seventeen

[name] thinks it's silly that xiao kept it a secret from his friends until he couldn't anymore.

xiao is relieved that everything had worked out in the end. he can finally go back to posting [name] on his instagram.

lumine and aether did warn xiao that if he messes up one more time, they'd run a thread about him on twitter as a joke (or not).

childe is insistent on befriending [name] just because he can get new pictures of xiao and add them to his "memes" collection.

xiao promised [name] that he would never do anything to hurt her again, and if he did, she can sell all his things.

notes and that's a wrap everybody!! thank you so much for being with me throughout be my mistake:D it was fun with all of you, i truly appreciate all your brainrots, replies, reblogs, and asks, even if i sometimes do not respond due to my hectic schedule </3 i appreciate each and every one of you! hopefully you all enjoyed the story! feedback about be my mistake is much appreciated as i can try to be better on my next smau. as i've said, i will be doing another xiao smau (based on the poll from here), so i hope some of you can stick around for it >__< again, thank you everyone!

credits twitter header by @/n0yunn

taglist @ljinghe @k4miyato @alatusorrow @emyrl @fueledbyapplepi @lunavixia @itachoo @ntimacy @koi-eater @keokomi @snowggvk @kus2mi @lzurit3s @tvnyaiidas @scaramew @astersg4rden @keigoes @lowotad @noirkkat @voidshoutsback @hanabihwa @rayskyee @urujiako @trashcanweeb @crapimahuman @lycaeuss @thelost-in-time @veyu002 @yuuriihiime @wccycc @nachotrash @estelwrld @its-linh @greenrevolutionary @scaraslover @sl33pyt1r3 @bobaducky @dazaiswifeyy @melkxsh @marifujioka @roseycottage @zephestia @ghostiedolly @viiolettee @kaz3yo @zyamq @dazaiscum @crowbird @bookavert @hey-comrade-hold-stil @zeroiskira @sassyglassesbunny @myaaki

if user isn’t highlighted it means i can’t tag you! i can’t mention the rest in the post due to tumblr’s mention capacity :( will be reblogging on a different post so others can still be tagged <3

privacy

43: yes you are

privacy — ayato x reader smau

prev. masterlist. next.

TAGLIST I (closed) @catsrkool @sukunasrealgf @redactedhimbo @layla240 @mxlkytea13 @itsactuallylina @milza12 @aixaingela @tatiratty @kimiesstuff @laventiseriou @kunihaver @bibisbestgirl @lunaavity @coquettemaiden @opchara @slvdsjjk @cotton-eee @lady-elodie @dearxiiao @wheneverthesunrise @heartswonder @chuduchok @headphonesrlif3 @lleoll @vnderthesunn @lizzardlady1234 @nekogakuro @rifran @atlatcaheart @ani-st @creammpuff @lunastarjay @kittycasie @poisoned-candy-apples @zannivrs @b0bafl0wer @moonlightaangel @elsoleil

horror haters [ yugo asuma x streamer!reader ]

— in a moment of distress, your beloved dj is here to save the day! well, maybe except for the fact you turn out to be the one saving him in the end instead.

notes 1k words, fluff and a smidge of crack, reader is gender neutral, i ran out of synonyms for nervous, has some japanese phrases

you were playing a pretty popular horror game on your stream. your chat looked like they were excited for this gameplay, but you? you had to admit, you were quite anxious. you heard that the game itself was notorious for its terrifying jumpscares and heart-stopping mechanics. but alas, you ultimately decided it was worth to give it a shot and man up for your audience.

“ahh, chat, what do i do…” you whine, eyes intensely glued onto your screen as your hands rested on your head. you were nowhere near halfway throughout the game and you were yet to experience the first jumpscare. you worriedly reach out for your bottle of water and take a small sip, letting out a small sigh.

