ayato simp

You were tired, spending most of your day doing something that you didn’t expect to be so exhausting. For the most part, you were just standing and talking, but it ended up with you plopping on the couch and hugging a pillow. Your knees hurt, they were aching, and you discovered that standing for more than an hour is something you never want to do again. There goes your universal studios plan…

You were sitting between Xiao and Ayato, a few of the others leaning in close. The laptop in front of you was playing an episode of Avatar, specifically “The Cave of Two Lovers”.

“…is this real or is this a legend?” “oh it’s a real legend, and it’s as old as earth bending itself.”

Zhongli hummed at the line, seemingly amused. He quite frankly enjoyed having a representation of geo and it was obvious, and perhaps the idea of an ancient legend was nostalgic. Though, compared to Venti, he was not nearly as cocky about it. Venti liked to humbly gloat.

“two lovers~ forbidden from one another…”

Ayato began loudly sipping on his boba, an action that Venti didn’t take lightly as he leaned over you and Xiao to pinch Ayato’s straw, hushing him.

“You never interrupt a bard singing a love legend!”

“war divides their people… and a mountain divides them apart. built a path to be together~ yeah, I forget the next couple of lines, but uh, then it goes SECRET TUNNEL~”

Venti—now seated again—hummed along gently. And soon several others followed, with Klee singing out the lyrics a little too loud and not quite getting the words right.

“I think we’ll just stick with flying…”

Itto audibly booed Sokka.

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t wanna explore a love tunnel?”

"Well it's most likely really old and abandoned, kinda scary, don't you think?" Gorou comments, shivering at the thought.

"But it's a love tunnel, man!" Itto rolls his eyes, speaking as if it's obvious that the right choice is going through the spooky scary secret tunnel.

"Secret love cave, lets go..."

"You know if you were paying attention..." You said, "You'd realize they are going through the tunnel."

The group calmed down, watching as Uncle Iroh developed a rash and as the gang learned they have to "trust in love" to make it through the tunnels (or be forever trapped and die, so, yk, low stakes).

"Hmm, trust in love," Ayato muttered to himself, glancing at you.

"Hey... I just remembered the rest of that song! And die~."

Venti giggled.

"So all you need to do is trust in love to get through these caves?" "That is correct, master arrowhead."

Aang looked at Katara, eyes glittering, and several of the boys smiled at the scene.

"He is so whipped." Itto snorted.

"What does whipped mean?" Klee looked up at Itto innocently, who just responded with a bunch of uh's and well's.

"It means you really really love someone, and you'd do anything for them." You responded to Klee for him.

"Ohh!" Klee smiled, "Then Klee is 'whipped' for you, Miss y/n!"

"Oh! No, not like that, Klee..." You giggled.

The boys cooked for you that night, making the closest thing they could to delicious Tevyat cuisine with the ingredients that Earth could provide.

You ate a hearty meal, watching some reality drama show snuggled up on the couch next to whoever was left awake.

You continued to shovel food into your face, it was simply too good to leave anything left on your plate. On your laptop, the very same dating show from last night was playing. Itto very much so absorbed as Marcus and Jackie playfully flirt.

"Listen, I'm tellin' ya, it has to be a match..."

"I can't believe him and Jenny weren't a match, though..." You sighed, "I guess I shouldn't doubt you, huh, Itto?"

"Exactly! I'm always right, except for when I'm wrong, but whatever." He smiled widely, messing up your hair.

"Jenny and Marcus were better," Venti said softly, struggling to keep his eyes open. Itto scoffed.

"Hey, do you guys wanna watch something else?" You suggested, "I'm getting bored of watching these guys fail at flirting."

"What else can we watch?" Thoma hummed.

"Well I was thinking some youtube, are you guys... okay... with that." You looked around to see Venti out cold.

At this point, several of the boys had fallen asleep. Gorou was curled up hugging his tail, Diluc was sleeping soundly on his side, and Itto had passed out with his plate on his lap, manspreading on the couch. Practically everyone was out cold.

Your eyes were growing heavier, and it was time to call it a night. You looked up at Thoma, whose shoulder you were resting against.

"I'm gonna take Klee and head to bed." You whispered, "It's late, you should sleep too."

"I will, goodnight." He smiled.

You sat up, grabbing the half-asleep Klee and hoisting her up on your shoulder.

"Goodnight, y/n," Zhongli spoke from his seat at the end of the couch. "Sleep well."

"You too..."

You woke the next morning, ready to be greeted by sunshine and the smiles of your favorite boys, only to walk into the kitchen to find a cold and aggressive atmosphere waiting.

All around you were looks of disdain and disgust, their figures seemingly growing to look over you and look down upon you.

"Please, what have I done wrong?" You pleaded, begging for mercy, for sympathy.

"You can not go back on your past mistakes." Their voices blended together cruelly, their words throwing you from their midst.

You were left to rot, "good riddance," they said, for who would want someone like you in their presence? Keeping you from their home, their families, their world... Controlling their every move, sweeping them into danger. Who would want you?

They radiated nothing but anger and disgust, and you fell to your knees as your heart raced.

Alone again.

You woke up with a gasp.

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ᴋᴀᴇʏᴀ

You had heard of the cavalry captain, as have most people.

You knew he frequented the tavern, as do most people.

And you knew his reputation.

When he approached you at the bar you were worried you were in the way, or he was just approaching the bartender to order a drink, or something similar. Imagine your surprise when he smiled at you and asked to buy you a drink!

"Oh! No, I'm fine." Did he think you looked broke? Is this out of pity?

"Please, allow me~."

His mind was racing with far different thoughts than yours. Many are about how attractive you are and how reserved you seemed. A soft smile danced on your lips while confusion coated the rest of your expression.

"It's not every day you get to speak with such a beautiful person." He winked, it was a generic line, but he truly meant it. He might have a reputation for being a flirt, but that didn't mean his words were untrue.

"Oh, no, it's okay. You don't have to say something like that." You almost laughed, and Kaeya found himself stopping in his tracks to take in your unusual reaction.

You waved off the compliment, seemingly treating it as if it was untrue or only for flattery. You found it humorous instead of flustering, and even insisted it was unnecessary.

"Pardon?" He sat on the barstool next to you, "Oh, but of course I have to~. I couldn't possibly not compliment such a lovely person."

"Lovely?" You furrowed your brows, lowering your gaze to the counter before you, "Please, it's fine. You can... you can buy me a drink, you don't have to lie to me to do it."

His heart almost broke.

You were everything he adored, you were sweet and kind and your appearance was perfection incarnate, and you had the nerve to not realize? You thought he was lying?

"Sweetheart, I'm not lying at all." He tilted his head this time, a new emotion present in his eyes.

If his heart hadn't broken for you before, the sight of worried confusion in your eyes certainly shattered it.

❥ the type to be genuinely confused as to why you don't seem to think you're attractive

❥ the type to continue his compliments firmly until you showed some semblance of acceptance

❥ the type to grow closer to you and teach you to accept affection, make you love yourself as much as he loves you

❥ the type to despise the thought of you not being happy with yourself

ᴠᴇɴᴛɪ

Venti was a friend of many and foe of few (Diluc tends to blame him for loss in revenue, you know how he is, sneaking wine and such). He was a popular bard, stringing forgotten tales in the streets and bars throughout Mondstadt, painting dazzling pictures in the minds of his listeners.

You were a "fan" of sorts, in a way. Your favorite part of the night was listening to his songs and stories as he strummed his well-used and well-loved lyre. He told stories of adventurous heroes and of beautiful maidens finding love, and everything in between.

You caught Venti's eye one night at the tavern, reminding him of a flower in the wind. When his "performance" was over, he was ready to fill up on wine and have a few laughs, and tonight he decided to do it in your company.

