IIDAHOE

You push yourself out from underneath the table and stretch your arms in the air, letting out a mixture between a yawn and a sigh. You look over at the clock on the desk in the library and massage the back of your neck before standing up from your seat. It is almost the evening, and you have finally decided to be finished with your studies for the day. You have been studying since early morning and would take frequent breaks in between your studies to eat, snack, hydrate, and take bathroom breaks.

“Are you done for the day?”

You jump at the sound of the voice; your head snaps towards the direction where the voice came from. There, on the couch in the library, lays Childe. Childe is sprawled out on the sofa, his lanky arms and legs hanging off the ends of the couch. Childe was staring at you intently with those blue eyes of his.

You press your hand against your chest and take a deep breath, nodding your head at Childe’s question. Childe smiles and gets off the couch, walking over to where you stand before throwing his arms over your shoulders and pressing his lips against your temples. You sigh and let yourself melt into Childe’s arms, face pressing against his chest, breathing in his cologne. 

“I’m finally done with my studies for the day,” You murmur against his chest.

You close your eyes and hum with contentment when you feel Childe run his fingers through your hair, massaging your scalp. Ever since you got accepted into Sumeru Akademiya, Childe has decided that he will be lounging in the library whenever he doesn’t have any Fatui responsibilities. However, Childe isn’t the only one that does that. In fact, the other men do it as well whenever they’re free and don’t have work to tend to.

The door to the library opens, and Diluc walks into the library, stopping in his tracks when he sees you wrapped up in Childe’s arms. Diluc and Childe lock gazes momentarily, almost scrutinizing one another. Diluc rolls his eyes and looks over at you, clearing his throat softly to get your attention.

“I’m going to assume that you’re finished with your studies since you’re trapped in the Harbinger’s arms. It’s almost time for dinner,” Diluc says, ignoring the hurtful gasp Childe has let out. 

You slowly pull yourself out of Childe’s grasp. “Ah, dinner,” You murmur. You rub your growling stomach with your hand. “How could I forget about dinner when my stomach has been growling for a while?” You ask yourself, ignoring the looks Childe and Diluc are giving you. 

Aether peeks his head into the library from the entrance. “To dinner, we go?” Aether asks, smiling at you sweetly.

You nod your head. “To dinner, we go! I don’t know how much longer I can go without dinner,” You walk over to Aether, who is holding his hand out for you to take. You grab Aether’s hand, and the two of you walk out of the library together, with a disgruntled Childe and Diluc following after you two. When you, Aether, Childe, and Diluc step foot into the kitchen and dining area, Thoma walks out of the kitchen with an apron on and a plate of food in his hands.

Thoma’s eyes light up when he sees you, and a big smile appears on his face. “Oh, good, you’re here! I was about to go and fetch you from the library to tell you that dinner is ready.” Thoma says, setting the plate down on the table.

You take a deep breath and let out a sigh. “The foods smell amazing! I’m getting even more hungry than I already am from smelling the food.” You said, walking over to the dining table. “Should we go on and call the others to come to the dining room since dinner is ready?” You ask, looking over at Thoma, Aether, Diluc, and Childe. The four men sit around you and begin to pick and choose the food they’re going to be eating, putting the food on their plates and scooping some rice into their bowls.

“No need to call for us; we can smell the food from miles away,” Gorou says as he sits in the seat right next to you.

Tighnari takes a whiff of the food and hums in delight. “Thank you for the food, Thoma. They smell amazing as always.” Tighnari smiles at the blond man before sitting next to Gorou and begins to pick which food he’s going to eat.

Al Haitham looks around the dining room as more men begin to slowly trickle into the dining room, sitting on seats that are empty and unoccupied. Al Haitham crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes scanning the table while mentally counting how many people are at the table, just to see who is missing and who isn’t from the dining room. 

Heizou looks at Al Haitham with a questioning gaze. “What are you doing?” Heizou asks, reaching for the sushi with his chopsticks.

“Two people are missing from the table.” Al Haitham mutters. 

You and the men look over at the two empty chairs. Venti nods his head and raises his hand in the air as if he was in a classroom. 

“The two missing people would be blockhead and blockhead junior. The last thing I remember was them going to the Chasm for something.” Venti shrugs his shoulders as he reaches for the skewers. 

Ayato looks over at Venti; his eyebrows pinched together. “Did they ever say how long they’ll be gone? They were gone since early morning.” Ayato crosses his arms over his chest. Venti shakes his head in response.

Baizhu hums softly. “How peculiar…. I wonder what they’re up to.” Baizhu trails off, stroking his chin before reaching for a slice of the Sticky Honey Roast. 

Dainsleif cuts into the steak before bringing a piece to his mouth and taking a bite out of it. “If they didn’t mention what they’re doing in the Chasm, then we mustn’t pry them of it. It could be a personal matter or the safety of the citizens of Liyue,” said Dainsleif.

You nod your head at Dainsleif’s response before asking, “Should we wait for them to return and then start eating our dinners once they’ve returned?” You look over at the front door subconsciously, hoping that Xiao and Zhongli will walk right into the abode unscathed and safe. They’re immortal beings, for archon's sake. Surely they’re safe and sound, considering they’re going together and not alone! 

“As nice that sounds, some of us,” Kazuha gestures to Itto, “can’t wait any longer.”

Itto was devouring his food; his cheeks puffed up from the food that he had shoved into his mouth, humming with delight and rubbing his stomach. Itto stops chewing his food when he realizes that almost everyone at the table is staring at him, their food untouched.

Itto blinks. “What?” He asks with his mouth full of food.

Scaramouche looks at Itto with disgust and tosses a bread roll at Itto. “Chew with your mouth shut, you idiot. And do not talk with your mouth full of food.” Scaramouche chides.

Itto gives Scaramouche and everyone in the room an apologetic smile before swallowing the food in his mouth, reaching over for the cloth napkin, and wiping his lips. You sigh softly and lean back in your seat, running your fingers through your hair. As much as you want to wait for Xiao and Zhongli to return to the abode, your stomach is growling so much that the others are giving you looks.

You look up and make eye contact with Albedo; Albedo gestures for you to eat. “I know you want to wait for Zhongli and Xiao to return from the Chasm, but you shouldn’t suppress your hunger any further,” Albedo says softly.

Kaeya nods his head. “Albedo is right. You should start eating your food before it gets cold and also because we can hear your stomach from over here.” Kaeya gives you a small smile. Cyno holds up a plate that contains Adventurer's Breakfast Sandwich and points at them, giving you a look as if he was wondering if you wanted some of the Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich. You debated for a moment before looking down at your plate. You are feeling hungry, so it wouldn’t hurt to get some more food.

“You should get some Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich. You didn’t hear it from me, but I heard that they’re eggcellent.” Cyno says, passing the plate over to you, holding back a smile.

You snort and shake your head, grabbing the plate from Cyno’s hands to place one Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich on your plate. “I love your jokes, Cyno. I never get tired of them,” You said.

Cyno looks over at Al Haitham with a smug smirk on his face, his arms crossing over his chest. Before Al Haitham can make a comment at Cyno’s joke, the estate’s door opens, and the mansion is immediately filled with unfamiliar voices and boisterous laughter. Everyone’s heads turn to the direction where the commotion is coming from, only to see Zhongli and Xiao walking in front of four people who everyone is unfamiliar with.

“Zhongli! Xiao! There you two are! We’ve been waiting for you two to show up for dinner!” You said, getting up from your seat and approaching the two men.

