Make It Yours, Lovey

It was laughable, really, the fact that you and Childe even sparred together, considering the circumstances of your first encounter. Both of you had been sent to deal with the same target, a guy who royally screwed up by getting in trouble with the Fatui and the people who commissioned you at the same time.

He was foolish enough, however, to think he could benefit from being targeted by two ruthless organisations. In his arrogance he secretly arranged to meet the two of you at the same time in the same place, hoping you would tear each other apart while he made a run for it.

At first, his plan seemed to work and he quickly took off while you and Childe were focused on assessing the bigger threat in the room. Much to the fool´s dismay, you were more evenly matched than he anticipated, both in fighting and reading the room, so you quickly came around to form a temporary alliance after clearing the situation.

You displayed a terrifyingly smooth synergy as you made sure the guy and his associates paid their debt and the price for trying to set you up in full. Once the messy business was wrapped up, the two of you came to an agreement to leave out certain details in your report to your bosses. For you, this was a done deal at this point.

Little did you know, however, that Childe had no interest in giving up a perfectly good sparring partner just like that. So, late one night he practically ambushed you on your way home, eager to cross blades with you again. Although you had half a mind to ignore him and go your own merry way, you´d lie if you said your little scuffle with the harbinger had been anything short of exhilarating. The memory alone had your fingers twitching in anticipation of facing off with him again.

Yet, as time moved forward, your sessions became more frequent and you had become so familiar with each other´s habits and mannerisms, it seemed like you could read the other´s mind. Instead of snappy retorts and biting remarks, you exchanged playful banter and his presence that was once so infuriating was something you started to look forward to.

There was a spring in your step whenever you´d meet up with him and before you knew it you were spending time together outside training. Going around town, exploring the landscape, everything was so fun and exciting when you were with him and you craved the thrill he brought to your life.

That was what you reasoned, at least. The way your heart beat faster around him was only the adrenaline, your body running hot was merely the strain from sparring, being around him was purely a means to get stronger. You could quit at any time, no strings attached. That was what you told yourself…but could you really?

“That´s it, actually,” you panted. “I am distracted by you.”

The moment he slightly loosened his hold on you, that was when you planted your foot behind his and pulled it from under him, making him lose his balance in the process. As you fell backwards, you made sure to put all your weight in when you landed to knock the air out of him. While Childe was busy regaining his senses, you swiped his blade and pressed it against his neck as you straddled him.

“I´m distracted by how slow you are, so don´t get cocky now.” You leaned closer to his face, eyes crinkled in amusement and the corners of your mouth curved upwards. There was a bit of truth in what the harbinger had said but you´d never admit that out loud for him to hear. He´d be insufferable about it.

Catching his breath with a heaving chest, Childe let out an airy laugh. “Using a man´s hopes against him in a single moment of weakness…How did I fall for someone so cruel?”

Both of your eyes widened in shock at that. Yours at the implication his words entailed and Childe´s at the fact he confessed his thoughts to you. The sword's edge dug into his skin as you narrowed your eyes further, searching for something in his eyes, something that gave away either lie or truth.

“Are you saying this just so I´d let my guard down?”  You weren´t quite sure what the emotion in your voice was or if there was any at all. Why did the idea of him taking back his words make you so mad?

“No, I could never lie to you like that. Well, there´s no use pushing this back any longer, so here goes.” His expression was so genuine you almost believed him. Or maybe it was more that you wanted to believe him. “If someone had told me after our first meeting that I´d fall for the person who´d tried to kill me, I would´ve laughed at them. Sure, I was intrigued. Usually, nobody makes it out of a fight with me quite so unscathed, so I came back out of curiosity for your strength. But over time, I started looking forward to learning more about you other than your fighting prowess. How you spent your days, what you like to eat, the flowers you´d like best; all this stuff that I´d never think twice about with anyone else. I wanted to get to know you, not for work or business reasons but because I started actually caring about you. I like you, (y/n). And that´s the truth, I promise.”

“A promise, huh? You know what they say.” It took an awful amount of strain to keep your voice stable. “You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise…”

“…I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue off so you never lie again.” Childe laid his head back against the ground and chuckled, never once breaking eye contact with you. “Good thing that I have no intention of breaking my promise then. You´d actually throw me on the ice. So, what do you say? Are you willing to give me a chance?”

“I guess I´ve taken worse risks in my life,” you said, a small smile stealing itself onto your lips. “And if you do break your promise… Well, you said it yourself.”

“You´re way too enthusiastic about that part, have a little faith in your boyfriend. Seems I was right though.” The smirk crossing his face was tell enough something was up and you were proven right when Childe was suddenly gripping your hips and flipping you both over, effectively pinning you to the ground. “You were distracted by me. I win.”

You didn´t miss how his gaze slipped to your lips for a split second and it had you instinctively quirking your brow in amusement as you hummed in mock contemplation.

“Are you sure about that, pretty boy?”

KAEYA

Honestly, he usually doesn´t share enough about himself to accidentally expose himself like that

This is really, really, really rare, you´d better appreciate the occasion

Kaeya will try and turn this situation around on you, doing his best to fluster you in hopes of moving the conversation away from what he just said (don´t let him, bestie, stay strong!!)

He will come clean eventually and it´s time for some honesty from our beloved Cavalry Captain

To be fair, he can probably gauge your reaction pretty accurately, considering he´s been teasing and flirting with you for a while now

It had been a couple of weeks since you made it into the Knights of Favonius, years of hard training finally paying off. To say that you were ecstatic would be an understatement. But being new also meant working harder than ever in an effort to prove yourself to the Acting Grandmaster and the other knights.

What didn´t help your situation at all was your developing crush on a certain Cavalry Captain. Whenever you had to report back while Kaeya was there as well, you fumbled over your words in an effort not to make a fool out of yourself. Yes, you were an accomplished knight, confident in your abilities to handle whatever life threw at you… just not in front of him. Even more so when he graced you with that handsome grin or sent you a cheeky wink.

Why did you have to go and fall for the flirtatious swordsman barely after securing your spot in the first place? Could you be more unprofessional? But no amount of scolding made your heart flutter less in his presence, so you decided your best course of action would be to ignore these feelings in hopes of them dying down without making it too obvious for anyone else. Especially not your best friend in the knights, who, as fate would have it, just happened to be part of the Cavalry unit. You knew they´d never let you live this down if they found out.

You had just handed in some paperwork to your higher-ups when two knights you were fairly acquainted with approached you.

“(Y/n)! Good thing running into you. We´re going for some drinks at Angel´s Share tonight and we wanted to invite you. You know, so you can get to know some of our colleagues a bit better.”

“Thanks a lot, guys,” you said as you gave them an apologetic smile, “but I´ll have to pass, unfortunately. I have the morning patrol tomorrow, so it´s going to be an early start for me.”

“What a shame, really. But if you change your mind, just drop by, high chance we´ll be there for a while.” Judging by their knowing grins, they were already experienced in the matter. You bid them goodbye before going to wrap things up for the day. The advantage of morning patrol was getting off early the day before. Just as you were about to leave the Knight´s headquarters and head home, you heard a familiar voice call out to you.

“Grandmaster Jean, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, it´s nothing that serious.” The blonde smiled at you. “I reworked the patrol plan for tomorrow again and I wanted to ask if you mind taking the afternoon shift instead of the morning one?”

“That works just fine. Do you want me to stay longer today then?”

“No, there will be no need. Today´s rather quiet and you worked very hard ever since you joined the knights. This didn´t go unnoticed by me, so please take the time to relax and get some rest. I will see you tomorrow afternoon.”

You didn´t know if hitting the bar for some drinks counted as “rest and relaxation” but you guessed some “team-building” would come in beneficial in the future. Since you hadn´t asked when exactly the others would meet at the tavern, you aimed for an hour or two after most of them got off work and by the time you arrived the main group were already laughing and chatting over a glass of wine or beer. And it didn´t seem to be their first round either.

At first, your entrance went unnoticed but soon enough one of the guys who had invited you spotted you and waved you over. “(Y/n)! You made it, good to see it. Here, let me introduce you to everyone.”

You acquainted yourself with everyone while ordering something to drink. Looking around for some familiar faces, you neither found your friend from the Cavalry nor his captain. One of the other knights noticed and told you that he saw your friend on the second floor earlier. You thanked him before climbing the stairs, careful not to spill your drink. A certain snippet of a conversation made you halt a few steps away from the top of the stairs.

“Captain, what´s the matter? You´re normally more cheerful when we go for drinks. But you´ve been looking down since earlier. No wait- I want to figure it out on my own. You were still normal after patrol…And also when we entered the tavern… Then one of the guys said that the newbie won´t make it…” The person who had spoken made a drawn-out humming sound, deeply contemplating their options before gasping excitedly. “Don´t tell me that´s why! By Barbatos, our Captain has a crush!”

The whole table erupted in loud cheers which prompted the whole floor to raise their glasses in enthusiasm, even if the other tables had no clue what was going on. With a fluttering heart, you slowly crept farther up to see Kaeya sitting with his back to you, head propped on his right hand. His left hand was nonchalantly waving around as he rejected every notion of that claim being true.

“Oh, come on, Captain, don´t be like that. We saw you, always coincidentally having to talk to the Grandmaster when they have to submit a report,” a knight chuckled. Kaeya´s argument that it was because you were a new recruit and somebody had to keep an eye on you was met with a loud “Excuses!”

“So, you don´t deny always talking to the Grandmaster when (y/n) is also there?” You could practically hear the smirk in your friend´s voice. Another round of boisterous laughter. What had Kaeya done for them to hound him like that? Deciding to no longer hide, you stepped up and headed straight for their table. As much as you tried, you couldn´t suppress your smile completely as your lips twitched up at the corners.

