Mochi

Solitude. A concept that can be a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask. Sometimes solitude is thrust upon a person, and other times, it is something that a person seeks out on their own accord. It is something that can torture one persons’ mind, yet soothe anothers. Solitude is what Wanderer prefers. Solitude is what he has been lacking in recent months. 

It began with a simple wave. Returned not with another wave, but a mix of a confused and disgusted glare. You. Kind, sweet, naive, sociable you. Waved at him. He’d heard words about how you are, how you’d often help out others even if you were running late or if you weren’t so knowledgeable on the subject. It was nauseating having to hear everyone tripping over their tongues to sing your praises. It made you an inescapable name. He swore he’d never catch your attention, lest he be dragged into your constant happenings and countless whispers. He was aware he had his fair share of admirers and people who disliked him, but it wasn’t prominent enough to become an issue. You, however, did. 

Since he had opted to ignore your wave, brushing it off due to his disdain to having a multitude of eyes on him now and chalking it up to your desire to be perceived in a positive light, it seemed that whispers followed him anyways. And so did you. He left his next class as he typically did; silent and unnoticeable. Yet there you were, standing in the corridor gazing at the architecture. He felt his jaw tighten slightly in frustration. He let out a sharp breath, turning away before you could have a chance to notice him and walking swiftly to the direction of his next class. 

Footsteps flooded his ears as other students began to fill the halls, hopefully enough to distract you from- 

“Hey, wait up!” 

He continued. Surely the noise would be enough of a cover, not to mention the sea of people now separating the two of you. He was tempted to smile at the easy escape.

A hand fell to his shoulder. Gentle, warm, and carrying an oddly sweet smell. Too sweet. Disgustingly sweet. The thought of smiling seemed to taunt him.

“I’m sorry, I know you’re probably in a rush but I thought I’d say hi.” 

His eye twitched. He turned to look at you, stepping away so your hand had no choice but to fall back to your side. He glanced towards the hall and saw people beginning to fall back fully into the halls. They must’ve split apart when they saw you were trying to get to someone. Damn. His gaze went back to you. You were… You. 

“You said hello. Are we done?” Without allowing a moment for you to respond, he began to walk again, heading towards his class so he could hopefully get away from you. 

“Uh, I guess? Oh, bye then! I’ll talk to you later!” You spoke with enthusiasm. Too much enthusiasm. A bothersome amount. He rolled his eyes, grateful that the ocean of students had swept the two of you apart. 

Unfortunately for him, the school seemed to almost bend to your will. Your kindness and attempt at kinship with him reached Nahida, who deemed you a good influence. She had mentioned your name to him in passing and he groaned at the thought of having to withstand your flowery presence. He was left alone for the next few days, but he would almost always see you in the corner of his eye. Did you always share so many classes? Surely not- he would’ve noticed you and your obnoxiously charming smile sooner. Heard you talk and joke with the teachers in that casual and easy way. Grown tired at your smooth voice reading out paragraphs or doing your presentations. 

That had to have been a manipulation on Nahida’s end to try getting you to interact more. It had to. There’s no way he would’ve just not noticed you there in the corner of his existence. Your presence is too noticeable. Too bright. Too you. It was insufferable. Now, it has become inescapable. You were everywhere, and you were always offering that damn smile and that stupid wave. He’d always click his tongue and turn the other way, refusing to acknowledge you further. He’d go so far as to use his vision to get away if possible. There had been a few times you’d snuck up on him; started small talk and tried to say anything to get him to stay for more than 3 seconds. He would never admit that once your voice caught his ears, he felt obligated to stay.

Only for a while though. He set an internal limit that was going to stay at the exact same amount of time as when he first decided on it. Whenever more time was spent with you, that wasn’t because he forgot about it, don’t misunderstand, it was because it would be more impolite to interrupt you to leave. He may be a lot of things and dislike the majority of people, but he did have an inkling of respect for others. Besides, you didn’t utter complete nonsense all the time. When you weren’t trailing after him and running your mouth about whatever, he did keep you in the corner of his eye. He had to. So he could avoid you. Obviously. 

Your existence soon became a constant. He was unable to avoid you as much as he used to. You’d pop up behind every corner, appearing over his shoulder at any given moment and easing yourself into whatever he was already doing. If he was browsing the Grand Bazaar for something? There you were at another stall, coincidentally doing the same thing. If he was having to go to the desert to pass on a letter to Sethos at the Temple of Silence, it would just so happen you had an assignment that included the history there as well. 

In other, more normal, situations however, he always kept you in the corner of his eye. So he could escape if he wanted to, and he only learned your interests so he could find out how to distract you easier. Not because he cared. He just found it convenient with how you started saving chairs for him, and how he made sure to get your usual table in the library because you liked how you had a view of everything around. It would only be fair if he did, after all. An eye for an eye, a favour for a favour. It became an unspoken agreement- on his end at least. You were more than happy to talk about how grateful you were for his acts of kindness, and he’d simply “hmph” in response. You’d always get this stupid smile when he did. 

Now that he thinks about it, you’d get that specific smile a lot when he’d do something like that. He picked up on the differences with your smiles; your expressions overall, but he had a special section tucked away for your smiles specifically. He’d taken notice of how you’d try to smile too hard at the teachers when you messed up the book organisation when returning them to the library that one time you’d gotten too wrapped up in your research, you always complained how your cheeks would hurt after faking a smile that wide. Just to torment you, Wanderer would grab your cheek and toy with it a little. Then he complained about your whining afterward. You always ended up smiling again though. 

He saw how you would burst into a bubble of sunshine and rainbows when you laughed too hard with your friends, tears forming in the corners of your eyes as you buckled over, leaning on your friends shoulders as you laughed together. He saw how you’d light up with relief and surprise when you’d see your exam marks, and he had to use his vision to get away from you in case you tried to tackle him in appreciation. Other times, he’d simply use his hat as a barrier between you. You grew to predict that though, and would oftentimes take it and wear it before running off. He’d allow you a few minutes of your “win” before taking it back. Only to revel in your look of absolute despair and sadness, of course. Never to hear the way you’d giggle to yourself as you half ran, half skipped, and half tripped over the oversized tassels hanging from his hat. 