"Why hello there!" You turned to look at Venti, who was beaming at you, "Is this seat taken, ehe~."

"It's not." You smiled, completely anxious on the inside.

"I just couldn't help but notice you during my performance, your interest in my stories flusters me!"

"Your stories and songs are amazing!" You gushed, shyly, "All those heroic adventurers, beautiful maidens, what I wouldn't give to be part of a tale like that."

"Oho! You're already beautiful, you just need to find your knight in shining armor!" He winked, hinting at himself being said knight--even if he didn't wear anything close to shining armor.

"Beautiful?" Your brows were furrowed, eyes filled with shock, "I'd have to disagree..."

"How can you disagree with the truth?" It was his turn to be confused.

"How can you call something like that the truth...?"

You were becoming nervous, this conversation was suddenly full of tension and awkwardness. His compliments were nice, but they were simply wrong. How can someone be so confident when they're clearly lying to themselves? How could someone find you attractive? It made your head hurt, and your heart kind of started to ache a little bit.

❥ the type to be so positive as a person that your self-depreciation genuinely shocks him a bit

❥ the type to write stories about you and name characters after you because you're such a perfect being that you become his muse

❥ the type to trace your skin and show you how beautiful every detail of your being is, every crease in your skin and every marking along your body

ᴢʜᴏɴɢʟɪ

Zhongli was adjusting his tie in the mirror besides your apartments front door, about to take a stroll around Liyue, as that has become his morning routine since becoming a mortal—once you found out you always thought it was funny that he called being a mortal a “vacation”.

“Mmh, I’ll be back soon, darling.” Before leaving Zhongli always showered you with a kiss and a farewell, but today you decided you’d respond differently. “I love you, forever and always.”

You nodded.

“Okay! See you when you get back.”

Zhongli was obviously taken aback, he stood for a moment and you saw the gears turning, but he eventually just smiled and left the apartment.

❥ this is one hell of a prank to pull on zhongli of all people

❥ he takes it the best out of the three for sure

❥ probably doesn’t even think much about it, not unless you’re doing it multiple times through the day

❥ he’s satisfied as long as when you two fall asleep, he can have you in his arms

ᴠᴇɴᴛɪ

You rubbed Venti’s back as he slipped on his loafers. It was late and he decided it was prime time to go to the tavern, string some tunes and get buzzed—but knowing Venti it’ll be far more than a buzz.

“Alright~! I’m gonna head out, are you sure you don’t want to come?”

“I’m good, Venti.” You smiled, a devious plan forming. “At least one of us has to be sober in the morning.”

“Ehe~, you know me too well! Cya, love you!”

“Mhm!”

“Yup, love you!”

“Yeah!”

You heard Venti’s footsteps slow to a stop as he perked back around the door frame.

“…love you?”

You couldn’t help but nod, and even if you were withholding words the sentiment was there.

❥ takes it well but is adamant about saying it until you say it back, but eventually gives up, the nod was enough for him

❥ completely different story when he’s drunk tho

❥ he goes to the tavern cheerful as he strings his lyre, but he ends up draped over the bar dramatically as he cries to diluc

❥ even after everyone has left, diluc is stuck with Venti’s whines as he waits for you to come get him

❥ when Diluc sees you walk through the door, his shoulders relax because he knows venti is now your problem

❥ the whole way home Venti will be crying into your shoulder as he asks if you still love him

❥ you’ll genuinely end up feeling bad, and as you nurse him back to sobriety on the couch you make sure to tell him you love him as much as he needs

ᴄʜɪʟᴅᴇ

You and Childe have limited time together. That’s not to say that he doesn’t spend every free second he has with you, because he does, but as a harbinger his free seconds can sometimes be limited. He’s traveling everywhere from some small town on the outskirts of Snezhnaya to Liyue harbor itself.

So your time together is cherished and passionate, you often spend your days with Childe cuddling or doing things together. But today, you decided to change up the routine.

“Good morning.” Childe nuzzles into your neck, “I love you.”

“Mmh, good morning.” You smile, kissing the crown of his head.

“Mhm.” Af first, Childe just hummed as he slowly woke himself up, but eventually he’s fully awake.

“What do you want to eat.” You sit at the edge of the bed, stretching as you prepare to get up.

“Hey… you didn’t say it back.”

“Huh? ‘It back’?” You giggled.

“Yeah… can we go to wanmin’s?” He quickly got distracted as his stomach grumbled.

❥ at first wouldnt think too hard about it but if it happened again would totally be pouty about it

❥ after it happened the first time he would tell you he loves you a lot more often to test it out, and if you said it back he’d probably be satisfied, but if you continued the prank he’d be kind of upset

❥ he totally is the type to do it back to you, not to genuinely hurt you, just in a playful way

❥ oh you love him? yeah, he knows

❥ if you both held out on the “I love you”s for the whole day, by bedtime he’d be sad and would just want to spend his night smothering you in his affection

❥ his time with you is limited, after all, and he wants to make sure it’s filled with as much happiness as he can provide you

ᴄʜɪʟᴅᴇ

❥ childe is definitely the type that draws attention in public, and with all the envy thrown your way and all the interest thrown his it’s more likely that he’d be the one to make you jealous

❥ but when something makes HIM jealous, even if it wasn’t purposeful, he can be immature about it

❥ and in a situation where someone approaches you, he can find himself bothered by it more than he’d like to admit

❥ when childe finds free time and decides to go visit you at work, he doesn’t really like to find a buzzed patron hitting on you

❥ the customer was obviously not sober as he leaned on his arm, reaching out to stroke your hand which quickly retreated

“uhm… can I get you the check?” you nervously chuckled as the customer stared at you.

“mmh only if it comes with your number~!” the customer giggled at his own pick up lines, “I know that was cheesy, I just get nervous around attractive people—and, archons, have you seen yourself?”

“ahh…” you hummed, looking around before childe caught your eye, and your shoulders visibly relaxed

❥ childe was smart enough to realize you weren’t interested in the patron, even if you were being polite

❥ but he also felt a little irked as the customer continued to flirt with you and you just smiled and nodded in response

❥ he didn’t stand still for long, and quickly made his way over to the table and slipped in the seat right across from him

“hello comrade, long time no see.” he smiled at the customer, eyes cold and sharp as he filled his words with venom.

“huh? sorry do I know you?”

“did you forget?” under the table he gestured for you to leave, “why, let me remind you.”

❥ childe likes to take care of his jealousy out of your sight, and at the end of the day the best cure is the sight of your smile and the sight of your suitors’ tears

ɪᴛᴛᴏ

❥ itto is the kinda person that wants your attention ONLY on him when you’re together

❥ any time you hang out, he loves to bask in your affection and hates when it’s withheld, so when you direct your attention to someone else he can quickly become dejected if it goes on for too long

❥ so when you and itto hang out with the gang, he’s not that happy about mamoru giving you a piggy back ride

❥ as genta and mamoru race, kuki shinobu on genta’s back and you on mamoru’s, itto becomes quickly restless in his spot besides the traveler

❥ at first he only huffed, but soon he was fully voicing his feelings to the poor traveler that had to endure it all

“and you know what? i can carry them TWICE as far as mamoru can! man, mamoru is one of my boys! part of the gang! i never thought he of all people would whisk away my y/n!”

“itto, they’re just racing…-“

“yeah well what if y/n thinks he’s stronger than me now…” itto gasped dramatically, “I can’t let that happen!”