“Look at that! The knight in shining armour arrives! (Y/n), we just happened to talk about you.” You raised an eyebrow in fake surprise and motioned him to keep speaking. For all the playful flirting Kaeya had put you through, you were going to torture him some more. “Actually, our Captain here was just com-“

“Complimenting you on a job well done.” The man in question gave you a charming grin while clasping his hand tightly over the guy´s mouth. “I heard about it from Jean, you´re doing good for a newbie.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Oh please, just call me Kaeya. We´re off work after all.” The Cavalry unit called favouritism at the top of their voices. One of them even dared to wolf whistle while his boss´s back was turned. “Though, I have to say your timing is impeccable. There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

This time your brows shot up in actual surprise. Without asking any more questions you followed him to the balcony outside, the shut door drowning out the murmurs of the knights. Kaeya leaned onto the railing as he focused his bright eye on you.

“So, how much of that did you hear?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Feigning innocence might be your best option to save both of you some embarrassment, at least that was what you planned. Your counterpart seemed to have other ideas though.

“Don´t play dumb with me now, (y/n). We both know you´re sharper than this.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, gaze unwavering and face unreadable. It was hard to gauge his reaction, which made you fumble with your words. “Fine then, I´ll tell you what I know. I heard you talk to someone downstairs who told you that your friend was up here. I don´t think it would take a skilled knight multiple minutes to climb some stairs and your arrival was just a bit too timely. Therefore am I correct in my assumption you eavesdropped on our conversation?”

You deflated visibly as you sighed but gave a shameful nod nonetheless. Honestly, you should´ve known better than to try and hide something from Kaeya. At the sound of his low chuckle and approaching steps, you perked up again.

“You´re so honest, it´s cute. A true knight through and through, one might say.” There was something about that glint in his eyes, however, which made you feel more like a deer caught in headlights than a knight. “Mind if I share the rest of my observations?”

“N-no, go on.” You had tried to subtly shift towards the wall, which was a terrible move, as you learned now, because it only allowed Kaeya to come closer without anywhere for you to run.

“Well, seeing as you didn´t go straight back down, you couldn´t have been entirely put off by what you heard. In fact, you looked quite excited. You also didn´t properly greet your friend but instead went with me without any qualms.” If it was possible, he leant in even closer as one hand ghosted over your cheek. “My, you´re growing quite hot. I wonder, is it the drinks or something else that´s got you like this? Personally, I think it´s the latter, if I may go by how flustered you are whenever we talk. Not to mention the glances you steal when you think I won´t notice. Now then, (y/n), is there something you want to tell me?”

This was it. This was karma for wanting to torment him earlier and also the way you´d die. Taking a deep breath, you mumbled a quiet apology to which Kaeya cocked his head to the side.

“There´s no need to apologise. But if you really wanted to make it up to me,” his hand rested now fully against your skin and his smile seemed to soften, “you could let me take you out on a date, that sound good?”

“I- yes, yes that sounds great!”

As he chuckled, he couldn´t help pinch your cheek before turning to go back inside. “Wonderful, I´ll pick you up at 7 this Friday then.”

“Wait, I don´t know if I have to work-“

“You won´t.”

You watched the door close behind him as you sunk onto one of the chairs. What just happened? That couldn´t have been real. While you processed what had just taken place, one question remained:

Why, by Barbatos, did it have to be Kaeya?

[The first day after you and Kaeya started officially dating, a lot of Mora changed hands among the knights of the Cavalry unit…]

THOMA

Thoma is normally rather meticulous with anything he does

So, his first thought when he notices what happened is probably something along the lines of “oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot—”

Switches into fixer mode real quick though and just goes with the flow of the situation

The housekeeper of the Kamisato Clan is a naturally social person and he´s used to things not going quite the way he planned it, therefore he´s quick to reboot (you might not even notice something went “wrong” in the first place)

Thoma had been turning the beautiful letter in his hands for hours, staring at the address written in neat handwriting far too often. He had spent the last days and nights trying to come up with a confession he didn´t internally pass away at. And now that it was done, he was contemplating again if he should send it or let it catch dust in his drawer. With an exhausted sigh, he placed the letter on his desk again before getting ready for the day, there was plenty of work to be done around the house after all.

Naturally, he had thought of just confessing to you in person but first of all, he´d have to find a time where both of you were free, he´d have to ask you out and then also confess. Thoma was by no means a shy person and he has always been pretty honest with his feelings, although, after he saw how much trouble he had coming up with the right things to say, he decided on writing a letter. This way he could make sure everything was perfect and he could start over again if he didn´t like the result.

As he was going about his duties as the housekeeper of the Kamisato Clan he nearly forgot about the letter until he turned in for the night. The blond had already taken off his red jacket when he found his desk exceptionally letter-less. But he wasn´t going to panic yet. Checking his drawer, underneath the desk and every inch of the floor he still came up empty-handed. Thoma decided that now was a good time to grow concerned.

He was about to search for someone who might know something but didn´t make it very far. Ayato was just passing through the hallway as Thoma left his room and seemed to notice his friend´s distressed expression.

“Thoma? What´s the matter?”

“Oh, it´s nothing, really. I was just searching for something,” Thoma said, contemplating whether or not to ask if he happened to know anything. “Sir, by any chance, do you know if someone went around collecting paperwork that needed to be sent out?”

“Oh, is this about the letter on your desk? Since the seal and address were already on it one of the staff members collected it and sent it together with my mail this afternoon.“ Ayato could probably see his face drop at that piece of information. “I´m sorry, Thoma. I know you´re always very busy, so I assumed you didn´t have the time to send it out yourself and asked her to deliver it for you.”

“No, no, Sir, you don´t have to apologise. It´s fine. I was just a bit shocked to see it wasn´t there anymore.” He gave a small bow before turning back to his room. “Have a good night, Sir, and rest well.”

“Thank you. You should get some rest as well. And Thoma, again, my apologies.”

You twirled the beautiful letter between your fingers, still in disbelieve something this elegant would be addressed to you. Although considering the Kamisato Clan´s crest adorning the golden wax seal, which you dared not break yet, your surprise lessened the slightest smidge.

Then again, what could the Kamisatos possibly want from you? Hopefully, it wasn´t on the Yashiro Commission´s behalf. As you inspected the graceful lettering of your name on the envelope again, however, you doubted this was business-related. Whoever sent you this letter had put great effort into perfecting each and every letter, nothing a commission official would do. In the back of your mind, a small seed of hope started to grow that a certain someone over at the Kamisato residence had sent the note.

Finally, your curiosity got the better of your nerves and you carefully pulled the letter open. Again, the paper was of the highest quality, a beautiful flower pattern stamped into it. You unfolded it with cautious fingers and were immediately awed by the neat handwriting. Just from looks alone, your heart fluttered, moved by the thought of someone putting this much effort into something given to you. By this point, it was all too clear this wasn´t sent on official business but rather on a personal notion.

Dear (y/n),

Are you surprised to receive a letter from me? I´d bet you are. Well, that is if I actually find the courage to give this to you. You´re probably wondering what this is all about, right? To be quite honest, I would´ve much preferred to say this to you in person but the truth of the matter is that I simply couldn´t and, considering how often I have rewritten this letter, maybe it was the right choice.

(Y/n), I´ve been meaning to confess this to you for a long time now. I can´t deny the feelings I developed for you and whenever we spent time together and you smile at me so sweetly, I don´t think I want to, anymore. And I think you deserve to know how I truly feel about you.

At first, I was scared to risk our friendship and lose you entirely. The longer I waited, however, the more I regretted my decision and thoughts of “what if” started to fill my head. From how I see things now, I think I stand to gain so much if I take the leap that I can´t ignore it anymore.

I like you, (y/n).

As much as I hope you feel the same, please stay true to your own heart and take your time to form a reply. The last thing I want to do is coerce you into a situation you feel uncomfortable in.

While I await your answer, please take care.

With love,

Thoma

If your heart fluttered before, it was positively racing now. It was a good thing nobody could see you clutching the letter to your chest and giddily jumping around like a little child, your grin so wide your cheeks started to hurt.

Without a second of hesitation, you pulled on your shoes and your coat, grabbing your keys as you went, before rushing out the front door. You would´ve written a letter back but it would take some time to reach the Kamisato Estate and you were far too energetic to sit down right now. Besides, your mind was racing a mile a minute, there was no chance you´d be able to come up with enough coherent sentences anyway.

By the time the grand building came into view, you were sure you set a new record on the time needed to reach the Kamisato Estate, yet, you didn´t feel tired at all. You´d been here a couple of times before, so when you explained the reason for your visit to the guards, they let you pass soon enough, even if you were only allowed into the yard.  As luck would have it, you spotted a familiar mop of blond hair tending to some pine trees around the garden.

“THOMA!” Said man barely held on to his garden scissors as your excited shout startled the ever-living abyss out of him. He wasn´t an idiot, he knew why you were here, he´d spent the last days agonising about this very moment, after all.  As you crossed the yard, he regained his composure enough to put on a calm smile.

“(Y/n), what a surprise,” he said, taking in your dishevelled clothes and your chest heaving as you caught your breath. “Wait, did you run all the way up here?!”

“Partly, yes,” you chuckled. “But I couldn´t help myself, not after reading this.”

You pulled out the letter and normally would have laughed at the size Thoma´s eyes had taken on and how he tried to conceal it.

“(Y/n), listen-“

“No, Thoma, you listen. Before you start on this nonsense on how it´s okay if I don´t reciprocate your feelings, let me just say this.” You took a deep breath, eyes trained on his as you failed to contain your smile. “I like you, too, you idiot. And I won´t leave any room for you to think anything else is the truth. You´ve made me the happiest person in Teyvat today.”

This time, Thoma dropped the scissors for good in favour of engulfing you in the warmth of his hug. From how close he was, you were hyperaware of everything that was him; his heartbeat, the scent of freshly brewed tea and pinewood, the soft fabric underneath your fingertips. Everything was so familiar, yet lovingly different all the same.

“While I´m truly flattered by you saying this, I have to call you out on a little lie there.” You lifted your head and peered curiously at him. “There can only be one person in Teyvat who´s happiest right now and that´s clearly me.”

There was no stopping the laughter bubbling out of you at his cheesiness and the sound alone was enough for Thoma to fall for you all over again. His hand moved to cup your face as his thumb gently traced your cheekbone, nothing but fondness swirling in those beautiful eyes of his.