“You know I don’t like you, right?” He spoke, his voice sharp yet devoid of any real bite. 

Currently, the two of you were sitting in a clearing, just a bit outside of Sumeru City. The two of you would often hide away here, a spot that originally belonged to Wanderer that you eventually crept your way into. Just as with everything else that was once his. You looked over at him, a smile already on your face. That casual one you had when you were content. The one you always had. The one he wanted to wipe off your stupid face. You let out a quick laugh.

“And you know I never believe you when you say that, right?” 

He scoffed.

You laughed.

Silence settled. He couldn’t bother responding, knowing how you would never allow him to have the last word. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to bicker. His words were malicious but voice lacked that venom he had when speaking with “worms”. His words, not yours. Your playful words and teasing tone always followed with a laugh that led to him sighing. You looked out for a moment, letting out a blissful sigh before gasping and sitting upright, smiling that excited smile that Wanderer hated to admit he liked seeing. In fact, he’d never admit he liked anything about you aside from your silence. 

You turned to him, smiling ear to ear. He could feel his definitely real migraine coming on already, but instead being a thud in his chest, rather than his head. “Remember how Sethos said he wouldn’t be back until after the festival?” He raised a brow, looking at you in the corner of his eye in acknowledgement. “He’s back already! I saw him just yesterday in the market.” 

He narrowed his eyes for a moment. Sethos usually came to check in with him first. Bugging him for some help at a temple or a ruin or just general research since Wanderer was more accustomed to the Sumeru library than Sethos was. He didn’t typically return, go browsing the market, bump into you and whatever else he did. It was more regular for him to return either on time or a bit later than estimated as well. Only once or twice had he gotten back early from whatever expedition he had gone on, and even then, he would always see Wanderer first. You didn’t seem to notice or mind Wanderer getting lost in his thoughts, continuing to ramble on about what you were saying while he got swept away in his sea of thought he didn’t quite understand. He shouldn’t be… perturbed by the idea of Sethos speaking one on one with you without his knowledge or presence. Which he wasn’t.

“-back early, he asked if I’d accompany him to the festival and show him around! Y’know, since he’s not too familiar with Sumeru city due to living in the desert and all. He also invited-” You waved your hands around as you spoke, smiling fondly as you laughed. It was so close to the smile you would give him. But it was different. Different how? “-so we’ll all be able to get together and hangout again since it’s been so long! It’s gonna be great! Oh, I’ll have to pick out something to wear and-”

What on Teyvat were you blabbering about now? Did he really miss half of what you said because he was too wrapped up in his own head? He sighed in irritation, partly at himself and mostly at you. Absolutely not the reverse order. He would never be so annoyed by his own actions and ignorance of you. 

“You and Sethos are going to the festival together then?” He tried to keep his tone even. Unbothered. Nonchalant, if he dare say.

You raised a brow, your smile still for a moment as you met his eyes again, falling silent at his words. “What?”

Yeah, that didn’t work. He clicked his tongue. 

“You said that you would be showing Sethos the festival, didn’t you?” Without me, he had to fight the urge to say. Typically he didn’t care about speaking his mind unfiltered. But that led to vulnerability sometimes. And he wasn’t vulnerable with you. About his feelings. Especially not his feelings on you being one on one with another person. Without him. Together. Alone. Having fun. He felt his jaw tighten before he realised he was doing it. You just stared. 

Wanderer practically glared at you as he saw the cogs turning in your head; like you were trying to solve him like a new puzzle, or a new assignment. Looking at the different parts of him that combined to create the person that you knew. Disassembling what you’d heard and what you knew to piece together the puppet sitting beside you. You looked from the twitch of his jaw, analysed the furrow of his brow, overthought the tilt of his chin, studied the emotion in his eyes and- you paused. Blinked. Furrowed your brow in thought. Gasped silently as your brow raised in realisation. 

Wanderer could only watch as you deluded yourself to your conclusion, analysing him and interpreting whatever you saw as what he could only assume was completely wrong. He would happily wait a thousand years before hearing whatever conclusion you had come to. He rolled his eyes, parting his lips to speak once more before you beat him to it. 

“I thought you wanted to join us. If you’d rather not though, I understand.” You shrugged lightly, turning your head away as another smile began to pull at your lips. An amused one. One you wore when you knew something someone else didn’t. He didn’t like being that someone. What exactly did he miss you saying when he was thinking? It can’t have been that crucial, could it? He felt his jaw tightened. Oh well, he’ll just play it off like he intended for this.

“Tch. The festival is crowded. It’s irritating trying to traverse the streets when people are so obnoxious. If you want to waste your time with such a trivial event, then go ahead. Don’t come crying to me when people are in your space.” He waved a hand your direction, playing aloof and looking away, the accessories of his hat jingling at the movement. 

You glanced at him in the corner of your eye, a gleeful look on your face. You reached out, taking the hat with both hands before putting it on. He sat up straighter, turning to you with a half-hearted glare. 

“Give that back.” 

“Oh look at me, I’m Wanderer and I’m a stinky guy who can fly and thinks people are worms-” You crossed your arms, sticking out your bottom lip with a faux angry expression. “Because I’m also edgy and sooo lonely but I’m not going to let anyone near me out of fear.” 

Wanderer swiped a hand towards you, reaching for the hat. “I don’t sound like that-”

You giggled as you leaned back, a hand on the rim of the hat. “You sound exactly like that-!” You raised a hand, clenching it before you dramatically. “Bow before me!” You let out a snort immediately after and burst into a fit of laughter.

He got onto his knees as he tried to lean over you, only half aware of the small smile gracing his lips. “You’re such a pest.” 

You raised a hand to his face, laughing as you tried to push him back. “And you’re obsessed.” 

He clicked his tongue, nose twitching in annoyance as he crawled towards you while you tried to scramble backwards on the grass. “Give me back my hat already- Didn’t you say you needed to organise an outfit for the festival? Go home and do that.” 

