cherry 🍒

As his footsteps lightly walked on the vast grasslands of Sumeru, he found himself attracted to a small patch of land in the middle of the river leading to the city. It was very simple, a lone tree on it and a crane stood next to the tree and giving it company with a few Zaytun fruits around the island. The puppet loved the simplicity and loneliness of the island and found himself making his way to it.

Sitting idly on the island, the puppet slowly found peace, peace in the land that took him in, peace in the people of Sumeru who accepted him and treated him with nothing but kindness and goodwill, peace in the silence and soft murmurs of nature.

"I never thought that someone would be here this late into the night."

The puppet looked back at the voice in shock, startled by the fact that someone managed to sneak up on him. He immediately got uo from his spot, completely facing the person who approached him.

"No need to be this shocked, I don't mean any harm." The person said, standing a distance away from the puppet.

"No one sneaked up on me before."

"Maybe you are just lost in thought. Besides this area is safe since it is so close to the city, you may see some fungi but they won't attack as long as you don't pose a threat to them."

The puppet looked at the person as they made themselves comfortable on the grass. Based off what they are wearing, he can tell they're an Amurta student from the Akademiya. He knows how difficult the courses are from what Nahida told him so he gets why someone would come here to take their mind off things.

"Nice to meet you hat guy, I'm (Name)" They said, looking up at the sky. He then walked over to them and sat nearby the student.

The student didn't say anything after.

The puppet found peace in the company, the young student understood the wandering puppet's silence. There is nothing like peace and quiet, the soft background noise of nature as your mind runs wild with thoughts or taking a break from life.

For the first time in a very long time, the wandering puppet looks out to see the student again.

 — ˚₊‧⁺˖ alhaitham. 

as a dancer and singer under the zubayr theater, you generally dislike everyone from the akademiya

maybe that wasn’t the nicest, nor the right, thing to do, but every student and official scholar has mocked you and your fellow artists, trying to shut down the theater

you keep your dislike, the almost hateful feelings you have, silent, no matter how problematic those scholars are. after all, you try not to create more problems and you don’t think nilou would forgive you for being so mean to others, even if they’re mean to you

it was not until the maddening mission of freeing the dendro archon you met him. the scribe. you’ve heard about him, of course you have, and of course you already had your thoughts about him

when he joined the group to celebrate the successful mission, you avoided him, keeping close to nilou and the traveler, distancing yourself and paimon with food and keeping an eye out on him

just because he helped to free the dendro archon didn’t mean you trusted him. you would rather trust the general mahamatra with your life than him, the feeble scholar and now acting grand sage

instead of thinking about the handsome scholar, you busied yourself with learning new dances for the next performance. like nilou, you owned a vision, but you used it only on the stage

your cryo vision could create the most beautiful forms and shapes, entrancing your audience while you danced with twirling arms and complicated steps. and it was then, in the middle of the most important performance of the year, when you caught the acting grand sage, alhaitham himself, in the audience, following your movements with an intense gaze

you almost stumbled, the ice you created cracking and your body hesitating, but you had to focus. you had to focus, while alhaitham kept his eyes on you and only you

“i see you have joined the festival, acting grand sage,” you muttered politely. nilou had nudged you to talk with some of the scholars who visited and witnessed the performance, stating it will be good for both sides to talk. 

“i have,” he smiles, tall body towering over you. “and i especially enjoyed your performance. it was truly magical. i’ve known nilou is a great dancer, but i didn’t know there is someone who can surpass her.” his sudden compliment made you blush and you stutter a thanks, completely blown away by his honest words. a scholar, complimenting you? 

and then he smiled at you, eyes earnest and dendro vision glittering, his element suddenly filling the space between the both of you. 

“i’ve heard it’s tradition to gift flowers to the actors and dancers after their performance. will you accept them?” with wide eyes you slowly take the beautiful bouquet, still showing traces of his element. 

“thank you, alhaitham.” the moment you utter his name, he gives you another smile, making your heart race and face. how dare he be so nice to you!