❥ quickly itto stood up and huffed his way towards you as you were set down by mamoru

❥ you smiled brightly at itto and began to talk but quickly itto held you close to his side as he challenged mamoru to a race

❥ he swore up and down that he could carry you twice as fast and far and even though mamoru was cheering him on and agreeing itto continued to jealously and competitively chant

“awh, boss, I’m no match for you! you’re-“

❥ Itto’s ears were closed the whole time, and he made sure to prove to you he was the only guy who could carry you on his back across the beaches of narukami island

ᴋᴀᴇʏᴀ

❥ just like childe, kaeya is more likely to be the one making you jealous, but man when it’s the other way around kaeya is a completely different person

❥ half of his behavior is cute but the other half of it can be kinda sad

❥ outwardly, he acts very huffy and cute when he’s jealous, pulling you closer and becoming far more affectionate to send a message to those watching, but on the inside he can be nervous and afraid to lose you, feeling like maybe he’s not enough and if someone else comes up on you you might abandon him

❥ when kaeya brought you to a knights party—as his date—he doesn’t expect Huffman to be getting so close to you

❥ you’re just grabbing some punch for kaeya and yourself when huffman shimmies over next to you and flashes a smile

❥ huffman is also a knight, and he’s also attractive, so kaeya feels a sting in his chest when you smile brightly at him and greet him

“long time no see…how have…I’ve…”

❥ the conversation is a bit too far away for him to listen in on every word, but the longer you stand by the punch bowl and chat the more he becomes restless

❥ venti is just drunkenly stringing his lyre and spinning across the dance floor, but when he bumps into kaeya and receives the one-eyed stare of death he sobers up

❥ as venti listens to the rhythmic tap of kaeya’s boots and sees you at the bunch bowl, he just drunkenly giggles and strums his lyre and twirls away again

❥ kaeya doesn’t intervene, but when you return to his side he definitely makes sure to hold you closer than normal

❥ you can tell he’s annoyed, and his grip on your hip is tighter than usual, and at that point you figure maybe you should tell him that huffman is your cousin

❥ oops, misunderstanding…!

ᴢʜᴏɴɢʟɪ

❥ zhongli can be oblivious to many things, but he’s lived long enough to know when someone is into him

❥ so when Xiuying, his fellow employee at the funeral parlor, started to come onto him, he knew

❥ it started right when they met, she found herself shy around him and zhongli noticed how often she sent him lingering looks

❥ Xiuying was a subtle flirt, she was kind and pretty and when she interacted with people it was hard to tell if she was flirting or just being friendly

❥ however with Zhongli, she was a bit less subtle

❥ more often than not, Xiuying was flustered and shy around Zhongli, lingering touches thrown all over the place as her body language clearly showed she was trying to seduce him

❥ zhongli was quick to pick up on this, and quick to put her in her place

❥ they had a conversation that seemingly went over well, zhongli explained he was taken and uninterested, and xiuying accepted that and seemed to be just fine with it

❥ after the ordeal settled he told you all about it, in need of your love to wash away her filthy fingerprints left on his coat—it felt unnatural to have someone other than you touch him so casually, and he made sure to stop her from coming in physical contact

❥ however it was clear she had lingering feelings, and these feelings played out in gestures she could excuse as “just being friendly”

❥ making extra lunch and offering some to zhongli bc it was just too much for poor little Xiuying to eat alone and she can’t let it go to waste :((

❥ visiting Mondstadt and buying souvenirs for several people but zhonglis was clearly a cut above the rest

❥ and when she saw you and put it together that you were the person zhongli is seeing, she became bitter towards you

❥ a sour look was plastered on her face when you were around, but when zhongli was looking at her she acted like the perfect, kind angel she wanted him to perceive her as

❥ every time zhongli wrapped his arms around your waist she sneered, when he kissed you she scoffed, but zhongli was so absorbed in your presence that hers was hardly acknowledged

❥ subtly she made little jabs at you, one time even telling zhongli “well if things don’t work out you know where to find me”

❥ of course it didn’t go over well, Zhongli was disgusted with her statement and you were offended that she would ever imply that, but Xiuying insisted it was just a joke and acted as if you two were crazy for thinking anything different

❥ she persisted silently, her feelings for zhongli obvious, and she only stopped when you made it clear that zhongli was yours

❥ an engagement announcement and passionate kiss later, xiuying seemed to leave him alone

xɪᴀᴏ

❥ there’s no way xiao would ever let someone that close to him

❥ other than you, he dislikes people touching him and interrupting his time when he’s alone, and any average human wouldn’t even be able to get close enough to him to develop feelings

❥ however, when you took him to dinner in Liyue harbor (he begrudgingly agreed) it was clear the waiter found him cute

❥ the waiter was a cute girl with a pixie cut, her service was good but she was nervous—telling you it was only her second day on the job

❥ she was obviously flustered by Xiao’s appearance, it was the kind of crush you have on a stranger you’ll never see again

❥ at first, she thought you were his sibling (possibly just wishful thinking), but xiao sternly corrected her, his tone annoyed as if her saying that was outrageous (it kinda was)

❥ when she was serving other people she often glanced at him quickly, and when she was serving you she focused on him heavily, eventually her manager had to reprimand her and apologize to you for her behavior

❥ when you left she was quick to tell him goodbye, asking for his name, and when he gave it to her and his face was obviously 🤨🤨 she played it off by asking your name as well

❥ you both thought it was a one off thing and you’d never run into her again, and so you laughed about it and teased him while he seemed annoyed by the whole thing

❥ it made xiao uncomfortable to feel that strange woman’s affections, even if he wasn’t reciprocating them it felt wrong

❥ unfortunately, she popped up again while you were shopping on the docks, and she struck up a conversation that quickly moved to focus on xiao

❥ you were calm and kind, knowing fully that she just had a crush and it wasn’t any sort of threat to your relationship, but you made sure to put emphasis on your relationship to him

❥ when you talked about him she was glowing, but when you talking about your relationship with him she was uncomfortable

❥ you parted ways, again thinking you wouldn’t see her again

❥ of course, when you and xiao were on another date night, she appeared again

❥ however this was the last time, because xiao was fed up and annoyed with her, perhaps a bit harsh on her as he demanded her to leave you two alone

❥ she walked away with tearful eyes, and you realized you never learned her name

It really only took one 5 minute call to your aunt for her to agree to sending you a rack or two of clothing. You made sure to give her the size range and she assured you there would be quite a variety in colors. She couldn't promise anything high-end or personalized, just a good rack of nice clothing for the group to feel more their-own instead of wearing the same white t-shirts.

The rack was wheeled into your spare bedroom, a small folding separator included for the boys to change behind. You set it all up in the spare bedroom, and opened the bedroom's closet for the first time. It was clean, maybe a sheer layer of new dust, and it was a perfectly even white along every shelf.

It was time.

ᴀᴇᴛʜᴇʀ

Aether was first up, as you arranged it to go in alphabetical order--leaving two archons and one of their sons in the bottom three slots. Aether came into the room with a soft smile on his face, his hair a bit messy from his sleep, and his clothes still ever so slightly disheveled.

He almost greeted you with a hug, but you noticed a last second animation-cancel type hesitation from him, and he returned his arms back to his sides as he silently stared at the clothing rack in embarrassment.

"Good morning, Aether~!" You half way sang your words as you smiled at him and then turned to the clothing rack.

"Good morning." He took a few steps towards the rack until he was right besides you, looking at the shirts and pants that hung in front of him. "So then, this morning's goal is gathering a better wardrobe?"

"Yeah, just something to make you guys feel more... comfortable in clothes that suit your tastes!" He nodded in response to you as you spoke, reaching out gently to feel the hem of a few shirts before snapping into gear. "Let's start?"

Aether relaxed by your side as you sorted through shirts for things in his size, he hummed and conversated with you, occasionally taking a shirt and looking it over before giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down.