“sorry if i’m being a pussy, guys,” you give a half-laugh to lighten the mood. “the atmosphere is really, really eerie. it’s already scary having to walk down this hal- AHH!” you yelp as soon as a demonic figure appears on your screen for half a second, immediately startling you and your viewers. you swore you could feel your chest pounding so quickly already. maybe you should ask luca for one of those heart monitors.

you fumbled with your words, out of breath. you went and took a moment to recover, head resting back on your gaming chair for a few seconds. “that- that, that was scary.” you managed to stutter out a sentence after what felt to be so long. “oh my god. i don’t think i can do this alone, can i?” letting out a sheepish chuckle, you opened up your discord window and skimmed through your friends list, quickly checking who is online.

your search came to a halt when your eyes catch a certain name, yugo asuma. you didn’t even take a moment to register your actions before your fingers clicked on the call button, the ringtone starting to sound repeatedly in your headphones. you were quick to realize who you just called once the call was answered, a familiar voice chiming into the line.

“hello..?” yugo says. “y/n? do you need something?” as soon as you heard him greet you, you felt a wave of relief wash over your mind. your chat was fast to say hi to the dj, filled with blue hearts and emojis of your favorite color.

“hi yugo, erm, i need your help. can you stay here and talk for maybe some time? you don't have to stay for the entire stream of course,” you state, voice a little shaky. “あれ? you're streaming?” yugo asks. he seemed to be unaware of the fact you are live, but that is not really a big matter for you. you confirm with a nod, “mhm, i’m streaming right now.”

you open up a png of the dj, placing it beside your model on your stream overlay with a smile. “ahh, hi chat! what’re you playing?” “well, it’s a horror game. the reason why i called you is because i wanted company...” now that you say it out loud, you found it quite embarrassing to confess.

you heard a laugh on the other end of the call, one that was very contagious for both you and the audience. “so that’s why you called me! don’t worry y/n, yugo asuma will save you!” even if you knew yugo wasn’t exactly the bravest when it came to scary games, you can’t help but feel warmth in your heart to know that he was willing to accompany you for some time.

with yugo’s presence, you managed to make some progress throughout the story. there seemed to be no other jumpscares following ever since the dj made his appearance.

the atmosphere got much more ghastly by the second, and you were just finishing up your current objectives with yugo watching you. the silence in the game felt so... loud. a little too loud, to be exact.

“i thought you said this game was scary? where’s the monster?” asked the dj with slight confusion. you were also quite puzzled from the sudden absence of jumpscares, slowly easing up from the tension you had earlier. shrugging, you went on to continue doing the tasks.

after a bit, yugo starts to yell through his mic. you could tell he was trying to be fearless by the way his voice wavered ever so slightly. “OI MONSTER! COME OUT! I WANNA SEE YOU!”

as if it was commanded, the demon once again appears in a flash, the screen darkening and frightening noises blaring in your ears. the both of you, most especially the dj, jumped in pure shock. yugo let out a scream that might have been louder than the sound effects the game had.

after a few seconds of silence following the sudden scare, the chat soon was filled with ‘LMAO’s, ‘ROFL’s, and laughing emojis. fortunately for you, you didn’t let out a horrified shriek, but you most definitely flinched. “hold on yugo, did you just scream?” little bursts of laughter mixed in with your words as you tried to hold in your giggles. yugo didn’t give a proper response, only stammering when he tried defending himself. “i- i thought he wouldn’t come out!” 

you let out a sarcastic hum. “mhm, mhm, okay. are you sure you’re the one saving me?” yugo clears his throat and you swore you could hear the sheer lies in his voice. “eh?! i’m not scared, actually! yugo asuma isn’t scared of that monster!” 

the chat, just like you, disagreed with that rather impossible claim. you thought you could imagine it as that one john cena meme where he says ‛are you sure about that?’.

“so you’re saying you don’t need me to hold your hand?” you drawl out the last three words, pulling up a fanmade asset of you and the dj holding hands to sweeten the deal. yugo takes great notice of this and whines. “まって、まって! hold my hand, please!” you grin, wordlessly placing the asset between you and yugo’s png. 

