He Looks Starstruck.

he looks starstruck.

the stars seem to hold their breath in anticipation and freeze mid-twinkle.  it’s silent for several moments and despite the darkness, it’s the clearest you’ve ever been able to see. his eyes are wide, and a little nervous, but they’re asking quietly. it’s adorable.

there’s a delicate balance that both of you are aware could be broken by the tiniest of things. the ringing of a bell, the sound of a bike. it’s a balance you’re not sure you want to break just yet.

you have always trusted yourself to have common sense. for most of your life, you have known what to do, sometimes what to say. it’s how you had survived life thus far.

except you aren’t sure you know anything right now.

kageyama is so, so close. if you were to lean forward just a little then—

well, the balance will certainly be broken. but this is kageyama. kageyama who had been there when you needed it most, kageyama who loved and loved volleyball and more but so quietly that no one would notice if they didn’t pay attention.

and this is the kageyama you love.

you settle for resting your forehead on his. his eyes flutter shut and yours do too. you both stay like that for a while. it’s warm. this is familiar, this is safe.

this is what home feels like.

“i wish you would forgive yourself.”

you sit on the wooden railing of the balcony with your back turned to the world, legs kicking back and forth slightly. wangshu inn is a lantern lit heaven in the night, and you happen to be one of the many fireflies it has attracted.

xiao stares at you like you’re insane. “someone like me doesn’t deserve forgiveness. not after what i’ve done.” his mouth twists into a frown and you can already see him start to brood. “i’ve told you this.”

you sigh for the millionth time. “and i’ve told you that you shouldn’t suffer for something out of your control. and you’ve done more than enough to atone. besides—“ you take his hand in yours. “you’re so much more than your karma. i think you should recognize that.”

his scoffs at the idea, but you notice he doesn’t move to untwine your interlaced fingers. you grin a little.

“so, are you gonna come to the lantern rite?”

HOT THINGS HE DOES ── ace trappola + gn!reader, 540

i. quite literally doesn’t care about your personal space, in a way that makes your heart flutter. even long before you start dating, he takes every opportunity to wrap his arms around you, pulling you against him or onto his lap. the way he touches you is casual and subtle — an arm around your shoulders or his chin on your shoulder — but it’s obvious enough that the new students at nrc automatically assume the two of you are dating when they first see you together.

ii. grins whenever he sees you. no matter how bad his rbf is or how sour is mood may be may be, it’s always resolved with a simple look at you. his lips pull into a lopsided grin when your eyes meet across the room, and he always offers you a two-finger salute in greeting. sometimes, when he feels extra playful, his grin becomes eerily similar to a smirk, and instead of giving you a salute, he’ll wink at you. it’s ridiculous, but it makes your cheeks warm anyway. you’re convinced that everything he does in life is to get a reaction out of you, one way or another.

iii. gossips with you, a lot. the way he whispers into your ear without taking his eyes off the person he’s talking about is uncannily similar to the mean girls you see on tv, which is why you’re embarrassed to admit that the way his breath brushes against your skin as he leans close to talk about that guy’s horrible sense of colour coordination makes your heart flutter. it’s even worse when he decides to go an extra mile for whatever reason and wrap his arm around your waist rather than simply leaning to you, pulling you closer and make your heart do all sorts of flips in your chest.

iv. slaps your butt. it’s stupid and immature and he literally has no reason to do it! but he does it anyway. he does it when you’re picking something up in front of him, or when he passes by you, or even just as a greeting. it’s a quick smack that is only loud enough for the people in close proximity to notice, but it’s still embarrassing. it doesn’t help that he has no shame, simply smirking whenever you turn to give him a look.

v. has a fixation with your lips. whenever he zones out around you, his eyes always end up on your lips— though, you’re not quite sure if he’s actually zoning out. whenever he realises that you’ve caught him staring, he simply gives you a lopsided smile and continues on with his day. he’s also the type of guy who carries the type of lip balm that you dip your finger in to apply it, and there’s nothing to stop him from applying it on you when he notices that your lips are dry or chapped. his eyes are focused as he drags his finger across your lips, and he has an odd habit of dragging your bottom lip down slightly as a finishing touch. you end up being the one staring, and when he notices, he simply quirks a brow with a smirk and asks, “what? d’you want a kiss?”