"-honestly I think that's kind of why I want my original pants, ya know?" He grabbed a tan shirt from you, the front plastered with a teddy bear print, looking at you with a slight hesitation. The sparkle in your eyes was enough to convince him.

"Mhm, I totally understand that. I think ill get things like, dry-cleaned before you guys wear them again, I mean your guys' clothes were pretty dirty..."

"Well I mean it's not exactly our fault, or at least not the other's fault." He took the few shirts he gathered into his arms and threw them over the folding separator's top. "I'm sure if they knew they were going to meet you they would've worn only their nicest clothing~."

Aether lightly teased at you as he stepped behind the folding separator, throwing his white shirt over the top as he gently pulled a new one down to try on.

After a bit of shuffling he hummed and peeked out from behind the divider before walking out and twirling once, arms out in a casual manner as he smiled shyly.

"What do you think, y/n?"

"Mmm, the teddy bear is so cute!" You giggled at the sight of Aether's shy face and teddy bear t-shirt, walking over to wipe some lint off of his shoulder. He looked down at you and swallowed, returning the favor as he gently brushed your shoulder.

"If you like it... I suppose I'll wear it."

He returned back to behind the divider to try on the other shirts, coming out to model each one for you gingerly.

"Too loose." "Too tight..." "Too long." "Ooh the crop top! Reminds me of your original shirt! Keep that one." "Fits awkwardly." "You look so handsome in that one!"

With every comment you made, he sorted the ones he would keep with the ones he wouldn't. Admittedly, he found himself keeping shirts he didn't like that much (he didn't hate them either) just because you complimented the way it looked.

When it was time to move on to pants you exused yourself to get his original pants, running into Itto and Venti on the way, who were both ecstatic for their turn. You presented him the pants with a "ta~da~!", and he beamed at the sight of them.

"Ahh, these pants. Reminds me of..." Aether stopped as he stared at the gold patterns that adorned them, he sighed "of Lumine."

"Oh... Lumine..." Your mood dropped a bit as you remembered what Aether was going through in Tevyat, saddening at the thought of Lumine not being present. "I wish she could've come, I'd love to meet her."

"She'd- She'd love you, you know that, right?" He sighed once more before lowering the pants and eventually setting them down with his neatly folded pile of shirts. "Y/n, sorry for ruining the mood, let's talk about something else-"

"No, no, it's okay! If you want, you can tell me all about her while I rebraid your hair."

"Ah, are you su- rebraid? O-oh, I see." He stopped in his tracks at the thought, "Should I sit down?"

"Sure."

You sat on the floor behind Aether and took down his now-messed up braid, combing your hands through his hair, as he began to tell you about his sister. You raked your fingers all the way from his scalp to the ends of his hair, a sensation Aether quite admittedly enjoyed as he recounted the kind of person Lumine is.

"She sounds so cool~!" you said, braiding his hair gently.

"Mhm~ I can't wait to find her once more." He chuckled, "Which, by the way, thank you for accompanying me so far."

"Accompanying? Oh! Right, of course. It's nice to uh, help?" you took a fresh rubber band from around your wrist and began to tie off the braid.

"Do you think you'd consider... Coming to Tevyat?"

You froze for a second to think. Sure, it would be amazing, but you have your own life, friends, and family that you need to stay with, and Aether has his own that he needs to return to as well.

"Mmm I don't know if I'll stay forever, but if I can I'll definitely visit as often as you want."

"As often as I want you to?" He stifled a chuckle as he grinned, "And what if I want you to visit every minute? Haha.."

"Shut up!" You giggled as you adjusted his now freshly braided hair, "You know what I meant!"

"I do, I do, don't worry."

ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ

After Aether left, Albedo entered. In one hand he held a mug of coffee, freshly brewed, and the other was tangled in his hair as he smoothed it down. He smiled very subtly at you as he looked around for a place to set down his coffee, opting to finish his mug before setting it down gently on the ground.

He walked over to you with his hands in his pockets, muttering a pleasant good morning.

"Good morning."

"Morning~!" You sung your words as you gestured to the clothing rack, "You know, I always wondered what kinds of clothes you guys would wear."

"Hmm, well, I'm a fan of comfort and practicality. Though... Style is always... enjoyable." He smiles softly as he tucks his hair behind his ears, scanning the rack before reaching out to sort through it. "So then, I can choose anything?"

"Of course."

"Sounds good."

Albedo wasn't much of a talker during your wardrobe adventures, but he was a great listener. He enjoyed talking to you about your own life, knowing full well that he never got to know you much outside of you playing a game. Even if it caused a slight--and unusual--sting in his heart, he knew that for a long time you saw him as only a fictional character.

As he collected a small assortment of clothing items, he was subconsciously smiling at the clothing rack, humming in response to you once in a while.

"Hey what about this one-!"

"Ah, y/n, I think I have enough." He politely declined, looking down at the pile of clothing in his arms. "Thank you, I'll cherish these."

"Oh... wait, aren't you going to try that stuff on...?" You paused to scan his face, Albedo's brows furrowed for a moment and you quickly began to second guess your last statement. "No! No, no, you don't have to."

"Would you like me to?"

"Well... I kind of thought you would, but it's okay if you don't."

Albedo stood still for a moment, quite obviously thinking it over. Maybe he could try it on, I mean, there was a divider for privacy and you seemed to be excited to see him in his new clothing. Then again, he didn't really feel like changing, he was comfortable.

"If you would like me to, I suppose I could try on one or two things."

"Are you sure?" You sighed, regretting mentioning it because of fact that it feels like he's just giving in to make you happy. Albedo smiled.

"Of course."

ᴀʏᴀᴛᴏ

Ayato entered the room quietly, almost quiet enough for you to be startled by his entrance. Luckily, you were quickly notified of his entrance when he accidentally knocked into the mug that Albedo left behind.

“Huh?” You turned to see Ayato’s eyes widened in shock as he looked between you and the mug, sighing before he began to stroll towards you.

“Ah, it seems my plans have been foiled~…” he chucked as he allowed himself to tuck your hair behind your ear, directing his attention to the clothing rack.

“Can’t believe you’d try to scare me, after all we’ve been through!?” You chuckled along with him.

“Mmmh you’re right, how inconsiderate of me!”

He smiled at you as he began to remove a light blue sweatshirt from the rack, looking at it for a moment before holding it over his chest.

“How does this look?” He raised a brow and plastered a generic “model” expression on his face, smiling when you began to giggle.

“I think… you should try it on, then we’ll see if I like it.”

“Oh?” He smirked, “Goodness y/n, so forwards! Asking me to undress for you-!”

“Ayato!” You complained in slight embarrassment, not expecting him to say something like that to you, “Go! Go behind the divider! Begone!”

Ayato giggled childishly as you pushed his back, ushering him behind the divider as he made more jokes along the lines of “are you sure you don’t want me to change here?” and so on.

Once he changed you heard a satisfied hum before he stepped out from behind the folding divider, still looking down at his arms and body. He looked up to you and did a small turn to each side, allowing you to see him from the front, left, and right.

“How do you like it now?”

“I think it looks great on you! Matches your hair and everything.” You smiled as you scanned over his body, “Is it comfy?”

“So comfy.”

You and Ayato continued to pick out clothing items for him to try on, discussing everything from Itto’s beetle fights to his memories of childhood.

“That’s when he began to call me his bro, a surprising development but… not unwelcome.” He smiled, muttering a small ‘oh’ right after as he reached around you to grab a very nice shirt. “This fabric is lovely, is it silk?”

Ayato was careful with what he told you about, he was gentle with his words and careful not to worry you when talking about his work. In fact, he made it a point to leave out the stress and responsibility.

