Diluc With A Snezhnayan Reader

Diluc with a Snezhnayan reader

Notes: I finally pulled Alhaitham and Xiao earlier this week. My boys have finally come home. Sorry for any mistakes, as half of this was written while I was barely functioning on three hours of sleep :’) Anyways, enjoy!

Masterlist

There were few people from Snezhnaya that worked with the Adventurers’ Guild, but you were one of them. You belonged to a well off family, and didn’t have to deal with the pressures of most Snezhnayan people about finding a way to support the elders of your family. You were well experienced with the cold harsh climate of your homeland, and the treacherous work that came with living in such harsh conditions. However, you were blessed with an Anemo Vision, and with it, the ability to use the element to heal others. Even then, you always made sure to practice stitching and applying bandages, on the off chance your Vision didn’t heal someone, and you had to resort to applying more basic methods of first aid. You were glad you’d been practicing, because you’d run into plenty of injured people on your travels. Your journey across Teyvat led you to Mondstadt, the City of Wind, wine, and most importantly, freedom.

You nodded as you showed the knight at the entrance to the city your papers for the Guild, and walked through the gates, before walking around and looking at the beautiful city. You’d heard many stories from your grandfather, who was also an adventurer, about the City of Wind, but you’d never seen it for yourself up until now. Your wide eyes gazed around, before you saw a restaurant a little ways away from you. You were quite hungry after such a long journey, and figured that a bite to eat wouldn’t hurt. “Oh, hello, welcome to Good Hunter. Would you like to order in or take your food to go?” the lady at the counter asked. “I’ll order in, please.” you voiced. She handed you a menu and told you to have a seat at one of the tables nearby. You ordered your food and then ate, paying for it before you headed over to the Adventurers’ Guild’s kiosk. You had a day full of commissions ahead of you.

The last commission of the day was at some place near Stone Gate, which you assumed was the Dawn Winery. You’d tried their Dandelion Wine, and liked it very much, but your favorite drink of theirs was their apple cider. There was no better cider in the whole of Teyvat other than the one from the Dawn Winery. You were supposed to be helping the maids clean, and did so rather quickly with the help of your Vision. You were about to leave after you’d finished cleaning the last bit of dust from the carpet, but when you turned around, you ran straight into someone’s chest. You stepped back and looked up, finding a man with red hair and vermillion eyes. “My apologies, but, who are you? I don’t recall having ever seen you here, let alone in Mondstadt before.” his voice was deep, but the way he carried himself put you slightly at ease. “Oh, my name is (Y/N). I’m doing a commission for Adelinde, since, according to her, the dust is too deep in the carpet to get out using any normal means. And since I have an Anemo Vision, I figured I’d help out.” you chimed, smiling up at him. “Really? May I ask where you’re from, Miss (Y/N)?” he asked. “Ah, I’m from Snezhnaya. But may I ask what your name is?” you asked. He gave you a hard look, as if he was sizing you up, before he spoke again. “I am Diluc, the owner of the Dawn Winery. You don’t seem to have a Delusion on you, which leads me to believe that, for now at least, you aren’t part of the Fatui.” he thought out loud. “Archons, no, I’d never join them. My father told me that if I ever joined the Fatui, he’d never talk to me again. He wanted me to make an honest living, no matter how we fare back home, which is why I started taking up commissions from the Adventurers’ Guild in the first place.” you explained. “What about your mother?” Diluc asked, looking at you. “She was in the Fatui, and she had a Delusion, but it backfired, and killed her. I was ten at the time, but I do still miss her very much.” you became quiet, before shaking your head. “But that’s water under the bridge now, since it’s been so long. I should be going, but you have a wonderful day, Diluc.” you spoke, going to leave, but he gently caught your sleeve. “It’s only fair that I pay you since I’m the one who owns the winery.” he voiced, motioning for you to follow him. He grabbed his mora pouch and gave you twenty thousand mora, before going to the kitchen. “Think of this as a sort of welcoming gift for your arrival here in Mondstadt.” Diluc said, grabbing a bottle of Dandelion Wine. “Actually, I’m not particularly fond of alcohol, but I have heard that the apple cider here is wonderful.” you spoke. “Thank goodness I’m not the only one who dislikes alcohol, here.” he grabbed the bottle of golden yellow apple cider and handed it to you. “Thank you, I appreciate this. Anyways, I should get going, may we meet again, Diluc.” You called, walking out the door and back to the inn in the city.

Turns out, you did see him again, many times, in fact. The most recent occasion was when you were gravely injured during a commission, when a Mitachurl hit you with its shield. You were knocked unconscious from the impact against the ground, and Diluc watched you get thrown onto the path he was walking on. He saw the Mitachurl and glared over at it, manifesting his claymore and planning to kill it. However, he looked down at you, and put the sword away before picking you up. You’d slowly made a home for yourself in his heart, and he didn’t want to admit that. He decided instead to silently watch over you from afar, protecting you from the shadows, but this situation had opened his eyes to the reality that you could be taken from him so easily if you let your guard down too much. He carried you back to the Dawn Winery, and set you down in his bed. He ran to find Adelinde next. “Adelinde, please go get a healer immediately!” He yelled, causing her to turn back to look at him. She was about to retort, but then saw the panicked look on his face, and your unconscious form in his arms, and nodded. She hurried off, leaving him to pace around downstairs. The moment Barbara got to the Winery, he all but dragged her over to where you were to heal your injuries. After she was done, she turned and spoke to Diluc. “She should be fine with a few days of rest, but her arm is broken, and I couldn’t heal it. I know it will heal properly, but it will be at least two weeks before she can even begin to fight again. Sorry I couldn’t do more.” She apologized. He shook his head, thanking her for her assistance, before sending her out and closing the door. Diluc took off his coat and gloves, before sitting down in the chair at your bedside. He gently, almost timidly, took one of your hands into his, pressing his lips against the back of your palm. “I’m so sorry for not being there to protect you.” He whispered, looking at you. He leaned back, letting your hand fall back to your side. You had his heart and didn’t even know it, but plenty of others at the Dawn Winery did, it was quite obvious that the maids knew that his mood was better whenever you were around. Adelinde had become much softer and more welcoming with you than she was with other guests. She would talk with you for hours if you weren’t busy. She herself was curious about the woman that Diluc had fallen in love with. However, this occasion proved that he genuinely had feelings for you, and Adelinde was more than willing to steer him toward you if she needed to do so.