“Let´s see if I can find you some tea and pastries, you must be quite exhausted after rushing here. I wouldn´t mind having you keep me company as I work and I´m sure Miss Kamisato would be delighted to catch up with you, my dear.”

GOROU

Shy bean, absolutely pure

Gorou will be adorably red in the face, his ears are shooting up and twitching and he´s tripping over his words trying to explain himself

He might be an accomplished general on the battlefield but navigating his own feelings is completely new territory for him

Rather dejectedly and somewhat ashamed, he owns up the confession and then apologises, thinking he did something wrong and crossed your boundaries

If you reciprocate his feelings, please tell him immediately and put him out of his misery; his expression will make a 180, tail wagging and all

Stretching your arms over your head, you felt a sense of comfort when some of the tension in your shoulders was relieved and you took it as a sign to take a break, maybe move your legs around a little too.

As you wandered along the streets of Inazuma City an idea came to you. It had been a while since you visited Komore Tea House, stopping by again surely wouldn´t hurt. While climbing the seemingly endless flight of stairs, you marvelled at the change of seasons clearly visible throughout the city.

The streets were much livelier, too. Now that the Vision Hunt decree and the Sakoku decree had been abolished, tourists and returning soldiers bustled around, chatting with vendors or catching up with those they hadn´t seen in a while. A small part of you hoped to spot a certain pair of fluffy ears among those wearing the resistance uniforms.

You´ve known Gorou for quite a while already, the two of you went back way before there was even the faintest notion of war breaking out. So, when the time came for him to be stationed at Watatsumi Island for an indefinite amount of time, a weight seemed to settle over your heart.

As time passed and weeks turned to months and months turned into a year, you started to question why his absence made you feel this empty. After all, you still exchanged letters as frequently as the situation allowed for but it wasn´t really enough and only amplified the want to see him again. One day it dawned on you that maybe you saw Gorou as more than just a friend. While you rejected the idea at first, the hopeful glances you sent around the harbour the first day a ship from Watatsumi Island docked at the pier and your subsequent disappointment at not finding the general among the troupes made you rethink your feelings.

But, sometimes, the universe apparently did listen.

Komore Teahouse came into view and you contemplated what you´d order this day as you stopped in the entryway where you´d normally be greeted by Taroumaru. But the Shiba Inu was nowhere to be seen. Instead, excited barking could be heard from the room over, followed by a defeated sigh.

“I told you already, it´s not that easy.” Gorou´s voice made your heart almost leap out of your chest and although it made you feel a little guilty, you didn´t move from your spot. “First of all, I don´t even know if they like me back. What if I misinterpreted their words? Don´t give me that look, it´s a reasonable possibility!”

Taroumaru gave a very deadpan bark as a response, meanwhile, you were processing Gorou´s words. Did he like someone? You weren´t going to jump to conclusions just from this alone, yet, you couldn´t quite suppress the hope bubbling to the surface. What if it was you he was talking about?

“No, I can´t just do that! What if I make them uncomfortable? We haven´t seen each other in a while, after all.” Well, you checked that box at least. Taroumaru seemingly had something insightful to share. “Hmm, yeah, that might be a good idea. I´ll consider it, even though the very thought of bringing this up with them makes my hair stand on end.”

Deciding to stop violating your friend´s privacy, you went and shut the front door again, this time as noisy as possible. The conversation in the adjacent room subsided and a couple seconds later the Shiba Inu rounded the corner. As he spotted you, his calm demeanour melted into an excited one, tail wagging while he jumped around your feet.

“Hi, Taroumaru, did you miss me that much? I´m sorry I couldn´t stop by more often,” you said, leaning down to gently pet his soft head.

“(Y/n)?!” The shocked general had barely time to realise you were actually there before you had already flung your entire weight against him. His time in the resistance seemingly paid off because he managed to catch you without both of you toppling over.

“Gorou! You´re finally back! I missed you! And I was really worried, too!” Your laughter must have had a contagious effect because you could feel his chuckle against your chest. Yet, as he sat you back down on your feet, the blush painting his cheeks a lovely rose shade was hard to miss.

“I-I missed you, too. And I´m sorry I had you concerned but it was worth it in the end, wasn´t it?” Gorou´s face slowly returned to its original colour, however, the heat flared up again as you showered him with praises on how proud of him you were. You didn´t bring up how his fluffy tail was wagging up a storm in response.

To your feet, Taroumaru was growing restless which was rather unusual for him. When Gorou was fiddling with his hands for too long and looking away from you one too many times, the Shiba started tugging at the hem of his pants.

“Taroumaru? Is something wrong?” The dog in question stared up at Gorou expectantly.  “You understand him, right? Do you know what´s up?”

“Huh? Oh, well, yes, I guess I know…” He sighed heavily. “(Y/n), would you come with me for a second?”

Containing the butterflies in your stomach was quite the task, yet, you didn´t want to raise your expectations too high just to have them crashing down around you. You followed your friend outside and into the shade of a tree near Komore Teahouse. By now, your assumption was almost certain to be correct. Gorou´s ears were twitching relentlessly, a clear sign he was nervous about something. And, as someone who had known him as a normal boy and not a fierce general first, you knew there were few things that could fluster him to this extent. He inhaled deeply again before turning to face you.

“(Y/n), I didn´t think I´d be having this conversation with you now, to be honest, and I really hope you won´t be upset by this. But there´s something I´ve been meaning to tell you for a while now, something I should´ve told you already.” Hesitantly, he reached for your hand, his ears perking up once you held on tighter and gave a little squeeze. “When I said I missed you, I meant it. While I was away, I couldn´t stop thinking about you…Nothing weird, I promise! But I wondered what you could´ve been doing at that moment or if you wanted to see me just as much as I wanted to see you. I´m not an expert on these things but even I realised that what I´m feeling goes beyond what you´d feel for a normal friend. I guess, what I want to say is, I like you, (y/n).”

You clasped your free hand around your intertwined ones, coaxing him to look at you again. There was the same hopeful glint in his turquoise eyes you recognized from your own heart, his whole attention trained on you now.

“Oh Gorou, how could I be upset when you said exactly what I wanted to hear? I´ve come to the same realisation. So many times, I thought about bringing it up in a letter but I didn´t want to add any more pressure on you. I´m somewhat regretting being so considerate now though,” you teased. You flung your arms around his neck again as he picked you up and twirled you around. “I´m so happy right now, I can barely describe it!”

“You just made me the happiest man alive, (y/n),” he laughed.

“I can see that.” Your eyes crinkled in amusement as you ran a hand through his ginger locks to where his ears had started flicking again as his tail rhythmically thumped against the bark of the tree.

"Did- did Kaveh just—" You stutter, still confused from the whirlwind of events that happened within seconds.

"Yes. He did. That bastard, I swear I'll-"

You drown out the insults and threats spewing from his mouth as you turn to look around. The closet is small, very small, the type that shouldn't have people in it in the first place.

The door is firmly on your back and you can feel that Alhaitham's own back is up against the shelves. Next to you stand a broom and mop, taking up the remaining space in the room. It's dark and you could barely tell what's in front of you (this firm thing. . . it is his chest, right?).

"How long have you been here?" You wonder out loud.

"5 wasted minutes. After he knocked over a bowl of chips and told me to get a broom. Honestly, that imbecile–"

"He told me to get a broom for the chips too! What the heck. This was premeditated!"

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."

Your eyes narrow at his comment, glaring at what you suppose was his face.

"If you're so genius, you could have escaped the second he opened up that door."

"Ha, I could have if it weren't for a certain someone getting shoved into me."

"I'm not a wrecking ball, Scribe Haitham." You scoff, shifting to face him better. Of all the people to get pranked with, it just had to be your academic rival —from the day you received second place in the akademiya entrance exams to the day you both proposed the exact same thesis topic— he was always a step ahead and that infuriated you.

5 years ago, Entrance Exam Results Day

Of course, it wasn’t that he’s a smidge better than you that you hate him; rather, it’s because he acts like he’s so much better than anyone else that you hated him — from staring you down the day you tried to congratulate him on getting first place, to refusing to cooperate together despite having the same thesis topic — you believe your reasons for hating him are quite valid.

“You’re Alhaitham, right? Congratulations on receiving first place on the exams!” You greet cheerfully, a hand extended for him to shake. It was the first day commemorating the start of your academic life and you figured you might as well surround yourself with the right crowd.

Yet, he stays frozen, an odd squint in his eyes and you wonder if you should keep your hand out longer.

“It was to be expected.” He states simply, lightly shrugging, before returning to the book he was reading.

To be expected? First place? In Teyvat’s most prestigious academic institution? The one you toiled day and night in, consuming mountain loads of information, just to deserve your rank? Internally, you decided that you didn’t like him and that he’s an arrogant piece of sh– no, good thoughts (Name), you should befriend your schoolmates.

“Hahaha is that so? I guess you really must be smart,” You force a laugh, retrieving your hand, “If you don’t know yet, I’m–“

“I know you. You’re the one who received second on the exams.”

Okay. It’s official. He’s an arrogant piece of shit.

You grit your teeth, smiling, “. . . It was nice meeting you, Alhaitham. See you when lectures start.”

11:53 PM, Christmas Eve

". . . Stop moving." He tells you.

"What?"

"I said stop moving."

"I'm literally just breathing here, do you want me to stop that too?"

"You're squirming like a worm. Do you want to knock over chemicals off their shelves?”

Oh yeah, this was a broom closet.

"I can't help it when you're taking up all the space!" You huff in his direction, trying to get a clearer view of him with squinted eyes in the dark.

"Unless you want to kiss me, I suggest you stop trying to shove your face into mine as well."

You feel your face heat up, a stutter evident in your voice, "W-what? Why on Teyvat would I ever want that!"

"It's a statement, I never said you wanted it." He scoffs. It was getting warmer in the room, the inescapable warmth of him spreading to you and you wonder if your heartbeat was always this loud. You shuffle uncomfortably, how could he even insinuate that? This arrogant guy!

Maybe it was the small space getting to you, or the tension of being so close to someone you clearly feel contempt for, but you couldn’t stop the next words you say.