“Other than the sometimes very awkward business encounters,” he said from behind the divider as he buttoned up a shirt, “I find my work quite fulfilling.”

“Oh? What’s the worst business encounter you’ve ever had?”

“Hmm, what a question!” He stepped out from behind the divider, allowing you to adjust his shirt as he told you the story. “It has to be… Of course!”

“Hm?”

“A few months before I encountered you I had a meeting with a very successful business head, though he veiled the meeting as being about his services it was quiet obvious what his true intentions were when his daughter accompanied him.” He chuckled as he recounted the memory, “My, he was incredibly upset when I refused his daughter. I was so nice, too! But he seemed offended that I wouldn’t take his daughter, he seemed to treat her more as a way to make connections than as his only daughter.”

“Oh, geez, I can only imagine what that would be like.” You snorted at the thought, “I mean like, I don’t know what I would do if someone tried to get me to marry their son! I probably wouldn’t want to, I mean who does that? That’s not a way to meet your husband!”

“Hmm… I’ll have to keep that in mind, then.” He winked, chuckling softly.

…

“My hair might not be as long as his, but would you mind braiding it like you did for Aether?”

ᴄʜɪʟᴅᴇ

As Ayato walked out, Childe immediately shoved his way in, you’re pretty sure that he stuck his tongue out at Ayato, too.

“Comrade!”

“Childe!”

“Lovely to see you this morning, and even better to get some new clothes.” He laughed enthusiastically as he happily made his way towards you.

“I’m sure! You’ve basically been sharing a few packs of t-shirts with everyone else.” You smiled at him as he leaned against the clothing rack, an unwise choice he quickly regretted as he scrambled to stand upright again.

Childe was a joy to hang out with one on one when he wasn’t teasing you about how much fan-fiction you read. He cracked sly jokes and told you only the most wholesome of stories.

“Teucer has heard all about you, at this point. I’m pretty sure I’ve used you as a bedtime story.” He giggled softly as he took a t shirt off its hanger.

“A bedtime story? Oh god…” You laughed softly in return, “I was the main character right? Oh! No, no, I was the hero!”

“Hero? Oh goodness no, you were the villain obviously.” He grinned at your offended chuckle, “But don’t worry, in the end the hero won, which obviously I was the hero.”

“Don’t worry? You’re supposed to say something encouraging after that! Not tell me I lost!” You smiled as you lightly smacked his shoulder, the two of you falling into a fit of giggles together.

“So you’re telling me that hearing the hero wins isn’t encouraging to you? Archons, maybe you are the villain~!”

“Childe!” You sneered stay him, and in response he laughed brightly at your reaction.

Childe found himself with a suitable wardrobe by the end of everything, however one thing was missing: that cute little earring!

Gently, he asked for you to put it on him yourself, making a lame excuse of “there’s no mirror so you have to do it!”. You were hesitant in your actions, but you gently slipped the earring into his ear, pulling away swiftly as you admired it. It sparked in the fleeting golden light of sunrise, his smile wide and uncharacteristically sweet for a harbinger.

Maybe you should’ve asked him to stay a little longer.

ᴅɪʟᴜᴄ

Diluc sent Childe a warning glare as Childe stuck his tongue out, much like he did to Ayato as he passed him in the doorway.

Diluc cleared his throat indignantly as the door closed, nodding towards you lightly. His hair seemed a bit tangled, fashioned in a loose ponytail with a hair tie on the verge of breaking. Does he ever replace his hair ties?

You quickly smiled and beckoned for him to come further into the room, rubbing his shoulder a bit as he stood next to you.

“Don’t let Childe get to you, Diluc. Nothing bad will happen.”

“I suppose…” He sighed, rubbing his temple, “However, my distaste towards the fatui is not so easily repressed.”

“I understand.” You smiled, “Shall we pick out some clothing, then?”

“We shall.”

Diluc seemed to be drawn to button up shirts; black fabric, white fabric, linen, satin, it really didn’t matter as long as it fit to his liking. He gently whisked them up on his shoulders, trying them on over his white t shirt. He rolled up his sleeves to his forearm as he tested the fit, gently moving his arms around and stretching his back subtly.

“Hmm, my arm movement is restricted.” He mentioned, noting how tight it was around his shoulders. Taking another look at him, you found him to have rather broad and muscular shoulders, unexpected from a bartender but obvious for the darknight hero.

“Geez, if these shirts are small on you I worry for when Itto’s turn rolls around.” You giggled slightly at the thought, Diluc’s lips turning up in a smile.

“Itto is quite a large person, as expected from an oni.” He chuckled as he returned the too-tight shirt to its hanger.

Diluc moved on to pants, not finding himself too interested in jeans but still inspecting them closely. Slowly the silence built up, only broken by the shuffling of hangers and clothing. Diluc spoke up, reminiscing about his life in Mondstadt.

“What was life like in Mondstadt, ya know, as the great and revered wine guy.”

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of drunks I’ve had to deal with, as expected when owning a tavern, but not any less irritating.”

“Oh I’m sure, I mean I’m sure Venti alone is a real handful.”

“Don’t get me started…” He groaned as he let his head fall back, “If the people of the church knew that their revered Barbatos was such a drunkard I wonder how they would react.”

“Barbara would probably have a heart attack.” You chuckled, Diluc snorting in response.

“There’s no doubt about it.”

Diluc was a joy to talk to, he spoke about all his struggles and accomplishments in Mondstadt, asking you about your own. He absorbed every detail he could get from you, congratulating you on your education no matter how long ago it was, discussing your aunts boutique, your goals in life. Diluc found himself with an urge to support you in everything you do. Maybe you could come back to Mondstadt and you two would-

“Hey, by the way,” You turned to him, “can I fix your hair?”

“My hair?” He raised a brow, “Is something wrong with it?”

“What..! No, of course not, I just-“

“Don’t worry, I’m just giving you a hard time.” He chuckles, turning away from you, “Do you want me to sit?”

“Sure.” You smiled as he slowly crouched to the ground, settling in criss-cross-apple-sauce.

You began to take out his hair, only for a sharp ‘snap!’ to be heard, accompanied by a light slap on your fingers as the rubber band broke and flew against the wall. You let out a surprised noise, Diluc stifling a giggle as his shoulders shook up and down.

You frowned, huffing before he reached into the pocket of his sweat pants, handing you a nice hair tie to replace it. So he does replace them!

“High or low ponytail?”

“Mmm… high.”

ɢᴏʀᴏᴜ

i forgot to write gorous part.

“Uhm, y/n? Can I come in?” Gorou knocked on the door gently, asking for permission to enter the room.

“Of course, come in!” You walked to the door yourself to open it, immediately faced with a surprised puppy boy. “Don’t be shy~!”

“A-ahh, yes, of course.” Gorou cleared his throat, entering gingerly as he inwardly cringed at your words, embarrassment rushing through him from the way you reminded him a bit too much of Yae in that simple sentence.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course, it’s not your fault, don’t worry about it.”

Gorou was quick to get to business, efficiently gathering clothing piece by piece. You made small talk, but the conversation didn’t get that deep for the majority of the time. He discussed the difference in climate from Inazuma, disruption of his daily routines, and almost slipped out that his new surroundings still smelled funny to him.

He eventually came to a cute tan shirt with a dog printed on the front, it was matching Aether’s.

“Oh my god, you should wear that!”

“Well, it’s cute… But I don’t think I’d like to wear a dog print, it feels a bit odd.” He laughed airily, ears twitching, “Besides, it’s a size too big.”

“Oh, of course, I didn’t notice that.”

As your time with Gorou continued, the conversation became more personal. You started talking about your life in general, a topic that pleased Gorou as his tail wagged happily while you talked about your favorite restaurants.