You woke up slowly, blinking the sleep from your eyes and rubbing them with your uninjured hand. You looked at the cast on your left arm and sighed, before hearing the door open and close when Diluc walked in. Your gaze snapped over to him, your eyes meeting his as he gazed at you. He sprinted toward you and all but tackled you to the bed. “Thank goodness you’re awake.” He whispered, hugging you tightly. You were taken aback, but reciprocated nevertheless. “How long was I out?” You asked when he pulled away. He rested his forehead against yours, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “You’ve been out for two days, I found you on the side of the road. I was so worried that you’d been killed.” He iterated. You saw the genuine worry in his gaze and the tears welling up in his eyes, and reached up to gently wipe away his tears. “Diluc, I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” You looked around. “Where are we?” You asked after a minute or two. “You’re in my room. It’s the closest one to the door, sorry.” He apologized, causing you to wave your hands frantically as you tried to tell him that it was fine, wincing as you did so. He gave you a worried look. “Do you need anything? Are you in any pain? Are you still tired?” He bombarded you with questions, talking a mile a minute as he anxiously checked you over for any injuries. “Diluc, I’m fine.” You replied, looking down at your arms, one of which was in a cast. “That’s gonna leave a mark.” You mumbled, cursing under your breath. “Barbara told me that it’ll be at least two weeks until you can start fighting again.” He glared at you for a moment, before seeing the regretful look you had in your eyes.

You rested your head in your uninjured hand, sighing deeply. “And don’t even think about trying to take any commissions from the Adventurers’ Guild until Barbara or someone else makes sure that you’ve fully healed.” He continued. “What are you, my mother?” You huffed, your voice heavily laced with sarcasm and annoyance. “I’m serious. You need to stop being so reckless and start watching out for yourself.” He scolded, giving you a reproachful look whilst he spoke. You scowled over at him. “Diluc, I’m not a child, I can take care of myself! Why do you even care about what happens to me, anyway?!” You yelled. “Because I love you! I’m worried about you because you’re so reckless! I’m terrified that I’m going to lose the only good thing I’ve had in so long! You worry me constantly, and you don’t even know it!” He shot back, before realizing what he said. He covered his mouth, willing the words to be taken back as he cast his gaze to the floor. He didn’t want to tell you like this, not ever like this. He was so scared that he had just pushed you away. Reluctantly, Diluc looked back up at you from the floor, panic swimming in his crimson gaze as he looked at you. Your eyes were wide and your face was bright red as you all but stared at him. “You… what?” You asked, watching him carefully to see what he would do next. He took a deep breath as his gaze softened into something you couldn’t quite read, sitting down in the chair he’d placed next to the bed. “I love you. I have for a while, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I was so worried that you’d reject me and that whatever we had would be gone. I was scared that you’d ignore me.” He explained. You could tell that he was nervous easily. Diluc buried his face in his hands to hide the red that decorated his cheeks. You reached out and gently grasped one of his hands in your own, bringing it close to you and gently placing it against your cheek as you spoke. “You should have told me sooner. I didn’t know you liked me back.” You muttered softly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him close to you. You wrapped your arms around him and hugged him tightly, resting your head against his shoulder. Diluc stiffened slightly, before trying to pull away. “Wait, your arm-” “My arm is fine, Diluc.” You interrupted him, continuing to hug him. “I love you, too.” You said finally, pulling away and resting your forehead against his. You felt him pull away and pouted slightly, before your eyes widened when you felt his lips against yours. His kiss was gentle and his lips were soft, a stark comparison to his usual self. He reached behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer as he continued kissing you. After a few minutes, he pulled away from you and looked at you, sighing in relief as you smiled sweetly up at him. “Do you have any clue how long I’ve been wanting to tell you that?” He asked, watching as you giggled softly. “Sorry, it’s just so odd for you to lose your cool like this, it’s cute.” You mused, reaching up and cupping his face in your hands. Diluc felt his face heat up as you held him there gently, before putting his hands over yours and gently grasping them. He brought one of them to his lips and kissed the back of your palm as his eyes locked with yours. His gaze was soft and filled with gentle adoration for you. “I never thought I would fall for someone like you, but here we are, and never shall I regret it.” He mumbled, pulling you close yet again. You were going to have to work on touch with him, since he seemed to love it so much, but for now, you both held each other there, basking in one another’s presence.

Good Morning (Diluc x reader)

Notes: You guys get soft content today because I’m feeling sappy. Kinda short but anyways, enjoy!

Masterlist

Warnings: Slightly suggestive.

Diluc wasn’t what others would call a soft individual. In fact, the word “soft” and the name “Diluc” were two things that clashed quite often.

But not when it came to you.

You were the only one he was like this around. His gentle words and hushed confessions of adoration and love were reserved for your ears only. It was in moments like these that you truly saw how gentle he could be.

You woke up slowly, blinking away the last remnants of sleep as you lazily gazed over and smiled softly when you saw your husband. His red hair was down and covered most of his face, and he looked peaceful in the clutches of sleep. You scooted over to him and laid back down beside him, gently brushing his hair out of his face to get a better look at him. He had dark eye bags that worried you to no end, but he’d never sleep enough to get rid of them if he kept going like this. You were about to pull away when he spoke. “It’s rude to stare, (Y/N).” Diluc said, opening one of his eyes to look at you. You were about to apologize when he gently wrapped an arm around you and pulled you close, holding you in his arms as he spoke. “Good morning, did you sleep well?” You asked him, your voice barely above a whisper when you spoke. He nodded before leaning down and pressing his lips against yours, kissing you slowly before pulling away with a smile. “I don’t have anything to do today, and Elzer is handling most of the things I would have to do, so do you mind if I spend the day with you?” He asked. “I don’t mind, I’d love to have your company.” You replied, cupping his face in your hands and running your thumbs over his cheeks. Diluc put one of his hands over yours and leaned into your touch, smiling just a little more when you giggled at the sight. “Alright, come on. We need to get up, dearest.” You said. The word falling from your lips so naturally, even now, still caught him off guard, and you watched as his face reddened slightly. He turned his face to the side to hide his red cheeks, causing you to giggle quietly as you pressed your lips against his forehead. “We don’t really have to do anything today if you don’t want to. In fact, we don’t even have to leave this bed if you don’t want to.” You mused, tracing nonsense shapes on his chest. Diluc buried his red face in the crook of your neck as he held you close, causing you to laugh softly. “Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.” He grumbled, watching with a playful smile on his face as you pulled away. “Come on, you dork, get up. We still have to do commissions.” You laughed, throwing the covers off of the two of you and getting up to get dressed. Diluc gazed over at you as you buttoned up your shirt and grabbed your pants from the dresser. “What are you staring at? Come on and get dressed.” You asked. He grabbed his shirt and vest, buttoning them up and dressing quickly before gently grabbing your hand as you got to the door. “I was staring at you. You look wonderful today, my love.” He said, lifting your hand to his lips and kissing your knuckles gently. You could feel your face heating up as your cheeks turned red. You cleared your throat and then looked back at him. “Well then, shall we go, dear husband?” You asked, walking downstairs with him. Diluc nodded softly, turning the door handle and opening it, holding it for you as you walked out. “Yes, we shall, dearest.” He replied, closing the door behind him.