“Maybe you’re the one who wants to kiss me! How would I know you didn’t plan this with your roommate?” You jibe back, “Honestly, what kind of homeowner gets trapped in their own broom closet!”

“First of all, we both know -as Kaveh’s mutual friend- that he’s a bastard with his mind in the gutters. This is all his mastermind plan. Secondly, if you want to kiss me that badly, you don't even have to provoke me. by starting a fight.” Before you could even respond to that (or manage to comprehend it), you feel him shuffling back, his muscular torso moving to the whims of his arm as it presses against your own chest.

You unknowingly hold your own breath. Thump, thump, thump– is that his heart or yours?

A sound of a chain, metal clinking, reaches your ears.

“H-hold on, what are you doing?!” You panic, flustered.

“I’m trying to grab the pull-switch for a light, what do you think I’m doing?” He all but hisses back, “Now hold still—”

Light floods the room at the clicking sound, blinding you temporarily.

"—Oh, how convenient, there's a mistletoe above us. Now here's your chance to kiss me." You hear him say and you freeze, quickly glancing up at the bright bulb to see the unmistakable mistletoe hanging next to it. Your jaw drops slightly.

"I— I am not kissing you! I told you that!" You exclaim, hands trying to shove him away for what little space you could muster. Kaveh is dead once you get out of here, you think to yourself.

You hear him scoff, "Again, I was only teasing you-"

"Then I suggest you stop!"

"-but I'd rather not reject tradition."

"W-what?"

5 years ago, Entrance Exam Results Day

Alhaitham believes in love. He understands everything about it– from the chemical compositions to the process. He understands the build up of love.

Naturally, it began when he saw your name only second to his first rank. It wasn't anything particularly special, you were a few points below the prodigy and he found it curious how someone managed to keep up with his wits.

“You’re Alhaitham, right? Congratulations on receiving first place on the exams!”

He's frozen. He knows he's staring. There's a hand outstretched for him yet he hasn't willed his own to take it. It's only for a second but internally, he recognizes the lapse in his act. Say something, Alhaitham, say it now–

“It was to be expected.” He states simply, lightly shrugging, before returning to the book he was reading. It lays flat on his hand and he rereads the same sentence, conscious of your presence next to him. He tries to rationalize– he finds you attractive, you seem to be his type, and it's natural for a man such as himself to eventually feel such things and react this way. Not even he, as logical as he is, could be an independent variable for love.

“Hahaha is that so? I guess you really must be smart,” You laugh and he finds the sound pleasant but forced as you retrieve your hand. “If you don’t know yet, I’m–“

He knows you. He saw your name and looked up the basic credentials already, it's natural as the soon-to-be-top student of your batch.

“I know you. You’re the one who received second on the exams.”

“. . . It was nice meeting you, Alhaitham. See you when lectures start.”

It seems he didn't make a good first impression; but that's fine, logically, he has no plans to act on his feelings anyway. As the elders would say– studies first before lovers.

5 years ago, Thesis Proposal Day

Logic was harder to act on when love was the opponent –as Alhaitham later realized– because, Archons, were you difficult to get rid of.

He notices you– everywhere. This shouldn't be surprising considering your similar academic strands and ranks, but that was exactly the issue! He was hyperaware of everything you did and what you would next do.

Alhaitham believes in love. He knows of all the ridiculous tropes, unable to escape the concept of it as it floats around even in one of the most highly rational spaces in Teyvat. He had no plans of pursuing love, it isn't something he wanted to fit into his intricate schedule,

Yet, he feels pulled by it.

He sees you in class, the seat next to you empty, and he wants to take it but he doesn't.

He bumps into you in the halls, your hands carrying stacks of research materials, but you could handle yourself as he glances the other way.

You ask him, almost hesitantly, shyly, if he would like to pair up for one of the most important thesis projects in your lives and– he flat out refuses, because -archons forbid- the remnants of his discipline and self-control be lost over sleepless nights with you next to him, working on something you both proposed.

No, he would not have that. It's not a part of his life plan (you aren't part of his life plan).

Yet, as he passes out papers in class, people's hands brushing against his, he can't help but compare yours– your hand, your fingers brushing on his, skin on skin, he feels it in his nerve receptors, electric despite not electrifying– yours is felt so much more than how he felt the others and he can't describe how.

12:00 AM, Christmas Day

And he feels it again now. The hyperawareness of you on him, like the day your fingers brushed– this illogical, subtle, uncontrollable feeling.

It must be love, he tells himself. He understands love and everything about it and it infuriates him.

But the closet is too small, you're much too close, he wants to do something. Then– he remembers. A mistletoe. Kaveh hung a mistletoe in the broom closet. Mentally, he knew this all along, but now it was becoming increasingly obvious that a mistletoe existed above him (Above you. Above you and him).

Thump, thump, thump– it's his heart beating. He shuffles to reach a chain, he needs to see it to believe it (that a mistletoe is there) but what good would that do? Is it to simply show you? To see how you'd react? A chance for him to act on these frantic feelings?

Love is illogical, it's breaking the bottle he so carefully closed.

“H-hold on, what are you doing?!” You panic, flustered.

“I’m trying to grab the pull-switch for a light, what do you think I’m doing?” He replies and he hopes he doesn't sound too rushed, “Now hold still—”

Light floods the room at the clicking sound, and it blinds him temporarily, but he feels everything– you being there, your clothes brushing against his and your skin on his, everything and everything–

–and the mistletoe, there.

"Oh, how convenient, there's a mistletoe above us. Now here's your chance to kiss me." He says and time unmistakably slows for him. His heart is steady, as if acting on his feelings were the only way to calm his fight with himself.

You look up at him frantically, "I— I am not kissing you! I told you that!" You exclaim, hands trying to shove him away for what little space you could muster.

He scoffs, "Again, I was only teasing you-"

"Then I suggest you stop!"

"-but I'd rather not reject tradition."

"W-what?"

You freeze as he tests the waters. He understands love, he understands all the tropes, the build-up, the chemicals, but -holy dendro archon- is he taking risks.

"I'm asking if I could kiss you."

"Wha-what!"

"You're repeating your words now. Would you like me to ask again or should I give you time to clear your ears?"

Under the warm light, he sees you visibly gulp. He can't help the way he leans in closer, an arm resting on the door beside your head.

"I don't need to clear my ears! I just- I thought you, well, hated me," You hurriedly reply, looking away from his own gaze. The floor is way more interesting, it seems.

"Hated you? Whoever said that?"

"W-well, you acted as though you did. Always avoiding me, always pulling away–"

"I'm not pulling away now, am I?" As if to prove his point, he leans closer, slipping his fingers under your chin to face him directly, "But it seems like you're the one shying away."

You're sure you stopped breathing at some point.

"To be fair, I was trying to avoid you back then. But not in the way that you think." His thumb brushes over your lower lip, "It was never because I hated you. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

Silence lingers in the air at his subtle confession. At the lack of a reply, Alhaitham sighs, "If I'm making you uncomfortable, we can break this door down and yo-"

"I'm not uncomfortable!" You blurt out, "I- I just didn't think you- you felt this way."

"Then may I?"

"May you?" You repeat questioningly.

"Mistletoe." He states and stiffly, he feels the slightest nod of your head on his fingers and–

The door swings open.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVEBIRDS! How are we doing? Is my dear housemate finally getting some action in his bleak life?"

"KAVEH!!!"

prompt !! "oh, how convenient, there's a mistletoe above us."

ko-fi !! commissions !! best m.list

The regrets clouding his mind snapped away at your lure. You sigh when his eye finally meets yours, you were getting worried about his lack of attention. In truth, he's just back from wherever his self-depreciation took him.

Kaeya feels you shiver against him; he doesn't mean to embrace you, it's just that the space of the well could barely fit a standing man so he places one hand on the small of your back and the other to lean on the stone wall beside him, encircling you with his much larger form.

"You're frosting the water." You point out and he notices the light frost coating the surface around his legs. A habit you noticed whenever he's particularly anxious. "Are you feeling alright, captain?"

Kaeya hesitates to answer a snarky comment; you've been his right-hand knight long enough to recognize his white lies, "Yeah, I'm good. Any injuries?"

"A few scratches to my back but you softened my fall enough. And you?"

A smug smile graces his lips, "I always said you'll fall for me soon enough but I didn't mean-"

"Seeing as you're well enough, carry me up, I'll check if I can reach the lid." You point your hand upward, the mouth of the well was at least 13 feet away but you could at least try.

"About that..." Kaeya trails off with a chuckle. You raise your eyebrow at him as he gestures weakly to his limp shoulder. Realization hits you.

"You broke your shoulder?" You gasp, immediately turning to it but he stops you, hissing through clenched teeth at the sudden pain.

"Don't- don't move so much. Just let it be."

"Was it during the fight?" You ask, now carefully inspecting it.

Actually, it was when you fell on him but he isn't going to say that. "Yes."

"Tsk. Fatui bastards." You mumble under your breath and he almost chuckles at the familiarity of your words had it been from a certain redhead. "We need to get you to a healer." You're looking up at the lid again, inspecting the walls for some sort of leverage but find none.

You sigh, leaning back on the walls.

"I'm sorry. It's cold, isn't it?" Kaeya breaks the silence, inching away from you as much as the little space allows. You realize you've been shivering the whole time, the cold of the water and approaching night seeping into you. It doesn't help that you're with a cryo allogene who's very much aware of his naturally cool core temperature.

"Not at all, captain." You clench your teeth, holding back the next shiver. You were trained to handle such conditions.

"You don't have to lie." He smirks.

"And what could admitting that I'm cold achieve anything?" You question back to match his teasing. Kaeya eyes you down and the smirk slowly falls from his face in discernment, as if realizing how you both ended up in this situation in the first place.

"... I must apologize, the mission didn't go quite as planned," He offers you a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Your brows furrow together.

"You don't have to apologize, captain. No one expected skirmishers to be in the area."

"Regardless, I placed my squad at risk."

"We follow you accepting those risks."