Zhongli clears his throat and adjusts his tie. “Apologies, dearest. Xiao and I were caught up in…. Personal businesses. But worry not, we are back.” Zhongli gives you a small smile.

“How can I not worry when you two have been out of the abode for hours without updating us about your whereabouts?” You frown.

“I understand that you were worried, but please, do not worry about us,” Xiao says softly.

You open your mouth to respond, only to be cut off by unfamiliar laughter. You take a peek between Xiao and Zhongli, making eye contact with four unknown people. They look powerful, intimidating, and breathtaking. They all stare at you with interest and curiosity, taking baby steps toward you, Zhongli, and Xiao.

“Zhongli, Xiao! Care to introduce us to the four guests you’ve brought into the abode?” You squeak, and your face gradually becomes hot the more they stare at you.

Thoma laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I wasn’t expecting for us to have guests! Had I known, I would’ve made more food.” Thoma says softly, his cheeks flushing to a bright red that reaches to the tips of his ears.

“Oh! There’s no need for you to make us food. We’re adeptis. We don’t need food to survive.” The blue-haired girl says, giving Thoma a polite smile. 

“We can eat food, but it’s not necessary for us like how it is for mortals.” The red-haired girl says, fiddling with the hem of her outfit.

“It’d be rude to eat food in front of guests.” Albedo murmurs, looking over at the food laid out on the table.

You give the four guests a pleading look. “I know adeptis don’t need food to survive, but a small snack would suffice, right? Plus, we can get to know you four more over dinner!” You said, gesturing for them to follow you to the dining table.

The man with four arms peeks between Xiao and Zhongli, asking, “Since when did you two eat food?”

Xiao and Zhongli ignore the purple-haired male’s question and proceed to walk towards the dining table with their guests following after them, their eyes scanning their surroundings in awe and curiosity. You pull out the extra chairs that are kept in the storage room between the kitchen and dining room, placing them next to each other where Zhongli and Xiao have sat down.

“Do any of you have food preferences? I can make them in a short amount of time, depending on what food I’m cooking.” Thoma says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“There’s no preference for us. We don’t mind trying foods we’ve never had before.” The black-gold-haired male speaks up.

Thoma nods his head before walking off to the kitchen to prepare something for the four unexpected guests to eat. You stare at the black-gold-haired male intently, your eyes narrowing, one arm crossed over your chest with the other arm propping your head up on the table. The black-gold-haired male stares back at you, his eyebrows raised. Archons he’s almost as beautiful as Zhongli. Speaking of Zhongli, why do they look almost similar to each other? Not only that, but you notice that his element is the same as Zhongli.

“Is there something I can help you with?” The black-gold-haired male asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

You squint your eyes at him and look over at Zhongli, then back at the black-gold-haired man. But really, though, why do they look so similar to each other? It’s almost like they can be related, but you know that Zhongli doesn’t have any siblings, so why do they look similar to each other?

You point over at Zhongli and the black-gold-haired man, mouth agape. “Zhongli doesn’t have a brother or sister, so who stole who’s face?” You ask, catching them off guard.

Aether nudges you lightly. “I think there’s a better way to ask that question by wording it differently,” Aether whispers.

“Are you asking why we look similar?” The black-gold-haired male asks.

You nod your head. “Yes, but I, uh, can’t find a way to word it properly. I’m sorry, my brain is fried from studying all day today.” You sigh while rubbing your forehead with your hand.

The black-gold-haired man smiles at you. “No need to apologize. I understand why you ask that question,” he replies.

“So! What are your names, and how do you four know Xiao and Zhongli?” Heizou speaks up, looking at the four guests curiously while leaning on his left arm.

Zhongli smiles and points at each person while saying their names. “Everyone, dearest, meet Bosacius, Indarias, Bonanus, and Menogias. They, along with Xiao, once served under the Geo Archon, Rex Lapis.” Zhongli says.

“Once served under the Geo Archon? Are you saying that in the past tense because Rex Lapis has passed away, or is it because you have retired from your role as the Geo Archon?” Cyno asks, staring at Zhongli with confusion with his arms over his chest.

“To the people of Liyue and other nations, it's the first one. But to those who know Zhongli personally, it’s the latter.” You reply. “It can get confusing because Zhongli likes to convince people into thinking that he’s not the Geo Archon, even if they have a feeling that he is the late Geo Archon.” You give Zhongli a look. Zhongli gives you a small smile and crosses his arms behind his back. Itto lets out a low whistle; he leans back in his seat and crosses his arms over his bare chest. You look over at Itto, who seems to be deep in his thoughts. You wonder what’s going on in that head of his. You grab the cup of water in front of you and begin taking a sip from it.

Itto lets out a small laugh. “Talk about gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. Geo Archon edition.” Itto commented.

You snort and accidentally choke on your water. You quickly swallow the water to prevent yourself from spitting it out and begin to cough into your cloth napkin. Before anyone can rush to your side to check on you to see if you’re okay, you quickly hold your hand up and shake your head as if you’re telling them that there is no need to check up on you.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I just choked on my drink, but I’m fine nonetheless!” You cough, wiping the tears that gathered around your eyes from how hard you’ve coughed.

Al Haitham sighs. “Remember to drink slowly,” Al Haitham says softly, reaching over to wipe the stray tear from the corner of your eye.

“I wasn’t drinking fast! The thing that made me choke on my water was Itto’s comment.” You huff, setting the cup down beside your plate of food. You look over at Itto. “Where did you hear that from? I’m surprised that you know that parody phrase from my world.” You said. 

Tighnari sighs softly. “He heard you say it when you completed your homework in the library one day.” 

You stare at Tighnari, your face slowly heating up. “Oh,” You mutter. “I didn’t think anyone was in the library when I said that to myself.” You pucker your lips and poke your Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich with your fork.

Thoma soon returns to the dining room with a tray of food in his hands that contains four different plates for each guest. The guests thanked Thoma before digging into their food; you and the others take that as a sign to start eating your dinners. You cut into the Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich and bring the sliced piece up to your mouth and take a bite out of it. You nearly let out a moan from how delicious the Adventurer’s Breakfast Sandwich tastes, making a mental note to ask Thoma to teach you how to cook some dishes from Teyvat.

While eating your dinner, you can’t help but feel eyes staring holes into your skull. You slowly look up from your plate and look towards the direction of where you’re assuming the staring was coming from. You end up making eye contact with Bosacius, who smirks and waves at you with one of his hands, the apples of his cheeks bright pink. You smile at Bosacius and wave back at the four-armed man before continuing to eat your dinner. Childe watches the entire interaction unfold in front of him, his eyes narrowing at Bosacius and Menogias while chewing on the squid tentacles, his grip tightening around the cutlery. 

Bosacius leans over to Menogias and whispers something into his ears; Menogias pauses and looks over where you sit and nods his head slowly. Bosacius smiles widely and roughly pats Menogias on the shoulders, causing the man to jerk forward from the rough pat on his shoulder. Xiao glances over at Bosacius and Menogias from his plate of Almond Tofu, staring at them with scrutiny.

“What are you two talking about?” Xiao asks, placing his spoon down on the plate as he turns to look over at the two men sitting beside him.

Bosacius laughs. “Oh, nothing to worry about, Xiao! Just continue eating your Almond Tofu. This conversation is between Menogias and me.” Again, Bosacius pats Menogias’ shoulders roughly. Menogias looks at Bosacius, giving him a look as if he’s telling Bosacius to stop patting him on the shoulders roughly while he’s trying to eat.