I had to write something for this, it was too good to miss out on. I tried not to make it suck but I was pressed for time so apologies for any mistakes.

Warnings: fem!reader

Masterlist

Capitano was surprised to say the least when he found out that you were the one he was to marry. Sure, you were very polite, and a well mannered individual, but you were also very scared of him at first. You mostly kept to yourself, and only spoke to him when it was absolutely necessary. However, Capitano didn’t want that to be the life that you both lived. He wanted to know you as more than just the woman who was forced to marry him, but he did not show it easily. Instead, after many nights spent pondering what to do, he found that you’d decided to take the initiative to get to know him better first.

It started with you timidly inviting him to the library in the manor to do paperwork while you read. You would always sit at least a foot away from him, but that soon morphed into half of a foot, and then right next to him. You were trying to get close to him, and Capitano was always grateful for the effort you put into doing so. In return, he would also try to spend more time with you and open up about his line of work. He didn't want there to be any problems in your relationship, so he refused to lie about his work.

During one such "meeting" in the library, you were reading when Capitano gently wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his lap. "I want you to be close to me, if you don't mind." he spoke softly at this time. This was the green light you had been waiting for, a sign that you could be more tactile with him, and you gladly used it to your advantage. You leaned back against his chest and continued to read, before reaching for one of his hands and gently taking it into your own. "I'm glad that you like touch, I was starting to get worried that you might not want to be close to me." You voiced. You couldn’t help but smile as you continued to speak. “If I may, I’m glad that you decided to join me. the first time I asked, I thought that you’d say no and then leave, but you didn’t. That’s why I wanted to continue this, because I wanted to get to know you more, and I knew I had the chance to get to know you more.” you confessed, your cheeks turning pink as the words left your mouth. Capitano sat behind you wordlessly, but he squeezed your hand gently, confirming that he’d heard you. “I am also glad that you continued to ask me to join you. Unfortunately, I am not the best when it comes to words. In fact, I was under the impression that you were not very fond of me and my company until you started inviting me to spend more time with you.” he explained, looking down at you as he spoke. “Oh, I see. Here I was thinking that you didn’t like me very much, either, and only married me because of my parents’ standing in Her Majesty’s court.” you said, your gaze crestfallen at the idea of that being the real reason behind your matrimony. However, Capitano shook his head, turning you around to face him. “I promise that that isn’t the case. If I were looking for someone with greater standing in the Tsaritsa’s court, I would have married someone else.” he tried to make his words sound at least somewhat comforting, but he knew he had done well to comfort you when your shoulders seemed to slouch and your posture relaxed. The rest of that evening was spent in relative silence, with your husband sitting behind you as you read the book you’d chosen from the library.

From then on, your little “meetings” were mostly spent talking to one another. Capitano was surprised that you could be so chatty, but he was glad for it in a way. You helped him deal with conversations, and you were glad to see that he always responded to the questions you asked about his work. Even when the answers themselves seemed brutal and ever so slightly cruel, he never dissuaded you from talking to him. Every time he had to leave for a mission now, instead of leaving an empty and cold house, he left your warmth and your loving gaze. He had come to find out that you also liked to draw, and drew people on occasion. Capitano always wondered if you had ever drawn him, and eventually asked you if you had. It was with the brightest smile he’d ever seen you give him that you showed him the picture you’d drawn of him. You knew not to draw his actual face, having only seen it once, but not until he made sure you understood that you were to never tell or show anyone what his face looked like under the black helmet he wore. You had agreed then, and still respected his wishes even now. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to him, keeping you in his warm hold. You giggled softly, leaning back against him and then showing him a few more drawings. You were both interrupted by a knock at the door, and you watched as Capitano’s body stiffened. He quickly looked you up and down before nodding, getting up and helping you to your feet. “What’s wrong? Why are you so stiff?” you asked. “I forgot to tell you that the other Harbingers are here to discuss the situation in Inazuma, and our upcoming plans for Sumeru. I neglected to inform you of this, and I deeply apologize for such things, because they will be staying the night here.” he specified. You nodded softly, taking his hand as you followed him to the foyer.

You had to sit in the lounge during the meeting, but immediately rose from your place on one of the comfortable plush chairs the moment the door to the meeting room opened. Each of the Harbingers exited, with Capitano taking the back of the group and closing the door to the room with a faint click. You walked over to him and wrapped your arms around his bicep, leaning against him. You were reminded of the other people in the room when you heard one of the other Harbingers speak. “Oh? Who, pray tell, Captain, is this?” questioned a man with black hair and glasses. His eyes were closed, and he wore a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. “This is my wife, (Y/N).” Capitano answered gruffly. It was obvious that he didn’t want you here with these people, but it seemed that the other Harbingers had plans of their own. You were soon swarmed with questions from Childe, the only thing holding Capitano back from killing him being Pierro. You eventually answered all of them, chatting with them about what their lines of work entailed in the Fatui. “So, enough about us, what about you? I never expected Capitano’s wife to be so outgoing like you are.” Arlecchino voiced, her deep red gaze transfixed on you. you looked at her before speaking. “Actually, our marriage was-” a pair of arms encircling your waist interrupted you, and you looked back to find Capitano. “You ought to retire for the night, I shall join you shortly after this.” he spoke. “Oh, alright, have a wonderful night, everyone.” you called, waving to the Harbingers as you retreated up the winding stairs to your bedroom on the second floor of the mansion. You changed out of your day clothes and took a shower, before changing into your nightgown and crawling into the bed. About ten minutes later, Capitano opened the door slowly, closing it as gently as he could. He quickly got in the shower as well and then changed into his night clothes as well. You felt his arms wrap around you yet again, and looked back at him as you turned around to face him. His helmet had been set down on the nightstand, and his uniform hung by the door on its rack. Your arms snaked around his neck as you spoke. “I love you.” you whispered, causing his eyes to widen ever so slightly in the flickering light of the lamp you kept on your bedside. Capitano closed his eyes and thought for a moment, before gently tilting your chin up and pressing his lips against yours in a kiss. You tensed up slightly, having never been kissed by him before, but melted into his embrace soon after. Though he did not say anything, you could tell that, in his heart, he loved you as well. You drifted off like that, holding onto him as sleep took you over. Just before Capitano fell asleep, he spoke softly to your own sleeping form. “I love you, too, my dear.” he whispered, closing his eyes and nodding off soon after.