He doesn't reply, single eye looking far off in thought as you sigh. You don't understand why your captain has been overworking himself these days and it has the rest of his team worrying. If only he would let you help him beyond your duties.

"The others should be returning with the back up by now. I meant it when I said we accept the risks. You're our captain and we'll follow you no matter what, whether it's for a mission or..." You mutter the last part, trailing off. He gives you a questioning look and you felt compelled to continue, "Or anything. We- I trust you. It's only natural."

Suddenly the space feels a little bit warmer as a blush rises to your cheeks. This wasn't how conversations usually went for the cavalry captain's right-hand knight – the strict professionalism you usually wear fading along with the adrenaline from your previous battle.

"Oh? Is this a confession?" He jokes, leaning his face closer to yours, "Not the most romantic of settings but I suppose we only need ourselves to- ah..." He pauses as he stares down at you, your face surely as bright as a sunsettia even in the dim light.

It is a confession, he realizes, albeit a rather indirect one.

"You like me?" He means to ask genuinely yet it comes off as teasing. Don't be mistaken, though, he's wholeheartedly surprised that the junior he's been feeling butterflies for far too long actually held any semblance of affection for him other than respect.

You don't reply as heat pools your face and you would give anything to be able to run or push him away at least an inch further – damn tiny wells.

"I can't believe you like me," He laughs, resting his forehead on the wall behind you. His hair tickles the side of your face.

"I- I didn't say that!" You stutter, hands reaching up to rest on his chest. The unconscious effort to keep space backfires as the intimate position leaves you even more flustered.

"But you're not denying it?"

"I'm denying it now!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"What a shame because I definitely like you."

"I-- wait, what?"

He chuckles and suddenly, light shines from above as the lid is removed, a troop of knights peeking down.

"We've found sir Kaeya and knight L/N!" A knight announces before turning back to face down, "Are you both okay? We're sorry it took so long!"

"Peachy with a possible shoulder fracture but you could have taken longer." Kaeya laughs, "We wouldn't mind." He winks at you as you lightly shove him, heart beating erratically. The watching knight takes the statement as sarcasm.

"Let's continue this later, shall we?" He says, handing you the rope they dropped, "Perhaps after seeing a healer and a hot shower, we could- ahem," With the light in the well, you could finally notice the light blush dusting his cheeks, "I could take you to Angel's Share. My treat. How does that sound to you?"

He offers you a genuine smile, feeling much happier than he did when the day started. Perhaps everything will be okay.

Thoma

Lavish parties and business dinners were a norm in the Kamisato estate. You were no stranger to these parties as a noble yourself, but when your carefully crafted facade of politeness starts to feel a little too tiring, can you really be blamed for wanting to get away?

You only wanted to take a break for a few minutes so when you saw the little opening between sliding doors to a dark room, you took your chance and slipped in, closing the doors shut with a loud exhale.

"Um... What are you doing here?"

You jolt at the noise, turning to face a blonde Mondsadter. He held a broom in one hand and a cloth on the other.

The wheels began to turn in your head as you take in your surroundings, a little broom closet fit to hold two people max. It had just enough space for you to stand without touching the other by an few inches.

"Pardon me, I'll just-" You try to bring the sliding doors open but they only shake loudly. "O-oh, the doors..."

"Please allow me," Thoma scoots around you to the door, it only shakes at his effort. "Oh, seems like it really is locked, huh. You don't have to worry, this happens way more than you think. I should've gotten it fixed ages ago."

"I'm sorry, because I closed it..."

"Hey, hey! It's not your fault. You couldn't have known and- wait, why are you here in the first place?" He looks at you curiously, voice not at all accusing but instead, held a gentle curiosity. "It's not that you're not allowed in the broom closet, but..."

"I just needed some fresh air from the party. I was expecting this to be a guest room, really."

"Ah! So you're one of the guests! I really- I should apologize, lady or sir..." He trails off, seemingly flustered by the situation.

"Y/N is fine, and yours?"

"Thoma," He grins, "I'm a housekeeper of the estate."

"Is there any way we can open this from the inside?"

"Not that I'm aware of... I usually keep trying but we'd have better luck waiting for someone else to help."

Except, you can't afford to wait for someone else. You were a noble and getting caught in a tight broom closet with the Kamisato housekeeper could cause all sorts of rumors, regardless of the truth.

"Here, let me stand there," He switches your place, hand lightly pushing your shoulder to another direction so that he's the one standing by the entrance, "I'll see if I can un-jam it."

But he couldn't and minutes passed in silence before you couldn't take it anymore and decided to make small talk. Reputation be damned. Your conversation flowed and you found your facade slipping into one of a genuine cheer; he was easy to talk to, and although he maintained his polite speech – sans your name which you told him to use – he was still very carefree and talkative.

"I've only seen pictures so far but I didn't think the Anemo Archon statue would be that huge!"

"Oh it is! You have to crane your neck up just to see the wings. They say if you make a wish on the palms of Barbatos, it'll come true."

"I wish I could see it. I grew up in Inazuma – even then, I've only been to the cities and towns." You sigh. It wasn't easy growing up heavily guarded.

"I see... Regardless, there's also so much to see in the city! Perhaps if you have the time, I can tour yo- no, wait. I'm sorry, got carried away there," He laughs, hand scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, "I shouldn't be asking this of a noble..."

A clatter comes from the door behind Thoma. The door slides open halfway, the pyro user lodging his foot to prevent it from completely opening and exposing you.

"Thoma? Have you been stuck here the whole time? The commissioner is looking for you!"

"I- I'll be there in a second. Just need to- um, grab some things." He says, moving to cover more of you. The servant gives him an odd look before nodding and walking away.

"Whew, that was close." He mutters as you look up at him.

"I didn't think you'd do that," You laugh lightly, arms crossed, "I was somewhat prepared to be caught in... a sort of scandal."

Pink dusted his cheeks as Thoma looks away from you, "I wouldn't be a good retainer of the Kamisato clan if I can't at least be aware of that..." He coughs in his hand, composing himself, "We should go now. I'll leave first and you can slip out a little after-" He turns to leave the space you've founded your friendship in but you grab onto his arm, pulling him back in.

"Getting caught in a broom closet with a retainer would cause quite a stir but..." You smile, "A 'meeting' with the Kamisato retainer wouldn't be that odd. I must say I enjoyed our conversation. And I believe we have a great dynamic. If your offer of touring me around the city still stands then... I hope you don't mind."

His face lights up almost immediately, nodding his head, "Yeah! Sure! We can make arrangements and I'll... I- well, I like our dynamic too." He grins, unconsciously holding onto the hand you placed on his arm, "I guess broom closets aren't that ba-"

"Thoma, what is taking you so lon-" Ayato shoves open the sliding doors, eyeing the pyro allogene before his eyes land on you. His eyes widened and a smile lay frozen on his face before he pulls the sliding door shut with a slam, footsteps peppering away from the closet.

"I apologize, please continue. I shall take my leave-"

"Commissioner, no!"

"My lord! The lock!"

Gorou

Getting caught by the Shogunate army was just one of the scenarios to expect after joining the resistance. Getting caught and tied together with your General, who's also your long-time crush, wasn't.

"I can't believe they even tied my tail! Ugh, just great. I bet they think it's funny." Gorou mutters behind you. His tail tied between both your wrists as you sit back to back.

"Should we think of a way to escape?" You ask, tugging on the restraints, causing the general to yelp.

"Please don't tug. My tail..."

"Ah sorry! Sorry! I'll just... sit still."

You sit in silence, the occasional tug at the ropes and squirming being the only activity to distract you. A part of you wanted to squish his tail with your hand, but you resisted with all your might.

With the warmth of his back on yours, you nervously allowed yourself to lean back closer. Can you really be blamed? This was a rare opportunity of intimacy with your general, someone you wouldn't even touch if not for your sparring sessions!

"Are you alright? You seem to be leaning on me. Are you getting dizzy?" He snaps you out from your daydream, worriedly glancing at you from the corner of his eye.

"Ah, no, I'm uh-" You bit your lip, "You're just warm." You spout randomly, not that it was a lie. He was really warm.

"Oh. Um, are you cold?"

"No."

"What?"

"I mean, yes." A blush rises to your face. Were you that nervous over the situation? You're a trained soldier, dangit! Just focus. Focus. Focus on warm back and fluffy tail... No!

"Uh... okay." Gorou shuffles, a blush dusting his own cheeks, "You can- Um, feel free to lean on my back then."

"Yeah, alright. Thanks." You responded stiffly, not trusting your voice and ignoring your erratic heartbeat.

"No problem."

After a moment of silence, you decided to speak again.

"You can, um... also lean on my back. If you want."

"Oh, sure! Yeah. Sounds good."

The silence settles again and you try to calm your racing heart, taking deep breaths.

"Your tail is... really fluffy."

Archons, where was that book of conversation starters when you need one?

"I um, fluff it everyday so I'm glad you think so."

"It's probably nice to touch."

"It is."

"Can I touch it?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You asked to pet my tail?" As if on cue, it twitches between your backs.

"Maybe..."

You swear your heart could be heard from the outside now that it's loudly thumping your eardrums. Unbeknownst to you, Gorou was nervously calming his own heart.

"You- you can touch it." He stutters out.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I won't mind."

"I thought you didn't like anyone touching it." You ponder, fingers carefully brushing through the fur you can reach now. It was awkward and odd but you couldn't take back your own proposal.

"It's fine if it's you." He admits, coughing.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Kazuha, please come save these lovesick idiots.

It was past midnight when you stopped by the tavern, seeing as you lived nearby anyway.

Diluc sat amongst a small crowd. You recognize them to be Kaeya, Jean, Lisa, Venti, and Rosaria, each nursing their own drink in their hands. What surprised you was that Diluc had a glass of his own— emptied, and that Kaeya was pouring him another round.

"Ah, it seems like your ticket home has arrived, D," Kaeya muses upon spotting you. The redhead only huffs in reply.

"What a joyous occasion! Come join us, (Name)!" Venti cheers, swinging around his large mug.

It's only when you approached the group did you notice your lover's unfocused eyes, glazed over as he blinks away at nothing.