Halfway through dinner, you feel your eyelids beginning to grow heavy. You try to blink your sleepiness away, but it isn’t working because the more you blink, the heavier your eyelids feel. You put your fork down and rub your eyes with your knuckles, hoping to rub the sleep away. The minute you put your hand down, you let out a soft yawn and covered your mouth with your hand.

Venti giggles. “Looks like someone’s getting sleepy.” Venti sang.

You blink your tears away and stretch your arms and legs while remaining in your seat. “Yeah, sorry about that. I got up really early in the morning to start on my assignments and studies; now my sleepiness is catching up to me.” You mumble.

“It’s okay if you can’t finish your dinner. You should get some sleep. I noticed that you’ve been sleeping less ever since you were accepted into Sumeru Akademiya.” Ayato says, giving you a soft smile. Archons, that smile of his. Does Ayato know how pretty he is?

“What time is it, anyway? I feel like it’s not even late evening yet,” You said.

Baizhu looks over at the clock on the wall and squints his eyes to read the numbers more clearer. “It is almost eight in the evening,” Baizhu replies. 

You open your mouth to make a comment about how it’s still too early for you to go to bed, but you can’t bring yourself to say it. You’re tired, and you need sleep, or else you’ll collapse and fall involuntarily fall asleep. You let out a defeated sigh and nodded your head slowly.

“Alright, I’ll go to bed. Save these for leftovers because I want to eat them tomorrow morning when I wake up to continue my studies,” You said, getting up from your seat.

Kazuha gives you a questioning look. “Aren’t you on break?” Kazuha asks.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m free from the clutches of my assignments and studies. After all, being an Akademiya student is stressful and a lot of work. It’s fast-paced, something I should get used to but am not.” You stifled a yawn with your hand. “Anyway, I should be going to bed now. It’s earlier than usual, but I’m about to collapse at any moment.” You joked.

Diluc stands up abruptly and walks over to you. “I’ll take you to your room. I don’t want you to fall down the stairs or suddenly collapse.” Diluc loops his arms around your waist and steadies you.

“That’s nice of you, Diluc. But I think I can go up the stairs just fine.” You pat his arm lightly, resting your head on Diluc’s chest, and close your eyes.

Childe raises his eyebrows at you. “Snookums, as much as I don’t like seeing you in the arms of that redhead, I think it’s best for you to let him guide you to your bedroom. When you stood up from your seat, you were swaying like you were on a waverider,” Childe says, leaning back in his seat next to Zhongli. 

Childe doesn’t get a response from you in return. Instead, the dining room was filled with your soft breathing. Diluc looks down at you, only to see that you have fallen asleep in his arms while standing up. A gentle smile appears on Diluc’s face, his eyes soften, and he gently lifts you up bridal style, cradling you in his arms.

“Wow, they must have been staying up for hours to complete their assignments and studies,” Gorou says softly, leaning on his arms as he gazes at your sleeping face with a smile on his face. Everyone knew that you’ve been harsh on yourself ever since you received your first failing grade. Technically, it wasn’t a failing grade, but to you, it was a bad grade, and you’ve been pushing yourself to study more since that one “bad” mark on your record. It was a low A, can you believe that? To you, it’s a bad grade, and the men never knew why you’re so harsh on yourself when it comes to your grades, even if you’re passing all of your courses with flying colors.

Dainsleif nods his head. “They’ve been putting themself under a lot of pressure with their studies lately. I’m worried that they’ll push themself past their limits and burnout,” Dainsleif says softly, getting up from his seat and walking over to where you and Diluc are at. 

Dainsleif squats down in front of you and brushes a stray hair away from your face with his fingers; the stray hairs tickle your nose, causing you to scrunch your nose and bury your face into Diluc’s chest. Diluc’s chest rumbles with laughter; he caresses the back of your head with his hand and presses his lips on the crown of your head.

“I believe it’s time for you to take [Y/N] to bed,” Kaeya comments. 

He takes a sip of his wine and gives Diluc a teasing look. Diluc gives Kaeya a brief glare before turning around and walking up the stairs with you in his arms. Once Diluc disappears up the stairs with you in his arms, Scaramouche sighs and leans back in his seat, rubbing his face with his hands.

“I understand that [Y/N] is a hardworking student who prioritizes their studies, but they need to take a break from their studies. I think a few days away from their studies is enough,” Scaramouche says.

“Huh?! Are you implying that they rarely take breaks from their studies? It’s the only thing they do?” Indarias asks, looking at Scaramouche and the other men, appalled by what she heard.

Itto sighs dramatically and nods his head, running his fingers through his hair. “You heard that right, Miss Indarias. [Y/N] doesn’t like taking breaks from their studies. As much as we’re proud of them for prioritizing their studies and doing well in school, it’s gotten to the point where they lose sleep over it and would skip meals because of how wrapped up they are with their studies.” Itto frowns.

“So, their studies have affected their sleep cycle and their eating habits. That’s concerning.” Menogias murmurs, stroking his chin.

Ayato nods his head. “Unfortunately, it has. They even signed up for another quarter at the Akademiya, but this time, they registered for twenty units worth of courses, and it worries us how it’ll affect them.” Ayato massages his temples with a soft sigh.

Bonanus looks at Ayato quizzically. “Twenty units is how many classes? I’m not familiar with the mortal education system.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“That is about five classes, but with some classes they take, they need to take a discussion or a lab course with the main class that has units. The discussion and labs aren’t worth any units; they’re an additional class that has to be taken with the lectures.” Tighnari replies.

Bosacius blinks at Tighnari and scratches the back of his head, making a face. “So, it’s like you learn about something in one class, and in the other class, you talk about what you’ve learned in that class,” Bosacius says slowly, quirking up an eyebrow at Tighnari, who nods his head slowly.

Aether sighs sadly. “All we want is for them to take a break for one day. One day away from their studies wouldn’t hurt them or their grades at all,” said Aether. He rests his chin in the palm of his hands. 

“A break for one day, you say?” Bosacius murmurs, stroking his chin with one hand while resting his other hand on the back of his neck, leaning back in his seat.

Heizou nods his head. “Well, yeah. One day would be a good way to start it off and get them used to taking breaks from their studies, whether for a few hours or a day or two days. But knowing them, taking breaks from their studies makes them anxious since they’re always worrying over how they perform in the Akademiya.” Heizou rubs his chin with his thumb and index finger.

Menogias sighs. “When you put it that way, it sounds like [Y/N] is going to push themselves until they can no longer push through their studies.”

“Yeah, no kidding. I love how they’re stubborn, and it’s cute! But in this case, it’s frustrating because it’s affecting their health.” Venti sighs sadly, leaning on his arms with a frown on his face.

After a few minutes of talking, everyone finished up their dinners and washed and dried their plates, bowls, and cutlery. Thoma grabs your food from the plate and puts them in a small container before placing it into the refrigerator. Since the four guests are Yakshas and don’t need sleep, they decide to roam around the abode while actively avoiding the Harbingers’ estate. Even though they’re curious about the residents of the Harbingers’ estate, Zhongli and Xiao warn them not to step foot anywhere near the mansion that is on the other floating island.

“These men really care about [Y/N],” Indarias murmurs, letting her feet hang off the edge of the island while leaning back on her hands, gazing at the stars in the abode.

Bonanus giggles, swinging her feet back and forth at the edge, and rests her head on her shoulders. “It’s sweet! Although I do worry about [Y/N] too, and I only met them not too long ago.” Bonanus’ bottom lip juts out. 