© trappolia 2024

you are a human.

your scars are proof of that much. scars from wars waged and roaring, from gritting your teeth and digging your heels in to the cold, unforgiving earth. the world refuses to give, so you grab onto whatever can be taken, and run with it. your grip only tightens with each fallen kingdom, each tyrant, each god, for what else can you do? you are mortal, fragile and weak.

but you are always adapting, evolving, a spark in the vast void of the universe. this world was not made for you to take, but you do anyways. gods are chained by the heavens, but humans are free to do with whatever. it doesn’t matter how the world tries to bring you down, whether it be with raging tempests or silent poison, for as stubborn as humans are, they are forever changing.

gods might be immortal, but immortality does not equal invincibility.

"Huh, my intuition tells me that something very interesting is about to happen…" Happy Birthday to the number one detective, Shikanoin Heizou! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Art by Skradio with some help from Arwaiel! 🌀 🍃

the door stares at you. you stare back.

while strange, materializing doors in forests is definitely a grounds for running the hell away, you are captivated by it instead. of course, you had always been drawn to strange things, so perhaps that should not have been surprising.

your eyes flicker down to the doorknob. in the early light of day, it almost seems to glow. you put a hand on it, the other gripping your backpack.

well, it isn’t like you’re going to be late to school. it wasn’t starting for another two hours, anyways. you can afford to take a detour. so, with one final look behind, you twist the handle and step forward.

only for your foot to land on nothing.

“HOLY SH—“

and then you are plummeting down.

your hand darts forwards to catch your fall. unfortunately, there is nothing to catch onto, and you are met with rushing, howling winds. are you screaming?  you aren’t sure. it’s getting increasingly difficult to breathe, and the tempest continues to rage against you. you squint. stormy skies blur. a mass of blue flashes across you vision and then—

“oomph—!”

you land with a muted thud, and it buckles slightly.

the wind is knocked out of you, and a roar erupts from the thing you landed on. you feel the reverberations ripple like an airplane engine. hands scramble to grab onto something, until they grasp onto rough fibers.

your vision is obscured by splashes of sky blue and teal. despite this, you press yourself closer to the...animal? creature? but it can’t be. you may not have remembered everything from physics class but common sense says that there is no way an animal this size should be able to fly, not to mention that it’s blue. this has to be a drea—

you yelp as the creature throws you off.

time slows just enough for you to see. glowing eyes and massive wings, and its horns fade into azure. you’re in awe. it’s a dragon. (it’s eerily familiar.)

but there’s still the issue of you plummeting to your death.

you screw your eyes tight. this is it. this is how you are going to die, and—

“careful!”

your peripheral catches yellow and porcelain white before a body crashes into your side and knocks the air out of you. black spots dance in your vision, and you’re so winded that you only realize you’ve stopped falling when your sneakers touch solid ground.

your knees buckle under you and you crumple onto stone and concrete. oh thank god, you’re not dead after all.

“hey! hey, are you okay?” a voice asks you frantically. “did she just—?”

“paimon saw her fall out of the sky!”

paimon…?

your head snaps up at the mention of the familiar name. paimon, the genshin guide fairy? she can’t actually exist, right? but crouched down in front of you is a girl clad in red and brown and oh, oh it’s amber.

you blink rapidly and shake your head. this can’t be real.

but the ground you are sitting on is too solid, the colors too vivid to be a dream. a hand is put on your shoulder, and you look up to see lumine and paimon, the latter of which hovers above. you look around and see mondstadt, exactly like how it had been shown in the game. it’s windy. you move to stand up, albeit shakily.

you take a breath. “where—“

“well, well. isn’t this interesting.”