You tried to speak before losing your balance, laying back on the grass with the hat flipping to land on your face. You let out a wheeze, tears growing in your eyes as you found amusement in the situation. You’re so confusing. 

“Gosh- Wanderer, you’re so dense!” What.

“What?” He froze in his place above you, a hand resting on each side of you. He hadn’t even registered the close proximity due to his focus on retrieving his hat from you again. 

You moved your hands, grabbing the edges of the hat again and raising it. Angling it before allowing it to fall next to you. You looked up at him with a tear falling from the corner of your eye; smile brighter than a pyro vision and looking more mesmerising than a hydro user's water manifestations. He could compare it to many things, but he’s now realised he should pay more heed to what you were saying. 

“Geez, pay attention, you dolt!” You lifted a hand and playfully smushed your hand against his face. He quickly pushed it away, pinning your hand to the side. You laughed. You always laughed with him, even if he was telling you you were the stupidest person he’d ever met. “You do realise that when I said we, I meant Sethos, you and myself, right? The three of us, hanging out together again after he got back. Not just him and I.”

He hesitated a moment before scoffing. “I knew that.” He didn’t. “I figured you’d want some time alone with him.” No he did not. “Out of the generosity in my heart at the way you look when you speak of him.” Now that was out of insecurity. Not that he knew that though, he’s in denial that he can feel anything but anger and irritation. You rolled your eyes, a disbelieving expression on your face.

“Yeah, because you definitely want Sethos and I to get really close and to hold hands and to ki-” A hand was placed onto your mouth, effectively silencing you.

“Enough.” He narrowed his eyes, lip raising in disdain. His palm felt wet. His brows furrowed in confusion and disgust. “Did you just lick my hand?” 

You stared up at him with an evil look. That one you get when you “win”. He withdrew his hand and rubbed the wetness onto the grass. “Ugh. How the hell are you popular in school- you’re a weirdo.” 

“Yeah, and you’re emotionally constipated.” 

“Are you going to continue to insult my emotional intelligence or are you going to say something of value?” 

You used your free hand to poke his chest, a coy grin on your lips. “Maybe once you admit what you feel.” 

“What-”

You used the moment of his confusion to push him back, watching as he fell back onto the grass instead. You sat on your knees, pointing down at him in an accusatory way. “Man up! Or- puppet up, or something! Be honest with me, and others and- and yourself!” 

His expression turned angry immediately, his defensive behaviour kicking in on instinct. “Oh, and you’re some golden-”

You used a hand to grab his face, his skin surprisingly soft as your fingers bracketed his cheeks. You leaned down, pulling him up. “I’m not! You said it just then, I’m a weirdo, and I like you! A helluva lot! That’s why Sethos came to talk to me first because he knows we like each other and we made a plan to hangout at the festival but then he’d have to leave so it would be just us and-” 

You let him go abruptly, his head falling back to the grass as he stared at you absolutely dumbfounded. “Ugh! You’re so annoying with how dumb you are-!” 

You stood up, picking up his hat and tossing it over him. He pushed it off quickly, pushing himself to stand up and speak. “What are you- What?”

You stood, clenching and unclenching your hands, still facing the other way. Wanderer suddenly thought of how this probably looks like some cliche confession scene. He barely had a moment to process what you said previously before you turned around, an uncanny anger in your features and body language that he’d never seen you display before. He’s seen you get agitated at your pen not working, yes, and he’s also seen how you look when a book you’re reading ends in a very stupid and displeasing way, but never has he seen you look like this. It honestly caught him off guard. 

You began stepping towards him, raising your hand to start poking at his chest again, the tip of your finger feeling sharper than it should when the action was laced with your fury. “You are so careful to make sure I never feel left out, that I feel seen, that I have a spot at our favourite cafe and at the library, you always make sure to stay and listen and pay attention to what I’m saying, even when you say that I’m blabbering or that you don’t care about what I’m talking about, but you do! Because you remember!”

He stepped back in response to your approach, feeling useless to your verbal onslaught. Would it be considered that since you’re listing all the nice things he does? You continued to follow. “You order my favourite foods before we meet up and say that someone else got them, you’ve given me flowers anonymously because you’re scared of being vulnerable and you’re scared to admit you like me, and you’re terrified that I like you back!” You paused, heaving slightly. You swallowed, staring into his eyes as your expression shifted to one of sympathy. “You’re- you’re terrified at the idea that I’ll love you.”

His eyes widened. No. He’s not. Don’t look at him like that. Like you understand. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed, pushing your finger off of his chest. You clench your hands at your sides instead. “You can’t love me-”

“Yes I can, and I do! I love you, and your inability to realise when people care about you and when you act like you’re better than everyone else but still make sure that everyone is okay in your own stupid way, and I love that you care for me when you think I don’t notice, and I love that you are so oblivious to how you look at me and how much you show everything you feel, and-” You paused for a moment, shaking where you stood as tears welled up in your eyes. “I just- I love you, Wanderer. Even with all your faults, and insecurities and all your stupid excuses for why I shouldn’t.”

You weren’t giving him a moment to speak. How long has he been doing those things? He’s never done that for other people. Not even the people in whatever group projects he’s had to do- though, he can’t remember a time he wasn’t with you in a group or partner project, Archons, even with solo assignments you always seemed to worm your way into his time. Besides, if he were to do those things, it would be for the academic benefit and nothing more. You had no proof he was doing those things anyways, or that he held even an ounce of care for you or your well-being. Even so, here he stood, wondering if there was something he could say or do to ease your heightened emotional state, the tears in your eyes causing a shine that not even the brightest star could outdo. He was used to shoving food at you or sitting in silence with you when you cried other times, but those were at movies, or a particularly bad fall you took, or when you’d get devoured by insecurity. Not whatever this is. He didn’t know how to deal with this kind of issue.

He mentally brushed his spiraling thoughts aside.