"What did you do?" You raise an eyebrow, eyes narrowing suspiciously at Kaeya. The Cavalry Captain raises his hands in defense.

"You're accusing me? I'm hurt," He chuckles, "You and I both know he isn't so easy to trick into drinking."

You glance over at Jean, who gives you a sympathetic laugh, "It's true. Surprisingly, sir decided to drink tonight. It wasn't that much, I assure you."

"Wasn't that much, she says, yet he looks just about ready to pass out," Rosaria mutters, sipping on her own glass. You let out a sigh, seems like you'll be responsible for taking him home tonight. You're not bothered at all, in fact, you're a little glad he decided to let loose and have fun, no matter how unusual it seems.

If anything, it's a little funny to see him look gruff and cold, he doesn't even seem drunk until you notice the flush on his face and the spin in his eyes. Grabbing an empty glass and filling it with water from a pitcher, you gesture for the redhead to drink.

"Come on, 'Luc, drink some water and let's get you home."

He turns his head away to the side. You raise an eyebrow.

"'Luc, drink some water."

"No."

". . . You need to sober up–"

"No."

His head arcs further away from you, arms crossed. You glance at his face, is he. . . is he seriously pouting right now? Kaeya chuckles next to you. You aren't sure what kind of drunk shenanigan is going through his mind, but you decided to let it slide, opting to bring him home instead.

"Alright then, let's get out of here instead." With a hand on his shoulder, you gesture for him to stand but he wacks it away. Diluc? Your Diluc?? Wacked your hand away???

You blink at him before recovering to grab onto his arm, trying to pull him up, "Come on, 'Luc! We got to get you home!"

"No! Hands off!" He sluggishly pushes you, failing but he plops back onto his seat.

"What?"

"Hands off me! I'm taken!"

You freeze. The little group around you pauses as well. There's a loud snort in the air, presumably from Venti.

"Diluc, what?" You bite back your laugh. Laughing at the drunk is bad etiquette, you really shouldn't. You really, really shouldn't.

"I'm–" He slurs, facing you with a pointed look and a loopy glare, "Taken. Go find someone else to mooch."

Archons, help you not to burst out laughing in this situation.

Opting to giggle behind closed lips, you squat next to his chair, reaching out to cup his cheek but he scoots away from your touch.

"Diluc," You laugh, "It's me."

"Not- not interested."

"I'm literally your lover."

He blinks at you. You aren't sure if you got through him but he immediately stands upright, wobbling from the action. You catch him by the waist for support.

"Woah there, are you ready to go?"

"I'm going-" He tests his steps, "Going home to my darling, (Name)." With shaky hands, he pushes you aside, "I told you I have a lover!"

A loud laugh starts from behind you. Kaeya hunches over the table, gripping his stomach as the rest try to hide their chuckles behind their hands.

"Oh dear, my dear brother," The cryo user stands, wiping a tear from his eye, "Seems like you truly had too much tonight. This person here is assigned to take you to (Name)." The sly smile on Kaeya's face tells you to play along.

Diluc rubs at his eyes, everything seems to swirl, "Really?"

"Yes."

". . . Alright then."

Was he really that easy to trick? Your jaw could've dropped open. As expected of Kaeya who naturally dealt with all of Diluc's drunk shenanigans.

"Let's go then. . ." Diluc mumbles, glancing at you, "But no touching."

At his first step, he nearly trips over his feet if it wasn't for you grabbing onto his arm. You wrap it over your shoulder, pulling him upright.

"Surely, it's alright if I hold onto your arm?" You try to reason.

". . . Okay."

With a side glance at Kaeya and the rest, you nod them goodbye as they wave their pleasantries. Now that you're outside the tavern, you decide to take your drunk lover to your home nearby, a place he's frequently visited.

"Honestly, whatever made you drink so much tonight. . ." You huff, grabbing onto him and trying to get him to walk normally.

"My lover, you see. . ." He trails off.

"What about your lover?" You can't help but prod. Surely, you haven't done something wrong, right?

"Everything. . . Everything about them." Diluc mumbles, a sigh escaping him, "Just— amazing."

You can't help the way your lips sorts into a smile.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That must be nice. Is that why you don't want to go home with me?" You can't help but tease as he glowers, turning his face to get a better look at you. You notice the way his eyes look clearer now.

". . . As mentioned, I–" A groan, "Am devoted to my lover, no matter how charming you look."

"Mhmm, sure, yeah." You laugh, taking in his compliment, "You're devoted, alright."

"It's true–" He pushes away from you to fumble with his coat in an enthusiasm that's only seen when he's drunk, "Would you like to see the ring?"

Ring? What ring? You freeze in your steps as he digs into his pockets, pulling out an enclosed little box with intricate carvings. He opens it to reveal a ring– one you've only ever dreams of having (and receiving from him). The details, a testament to how much he knows what you like, while mixing in his own interests.

Your heart skips a beat.

"'Luc–"

"Archons, I'm nervous," He groans into his hand, carefully closing the box despite his drunken mannerisms, "I can't even– can't even sleep at night thinking about it."

You're still in shock as you gaze up at him. Sure, you've talked about a future together, but it always felt so far away— Diluc was too busy, always with something else to prioritize and it didn't seem like the right time for him no matter how right it was for you.

"Is. . . Is that why you drank?"

He looks at you with a raised brow, "Nervousness is one thing. I needed everyone's advice as well." Your heart flutters, was he ever this thoughtful? The answer is yes. You reach out to him again, hands as shaky as his own, but yours shook in happiness.

"Diluc, I—"

He lurches, a heaving sound down his throat as if threatening to puke. You reach out, holding onto him again with a small laugh, "Alright, alright, let's get you home first, Luc."

He groans in reply, voice wobbly and weak, "I'm. . . taken. . . "

"I know, my love."

•

Sunshine filters into the bedroom and Diluc shuffles under the covers. His head was throbbing, his throat felt dry, he's reminded again why he never drinks.

Grape juice is definitely better. Grape juice is yummy. Why can't he make a grape juice relaxant? He sure as heck can, what's his money for if he can't fund an entire academic foundation focusing on the production of anxiety-calming juice?

Before he could even begin to think about the business prospects and expenses to spare, your footsteps catches his attention as you enter the room.

"Slept well?"

He brushes his hair back, sitting up groggily, "I've had better nights."

"Here, have some water." You gesture to the cup in your hands to which he drinks from obediently.

"Thank you."

"I'm just glad that you're allowing me to offer you water." You bite back a chuckle.

"What?"

Standing up with a hum and a shrug, you turn away from him, "I don't know. Last night, you wouldn't even let me touch you."

His eyebrows furrow together, "That's ridiculous. Why would I do that?"

"Apparently, you have a lover, and I was trying to tempt you away into my home~"

Diluc freezes like a deer in the headlights, heat rushing up his face, turning it a shade as red as his hair, "I. . . said that?"

You laugh, turning towards him as you begin to explain everything that happened in the tavern and how his friends reacted. This only helped to worsen his embarrassment.

"I'm going to kill Kaeya. . ." he mutters under his breath, hiding away his face before peeking at you, "And then I suppose you walked me home? Did I. . . say anything after?"

You spotted the way his eyes glance to his coat, hanging by the door. Your lips twitch into a smile.

"Nope. You were quiet the whole way home."

You can't wait to embarrass him even more after his proposal.

masterlist 02 || commissions via ko-fi

note !! writing this made me all the drunk embarrassing moments 😭

from there it blossomed from a friendship filled with casually trading notes and meeting for study sessions over campus coffee.

to splurging on nicer dinners off campus and greedy kisses in your dorm rooms. 

it was safe to say both of your prior roommates were happy when the two of you decided to split a lease together off campus. from there on it, was going pretty great. the two of you melded well together under a shared roof. boundaries were well respected and your joint quirks complimented each other more than not. 

sure, tighnari could be sarcastic at times, but it was never ill directed at you. in fact it was always what you needed after a rough day. 

things were good. 

things were going great. 

and they would continue to do so, long as your boyfriend didn’t discover your little gardening project.

which for some couples, shouldn’t be too much of an issue. except that you were dating the akademiya’s lead student researcher on botanical studies. he was practically already guaranteed acceptance into the graduate program. instructors were quite literally crawling over themself to offer him assistantships. 

and you were totally proud of this feat. how could you not when he got to advance his knowledge in the subject he loved (even if he had very interesting opinions on the institution as a whole. he loved to talk about how once he squeezed them out of all their money, he would take his research and go live in the forest. at first you’d laughed at the joke … now you weren't so sure.)

but you digressed. you were happy for him. loved how he brought life into your quaint flat with his collection of plants. it made everything feel livelier, air fresh with a pleasant aroma. the problem was his obsession with flora made it practically impossible for you to hide your newest addition. 

people liked to say that opposite attracted. it made for a wholesome household were the differences could meld to create an amicable collaboration. and it worked well so far.in one case,  tighnari was a super good cook. you were okay, but his insistence on taking over the kitchen in order to utilise his home grown mushrooms wasn't something you were going to challenge him on. his food was delicious. 

see it worked out as long as things stayed opposite. 

which was why it was dangerous for you to be stepping into his territory by bringing a plant home. 

you were certain tighnari would be able to sniff it out out a foreign vegetation if you brought it into your abode. which was why you definitely could not add it to his mini garden on the balcony. unfortunately, that left your other options limited. 

the cabinet space under your side of the sink did not provide enough light. you considered leaving the door cracked but that would bring too much attention. the same went for the option of placing it under the bed. tighnari practically dreamed about plants, placing one precisely under his pillow would not end well. also not enough light. 

which led you to carefully climbing the staircase of the fire escape to your neighbours conveniently bare deck. sometimes you forgot they lived there with the infrequency that you saw them. you were certain that you’d never seen them using it anyway.

so positioned precariously in the corner, above your boyfriend’s botanical gallery, sat your lonely little plant. 

you had the perfect place tucked away safe and hidden. it was accessible and convenient given that you were known for sporadically taking short ‘breaks’ outside when you needed to come down from a long day. it was all well planned and fool proof. 