— ˚₊‧⁺˖ baizhu. 

you’re a merchant and a collector of liyue, having built a small business with three other people. you supply those in need with herbs and flowers, especially from liyue but also from sumeru and mondstadt

it’s hard work and keeps your days busy. trekking through the lands, defending yourself from hilichurls and other monsters, all while trying to collect the flowers and seeds you need

but, in the end, it’s rewarding work because many will pay big amounts of mora for herbs since they’re so hard to gather. lucky for you, you received an anemo vision many years ago, rather easy to collect the rare plants

your business is split up– while you founded and technically also own it, it’s your dear friend who acts as the main merchant and seller. you supply them and the other two make sure to gather other herbs in more distant places, traveling on horse to deliver them faster

but then your friend falls ill and you have to go out and sell your gathered herbs. selling them is not a problem, the people in liyue would fist fight to get the amount of herbs you offer at a fairly reasonable price

yet your friend recommends you to the bubu pharmacy, telling you that the doctor is currently in need several herbs

you’re surprised, since you know hat the bubu pharmacy is technically self sufficient, but you pack your things and climb the many stairs to the building

meeting the doctor, who immediately introduces himself as baizhu… is an experience. he’s a very handsome man and his smirk has you hiding your sudden blush

you try to tell yourself it’s just the warm weather, or your sudden shyness and inexperience in dealing with customers

it’s really not. because then you start running more often into baizhu, eyes wide when he stops whatever he’s doing to greet and talk to you. his kindness, no matter how much he teases you, is something unexpected and maybe that’s why you fall for him

“ah- hello, my dear. i was just thinking about you. do you have another batch of qingxin? it seems that my inventory is currently suffering,” he sighs, shaking his head and already worrying about the many orders he received. 

“the current cold that’s going around is eating up my reserves. do you know how long it took me to build such an impressive amount of treatments?” but you don’t listen to him, too busy repeating those two words he just uttered without any care in your head. 

my dear, my dear, my dear- he called you his dear!

“uh, yes- j-just a moment,” you stutter when he glances up from his papers, a questioning gaze heavy on you after you didn’t answer him. “i think- we should have some left, but i don’t know if it will be enough…” 

“fuck,” you can only mumble when baizhu turns his back to you again, leaving you with your thoughts screaming in your mind. did you really fall for him? a teasing smartass? 

— ˚₊‧⁺˖ kaveh. 

as a fellow architect, you can recognize kaveh’s talent, even if you would never say it out loud. there has been a rivalry brewing between the both of you, with neither of you showing any signs of stopping

the two of you fight for clients, reputation, and especially partners, which are your fellow scholars. the rivalry goes so far that many of them don’t even want to work with any of you anymore, fearing their lives and, even worse, their own reputation. but neither of you notice, too bullheaded and blinded by the unofficial competition you have going on

yet during all those years of this serious competition between two architects, you’ve never exchanged a friendly word. not even a greeting. oh no, it’s always spitting insults and spiteful remarks that often end in a screaming match

it would’ve probably never stopped if it weren’t for alhaitham. he had enough of the pettiness and decided to sit you down, have both tighnari and cyno watch over you and locked you in the room. the two other vision owners were here to ensure no one would end up dead;, but that wasn’t needed

silence filled the room for almost an hour, until kaveh cracked and asked how you were doing. you, of course, snapped at him, telling him you had much better work to do than sitting here with him

“listen, i’m really sorry… about everything. neither of us stopped and so i just continued,” he started speaking and you lean back, eyes wide and trying to hide your gasp. kaveh apologizing? that was really something new.

“i’m sorry for stealing your clients and saying all those stupid things about you. now that i think about it, it was petty and we should’ve just talked it out and act our age,” he continues, not looking at you, all the while apologizing for being an ass to you. it surprises you, silent as you are, but there is a sudden desire to apologize to him as well. 

“you don’t have to say anything. i know it’s a bit much, but i hope we could try out as friends? i mean, you’re so talented and your commissions and works are absolutely beautiful! if we work together… we could create masterpieces.” kaveh finally looks up and notices your wide eyes, your whole body frozen in your seat. with a sigh, he stands up and nods to the two other men in the room and makes his way to leave. 

but before he knocks on the door to ask for alhaitham to let him out, he turns back once more with a smile and says “i would love to call you a friend of mine, such a fierce person,” a chuckle escapes his mouth and he shakes his head. 

