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AYATO BETTER COME HOME OR IM KILLING HIS SISTER AND KEEPING HER DEAD TILL HE COMES HOME

HE DIDNT COME HOMEEE

KEQING DID THOUGH AND IM VERY UPSET

AYATO BETTER COME HOME OR IM KILLING HIS SISTER AND KEEPING HER DEAD TILL HE COMES HOME

Wait what 😂

Hold on... 😬

This is all that went through my head this entire event

chachamaru 🕺💃

Broken Loyalties (1)

Yandere! Ayato + Thoma x f!reader

-I originally posted this on ao3 but decided post it here too! mostly thomaxreader but pt 2 will be ayatoxreader <3 sorry for the odd paragraph spacing btw :,)

Thoma finds his loyalties questioned

Warnings: Yandere themes, forced marriage, no explicit sex but contains thoma’s filthy imaginations 💗 descriptions of unstable mental health (?)

You feel like you are withering away.

Every day, it feels a little harder to drag yourself out of bed. The colors around your world seem so bleak and dark and dreary. And the food presented in front of you, has it always been so… unappetizing? Truthfully, the piping hot dishes spread across the oak table is a feast. Steaming soup, fresh fish accompanied with a bowl of rice. The clammy grip you have around your chopsticks tightens.

All of a sudden, you are hit with an overwhelming sense to heave your empty stomach across the lavish meal.

“Miss? Miss?”

You don’t hear your attendant until his warm fingers are prying the trembling chopsticks from your grip. Your heart calms down from its frantic gallop. He?

Immediately, your head shoots upward. Blonde hair, soft emerald eyes, and an even softer look of concern flashing in his gaze. “Who are you?” Your eyes narrow. He isn’t the usual timid servant who trails around you like a second shadow. The second thing you register is the unfamiliarity of his uniform. It’s unlike the typical Inazuman attire adorned by the Kamisato servants, they normally wear gray and blue - a representative of the Kamisato clan’s colors. On the contrary, his clothes seem to be a mixture of traditional Inazuman embellishments paired with… The crimson red of his jacket tugs on your memory. “Where are you from?” The question escapes your mouth before you can stop yourself.

His bright eyes widened in surprise. This man is perfect picture of youthful innocence.

“M-My name is Thoma,” he explains as he snatches his hand away from yours. “I hail from Mondstadt. I must apologize for touching you without your permission, it just looked like you were about to-”

“Mondstadt?” you parrot. Before Thoma can take his hand away from yours, your fingers close around his wrist in a grip that betrays the strength of your smaller figure. Something akin to life seems to flicker alight in your dull eyes. “Are you really from Mondstadt?” you ask him again.

Thoma seems startled by your bold movements. “Y-Yes, my lady.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” You finally seem to realize that your fingers are still snared around his wrist. “I did not mean to grab you, that was very unbecoming of me.”

“Please don’t apologize! It was an honor for me to meet the mistress of the Kamisato clan. I shouldn’t have touched you without permission.”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. The hand around Thoma’s wrist loosens as you turn around to the table again. In the blink of an eye, you’ve withdrawn back to your shell. The spark of interest in your eyes dims like a fire deprived of oxygen. “You may take your leave,” you tell him in a clipped yet polite voice. You cross your hands elegantly over your lap, not a trace of earlier friendliness could be found. “It was nice meeting you.” Smaller in stature, larger in presence. You weren't the young woman who’d gripped his wrist earlier anymore, you were now the Kamisato matron, elegant, poised, lifeless. A title that you clearly despised.

Nevertheless, Thoma bows as he retreats out of the room.

Not once do you turn around.

—

The second time Thoma meets you, he finds you in the Kamisato gardens. Your hair is swept into a delicate spiral of elaborate braids and held away from your face by a floral kanzashi at the nape of your neck. The dim sunlight glints off the pin in your hair, casting a reflection around your head and setting your skin alight with muted golden rays. A sight that would have left every painter in awe. Thoma swears his heart skips a beat.

But when you turn around, the sound of his footsteps had clearly alerted you, your eyes are dark and cloudy. Like a match about to die out if the wind blew a little too strongly. “My lady,” Thoma calls out respectfully. “It looks like it’s about to rain. My lord has requested for you to return indoors.”

The corners of your lips tug downwards slightly. “I see.”

A few moments pass as you continue to stare off into the distance. Thoma shifts uncomfortably on his feet.

Just as the silence stretches on to the point where it was uncomfortable, you raise an eyebrow. “How did a young man from Mondstadt end up serving an Inazuman clan?” you start.

You look at him properly this time. And faced with the undivided attention of your steely gaze, Thoma nearly stutters over his story.

When he finishes, you smile a bit. It’s a small smile, but Thoma takes it as a victory anyhow. “Are you happy here, Thoma?” Your voice was so soft that Thoma nearly missed it over the rumble of thunder.

Somehow, he had a feeling that the answer to your question was one that he should tread with extreme caution. “The Kamisato siblings have never treated me with anything but kindness,” he says carefully. Emerald eyes scour your face for any sort of emotion. Your features betray nothing. “But my heart still longs for Mondstandt.”

You stared at Thoma for a moment longer before you calmly rose to your feet. “Let’s go. Ayato doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Thoma nearly flinches at the direct use of Ayato’s name. You were quite probably the only person who could get away with it.

When the two of you make your way back to the estate, the elder of the Kamisato siblings is at the entrance. “My lord,” you echo emotionlessly when he makes his way to your side. Ayato’s slender fingers drifts to your hip, ghosting over the silk fabric of your kimono. Not quite touching you, but his presence is enough to catch your undivided attention. Thoma feels like an outsider all of a sudden. Like he’d just witnessed something he wasn’t supposed to set his sights on. He watches as Ayato’s larger body curves behind you, almost towering over you. Immediately, you stiffen. The tension between the two of you is so palpable that it hangs thickly in the air.

“My lord, please don’t forget that we are in the public eye.”

“The hairpin I chose for you looks good in your hair.”

Your lips flattens into a thin line as your finger twitches and Thoma half-expects you to rip the bejeweled pin out of your hair just to stab his lord in the eye.

On the contrary, Ayato’s smile broadens, the beauty mark under his mouth follows the upward curve. He’s goading you, dying for you to lash back at him. You refused to give him the satisfaction of your temper. Instead, you step away from the cage of Ayato’s possessive arms and vanish inside without a single word, all while under the watchful eyes of the other loitering servants.

It’s almost unsettling how Ayato seems even more amused. “My dear Thoma, what do you think about my adorable wife?” He continues without waiting for the latter’s response. “She has quite the temper. I’m always afraid she might slip away from my grasps if I take my eyes off her for a minute. Of course, I can count on you to watch over her in my stead, right?”

Thoma gulps. He thinks of your lifeless eyes. The pin in your hair. Your soft voice. “Yes, my lord.”

—

The more he spends time with you, the more he finds his heart wavering.

Thoma likes you... Alot. He likes to hear your voice, he likes the way your eyes light up when he first gave you a bouquet of windwheel asters that he bargained for from an Inazuman merchant, he likes the way your hair looks in the pretty complicated updos, he likes you.

And you’ve warmed up to him as well. You smile more around him, the heavy weight over your shoulders seems to lighten when you catch sight of him.

It had always been an innocent sort of crush. The type of crush where he’d do anything to see your beautiful eyes light up and crack jokes to make you laugh. He thinks he’d be happy like this if he could just spend the rest of his life seated next to you under the shade of the sakura tree in the Kamisato gardens. He’s content being your husband's servant. If this was all he could get, Thoma could die happy.

Until one day, the collar of your kimono slips. It’s not much. It just so happened that you’d bent down to pet a stray cat that wandered into the gardens. It’s not much , but it allows Thoma to catch a clear view of the smooth expanse of the back of your neck and the purplish mark on your shoulder.

His hand grazes your skin before his brain fully comprehends the sight before him. “Thoma?” you jerk up in surprise and Thoma nearly rears back. All of a sudden, you're straightening back and Thoma yanks his gaze away. He’s no virgin, he knows what that mark means. He can already feel the tip of his ears flushing as hot as the pyro vision hanging by his hip. Even when Thoma glares stubbornly at the grass, his imagination is already running wild.

The innocent crush he’d developed for you begins to spiral out of control. One sinfully wrong glimpse and the blushing servant is hooked.

That night, Thoma excuses himself to his bedroom as soon as he’s done with his chores. Usually, he’d linger around with the other staff to chat and make , but he had a pressing issue that was too hard to ignore even if he tried to.

With a stifled groan, Thoma buries his face into his pillow. He can smell you. More accurately, the soap that makes you smell like flowers and clean laundry. Oh, Thoma knows exactly what soap that is. This knowledge only serves to make him harder than ever. Maybe he can put in a good word or two with the maids, would they let him use your soap? The thought of being enveloped in your scent every single day makes his skin flush hotly.

Those same trembling hands have found their way to his pants. A low hiss escapes through his clenched jaw, he’s so hard that it almost hurts to touch himself. Carefully, Thoma wraps his fingers around his cock and rubs his thumb across his pre cum to smear it across his shaft. Slowly, he pumps it once, twice, thrice. The moment his eyes flutter shut, images of you begin to flash in his brain again.

Maybe– Maybe you’ll let him dress you up after your shower. And Thoma can wrap those beautiful silk kimonos around your body, kiss each part of your bare skin as he wraps the ribbons around your waist. His calloused hand slides up his shaft, maybe he’d be rewarded with a soft sigh of appreciation if he kisses your skin. No- he would worship your body. At night, he can undress you again. Make you lie down on the bed as he massages the tension away. You are miserable, aren’t you? And Thoma can sympathize with that. Two foreigners far away from home and trapped in a marriage you never wanted. So maybe… you won’t protest when his deft fingers slip lower down your spine until they are between your soft plush thighs. Maybe you won’t push him away if he pets your warm cunt and makes your slick stain the expensive bed sheets.

Thoma can’t help the pathetic choked whine when his cock throbs in his hand at the thought. His hips buck forward as he nearly weeps into his pillow with each buck of his hips to push his cock through his hand. The warmth of his climax bubbles like a coil in him, he shouldn’t be surprised at how fast it arrives, he should be guilty that the thought of you is making him so aroused that Thoma can barely see straight. His hand speeds up, the wet click of his cockhead slipping past his fingers filling the dark room and Thoma cums so hard that he nearly sees stars. His cock twitches in his grip, the image of you, sprawled across the bed as his fingers are buried in you still embedded in his treacherous mind.

Dimly, Thoma is aware that he just made a big mess on his bed. But the you in his imagination mewls like a kitten when Thoma crooks his fingers just right, and his cock begins to twitch to life again. “Fuck,” an uncharacteristic curse echoes from Thoma’s flushed face. Despite the murky white coating his fingers, Thoma wraps his sticky fingers around his cock again.

One last time. He promises himself. One more fantasy and he’ll swear to put everything behind him. Though he might deny it, the seeds of his love for you had been planted the moment he saw you at the dinner table.

That night, Thoma doesn’t get to catch even a wink of sleep.

—--

“Thoma.” It’s near the end of your little evening session with him. The mere sound of his name rolling off your tongue is enough to send a delicious warm shudder licking down his spine. He tries to imagine how it’d sound like a little more high-pitched, a little breathier and–

“Thoma.” You frown at the dazed look in his eyes. “Are you all right?”

He needs to focus.

“Y-Yes, my lady?”

