my safe haven

You've heard of the Aranara from Nahida in passing before, who she described were sweet, plantlike beings that roamed and protected the forests. This one in particular casts a particularly uncanny resemblance to your boyfriend, from the blue of its body to the gigantic mushroom shaped hat(?) upon its head. Call it a delusion of yours, but you swear it even has the constant frown you find on Wanderer’s face down to a tee.

“Did Nahida put you up to this?”

He huffs, the Aranara still in his hold. “Lesser Lord Kusanali told me to accompany it while it gathers some roots for some festival of theirs or something.”

Your mouth shapes in an o, before a small fond smile overtakes it. If he really didn't want to do it, he could've just told Nahida. But no, here he was. And he was so defensive about it, too. A real wonder, this lovely puppet of yours, too proud to admit he couldn't turn down the Dendro Archon’s request. At your look, he quirks an eyebrow, face scrunching.

“What are you smiling for?”

“Nothing.” you chirp, and he gives you one last deadpan look, muttering something under his breath. What a weirdo. Ahem.

Kunikuzushi bends down to let the Aranara place its footing on the grassy earth, and you do the same, eyes twinkling with curiosity as you sit next to him.

“Say, what's it's name?” you ask him, and Wanderer huffs as he stands, crossing his arms.

“Why would I even ask that? I'm not here to befriend...” he looks at the Aranara, and it looks back.

“Ararycan is Ararycan.” the little blue Aranara speaks, clearly in response to your question and your lover's look. There are practically stars dilating in your eyes when you look towards Wanderer in excitement.

“Hey, it just talked!”

“Well, what do you think it is? An inanimate plant? Of course it's going to be talking.”

Nonetheless, his gaze softens when you animatedly engage in conversation with the little thing. The way you passionately talk to Ararycan with that glint in your eyes makes a part of his nonexistent puppet heart beat, and he finds himself unable to formulate any empty barbed insult about your penchant for befriending strange creatures.

With the talking cabbage at hand, he has an excuse to admire you without you taking note and teasing him endlessly about it. Not so bad at all, he thinks.

He spoke too soon.

“For me?” you seem oblivious to his sulking, graciously accepting, and by extension flaunting showing off the bouquet of Viparyas said Aranara had gifted to you.

There's a clench in his jaw, and this unsightly feeling of petty jealousy makes itself known, festering like a weed taking root, clawing at the depths of his conscious.

Really, did he really go this soft for you that he was jealous of… of this… Ararycan, this little thing that looks way too much like a talking cabbage gifting you flowers? It's beneath him. Shameful, absolutely shameful of him. How the mighty have fallen.

“Gift for pretty Nara. Nara [name], pretty. Gentle, always with a bright smile on their face.” Ararycan replies, and you coo at it, all smiles and practically ignoring him, having the utter audacity to press a small cheek kiss to the Aranara’s face.

While Ararycan wasn't wrong…

Wanderer thinks he's going insane. He definitely did not imagine the smug smirk directed to him from that Aranara's face. And did you really have to kiss it? Please, if there was anyone else you should kiss, shouldn't it be him?

At his last straw, he grabs your hand and pulls you up.

“Woah, hey! Kuni!”

“Are you two done chatting? You're going to end up not letting it do its work, like it was supposed to before it kept giving you flowers.” he says venomously, and he almost grimaces at how petty he's sounding.

You laugh in response, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear as you clutch the bouquet protectively. You squeeze his hand, the notion making him blush, pink coloring his cheeks.

“Jealous, are we?” you muse, before plucking a Viparyas in the bouquet and subsequently tucking it behind Wanderer’s ear. The place where your hands touched smolders, long after you've let go of his hand. Fuck, he was probably all red right now. You were a dangerous person, making him feel these raw emotions, making him feel so human. He doesn't find it in himself to complain though.

“There, we match.” you say with a chuckle, the melodious sound of your happiness something the Wanderer wishes the winds could never blow away. He wants to keep the sound in his ears and replay it all the time if he could, really.

You press a kiss to both of his cheeks, he notes, sending a smug look at the Aranara, and his smirk grows even bigger when your lips brush against his tenderly. You're about to lock lips again when–

“Nara seems to be in a better mood now. What Nara [name] told Ararycan to do worked.”

Kunikuzushi blinks, before the gears click together in his head.

Oh.

He looks at you, and you smile cheekily.

“Hehe.”

“Don't hehe me! Urgh, you, idiot, I can't believe I was played–”

You cut him off with another kiss, and the words die on his lips. Nevermind.

“I assume you both had a nice time helping out Ararycan?” Nahida beams, hands patting at the Aranara's head. (hat?) There's a whole basket's worth of Padisarah and Viparyas in his hands, and Ararycan is sheltered on top of his hat.

(the little thing was surprisingly light. he won't admit to Buer that he enjoyed the leisure activity, though. Or else she'd push him to another annoying situation again. And he certainly doesn't want to endure you fawning over another one of those creatures, no matter how endearing they may look.)

You’d bid them goodbye a while earlier to deal with matters from the Akademiya, and Wanderer wishes you were still here, if only to be spared the grace of being the only one to take the brunt of the dogmatic teasing Sumeru's Archon embellishes on him.

“Nara [name] helped out a lot. Other Nara, too. Other Nara nice, looks at Nara [name] like Ararycan looks at flowers. Like treasures.” The blue Aranara speaks, and there's a knowing look on Nahida’s face that lets him feel even stiffer than usual, mechanical joints unable to form a proper coherent sentence at Ararycan's observation.

“I take it you three got along?” She gestures for him to put down the Aranara, and she glances at him, eyebrows raising in glee. Wanderer looks away from the Dendro Archon's gaze, tipping his hat to hide his reddening cheeks.

“....Keep that grin and those thoughts to yourself, Buer.”