Bosacius claps his hands, startling the three around him. “I have a great idea!” Bosacius smiles widely, one pair of arms crossing over his chest while the second pair of arms props him up as he leans back. Menogias, Bonanus, and Indarias trade worry glances with each other. Whatever Bosacius have in mind, they know it won’t be good and that it will cause nothing but trouble.

When you come to your consciousness, you realize that you’re not in your bedroom. You shift around and crack your eyes open, only to see that someone is cradling you in their arms. You furrow your eyebrows with confusion and look up, only to make eye contact with Bosacius, who smiles down at you widely.

“Good morning, sleepyhead! It’s good to see that you’re finally awake! You were dead asleep when we snatched you up.” Bosacius chuckles.

You blink at him in confusion, still not awake. “What do you mean by that?” You mumble, attempting to sit up in his arms. You look around and make eye contact with the other three Yakshas, who are smiling at you nervously, while Menogias look tired and slightly irritated.

“It’s great to see that you’re able to get a full night of sleep! We brought you here early in the morning, and it is now, I’m assuming, nine in the morning!” Bonanus says.

Your eyes widen, and you thrash out of Bosacius’ arms, trying to get down. Bosacius scrunches up his face before he places you down. When your sock-clad feet touch the ground, you look at your surrounding, only to see that you’re at the Chasm. You slowly turn to Bosacuis and the other Yakshas.

“Why are we at the Chasm?” You whisper.

Menogias sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Bosacius wants us to take you out of the abode so you can take a break from your studies. Last night, the men expressed that they wanted you to take a break from your studies. So, Bosacius came up with a plan to sneak you out of the abode at the crack of dawn and, well, let you have a day off from your priorities.” 

You attempt to rub the sleep from your eyes and look around at the Chasm, the sun beating down on you five, the wind blowing your hair in your face. They kidnapped you, pretty much. They didn’t even let you get ready for the day, and now you’re at the Chasm with a bedhead, wearing nothing but your pajamas and socks.

“And do the men know that you all decided to take me on a mini vacation to the Chasm?” You ask, propping your hands on your hips, shifting your weight onto your right leg.

Bosacius laughs and pats your head. “No need to worry about that! I’m sure they know about us taking you out on a break! They shouldn’t be worried at all since you’ll be fine because you are with the four strong Yakshas! Five, if we’re counting Xiao, but he’s not here with us right now.” Bosacius says.

“I am now.” 

Everyone around you jumps and turns to look in the direction where the voice came from, only to see a very irritated Xiao standing behind Bosacius with his arms crossed over his chest. Xiao has a scowl on his face; he looks like he’s about to explode. 

“Xiao! What a pleasant surprise to see you here!” Indarias laughs, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

Bonanus clears her throat softly. “Xiao, how did you know that we’re at the Chasm?” She asks, gazing at the shorter male with curiosity.

“Someone,” Xiao looks over at Bosacius with a glare, “called my name.” Xiao crosses his arms over his chest.

“Care to explain why you four decide to kidnap [Y/N] from the abode and take them to the Chasm?” Zhongli asks, walking up to the six of you with his arms over his chest and a small frown on his face. Behind Zhongli follows the other men. The minute their eyes lands on you, a huge wave of relief washes over them, and the tension lifts off their shoulders.

“Psh! We didn’t kidnap them! We took them out of the abode so they could enjoy a mini vacation to the Chasm since we figured they hadn’t seen the Chasm before.” Bosacius says, crossing his arms over his chest while his other arms are propped on his hips.

Bonanus laughs nervously while rubbing her arms. “You did say that you wanted [Y/N] to take a break from their studies for one day. We figured that taking them to the Chasm would be a nice change of scenery, and they can relax and explore the Chasm with us!” said Bonanus.

“Listen, we don’t mind the four of you taking [Y/N] outside of the abode, but please don’t snatch them up without our knowledge.” Al Haitham sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

You nod your head and turn to look at the four Yakshas. “And please inform me about it first before you all take me outside of the abode while I’m still in my pajamas with a bedhead.” You plead, running your fingers through your slightly knotted hair. “Plus, you’re all lucky that I sleep with clothes on this time.” You rub your eyes tiredly. 

Itto’s eyes almost bug out of his head. “You sleep naked?!” Itto gasps, putting his right hand over his bare chest as if it was the most scandalous thing you’ve said.

You make a “so-so” gesture. “Meh. Yes and no, it depends on the temperature and the weather.” Before you can explain any further, you stop yourself. “You know what, I’m just going to stop talking here because I’ve said too much,” You said. You look at your surroundings; you hold your hand up and shield your eyes from the sun that is shining down on all of you. The temperature is cool; you can feel a breeze every few minutes. The air is fresh and crisp, almost like you chew on mint gum and chug a cold bottle of water at the same time. You look down at your sock-clad feet and wiggle your toes in your socks. You hear the faint crunch of the dry grass beneath your feet, the dried grass poking into the fabric of your socks, poking the soles of your feet.

“As much as I love feeling the earth against the soles of my feet, I want to stop by the abode to change my clothes. It feels weird to be outside in my pajamas.” You mutter, subconsciously crossing your arms over your chest to cover your body.

Scaramouche raises an eyebrow at you. “You’re wearing a plain t-shirt and cotton shorts.” Scaramouche reaches over and thumbs at your shirt, his thumb lightly brushing against your hip bones, making you visibly shiver. 

“Well, I wore them to bed, and therefore they are my pajamas, and I am wearing pajamas!” You sputter, lightly batting at Scaramouche’s hand. 

Kaeya ruffles your bedhead while stifling his laughter behind his hands. “You don’t have to worry about shoes because we brought your sandals with us just in case.” Kaeya hands you your sandals.

You quickly thanked Kaeya before putting your sandals on while making a mental note to toss your socks into the laundry basket when you all returned to the abode. You comb your fingers through your hair to unknot the tangles in your hair while muttering about how you wish your hair wouldn’t get tangled so easily while you slept.

“So, are we all going to be hanging out at the Chasm for today?” Kazuha asks, adjusting his bangs. 

Bosacius gives the men a fake smile and rubs the back of his neck. “I was hoping that we,” Bosacius gestures between you, him, and the other three Yakshas beside him, “were going to be hanging out with [Y/N] at the Chasm.”

Gorou stares at Bosacius with wide eyes. “Oh! You don’t want us to tag along just in case anything goes wrong?” Gorou asks as his ears twitch with anxiousness. 

Menogias sighs. “We’re Yakshas; we once worked for Rex Lapis. I’m sure the four of us can protect [Y/N] from harm if anything were to go wrong,” Menogias says.

Baizhu hums softly and pulls out a first aid kit. “You five can still hang out at the Chasm. We will tag along, but we’ll keep our distance for you five to hang out and explore the Chasm together.” Baizhu suggests.

Indarias raises her eyebrows at the men in front of her, crossing her arms over her chest. “What, do you guys not trust us?” Indarias demands.

“It’s not that….” Albedo trails off, looking over at you.

You smile at the four Yakshas awkwardly. “I have attachment issues, and being away from them for an hour makes me really nervous. Especially when I’m with people that I don’t know much of.” You added. The Yakshas give you a look. “I’m working on it. Plus, I didn’t magically get attachment issues when I first arrived at Teyvat; I’ve been like this ever since I was a kid, and it dragged on into my adulthood. I’m doing better now, and I’m more than halfway to getting over my attachment issues.” You informed the three immortal beings. 

Bosacius sighs dramatically and throws one of his arms around your shoulders. “Alright, your bodyguards can come along with us.” He ruffles your hair playfully. “In the meantime, they can bond with each other as well! I can see some tension between them,” Bosacius whispers loudly to you, ignoring the looks the men shot in his direction.