“let me know when you’re up for my offer.” 

and you can only stare after him, the man who had tormented you for years offering friendship and even partnership. furiously, you try to hide your blush that’s spreading, noticing once again how handsome he is. stupid kaveh with his stupid smile. 

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i. repairs your clothes for you. 

this is something he never intended for you to find out, but it’s a little hard not to notice when a rip you find in one of your shirts is mysteriously fixed the next day. having learned to see it as a sign of weakness, the wanderer isn’t one to readily admit that he can do nice things for people on occasion. 

it really was an accident the night that you woke up to get a glass of water from the kitchen and saw him sitting hunched over at the table, hands skillfully working a needle and thread through some fabric. the room is completely dark save for a candle that flickers softly, casting a soft orange glow over his figure. 

upon further inspection, you realize it’s the jacket you had been wearing earlier that day that had ended up with a rip in the seam. you had spotted it on the underside of your arm when you reached up for something and picked at it a bit to inspect the size, but never said a word out loud. 

somehow the wanderer must have seen you anyways, because now he’s carefully sewing up the hole with no intention of ever letting you discover the deed afterwards. his brows are drawn together in concentration as he works, fully absorbed in his task. he probably wouldn’t have noticed you standing on the other side of the room had the floorboard you stood on not creaked under your weight.  

the sound startles both of you and his head snaps up in alarm as he meets your eyes with his own wide ones, looking at you like you might be a ghost for a few seconds before managing to school his expression. 

“what are you doing?” you ask with a small smile as if it isn’t obvious, slowly stepping over the creaky board. 

“nothing.” he responds quickly, hands twitching with the urge to bundle up the jacket and hide it from sight. 

anyone else wouldn’t be able to tell, but the wanderer looks a bit shy as you approach the table to get a better look at his progress. it’s almost completely done, the fabric perfectly stitched back together in a way that shows his experience in repairing clothes. 

he must’ve done it himself a lot in the past, since he didn’t have anyone else to offer to do it for him and he would never let go of his pride enough to ask. you wonder who taught him how to do it, how long it’s been since he last saw them. the thought of how long he’s been alone threatens to make you sad so you push it away and knock your shoulder into his playfully. 

“thanks.”

“sure.”

ii. makes sure surfaces are clean before you sit down. 

you’re not even sure if he realizes he does it, but the wanderer always walks ahead of you to wipe down chairs before letting you take a seat. 

he never acknowledges the action, so for a while you weren’t sure if he was just a germaphobe or a clean freak. he never does the same to his own before sitting down, barely even spares it a glance most of the time, so you have no choice but to acknowledge the fact that it’s a sweet little gesture he only does for you. 

after some time, you decided to see what would happen if you played around with him a bit. on a day where the two of you had decided to stop at a cafe, you push past him and wipe your own chair down before he gets the chance and take a seat. 

when you look up, the wanderer hasn’t moved and is standing with his hand frozen in the air, staring at you with slightly widened eyes like he’s malfunctioning. he blinks a few times, glances at his hand and then at your chair, before moving around the table and taking his own seat across from you. 

it takes everything in you to hold back a laugh at the way his brain is trying so hard to figure out what just happened. the silence is almost deafening until he realizes it all at once, face scrunching together into an unreadable expression as a smug smile plays on your lips. 

his newfound awareness of this doesn’t make it stop though. now every time after that when he wipes your chair down, he gives you a pointed look as if he’s daring you to try doing it again. 

iii. instinctively puts his arm in front of you. 

despite having learned to partially trust humans again, the wanderer has a habit of being on guard even within the safety of sumeru city. his eyes catch even the smallest movements—no sounds or details going unnoticed by him as he walks by your side down treasures street. 

your attention is on the produce in front of you, but his is on the older gentlemen a few stands away that keeps eyeing you up and down. his vile thoughts show clearly on his face, and it makes the wanderer clench his jaw in disgust. he can’t help but wish for a moment that a meteorite would fall out of the sky and make impact with the man’s skull. 