“okay, let’s continue!”

needless to say, the chat did not hesitate to clip that adorable moment.

marigold promises

— 32. a letter and a promise [☕︎ = 2.5k words]

notes: happy birthday to me~ in celebration, here's my gift to all of you <3

cw: abandonment

10:08 p.m. 

You haven't had lights out this early in months. 

There's a first time for everything, you suppose. A good time as any to sleep in the same room as your estranged rival-turned-lab partner.

It's hardly the first time you've let impulse dictate your decisions — and it certainly won't be the last — but you would be lying if you said you were certain about how you felt about this whole mess you've gotten yourself into. In your infinite search for answers, all you've gotten are infinitely more questions. 

What the hell is going on? 

You shift on your mattress, disturbing the stillness of the night with the sound of crumpling fabric and soft shuffles. Albedo's room is more decorated than you thought it would be; certainly bigger compared to the rooms you get with a private one-bedroom dorm back on campus. An entire wall is covered in sketches and paintings — all of them his handiwork — with some photographs littered in between them. His desk lies in organized chaos, a mess of papers laying atop an old textbook with a decently organized box of pens and highlighters on the side.

Not paying you any mind, Albedo lays in his bed with his back facing you. The only light in this room comes from his phone which he's been reading from for the past few minutes, and honestly, you wouldn't be surprised if he's flipping through his digital flashcards just to get some last-minute studying done. 

Your shuffling disturbs the silence once more. Not once would you have thought that pushing through with your half-baked idea would have led to… this. Whatever this is. Is there a word to describe how surreal this all feels? A theory to explain how the hell you got here? 

How do you wrap your head around the fact that Alice walked through that door? 

Sure, you may have thrown out a theory to Yanfei a while ago, but that doesn't even begin to explain how Klee is connected to all of this. The fact of the matter is your theory is incomplete.

Albedo finally turns to you and asks, "How long are you going to keep tossing and turning? At this rate, you're going to wear out the mattress." You glare at him and respond, "It's not my fault I can't seem to get comfortable. I'm not used to sleeping with someone else in the room."

Amusement colors Albedo's voice as he replies, "Sounds like a 'you' problem."

Your frustration grows, and you snap back, "Well, you better hope I don't suffocate you tonight, asshole." You hear him snicker as you turn around, hoping to finally drift off into a peaceful sleep

Suddenly, you hear more shuffling from Albedo's side of the room. "I'm going to head out for a walk. Want to come with me?"

"A walk at this hour?" you asked incredulously.

"I can't sleep either, so come on. This won't take long," Albedo replied.

In response, you sit up and rest your hands on the mattress, “Where we headed off to?”

“It’s a train station away, won’t take longer than 10 minutes to get there.”

“Where are we even going for it to warrant a ride on the train?”

He takes out a cardigan from his closet, rolling his eyes, “Are you coming or not?”

“Fuck you, I was already getting up.”

Gods, you should have brought a jacket.

Considering it’s Mondstadt, you shouldn’t have been too surprised by the frigid air, biting through your clothes and clinging onto your skin — even after the holidays have long since passed.

You and Albedo sit on a bench overlooking the playground you saw just this afternoon, the slushie you're holding making your hand slowly go numb. The swings, seesaws, and merry-go-rounds stood silently as if frozen in time. The only sound was the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze. The moon, half-shrouded by clouds, cast a pale glow over the empty park.

Despite the darkness, the playground retained its picturesque innocence. The colorful slides and climbing frames looked like candy-colored castles, while the surrounding trees provided a natural canopy that seemed to cocoon the play area in a protective embrace.

You take a sip of your drink. You and Albedo sit on opposite sides of the bench. The silence between you two stretches on into the night. 

You want so desperately to move closer, to say something, to close the distance between you. But where do you even start?