“You- I don’t-” 

His words drifted into nothing. What could he even say? You’ve spilled your heart, baring a delicate and caring soul to him that you revealed was his all along. You’ve infected his puppet body with affection, tainted his soul with kindness, and contaminated the cruelty he used to believe he was rotted with, replacing it with a gentle softness and calm he couldn’t fathom being without. You peeled back the mottled moss of the rock walls around his heart, spoke your earth-shattering whispers and broke them down as delicately as a songbird breaking the silence. You gave and gave, and never expected anything. So he began to give back, even in moments he didn’t realise. What do you say to the person who helped you feel whole? Who made you feel wanted? Who made you feel normal?

You raised a hand to rub at your face. A weak attempt to clean the mess that your overflowing emotions had caused. Even with the mangled mass of emotions you were feeling, you still looked tolerable. Archons, who was he kidding. Certainly not you, and certainly not anyone else. You were beginning to tear away the curtains of his stage, forcing his true feelings to be on display. He didn’t know what to do with that. He didn’t know what to do with any of this. You and Sethos knew what he was feeling before he did. Or at least, before he wanted to admit it. Nahida most likely knew as well. Maybe half of the Akademiya knew at this point. 

You sniffled, using the heels of your palm to rub at your eyes. You were gorgeous, even in this moment. Your bold, natural, just mesmerising display of emotion was always so captivating to him. Damn it. He really did like you, didn’t he? What should he do? Hold you? Tell you he likes you too? You already knew though, so that wouldn’t do much, right? Would it comfort you if he said it back? What the hell was he meant to do in this situation?

Wanderer sighed, looking at the ground between you. The wind brushed the grass, singing it into a silent dance. He bit the inside of his cheek. Considered his options for a moment. 

“You don’t have to give me an answer or-” You began to speak again, voice breaking as you were recovering from your outburst.

“I want to.” He was the one who cut you off this time. 

You raised your gaze, meeting his eyes again as you began to calm down from your emotional high. Was that why he never saw you this upset before? 

“I-” He paused again, tripping over his own tongue as he tried to find the words he wanted. But maybe he had to stop thinking about what it was he wanted, and what you needed? Nevermind, he always thought about what you needed. It was a habit he’d developed on your 9th intrusion of his personal time. He swallowed. Sighed. Raised his hand aimlessly. 

It was obvious that he was struggling much more than he’d like to admit to utter the words that you deserved to hear. You sniffled, your shining eyes locked onto his. He felt his breath catch for a moment. His lips tightened as he turned his head away, feeling his body heat up at the sight. It seemed to be doing that a lot lately when you’ve been looking at him as if he had hung the stars in your image. Which you’ve also been doing for a while. He really is dense, isn’t he? Or was it simply the disbelief that he felt at the mere idea of someone liking him, regardless of all his flaws and faults? Perhaps a mixture. He’d normally push everyone away before they could become as close as you had. Yet you persevered.

You pushed his buttons and his boundaries, you broke through his sharp words with kindness and patience, and you eased your way into his life and his mind that he had barely noticed the transition. He can’t even think of what his life was like before you were in it because he’s grown so accustomed to you being there by his side. Should he just… tell you that? That he can’t even remember what his life was like before you smiled your way into it? That on the days when you weren’t there with him, everything felt so dull and bleak? That your presence has brought a brightness to his life he hadn’t realised he was missing? 

No, that’s so cheesy. 

He bit his lower lip, staring at his raised hand as if it would give him the answers. You had to stifle a giggle at the sight of him glaring at his hand. It was obvious how hard he was thinking about this. Most likely over complicating it. It was a bit of a surprise conserving he’d usually be so blunt and direct. Yet, here he was, seeming to be planning out every syllable that was going to leave his lips. You were starting to feel a bit bad for putting him on the spot like this- maybe it was too soon for you to confess? Was he really ready to reciprocate or anything like that, or did he say he was just to save face? 

“I can wait-” 

“No. Just-” He sighed, glaring at his hand for a moment, flexing his joints before moving his gaze to your hand. His eyes sharpened before he stepped closer to you, holding his hand out to you. You blinked at him before bringing your own hand up. You half expected him to snatch it. He took your hand gently- his fingers smooth as they intertwined with yours. You resisted the urge to squeal. This was possibly one of the first times he’d ever touched you so intimately, completely aware of what he was doing(there was a time or two where he’d push your head down to prevent you being hit by something when in school). 

“I’m not a,” He dragged off, his face twisting into one of almost painful thought. “I’m not the greatest at expressing myself. I’d rather hold your hand than talk about what I feel. So that’s what I’m going to do.” He kept his eyes locked onto yours, his focus feeling almost deadly. You’ve undergone this gaze before, but never of this degree before. You swallowed thickly. “You already know how I feel anyways, so it would be pointless for me to reiterate it.” 

“You… kinda suck at this, I’m sorry.” You whispered weakly, a shaky smile trying to pull at your lips. You raised your free hand to your face, trying to cover your growing giggles. “I’m- I’m sorry-” 

Your eyes were squeezed shut, your held hand shaking and beginning to tighten your grip. You could hear him stammer at your words. You let out a yelp when he tugged you into him, his other arm wrapping around you. The impact made you burst into laughter, the hand that was on your face moving to be on his shoulder while you laughed into his neck. You could feel him burning up against you. 

“You are at fault for this. You and your spontaneous behaviours, your never-ending smile, and your obnoxious laughs.” 

You let out a gasp, playfully tapping his chest as you leaned back with a bright smile. “You love my spontaneous behaviour and obnoxious laughs, thank you! Don’t think I haven’t seen the way your eyes get all blown up like a preying cat!” 

“Don’t compare me to a cat.” He scoffed, placing a hand over your face, unaware of the soft smile on his lips, and the way his pupils had grown as you teased.

“You are like a cat though. Even Sethos would-”

“Don’t talk about him right now.” You could practically hear the pout on his lips. Probably scolding himself for misunderstanding you earlier. Your smile was beginning to hurt your cheeks as you squeezed him again. He hesitated before reciprocating. “Don’t expect this to happen often.” 