Before he can blink, you trip over something (a stray pebble, your robes, Thoma doesn’t know) and Thoma’s reflexes move before his brain does. A strong arm catches your body by the waist before you can hit the ground and his other arm braces the two of you against the railings. He thinks his brain short circuits a little because you are so close that he can feel each puff of your warm breath fanning against his skin and you are so soft. “M-My lady, are you all right?” He gulps, the tips of his ears are beginning to burn because the longer he has you in his arms, it makes him feel as if he’s going to explode.

“Thoma,” unlike him, your voice is unwavering. All of a sudden, he feels your hand glide into his front pocket. “Thank you for helping me. I must have tripped over my robes.”

Without another word, you right yourself and give him a pointed look. “Will you escort me to my room?”

“O-Of course, my lady.” The piece of paper you slipped into his pocket seems to sear like a burn against his skin.

—--

Ayato has a routine. One that you’ve memorized until you knew it like the back of your hand. Nevertheless, your heart still slams against your ribs with each shaky step you take. On Tuesdays, he comes to bed much later than usual. Not that you cared what he was doing. But this piece of information was something you tucked carefully in your mind.

Coincidentally, the window to your bedroom is connected to the garden. And after weeks loitering around the garden under the pretense of observing sakura petals, you finally figured out the rotation of the Kamisato guards.

Right now, they were changing their rotations. With your heart in your throat, you haul yourself out of the window and into the garden. Despite the stinging sensation of pebbles biting into your bare feet, you race through the garden until you reach the corner of the wall hidden behind the sprawling estate. Every Tuesday, you’d been sneaking out to add bits of valuable into the silk pouch you hit in the crack of the wall. A small diamond off your hairpin, a small comb, all tiny things that wouldn’t rouse any suspicion. Right next to the crack was a ladder that the gardener forgot to keep this afternoon because you’d instructed him to help you with the flowers in your room. Much to your relief, the aging gardener had forgotten about the ladder entirely. You can only pray that Ayato isn’t too harsh on him after you escape.

The cold wind bites into your skin, but somehow, it’s a comforting sensation. It reminds you of the time when you still had your anemo vision. It reminded you of the time before Ayato stole it away and made you his bride.

You recall the note you slipped into Thoma’s pocket earlier. It seemed unfair to abandon him here as you made your escape. The two of you didn’t belong here, you’ve seen the way the other staff gossipped about Ayato’s foreign status. It served as further motivation for you to send him the note that detailed for him to meet you here tonight.

“My lady?” A hushed whisper yanks you out of your thoughts.

“Thoma!” You could’ve jumped up to hug him at that instant. “Let’s go,” you grab his wrist and begin to yank him toward the ladder. “We can escape right now! I’ve heard that a pirate by the name of Beidou has smuggled foreigners away from Inazuma. With the stash I’ve gathered, it should be more than enough to guarantee us a trip to Mondstadt. We can go home!”

In the midst of your excited rambling, you miss the odd look that crosses Thoma’s face. Without waiting for his response, you turn around and worm your hand into the crack to grab the stash. Yet, your fingers close around empty air.

No… No way. No, it was impossible. It feels as if someone had doused your entire body in cold water. Desperately, you fall to your knees and tried to peer through the crack. Where is the pouch?

“Looking for something?”

Your heart drops to your feet.

You don’t have to turn around to recognize that honeyed voice. Nevertheless, you push yourself upright on shaky feet and come face-to-face with your loathsome husband. A knowing smirk dances across his handsome face. After a few moments, you finally register that Thoma is standing right behind him with his face turned to the side, refusing to meet your eye.

“Thoma?” Even in your ears, your voice sounds oddly strained and tense. Far away, you hear the heavy footsteps of the Kamisato guards resuming their stations, sealing off all of your escape routes.

Amidst your thundering heartbeat, silence is the only response.

“Darling, don’t be too upset,” Ayato coos, “Don’t you think that Thoma’s loyalty is an admirable thing? He– “

Before he can finish his sentence, you lunge toward Thoma and lash your palm at his face so hard that he staggers backward. Your eyes are half crazed, pupils shaking so badly that Thoma doubts that you can even see clearly. “Fuck you,” you hiss as you slam your fist against his chest again. Despite your frenzied blows, Thoma makes no move to defend himself. Instead, he remains silent as you continue to sob. He nearly breaks down at the look of utter anguish on your face. “You betrayed me! I trusted you! Out of every person in this wretched place, I gave you my trust!” Around you, the wind seems to howl in response.

A surprised look flits across Ayato’s face when he feels the strong wind billow at his robes.

Upon his command, two burly guards begin to yank your trashing figure away from Thoma. “What did he promise you?” you hiss at him in a voice full of malice.

Thoma looks like he’s on the verge of a breakdown, with his emerald eyes still downcast and fixed on anywhere but your seething figure. There’s a red angry gash across his cheek from where your nails had scratched him. Instead, Ayato answers on his behalf.

“You.”

i like him, not you!

synopsis: in which you’ve finally mustered up the courage to express a bashful confession to your best friend and six-year crush…only to accidentally dispatch your heartfelt message to the wrong person.

character/s: albedo, ayato, childe, kazuha, xiao, scaramouche, thoma

a/n: @sohyuki ilysm have a wonderful day queen <3

the first thing you do is run away.

in a way, you have always been good at that. scampering from those undivulged words and imminent encounters that instilled fear in you. it spoke to you almost like a natural instinct, left you with a bitter taste on your tongue, tormented you with a sick sensation twisting your stomach.

because of this, you ran from a lot of things. from your parents whenever they frowned upon a low grade on your report card, from a pompous asshole you later mustered the tiniest courage to shove down during fourth grade, from the unwitting attention of sunbeam-amber eyes meeting yours, and from your best friend whom you’ve practically loved for the longest time.

and you decide the last one is something you’ll finally want to quit running away from.

eight little letters and three simple words, yet for six long years they have meant more than the world to you. he has always meant more than the world to you.

so you attempt to construct it all within proper sentences — desperately trying not to jumble up your phrases while trying to provide the impression that you sure as hell hadn’t been shaking tremendously as you wrote it.

but it’s so difficult to even spare a meek glance at it. so annoying that it pesters thrumming vibrations in the depths of your stupid heart. so fucking frustrating that you don’t actually bother looking at it anymore when your fingers hover over the word ‘send’.

you’ve shut your phone off after that singular moment, and stashed it away in a nearby drawer for safekeeping. and for the entire weekend, you convince yourself that you didn’t really care anymore. six years didn’t matter because you weren’t expecting an answer. just an outlet for these emotions and a burden lifted off your weighted shoulders.

and for the first time in a long while, you acknowledge how liberating it feels to not want to run.

Y/N’S CONTACTS.

him <3 (kaedehara kazuha)

✉ 4:47 am, april 4th (mon).

[ 1 new message! ] : psst. arcade after class today? :)

ah, but who would be an idiot not to fall for him?

you’ve guessed he’s received so many incessant compliments and heartfelt confessions, that despite how frustratingly courteous he was — could never actually bother wasting his time sorting through each and every one of them.

so you figure that you’re in the clear, and he won’t have to burden himself with formulating a sharp answer.

or at least, that’s what you reassure yourself when monday comes around and he greets you with an ever-familiar and warm smile.

and is also perhaps why he pretends like nothing has actually happened…

because if that happened to be the case, he was rather good at acting pretty normal. you knew that if you’d ever received such a confession from somebody, you would have been freaking out a lot more — and depending on whether you reciprocated their emotions, either avoiding or confronting them.

but this…was a little too cold of a reaction.

and yet, at the same time, you were thankful he still kept approaching and talking to you as usual. above all, kazuha was your best friend before he was the person you wanted to be romantically involved with. you could never really bear the thought of losing him as a close confidante.

but it hurt like hell because he was always too kind, always too impossible not to love. always with the 1 am calls and his soft voice when you couldn’t fall asleep. always with the weekend home visits to his place so you could share a meal together. always with the sleepovers or out catching a midnight film. always a shoulder to lean on when the tears were too much. always, always there.

you know he’ll never love you the way you knew just exactly how to love him. and that’s okay.

but if looks and words could have honestly fooled, it almost seemed like he was ridiculously unaware that you had even confessed to him in the first place.

everything stayed the same.

and you can’t help but feel sick at the reality, because a part of you wanted to believe that kazuha was in love with you, at least once in his life and perhaps never again. in sleepless turned drowsy midnight calls, in fleeting glances inside the deserted cinema, in homemade meals and warm smiles, in drowning tears and comforting hugs. in the briefest of seconds when he realized you were always there.

but the thing about love is that it’s blinded you enough to not think about the probability that he might just like you. that he may or may not have been avoiding all other confessions because he only hoped for yours. that he may be hesitating every time you two get closer because he thinks you won’t want him back. that at 1 am while you’re whispering softly through the phone about your day, kazuha’s thinking about all the pragmatic reasons not to blurt out mid-conversation that he’s always been madly in love with you.

you know one thing for sure when you dazedly stare at your phone later that day. love has blinded you enough to not think twice about why kazuha might not be acting any differently than you had initially expected. why he’s so infuriatingly unfazed. why he should have been having a more violent reaction instead of making the same silly jokes with you.

and boy, you’re bewildered when you find two chat notifications waiting in your message box. one from kazuha, inviting you to the nearby arcade after class…except for some absurd reason, there’s no record of an embarrassingly heartfelt confession registered in your shared chat history.

the second from a boy you barely knew but always subconsciously noticed in class, sitting rather ominously in your DMs with the strangest of messages. and it’s only when you begrudgingly open your shared chat, that you clearly feel how your heart stops in one horrifying instant.

because sitting there in the most unexpected of places, lies the culmination of six long years building up to a terribly emotional confession.

but…it’s not for the boy you had hoped would receive it.

that guy in class (xiao)

✉ 11:54 pm, april 2nd (sat).

[ 1 new message! ] : who are you?

xiao wishes there was a guidebook for how to handle all probable awkward situations, in the unfortunate circumstance that he’d ever find himself impossibly lodged in the middle of one.

but there’s none that exist to date. and he thinks not even the internet can help him figure out what to respond to a sudden and random heartfelt confession sitting peacefully in his message inbox.

he hasn’t exactly done anything to be loved or wanted by anyone. and at first, your contact name barely registers anyone he recognizes in his head. so he sends the first question he thinks of as a response, and shuts his phone to close his eyes and rest.

but then sunday morning comes and it clicks. he remembers. he knows who you are. because of that, xiao finds it all absurd.

it wasn’t like he intended to stare at you. he was always prone to dozing off mid-classes, eyes instinctively sweeping across every inch of the classroom, outside the window to greet the blinding light of the morning sun, and then reluctantly retreating back inside…

only to see you. and for you to see him.

so the odd pattern repeats. everyday.

you’d think he have broken out of such a quirky habit of looking. he’d think you’d have stopped meeting his eyes every single time. but you always manage to see each other — and past that, neither of you dare make the effort to talk to one another.

it was some sort of unspoken understanding between you two, momentary peace that isn’t built on a real connection. just that he finds comfort in your eyes, while you’re left breathless at his.

but for you to confess, and oh so suddenly without any particular reason to make you like him.

so he realizes the message presently occupying his DMs (and unconsciously plaguing his thoughts) isn’t truly meant for him.

monday eagerly arrives, and he stares. more often than usual, more often than he’d want to. he wonders if you’ve noticed how you fucked up, because he’s almost certain he knows who your vulnerable confession is intended for.

and it’s late in the afternoon when you shyly pull him aside to talk about it. how embarrassed you were by your clumsy mistake, how deeply you felt apologetic for sending it to him, but most importantly of all —

“i’m really sorry, but i like someone else and not you!”

strange how your first conversation turns out like this. he’s always imagined it would begin very differently. perhaps with you pointing out the fact that he always gazes at you, him asking you in return why you always look back.

and almost on impeccable cue, you suddenly smile and tell him about all the times you recognized him because of how often your eyes met, even though you’ve never talked to each other. you’re sorry for not talking with him sooner.

but xiao thinks nothing is going to change just because you’ve verbally acknowledged each other.

he was sort of wrong. the next time you met glances, you smiled. several more times after you’ve started doing it, he starts to reciprocate with the smallest of smiles too — the kind that makes you feel like its your shared little secret.

and you’ve both changed in certain ways. you talked with each other more often, occupying vacated classrooms during breaks and making a bit more room for each other within your drastically different lives. he even starts to join you during lunch whenever kazuha was too occupied with homework, and lets you drag him along to amusement parks or anime events you presumed kazuha wasn’t too interested in.

but the craziest part about it all was that you admitted to never actually confessing to kazuha after all that’s happened.

perhaps you were left traumatized by your previous opportunity to confess to your best friend. perhaps because of a certain “someone’s” consistent jokes, you were too horrified to ever want to confess to somebody ever again. perhaps you were simply confused about the new boy weaving his way into your life.

one thing’s for sure, xiao feels strangely relieved that you decided not to send the actual message to your crush.

and maybe even a little dirty part of him hopes you’ll eventually forget about confessing to kazuha at the end of it all.

saturday boyfriend (childe)

✉ 9:06 am, april 5th (tues).