except for the little bugger wouldn’t grow. 

now you weren't a plant expert by any means. sure, your boyfriend was kind of a genius and you occasionally watched him tend to his garden. well more like observed his rear as he leaned into the vegetation, silently admiring the view behind your warm mug. 

but that was as close to plant life as you got. you knew they needed water and sunlight. two things that you provided pretty well. maybe the sunlight wasn't the best. sometimes tighnari would rearrange his garden to rotate them and even the sun exposure. it was also possible that you may have drowned your plant once or twice. you were forgetful about doing so and you figured making up for forgetting watering could be made up all at once. 

overall you thought you were doing okay of a job. planting shouldn't be that hard. it's not like it was anything exotic.

so what did you do next?

not ask your expert of a partner. 

that’s what.

no, instead you sneakily leafed through his various textbooks to try to grasp a brief understanding of how the hell plants worked. if you’d known it was so complicated you wouldn't have bothered. there was only supposed to be one needy individual in your household and that position was taken. 

you were made even more of an idiot that you thought you were trying to decipher the material in tighnari’s books, of all choices. there was definitely a lot more than water and sunlight involved. your finger followed the surprisingly colourful diagram of a plant life cycle with way too many words and arrows but you understood the words like ‘oxygen’ and ‘carbon dioxide’. 

apparently they gave off the former and humans,and animals alike, provided the latter. 

so naturally for the sake of all the effort you’d put in thus far, you spent the next plant visitation ,while tighnari was busy making dinner, providing your plant with all the extra carbon dioxide it wanted; until you were light-headed and blinking blearily at your boyfriend’s concerned frown as you stumbled back in. 

for all that exertion, you were very disappointed to not see a single change the next day. 

not even a sprout. 

part of you was convinced that you got a dud. there was always a risk of purchasing from college students. everyone was frugal with their money and trying to make it work. but this was supposed to be a friend, of a friend’s friend other friend’s acquaintance. and they came with pretty high regards, which brought all the blame back on you. 

unfortunately, you did not have their phone number, making it very difficult to track them back down through the intricate vine of friendships. to be frank, after a fortnight of trying to grow the damn thing. you were ready to just throw it off the balcony all together. 

which would have been your most successful plan since purchasing the seed, had you not returned home to your very attractively, smart and loving boyfriend holding the said plant with a frown. 

tighnari gestured to the sad excuse for of a pile of soil sitting on the counter. “our neighbour upstairs brought it down.”

goddamit amir.

tighari’s hand slid to his lips as he looked over the pot with scrutiny. your heart thrummed anxiously as he tested the soil with his finger before commenting on the dryness ( so what? you missed another few days of watering .. it was on its deathbed anyway).

“it’s certainly not mine though. it doesn't look like its been properly cared for by anyone.”

and there goes a shard of your heart. so you weren't the best plant parent. it wasn't easy to compete with the plant messiah himself. he could have maybe been nicer about your faults. 

your body stiffened as his gaze flickered over curiously to you, perfect little mouth that you loved to smother with kisses, curled lightly at the corners. “you know, you are dating a botany student. you could have just asked.”

you were unable to withhold the guilty squeak at how quickly he saw through you. tighnari’s face was soft with humour while you were swimming with anxiety. because you simply could not just ask. there was no way to ask him something like this. 

what were you suppose to say?

‘hi, tigh. are you busy? i purchased a weed plant from a sketchy dealer but i'm having trouble growing it.”

because that would have rolled over well.

it wasn’t that he didn't know you occasionally partook. you both dealt with stressors differently. he had his plants and you … technically had them too. he just nurtured them while you burned yours. it wasn’t as if you were going through multiple blunts a day or anything. but it didn't make it any less expensive. you thought it was smart of you thinking of just growing your own stash. 

you’d never have to buy from anyone again. 

except you were learning that there was a reason why not everyone did so. 

gardening was hard. 

the gentle touch of thumbs brushing away wet trails brought your head up sharply. god and now you were crying pathetically over it. all under the very sweet coos of your boyfriend as he held you close. 

“you should have just come to me, sprout. you know i’d help.” his lips warm the crown of your head while his hands rub against your biceps with comforting friction. “sure, i might have laughed a little.” he snorts. “well a lot, you did a really bad job, baby.”

you can't help but let out a weak, fractured laugh of your own. you’d since owned up to being a bad plant parent. it's impossible not to melt at the quick press kiss against the tip of your nose and then your lips. 

he looks pleased with his successful efforts. “you kind of had the right idea. just a little too much sunlight. i doubt you had it on a proper watering schedule either.”

you can’t help but frown at the light scolding, hands coming to your hips,” how do you already know what it needs? you don't even know what kind of plant it is.” your hindbrain screams at you for challenging him on a matter you didn't want to answer. 

not that it mattered, tighnari gave you a less than impressed look that didn't leave anything up for discussion. you agreeably shut up and left that matter alone. 

satisfied with your compliance, tighari grabbed the plant and walked towards the balcony. you trotted behind, unsure of how what was supposed to end up in the trash was now being nestled safely amongst your boyfriend’s other plants. 

you had to admit it was kind of cute. not his ass this time, though that was always nice. you always thought your plant was kind of lonely on its own. but that's the life it had to live to survive. even though it didn’t really. at least it had siblings now, you guess. 

tighari positions it carefully under the flat wider leaves of the bigger plants, giving it shade and occasional sunlight when the time was right. you continued to watch as he thumbed through some of his other supplies, sprinkling something you wouldnt understand if you tried to ask before wetting the soil. you might have had a brief heart attack when he stuck his finger in, probably trying to test the growth stage. even though you still had not disclosed what it was, part of you still feared he could tell from touch alone. 

tighnari pressed against his knees as he came to a stand. he muttered a quiet thank you when you handed him one of the nearby hand towels to clean off his hands. 

it couldn’t be just that easy right?

hesitantly, you probed, “ is that it?”

your boyfriend then turned to you with a smile the spoke volumes of the lecture you were about to go through,” absolutely not. are you free now? we need to go to the store.”

|* * *|

you can't recall a time that you ever accompanied tighnari to his favourite nursery. he never really asked, and it wasn’t something you’d be partially helpful with. it was much easier to welcome him home and comment on all the pretty plants he towed in. the way his cheeks would flush at the attention made for a very reasonable arrangement. 

but right now, you thought it wasn’t as bad as you imagined. this wasn’t anything like the sad excuse of arrangements you witnessed while shopping at the local supermarket. these plants actually looked like they had a home while waiting for their next. 

tighnari was obviously a regular as he stopped by anyone free for a conversation. you had been amicable for a bit, smiling sweetly as you stood at his side. then you got a little bored. the discussion was going above your head now as they delved into his research. for a few minutes you amused yourself with playing with tighnari’s listless fingers before you ultimately gave them a parting squeeze and stepping back. 

the dialogue paused briefly as tighnari’s gaze darted to you. but you waved him off. there was plenty to still explore and you were an adult. tighnari tolerated your shopping trips so you could hang with his. 

you were impressed with the amount of diversity available. you are no means a plant aficionado, but fortunately the shop owners were gracious enough to label the different flora for those who were interested in more than the pretty colours. 

the shelves were marked and separated by region, ranging from snezhnaya to mondstat. you came to a stop in front of a particular flower from liuye that drew you in by its fresh scent. the translucent white petals almost looked ethereal, certainly too delicate to do anything but observe. 

“ah the qingxin flower. you have good tastes. the rarity makes it very coveted in liyue. in the wild it is only found on the highest mountain tops.”

you briefly sraerled at the sound of a new voice and found an older lady bending down to look as well. from her apron, you assumed she was either staff or likely an owner. 

you scanned down the namecard, eyes rovering over the information given before settling on the price. gaze widening, you subtly coughed as you stepped back with a tight smile. for that price, you figured one only climbed the mountain once a year. 

the shopkeeper laughed heartily as if reading your thoughts,” it’s certainly a special one. perhaps you’d consider it for a significant other?”

she was answered by a rumbling chuckle that you recognized as tighari filled the space at your back. “that might be a little advanced for you, sprout.” you sagged into him as his hand sought out your, fingers interesting with a light embrace.

“i actually just came for some dense compost soil. we have a bit of a rehab project going on.”

tighari kept his gaze on the woman despite feeling your gaze. the shopkeeper smiled at you both with a knowing look. she waved towards the back,”i know just the thing, tighnari.”

tighnari, you learned as the women rang up the purchases, had briefly volunteered in his free time in the past. his class schedule didn’t give him the opportunity to pick up an actual working shift, but he busied himself well enough here. he may not have been an employee but he’d been gifted with a generous discount for his time and contributions. 

despite only asking for soil, tighari continued to lead you around the nursery while toting the bag under his arm. he brought you to a wall of seeds, pointing out the differences in complexity. you surprised yourself by your genuine interest. you’d never really got involved with his hobby, but his excitement today was a bit contagious and you found yourself picking a couple new projects. 

before you could round back to the counter, you stopped tighnari with a tug of your joined limbs to point at a cactus. movies made you very familiar with this plant. surely something that survived in the desert couldn't be too hard to keep alive. they drank water like every blue moon. 

except tighnari tells you it’s really not, but doesnt go over the details. instead, he hands you a sweetflower and presses an equally sweet kiss to your forehead. you found the action too cute to grumble. 

upon returning home, he stores away the seeds for later and explains the right amount of sun exposure and watering needed for the sweet flower. he surprises you by bringing it to sit in the bedroom window. you made a note to set an alarm later to mimic the maintenance schedule he detailed before. 

then came the problem child. 

you managed to keep your jitters to a minimum as he placed the pot on the quaint table he had set up on the balcony to keep his messier projects from tracking in the house. he, of course, misinterpreted your anxious pacing for excitement as he encouraged you closer. 

it was kind of … endearing watching him talk about his craft. despite having knowledge leaps and beyond, he was considerate when explaining how he mixed the soil to add nutrients without disturbing the roots. it made sense in theory, but you’d have to wait for the results. 

you decided as he carefully placed the pot back in his new home, that you were eager to witness the progress. as you pressed your lips to his in gratitude, you even forgot why you were keeping it from him in the first place. 

|* * *|

you learned regretfully that nothing worthwhile would happen overnight. tighnari had been very amused the next morning over breakfast at your crestfallen face after returning from the balcony. he did his best to withhold his humour while explaining the healing process. but not well enough as you ended up throwing your toast at him anyway. 

he does well enough to distract you with his other plants. you knew that some of your foods and spices came from his garden, but you’d never actually watched him harvest. you were pleasantly surprised to find your favourite budding in preparation for the next season. you decided this time you would pluck them. 

the first time you notice a change in your sad excuse of botany experiment, you’re beyond ecstatic. you’d grown use to the disappointment. barely phased now in the mornings when you’d venture out briefly to check. 

this time however, you nearly dropped your (well tighnari’s )mug in shock as you recognized the small but definitely budding sprout. tighari had explained that when you first noticed activity above the soil, this was known as the seedling stage. it was important to provide it with plenty of nutrients to absorb to boost its growth. 

all that mattered to you was that it was growing. 

the mug clattered noisily on the table as you deposited in your rush to the bedroom. weekends typically meant tighnari would sleep in if he didn't have any pending engagements. today was such an occasion. unfortunately, not for long as your knees came down in the space around him. 

the bed jerked with your abrupt weight, but the other occupant hardly shifted beyond a tired grumble. the bare width of his shoulder rose evenly with each breath, completely unbothered by your presence. 

well that wouldn't do. 