Diluc hums to himself. “It would be nice to get to know all of you better. We’ve been living together for months now, and I know little things about all of you. So it would be nice to bond with all of you.” Diluc strokes his chin.

“Yeah, I’m down for that! Making twenty new pals while our cute lover goes and explores the Chasm with the Yakshas a hundred feet from where we’re at.” Childe says, throwing his arms over Diluc and Dainsleif’s shoulders with a smug smile on his face.

Dainsleif sighs and crosses his arms over his shoulders. “Let’s just hope that this doesn’t backfire in our faces,” Dainsleif mutters, his blue eyes scanning the surroundings. 

The corners of Cyno’s lips tilt up. “I hope you’re all prepared for what I have in mind,” Cyno says. 

While the men follow behind you and the four Yakshas, you look around the Chasm in awe. It’s beautiful, it’s enormous, and you can’t wait to see all of the beautiful ores that have yet to be mined from the Chasm. Maybe you can take a few ores back to the abode as a souvenir! Speaking of ores, you want to get one of the rarest ores in the Chasm, but you know it’ll be complicated to mine them since they’re scattered around the Chasm.

“Is there anything you want to do at the Chasm, [Y/N]? I know you’ve never been here before, but perhaps you have some knowledge of the Chasm.” Bonanus says, skipping beside you while looking over at you curiously.

“I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I want to bring a souvenir back to the abode. An ore, but it’s rare and hard to find,” You reply.

Indarias looks at you with interest. “Are you talking about the Archaic Stone?” She asks.

Your eyes light up, and you nod your head. “That’s right! I am looking for the Archaic Stone! Although if we don’t find it, it’s totally fine because any ore from the Chasm is fine with me. I’m not picky, but bringing the Archaic Stone back to the abode would be cool!” You smile. “I registered to take this course at the Akademiya, where we study gems! It’s called gemology, and I’m taking it as an elective course since it’s not related to my major. I’m excited to take that class.” You clap your hands with excitement. 

“When taking that course, you should be careful what you say to gemologists and how your first impressions go. They can give you the coal shoulders.” Cyno comments. 

You stop in your tracks and turn to look over at Cyno. “I don’t know how you come up with these pun jokes so easily, but I applaud you for it because it’s impressive,” You said. 

“Of quartz, my jokes are going to be funny. I’m hilarious.” Cyno retorts, pressing his lips in a thin line to hide his growing smile.

Al Haitham rolls his eyes. “As much as I dislike your pun jokes, I find it impressive that you can come up with them out of thin air.” Al Haitham sighs. 

Bosacius shields his eyes and looks around the Chasm, squinting his eyes to try to get a glimpse of the rare stone you and Indarias were talking about earlier. In the distance, Bosacius spots a group of hilichurls and a mitachurl gathering around a rock a foot away from the edge of a cliff. Bosacius nudges Menogias and gestures in the direction of the hilichurls and mitachurl. It seems like he might have found this rare stone you’re looking for.

Bosacius turns to you. “Come here for a moment.” You look at Bosacius skeptically and look at the three Yakshas, who are giving Bosacius an unreadable expression. They look like they wanted to smack Bosacius for what he has planned on doing. And that is to take you to where the Archiac Stone is located—where the hilichurls and mitachurl are hanging out.

Menogias narrows his eyes and nudges the Yaksha with four arms. “What in the world are you doing?! You’re not going to take them to that area, are you?” Menogias whispers to Bosacius.

“Relax, I’m a Yaksha, remember? I can protect [Y/N] easily without needing any backup or assistance.” Bosacius says, crossing his arm over his chest while propping his hands on his hips.

Bonanus’ eyes widen. “I understand that you want to take [Y/N] to get the stone they want to get as a souvenir, but not while the hilichurls and mitachurl are still around that stone.” Bonanus looks up at the cliff and squints her eyes.

Bosacius lets out a dramatic sigh. “Alright, alright. I won’t take them there while the hilichurls and mitachurl are still alive, but I will take them to get that stone once I get rid of the hilichurls and mitachurl,” Bosacius states. Bosacius turns to look at you and holds up his index finger. “Give me a moment.”

You blink, and Bosacius disappears from your sight. You shrug your shoulders and walk over to the wooden cart that is filled with mined white iron chunks and crystal chunks. Indarias, Menogias, and Bonanus walk up to where you’re standing, occasionally looking up at the cliff where Bosacius is at.

“So, how did you end up with these men?” Indarias asks, looking over at the twenty men with the corners of her lips quirking up.

You blink at Indarias. “Can you clarify that? Are you asking about how I end up living with them or how I end up dating these men?” You raise your eyebrows at the yaksha with flaming red hair. The way her fiery red hair flows in the breeze gives the illusion of flames raging in the wind.

Indarias chuckles and nods her head. “Yes, how did you manage to capture the hearts of these men? It’s impressive, and it’s been ages since I’ve seen a relationship like this in Teyvat.” She strokes her chin with her hand; her hands remind you of molten lava burning in the volcanoes. Not only is she powerful, but she is also breathtaking.

You shrug your shoulders. “I don’t really know. I know it’s cliché to say that I’m no one special, but I really am. I don’t have a vision, I’m not rich, I’m not a public figure, nor do I come from a notable family. Heck, I’m not even from this world,” You said.

Bonanus tilts her head to the side. “Maybe that’s what makes you special! Despite you not being from this world, perhaps they feel this connection with you when they lay their eyes on you,” Bonanus says, sitting on the pile of mined ores while swinging her legs back and forth.

You think about Bonanus’ comment for a moment before looking over at where the men are standing. From a distance, the men are gathering around a large slab of rock, onikabutos placed on the rock. It was Itto versus Ayato, the men standing behind their respective onikabutos, arms either crossed over their chests or propped up on their hips.

“This time, my onikabuto is going to defeat yours, Lord Ayato!” Itto proclaims loudly, pointing at the Kamisato heir for a dramatic effect. 

Ayato lets out an amused chuckle. “Well, we shall see about that. This wouldn’t be the first, second, third, or fourth time for me to beat you in the beetle fight,” Ayato states smugly, smirking at the oni that is standing on the other side of the rock slab.

Childe slaps down a big bag of mora at the edge of the rock slab, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug smile on his face. “I’m rooting for my fellow hydro vision wielder.” Itto looks at Childe with a look of betrayal. The men around Ayato, Childe, and Itto mutter to one another, digging into their pocks and pulling out their bags of mora before announcing who they’re rooting for and who’s going to win the match.

Menogias squints his eyes and leans forward. “What in the Teyvat are they doing?” Menogias asks softly. Menogias crosses his arms over his chest and looks over at you for answers.

“Itto and Ayato are having a beetle fight. And what the others are doing, they are betting who is going to win the round by placing however much mora they want to bet on,” You reply. “I would join, but watching them gamble against each other is hilarious.” You snort. 

“Huh! So it turns out that they’re already friends?” Bosacius asks, walking up to you, Menogias, Bonanus, and Indarias. “I thought they only tolerate each other’s presence because they’re all dating you.” Bosacius comments, standing beside you.

“There are times when they’re friends and times where they tolerate each other’s presence. Overall, they do get along with each other.” You chuckle. 

“They have a strange bond, almost like siblings,” Bonanus says thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side, resting on her shoulder.

You smile and nod your head. “Yeah, almost like siblings.”