[ 1 new message! ] : so you’re the girl who likes xiao?

the thing is, childe could have never actually perceived the day when he’d get a phone call late in the evening from xiao, inquiring about what to say in response to an abrupt confession from a stranger.

his brusque and characteristically quiet best friend — had suddenly gotten some crazy chick to fall for him? with that shitty personality?

oh, the unexpected news gave childe the laughter of a lifetime. and yet, he couldn’t help but feel curious about the idea of it. what kind of interesting person would ever be attracted to someone like that guy? (respectfully, of course.)

fortunately to satiate the whirlwind of questions that night, xiao later sends him a text of your name with a message not to bother you.

and childe’s eyes go wide when he eventually puts a face to the name. you, the weird chick always absently staring over at xiao in classes?

perhaps he should’ve seen it coming. he did think it was weird how he sometimes found you glancing quietly towards his friend. but he sort of assumed you’d have liked kazuha instead — you know, your actual best friend — over some guy you’ve never even talked to in your life.

so with the right determination, he makes it his personal mission the following monday to devote his own precious time for a stakeout. because who’s to say you weren’t secretly some disgusting pervert targeting your uninhibited emotions to an innocent classmate?

childe observes you from afar the whole day. from the moment you found your seat in class that morning, watching you lock eyes with xiao mid-science discussion, routinely tagging along with kazuha for lunch, and even as you’re concentrating on a note-taking phase during the afternoon break.

you haven’t made any explicit moves towards xiao…yet. it’s a rather normal and innocuous day for you.

until afternoon comes — and near the school gates, he watches as you awkwardly tug xiao aside to talk to him briefly. childe pauses in his steps, staring at your huddled silhouettes while attempting to decipher the distinct mood of the conversation. he sees you smile at one point, and how you courteously greet each other goodbye when it’s over.

did xiao accept your feelings then?

that night, he gets your number from a mutual friend, and sends you a harmless text message the next morning. if xiao reciprocated your interest in him that day, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to eventually get to know each other during the long run.

but when he arrives in school, he’s greeted by the sight of you staring at him in surprise and asking if you could spare him a minute of his time to talk. and it’s right then that you explain and attempt to clear up the misunderstanding that transpired between you and his best friend.

it still makes childe laugh at the absurdity of it whenever he thinks about the mistaken confession, and how throughly embarrassed you must have been for unhesitatingly sending it to a complete stranger.

from that fateful day on, you two started to become close friends. and to mark that unforgettably momentous occasion for you — childe would routinely find a way to weave his presence into your saturdays, bringing flowers, chocolates, typical department-store love letters, or text you a long ass cheap excuse of a profession — to remind you of your “beautifully executed confession”. even though really, it’s just a dumb excuse to poke infuriating jokes at you.

those continuous, and admittedly humorous endeavors of his, became some part of the reason why you could never bring yourself to confess to kazuha again…or anyone else for that matter.

and you know, maybe celibacy was the way your life was always destined to be. maybe you weren’t supposed to give out your heart to other guys, because you were solely meant to receive any form of romantic gesture every saturday from a certain ginger-haired bastard. and well, maybe it wasn’t the worst thing to have in the world.

or maybe he’s accidentally caught feelings when he suddenly put more thought than he should have, into picking out a gift on a random saturday.

maybe one average saturday, he’ll unconsciously fall for your smile and the sarcastic words of gratitude you’ll throw back at him.

and maybe, just maybe…on some imminent saturday, he won’t know what more to give other than his real and heartfelt confession to you.

homework hotline (albedo)

✉ 6:15 am, april 7th (thurs).

[ 1 new message! ] : hey, coming over to yours later for that project due next week.

you’ve had close friends come over to your apartment often, but none have ever made you feel as utterly relieved compared to when albedo visits.

it’s always been challenging for you to keep track of homework loads, or stay motivated while reviewing for an upcoming test due the end of the week. and albedo’s presence magically helps you to be productive with exactly all of that.

perhaps you feel more motivated, or somewhat pressured to accomplish tasks in the company of a person who’s actually mastered diligence. whatever it is, for the past few years it’s given you higher grades than you’ve ever expected to receive pitted against your previous academic years.

and ever since then, you’ve made it a point to always partner up together during projects, which he easily obliges to. plus, you’ve succeeded as a team in plenty of tasks for so long, that albedo naturally feels more inclined to work with you.

he also can’t deny that the company is indeed familiar and comfortable, therefore making it the most preferable alternative.

besides, he’s made himself at home in your apartment for a handful of years now, that it’s almost as if he practically lives together with you. an extra toothbrush left in your bathroom cupboard, a similar set of pillows and blankets stashed inside your closet, albedo’s hoodies and clothes folded in a neat pile within a separate drawer — his presence in your home was always just there.

which is why later that evening, as you and albedo are busy preparing dinner before you cram an overnight agenda of finishing several projects in advance, he casually suggests the idea of moving in together instead.

and it’s frankly not that terrible of an idea. the rent would be split between you both so you’d save much more, there would be no more trouble commuting to each other’s places to finish school-related tasks, house chores would be divided amongst the two of you, and albedo could occupy the apartment while you were out on weekly visits or sleepovers in kazuha’s.

so the deed is done. by the following week, you’ve already prepared other necessary accommodations, and albedo comes over with a small duffel bag (since most of his stuff was already left at your place) and a brand new key for your shared abode.

neither of you can really feel like something has changed. if anything, it seems more natural to have him permanently living with you because it makes things more convenient.

and ever since then, you’ve been constantly seen together a lot more frequently inside the university premises (causing some familiar faces grow envious at the sight of it), but the both of you preferred to keep your current home status as a personal secret so as not to fuel too many strange rumors.

you do homework with each other a lot more often. you’re also left in awe by the occasional detailed doodles scrawled across the corner pages of his lecture notebook. one late evening, you were wondering if it was the sleep taking over you, or he actually drew a little portrait of you on one of the tightly folded pages.

everyday, you’d take turns doing certain things during your well-deserved breaks. albedo, on one hand, teaches you how to draw and paint. you’re not exactly the best at artistic endeavors, but he was always patient and supportive, going as far as to provide specific remarks on the things you needed improvement with.

on other days, you’d convince him to sit down with you to binge food while watching your favorite films. he’d initially oblige to appease your kindness and hadn’t realized it at first — but at some later point, he ended up loving all the same movies as you did.

it’s slow but anticipated, the way he falls in love with you. perhaps a part of him has always seen this ending coming — recognized the dangerous path he was treading, and yet took it without any complaint.

even though he saw through your heart and how you wanted someone else. even as he witnessed the romantic gifts you carried back home with a giddy smile. even while he listens to you upsettingly vent about the most impertinent guy who keeps making his way back into your life.

because maybe deep down, he’s always hoped to love someone like this. the sound of your laughter filling his ears while making dinner. films on television illuminating your face in the darkness. yawns you stifle when it’s midnight and you’re almost finished with homework. fluttering eyes in the morning. enchanting smiles quirking across your lips. napping soundly on the study desk even though you kindly insisted on waiting up for him before you both slept. how it feels to talk about everything and nothing at the same time.

it’s natural and innate. foreign yet so familiar. a breath of fresh air. and yet, the feeling of home lingers across his fingertips.

a written, unchangeable, and hopeless destiny for albedo to always fall without constraint. and the saddest truth is — he wouldn’t have wanted this love for any other way.

BLOCKED — 4th grader asshole (scaramouche)

✉ 2:35 pm, april 9th (sat).

[ 1 new message! ] : you’re paying for the next meal dumbass.

scaramouche to you was a lot of things. perhaps the first and most notable one of them all was that he was an impressively pompous asshole.

and you suppose he’s always been like that. the same bitchy bully you’ve regretfully crossed paths with during the fourth grade.

the strangest part is, you’ve never actually done anything to piss the boy off. or at least, none you could still vividly remember. but you were certain that you weren’t too shitty as a kid, and your first interaction with scaramouche wasn’t even close to offensive.

it happened on the elementary playground, when you first caught sight of the little boy eagerly chasing after his friends, before suddenly tripping over a rock and diving straight into the ground. you remember the degrading echoes of his friends’ laughter, how you worriedly walked over to him and asked if he was okay. how you stretched your hand out to the kid on the ground, and how he stared at you with an unreadable gaze. and before you even knew it, past that singular moment, every single day of 4th grade became absolute war.

could anyone blame you for simply being courteous? he had terribly shitty friends and you only wanted to help…which yes, unexpectedly backfired with irreparable consequences. how were you to know in that second that something horrible would happen?

maybe you should never have approached scaramouche that day. or maybe you also would’ve regretted never helping him out.

either way, the thought has always plagued the back of your mind, and you wonder if your life would have changed so drastically had you made a different choice in that playground.

even until today, he still somehow manages to wander into your life oh so effortlessly. in the hallways, ramming into your shoulder without sparing a mere glance or an apology. in the middle of class, absently toying with your free locks of hair while you grumble several coherent insults towards the boy. during gratitude day, him stealing your white blouse scribbled in your friends’ messages and writing some of his own unwanted words on it. in the art room, cornering you with that devilish smirk and a finger against his lips as he warns you not to make a single sound, while the hall monitor angrily screeches his name around the deserted corridors…most likely intending to throw him in detention.

even at the comfort of your own home — he’s the neighbor who (unfortunately) moved around the same time as you did, except he lives in the spacious flat two floors below.

and it infuriates you to the ends of the earth. how he’s always been there. how he somehow still is.

when you aced a major test, he was there with an irritated scoff, reminding you not to get too full of yourself. when he saw how you started to fall for kazuha in the early years, he was there to poke fun of you for wanting a “nice” guy, because nice was just an equivalent for boring. when he saw you standing outside your house beneath the rain — soaked, shivering, and frustrated after a big argument with your parents — he shoved an umbrella in your face and told you how you looked absolutely horrendous.

he’s seen too much of you, both in your happiest and at your worst. not even others like kazuha or close family friends have witnessed or known such dark parts of you. why did it have to be him? this boy who has been constantly tormenting you for several years of your life?

even as you surround yourself with better people, you still think about the insolent asshole roaming around the hallways. still overly conscious about his presence whenever you’re in the same room (more than you would have wanted). still thinking about his umbrella in the rain.