One of my favorite things to think about with Capitano is an arranged marriage with a reader who is initially very shy, quiet, and kinda scared of him. But the more they get to know him and spend time with him, they get much more louder and excited and talk a lot- Capitano is taken aback by this change of behavior and frankly surprised because absolutely no one acts like this with him which leaves him unsure of what to do. He didn't expect you to open up like this and do stuff like grab onto his arm so casually - but he's not complaining. He likes to let you do what you want, it's rather endearing.

Alhaitham x Diluc and Kaeya’s Sibling!reader headcanons

Notes: This idea has been knocking around my brain for like a month now and I can’t get this man out of my head now H E L P.

Masterlist

Warnings: Slightly suggestive, also spoilers for Diluc’s backstory utc. 

Misc. headcanons of mine:

My personal headcanon is that reader is Diluc’s twin and is older by like two minutes, and they hold it over his head and baby him because they just know it annoys him.

But please, for the love of all of Teyvat, don’t introduce Alhaitham to Diluc first.

I headcanon that Alhaitham and current Diluc would hate each other.

To the point where you can’t leave them in a room together alone because only one of them is coming out alive and it sure as hell isn’t going to be Diluc.

If you were to start dating Alhaitham before Crepus’ death, that’s a whole other story, because Crepus would still be there to tell them that, no, they can’t just murder him for dating their sibling.

All things considered, I think that Alhaitham would actually really sincerely respect Crepus but he’d also bully the everloving hell out of Diluc and Kaeya.

Kaeya’s patience is much better than Diluc’s, but they both tolerate him until Crepus leaves.

You can only watch as the two hiss death threats at him and then immediately go back to pretending to actually tolerate him once Crepus gets back.

However, on the other hand, if you were to start dating Alhaitham after Crepus’ death, things would be very different.

For one, Kaeya would probably actually get along with Alhaitham because they both love to piss Diluc off.

Unfortunately, that also means that Alhaitham and Diluc start off on the wrong foot and it’s all downhill from there.

How Alhaitham met them:

I imagine that the way he first met Diluc and Kaeya was at the Cat’s Tail, where he was playing TCG with Kaveh and the others.

The only problem with this was the fact that you were there and you were hugging his arm as he played against Kaveh, a game that the ladder was horrifically losing.

Diluc and Kaeya hadn’t seen you in ages for anything other than Mondstadt’s annual festivals, and you definitely hadn’t spoken to them during those times, so to see you after all this time with a significant other didn’t exactly rub them the right way.

However, when they saw the one you were with gently and slowly pull you into his lap, that was when they knew you wouldn’t look their way or notice that they were there.

They eventually left the tavern, but committed the man’s face to memory.

Lo and behold, they ran into him the next day, and things only got worse from there because, surprise surprise, Alhaitham was alone and also in a bad mood to top it off.

Your relationship with Alhaitham and how you two met:

You first met Alhaitham during his Akademiya days when he decided to take a trip to Mondstadt, around the age of 16.

He was doing a self study on Mondstadt’s ruin mechanisms and puzzles to see if he could make a breakthrough with the ruin puzzles in the desert and you were intrigued.

You, being an adventurer who was very well versed in solving said ruin puzzles, you had him join you on commissions that had to do with said mechanisms.

your friendship only grew from there, and you soon stopped hearing only talk of studies and started hearing more talk of the place he lived: Sumeru.

You’d always wanted to go there, and your father had told you that once you were 18, you could travel wherever you wanted to.

And that’s exactly what you did after Lisa advised going to Sumeru because she had good experiences there with the people and whatnot.

You didn’t know whether or not he even remembered you, but the moment you saw Alhaitham again, everything came rushing back to you both and soon enough, you two had started dating.

All things considered, he’s actually very attentive to your needs and wants.

You feel tired? Go ahead and sleep, he’ll wake you up in a couple of hours if you want him to.

You need help with a difficult commission? Sure thing, just let him get done with this last document he’s checking and you’ll be on your way with him in tow.

He’s very touchy in private to make up for his aloofness in public.

You usually find his arms around your waist whenever you’re sitting down, or you find yourself in his lap whenever he’s reading a book.

Usually it stays that way unless you’re both in the mood to do other things on any given evening.

The first time you meet Kaveh, the two of you hit it off almost instantly and he struggles to make sure they you two don’t both do something stupid whenever you’re around each other.

He usually invites you to join him on nights where he’s going out to Lambad’s Tavern, and on the off chance that there aren’t any chairs left for you to take a seat, there’s always the option to sit in his lap.

Siblings (Alhaitham x Diluc and Kaeya’s sibling! Reader

Notes: I felt like I had to write a scenario for this because it was too good of an opportunity to do so. Kept it gn since that’s what I had for the original post of this idea but I hope you all enjoy!