As the sweetness of the slushie fades, so too does your illusion of distraction. You can feel the weight of your rival-turned-lab partner's gaze upon you, a silent challenge that threatens to unravel your composure.

You hear an amused sigh coming from your left, "You can sit closer, Cupcake. I don't bite." You don't know why, but you choose to inch closer. 

And closer. 

And closer. 

So close that your knee brushes against his for just a moment, and you pull away like that one second of contact had burned your skin.

You take another sip, desperate to stave off the flood of thoughts and emotions that threaten to overwhelm you. But as you feel Albedo's eyes on you, you turn your head to meet his gaze. 

"Aren't you cold?" he asks. 

"I wasn't able to bring a jacket, Sunshine." you shrug. Like hell you were going to admit that you've been freezing since you stepped out off the train. 

In response, he takes off his cardigan and drapes it around your shoulders. 

The ivory-colored cardigan enfolds you in its loving embrace, a gentle shield from the harshness of the cold. Its large buttons run down the front, each one a drop of brown against the ivory backdrop. You feel the three gray stars stitched into each sleeve as you put your arms through the sleeves.

You hug the cardigan closer.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind," Albedo adjusts the folded-over collar. You try to ignore the fact that his hand nearly brushed against your neck.

"It's nothing." you shake your head.

"Please, I know you better than that. You can talk to me about it if you want to."

Would it really be appropriate to bring up the many questions that have been brewing in your mind? His private life, his family affairs, they’re none of your business.

And yet.

A heavy silence falls between you and Albedo. Finally, you break the stillness with a tentative whisper: “I was just thinking about your mom.” You notice Albedo’s shoulders tense, and you realize that your words have hit a nerve. “What about her?” he asks, a subtle unease in his voice that you barely notice. But it’s there.

This was a mistake.

“She’s nice…” you clarify, “Just like how I remember her.”

You shouldn’t have brought it up. You shouldn’t have brought it up. A rushed apology spills from your lips, “Sorry, that wasn’t very appropriate of me.”

“It’s alright.” his tone is surprisingly gentle. “I kind of expected that you’d at least be a bit curious, really.”

“Still,” you say, “I shouldn’t have just brought it up like that.”

Silence falls between the two of you once again, and you take the time to empty your drink. With no other way to feign distraction, you finally take a look at the boy to your left. He tucks a stray strand of his pale blond hair behind his ear, and you can’t think of a moment that you’ve seen him free from his usual up-do. He idly fiddles with the straw of his empty slushie cup. A glint of silver catches the moonlight; it’s there that you see his pendant, his moon pendant, resting right between his collarbones.

You would do anything to ignore the palpable tension in the air. Tension that you caused.

“You have my permission to ask,” Albedo starts, “If you want to.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pry.”

“Yes. So please, ask me.”

A pause.

A breath.

And you finally ask him the question that has been plaguing your mind since the day he returned to you: “When you left, six years ago… What happened?”

He leans back. You feel his knee brush against yours, but this time you can’t bring yourself to move away. Albedo meets your gaze and asks, “How much do you know?”

You shrug, “Not much. Just that you and your mother packed up for Fontaine one day and left.”

“That’s half correct. She was offered an opportunity to work at Aurum Labs — one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Who wouldn’t say yes?”

He loosely crosses his arms as he looks towards the playground ahead of you, “She sat me down one day and told me about her decision. She would be leaving for Fontaine, and I would stay here. In Mondstadt. My own mother thought I was a burden, and that I would hinder her in her career. So”— Albedo gives a bitter laugh — “She left. She left me with nothing but a letter and a promise that a friend of hers would take care of me in her stead. And what’s worse is that a part of me still wishes she’d come back for me.”

Ah. 

That explains a lot. It explains so much.

But more questions fill your mind. How long has this been weighing on him? How long has he had to carry these burdens alone?

How long?

What do you say? He needs you, damn it. Say something.

But no words come.