and perhaps that was the most perplexing thing which unknowingly drew you to scaramouche. that you never really knew which side of him you were going to get everyday.

one moment he’s explicitly arguing with you in the middle of plain daylight (which unfortunately, later lands you both in detention) — then all of a sudden, you’re riding a bus at midnight to your apartment alone, and he’s the person coincidentally seated next to you, flinching at your snot as he hurriedly juts a handkerchief towards your teary face.

he’s always headed towards the apartment at the same time you exit the bus coming from the university. and although you two constantly bicker and fight along the way back to the building, he was there to accompany you on the lonely walk home.

he pokes fun about your painfully obvious crush on your best friend, but tones it down on the sunday he sees you with puffy red eyes after confessing and attempting to convince yourself you didn’t care if he didn’t want you back.

even more so when you’re unwillingly forced to share a table with him inside a popular and crowded restaurant during lunch — him insulting you for the way you scarf down your food like a pig, and yet his hand subconsciously reaches out to wipe the sauce smudge on the corner of your lips before casually licking it off his thumb.

you’re staring at him in confusion, grateful yet weirded out at the…generous gesture. but all he does is scoff disapprovingly at your face, because there’s no masking the strange red flush that creeps up your cheeks from the uncharacteristic tension and his sudden physical contact.

and for the first time in the years you’ve known him, you’ve only made yourself presently aware of the reddish tint that sets the tips of his ears aglow.

what you’ll never actually realize is how much effort he’s been constantly making to conceal that singularly instinctive (and frankly, repulsive) action that reminds him of how vulnerable you’ve always made him feel — ever since you gave him your hand back in fourth grade.

it would’ve helped him a lot more if he had never noticed you prior to that. how nice you were to the other kids and teachers. how adorable you looked in those neat pigtails. how you had unknowingly charmed every single person into the palm of your hand, and how you were still so infuriatingly enchanting and oblivious at the effect you had on others…even until today.

he hated feeling vulnerable more than anything else in the world, knowing that he was also one of those idiots helplessly wrapped around your finger. just that unlike the rest of them, he’d never actually stoop down so low with his pride to say it out loud.

and he hated that everyday, you were always making it all the more easier for him to admit it to himself. to scream out to the world that scaramouche hated how much he has somehow, foolishly, and quite impossibly, always been in love with you.

organization hottie (ayato)

✉ 5:23 pm, april 9th (sat).

[ 1 new message! ] : see you on monday.

you tried not to squeal too loudly when you suddenly received the text message. but albedo could see the way you tightly pressed your lips together to stifle back a wide whooping grin.

and why wouldn’t you be thrilled? you had just gotten accepted into your university’s official charity organization! it was certainly the perfect opportunity to expose yourself to more learning experiences and activities past the fields of academics.

obviously, it wasn’t like a super attractive person was currently heading the committee and had just sent you a text saying you got accepted a couple minutes ago…

or…okay.

so maybe there’s a bit of an influence. i mean, was it that bad to find a guy who devotes his time for others insanely charming?

of course, it wasn’t anything serious like the way you felt for kazuha. it was more of a happy crush, if you would call it — someone you have a slight romantic admiration for, but don’t exactly harbor any deep feelings towards them.

admittedly, you had naturally considered the prospect of finding yourself with nothing to do over the course of summer, and you figured applying in the organization wouldn’t do much harm for you anyway…even though you had some reservations about the final decision to sign up for it.

and then, you heard about how ayato was recently elected to oversee the committee activities for the following year. thus, the rest was simply history.

the next week, you’re swamped with exchanging introductions among several new members and almost immediately busying yourself with the upcoming project meeting.

oddly enough, you’ve been assigned in the same team as ayato for your first project. and although you began on a rather rough and awkward start together, he guides you through the transitioning process until you’ve learned at least enough things to handle some separate tasks independently.

you’ve always assumed ayato was an overly formal and aloof person to approach compared to the others — however on the contrary, you were pleasantly surprised to discover that he also beheld a mischievous side conflicting his own outer demeanor.

there were days when even he would occasionally reach out to talk about things past organization-related matters. simple questions such as asking about some input on a certain movie, if you had completed this previously given assignment, or merely checking how your day was going.

and maybe it was just strange for you to suddenly realize how human ayato feels.

sure, he was often distant and burdened under plenty of responsibilities. you’ve heard your fair share of rumors and how he was always seemingly placed on a pedestal above all — perhaps you’d almost forgotten that at the end of the day, he was still just trying to get his own shit together, like everybody else.

he was precisely nothing short of a normal guy. the kind who pokes good fun around and plays chess on breaks. the kind who still asks if you want to accompany him to springtime festivals. the kind who smiles at you when he sees you standing across the hallway. the kind who elbows you subtly when you’ve dozed out in the middle of somebody’s monologue. the kind who feels like you‘re somehow beginning to know him better than you know yourself.

and ayato thinks you’re the kind he wondered what would happen had he met you all those years ago instead. if he had an opportunity to know you better before, than he did today. if he would have liked you any sooner, or always just a little later.

maybe it’s true that ayato could work hard to be a lot of things. after all, he couldn’t have become half the man he was today if he hadn’t convinced himself to put in more effort than anybody else.

but maybe there were also some things ayato could just never bring himself to have, no matter how hard he tried. maybe there were always meant to be some moments and people he wasn’t possibly cut out for.

and maybe he could try all he wanted, but he could never really work hard enough to ever make you notice his own lonesome heart — always patiently waiting.

BONUS CONTACT ! — a short side story.

radio boy (thoma)

✉ 3:07 pm, april 5th (tues).

[ 1 new message! ] : hey y/n! do you mind stopping by the broadcasting room for a bit?

although thoma has always been well-favored among people of all ages, he feels that there’s nobody else he’d rather spend his company with than you.

it’s not that he’s wanted you for ill intentions or in a romantic perspective. just that you were his favorite person who was so invariably easy to talk to.

you first met thoma inside the broadcasting room, randomly paying a visit out of curiosity to ask the title of a particular song played during the morning break. and then the following day, you came back to ask on behalf of your friend about another song.

before either of you knew it, you were making regular yet brief appearances to the little recording area — not just to ask about songs, but also to initiate small talk about how the other’s day was going. it was later on you discovered that thoma was a student from another class in the same university who volunteered to work for the campus radio station.

on most days, you’d bring him pastries or coffee to satiate his empty stomach, since thoma preferred to spend most of his free time in the broadcasting room. sometimes, he’d also be generous enough to let you borrow some of his cd’s or flash-drives of music playlists that he thinks would suit your taste.

during periods when you were too busy to pay a visit, you’d send him a quick text apologizing in advance. but not even five minutes later, a familiar song would suddenly blast through the classroom speakers in response, and you couldn’t do anything to hide the contented smile from quirking across your face.

when thoma begins to fall in love with you, he finds himself secretly dedicating certain songs to you on the campus radio — either playing tracks he knows you love, or music that he thinks reminds him of you.

of course, you’re not really sure when the boy behind the radio started liking somebody. just that all of a sudden on an average weekday, you belatedly noticed how his choice of tunes changed, and never became the same as before.

and every time you’ll teasingly question thoma about his arbitrary selection of songs in hopes of prying him for a name drop, all he does is shrug with a quiet smile — saying that you, out of all people, should know her all too well.

Character: Ayato

Mentioning: Akang Yanto mabok boba (Ayato in boba drunken state.)

Theme: Normal.

He will be excited by the amount of Boba at your place.

This is the umpteenth time. He drinks 1 cup of Boba every day or more. You're not sure yourself.

The sound of sipping his drink disturbed you. "Ayato, how many times have you drunk Boba? At least fast for a week."

Hearing your protest, he laughed and stopped for a moment. He knows you're uncomfortable with the sound of him drinking all the time but he's just playing his act.

"That bothers you? Sorry."

For the umpteenth time, you sometimes regret how sharp he looks at the drink stand, especially the one with boba milk tea. You sometimes have to pull his sleeve away from the drink store. But damn Ayato, he likes to trick you and suddenly disappear from the crowd and come back with boba milk tea in his hand. You always nag him and pinch his cheeks. Ayato always gave a laughing response as if he was used to you scolding him about his drinking habits like a mother scolding her child. He knows you've never been hard on him.

»»-----------fin-----------««

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Too short? I know. 😞✋

Proof of Ayato being drunk on Boba.

(Ingat bro. No pic, hoax🤓☝️)

“You're actually Kamisato, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to cooperate with me in battle?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you have for dinner last night?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude…”

here, have a low-quality screenshot redraw for my bsd x genshin crossover... i was gonna do more but i got lazy and posted this one early, so look out for more scenes i guess?

bakes ur inazumans. in an oven btw.

as sure as the plants that cherish the sun (masterlist)

a genshin impact x reader soulmate au series

Soulmates are said to exist in all manner of forms. The way we find ours in this world isn’t always easy, but what if fate was a little more obvious with its choices? What if there were things set in stone to tell you who your soulmate is - and all you have to do is go out there and find them? A word of caution, though. The fates still work in strange and mysterious ways, your soulmate will not always be who you expect them to.

[genshin masterlist]

fics will be linked when they’re posted! additional notes are under the cut 💜

be careful, he’ll steal your heart - childe - same fingerprints au

In a world where everyone has the same set of fingerprints as their soulmate, you’ve drawn the short straw. It just so happens that your soulmate is a master criminal who has never once been caught, and you keep getting the blame for his actions all because you’re on the system from a silly misdemeanour as a teen.

incomprehensibly bound to you - diluc - red string of fate au

As a Fatui agent looking to go rogue, the only thing that could possibly mess up your plans would be outside interference. As (bad) luck would have it, a stranger from across the continent has shown up in Snezhnaya… and the end of the string tied around your pinky finger is looped and tied in a neat little bow around his. 

stop eating spiders, please i’m begging you - albedo - shared senses au

Your friends tell you that their soulmate loves chocolate, or lives near a flower shop. They have some clumsy moments, but they’re all otherwise relishing in the sensations that come with sharing their soulmate’s senses. Your soulmate is clearly a psychopath, as he delights in eating the strangest things and you’re made to smell the most awful chemicals every single day.

on the outside - tighnari - bodyswap au

Living in Inazuma during the height of the Sakoku Decree’s enforcement leaves you yearning for a taste of the world beyond the seas. Even the soulmates of the people you know all live in Inazuma too, perhaps some twisted way of fate aligning with the will of the archons. That is, until the first day that you wake up in your soulmate’s body- deep in the heart of the Sumeru forests. 

cruel mark of fate - dottore - soulmarks au

You hate the insufferable doctor that lives across the hall from you. He’s selfish, obstinate and teases you far too much. So when you find out one day by chance that he’s your soulmate, you start looking for ways to defy your own fate. Unfortunately for you, fate can’t be persuaded that easily. And you suppose he’s not that bad when you get to know him. 

rinse, die and repeat - kaeya - timeloop au

When you come close to meeting your soulmate, you’re thrown into a timeloop- doomed to repeat the same day endlessly unless you finally cross paths. You’ve got your work cut out for you when you realise that the soulmate you’re trying to meet is the same man you see on the news every evening who was killed in action trying to save someone else.

pen and paper would be an improvement - kazuha - writing on skin au

Anything your soulmate writes on their skin will show up on your own body within moments. You’ve been blessed with an incredibly poetic soulmate who scribbles down haikus when there’s no paper to hand, warming your heart every time you see them… but he never responds to you. Looks like you’ll have to find him the hard way. 

if i have to keep losing pens to find you, i will - ayato - lost items au

Whenever you lose something, your soulmate inexplicably ends up with it. This has been incredibly fortunate for you, whose mysterious soulmate appears to be filthy rich- if all of the jewel-encrusted gold pens and other miscellaneous knick-knacks you end up with are anything to go by. You can only hope that he likes the little wooden trinkets and paraphernalia that he gets in return.