Masterlist

Alhaitham scowled as you spoke, not at you, never at you. He was scowling at the counter as you spoke to him. His attention was diverted back to you as you gently took his hands into yours. “We only have to be in Mondstadt for a week. It’s for the Windblume Festival and I never miss a single one, and… are you mad at me? You seem angry.” You asked, looking up at him as his gaze softened and he shook his head. “No, I’m just slightly annoyed is all.” He replied. “Annoyed about what?” You asked. “There’s going to be a lot of people, and I don’t exactly know your family all that well outside of the things you yourself have told me. I’m annoyed about the fact that, of all occasions, this is the one thing I genuinely don’t know how to properly prepare for.” He answered, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the counter with a sigh. “Oh, I didn’t know you were nervous. I would have reassured you if I’d known sooner, Haitham.” You said, gently placing a hand against his cheek. He reached up and put his own hand over yours, leaning into your touch. “I promise you that whatever happens, I won’t just stop dating you for their sake.” You reassured him, using your other hand to guide him to lean down as you pressed your lips against his. “Now then, we need to pack tonight, because we have to leave early tomorrow morning in order to get to the Dawn Winery in time for the start of the festival.” You said, slowly withdrawing your hands from his face and turning on your heel to go to your room. He sighed as he looked at where you’d disappeared off to, looking up at the ceiling. “Lesser Lord Kusanali, give me the patience to deal with this one’s family, please.” He muttered to himself. He knew that today would be a long one full of preparation for when the two of you left.

You walked hand in hand with Alhaitham almost the entire way to Mondstadt, a soft smile on your face as you hummed a tune he’d never heard before. You’d donned regular Mondstadter attire, which he noticed immediately. However, he also noticed that you were more anxious than before as the two of you got closer to Mondstadt, but kept brushing off his attempts to find out why with a small “I’m fine, really” but he knew that wasn’t even close to the truth. He decided to ask one last time before giving it a rest. “Please tell me what’s plaguing your mind. I want to help you if I can.” he said, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. You knew that this softer side of him was for you and you only, and that brought you comfort. “I just don’t know how they’ll react to you, since it’s been so long since I last saw the two of them. I know they still care about me, but the reason I left was because the constant arguing and bickering was a bit too much for me. I don’t want to get you dragged into that as well.” you admitted, looking at the entrance to Stone Gate. Alhaitham slowed down to a stop at the pier just before the entrance. He led you to a table and sat beside you, taking your hands into his and looking at you. “I will try my best not to be argumentative with the two of them for your sake if I recognize them, I promise.” He reassured you, watching as you nodded hesitantly after a minute or two. “Thank you, I know it kind of cramps your style, but I really need this.” you said, hugging him. Alhaitham wrapped his arms around you and hugged you back, before slowly lowering his arms as he spoke. “Now then, let’s get going, they’re probably waiting for us at your place.” he advised, holding his hand out for you to take. Without further delay, you both finally crossed the threshold to Stone Gate, and made your way a little further to the Dawn Winery.

Not much had changed about your old home since you last saw it. The only real difference was the fact that there were some decorations for Windblume hung on the lamp posts and the windowsills of the winery. You reached into your shirt and fished out a key on your necklace chain, fitting it into the lock and turning it until a soft click reached your ears. You then gently pushed open the doors and walked into the place. The smell of mahogany and fire reached your nose as you took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, welcome to my abode, we can set our stuff upstairs in my room if you want to.” you proposed. “No, you can’t, but I’ll be happy to take it upstairs for you, dear.” a familiar voice said behind you. You smiled softly and turned around, only to be greeted by the face of Adelinde. “Addie, you know I don’t like to trouble you.” you tried, but she shook her head. “Now, now, Master Kaeya already tried that excuse, and he got an earful during Weinlesefest because he tried not to “be a bother” to me. I haven’t seen you in almost a year, and I’m not about to be told by anyone that I can’t spoil you now. You’ve been gone for far too long, and me and Elzer have missed your lively chatter. Not to mention that you haven’t introduced me to this gentleman behind you yet, either.” she scolded, before taking your bags from your hands and carrying them up to your room. She then came back down and took Alhaitham’s bags from his hands, carrying them upstairs to your room as well. Once she got back downstairs, she dusted herself off a little and clasped her hands together. “Now then, tell me everything. I want to know who this is.” she said, gesturing to Alhaitham. “Well, about that...” you started, and kept going from there, telling her everything that had happened during the time you were in Sumeru.

“And that’s when he finally asked me on a date. But enough about me, how have Diluc and Kaeya been?” you asked, looking at her. Adelinde sighed deeply, before gesturing for you to follow her to the sitting area. “As you know, your brothers haven’t been on very good terms for a while now, but they have recently started talking more to one another. It turns out that Miss Lisa is the one to blame for that because, from what Master Diluc tells me, she saw the two of you on a date together in Sumeru City when she was there for her vacation days.” she explained, watching as you sighed deeply. “Wonderful, she saw us.” you grumbled, causing her to laugh. “Anyways, you two ought to head to the city, the festival is about to start soon.” she advised, watching as you nodded. Alhaitham got up first and gently took your hand into his, helping you up from your seat and holding the door for you as you bid Adelinde farewell until that evening.

You walked to the city and greeted Swan and Lawrence at the gates, waving to the two of them and then walking alongside Alhaitham as you gave him a tour of the place you grew up in. He followed you to the cathedral, and looked around the place before his eyes landed on a Fatuus near the doors. He brushed it off and then followed you out the doors as he spoke. “Things here are very different from Sumeru City. For one, this city is much smaller in comparison, but there are no altars or cathedrals to celebrate our god as you do yours. Rani Kusanali has no statue save for her Statues of the Seven around Sumeru. Furthermore, the weather here is colder than it is in Sumeru, not that I’m complaining, we don’t have snow capped mountains like you do.” he said, pointing to Dragonspine. “Do you want to see it if we have the time? It’s very beautiful this time of year.” you offered, causing him to shake his head. “I’d rather stay down here where it’s warm, but if you insist, I suppose we could go for a little bit.” he replied, watching as your face lit up with joy. “Wonderful, we’ll go tomorrow then, since we’ll be spending today in the city, if that’s alright with you.” you said, causing him to nod his agreement.

Your next stop was the Knights of Favonius headquarters, and you immediately dragged him to the library. “She better be here.” you mumbled under your breath. You pushed open the door and were greeted by the sight of Lisa’s empty desk and several stacks of unorganized books, with a note sitting on the desk that read: out for afternoon tea, be back in an hour. -Lisa. You sighed before looking around the library, and then back at Alhaitham. “It would seem that Lisa learned of our arrival and planned to avoid us today.” you huffed, before smiling. “However, I might as well welcome you to the Knights of Favonius library. I know it’s not nearly as grand as the House of Daena, but it’s got plenty of good novels and linguistics books. If you’d like, we can read for a bit.” you proposed, causing him to shake his head. “It’s alright, I know you want to make sure that my social battery doesn’t run out before this evening, but I’m fine. Besides, it doesn’t run out as fast as you’d think.” Alhaitham said, causing you to nod. “Thank you.” you muttered, burying your face in your hands. “Now then, it’s almost lunch time, and you said that you knew about this place you liked that’s here in the city. You can tell me the rest of our plans for the day over something to eat.” he said, causing you to nod. “Ok, then next stop, Good Hunter.” you replied.