“I won’t.” You were. 

the only thing that was gonna make it "unique" was that Y/N or the Reader was friends with Kazuha and there was a song writing contest being held by the band that if you won, they'd make it an official song, you'd be featured and also earn a percentage of the earnings and other various benefits like VIP tickets and some allocated time with the boys and whatnot!!

with being friends with Kazuha, there'd be some shenanigans of Y/N "meeting" his work colleagues and all of them trying to hide that they are 6reeze because Kazuha hasn't told you since you're a massive fan and they separate their onstage personas from their regular lives but along the way you become friends with them as well!!

I was gonna make their on stage names something to do with their constellations names or something cuz I thought that would've been nifty

then obviously there would've been moments of "wait. you're alatus. and you're the other guys. and kazuha is also a member." and just sitting there feeling absolutely shocked because "how the fuck did I not notice the similarities."

Kazuha being a king and comforting you, Aether trying to help out as well, Heizou and Venti giggling about it, Xiao just feeling a bit awkward and standing off to the side, while Wanderer is a total asshole saying that you're a dumbass and that no one is meant to know anyways so don't feel special (comforting in his own stupid idiot way)

and then its like oh. I'm best friends with a celebrity. this makes sense why he'd never let me pay for shit and told me he gets paid more than enough.

they've definitely got secondary jobs as well, like Kazuha being a well-rounded poetry author, Wanderer working at the public library, Xiao possibly being a martial art teacher, Heizou obviously working as a part time detective or just doing general help for lost animals, Aether helping out anyone and everyone via non-paid work and shit, and Venti busking around the streets or at bars!

everyone was skeptical though when Venti and Kazuha become "undercover" idols though because of how similar their previous jobs were to the idol stuff, with Kazuha being a main lyricist alongside Venti, and Venti already being a performer. but they change the style enough between idol-mode and regular life so that it isn't immediately recognisable!

obviously there's always dramas and comparisons to "omg I saw this random guy on the street and he had the same mole placements as that idol!!" and "there was a person I saw who had a gem looking birthmark on their forehead. just. like. that. IDOL!!" but they always get swept away because "oh haha that might've been a cosplayer or someone trying to look like the idol out of admiration!"

so they really aren't worried about being found out.

I may end up writing stuff for the My Adventures with Superman Superman

he's a big buff himbo idiot and I adore him

I may also watch the 2025 Superman movie cuz people are saying it's really good so........

I also have so much to say about this series because oh my god I hate Lois and Clark's dynamic so much and it hurt me so much in the first couple episodes how they kept ignoring Jimmy because all he ever did was love the other two

I need to explode.

because of how I've grown up, any media I consume turns into "oh yeah, I can insert myself into this series and be in love with all of them and they'll all love me and it would be great" and it is horrendous

4500 words exactly. A modern Mydei fic. He works as a Daycare attendant, and you, dear reader, are the adopted mother of Tribbie, Trianne and Trinnon! Fluff, fluff, and more fluff, honestly crushing at first sight, very out of character, also Phainon appearance at the end. Not proofread! Please enjoy and please don't murder me if there are inconsistencies, I am simultaneously so lazy and also not <3

The day was bright; children played loudly as adults tended to them carefully. The whispers between carers and parents could be heard within the daycare as they watched the children interacting. Some of the children were sleeping, some were chasing others. The carers were calm at the duality of the children’s behaviour, having done the job for years and having tended to children of all energy and maintenance levels. Whenever siblings would attend the daycare, they weren’t the most obnoxious or destructive, but there were cases where the carer's work was truly cut out for them with unruly siblings. For example, the redheaded trio who had joined the daycare a few months ago. 

The trio, who had dubbed themselves “Tribios”, are girls who seemed to have unlimited, transferable energy with one another. Whilst on their own, Tribbie, Trinnon and Trianne, were able to behave, but once united once more, chaos of varying degrees would follow. Fortunately for the other children and carers, the girls seemed to have a favourite attendee. A tall, well built man, adorning blond hair that fell just below his broad shoulders. Everyone had initially distanced themselves from him at first, confused why such a battle-worn appearing man had become a daycare attendant. A man who had begun working with children after growing tired of all the whispers in his previous workplaces, and had desired something that was spoken to be more easy. 

He was quickly proven wrong once the girls had developed their attachment to him, climbing onto him and constantly badgering him for attention and play. They weren’t needy, per se, simply high in energy and maintenance. Which was a surprise to him, considering they had watched him with wide curious eyes when he had first joined the daycare. They had been silent in their approach, as most of the children had. Multiple times, the blond man would attempt to engage with the children; offering them their favourite toys, preparing lunches in cute shapes, helping them get a bandaid when they’d fall over. 

But it was all for nought. The children were still wary. The other caretakers had begun to see the softness in the man’s rough hands, the flicker of softness in his burning golden eyes. After another week of trying, the man had fallen asleep while watching over the children. They slowly approached, Tribios leading, whispering to one another and tiptoeing closer. The eldest of the three, Tribbie, pulled out a sticker, before placing it onto the man’s cheek. 

The simple action, the small addition of colour onto the man’s intimidating face, the childish claim on the adult had caused the children to rejoice and finally enjoy his company. By the time the man had awoken, his body had been littered with stickers, and his exposed skin had been messily drawn over. He blinked slowly, looking at the children surrounding him as they giggled and began to run away. Seeing their joyful expressions and playful demeanors, he gave chase. Squeals of joy and excitement filled the air, and the man was finally welcomed by the children, a smile gracing his face, as well as the other carers.

Every day he had attended from then on, the children were just as joyous to see him as all the other carers, but Tribios was the most ecstatic of his presence. It took the man almost two weeks to finally grow accustomed to the trio's boundless energy and attention on him. He’s adapted to catching the girls one by one once they’re dropped off at the daycare, hearing them yell out their goodbyes to their parents- he’s assuming, he’s never actually taken the time to meet many of the children’s parents- and having to refuse their insistence for him to meet their parents. He already had at least three other children in the daycare crying for his attention, so he didn’t often have a spare moment to meet the children’s parents.