it’s right when you finish exchanging your mora and step away from the stall to find the next one when a vendor on the other side of the street drops a heavy box full of sunsettia’s that causes a loud boom when it hits the ground. a pale arm shoots out in front of you and stops you in your tracks as quickly as the sound had happened, and when you blink you're suddenly staring at the wanderer’s back as he blocks your body with his own. 

when you shift to peer over his shoulder, all you can see is the vendor frantically trying to pick up all of the fruit he dropped. out of the corner of your eye you can see the wanderer processing this as well, his expression slackens a bit and he turns back to you before walking towards the next stall like nothing happened, but you can tell he’s slightly embarrassed from the dusting of pink on the tips of his ears. 

you stare after him in amusement for a few seconds before speed walking to catch up. 

“is a box of fruit really so threatening?” you tease lightly. 

“shut up.”

iv. worries about even the smallest of scratches you get. 

human skin is fragile, something that the wanderer knows very well. there is no reality in which you don’t end up with cuts and scars of all sorts in a world where even the smallest things can be fatal. yet even still, when he finds a small healing cut on the back of your hand from the sharp edge of a table, a concerned pout settles over his features. 

he turns his hand gently in yours so that he can absentmindedly rub his thumb back and forth over the raised skin, almost like he’s trying to smooth it back down like clay until it’s gone. 

he’s unbelievably gentle and tender with you in moments like these, like you’re made of paper and might crease if he holds on to you a bit too tightly. and his touch must work, because you swear your wounds go away quicker under his careful attention. 

he does it again the next day, and the day after that as well. whenever you end up with a scratch or a bruise, he lightly traces his finger over the skin until it eventually heals and fades. 

v. does things he doesn’t like for you. 

one thing about the wanderer is that he does not hesitate to voice his dislike for things. no matter what it might be, he will make his opinion known and refuse to put up with it. he’s stubborn, argumentative, and blunt. 

except when it comes to you. 

he knows he’s told you he isn’t a fan of sticky sweets in the past, but he also knows you have a tendency to forget things, so he isn’t all that surprised when you run up to him one morning with a container full of homemade dango in your hands. 

your eyes are bright and expectant as you take the lid off and hand it over to him, completely unaware. he doesn’t say anything about it, and instead picks one up and takes a bite of one without pause and chews thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing and nodding at you. 

“it’s good.”

it’s not. nothing is wrong with it per say, but there’s sugar caked to his molars and between his teeth. it’s uncomfortable and makes him fight back the urge to grimace, but it’s all worth it in the end when you smile victoriously at his response and make a comment about how you just knew he would like it, and how you stayed up all night making sure it would taste okay for him. 

and you’re not wrong. he did. he likes anything as long as you make it, even if he doesn’t particularly enjoy the experience. the feeling of his teeth being glued together becomes a mere afterthought at the excitement in your voice, and the wanderer distantly thinks that he would eat all of the dango in teyvat if you asked him to. 

vi. trusts you. 

much like a feral stray cat warming up to a human for the first time, once the wanderer trusts you, he’ll never leave your side. it is the greatest show of his affection to be somebody he considers worth his time, so the fact that he returns to find you every day says more than words ever could. 

when you tell him to close his eyes so you can surprise him with a silly little thing you found, he complies. when you try to sneak up behind him and give a pathetic attempt at scaring him, he lets you. when you clasp his hand in your own and lock your fingers with his, he doesn’t pull away. 

these are things he never in a million years would do for anyone else, yet with you, he has never questioned it. the tension in his shoulders and jaw melt away when you’re there, his thoughts and worries becoming nothing but background noise that cowers behind the safety of your voice. 

you are the one piece of gold buried in a pile of pyrite, and he has no intention of letting go of you any time soon. he finally found something worth protecting, worth holding on to and worth loving. 

and even if he can’t say it out loud quite yet, you hear it loud and clear. 

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"Xiao?"