The men suddenly erupted with loud cheers, and others with loud groans. You and the four Yakshas turn to look at what is happening from a distance. Those who vote for Itto are cheering loudly, clapping hands, high-fiving each other, and clapping Itto on the back. Those who vote for Ayato are groaning and doubling over with defeat.

“Congratulations on your win, Itto!” Diluc smiles at the oni, patting Itto’s shoulders.

Itto smiles widely. “Thanks, Diluc!” He grabs Diluc’s hand and gives his hand a squeeze.

“What is going on?? Menogias blinks.

Bosacius groans. “Aw, man! Did we miss out on the beetle fight already!?” Bosacius exclaims, running his hands through his hair with a pout on his face.

You see Zhongli approach Itto and congratulate the oni; Zhongli places his hand on Itto’s back and gives the oni a proud smile. 

Itto gives Zhongli a bashful smile, “Thank you, Zhongli! I appreciate it!” Itto blushes, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. Itto pulls Zhongli into a hug and lifts the former Geo archon, catching him by surprise. Zhongli laughs and pats Itto’s head with an endearing smile on his face.

“Alright, Itto. You can put me down now.” Zhongli chuckles. Itto lets out a nervous laugh and places Zhongli back down on the ground. 

“I knew you could do it, buddy! You finally beat Lord Ayato!” Gorou says, patting Itto’s back with a big smile on his face.

Aether and Heizou nod their heads. “We always believed in you, and you came out as the victor in the end!” Aether says, giving Itto a thumbs up.

Heizou nudges Aether. “Hey, does that mean we get the mora that is betted against Itto?” Heizou whispers to the blond male.

“Fair is fair,” Baizhu says, looking over at the losing team.

Kaeya shakes his head. “You would think that Itto is going to lose this round, but it ends up being the opposite,” Kaeya says.

The winning team walks over to the team that lost and gives each other pats on the shoulders, high-fives, and a rub on the back. You pout at the adorable scene and cup your cheeks with your hands, trying to hold back a squeal. They trade laughs with each other and talk idly with one another, looking out to the Chasm and back at the onikabutos on the rock slab. You rest your back against the wooden cart and watch the loves of your life closely, enamored with the interaction that is going on between them.

“You did good, Itto. I’m proud of you.” Ayato says, giving Itto a small smile. Itto looks like he’s going to burst into tears at any moment, his cheeks flushing red as he stumbles over his words before muttering out a shy “thank you.” Childe brings Ayato into a side hug, patting him over the shoulders.’

“Congratulations on your win, Itto! You did great out there!” Thoma says.

Venti was deflated; he was sprawled over the rock slab with the onikabutos on his back. “There goes my chance of buying wine,” Venti hiccups. His bottom lip is jutting out in a pout.

Both Tighnari and Cyno pat Venti’s head. “There, there, Venti! I’m sure Master Diluc wouldn’t mind letting you drink some Dandelion Wine for free back at the abode,” Tighnari says.

Scaramouche snorts. “Judging by the look on Master Diluc’s face, I don’t think that’ll be happening,” said Scaramouche. 

Dainsleif cracks a smile at Scaramouche’s comment and Venti’s dramatic pout, shaking his head. “I’m sure Master Diluc will allow you to drink Dandelion Wine as long as you don’t sneak into the wine cellar like last time,” Dainsleif says, giving Venti the side eye. Venti’s cheeks turn bright red, and he stumbles off the rock slab, causing the onikabutos to slide off of Venti’s back and onto the rock slab.

“Ah yes, that was the time when I witnessed Master Diluc’s wrath for the first time,” Kazuha says, stroking his chin with a smile on his face.

Albedo nods his head. “I have never seen someone so angry before until that incident with the wine cellar at the abode,” Albedo says, leaning up against the tree beside Kazuha.

You feel someone nudge you. You look over to see Bosacius holding up the Archiac Stone to you with a smile on his face. Your eyes widen, and you grab the stone from Bosacius’ hands, gazing down at the stone in awe. You look up at Bosacius, the feeling of guilt gnawing at you after realizing that you’re so distracted by the men’s adorable interaction that you didn’t get to go to the area where Bosacius acquired the Archiac Stone.

“Hey, what’s with that look on your face?” Bosacius asks, looking at you worriedly.

You sigh and let your hands fall to your side, still gripping the Archiac Stone. “I was so distracted by what’s going on that I didn’t even realize that you left to get me the stone,” You said softly. “I’m sorry, Bosacius. I knew you wanted to take me to the top of the cliff where the Archiac Stone was located, but I wasted your time.” You bow your head with shame, your shoulders slumping with a deep frown on your face.

Bosacius looks at you with surprise, his eyes wide and mouth agape. The look of shock slowly melts away, and he gives you a soft smile, throwing his arms over your shoulders and pulling you into a hug. “No need to worry about it, [Y/N]!” Bosacius ruffles your hair. “With that adorable pout on your face and how you look at those men, I can see why they’re so in love with you.” Bosacius lets out boisterous laughter. 

“I-” You cover your face, feeling heat rushing to your face and to the tips of your ears.

“I might as well snatch you up for myself while they’re distracted.” Bosacius jokes, grabbing you by the waist and tossing you over his shoulders. “But don’t worry, I’ll return you to them by the end of the day!” He pats the back of your thighs.

“They’re not going to like this.” Menogias sighs, massaging his temples. “Rex Lapis is going to make you suffer the wrath of the rock,” Menogias warns. Bosacius lets out a sarcastic “tch!” and walks off with you over his shoulders.

Bosacius pauses in his steps and turns around. “It’s not like I’m going to be taking them for myself for eternity! As much as I would love to do that, which I can, I won’t do that because I know Xiao and Zhongli will go after my head if I do!” He pats the back of your legs again.

Before you could say something, a tiny, yet sharp, pebble flies to Bosacius’ face, hitting him right in the eye.

“Ow!” Bosacius yelps, dropping you on the ground.

You groan and rub your aching butt. You slowly stand up and look in the direction where the pebble came from. Xiao holds a rock in his hands, tossing it in the air before catching it. Xiao stares at Bosacius with his eyes narrowed, trained on his target.

“If you dare to take [Y/N] away from us, expect consequences,” Xiao states, his hand gripping the rock tightly.

Baizhu hums and strokes his chin. “As much as I don’t condone violence, I might excuse violence this one time…” Baizhu trails off.

Aether leans to whisper to Xiao. “Hey Xiao, weren’t you happy about seeing the Yakshas return?” Aether asks, raising his eyebrows at the shorter Yaksha. 

Xiao rolls his eyes. “Well, they can return to their graves for all I care,” Xiao grumbles.

You blink at Xiao with wide eyes. “Xiao! Don’t say stuff like that!” You hiss, giving the man a look. Xiao huffs and lets the rock fall to the ground; he crosses his arms over his chest and sticks his nose in the air.

Bonanus and Indarias chuckle and drape their arms over your shoulders. “While you men figure out how to get along, [Y/N], Bonanus, and I will be exploring the Chasm.” Indarias says, pulling you away from the group by your wrist, with Bonanus following after you two.

You turn to look at your boyfriends, Bosacius and Menogias. “Have fun bonding! We won’t be too far!” You holler over your shoulders.

Your boyfriends and the two Yakshas follow after you, Bonanus, and Indarias, grumbling amongst one another. As much as they wanted to take you back to the abode and not have to deal with Bosacius attempting to steal you away from them, they didn’t have the heart to do it. Especially when they see how you, Bonanus, and Indarias get along with each other so well. Plus, today is supposed to be the day when you take a break from your studies and assignments. They might as well try to strengthen their bond with each other while you’re exploring the Chasm with the hydro and pyro Yakshas while admiring the Archiac Stone in your hands a couple of meters ahead of the men.