So you do the next best thing: you reach out and place a hesitant hand on his shoulder. A small gesture to let him know that you’re here for him.

He looks at you in response, surprise flickering across his face before he quickly averts his gaze. "Don't look at me like that," he says, his voice shaking.

Puzzled, you quietly ask, "Like what?"

"Like you don't hate me."

You want nothing more than to comfort him and tell him that everything will be alright. Say something for fucks sake. 

Albedo’s hand goes to his pendant, his moon pendant, and clutches it tight, “I never bothered to text or call, I didn’t even put in the effort of sending you a letter. I could have done something but I didn’t. And I was horrible to you last year. I’m so, so sorry.”

The weight of your shared history and the silence between you threatens to suffocate you.

It wasn’t always like this.

From the moment you met, it was clear that the two of you were cut from the same cloth.

When the two of you were young, when the world was kind, you would spend countless hours poring over books and debating complex ideas. The difference between you two was once thinner than a razor.

But six years have gone by, and you're not the same kids that met in those fields near your childhood homes one summer day. The friendly debates became heated, the discussions competitive. You found yourselves vying for the same academic accolades, the same opportunities, the same ranking. You both became obsessed with outdoing each other, with proving that you were the better scholar.

As you grew older, you began to realize that the world can be a harsh, unforgiving, and mean place, baring its fangs and showing you just how cruel life can get. It's a sobering realization that comes slowly, creeping up on you with each passing year until you can no longer ignore it.

Maybe you got a little meaner too.

We are tabula rasa. Every person begins their life as a blank slate, devoid of any preconceived notions or beliefs. As people grow and develop, they begin to form their own understanding of the world. They learn to distinguish between light and dark, hot and cold, rough and smooth. They begin to recognize the faces of their caregivers, the sound of their voices, and the touch of their hands.

It is in the people around you that one learns about love, kindness, compassion. But it is also where one learns about anger, an ugly mixture of frustration and hostility that surges through your body like a raging fire; about bitterness, a knot in your stomach that eats away at you from the inside; about envy, that plants resentment in your heart and feeds off your inadequacy. And it is where one learns of hatred, a venomous emotion that seeps into your very soul, poisoning every aspect of your being. 

Yes, you were angry at Albedo. Yes, you were bitter when he first acted like you were nothing more than an obstacle to him. Yes, you were envious of his seemingly limitless intelligence, how answers to even the most difficult of questions came easily to him.

But could you ever hate him? Did you ever hate him? 

You learn that dreams shatter like fragile glass, scattering sharp, jagged shards that cut deep into your very being. Promises, once steadfast and true, crumble like dry leaves underfoot, leaving you with nothing but bitter disappointment and a sense of betrayal. In the aftermath, you find yourself picking up the pieces of your shattered dreams, each shard slicing through your fingers and embedding itself deep within your skin. 

You learn that the harsh reality of the world seeps into your veins and becomes a part of you. Defines you.

But even as the weight of disappointment and betrayal threatens to drown you, life continues to move forward. People come and go, leaving their own marks on the world and on you.

In those five years you’ve spent apart, you can at least take comfort in the fact that he had gained a mother and a sister. Alice, who would once travel all across the world for her academic pursuits, chose to stay in Mondstadt for the sake of her children. Klee, who would keep him grounded, gave him someone to care for. You wonder what it would be like to have a family that truly cared for you as Alice and Klee cared for Albedo.

Your mother has always been obsessed with the numbers on your report card, endlessly doting on you while claiming to want the best for your future. Your father couldn’t care less. Why would he, when he was off working in another region? You grew up barely knowing him.

Rhinedottir was no better for Albedo than your parents were for you.

And yet.

As you and Albedo sit side-by-side, you realize that there is something here that you never had with your family. And sifting through the shards of your shattered promises, you realize that they are not entirely lost.

You take his long-empty slushie cup from his hands and place it on the ground. For a moment, the world falls away, leaving only the two of you under the gentle glow of the moon’s watchful gaze. The next words you speak cut through the silence, "I could never hate you."

