Creating Pocket Universes...

you take another sip, indulge in what little peace you can find with kaeya in this rambunctious group. it's when you realize he's staring hard at you that you grow uncertain, glancing at him questioningly before he speaks.

"you know," he swirls the cup in hand, "this isn't really my crowd."

"this is your fraternity. you are literally in this fraternity."

"and do you know why that is?"

you both stare at each other, silent.

"for the brotherly bonds that will last you a lifetime?"

"frat boys talk too much." kaeya explains, staring at the others with an unreadable expression. "you learn all kinds of things about them." his gaze shifts towards you, and you see the faintest curl of the lips as he taps his head with his index finger. "makes for good blackmail."

you look at him, deadpan, but inside, you think that maybe you are hallucinating and dying.

"some would say i'm not like other frat boys." he continues on, and you can tell he's trying to contain his laughter at your countenance.

"you...you're actually much worse, i think."

kaeya laughs. he won't deny that you're right.

❀ ﾟ. ༄ diluc

group projects are infuriating. group projects with diluc, however-- well-- they're still infuriating, but for different reasons.

one being that it's a collaboration research paper that needs to be ten to twelve pages ( or something like that ), two being that it's due in a few days and you've got an amazing amount of tests that are scheduled in said days.

it's fine. everything is fine.

except that it's hitting 1am soon and your brain is fried, and so is diluc's. you've been resilient in working together and it's going well-- you like diluc-- a lot, actually, and you're more than lucky to have him as a partner. but you've hit a wall and you've only got seven pages. you wonder if you can make up three pages of utter bullshit. you also wonder if your professor will actually read this paper.

after weeks and weeks of meeting up and working closely together, diluc expects what may happen next. he guesses correctly.

"i'm a biology major." you mumble, resting your forehead on the table that's scattered with mostly legible notes and research articles. "why am i writing a paper on sigmund freud and capitalism? i hate both of them. i hate them, diluc."

there's your crisis mode. diluc smiles faintly, pats your back in weary attempt to console you. that's simply the joy in taking general education classes, comes the dry reminder, and then he questions why he has to do this, too.

"let's take a break for now." he tells you, and his hand lingers on your back for a few seconds longer than he intends; it does not go unnoticed by either of you.

you nod when he tells you he'll be back, and it only takes a few minutes before he returns with drinks. you clink glasses, drinking in silence as you find invigoration in the refreshing taste that lingers on your tongue.

"do you feel better?"

you smile, slightly embarrassed at your distress, but diluc only looks at you with warmth, and maybe that embarrasses you all the more. you have a feeling it's the present company that brings relief more than anything, really-- ah, but that's another thought for another time.

"enough to make up a bunch of nonsense and finish this, yeah."

he laughs at your surge of determination, and perhaps he feels it, too.

"let's finish, then."

❀ ﾟ. ༄ dainsleif

campus life is not as fun or glamorous as one would think, especially if one ( most definitely not you, by the way ) has no sense of direction. you imagined it wouldn't be that crowded outside, but somehow, you're stuck in the midst of a body of students moving here and there. you've got about five minutes to make it to your class, which miraculously, is fifteen minutes away.

you blindly rush through the crowd, try your hardest not to shove anyone-- and as expected, you bump into someone.

the immediate thoughts are: what else could have happened? are you going to fall flat on your face? oh god. what if your laptop breaks? the last time you backed up your files was two years ago.

you have come to the conclusion that you do not enjoy campus life.

-- until someone breaks your fall, catches you in their arms, and oh, suddenly you are greeted by a wondrous blue. you recognize this person immediately-- what was his name-- dainsleif?

"you would be wise to be more cautious."

his voice breaks the trance; you register the little distance shared between you two and the embarrassment seeps in all too quickly. you straighten yourself up, regain composure, and he lets go of you.

"did you injure yourself?"

"no, i--" you clear your throat and wipe off the imaginary dust on your jacket. "i'm not hurt. thanks for catching me."

he nods, silent, and the students continue to move around you both. time stills in this moment-- then you are reminded that you're probably late for your class. you glance at your phone, panic decorating your features, and dainsleif seems to understand instantly.

"where is your class?"

you tell him, stress evident in your voice. you can only guess with the foot traffic that it'll take at least twenty minutes if you're lucky.

"i will accompany you. i know of a shortcut."

"no, that's okay! you don't have to do th--"

he gently takes hold of your arm and pulls you towards him, preventing yet another person from bumping into you.

"i insist. i have a feeling you will not make it to class given your clumsy nature."

you give him a sheepish smile of thanks, and if you looked closely, you think you might have seen his lips twitch ever so slightly.

Sorry kids, I was away to get some milk. Can’t find any though. Here’s Kaeya instead

I just wanna draw him in this expression and the rest happened🧍‍♂️