The trio would often praise their parents- or at least one of them. Mydei learned that the girls only had one parent whom they had been adopted by, as they didn’t seem to mind the change in home, nor understand that it was more of a private matter. He indulged them, listening to their individual and collective mumbling about what it was like, and what their new mother figure was like. They didn’t call her mother, or anything similar though, no. They called her by her last name, addressing her like she was a teacher. She had never expressed any sadness or anger at the name, but the trio could tell it took her a while to get used to. A few days into clinging to Mydei’s hip, the girls eventually asked him if he was in a relationship. Being caught off-guard by the question and hesitating, the trio came to the conclusion that he was not. 

Which caused their energy to multiply tenfold. 

The usual questions and clambering over him had grown instantly, and questions in regards to his relationship status became more frequent, and soon led to the children attempting to set him up with their current carer. Their constant badgering made him sigh, and continue to gently refuse the girls their wishes. Leading to outbursts of different kinds in response. Most commonly, “You’re not our friend anymore!”, “Don’t be mean to our carer!”, and “You’re a bully and we don’t wanna hang out with you!”. The girls would often get over their distress within a few minutes, but he could almost chuckle in amusement at how quickly the girls were to defend their caretaker. 

Both fortunately and unfortunately, the day finally came where he wasn’t able to escape their incessant begging and dragging and pushing as they forced him towards the front door where the girl's carer was going to pick them up.

“C’mon De! You’ve gotta come meet her! She’s suuuuper pretty and nice, and you’re totally her type!” Trianne called, trying to push Mydei by the back of his legs. 

“Please stop pushing me, I don’t want to trip and fall on your sisters.” 

“Yeah, yeah! We’ve told her all about you too, and she said she’d love to meet you so you gotta now!” Tribbie added, hanging from his arm and kicking her legs with joy. 

“Tribbie, be careful, your grip is slipping.” 

The two bursting with energy weren’t too convincing, considering they would often try to manipulate him into giving them something. Not to mention his concern was causing him not to fully focus on the girls’ words. What had his conviction wavering was Trinnon; who stood before him, gently tugging the pastel pink apron he wore- the only one in his size, the other workers claimed- causing him to pause and meet her pleading gaze, hidden by her hair. Based on the expectant smiles from the other two girls, this had been their final attack on his defence.

“Please, De? You’re really nice and we want our carer to meet you.”

He froze, staring down at the girl, a pout on her lips and an almost threateningly pleading look in her eyes. 

A critical hit.

He stood still, staring at the child with a stunted expression, his expression tense. The other two who were pushing him and hanging from his arm stared expectantly at him, holding their breath in anticipation. Finally, he sighed heavily, and Tribios rejoiced. Tribbie dropped from his arm, grabbing his hand and pulling him eagerly towards the front area, Trianne kept pushing at the back of his legs, stumbling over her own and his feet in her joy. Trinnon clapped her hands as she skipped beside the carer. She didn’t notice a stray toy on the floor however, and tripped and fell onto the floor. A pained sound left her lips as she began to cry quietly. The other three immediately paused before turning to help her.

Tribbie sat down in front of her, and Trianne moved to her side, starting to help her up. Mydei crouched down on her other side, carefully watching the girls as they helped out their youngest sister. 

“Silly Trinnon! Gotta watch where you’re going!” Tribbie said, patting Trinnon’s head playfully. Trinnon rubbed at her nose before giggling, smiling once more. 

Trianne ruffled Trinnon’s hair messily, with a wide smile on her lips that showed her missing front tooth. “Yeah! You gotta look with your eyes and not your face.” The girls all giggled, helping the youngest stand up again, without any assistance from Mydei.

The man stared with a faint smile on his lips, relief evident in his features as he watched the girls play once more as they moved towards the figure standing just a few steps away. Excitement fills the air as the girls jump around the figure before returning to Mydei to drag him closer from his spot on the carpeted floor. “Hehe, come on De! You can’t run away now!” 

The man is too distracted to differentiate which girl said it- his eyes fixed on the woman standing before him. Her face is a little flushed, and her clothes a little unkempt. She must’ve rushed in- it was a couple minutes past the usual pick up time- and here he is kneeling on the floor. In a pink apron with glitter and stickers and paint all over him. He could feel his low hanging pony tail also coming loose behind him. He could feel his heart begin to pick up its pace in his chest, his cheeks beginning to burn. He swallows thickly, suddenly becoming so aware of every detail of his own being as he notices the woman meeting his gaze. 

The three girls struggle to pull him to his feet and he mindlessly moves with them, stepping towards their caretaker in an almost clumsy way- nearly tripping over the toy that Trinnon had fallen over mere minutes before. Yet his eyes never leave you. Even as he stands, slouched, in front of you. His mind is empty, his cheeks burn and his mouth goes dry. His eyes flick over your face- your stunning face- as he takes in your features. You’re gorgeous. Mesmerising. Breath-taking. He couldn’t think of anything but “Damn, she’s pretty”. He didn’t notice how the girls were giggling and crowding the two of you, their hands linked as they tried to move you closer to one another.

He didn’t even realise he’d spoken out loud. He saw your eyes widen, a shy smile gracing your lips as you averted your gaze. Yet he didn’t make the connection. All of his usual thoughts had taken a sharp turn, his focus purely on you. He was so dumbfounded by your beauty, he wasn’t even standing upright! He was slouching down to your level, leaning slightly into you. His head was slightly tilted, and his shoulders slack at his sides. If the girls surrounding you were to suddenly decide to paint his nails, he’d be none the wiser.

Oh. Your mouth was moving. You’re talking- your voice sounds just as beautiful as you look. You're definitely saying something important. He wished he could pay attention to your words and not just the delightful sound of it. You raised a brow to him, an addictive smile on your lips. And oh, the laugh that followed after. He could simply melt right there. He could imagine waking up to that smile every morning; imagine hearing that precious laugh when you flutter your eyes open and catch him staring like he did every time he woke up before you. Hell, he could even picture Tribios launching themselves on top of the two of you in bed and the giggle fest that would ensue. 