Keep reading

a cunning contract (ayato)

2.2k words, Modern Teyvat + Demon AU, slight humor/slice of life urban fantasy

tw: demons (custom-built fantasy ones, not meant to refer to any particular folklore irl), implications / mentions of reader having some financial difficulties, slight mention reader neglecting their health for academics, blood mention, mention of reader getting death threats... i swear this is still a comedy just wanna be careful

Out of all the iterations of Teyvat, there is one where you exist. In your Teyvat, seven nations are ruled not by Archons, but by humans. Vision-bearers are little more than mythology. The elemental power structure that ruled every other Teyvat exists here as this Teyvat's spiritual underbelly. A Vision is not a gift from the gods, but is the heart of every demon's power.

Tonight, it is quiet. Students of the Akademiya tend to stay up late to study, but even this hour is too late for them. You're the only one awake in the dorm building – of this, you are confident that you don't bother hiding the materials laid before you.

A pattern drawn in chalk. A bag of various materials. Three circles to place them in. Which materials you place would determine — if successful — what you summon.

You check the time. The moon is about to reach its peak; there is no time to waste. You pick out the core material, an ancient gem, then the satellite three. 

You were very careful with the entire process, even going so far as to decorate your room in relaxing, light blue finery – well, as much finery as an Akademiya student can afford on loan. After all, you wanted nothing but the best for the demon known as Kamisato.

You gulp. There are stories, mostly from your Inazuman colleagues, about Kamisato: a gentle demon with a smile as pure as springwater and eyes like the reflection of the moon. A demon proficient in arts, culture, and Inazuman history will be invaluable to your thesis on the genealogy of Inazuman nobility. You can only hope that the tea you've prepared would compensate for the demon's work… even if it is store-bought boba tea from a buy-one take-one discount.

Before you can take it back, you place the three materials around the circle, then recite the ancient language that you've so closely studied in the months leading up to this moment.

"...come forth, Grus Nivis!"

The room trembles. Blue mist swirls up from the circle and envelops you, so thick that you can't even see the ends of your narrow dormitory. It is cold, just as you were warned, and while the air isn't icy, the dread that fills you chills your blood.

Despite the cold, you make sure to keep your head bowed in respect, even as you feel the presence of the demon materializing before you.

With a solemn voice, you say, "Greetings, Grus Nivis. Thank you for hearing out my humble request."

The demon remains silent, but you feel urged to continue.

"Ancient records note you as a master of Inazuman culture," you explain. "Your grace lets you dance across a pond's surface without even a ripple. Your beauty outshines the sparkling snow and stars. You are peerless in the arts and a guardian of festivities. Kamisato Ayaka, I humbly request–"

"Oh, dear…" The demon cuts in. "You seem to have been expecting someone other than me."

"Huh?" You look up on instinct. "Wait, you are–"

You were expecting a demon maiden: the Crane Princess, with hair of summer skies and the beauty of fresh snow. The gentle Kamisato Ayaka, a lady from days of Inazuman past that had transformed into a demon from her desire to share the joys of the Inazuman festivals.

This demon before you… is not Kamisato Ayaka. He is as tall and slender as the lilies with the elegance of the mountain stream. He is dressed in fine white and purple silks and has the bearing of a prince. His keen, unreadable gaze rests on you.

Your mouth dries. You tremble. "Who… who are you?"

The demon smiles: pretty, yes, but eerie too.

"You may know me as Cypressus Custos."

Fear rushes through your veins. You've been warned numerous times by your colleagues against contacting Cypressus Custos. No demon has been more cunning and ruthlessly charming as him, except maybe Divina Vulpes, and he is known to have left broken kingdoms in his wake.

"I- I don't understand," you say. "I was trying to summon Grus Nivis. I did everything right. How–"

The demon shakes his head, his smile never fading. "Ah, ah, ah. Look at your circle again."

You dare to look away from him and glance down at your circle. Sakura blossoms, shivada jade, and repudiation dew, just as the book said.

As if he can tell what you're thinking, he says, "That is lazurite, bloodling. And my dear sister Ayaka prefers machine parts to repudiation dew, though I know not what she uses those things for."

You curse. Maybe those all-nighters are affecting you more than you think. But you realize something about what the demon just said.

"Did… did you just call me a 'bloodling'?"

He waves it off. "You mortal creatures are uniquely dependent on flesh. Not like us demons that exist outside the material realm."

"I have a name, you know." You glare up at the demon. "It's–"

You bite your tongue. Never give your name to a demon.

There's a cunning glint in his eyes just as you silence yourself. He rests an elegant finger on his chin. He was definitely tricking you into giving him your name.

You shake your head. "Whatever, demon, you can call me a bloodling."

This time, it's his turn to frown. "Did I not tell you that I am called Cypressus Custos?"

"Unlike your sister's, your name is a mouthful. I'm not using that."

He laughs; sparkling and bright, but chilling all the same. "I suppose it's fair. The human languages have evolved too quickly from the Original Tongue. Very well, allow me to reintroduce myself."

He gives a flourishing bow. "I am the one they call Cypressus Custos, demon of Azure Elegance. My whispers have ruined the greatest of humans. I can make a feather bring a palace to ruin. In my waking life, I was Kamisato Ayato of Inazuma, Yashiro Lord and master of the Shuumatsuban. You may call me 'Ayato.'"

When he straightens up, he regards you with a foxlike smirk. "What shall it be, bloodling? Do you wish to ruin the tyrants of your age? Or relish above your peers as you puppeteer their every move, clashing them against each other until you stand alone at the top? I assure you, even the heavens have crumbled at my touch. Or do you have more typical desires, like wealth and beauty?"

He briefly glances you over. "Though I believe that you are already wealthy in good looks."

You sigh as you rub the exhaustion out of your eyes. Great, so other than being a dangerously cunning demon, he's also chatty.

"Just… can you help me with my paper?"

For once, Ayato is thrown for a loop. He blinks.

"Excuse me?" He asks.

"It's on analyzing the genealogical background of the current Inazuman prime minister and the underlying aristocracy that plagues our democratic government as a possible reflection of the overarching oligarchy. I've gotten death threats already and people are calling my research 'unpatriotic,' but I'm more afraid of my thesis advisor than them or an actual demon."

Without thinking, you hand him a manuscript of your work so far, and to his credit, Ayato looks it over as you elaborate on the details of your thesis.

"If you refer to this related study, for example, this scholar argues that historical nepotism carries on in our government because of the concept of family alliances that remains strong in Inazuma. I personally disagree with that explanation, but many other studies have argued for the same result, just with slightly different angles."

Ayato hums. "The argument has its merits, but it doesn't quite capture my personal experience with Inazuman politics."

You nod enthusiastically. "Exactly! Every single article has something right, but the topic is sorely lacking in a comprehensive analysis that brings all those somethings together. But because of the Tenshukaku Fire after the third civil war–"

"Most knowledge on medieval Inazuman politics was lost," Ayato fills in.

"Which is why I need you–"

"To be your source?" 

You pause. "No, I can't have just one source. But I need your help in pointing me towards multiple sources. You've watched Inazuma for a long time. Surely you know where everything goes."

"I am a demon, you know. I could simply grant you infinite knowledge, or call down a revelation from Celestia."

"Divine knowledge isn't peer-reviewed."

Ayato looks at your manuscript for a long and silent minute, his expression unreadable. He sips the boba tea you got him with little more than a pleased hum.

You almost forget that you're talking to a demon until you notice the Hydro sigil in his irises. Then you wonder why you can see his irises, and you realize that he's sitting on the floor with you, close enough that you can smell his camellia perfume.

You're smart enough to admit that Ayato is beautiful, even for a demon that is, as a species, expected to attract foolish mortals to their doom. The beauty mark is cute. So is the stubborn lock of hair that hangs over his face. Not to mention that you've always secretly adored the unusual hair colors that demons can wear.

At last, Ayato stops reading and turns to you. "Many have attempted to summon me. The few that I bothered with always asked for the very luxuries that I offered you: grand requests, burning with ambition, but I always made fools of them in the end. Never have I heard such a request as foolishly plain as yours before."

You wince. It's not as if you intended to call upon the wrong demon. Grus Nivis wouldn't have treated you like this. She'd be cuter, too.

He flashes you a razor-sharp smile. "Very well. Here is my offer: I will work with you by directing you towards sources that I find most helpful for this specific paper. Our contract ends when your paper is published, a process that I will do my utmost to make as swift as possible while improving the quality of your work. I will not harm you, so long as you do not knowingly attempt to harm me. I will not attempt to deceive or lie to you, and present only what I believe to be the truth."

A sparkle of light appears in his hands, which forms into a flowing contract. You take the contract and inspect it closely for any tricks, and find none.

"Oh," Ayato interrupts you. "One more thing. I would like more of this strange tea."

He wiggles the empty boba cup in his hand. Well, it only costs ten Mora – not like you'll tell the ex-aristocrat demon.

"Sure. Do I sign this with my blood or…?"

"If you can't sign with blood, red pen is fine."

You take out your red Stobilo pen and screw your eyes shut. To think that you'll cast your lot with a demon over a thesis, of all things.

You force yourself to sign the contract, then it disappears with a flash of light.

Ayato claps his hands together once. "And that is that. I look forward to working with you, strange bloodling."

He is smiling, as always, but there's something less demonic about his expression now. Undeniably mischievous, but without the foreboding and otherworldly malice. You might dare see him as just a weird human.

Even without signing your name in blood, you start to feel woozy. "Uh… sure. I'll just go now. Are… are you using demon magic on me?"

"No."

"Are you lying?" You need to lie down.

"I am sworn to not lie. I believe, however, that you are in sore need of sleep. There's dust collecting on your… bed."

He says the last word with pity and sighs. 

"Allow me." He snaps his fingers. 

Suddenly, your bedsheets are perfectly-arranged and clean. When you look around, you realize that the rest of your room is completely tidy.

You turn back to Ayato, who looks a little too pleased with himself.

"Thoma has taught me well. I should even be able to cook you dinner now," he says.

"Demons can cook?"

"Have you not heard of Trulla, or Mao Xiangling? My servant, Thoma, can also cook wonderful dishes from the human realm. He has been teaching my sister and I how to cook."

Something tells you that if there's anything else you shouldn't trust Ayato with, it's the kitchen. But you shrug anyways.

"Suit yourself."

You climb into bed, starting to ignore the fact that a reputably dangerous demon is in your home, and snuggle into the magically-laundered sheets. There's a faint floral scent to the pillows that lull you further into sleep. Somewhere across your tiny dormitory, Ayato is poking through your pitiful fridge for anything other than energy drinks and snacks.

Sometimes, you hear him snap his fingers. You'll later learn that Ayato has taken the liberty of stocking your fridge with impossibly expensive ingredients. You will also come to learn how to quickly consume five bottles of top-shelf rice wine, and how to dress up "to intimidate your rivals," as Ayato helpfully suggests. Soon, you will embark on an academic adventure across Teyvat, tracing back long-gone years of Inazuman history alongside a mischeivous and frustratingly charming demon.

For now, however, you've got a couple weeks' worth of sleep to catch up on. You hear Ayato humming a gentle melody that evokes the cry of a heron ringing across the mountains. It's an unusually sweet song coming from someone like him, and it finally pulls you off to the land of dreams.