“It’s a great place, I’d love to take you guys out for dinner there someday!”

“Ah geez, y/n, you’re making me hungry with all this food talk.” He whined, rubbing his stomach as his tail continued to swipe from side to side happily.

“Sorry, honestly I’m getting pretty hungry too. Maybe after I’m done helping everyone I’ll cook for you guys, too.”

“No, no, you’re doing enough for us today, we’ll cook this time.” Gorou smiled, hands on his hips.

“You’re too sweet…” You smiled.

Gorou enjoyed spending time with you, feeling as if he’s making up for what he missed since it took him so long to come home. His joy was all to obvious with the way his tail swished about, and it was honestly cute to know he was content spending time with you.

Sometimes when he was trying on pants his tail was more of a hindrance. He had tried on a pair of jeans and found that his tail was getting pretty stuck and restrained due to how tight they were. At that point he had to hide behind the divider as he tried to peel off the uncomfortably tight jeans, refusing any help as he was already embarrassed.

“Maybe loose pants are the way to go…”

“I think you might be right.” He whimpered.

ɪᴛᴛᴏ

Itto slammed open the door, eyes immediately darting to you.

He swiftly made his towards you, first grabbing you by the shoulders, then hugging you, and then pushing you back and holding you by your shoulders.

“I-Itto-!”

“Bro, y/n, I’ve seen what you’ve done for others. Diluc’s ponytail, Aether’s braids, and the braids Ayato had for like 10 seconds before they fell out.” He was bouncing in excitement by this point, “Y/n, you gotta hook me up, I’ve been so good to you! Please, babe, bro, please.”

“I dunno Itto…” You giggled as you urged the oni to loosen his grip, “Your artifacts really gave me a hard time.”

“I’m gonna be honest, no idea what that means, but I’ll still do anything, I promise!”

“We’re supposed to pick out clothes!”

“We can still, but first, you gotta make me hot! Do my hair!” Itto seemed to just want to be included, if you were honest, but who are you to tell the big puppy ‘no’?

Itto sat in front of tou, posture perfect as he nearly shook in joy. You did all sorts of things, starting off by brushing his hair gently—which he seemed to love, at least that’s what the pleased noises he was making seemed to indicate. He adored every second of you doing his hair, just loving the one-on-one attention and touch, reminiscing about how you, in your words, “built” him and how he felt so special as you make him stronger. He got to tell you all about his life, about the oni, about granny oni and the rest of his gang. He talked about Shinobu and his beetle fighting, seemingly just happy to talk with you.

“Itto!” You gasped, remembering a special surprise you had for him.

“Hhuahgh-!” He made a startled noise, seemingly waking up? “What’s wrong? Are the bean men back for me!?”

“No! No, I just wanted to show you something!” You stood up, giggling as you reached into the spare bedrooms closet and grabbed out a nice, black baseball cap. Along the top, where Itto’s horns should go, there were two holes for them to slip through.

“What is it? A gift!? Ooh can I see?”

“Ta~da~!” You presented it to him proudly, and he seemed to melt, eyes literally sparking.

“A hat!!” He coo’d, grabbing it before gasping again when he saw the holes. “Haha~! With holes!!!”

You giggled as he traced the holes with his fingernails, looking at you before carefully setting the cap on his head and slotting his horns in the holes.

“Mhm! When my aunt left she messaged me about your horns, and I helped her with the dimensions. Just based on how big they feel since I didn’t have any measurements.”

“Y/n, I’ll cherish this forever, I’m never taking it off, honesty.”

“You might have to so you can try on clothes, ya know, what we were supposed to be doing.”

You smiled at Itto as he hummed before flinging off the cap and taking his shirt right off. He stood with his hands on his hips, admiring your shocked expression.

“Let’s get down to it!”

Getting clothes for Itto was tedious, he was quite a bit bigger than your average man and he was a bit rough with things. He ripped several shirts, some due to his too-sharp horns, and some do to the fact they didn’t even fit him.

When he tried on a cute shirt with a heart in the center, you almost burst out laughing. His shoulders pulled the fabric tight and the seams began to rip, on top of that it didn’t even make it down to his hips.

“Itto did you even read the size?”

“Uhhh, well, no, but it looked big enough.” He nervously chuckled as he tried to pull it back over his head. The whole situation was reminiscent of when you went shopping.

Eventually, you found clothing that fit him well and he was over the moon about it, seemingly excited to show off his new fits.

“Awh, they’re gonna love those one!”

ᴋᴀᴇʏᴀ

As Itto left laughing loudly and showing off his clothing, Kaeya waltzed in with a grin on his face.

“Why, hello there, y/n~.”

“Hello Kaeya~!” You giggled lightly, patting him on the shoulder as he reached out to feel the fabric of the clothing in front of him.

“I consider myself quite a stylish man, you see.” He smiled mischievously, “I just hope these clothes live up to that, hm?”

Kaeya wasn’t afraid to try on the clothes, in fact, each time you handed him something he made the move behind the divider to undress and redress.

Him and Diluc shared their interest for the button up shirts, Kaeya trying on several until requesting you brought him his original outfit so he can keep aspects of it for himself.

“Hmm…” He looked down at himself, clothed in a linen button up shirt, “Something here is missing.”

“Huh? I mean, other than accessories it looks fine-“

Kaeya began to unbutton the top of the shirt, nearly giggling at the idea of making you flustered with such an action.

“Ah yes, the infamous ‘boob window’ you love oh so much.” He grinned

“I-..” You took a moment to digest the view, smiling softly, “You know what, I think you were right.”

“When have I ever been wrong?”

Kaeya moved on from shirts to pants, carefully curating a selection of pants that were either so so tight or nice and loose. He had slacks, jeans, sweatpants. A small but very Kaeya like selection, and each was chosen with the utmost of care.

Kaeya was the same as what you expected, but also different in some ways. For one, he was incredibly smooth with his words and he could be teasing at times, but he wasn’t as much of a whore in a way. He was sweet and caring, he was more wholesome than horny, and he was just an all around lovely person to spend time with.

He adored you, he adored spending time with you, and he adored the stories you told. Kaeya listened and bantered and joked with you, enjoying every second he spent alone next to you.

“Mmm, let’s go eyepatch shopping next time we’re out, shall we?”

ᴋᴀᴢᴜʜᴀ

Between Kaeya and Kazuha you found a nice break, a bit of peace to sit back and look around. The rack was close to empty, you wondered if there would be enough left for Zhongli. The closet had small stacks of folded clothing, separated carefully (all but Itto’s clothes, which he balled up once he was done trying on).

The time passed and Kazuha was nowhere to be seen, so you peeked out the door to see everyone piled up on the couch around your laptop, from which you audibly heard ATLA. Aether noticed you first, his teddy bear t shirt displayed proudly on his chest, and he pointed down the hall.

You walked down the hall to see your bedroom door open, and when you peeked in you saw a sweet Kazuha sitting politely on your bed and flipping through one of your favorite books.

“Kazu…?”

“Ah, y/n, sorry for going through your books.” He smiled up at you, closing the book gently with a finger between the pages to mark his spot, “Mind if I bring this with me?”

“Of course not. Come on, I’ve been waiting for you.” You giggled, walking with him to the spare bedroom.

“Archons, I assume they’ve taken quite the amount of clothing?” He chuckled softly, scanning over the half-empty rack.

“Ahh yeah, though I think most of it was ripped up by Itto’s horns.” You pointed towards the small yet neat pile of discarded and ripped clothing.

“Ahh, will he ever learn?”