Note: Okay, so my winter quarter at my university is going to start in January, and I'm going to be mega busy that quarter because I have evening classes. So, I'm going to try my best to update as much as possible and stay on top of my posting schedule ;v; I know that it's been a while since I've written smut, so I'm hoping that I can post some kind of smut soon, maybe when it's the week of my Thanksgiving break or something. I can't guarantee that, but we'll have to wait and see about that 🥹 Anyway, for the new readers or returning readers, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for "Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader" and my overall taglist: @xxkatsusjinsux, @huboi, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @patata52, @honeybedo, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @bakuhve, @yukima, @chaosinanutshell, @emperatris-rinaka, @neilify, @ksjjkthpjm, @jaisithebird, @mouchie, @emerald-smile, @jixlem, @the-blob-fish, @jiminscarmex, @bananazzzen, @thelost-in-time, @kryloxen, @ayolk, @tomansimp, @lordbugs, @c-camellias, @chihawari, @lilliansstuff, @zhongloml, @sweethcnvy, @wolf-chan2134, @simp4-fictional-men, @dai-tsukki-desu, @trash-queen-af, @tamayakii, @stellaris999, @hispasian-otaku, @stygianoir, @crispynutduck (if you have not been tagged, it's because you have your settings turned off for people to tag you in posts)

"i see. thank you for letting me know. may i?" he gestured to the plate and cup, "i came to check upon them, so if you don't mind?"

"of course," she carefully hands him the tray, "thank you. now, if you'd excuse me," she gives him one last smile—albeit a little sad—before turning to walk back to the front desk.

zhongli nods at her, before continuing his ascent to the balcony with the tray in his hand. the sound of his footsteps on the wooden platform alarms the figure on the floor, little shoulders perking up and turning around to face him.

your eyes are not as bright as they were a few weeks ago, zhongli noted.

"baba," you smile at him—too timid and doesn't reach their ears, he thought— "is that almond tofu?"

"indeed," he placed the tray on a nearby table, taking the plate and the fork and kneeling beside you on the blanket, "would you like to eat it now while it's still freshly made?"

"yes please."

handing you the plate and fork, you start to feed yourself little by little.

zhongli watches you do so from the corner of his eyes, lips tugging downwards from how you seem so… in your own world. silence was not an unusual thing with you, but this kind of eerie silence is slowly eating him. you've always been a child full of wonder and curiosity. if he's not retelling thousands of his stories, then it's you theorizing about everything and anything.

"baba," zhongli snapped out from his thoughts, gold eyes meeting your somber ones, "were do you think gege xiao is?"

oh.

so this is what this is about, zhongli turned his head towards the direction of the harbor, as if searching for an answer. in some ways, he is. he didn't want to speak about the chasm or xiao's impending doom to you.

"xiao is… facing a big obstacle right now."

"will he be alright?"

in all honesty, even zhongli doesn't have a definite answer. he knows xiao, alatus, is strong and more than capable of protecting himself and others. if he wasn't, he would have been swallowed by his karmic debt long ago. he is most resilient and devoted to his cause. but he is also too destructive for the sake of others—self sacrifice and unshakeable from his own principles. too much that he disregards his own safety.

"his safety is not guaranteed—" zhongli grimaced at the way your lips wobbled, "—but i can guarantee that the strength he had when he first decided to face his predicament, will be with him throughout and will remain within him right to the end."

zhongli pats the top of your head, letting your body lean on his side with a relieved smile at the somewhat at peace expression on your face.

he may not have quelled the storm within you, but he hopes that his words had at least given you more hope and confidence in your brother.

"i miss gege," you whimpered.

"worry not, little one. he'll return to us soon."

he says this to you and to himself.

xiao can feel exhaustion eating away inside him.

when he said that escaping will take everything he has, he really did mean that in all ways. the method used in the end wasn't the same as he had first planned, but either way, both still required all of his power.

the only difference was that there's a chance of survival with the second option.

well, he wouldn't have survived without rex lapis' help, but he at least came very close to that chance.

"heroes, huh," he says to himself, looking down at the shrine below him. the words that the traveler and the cow—ushi, was it?—had told him just a few minutes ago echoed in his mind.

a lot had transpired in just a few days—days for him but it might have taken them more or less than a week though, he's not too sure about that—and even after the vigilant yaksha said that he'd take their advice, there's still a lot to mentally go through with the whole experience.

maybe it was because seeing bosacius—for the last time—brought a lot of ache in his heart or the fact that he had almost met his end in the deep and dark underground space. perhaps it's a combination of both. for the few seconds that was spent falling into the depths of the chasm, he had felt the loneliest that he has ever been.

it somewhat scared him. the crippling fear when you know that it's the end and no one is there to witness you do so—it seems that yakshas do have fears of their own. his just happens to be the fear of dying without ever leaving a dent in someone's mind.

maybe this fear manifested because he was never really alone at all.

"gege!"

that's right. i was never truly alone. i just didn't really acknowledge that someone was there for me.

"gege!"

in fact, someone was always there for me, holding onto me.

xiao ignores the cries of rest from his muscles, limbs trembling at the ache that seems to dig itself into his bones. but he persevered, like he always does, pushing himself to stand.

"gege xiao."

the call for his name was clear as the sky—back at the chasm, he realized that the muffled noise he kept hearing at the back of his head was his name being called numerous times, the sound being blocked by whatever lives in that underground space. this time, finally, he can hear it as if the voice was right next to his ear. it sounded weak, a plea for him to appear.

it sounded like they've been calling him for so long only to be in vain.

with one last surge of his power, he enveloped himself with a green mist, disappearing and reappearing as fast as the wind could take him. only this time, his feet meet the wooden platform of his home.

ah, home. this is the first time i ever called someplace home.

"gege?..."

his head lifts up to where the sound came from, amber eyes meeting puffy ones—evidence of the time you've spent crying.

he says nothing, nor can he really think of something to say in this kind of situation. instead, he drags his heavy feet to your flabbergasted form on the floor.

once close enough, his knees fell to the ground with a loud thud, arms immediately sweeping you close with a relieved sigh.

"it's me," he whispers, "i'm here. i came back—and i'm never leaving you again."

after a moment of silence—you were still processing his sudden appearance—he hears the start of your cries, soft whimpers and sniffles right next to his ear and your small arms barely wrapping around his neck, fisting the cloth on his shoulder.

xiao does not initiate any kind of affection. yet here he is, striding towards you across the floor of the balcony with an urgency that you've never seen him have before, embracing you himself in a tight hug. it spurred more tears from your already weary eyes, the familiar warmth of your dear brother and his reassuring voice giving you a sense of peace—the ugly voices in your head are no more.

"w-where have you been?" you sobbed against his shoulder, trying your hardest to sound a little mad to scold him.

he only scoffs with mirth, finding your attempt endearing.

"i… met with my older brother."

"you left without telling me!" your fist thumps on his shoulders.

"forgive me, baobei—" he pulls away from the hug, calloused hands wiping the tears away from your puffy cheeks, "—i did not expect the trip to last weeks."

nor did i really think i'd ever come out alive.

"but i am here now," a rare smile appears on his face, immediately stopping you from your feigned tantrums to stare at him.

gege never smiles.

you sniffled, pouting at how he seemed unaffected. it must be an adult thing, you concur. still, this doesn't stop you from shooting him questions later.