He could picture the breakfasts spent trying to cook together, the girls threading themselves through your legs and nearly knocking you both off balance. Two of them wandering back off to the living room whilst the third latched around your leg, smiling up at you both as he picks her up. She’d giggle and kick her legs, you’d roll your eyes and pinch her cheek and she’d just giggle more. Then she’d speak, “I’m hungry Mama. Can you and Papa-”

He stood upright as a hand clapped onto his shoulder, his gaze darting to the source- 

“Phainon-” He narrowed his eyes.

“I sincerely apologise for my coworkers' stupidity. He’s a bit shy in social situations, you see.” Phainon smiled at you with a casualty and charm that could soften the most stern of people. 

The triplets were no longer surrounding the two of you, allowing for some distance again. Phainon’s hand tightened onto Mydei’s shoulder, a silent what the fuck? Mydei scoffed, rolling his shoulder to tell Phainon to retract his hand. He did. 

Mydei’s previously awestruck form had straightened, standing at his full height again. He cleared his throat again, looking away. You chuckled again and he felt his entire body tense, his breath catching. He swallowed thickly and felt his cheeks begin to burn, his eyes immediately shifting to focus on your smile. Titans, your smile. He wished he could take a million photos and print every angle of it. His own lips began to melt into a mess, only snapping firm in place again when Phainon squeezed his shoulder once more. 

“Would you stop that?” The blond man hissed between his teeth, glaring at Phainon. A sentence, finally. Mydei internally patted himself on the back for managing to say something proper. Even though it was to Phainon, it was a step. Baby steps.

“I will once you stop acting like a teenager in love.” Phainon whispered back, keeping his jolly good smile as the girls gathered around you, your eyes flicking between the bickering men. 

“You two must be really close.” You remark, leaning down and picking up Tribbie into your arms, resting her on your hip. One hand rested on your shoulder and the other pointed to Mydei, an overjoyed look on her face. 

“Ms Caretaker, this is De! The worker we told you about! He’s single and we’ve told him all about you too!” 

You sighed, smiling still, but now looking at the child in your arms. “I find that pretty hard to believe kiddo. He-”

“I am single.” 

Why did he say that? Why did he say it so fast? Oh Titans above. Save him now.

You turned your gaze back to him, and Mydei could feel Phainon’s hand slip from his shoulder- the silence from him was deafening. 

You stared.

He stared.

You smiled.

He died.

Phainon muffled a laugh.

“You should go on a date!” The girls spoke in unison. You snorted. Then laughed. Mydei could feel his organs turning to mush. Phainon elbowed his side. His organs regenerated, he cleared his throat and stood upright again. (His posture was beginning to slack the moment you smiled.)

“Ah- i-if you wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.” He stuttered. The almighty Mydeimos. Stuttered. “I would be honoured.”

“Only if you promise to sweep me off my feet by the end of the night.” You responded smoothly, looking at him with those mesmerising eyes of yours. He could lose himself in every flicker of light reflected in them. 

“I’ll do my best.” He felt breathless. He didn’t want you to leave, but at the same time, the sooner you did, the sooner he could regain control over himself.

You giggled again- titans, that sound- then reached into your pocket, withdrawing your phone and presenting it to him after pressing a few things. “I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask for your number then, mister?” You allowed your words to hang for a moment, waiting for him to fill in the blank of his name. 

“Mydei. Mydeimos. Of Kremnos. And- no, please- I-I-” He paused, clearing his throat and gently taking your phone, his hand shaking as he brought it close to yours. “I’d love to. I don’t- it’s fine.” 

He bites the inside of his cheek, feeling his cheeks burn in embarrassment. He carefully puts his contact into your phone, struggling slightly with his shaking and needing to redo it a few times as the string of numbers slips his mind. Phainon snorts behind him, but clears his throat to hopefully stifle the sound, saying something about leaving the two of you before walking off. Mydei pays him no mind though. He’s too busy trying not to act as an even bigger idiot in front of you. He passes you your phone, smiling to you in a way he hopes is charming. 

It is. But he doesn’t know that. The other two girls have begun to skip around the two of you, singing that silly rhyme that everyone and their mother knows. You know. The one about k-i-s-s-i-n-g? Yeah, that one. Mydei can feel his ears burning at this point. His neck too. He tries to ignore it. He failed.

“Mydeimos?” He feels his breath hitch. You sing his name like a prayer, and he feels compelled to attend a church at the sound of it. Suddenly, his name feels like the most holy of names there are. “You’ve got a lovely name, Mydeimos.” 

He shivers as you repeat it, swallowing thickly and staring into your eyes stupidly. He could feel his spine melting yet simultaneously his skin tightening. “Thank- thank you. My mother chose it. When I was- born.” 

What is he saying?? His mother chose it when he was born? No shit. Oh titans he was making a bigger fool of himself-

You laughed at that, adjusting Tribbie on your hip, putting your phone away and keeping your eyes on his. You tell him your name, and he can feel the stars align. It suits you perfectly. How could the universe have crafted such a wonderful person, and even further, put them in front of him? Have them be interested in him and laughing at how silly he was? Was this like those “meet-cutes” that Castorice would tell him about? Should he go to her for advice? She seemed like the safest option out of everyone. Maybe Aglaea could help as well. Definitely not Cipher or Phainon though. Although they’d both be persistent in trying to “help” him.

He blinked quickly, forcing himself to focus back onto you again- the present you. The one looking at him with so much kindness and understanding and fondness. You chuckled once again, tilting your head and pointing to his face. 

“Does being a daycare worker come with growing whiskers?” He stared. You laughed again, got out your phone and took a quick photo of him before showing him the image. 

There was purple gel pen on his cheeks- 3 messy lines on each side. There were stickers on his collar, his ponytail messy and poofing in places. There was a spot of paint that somehow managed to get onto his forehead, with random splatters of glitter on his skin. His cheeks were bright red and he couldn’t even begin to describe how stupidly blank his expression was- especially with his pupils being blown the way they were. He cringed at the image, raising a hand to try hiding his appearance. 