“Welcome to Good Hunter, what would you- Oh, (Y/N), it’s been a while. How have you been?” Sara asked. “Hey, Sara, I’ve been good. Um, could we get a table for two please?” you asked, causing her to nod. “Sure, I’ll have your menus out in a moment, you can choose any table to sit at if you’d like.” she replied, turning to get them. You took Alhaitham to a table and sat down in the chair across from him, before hearing someone clear their throat behind you. You turned around and saw Amber and Eula, the ladder slightly glaring at you. “(Y/N), it’s been forever since I last saw you. Me and Eula were just about to get some lunch from here, do you mind if we join you and whoever this is?” she asked, causing you to nod in response. Alhaitham watched as Eula sat down beside you, while Amber sat beside him. “So, how has your time in Sumeru been? Have you met Collei yet?” Amber asked, smiling brightly at you. “Well, I did briefly see her, but when I did, she talked almost nonstop about you when she found out I was a Mondstadter.” you replied, before listening to her ramble on about her time with Collei. “Ahem, if I may, who exactly is this?” Eula asked, gesturing to Alhaitham. “Ah, yes, this is Alhaitham, we’ve been dating for almost three years now.” you replied, causing Eula to sigh deeply. “Not telling us about your relationship, such a transgression shan’t go unnoticed. Mark my words, (Y/N), vengeance will be-” “Hold on a sec, I had reason not to tell the Knights of Favonius, just please hear me out before you swear to get back at me.” you tried, causing her to slouch back slightly in her chair and relax. “Go on then, plead your case.” she said. “You two work with Kaeya on a daily basis, I couldn’t risk a slip of the tongue to him or Diluc when neither of us were ready to tell them.” you explained, causing Amber to nod. “They do have a point, I mainly report to Captain Kaeya or Jean, both of whom are close to Diluc, and I often just talk about my day and what I’ve heard around the city when I’m not on patrol. You mainly go to the Angels’ Share during your break, which is where both Master Diluc and the Cavalry Captain usually are at that hour. We often talk to them, so I can see where you’re coming from.” Amber said, looking at you. You and Alhaitham kept talking and eating with the two Knights until lunch hour was over and they had to return to work.

You and Alhaitham spent the rest of the day walking around Mondstadt and seeing everything before the sun had finally started to set over the horizon. Just as you were about to enter the tavern, you realized something. “I forgot to get my bag at the Winery.” You said, before turning around and then looking at Alhaitham. “You can head in if you’d like. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” You called, running off to get to the winery. Alhaitham was about to follow you, but decided against it at the last minute, and turned the handle of the door to the Angels’ Share.

Diluc was cleaning a wine glass when someone sat at the bar, taking out a book as he started to read. Kaeya was in his usual spot at the bar, leaning against the counter when the man sat down. “Oh, a new face? What’s your name, good sir?” Kaeya asked, watching him closely. The stranger lowered the book and looked over at him. “Alhaitham.” He replied curtly. “Sounds like a Sumeru name? Is that where you’re from?” Kaeya asked. “Yes, I’m the Akademiya’s Scribe.” He replied, watching as Diluc set down the glass and started to listen. “Well now, what is someone from Sumeru doing all the way in Mondstadt?” He asked, watching as his facial expression softened slightly. “My significant other and I have been dating for almost three years now. They wanted to introduce me to their family during the Windblume Festival.” He explained, noting how Kaeya’s smirk grew wider. “If you’re anything like the rest of those sensitive scholars from the Akademiya, then there aren’t exactly that many people who want to meet you, Scribe Alhaitham.” Diluc commented. Alhaitham smirked at him. “Unlike them, you’ll find that I don’t particularly care what my superiors think of me, nor do I have such hopelessly little street smarts like they do. They may have a degree, but that means nothing if you’re getting mugged in the streets of Port Ormos by Eremites.” He said, before hearing Kaeya chuckle. “What about your significant other’s family? Do they also apply to your disregard for the opinions of others?” He asked. Alhaitham shook his head. “There are certain cases where that doesn’t apply, and to answer your question, yes and no. I would respect their family members to an extent. From what they’ve told me, their siblings didn’t exactly regard their feelings very much while they lived here after a tragedy that happened a few years ago. I am a bit torn on what to do as far as that goes. However, the only thing that I really wish I got to do was meet their father before he passed.” He said, startling them both. “What was their father’s name?” Diluc asked, both he and Kaeya waiting with baited breath.

“Their father’s name was Crepus. I heard that he was a very kind man.” He said, looking at the two of them. Diluc spoke first. “There’s no way you’re dating (Y/N). Someone as cold and stoic as you, dating them? That’s the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. They’re so lively and bright and you’re… not.” Diluc said. “Are you implying that that’s the type of person someone as closed off and cold as yourself would like?” He challenged. Diluc leveled a glare on him as the two started an unspoken staring contest. Diluc looked away and grumbled to himself. However, before he could get another word in, the door to the Tavern swung open to reveal you. “Sorry, I got to the Winery and found my bag but Elzer stopped me to talk to me.” You admitted. “Ah, (Y/N), it’s wonderful to see you again. How have you been lately?” Kaeya asked. “I’ve been good, things in Sumeru are very different compared to Mondstadt, but it’s so beautiful, and it’s very warm there, too. Plus, from what I’ve heard,” you started, looking at Diluc, “there are very good spiced cocktails in Sumeru, and the food there is delicious. Plus, there’s a lot more old technology from Khaenri’ah in the desert that you don’t find in Mond. Here, hold on, I have photos.” You said, grabbing a photo album out of your bag. You handed it to Kaeya, who looked through the photos. After a minute or two, he smirked. “So, Collei lives in Sumeru then? You ought to show Amber these photos, she’s often worried about her, you know.” He said, handing the album to Diluc. “I didn’t know you had so many friends in Sumeru.” He remarked. “Ah, I forgot to introduce you to them, sorry.” You apologized, turning to Alhaitham and taking the barstool beside him. “This is Alhaitham, my boyfriend of three years. He’s the Akademiya’s Scribe.” You said, as Alhaitham took a mental note of the fact that you introduced him as your boyfriend first. “We know. May I ask how much he paid you to pretend to be his lover?” Diluc asked, narrowing his eyes at you. You leveled a glare at him as you spoke. “He didn’t pay me, and you have no right to judge something you yourself don’t have.” You mocked, causing him to give a confused look. “What are you implying?” He asked, a challenge of sorts hidden in his words. “I’m implying, you reckless recluse, that you yourself don’t have a lover, so you have no right to judge mine.” You replied, wrapping your arms around Alhaitham’s bicep as you spoke. “Besides, I’m happy with him, that’s much more important. I will not argue with you about this during the Windblume Festival or ever after about this, it would be a waste of both of our time.” You said. “Personally, if I may, you’re not that bad of a person. Yes, you do tend to be blunt, but I feel as though you genuinely care about how (Y/N) feels and about their opinion, so as far as things go for me, I have no qualms with you dating them.” Kaeya said, watching with a smirk on his face as Diluc scowled at him. He then looked back at you, who was still staring at him. “You seriously like him?” He asked, causing you to nod. “Is there any way I can convince you to leave him?” He asked, watching as you shook your head no. With a deep sigh, Diluc finally gave in and spoke. “Very well, I suppose I can tolerate hosting you at my place then.” He said, putting away the last glass of the evening and grabbing his coat from the coat rack.