Kazuha excelled in carrying a soft conversation with you, talking back and forth about your shared interests as he went through the clothes. He asked you about the book he brought with him, occasionally taking a break to scan the pages before asking questions. He recounted his own favorite literature, talking about poems, gently teasing you as he hinted at you being the inspiration to some.

“I believe one of my best works was something about… a voice from beyond, perhaps.”

“Is that so?” You giggled lightly, wondering if he was talking about you or if you were being too full of yourself to think he was writing poems about you.

“Yeah, it’s about a young man, guided through life by gently laughter-“ he smiled in your direction, “-and encouragement given to him from the winds.”

“Maybe it’s the anemo archon talking to him.” You joked, Kazuha stifling a laugh as he stepped a bit closer.

“I’m pretty sure it was someone else.” His voice was quite close to your ear as he reached over your shoulder to retrieve a gentle red sweatshirt with a maple leave embroidered on the wrist cuffs. Before you could find yourself flustered he pulled away to admire the article of clothing. “Hmm, I think this will do well, it fits me, don’t you think?”

“Y- …Yeah, definitely.”

Seemingly satisfied with his little stunt, he hummed happily as he went to try on the sweatshirt, leaving you and your thoughts alone together.

ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀ

Thoma entered the room humming a tune, his steps bouncy as he smiled brightly, lifting the room greatly. He whistled loudly at the sight of the ripped pile of clothing, knowing exactly why it happened and who did it.

“Ah, it’s nice to see you, y/n!” Thoma chuckled as he gently gave you a side hug, “Geez, you’ve been locked away in this room for a while.”

“I know! How much of Avatar did you guys watch without me?” You jokingly pouted before breaking out into a grin, Thoma obviously thinking it over.

“We watched… Enough to make it to season two.” He sighed, rubbing his neck, “Venti and Klee were really eager about it, even when we wanted to stop watching to wait for you they insisted…”

“Of course they did…” You smiled at the thought of Venti and Klee giving everyone their best puppy dog eyes just so they can watch one more episode.

“Well, I really would like you to come join us, so… let’s try ‘n’ make this quick so you don’t have to miss any more episodes.” Thoma smiles softly, obviously caring for you and wanting you to be included.

As you and Thoma went through clothes, he had to admit that he enjoyed being selfish. He liked having one-on-one time with you. He enjoyed it, he enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed the day he met you and how much stronger he began to feel alongside you. Sure, he was nervous at first, weary even, but he could tell your intentions were good and he was glad that he trusted you.

Thoma picked out comfortable clothing and nothing too fancy. While Ayato found himself liking some suits and Diluc enjoyed the fancy coats, Thoma seemed to just enjoy fairly basic clothing (basic meant not in a derogatory way, of course). He actually picked out a matching shirt with Aether, though instead of a bear his had a cute little puppy on it.

“Ahh, he looks exactly like Taroumaru!” Thoma smiled widely at the shirt, “Man, I wonder how he’s doing.”

“Oh yeah, Taroumaru, do you think he’s doing alright?” You giggled, admiring the shirt with Thoma.

“I’d hope so, ahh. It’s only been a few days but I sure miss him and all the other animals.” Thoma smiled fondly, obviously reminiscing, however you felt a bit bad about pulling him out of his life.

“Yeah… I wish you could still go see them.” You sighed, a bit dejected as your thoughts spiraled into feeling bad about the whole situation, even if it wasn’t your fault.

“Hey, don’t be so sad. They’re all okay without me, if you wanna blame someone, blame Albedo and Aether for making the transportation device.” He joked around to lighten the mood, nudging you with his elbow and feeling satisfied as you began to smile.

“That’s true..”

“Exactly, so let’s keep having fun, yeah?” He turned his head sideways so he could meet your downwards gaze, sending you a sweet grin as he encouraged you to continue enjoying yourself. “Man, this shirt is great though, isn’t it?”

When Thoma left, him and Aether reminded you of the Spider-Man meme as they bonded over their matching shirts.

‘Haha! Mines a dog!’ ‘Mines a bear~!’

ᴠᴇɴᴛɪ

“Ahem.” Venti could be heard clearing his throat behind you, grinning and letting out an “ehe~!” as soon as you turned to look at him.

“Hi Venti~.”

“Why good afternoon, my kind friend~!” Venti giggled as he skipped into the room. His hair was disheveled and his braids undone, but his eyes twinkled in the afternoon light.

You giggled, beckoning him over to the clothing rack as you two bantered. Venti couldn’t stop talking about ATLA, rambling about how air is obviously the superior element and he’s totally unbiased. It’s not like he’s the former anemo archon or anything, nope, completely unbiased.

At some point he even tried to replicate Aang’s air scooter, only ending in him falling on his ass.

“I guess anemo isn’t really that stable here, haah… Maybe my body hasn’t fully adapted yet.” He brushed himself off as he stood from the floor, holding his butt in shame.

“Ya know, I think Kaeya’s cryo was a bit wonky too, and his vision was acting strange when he tried to use it.” You pondered as you scanned over a shirt.

“It makes sense, this dimension is a lot different. Visions in general are unstable, I mean controlling elements like that is a pretty foreign concept from what I’ve gathered, ehe~.” Venti proudly laid out his thought process, feeling incredibly smart.

“Yeah, I think that’s why things like Avatar and Genshin are so popular, it’s a cool fictional idea.”

“Haha~, makes sense to me!”

Venti tried on several articles of clothing, posing and twirling for you each time. Everything he tried on he had something to say about, sometimes even a story to tell about it. But that’s a bit expected from such a—no offense—an old person.

“Awh, man! This shirt reminds me of what I used to wear as an archon, hehe, the nostalgia ~!” He giggled as he held up a crop top. “Ya know one time, back in my archon days, I ran into this-“

His stories never lacked entertainment, and he adored talking about his life to you. He felt like he knew you fairly well, and felt like you knew him fairly well due to the lore available, but he ached to get to know you in a more personal manner. That’s why telling you his stories was such a big deal for him, and an incredibly enjoyable activity, too.

“-but that story doesn’t even hold a candle to that one time that-“

Long after you and Venti were done with picking out his clothes, you sat on the floor with him as you braided his framing pieces for him. He simply continued to talk and talk, adoring every reaction and each of the thoughts you expressed.

In the end, Xiao had to come check on you himself because of how long you were taking.

xɪᴀᴏ

Xiao’s head peeked into the room, the creak of the door gaining your attention. Venti finally realized how long he took, skipping away to continue his ATLA binge.

Xiao entered the room softly, a bit awkward in his stance as he stood by the door. You had to actually tell him to come join you by the clothing rack for him to actually come anywhere near you.

“Hi Xiao! How are you?” You smiled, running a hand through your hair to slick it back. Man, you were starting to sweat, should you turn the AC on?

“..Hi.” He smiled softly at you, “I hope I didn’t… interrupt too rudely.”

“Of course not!” You reassured him, “We got a bit carried away, it was unfair to make you wait so long.”

“It’s nothing… I’m fine.” He nodded at your explaination, turning to the clothing rack. “So… these are the clothes of your world?”

“Yeah, what’d’ya think?”

“…Aethers bear shirt, it’s… is there… another one?” He seemed embarrassed to ask, but held his ground. Oh my, a yaksha asking you for a teddy bear print t-shirt is unexpected but absolutely adorable~!

“I’ll have my aunt bring one for you.” You winked.

For a while, it was fairly quiet as you and Xiao sorted through what was left on the rack. Occasionally, he hummed in satisfaction, but when he disliked something it was fairly visible in his body language.

The silence became too much at some point, and you took it upon yourself to start the conversation. You found yourself talking to a silent man, but his silence didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying the conversation. He actually really enjoyed it, he liked to hear about your life, he was pleased to find that yours wasn’t as tragic as his was. He again got the feeling of his karmic debt seemingly disappearing, just like when he first began to become aquatinted with you.