Notes:

1. The demon names are just the constellation names. A quick rundown: Grus Nivis is Ayaka, Cypressus Custos is Ayato, Divina Vulpes is Yae Miko, and Trulla is Xiangling (according to the Wiki, her full name is Mao Xiangling).

2. Modern times in an alternate Teyvat, or at least, modern enough to have a fridge. I personally imagined that your dormitory still has some medieval fantasy Sumeru vibes because the Akademiya is fancy, but you also have some beat-up secondhand electronics. Even the Stobilo pen is my Teyvat-knockoff Stabilo.

3. You can either interpret Reader as genuinely having a bit of a difficulty with money or just really frugal. I've met both kinds of people in real life.

4. Yeah, the summoning materials are just the ascension mats. How Reader acquired those materials in a supposedly modern Teyvat? I'll leave that to your interpretation.

5. If I follow through with sequels (not for Ayato, but just expanding the AU concept), then I'll inject some worldbuilding for this AU.

6. Ayato was humming the Ayaka/Kamisato estate theme.

Please go out with me for tax benefits!

— When you randomly pointed to a handsome man and declared him to be your boyfriend, you didn't think it would get this out of hand. You just wanted a couples discount!

— Alhaitham, Ayato, and Kazuha

[Masterlist]

This was originally written for my upcoming "Help me break my engagement by marrying me instead." fic but I got carried away and it became too plot-heavy. So I made a new one. Most of these have nothing to do with money, I just thought the title was funny.

Edit: If this hits 1k within the next two days, I'll write a part 2

Alhaitham

You blame Kaveh for this. This is entirely his fault and you will not be convinced otherwise. If he hadn't opened his big mouth to Alhaitham about the fact you've been spouting that he was your boyfriend, then you wouldn't be in this mess. It wasn't even that serious, it's not like you were actually emotionally invested with the man and this was all a delusional dream. You barely knew the guy aside from the multiple rumors about him in the first place. You just needed to access some limited-edition books for your thesis and his name happened to be the easiest way to get ahold of them. Sure, you may be lying to authority for the better half of a year about your relationship with the scribe, but it's not your fault they didn't ask questions. If you happened to threaten to tell your very scary and very influential "boyfriend" about this "mistreatment", that's just a byproduct if anything. But now you have a very irritated silver-haired man crowding into your personal space asking why the hell you're announcing to the world that you're both in a relationship. It's creepy. He called you creepy. Is this where you roll over and die in shame?

You swear you didn't think it would get this out of hand. You just happened to spot him in the background while the librarian was giving you a hard time and your dumb brain-to-mouth filter was taking a break that day. So you just blurted that you were Alhaitham's partner and that he would be very upset to hear that you were being treated this way. It's not completely far-fetched, Alhaitham seems like a very, very, private person and on the off chance you were telling the truth? Well, the poor librarian didn't want to lose her job. Besides, it's not like you were planning on doing anything illegal and you don't think you're the absolute worst person to be fake-dating.

By some stroke of luck, or maybe he felt too much pity for you, Alhaitham decides to cut you a deal rather than get you kicked out of the Akademiya. He gets multiple love letters, confessions, and heart-eyed individuals trailing after him all the time. Frankly, he's getting tired of it and since you've already taken the liberty, he won't say anything if you don't say anything. Though he makes it clear that if you ever do anything embarrassing, you're taking the fall and he's going to pretend he doesn't know you. A bit harsh but that's only a safety net. Plus it's not like you actually want to date him so he wouldn't have any commitments. The added bonus is that since he's well-known for having a...rough personality, you don't need to act affectionately with the man or go the extra mile. As long as you have each other's backing, you'll get to check out any textbook you want for free and he gets to be left alone. So for both your benefits, to the rest of the Akademiya you and him are a couple.

You should have known this deal was way too good to be true. As soon as people hear that Alhaitham acknowledges that you're his partner, they're on you like rabid fungi. In comparison to the scribe, you're far easier to prod and poke for any gossip and your quiet day-to-day life is suddenly thrown into the wind. Multiple people a day come to bother you about what it's like to date the moody man. It gets to a point where you have to actually dress incognito just to go and get some coffee. Seriously, didn't people have deadlines and exams to prepare for then to hound you down to talk about your fake love life? Alhaitham is no help either, only shrugging off your complaints and telling you that this is what you agreed to.

He's a horrible partner, fake or not. This isn't your storybook romance where he suddenly falls in love with you, he straight up ignores you sometimes! If anything, this entire situation has stopped you from feeling intimidated by him. Before you wouldn't dare approach him, his appearance and body were enough for you to shy away. You're impulsive, not blind. Alhaitham is drop-dead gorgeous but now that you've reached such an absurd situation it stops intimidating you. You begin to regularly pester the man because you know that even though you're both not actually dating, it would look really bad if he shunned you constantly.

He actually doesn't mind you. Unlike Kaveh or anyone else who interacts with him, you know how to be quiet and independent. Most of the time you both sit in silence, the only noise between the two of you being the flipping of pages and the scratching of ink against paper. If you ever do speak, it's always with a purpose. It's just a bonus that while everyone stares at your table, no one ever approaches. If they need to speak with him, they see your body right next to him and they decide to come back at a later time when he's alone.

Over time, he finds himself seeking you out instead of the other way around. He's come to find your presence comforting and it's the only time when he can actually sit down and read. Being an observant person, he starts to notice your little habits. For one, touch seems to be how you interact with others. You always bump elbows whenever you greet him, pinching his half coat whenever you want to drag him to see whatever captured your attention, and nudging his arm with your hand whenever you need him to bend down so you can whisper something into his ear. He's honestly surprised and concerned that he doesn't push you away with your skinship. If it were anyone else, he would have sent them a sharp glare and pushed him off but he doesn't for you.

All things must come to an end eventually and you've finally finished writing the last sentences for your thesis. Your pat on the back is the firm shut of a book as a deep sigh escapes your lips. Tired but relieved. The goodbye is uneventful, you simply tell him that you don't need him to pretend to be your boyfriend and he's free to live out the single life. He just nods and with that, you're gone.

No one says anything when they notice that Alhaithem sits at a table alone for the nth time that week. There are a few whispers back and forth about how you either got fed up with this attitude or he realized that he was way out of your league. Either way, everyone assumes you and Alhaithem are no longer together and his routine before you arrived settles back in. Yet, he feels off. He refuses to call it longing, you both were hardly affectionate in the first place, but he feels a bit lonely without your presence beside him. it's been plaguing his mind ever since you packed your things and left. He's hardly been able to concentrate on his book, rereading the same sentence for the fourth time before snapping it shut. Letting out a deep sigh, he runs a hand through his hair before setting it against his closed eyes. What's gotten into him?

"Is this seat taken?"

His eyes shoot open, turning around to see you with an armful of books looking expectantly at him. You look nervous and he can't lie to himself that he doesn't find that just the slightest bit endearing. He can tell that you're struggling to carry all of them from the slight shake in your hands.

"I thought our deal was over?" he says this but he gets up anyways to take the books out of your hands and places them on the table. You just roll your eyes at him because of course that's what he would say first and push forward. You're probably the only one who would act so brazenly in front of him besides Kaveh but he doesn't find it irritating when you do it.

"What? So I need to be in a relationship with you just to sit at a table? I know your ego is big but not thattt big," you stretch your words as you settle comfortably into your seat.

He wonders when he started thinking of that specific chair as yours.

"No. I suppose not," he says with an exasperated smile as he sits back down. You beam back at him as you shuffle your chair closer to him as you open your textbook, your fingertips gave that familiar tug for him to lean in closer.

"Good, because I need some help with this section. I have no idea what the hell "bloom" is."

Ayato

Although Valentine's day was mostly celebrated in Mondstadt and Sumeru, Inazuma still liked to dabble in the festivities during the day of love. Various couples' discounts on tricolored Dango or limited edition books from the Yae Publishing House. There was one popular series in particular that was having a huge discount to celebrate the holiday and even though you weren't in the market for a partner, you weren't going to pass up on such a steal. Only for your excitement to fall flat when the lady informed you that the discount was for couples only.

You can't believe this. You just stood in line for hours only for them to tell you this now? What kind of shady place was this? Of course, they didn't advertise the specifics of this sale, they knew this book was popular. People waiting in line wouldn't just walk away once they found out and they would end up paying full price! Well, two can play this game. You randomly gesture off to the side, saying that your boyfriend was just standing off to the side because he wanted to grab some refreshments. You aren't really looking where you're pointing, too busy digging through your pouch and counting your coins of mora before a sharp gasp stops you. The lady quickly bows and beams at you with a mega-watt customer service smile. She hands the book to you free of charge while profusely thanking you for your patronage. You look off to the side but you don't see anyone, but you weren't going to say no, so you shrug and take it. A free book is a free book.

To be fair, you were making it really easy for the Archons to mess with you. You hear whispers around you that you can't make out, anytime you glance at passing people, they quickly bow and shuffle along. You have a horrible sinking feeling forming in the pit of your stomach and you quickly rush home so you can avoid whatever the hell you just caused. Unfortunately, word travels fast in Inazuma, and every shop you pass by you're being confronted left and right with sales pitches and gifts of appreciation for your partner's hard work. All of which you decline, half of it because you're not actually in a relationship and the other half because you have no interest in their gifts. But you've already dug yourself this far in your grave so you just give a hasty no thank you as you try and dodge everyone who looks at you with that glimmer in their eyes. Who did you point at to receive this much praise?

Ayato is greatly confused when people approach him to congratulate him on his engagement. He wasn't planning on getting married any time soon, his duties as the Yashiro Commissioner taking up most of this time. Did the elders set someone up for him without informing him first? He's curious about who his mystery person is but everyone he asks doesn't seem to know where they went. Apparently, his fiancee is shy but humble, declining gifts from various shopkeepers no matter how expensive they are.

That's until one of the children points in your direction and his eyes slide over to you who looks just as confused as him. He's never seen you in his life and you don't look like anyone from a significant clan. He gets clued in that you boldly announced your relationship with him when you were checking out a specific book meant for couples only. Ah, he's starting to understand now. He offers a piece of candy for the helpful information as he makes his way over to you. His mysterious fiancee.

As soon as the man in front of you says Lord Kamisato's name, the uneasy weight in your stomach drops. You quickly spin on your heel to see the pale blue hair and amused light purple eyes. Oh. Oh, Archon's above, please, out of everyone you could have pointed to, please don't make it be the Yashiro Commissioner. You're about to burn this book into ashes and do a ceremony to banish whatever youkai were stored within the pages if you manage to make it out of this alive.

If Ayato was upset about this situation he's found himself in, it would be immediately wiped away because you look like you're about to collapse. He's trying his best to not laugh at your torment right in front of you, but the mix of emotions that's so openly displayed on your face is making it hard. It's obvious that you didn't mean for this to happen, you've just tripped and fallen into a web of misunderstandings. Too entangled to explain yourself without making a fool out of yourself.

If looks could kill, this storekeeper would be dead on the floor twice over. This man calls out to the Yashiro Commissioner, and just to add salt to the wound, proudly congratulates him on his engagement with you. You said nothing about an engagement, you're far too young to be thinking about that thank you very much. But Ayato just nods along with that ever-pleasant smile without bothering to correct the situation. You're not sure if you should be thankful or not. He might be planning your murder in his mind so you stay silent as well.