Your weak voice called out to him, as you lay on the ground barely breathing anymore. Your blood was splattered on the grass as you try to collect more oxygen. A dark green smoke appeared before you and kneeled beside you. Your vision is blurry but you sensed him, making you smile a bit and try to lift your hand. "Xiao... I-"

"Don't move nor speak. I'll aid you." His tone was stern but you knew that there was a hint of 'worry' in there.

"I don't think... I have much- *cough* time anymore..." You whispered but it was loud enough for your husband to hear.

"I said don't speak!" He yelled as tears began to fall from his eyes. He's trying his absolute best to save you using qingxin flowers with his hands shaking from fear and despair he's feeling. He failed to protect the most important person in his life, again.

You were shocked at his harsh voice but still, you nodded and gave him a smile before coughing out blood. Your blood splattered on Xiao's face and he flinched, making him halt his actions. He looked at you with wide eyes and with the last bit of your strength, you put your hand on his cheek and said, "I love you so much, Alatus."

'Again?'

'Is this the only thing you're good at, Alatus? Having your comrades die in front of you?'

'When did you ever do something right?'

The intrusive thoughts of the young adeptus showed up inside his mind once again, his karmic debt slowly rising in his body. The mask hanging from his belt is quivering and the impulsive thoughts telling him to 'wear it'.

'Maybe it's time for you to succumb to the darkness, after all, you never did anything worthy for the people of Liyue, for the Geo Archon, and for your beloved.'

His hand inching to his mask, to finally succumb to the darkness that has been waiting for him for millennia. He was about to grab it, not until a hand stopped him.

He looked up and saw that it was you, the ghost form of you, looking at him sternly and holding his wrist tightly. "Don't you dare succumb to the darkness, Alatus. Don't ever listen to your karmic debt, to the fiendish version of you. You have done so much to protect the city you swore to the Lord of Geo to protect, to protect its people, including me. So what good would you do to us if you submit yourself to the immorality of your karmic debt?"

He was shocked, to say the least. From the very day that you learned about his consequence of killing, you had always voiced out your thoughts and feelings about the visual presentation of Xiao finally giving in to the darkness. It wasn't easy to break down the walls of the young adeptus however, you persisted.

'You're right.'

What good would he do to the City of Contracts if he, the remaining yaksha that stories to protect the city, submit himself to the immorality of his karmic debt?

He lets go of his mask and the dark green smoke appeared no more behind it. It didn't change the fact that you were dead, but as his last promise to you, he'll never give in to the world that has been waiting for him.

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"-?"

"...-ao?"

"...Xiao?"

With that voice calling out to him, it jolted him awake. He looked to his right and saw you, alive and well. Worry and concern were planted on your face as you saw him sweating and crying in his sleep. "Xiao? Are you al-"

You were cut off when you felt his arms wrap around your waist tightly. You were shocked but you let him hug you tight with his head on your stomach. You gently brushed his hair with your fingers and felt him relax at your touch. "What's wrong?"

"Please, don't leave me." His small voice made your heart hurt.

"I will never leave you." You promised and he huffed. "You will."

"How come?"

"Because I saw you die right in front of me." You fell silent as Xiao wasn't used to voicing out what he usually dreams of. He only tells you that when he sleeps, he only dreams of his karmic debt so him dreaming about you dying is something else.

"Xiao," You cupped his cheeks and pressed a light kiss on his lips. "That was only a dream. You have dreamt so many times of you submitting to the darkness that has been waiting for you for millennia but you still managed to not do it. And why do you think you have managed to do that?"

"...Because I snap out of it."

"And what's the reason?"

"The reason is that I swore to protect Liyue under Rex Lapis' name and its people."

"Correct. And for your dream earlier, I won't die because I have you. Like you, you're the reason why I kept living despite being immortal."

At that moment, time seems to stop. He processed your words carefully and for a second, his eyes start to water again and hugged you very tightly to the point that he doesn't want to let you go. You smiled and hugged him back. He made you lay down with him on his bed and cuddled you close, his head laying on top of you. "I'm here Xiao. I'm always here."

'So this is what 'home' feels like.'

It seems like the heavenly principles decided to bless him and meet someone like you.

'Perhaps living for so long wasn't a hindrance as I thought it'll be as long as I get to be with my home.'

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