"how was," you hiccuped, "how was your brother?"

a hum was his only response. he smooths down the disheveled mop of hair on your head, looking anywhere but your eyes.

"he's somewhere far from here."

"far from home?"

“mhm, very far. but where he is doesn't matter now," xiao shakes his head of any negative thoughts, "he may be far from us, but his memory will be preserved within our minds."

"can you tell me a story about him?"

"if you wish to hear it."

"mhm!" your eyes sparkled from excitement. it was xiao's first time to tell you a story from the past and you are more than ready to listen to his voice, his voice that you haven't heard in weeks.

"what was his name?"

"his name is bosacius. hundreds of years ago, i was not alone in protecting the land of liyue."

i was never alone before, nor am i alone now.

"there were four others—"

ex! husband alhaitham who will keep a sprinkling of his own belongings in your home even after he moved back into his old house— he will always assure you that he's going to get them, really, once he's free from working but he never does. It's a secret (and beneficial) way of forcing you to see random possessions that will remind you of him.

ex! husband alhaitham who still pays things regarding your entire house, even though he isn't living there anymore— though he wants to do it regardless. When you proceed to tell him that it's okay, you got it covered and you can't be dependable on him forever he's warily accepting it but will then silently outlay several bills behind your person without ever telling you— because it's really not a big deal and he doesn't understand why you're making it one.

ex! husband alhaitham who will quiz kaveh more often now after your divorce to stealthily find out about your latest happenings or if you've bumped into another relationship thus far. In the early stages, your friend kaveh wasn't pleased about aiding your ex in this taxing scheme, but in the fullness of time he will be exceptionally beguiled into thinking it's to assure you're doing okay after the divorce.

ex! husband alhaitham who had the splendid idea to meet up for dinner (or lunch) at your once shared house periodically, giving no additional elaboration to it— as he put it, it's to fortify your innocent cordial bond, without having any ulterior motives behind the sudden urge.

ex! husband alhaitham who will ridicule every budding relationship (or friendship) that would embark into your space but he'd do it dubiously respectful as well as passive aggressive so you initially won't catch onto it. Whenever someone would claim to know a particular fact about you, ex! husband alhaitham would beg to differ and instead, correct them.

once you're asking ex! husband alhaitham to tone it down a little— otherwise some might think you're still a couple or rekindling, he's retracting the question to you and ask if you're really okay with someone spreading misinformation about you.

ex! husband alhaitham who will downrightly tell you that no matter the coeval occurrences, you are still his person and that he frankly isn't interested in dating or pursuing someone else, he'd rather just focus on work and live a comfortable life with you by his side, he didn't care if you're his friend or spouse.

ex! husband alhaitham who will be— for once, at loss of words when you're telling him to stop making it so challenging, that there was a reason you have decided to call it quits and that he's only making it more difficult for you to fully move on. And the moment he'd perceive that he'd ask you what you meant by 'fully move on'. have you not entirely moved on yet?

ex! husband alhaitham who will take a step closer to you now, yet leaving enough space in between your bodies to not unanticipatedly overwhelm you when his eyes slowly blink over yours, demanding the truth. On how his breathing was quickening, you knew there was something he did not show you or was meant for you to be seen.

ex! husband alhaitham whose skin will be covered in goosebumps the moment you place your hand on top of his chest, right above his pounding heart. He's watching you closely and not once, averting his gaze from you. You do not talk, neither does he— it's as if you both had left it to your bodies to speak.

ex! husband alhaitham who couldn't hold himself back anymore and drew your face towards his with your chin tugged in between his thumb and pointer finger, placing a fine kiss on your sweet lips— he immediately registered just how much he missed the trifling touch of you, or the comfort your glow would convey on his, as if you were touching his hidden soul through nothing but a amiable trace.

ex! husband alhaitham who will deepen the kiss, heaving as to try to catch his own breath when you push your tongue past his lips, toying with his wetness with your arms tightly enclosed around his neck. Somehow, everything you knew had become muddled and dimmed, it's all the more difficult to let go when it came to someone like him.

ex! husband alhaitham who will kindly shush you with a chime of sweet, quick kisses while pulling you towards your once shared room, assuring you that whatever will happen after this moment, you'd get through it together— as a team.

ex! husband alhaitham who will be more animated than any other days you both had been intimate with each other, from someone who was commonly laid back in the process of it all, he now wanted to see and witness it on his skin, soul and touch. It was excruciating to catch onto his fondles and meet ups, how needful the both of you had gotten from the warm kisses.

ex! husband alhaitham who'd gently push you on top of the mattress and skillfully kick your legs apart with his knees to dwell amidst your thighs. The moment he's entirely on top of you, you had already intuited his stiffened cock beating within the confinements of his pants. He's grinding himself into you— appearing almost feral by how nasty and unyielding he was, but you loved it, because you have missed him so very much.

ex! husband alhaitham who will spoil you the whole night as to show what you willingly gave up— he wants to make sure it's engraved in your body, the trace of his soft lips, the loud darts of his tongue, the warm slurps of his mouth drilling past your folds to collect the slick that was only meant for him to taste and treasure.

ex! husband alhaitham who will decorate the inside of your thighs with gentle nibs and bite marks because at this point the control over his own emotions and needs have been kindly dwindling away. He can't recognize himself whenever he's intimate with you, whenever he's on the brink of release, it feels like he arrived where he should be, in a comfortable space with the love of his life.

ex! husband alhaitham who will kiss from your clit up to your lower stomach— smooching your belly twice, then prod his tongue out and lap all to your collarbone until finding solace on your neck, guzzling on the skin simultaneously to hovering his tip over your entrance. When he perceives your legs automatically spread farther and wrap around him— as you always did prior to the divorce, it will make him lose his mind.

ex! husband alhaitham who will set a unmanageable maddening tempo, in order for him to gape into your face and see all the sweet reactions coming from his thick cock fitting so perfectly inside of you. He notices the twitch in your brows, the gentle cradle of your lips— in a sweet pout, or how your eyes are huddling together but feebly trying to open up and see him, to thank him through nothing but your expressions.

ex! husband alhaitham whose head will suddenly feel heavy and if it wasn't for it resting against your forehead, he'd be sure it'll flop into your neck on how passionate the surroundings have gotten. He's readjusting himself and pulling your legs up so he could easily push them into your chest, his muscles were tensed and you noticed how controlled his breathing was, he's glowing and appeared majestic in front of you.

ex! husband alhaitham who would, in any other circumstances, have troubles talking about his feelings, mouth a fragile 'I love you' and making sure you see it. When he notices your eyes widen at it he's certain you know that, fuck, the entire divorce has been eating him up from the very within, if you discard of him, he wouldn't know how to react, what to do or if he's supposed to just walk away from you.

ex! husband alhaitham who will pick up the tempo on his hips the moment you return the sentence to him, when you tell him that you still love him, that you shouldn't have gone so far as to break off this marriage, but instead work more on the reappearing problems which were encountered in your marriage.

ex! husband alhaitham who senses the warm tears bubble out from the outer corners of your glassy eyes and who's swiftly sweeping them away with his thumb, leaning close until every warm exhale of his breathing coats your plump lips.

ex! husband alhaitham who before releasing his white seed in you, pauses the tumbling mess on your soiled cunt and buries himself deep to the hilt, leaving you to whine at the fullness of his heavy cock in you, begging him to mess you up with his cum.

ex! husband alhaitham who watches you in a concentrated manner— within a logical approach, because you belonged to him, he never saw it in any other form, even after all he still saw you as such, his spouse, the person he called upon whenever he was in need of company.