After Diluc closed up the Angels’ Share for the night and said goodbye to Kaeya, he walked with you and Alhaitham to the Dawn Winery, looking over at you as you held Alhaitham’s hand. He was surprised when you’d said that you had a lover, let alone someone from Sumeru, but he started to see why you started dating him in the first place. The moment you shivered from the cold night air, Diluc watched as the man beside you took off his cape and gently draped it over your shoulders. “I’ll be fine.” Was all he said when you turned to look at him. The three of you walked in relative silence, with you talking to either Alhaitham or Diluc along the way.

The moment you got to the Dawn Winery, you pushed open the doors and stepped inside, looking around and fully taking in the look of the manor this time. “You’ve changed a few things.” You observed, taking Alhaitham’s cloak off and handing it back to him. He took it with a nod of thanks, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. He then looked around and saw that there was a meal on the table. “It’s still warm if you’d all like to take a seat.” Adelinde offered, looking over at them from the doorway. “Thank you, Adelinde.” Diluc said, taking his seat at the table as you took yours and Alhaitham took his next to you. He nodded to Adelinde as he spoke. “Thank you for the meal.” He said, watching Diluc with a slightly cautious look in his eyes as he ate. When the three of you were done eating, Adelinde took the dishes away and you all went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Once you and Alhaitham were alone, you turned around and gently cupped his face in your hands as you spoke. “Are you alright? I know that was a bit… tense.” You asked, watching as he nodded softly. “I’ll be fine, but what I really need is sleep, I’m exhausted.” He muttered, looking up at you as he sat down on the bed. You nodded softly and grabbed your nightclothes from your suitcase, changing into them quickly before getting in the bed next to him. You felt his arms around your waist and looked back at him, smiling softly. You rolled over to face him and pressed yourself closer to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I love you, Haitham.” You whispered, watching as he looked down at you and smiled. “I… I love you too.” He replied, hiding his face in your hair as he spoke. “Aww, are you getting all blushy on me now?” You teased, causing him to huff softly before pulling back and pressing his lips against yours. Your eyes widened before you closed them and melted into his touch, kissing him back. “Go to sleep.” He muttered, holding you close as he closed his eyes. You drifted off with him, enjoying the blissful quiet shared between the two of you in this moment.

Pantalone x Shy! Reader

Notes: After this was wasting away in my drafts for over a month, I finally got to post this. Enjoy, everyone!

Masterlist

Out of all the treasures in Teyvat that the Tsaritsa could have gifted him, Pantalone truly meant it when he said that he struck gold with you. You were a very polite lady in Her Majesty’s court, if not a little shy at first. In fact, you were very distant during the first few months of your marriage. However, he knew that would change with time the longer you spent around him. Since he was so generous in deciding to help coax you out of your shell, he took the initiative and invited you to work with him one day.

You were in the bedroom when he approached you, setting his glasses on the nightstand and joining you under the covers. You kept to your side of the bed, so as not to infringe upon his personal space. However, he gently wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him. “If you don’t mind, I would like to bring you with me to Zapolyarny Palace tomorrow while I work. Of course, only if you wish to join me.” He offered, his voice now lacking the condescending tone you heard him use with his subordinates. Not wanting to possibly anger him, you answered him. “Of course, husband.” You replied. He rolled you over to face him and gently tilted your chin up to where you were looking at him. Pantalone then hummed softly to himself before he spoke. “Why is it that you shy away from my touch whenever I give it? You’re always so apprehensive when you’re around me.” He asked. Your eyes widened slightly, before you looked to the side in embarrassment. “It’s because you’re very intimidating. You scare me a little, and I don’t know why you would want to be around me, anyway. I’m not the most social person, and I know that you tend to take advantage of any opportunity to benefit off of most others, so I’m worried about what you might do to me if I don’t do everything you say.” You confessed, causing him to frown slightly. “Know this, I will never take advantage of you in any way, shape, or form. The Tsaritsa trusted me enough to let me marry you, and she has never made a bad decision in terms of marriages. I will never do anything to you that would hurt you or make you lose trust in me, I promise you that.” He reassured you, leaning closer to you and pressing his lips against your forehead. “However, we’ll take things slow, and I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” He paused. “Which brings me back to the whole work thing. I still would like it if you could accompany me to the Palace tomorrow. It would certainly make work much less dull. But if not tomorrow, then perhaps next week?” He offered. You took a deep breath, looking up at your husband as you spoke. “I’ll go with you tomorrow. Besides, it’s been a while since I last saw the Palace.” You replied, pulling away from him and looking at him. “Then I suppose we should get some sleep. We’ll be getting up early tomorrow.” He mumbled, watching as you rolled over again and closed your eyes. Pantalone stayed awake for a few more minutes until your breathing had slowed and you were peacefully asleep, before closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off to sleep.