When Ayato's gaze shifts to you, you do what any creature does when they're in danger and there's nowhere to run. You hide. You automatically raise your book to cover your face so you don't need to look at the source of your embarrassment. Although it does nothing to hide just how red your face is, you don't see him and that's good enough for you. But this also means you don't see the questioning glance the storekeeper shoots Ayato about your behavior, to which Ayato gives a pleasant smile and waves a hand to dismiss the situation.

"Please excuse my fiancee, we didn't mean to announce our engagement so early," Ayato muses, and the storekeeper nods in understanding while you bring your book down low enough to peer over the edges of the pages. Is...is he covering for you? He looks down expectantly at you but when you don't move, he awkwardly coughs into his fist and tilts his head toward the shopkeeper.

"A-Ah yes, that's right! It was a slip of the tongue and I hadn't realized I said it out loud. Please excuse my behavior," you bow and you can hear Ayato turning his head to snort into his hand. This is awful. You think you would prefer if he just outted you so you didn't need to show the world how awful your acting skills are. This is why you read plays, not star in them. But the shopkeeper nods in understanding, apologizing for saying your engagement so loud for others to hear before you're leaving with Ayato's arm wrapped around your waist.

"I'm deeply sorry. There was a discount for couples only and I just pointed in a random direction and it just happened to land on you. I swear I didn't mean to start any of this," you quickly rush out as you bow before Ayato as soon as you're out of sight from the public eye. He still has that annoying look in his eyes but you're completely at his mercy right now. The smug bastard definitely knows that.

"It's no trouble at all. I found the situation quite entertaining," he chuckles before looking you up and down. Okay...a tiny bit weird but you suppose your actions are worse. There's a long silence between the two of you as if he's pondering something and you've had enough of today's events.

"Um...well if that's everything I'll be getting out of your hair. Please enjoy the rest of your day Lord Kamisato," you mumble as you turn to leave but his hand hooks onto the back of your kimono and drags you right back.

"Ah, ah. It would make a bad impression if my fiancee suddenly left me on Valentine's Day. Oh and please, call me Ayato," he smiles that same polite smile but his eyes tell a different story entirely. His smile even widens at how hard you're biting your lip as you match his with a strained one. For Archon's sake, you just wanted to buy a book, how did you get into this mess?!

Kazuha

As soon as Inazuma's borders reopened, you were jumping on the fastest ship back to Liyue. You even got extra lucky that your good friend Beidou happened to be on the pier and offered you a well-deserved ride back to your home free of charge. You've been so homesick but unable to leave due to the regulation the Electro Archon placed, so to say that you were excited to finally go back was an understatement. Although the Crux Fleet was mainly an armed carrier delivering goods between places separated by sea, it did occasionally transport passengers if they paid enough. It only made sense that others would be like you and wish to return home as soon as possible. It's too bad that one of them happened to take one look at you and decide that you were born to be his.

It's an incredibly awkward affair. This wealthy businessman doesn't appear to mean any harm but he's incredibly dense with no sense of social awareness. Although you've politely declined his advances, he doesn't seem to stop. Even when Beidou herself threatens to throw the man overboard, he just keeps his distance and makes heart eyes at you. Unfortunately for you, Beidou can't actually throw him into the cruel watery depths no matter how much you plead with her. The man seems to be an important figure from Snezhnaya so she can't exactly treat him badly. Thus you spend most of your time ducking away and running away from your creepy admirer.

You're usually not so bold but the mix of overwhelming homesickness and just wanting to get this journey over and done with, all of it compels you to act rashly. If your new admirer can't take a simple no then you'll find a different way and show him you're off limits. You've seen the man who sits on the crow's nest, you believe Beidou said his name was Kazuha, whose been a part of her crew for a while now. You've only made passing small talk with each other and he seems like a nice person, at least you hope so. Because as soon as his feet touch the ship's deck, you're throwing yourself at him. You have to give him credit, he has lightning-fast reflexes and is a lot stronger than his demeanor expresses since he manages to catch you and stop you both from sprawling across the floor.

You make a show of throwing your arms around him and whining about how he doesn't spend enough time with poor dear you. You can tell he's infinitely confused so you lean in and whisper into his ear about your creepy stalker who can't take a no. Your eyes desperately plead with him to play along with you, just until the ship reaches Liyue Harbour. It only takes Kazuha to look over your shoulder and lock gazes with said "stalker" before he's turning to you with the most tender smile on his lips and a soft apology for being neglectful. A promise to spend more quality time to make up for his behavior. You swear that should have been an omen because you feel your heart stop for a second right then and there.

It's not completely out there. As the lookout, he would have to stay up in the crow's nest most of the day, and given how soft spoken Kazuha normally is, he doesn't look like the confrontational type. But he does make good on his fake promise and you find yourself spending most of your time in the crow's nest with Kazuha rather than ducking into the shadows of the lower deck. Kazuha is a relaxing presence and you can understand why he stays up here rather than with the rest of the crew. The gentle sea breeze brushes through your hair and it's so peaceful all the way up in the sky. You're almost jealous that he has an anemo vision because you think you'd love to stay in the winds forever.

He's also a gentleman through and through. You're not entirely sure if he's just pretending alongside you or if that's just how he normally acts. You think both options are equally plausible and endearing. At some point, you forget that you're supposed to be doing this for show to keep a creepy man away from you and you genuinely start to seek him out. It's during one night when you watch Kazuha whistle a tune through a leaf that you realize just how deep you're in. Now your position is reversed and you start to feel like the creepy heart-eyed stalker. It's something that you must absolutely not let happen, not on your watch.

Your sudden distance from Kazuha leaves him a bit hurt. He knows that this originally started as an act but he felt that you and him were getting close to each other without any ulterior motives. That all your talks of your dreams and aspiration were real and meaningful. But now that you've suddenly pulled back, he question's if everything was made up in his head. It's not like you owe him anything, he decided to help you out from of his own volition. Beidou can only look at this scene painfully at her two idiotic friends pushing themselves away from each other because they can't sit down and talk it out.

She drags the two of you into a private room, her only warning to fix your emotional angst or she really will throw you both overboard. You both know she's entirely serious so you both obediently nod as she slams the door closed.

Beidou leans against the wooden crates with her head propped up with her arm. She should probably stop watching, she's being far too nosy with her friend's love life, but what kind of friend would she be if she wasn't? She hopes you both managed to talk it out and realize that you're both crushing hard on each other. She had been far too busy with Liyue fastly approaching to check in on your progress but from the looks of things, she thinks everything went well. With the red cheeks and your fingertips linked together, it's so cute that she wants to gag on her wine. Don't get her wrong, she's happy for you and Kazuha, but any more of this puppy love is going to send her into an early grave.

"You're not going to stay in Liyue?" she overhears you say. Huh? She honestly thought that Kazuha might pitch a tent and finally settle down with you but the small shake of his head and your fallen expression says otherwise. Damn, talk about a heartbreaker. But he gives you a soft expression, something really vulnerable, and his hand comes up to caress your cheek- and that's her cue to turn away. That's something that even she knows she shouldn't be watching. She instead takes another swig of her cup.

"Captain."

She looks up to see Kazuha standing beside her, the air of nature and sea breeze clinging to him wherever he goes. She politely doesn't bring up the charm clutched tightly in his hands.

"You sure about this kid?" Beidou asks, her eyes still trained on her empty cup of booze. She doesn't need to look to know that he's watching your back disappear into the crowd longingly.

"If I try to force something I know I'm not ready to finish, it would only lead to disaster. Right now isn't the right time. But I'm sure in the future, our paths will cross again," Kazuha nods to himself solemnly. This time Beidou does look at him before she shows a fond smile herself before she brings her arm back and slaps it against Kazuha's back. It's loud and hard enough to jolt him out of his temporary sadness.

"If you ever need a ride back to Liyue, just let me know. We'll get you there in no time lover boy," Beidou grins cheekily as Kazuha flushes a bright red. How cute, he can't even be honest with himself huh?

bitter

pairing: kamisato ayato x f!reader

wc: 3k

genre: angst

summary: where you are in an arranged marriage with him and you rarely ever see him

warning: somewhat traditional housewife roles, negative thoughts

What a cruel fate it was, to fall in love with a man who neither loves or hates you.

To spend long, cold nights alone. A large, indifferent room divided by two separate futons.

You knew that your husband was a busy man. He worked all night, barely resting during the day, and every time you’ve caught glimpse of his office, there was always a huge mess laying around on his desk. But having been married to him for such a long time, you felt that the distance between you two grew longer and longer every day.

In the morning, you would greet him with the biggest smile you could muster. He would greet you back with the same gentle smile everyday. At this point, you knew what his real smile looked like. You don’t recall when the last time he’s ever given you one.

If Miss Ayaka and Thoma were busy, and you dined alone with your husband, the table would be silent. You didn’t know what to say, and he’d also be reading over papers while eating, so you were afraid to disturb him. If the two were present, or if there were any other guests, Ayato would be more active in the conversation, joking lightheartedly and appearing like he was actually enjoying himself.

This man did not treat you unkindly despite having these feelings that lurked in your chest. In fact, it was the opposite. He was a true gentleman every time you interacted with him. He would open the door for you while you two walked together. He would pull out the chair when you wanted to sit. He would hold your hand and escort you to any event, or if you were getting on/off a carriage.

But it was all superficial. It felt like he was forcing himself to do these actions for you. You couldn’t even tell what his intentions are for doing so. You couldn’t tell if he just disliked you, disliked this arranged marriage, or if he just wanted people to see what a loving husband he was, that everything was okay right now even though it really wasn’t.

From touchless nights to meaningless small talk, your heart ached at the thought of everything. You don’t ever recall the last time he’s kissed you on the lips in private. You don’t recall the last time he’s ever opened up to you about the depths of his heart, from the things that scared him the most, to the things that has made him truly happy.

And while you know that a relationship thrives off of communication, you couldn’t help but feel scared. You were scared that the man in front of you would grow even colder, shutting off the depths of his heart forever, pushing you away if you were to ever confront him. Maybe he’d even take it to an extreme and call off the marriage with you, telling you that he never loved you, as this was really only an arrangement between your two families. Maybe he was in love with someone else prior to this marriage, and he has only reserved his heart for them all of these years.

You have seen his darker sides. He doesn’t think that anyone has noticed, but you have. You were always watching him, after all.

A more mischievous side of him existed deep down in there, a certain sly foxiness that could even rival Guuji Yae herself. Sometimes, it would scare you to see that forced smile on his face as if what lingered in his mind were true thoughts darker than what he had initially led on.

But despite his flaws, despite the mask he constantly wore around, you loved him. You loved him so much it hurt. You loved how he cared for people despite them being complete strangers to him. You loved his gentle smile as he holds your hand so tenderly when you accidentally trip. How could a man be so kind, yet so cruel to your heart?

And even as you laid in bed most nights alone, shedding tears as if you were the dark side of the crystal moon longing for the light of the sun, you still loved him regardless.

You were in your futon all alone as of this moment, staring at the ceiling. The room was pitch black and silent, other than the occasional sounds of the residual droplets from the passing rain. Ayato would never let you rest in a room that was cold, so the temperature was heated comfortably, yet you couldn’t help but bundle yourself up under the covers even more.

It was cold without him. You didn’t even realize when the last time he had actually went to bed in this room you both allegedly shared.

But it didn’t matter anyways because his futon laid far away from yours.

Your own husband wouldn’t even come near you when you’re together in the same room. You didn’t know if he just wanted to be respectful as a formality between husband and wife, or if he is repulsed by being in the same vicinity as you, but it hurt regardless.

You sighed as you covered your face with the blanket, trying to get rid of these harboring thoughts. It was no use, no matter what you did, you couldn’t stop thinking about your relationship with him every single night. He is what plagues your mind at night, like a thorn lodged deep in a fingertip. It was only soon that will you be bleeding out your love for him.