“I think that’s one of my favorite memories…” You smiled at him as he felt the fabric of a pair of sweatpants, seemingly satisfied with the softness. “Do you have… a favorite memory, Xiao?”

Xiao looked up at you, you could see the gears turning in his eyes as he searched though his experiences. An obvious answer would be when he could finally fully feel you, the relief you brought. But… there were things in his life that meant even more. Even if you were important to him as a companion and someone he needed to protect, he couldn’t stop his heart from aching as he longed for his fellow yakshas. For his friends to come back.

“I supposed… I have quite a fond memory with Indarias and Bosacious.” A small smile lingered on Xiao’s face, but his eyes seemed to fill with grief.

(indarias is the pyro yaksha if you didn’t know)

“Ah, I should’ve thought before I asked! Please, don’t feel like you have to answer. I really don’t want you to relive the grief…” You frowned as you pushed some of Xiao’s hair from his face.

He could only be thankful for how much you cared about him, and if only for you, he’d try to let go of the grief.

“Just… Please know that even if my life lies on the line, I will not allow you to share their fate.

ᴢʜᴏɴɢʟɪ

Zhongli entered politely as the afternoon sun began to dim. Golden hour was long gone, but Zhongli brought with him an air of sophistication and brightness, making the air feel as golden as the sunrise.

“Good evening, y/n.”

“Zhongli! Finally, ahh it’s been such a long day of… of clothes.” You sighed, welcoming Zhongli in with a relieved smile. After this, you could just go sit on the couch and watch ATLA or a dumb dating show with your favorite people.

“I can see that.” He smiled, “The rack is quite barren, but the closet is quite full.”

“I know, I’m sorry you don’t have as much of a selection-“ You groaned, immediately cut off by Zhongli’s stern shake of his head.

“Do not apologize for something so trivial, I will make do just fine. I have been alive for thousands of years, y/n, and my choices were not always bountiful either.”

You giggled as he allowed himself to chuckle with you. Zhongli’s choices may have been limited compared to Aether’s or even compared to Thoma’s, but his choices were well rounded. He could have anything from shorts to slacks to hoodies to tight button up shirts. Zhongli was also lucky that the sizes were big enough for him, because you can never help but admire a good set of broad shoulders when you see one.

But anyway.

Similar to others, Zhongli was a button up man. He found several crisp button ups, and a few nice pairs of slacks, and that rounded out his more formal side of things.

“…” Zhongli looked down at himself in confusion, seemingly knowing something was wrong but not knowing what. “Hmm… Isn’t this a bit… stretched out?”

“Oh, uh… Itto-“ Immediately he hummed in understanding. Admittedly, while he wasn’t tiny compared to Itto by any means, Itto took the crown of being the beefiest in the building.

“Do you think we could acquire something similar to my coat?” He questioned, looking through a disappointing selection of blazers and jackets. “Perhaps my coat is a bit too… known? But something similar would be lovely.”

“Of course, I’ll ask my aunt if she could make you something.” You smiled, “Would you like it to be black?”

“Mmnh, with a bit of silver details, perhaps a bit of gold.”

“That sounds like it’ll flatter you perfectly.” You nodded, taking mental note of his request.

When it came to casual clothing Zhongli wasn’t picky, but he also wasn’t the most casual.

“Zhongli, I think that’s a bit too formal to be casual wear.”

“Is it? I thought it was perfect.”

“It has golden thread embroidered into it.”

“Is that formal?”

“My god…”

“Hm?”

Eventually, through pleasant conversations, you organized a comfortable casual selection for him, and he was pleased.

You and Zhongli talked much, you recounting your difficulties building him, and him apologizing even if he didn’t understand (he just kinda figured that he made trouble for you and needed to apologize for it). Zhongli recounted his first experience with you, explaining how your presence felt divine, a foreign feeling as he was usually the divine one.

“D-divine?” You chuckled nervously, “I hope I haven’t disappointed you, I mean you found me divine at first…!

“I promise you are far from disappointing, in fact, I find myself quite satisfied.

“Oh!”

previous//navi.

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ᴅɪʟᴜᴄ

❥ diluc praises people when its necessary

❥ he doesn't overly hand out praise to those he's not close to, especially not to those he employs, however when he's training a new bartender he does find himself giving them positive encouragement

❥ lets say that diluc hired you to work at the tavern! he acknowledged your initial bartending skills but took it upon himself to teach you the ropes

❥ he's not exactly the type of person to always develop attachments to an employee, but something about your eagerness to learn and please him and your adorably shy reactions to his praise just gets him going

❥ eventually he obviously grew feelings for you, and your relationship slowly transitioned from employer and employee--not a very good dynamic for romance--to friends, and eventually to more than that

❥ as he learned more about you he realized how starved of praise and compliments you really were, and something about it irked him

❥ like i said, he's not one for unnecessary praise, but he does believe that someone like you might deserve it

❥ he'd encourage you to open your hobbies up to him, he'd indulge in them, learn the intricacies of them, and never fail to encourage and praise you

❥ he must admit, your praise-starved reactions make him a bit upset because he knows the origin of them, but he also cant help but find them adorable in a sense

ɪᴛᴛᴏ

❥ for itto its like second nature to praise and compliment the people he likes, i mean, he likes them! he should express it! especially when it comes to people he loves

❥ from the moment he started to like you he started to compliment and praise you more and more

❥ as someone rather unacquainted with praise it can be startling, the more you two began to hang out the more he was looking over your shoulder to compliment your work

❥ perhaps you're an artist!

❥ itto would totally ask for you to do a portrait of him, and depending on how close you are he'll probably take off his shirt for it too (not that he really wears much of one anyway)

❥ if you're a writer he'd do the same, totally would ask for you to put him in your book, maybe ask for you to write a book entirely about him--just think about it, the heroic oni saves the townspeople from the evil bean clan with his epic beetle fighting skills!

❥ too long of a title? sorry, he'll work on a shorter one

❥ eventually itto realizes that every time he praises you you seem shocked or embarrassed, and he eventually aches to know why

❥ when you explain that you're more used to a lack of praise from your day to day life he almost becomes mad for you

❥ like,, how dare people not praise you and your work??? he thinks youre so talented and attractive and anyone who doesnt realize that is stupid, he would totally ask you who's been not praising you LMAOOO

❥ the praise shoots up a lot, eventually to the point where he's praising you for walking out of your room, he just thinks that you've been robbed of praise your whole life! he needs to fill in the empty space because you deserve it!

ᴄʜɪʟᴅᴇ

❥ ceo of sweet talk

❥ totally knows how to manipulate someones feelings with praise so he can get what he wants

❥ i think he's probably a bit praise starved himself, other than his siblings (specifically teucer) and maybe some praise for his work as a harbinger, but i feel like he knows how to compliment people so well because he knows what he wishes to hear

❥ when he meets a sweet business owner in liyue such as yourself he cant help but deliver some sweet talk to maybe haggle the price down a bit, your goods were made with love and talent

❥ when he actually found out what you want for them--not the discount, the base price--he was a bit astonished at the fact you were basically scamming yourself out of money

❥ with every compliment he delivered, his eyes scanned your face and devoured your reactions, you were just so eager and shy when he complimented you, and maybe it was because he was handsome or it was because you were like him: praise starved to the max

❥ childe gently made his way into your life, every moment he spent with you he loved, and slowly as he learned about you he learned about your upbringing

❥ he made it his mission to turn everything around for you, if you ever doubted yourself or your skills due to your lack of praise he would make sure you know how beautiful and talented and perfect you were