The next day, Pantalone gently shook you awake, telling you to get up. You sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, looking at him as you nodded. “Come on, I’ll help you pick something out to wear if you’d like.” He offered. You looked at him hesitantly, before nodding softly. He looked at the dresses you’d picked out, choosing the one that was your favorite color. He then walked to the vanity and picked out the necklace that he saw you wear the most, before picking out a matching pair of shoes and gloves. “Alright, do you like the things I chose?” He asked, receiving a nod from you in response. “I’ll leave you to change then. I’ll be waiting outside, so call me if you need me.” He said, leaving and shutting the door behind him. You quickly put on the dress and shoes, before picking up the necklace and trying to clasp it. You struggled with the clasp for a few minutes before giving up and calling for your husband. “Pantalone, would you come in here for a minute?” You called, watching as the door opened and he stepped into the room. “What is it?” He asked, before seeing that you were struggling to clasp the necklace. He walked behind you and fastened the chain around your neck, pulling away from you after he had done so. Pantalone then took one of your gloved hands into his own and led you down the stairs and out the door to the mansion.

When the two of you arrived at Zapolyarny Palace, Pantalone wrapped an arm around your waist, guiding you down the maze of corridors that led to his office. As the two of you walked, you looked around you at the ornate designs on the walls and windows. You and Pantalone stopped at an office door and you watched as he fished a key out of the confines of his shirt, unlocking the door. He led you inside and sat at his desk, watching as you walked to the chair that was closest to him, right beside his desk. “If you get bored at any point, please do tell me.” He said, taking one of the papers from the pile on his desk and looking over it. He eventually got his pen and signed it with his signature, setting it to the side and grabbing another. You had brought a few books with you, and grabbed one of them, knowing that this would be a long day.

About an hour later, two people walked into the room and stood in front of Pantalone’s desk, displeased looks on their faces. “Regrator, would you mind explaining to this imbecile that I’m not allowing him to accompany me to Sumeru because he will destroy every ruin machine within a ten mile radius of us?” The older looking of the two asked. He had mint blue hair and a mask that covered his face, his body clad in the same white cloak that both your husband and the man beside him wore. “I won’t do that, and you know it. You just want me to stay out of the way because you’re hiding something.” The other man shot back. This one had ginger hair and blue eyes. A red mask sat on the side of his head as he spoke, bickering with the other man in front of your husband. After about two more minutes, Pantalone took a deep breath and sighed deeply, glancing at you apologetically before slamming his hands down on his desk as he spoke. “If you both don’t shut your mouths, I’m going to cut your funding for the next month! I don’t care what you decide, but Eleventh, it is ultimately The Doctor’s decision on whether you’re allowed to go to Sumeru with him or not.” He threatened, his voice holding a hint of malice. You jumped when he spoke, a soft squeak leaving you as you held up your book as a sort of self defense. Unfortunately, that brought their attention to you, both Harbingers staring you down. Dottore spoke first. “Who’s this lovely lady, Regrator?” He asked, striding over to you and taking your hand into his. He kissed the back of your hand and then let it fall back to your side. Suddenly, the floor was much more interesting than the man in front of you as you sat back down in your chair. Pantalone cleared his throat and glared at them before reluctantly answering them. “That is my wife, and this,” he said, gesturing to the two of them, “is a waste of my time. I have paperwork to do, and your petty argument isn’t helping me focus. Now get out and if you can’t stop, go bother The Jester, instead.” he grumbled, all but forcing them out the door and closing it behind them. He then cast a worried gaze at you. “Are you alright?” he asked, walking up to you and gently tugging you to your feet. you nodded, deciding to finally reciprocate his gestures and lean against him. “The loud noise startled me, and I was a bit surprised to see you so angry, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” you giggled softly, resting a hand against his chest as you looked up at him. Pantalone all but picked you up and carried you to his desk chair and sat down with you in his lap, your face turning red as you felt his arms wrap around your waist, his face hidden in your neck as he set his glasses on the desk. You were tense for a few seconds, but eventually relaxed in his embrace and let him hold you. “I’ll be done with this paperwork in a little while, and then we can go home.” He mumbled into your hair, before picking up his glasses and his pen. “What are the documents even about?” You asked, leaning back against his chest and kicking your legs out. “They’re mainly about the withdrawals and deposits that the Northland Bank is getting from each of us Harbingers. If you’re curious, then I’ll tell you that Dottore and Childe are the two that make withdrawals the most out of the eleven of us. They rarely pay them back in full, too.” He huffed slightly, putting his glasses back on as he started to write. “I must say, I think I prefer working in the office whenever you’re here with me. It helps me focus on my work instead of worrying about you.” He said, briefly looking down at you. You looked up and met his gaze with your own, reaching up and gently placing your hand against his cheek. Pantalone placed his hand over yours and leaned into your touch. “Then again, I suppose you can be a bit distracting, a sight for sore eyes.” he muttered. “But enough of that, I still have work to do, no matter how lovely it would be if I could only focus on you,” he continued, his embrace growing slightly more lax than before as he leaned down to where he was right beside your ear. “Do me a favor and stay here, I like being close to you like this.” he whispered, huffing in amusement when your face turned red and you nodded. Deciding to not further delay his work, Pantalone picked up his pen and started to read over the documents on his desk, occasionally explaining the purpose of some of them to you. You leaned against him and got comfortable, knowing that this day would be quite a long one, but you were ok with that. Your eyelids got heavier the more that you sat there in his lap, and you fought sleep as best you could. However, you couldn’t help gently tugging on your husband’s sleeve to get his attention. He seemed to know immediately what was going on, because he laughed softly before speaking. “You may rest easy, I’ll wake you when it’s time for us to leave.” he reassured you, smiling down at you as you spoke. “Thank you, I love you.” you mumbled drowsily. Pantalone’s hand stilled while in the middle of signing off on a document, but he set it down after a minute or two and looked down at you. “Do you mean it?” he asked, his voice lacking that sort of confident air he usually had. He was nervous. “Mhm, you’re constantly looking out for me, and you still keep me around even when I’ve been so hesitant to be around you since the start of our marriage. Of course I do.” you said, your sleepy confession being the last thing you said before looking up at him. “Anything else before I drift off?” you asked, expecting him to shake his head. Instead, he leaned forward and caught your lips in a gentle kiss, pulling away much too soon for your liking, but you weren’t about to complain. You leaned into the kiss, reciprocating it with equal tenderness before chasing his lips slightly when he pulled away. “Now then, you best take the chance to sleep while you have it, things get chaotic around lunch time.” he mused, causing you to nod. Oh, what a long day it would be, indeed.

At least you got to spend it with him.