How could you make a scene about all of this anyways? You've seen how hard he works. You knew that everything he does, it was for the sake of protecting his family and home. Who were you to complain about how busy he was? That was another reason why you continued to keep silent. You thought that your worries meant nothing compared to his own.

Your mind was racing a mile per minute, and you knew you weren't able to get any sleep like this. You get up and out of your futon as you decide to go for a stroll around the estate. The guards protected the outside and prevented from anybody from coming in. As long as you walked around inside, there should be no problem with you strolling the corridors, so long as you remained quiet.

Lighting up a candle, you started meandering through the halls, your footsteps nearly silent with no goal or destination in mind. You didn't even realize your feet had automatically taken you to the doors of his office, the same door that you have stared at many times, knowing that your husband was in there, but you had no reason or courage to open. You see the dimly lit light through the translucent paper sheets, and you knew that tonight was going to be another long night with no rest for him.

You sighed, not remembering the last time you had been in his office, and you were about to step away, but the door suddenly slides open rather violently. You flinch in shock because you didn’t expect for anything to happen, as he usually never notices you there.

"Who is there?" He said in a serious tone, and you were finally greeted by the man who plagued your every thought and dreams. His hand laid on the hilt of his sword, almost as if was ready to strike down any intruder who was lurking in the shadows. But instead of drawing his sword, he blinked a few times, realizing it was just you who stood there. He instantly let go of the sword and his expression relaxed a bit, although his eyebrows were furrowed slightly to show confusion. "Y/n? What are you doing here? It is almost 2am right now."

His presence stunned you for a second before you snapped out of the current awe-struck daze you were in. It had been quite a while since you've seen his face. He was rarely home anymore, but when he was, he would be holed up in his office. You only ever see him to greet him when he returned back home, and sometimes when he leaves, as he had a habit of sneaking out secretly every so often.

"Oh." You were flustered at this unexpected situation. "I had trouble sleeping, so I decided to go for a walk..."

"Is something troubling you?" He asked in concern. "If it is work-related with the household, then I know Ayaka would be happy to give you a hand.”

"It's not that..." You shook your head. You didn't want him to worry about you, so you tell him a small lie. "It's just one of those nights..."

"I see."

"Have you been faring well?" You then asked him.

He gave you a small, gentle smile, but you have seen this many times. It was one of the masks he wore when he wasn’t telling the truth.

"I've been doing alright," he replied. Anybody would've believed him, as he would never appear disheveled in front of anybody, but from the way his eyes had a slight dark tint underneath them and the mess that apparently was his desk with papers and pens strewn everywhere, you knew that he was far from so. "I was actually looking to take a break soon from my paperwork. Since you probably will be up for a little bit, would you care to join me?"

An invitation from him was rare, and you immediately jumped ship. You nodded. "Let me go prepare some tea."

"Oh, there's no need to do that."

"Nonsense," you gave him a reassuring smile, knowing what he was going to say. He was so considerate as always, not wanting to trouble you. "It will only be a few.

You start to walk down the hall to head to the kitchen, but you were surprised to hear footsteps behind you. Before you knew it, Ayato was walking beside you, and you could hear your heart thumping in your chest.

"Ayato?" You questioned.

It was dim, as the candle was the only thing that lit the dark halls, so you can barely make out his expression.

"I'll tag along with you then." He said softly, as to not wake anybody else up. "It will be a good change of pace from being stuck in my office all night."

To you, he was so hard to read at times. If he was accompanying you, he surely must have his reasons, as he had never used any of his personal time on you before. He only accompanied you outside when he had a special meeting at an event that required for both spouses to arrive. Those were the only times when he was somewhat affectionate. That was why you were nervous when he decided to come along with you, thinking he had an ulterior motive like he usual does. But a small, small part of you hoped that it was something else; that he wanted to join you because he missed you and wanted to just idly chat.

You stepped into the kitchen and then lit a brighter lantern to illuminate the room using your own candle. But before you could do anything else, you see Ayato's hand push a portion of your hair aside. You couldn't help but feel your cheeks heat up at the action, your eyes making its way towards him now that you were able to see his face.

He wore a gentle smile on his face as he looked down at you tenderly. A rare expression indeed, you’ve only noted him to give this look to Ayaka. It made your heart hurt a little as it thumped away in your chest, feeling like you could soar to the moon and never come back.

"Your hair was getting close to the flames, so I didn't want it to burn,” he explained.

"Oh..." You didn't know what else you could say. "Thank you..."

With that, you started boiling the kettle of water, your body moving to find tea leaves. Ayato watches on without speaking a word, and you two drift into a somewhat lulling silence.

As you prepare your leaves, Ayato interrupts the silence no sooner than later.

“There’s another event that the Kanjou Commission is hosting,” he replied. There it was. He needed you to attend another political event with him. You were once so naive to think that he would actually spend time with you just because he wanted to. You knew he hated small talk and would rather get straight to the point, in which he did just do so. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind attending it with me.

Of course you didn’t mind, if it meant that you would be spending more time with him. But even if you did expect for this, you were still disappointed.

“Sure. When will it be?”

“In two months. They’re hosting a party event to discuss upcoming financial plans for the winter.”

You nodded, your hands a little rougher than usual as you crushed up the dried tea leaves in the mortar. Usually you would hide your emotions well, but it definitely showed in the way you pounded at the leaves.

If Ayato had noticed your switch in moods, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he went over to the cabinet to grab two cups for the tea.

“I appreciate it. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

Another blatant lie fueled only by courtesy. He always says this whenever you did a favor for him. If you were to truly ask for a favor, he would have Thoma somehow fulfill it, or he would say that he was too busy to do it himself, and that he would make it up later. He would send a gift, picked out by either Thoma or Ayaka of course, to later apologize for not fulfilling your promise.

And although it has only happened four or five times before you’d stop asking him for favors, knowing that he was too busy to fulfill them, it still left a bitter feeling within you.

You felt that it was selfish for you to feel this way. You knew that he had lost his parents at a young age, having to resume the role as the leader of the Yashiro Commission and head of the Kamisato Clan very early in life. You thought it wasn’t right for you to feel bitter about small things like this. Yet, as you glanced at the man in front of you, who barely looked at you and instead stared at the bright full moon outside, your heart ached at this solemn expression— one that loomed with fatigue and tiredness.

Maybe what you truly longed for was his happiness. Maybe you wanted to share that happiness with him, although you knew it would be a long shot. So long as he was the head of the Yashiro Commission, the leader of the Shuumatsuban, there will always be a distance between you two, as he prioritized things differently from any other typical person. Even though he was in the same room as you right now, as the moon peaked through the small window, the cicadas singing in the distance, he still looked as alone as ever. Like there was an unmeasurable length between you two, and you were too afraid to cross it, in fear that you would never be able to reach him.

The kettle soon starts to heat up, and you take it off the flame to start steeping the tea leaves. A few minutes of silence passed, and you wondered if he was going to leave immediately after he finished his tea. It was still hot, so you did have a couple more minutes left with him, right?

You poured the tea carefully in the cup and then proceeded to hand it over to him.

“It’s hot, so be careful.”

“Thank you,” he smiled at you and graciously accepted the tea. He picks it up to his lips, blowing it a few times as he inhaled the scent. “This smells like a different type of tea than the one you served at the event the other day.”

You remembered that event. You were attending a birthday party for an old couple who were close friends with the Kamisato’s. You brewed that tea with extra care, knowing that Ayato was going to drink it on that very occasion.

“It was truly delicious,” he complimented and you felt your heart soar at his words once more. “I know I never said this, but it was one of my favorite hot teas.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I smiled, making note to remember that information. “This one is brewed helps with stress and calms the mind.”

He took a sip once the tea is cooled down a bit more. “I can see how this one can have that effect. It’s a very mild, but calming flavor. It’s a good choice for you to brew this, since it will probably help you sleep.”

Actually, you had brewed it for him, so that he wouldn’t stress so much, but you held your tongue back. Instead, you took a sip of the hot tea, trying to match his pace so that you both could finish at the same time.

“I hope you like it,” you instead said.

“I do enjoy it quite a bit,” he replied with a small smile on his face. “I will take it to my office and savor it. I appreciate you willing to spend time with me.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“I hope you get some sleep soon, and try not to stay awake for too long,” your husband states. “Please pardon me, I must return to my work.”

You forced out a smile in return, knowing he had cut his time off with you short on purpose.

“Have a good night, Ayato.”

He gave a small nod as he walked out with the tea in his hand. You wait for the door to fully shut before you leaned on the counter with your back.

He didn't even wait to finish the tea before he left. He just went straight to the point.

Your hands gripped the ceramic tea cup tightly. It felt like if you had held it tight enough, it would shatter and break, scalding your skin like the way your husband did just now.

Your tears dripped into the tea, the salty solution messing with the delicate taste of the drink as you sipped it, not wanting to waste it. What was once a calming, smooth taste was now bitter.

So, so bitter.

It was another cruel, lonely night that awaited you.

Let me know if you want a part 2 and I will be happy to write one!

.

take a sip

Jealous Ayato

On your post abt looking for ur favourites in sagau

Imagine the reader just taking a nap on Thomas lap AUGHHHH

lap naps with thoma drabble

a/n: anon I love this so much, napping on the walking green flag / portable furnance / boyfriend malewife material is on my bucket list

note: making the reader a ditzy simp because it's funnier that way.

sagau m.list | masterlist | based on this work

"Um your holiness, not to question your actions or anything, but are you... sure this is okay?" Thoma questions, looking down on you as your head rests on his lap.

"Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?" You chirp happily, turning to snuggle your face on his abdomen. His breath hitches as he nervously looks to the side where his masters are watching from afar.

Unbeknownst to you, Ayaka jealously looks on with her doe eyes while Ayato throws him a sinister smile. Thoma just knows his workload would double this week.

"Um... If I may offer a suggestion, perhaps you'd like to... nap on a more comfortable area?" He suggests, gesturing to one of the many lounges in the estate.

"Why? Is this uncomfortable for you?"

"O-of course not! It's all right for me- but maybe you're the one uncomfortable? There are softer places to rest on-"

"Oh! Well if that's the issue then it's fine! I like napping on you way more!" You smile, arms wrapping around his waist to snuggle his stomach again. Ah~ the feel of abs! Housekeeping truly does wonders for his muscles.

You were starting to doze off. The melodic sound of birds and quiet whispered complaints of the Kamisato siblings lulling you. "Besides, Thoma feels so warm... as expected of a pyro user."

At this, the blonde's face turns a shade of red.

"O-oh, thank you, your holiness.."

Far from you two, Ayaka and Ayato sobs about wanting a pyro vision.

This was a request by @eclipsery !! I hope it reaches your expectations! ^ ^

KAMISATO SIBLINGS LAYOUTS

Like and reblog if you save ♥

imagine ayato kamisato marrying a bimbo. .

he's say it's to keep the tri-commission at bay but in reality, he couldn't get enough of you. your innocent eyes, constantly batting your lashes at him when he shows you a little bit for attention.

or how about your 'unique' style? the short kimonos with even shorter shorts underneath it. it's much easier to fight in that, you said but in reality, you must've been eager for anyone to eat your appearance up; compliment those long legs or your pushed up chest. .

ayato just loves to ruin you in that outfit. he makes your goldfish brain spin and makes sure you know which cock makes you cream every night after he finishes paperwork. hell, he's even allowed thoma watch you get off on his shoe when they were playing chess.

oh how he loves his little bimbo <3