“Ah. The children. I- fell asleep at some point. I was ambushed.” 

You smiled, tucking your phone away again. “I know what it’s like, trust me. I’ve woken up to these little rascals trying to get into my phone and trying to track down a handsome daycare worker more times than I can remember.” The girls in question just giggled, Tribbie wriggling in your hold before you put her down, allowing her and the other girls to whisper and giggle with one another.

He felt his stomach flip at your words. Were you calling him handsome?

“The girls can be a handful at times, yes.” 

You nodded in agreement. Silence lingered for a moment. His mind began to wander to all possibilities, his eyes moving slowly dragging over your features, taking in every detail, every minute change in expression, soaking in the way you existed. You, on the other hand, felt a bit flustered under his stare. It’s not every day that a 6 foot something hulk of a man seems to turn to putty just talking to you while you’re trying to pick up your adopted daughters from daycare. 

Then again, it was almost everyday that said daughters tried to get you to speak to the giant man. You always brushed it off as kids being kids and wanting their favourite daycare worker to be with their carer- it’s not something you’d put past them considering you’ve never shown interest in a partner since adopting them. Even though the girls would insist people were flirting with you when you were more than certain a server at a fast food restaurant smiling at you was simply them being grateful the girls behaved themselves.

Silence washed over you for a few more moments before Trinnon tugged on Mydeimos’ hand. He practically flinched, clearly not expecting the sudden contact. He diverted his attention to her, kneeling down to her level so she could whisper to him, a grin on her lips. You couldn’t hear what she said, but based on the way he turned red and kept flickering his gaze to you, you could assume it was something about the two of you getting together. He nodded stiffly, standing up again and offering a hand to you.

You raised a brow, placing your hand in his. He tensed at your touch, his fingers calloused but oh so unbelievably gentle. “I,” he cleared his throat again, keeping his gaze fixed on your hands and he softly caressed the back of your hand with his thumb. “I know we’ve agreed to go on a date, but I would just like to say that you’re…”

He took a deep breath, meeting your gaze and sighing deeply. “You have such a refreshing and calming presence, and I am beyond grateful and honoured that you are giving me an opportunity to get to know you more. I cannot thank you enough.” 

He lifted his gaze to meet yours, smiling softly. You could feel your cheeks burn a bit at his earnest words. “Oh, I- thank you. Mydeimos, I’m not quite sure what to say, um.” You let out a small laugh, tightening your grip on his hand for a moment. You smoothed the fabric of your shirt and smiled at him. “Thank you. I look forward to getting to know you as well.”

You looked at your hands between you, before looking up at him again. He was staring at your hands. Your hands that were touching. He was holding your hand. He felt his breath shiver for a moment before he raised it slowly, lowering his head. His lips were a few inches from the gentle warmth of your skin before he raised his gaze to meet yours, his pupils blown, cheeks red, and expression just smitten. 

“May I?” His voice barely a whisper. Gruff, yet soft. Harsh, yet so, so gentle. And so, so pleading. 

Your brows lifted in surprise and you could feel your own cheeks burn. This man. Built like a Greek statue. Towering over you. Was melting like ice on a summers’ day at your touch. You nodded. His lashes fluttered before he directed his gaze back to your hand. His hand seemed to shake a little as he held yours, raising just slightly before pressing his lips to your knuckle. They were softer than you imagined. He pulled back with a shaky breath, eyes lingering on your hand before dragging back to meet yours. 

Holy shit. You could almost compare his gaze to that of a drunken man. A drunken man in love- a man drunk on love, more like. You forced yourself to cleanse your mind. You’d only met this man in the past ten minutes. You couldn’t compare him to a man in love when he’s only fumbled his words, seemingly lost his train of thought and ability to speak whilst speaking to you, and forgotten how to breathe at times- no, he was definitely crushing on you at least. 

Then again, you couldn’t complain nor play the saint. From the moment you came in and saw him, you had to admit, he was attractive. You originally believed him to be a gruff kind of man, but he seemed more like a kitten now that you were speaking. Especially with those whiskers drawn on. You blinked, clearing your throat. The sound seemed to bring him back to reality as his eyes also widened, hand flinching around yours before jolting back an inch. He swallowed, attention locked onto your hand for a moment before he switched his attention back to your eyes.

You withdrew your hand slowly, adjusting the bag on your shoulder as you glanced at the clock on the wall. “Thank you. Oh- we’ve gotta get going. I’m sorry to cut this short.” 

He shook his head, flexing his hand beside him as he let it fall. “No need. I look forward to your message, Y/N. And please, call me Mydei.” 

You nod, smiling to him as you offer a hand to the girls who skipped over to you again, with them linking their hands with one another. “Mydei. A bit less of a mouthful that way, huh?” 

Mydeimos- Mydei, blushed as you repeated his name to him, his shoulders slumping a bit more as he smiled, nodding loosely. You turned, the girls waving to the blond as they sang out in unison. “Bye-bye De!”

He waved back, and the girls giggled once more, eager to get out of the building and back home. His hand hung in the air as he watched the four of you leave. Phainon came out from where he was hiding, leaning onto Mydei’s shoulder and grinning. 

“Your mother chose your name when you were born, huh? Never would’ve guessed.” 

Mydei stood still, hand falling to his side as he glared at the white haired man. “Shut up.” 

He laughed in response, slapping the blond’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen you act like that before! Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love at first sight or something?” 

Mydei stiffened, turning away and folding his arms over his chest. His cheeks matching the pink of his apron. Phainon paused, his grin somehow growing more as he poked at Mydei’s cheek. 

“Oh my titans, you are.” He let out a loud laugh. “Wait til I tell Cipher! Oh, she’s going to love this-”

“HKS, don’t you dare.” He snapped his head back to the white haired man, face still pink, expression now embarrassed and angered. Phainon took a step back, turning on his heel towards the staff area. 

“Oh, Cipher~! I have wonderful news to share!” He began to run, giggling the whole way.