Albedo turns to you. He watches you as you take off his cardigan and gently drape it over his shoulders, sharing the warmth he has given to you.

Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, you finally, finally, find the words you want to say: “It wasn’t your fault.”

In response, he lowers his head, causing some of his hair to fall in front of his face. You tuck a single strand behind his ear, your sun pendant catching the silvery light of the moon, before gently guiding his head to rest on your shoulder. 

“It wasn’t your fault.”

— previous || masterlist || next

summary: you and albedo have finally reached a mutual understanding as your first year of college comes to a close. with a new school year comes a new beginning, and you start off strong with albedo asking you the oddest of arrangements: "would you like to be lab partners?"

author's notes:

yes, albedo is wearing the iconic taylor swift cardigan. and yes, he is a swiftie

the theory of tabula rasa (latin for “scraped tablet” — i.e. a “clean slate”) is a philosophical theory by john locke. this was also my favorite part to write 🫶

this chapter was so hard to get just right that i’ve had to redo it twice, but i’m really happy with the final result ^^

featured songs: I Wish I Was the Moon by Ewan J Phillips & almost home by mxmtoon

taglist (i):

@fvkkyu @mintreen @edreee @khyllynnn @xxmirrorballxx @aiikalvr @yaefics @unsterblich-prinz @aequha @alch3myy @lovely-althxa @nei-rinn @cridtiins @zestrya @skylions-den @moriiartt @theother-victoria @sunsethw4 @dazaisfavgf @serossidechick @koiir @lazy-sanns @sweetbunnybunbun @dee-zbignuts @redactedhimbo @yurstepm0m @fanfictwarrior @fuyaa @saoiirsee @ireallylikehamsters @kissingkzuha @whosxangel @kitsuvil @orionicchaos @blurr3db3rry @semi-orangeapple @kunikuzushiit @atlatcaheart @wrrapedroundmyfingerlikearing @scarafrisbee @lost-wicked-artist @kairxse @elysiasbae @eurekatanya @empathum @tatiratty @zannivrs @mikismusings @sunoo-bby @astolary

— the taglist is currently CLOSED! shoot me an ask or a reply if you've changed your url or you'd like to be removed.

☆.｡.:* 15. to my real friends

previous | masterlist | next

authors note: cant believe yall realllyy thought i was gonna abandon this fic smh (ignore that i told my friends that i was going to abandon this) (like 20 times) (not even joking) (i was stuck writing a scene for last chapter that wasnt even needed for the plot to go on so i scrapped it and we r back on track now)

☆.｡.:*   cruel summer

☆.｡.:*  synopsis: you are a small streamer centered on cozy gaming and your ongoing series of ranking every taylor swift song in a tier list. scaramouche is a competitive speed runner in a streamer group called “the harbingers” that has an insanely large fan base. your paths only cross once he subtweets about your content and your favorite artist, causing a petty online argument that might lead to something else.

☆.｡.:*  taglist: @raideneiari @starryeyedkoko @lightlyfeatheredquailqin @thenightsflower @isa-solasun @lilactaro @imdeadlyboredhelp @arizzu  @turningfrogsgay @icedmocha1 @feverish-dove @xiaosonlybeloved   @sukunasrealgf @eutopiastar @shinunoga-iie-wa @phoenix-eclipses @crueldinasty @sashiette @hotgirlshit5 @certaindreampost  @atlaincorrect @aludicpoet @justawalkingdisaster @m3gitsune @mechanicalbeat1 @distinguished-simp @mayacheiko @r4yyyyy @kkazuyass @angelunatic @kunikuzushisbeloved @bubblegum-angelquartz  @fangygf @yuyudoesdrugs @kitsuvil @xiaossocksniffer @scarletttcroww @fanficaddictedmushroom  @crucnhice @exhaustedcommunist @sleepysoda21  @bubbabobabubbles