“tigh! tigh! tigh!”

each exclaim of his name was followed up with insistent presses of your palm against his back. your palms squeezed and prodded at the warm skin, hoping to rouse your boyfriend so he could share your glee. 

tighnari didn’t make the task easy, resisitviely holding on to his dreams as long as he could until he physically couldn't under the jostling. when he turned his head, you were met with a slightly bloodshot but nonetheless beautiful depth of his olive-brown eyes. “have i ever told you how annoyingly beautiful you are in the mornings?”

you glared at him balefully, but the expression did not last long under the bubble of your elation. you managed to settle some, coming down to lay comfortably on top of him. your body shifts against him in a way that he would find more appreciative in a form of apology. 

tighari does grumble, though it comes out as a low growl as he rolls under you. his arm slips around your waist to pull you closer. for a moment you relax into the comfortable hold. you’re just beginning to nuzzle into his neck when you remember why you were waking him up in the first place. 

your boyfriend mumbles in protest when you lift your head away from where his fingers are stoking your hair, no doubt an attempt to coax you back to sleep.

“the plant is seeding.”

tucking your chin against his chest, you're awarded with the sight of his brow pinching as your words register. he opens one eye slowly, than the other as he finally processes your excitement. there was no doubt he could feel the delighted thrum under your skin. you were barely resisting squirming. a slow smile spreads across his lips as he notices that too. 

“good, we can move on to the next stage.”

a plethora of instructions proliferates your mind, leaving you to feed through the excess information to organise the stages. were you suppose to change the soil again for fresh nutrients or was this were those little packets came in?

it wasn’t due for watering until tomorrow. 

when you look back up, tighnari watching you with exhausted mirth. awaiting his guidance, you were taken by surprise as he rolled again, this time tucking you under him as he settled back into his pillow.

he conveniently ignored your confused frown as his arms tightened. 

“now it’s important for the plant to get a lot of rest in these early stages. so we shouldn’t disturb it for a few hours.”

you huff, exasperated and stuck as his breath evens out to light snores above you. 

|* * *|

tighnari eventually does get up to inspect the plant, though he explains that there really isn't much to do in this stage. all the nutrients it needs are in the soil, its growth is proof that it’s strong enough to use them. 

that still doesn’t keep you from closely inspecting its progress. you are so intune that even the slightest centimetre of growth does not escape you. you're diligent about the watering schedule, never missing a morning to shower it with love. 

the sweet flower, in full bloom now, gets an equal amount of attention. overall, you’re satisfied to admit that you’re becoming a rather decent plant parent. 

tighanri seems to think so too, never missing the opportunity to comment on your diligence. 

“if you keep up this kind of interest, we're going to have a mini forest in our home, sprout.”

you find that you don't mind that. it had been a nice few weeks sharing this time with him. you’d become a little more attentive to all the plants really, learning their names and the seasons they favoured. 

he’s pleasantly surprised when you ask if he can help you plant another. he’s busy chopping up freshly plucked mushrooms and the low simmer on the stove smells delish. 

when he asks which ones you have in mind, you happily skip into the bedroom to retrieve one of his books he’d bought you on the last trip to the nursery. high spirited and full of ideas, you sit across from him while he prepares the food, rattling off your new favourites and which ones you want to try first. 

tighari naturally agrees with them all, confident in your growing green thumb.

so you found yourself accompanying him on his biweekly runs to the nursery, much to the delight of the shopkeeper that you learned was named umm. she happily listened to you rattle off about the growth of your plant, equipped with pictures to show the gradual stages. 

conveniently, you ignore tighnari’s amused snickering, resisting the urge to flick his sensitive ears in retaliation. 

 |* * *|

your plant is at its vegatative stage and starting to look much greener. so you decide to celebrate its growth and independence by going out on the town. without reason to decline, tighnari accompanies you to join your friends at the local bar. 

tighari nurses a beer at the bar with cyno, a student from the political science department while you relax contently with the rest of the rambunctious group of friends. more than enough drinks all around, you have them absolutely captivated with your rendition of the ‘little plant that could’. dehya even offers to buy another round as a celebration, rousing more excitement from the table. 

you relax into a comfortable buzz, head heavy as you slouch into the slightly sticky leather seats. you barely pick up the voice directed at you as you squint, head rolling over to flick up at the silver haired man. 

alhaitham chuckles at your dopey grin, certain that you would be collected soon enough. he knocks back the rest of his drink as he peers down at you with interest. “i’m a little surprised tighnari would allow you to grow drugs in his home. though i suppose i really shouldn’t, he’s always been a bit of a rebel.”

your brow pinches as you process his words, eyes widening comically as they click. in a rush that startles alhaitham, you press your vodka flavoured fingers against his lips. the normally robust male is determinedly patient with your drunken actions, as he carefully plucks your hands away, head already turned to call for your boyfriend. but you interrupt him first. 

“shhhhh,” you slur. “not so loud. he doesn’t know its drugs,” you try to communicate quietly. which is not very much so at all but everyone else is pretty occupied. alhaitham raises a grow, obviously in disbelief but you're in no state to even begin to reason with the incredulity of that statement. fortunately, tighnari is already responding to your obviously drunk gestures and alhaitman slides out of the booth to grant him access. 

he smirks as you hang heavily against tighari’s shoulder as the man considers just carrying you out. “congrats on your project, they’re proud.”

tighnari spares the man a roll of his eyes, busy enough with carting you out the door as you wave messily to your friends. 

he manages to get both you and your stomach home in one piece. you’d only briefly scared him with a bout of nausea on the way but overcame the sickness. but it's enough for him to resolve to make you a quick cup of ginger tea. 

he had tried to lay you down in the bedroom but you insisted on staying near him, stuck in your clingy stage as you wrinkled the edge of his shirt with your first. he paid no mind as he manoeuvred around you and the kitchen before presenting a warm cup for you. he was smart enough to not offer it until it cooled some. 

still you gave a precursitoy sniff before deeming it reasonable for your tongue. tighnari has no choice but to huddle close to you as you keep a tight hold of him. he rests his elbow against the counter, satisfied with your consumption progress as his other hand strokes the hair from your face. 

your new obsession with plants had done a decent job of distracting you from the strain of the semester. the only breaks he’d witnessed you take outside were to check up on the flora. so nights like this were understandable. not that he minded caring for you either way. 

it was just nicer when your nausea was under control. 

the sound of your voice startles him from his thoughts. when he lowers his chin, he finds you staring at him with beady eyes. he can't resist a grin, leaning down for an interestingly flavoured kiss. 

“ready for bed, sprout?”

as expected you shake your head, but don't protest as he takes the cup to wash anyway. ready to bring the night to a close, he corrals you to the bathroom where he leaves you to stumble through your night routine while he gathers one of his shirts. 

you happily accept the night clothing as you crawl into bed. tighnari strips while you get comfortable before sliding in behind you. 

he goes to kiss you one last time before you stop him with the movement of your lips. 

your voice is a little hoarse, no doubt from the sugar coating your throat as the alcohol drains away. your breath fans against his cheek as you speak.

“i feel like i raised a kid these last few weeks.”

tighnari knows you mean the plant but he can't help but tremble at the analogy. it's all he can do to keep his laughter in check. he’d been rather patient with his excitement, not wanting to scare you away from his passion. but inside he was brimming from the enjoyment of spending this kind of time with you. botany was his life and he was happy to share that part with you. 

you continue to ramble on, impervious to his thoughts. “we basically have a kid together, tigh. i think we did good.”

tighnari can easily deny the warmth that stain his cheeks in the dark as he shepherd your head under his chin. the more you maundered, the closer you were to drifting off. 

but not before you uttered the last few words against his skin.

“you’d be a great dad, tighnari.”

unbeknownst to you that night, he falls a little more in love with you. 

 |* * *|

mid terms roll eventually rolled around. for the most part, the two of you stay at home this year rather than resume your usual study dates at the local cafe. part of the reason is your determination not to stray too far from your ‘kids’ in your time of need. 

tighnari surprised you one day by referring to them as such. you tried to think nothing of it but his light snickering called up some suspicion. ultimately, the two of you survived on brief breaks to check on the little growing family populating the balcony and boxes of takeout. 

it was nearing the final few days of examinations. you had finished up your last this morning and were comfortable lounging on the couch with tighnari to help him roll through his study notes one more time. you were both confident in his ability to absolutely steamroll the test, but he’d been there for your revising, so you offered to do the same. 

you were comfortably kneeling on the couch, feet tucking snuggly under the warmth of your weught as you balanced the text against the spine of the couch. tighnari was relaxed against the opposite end, head rolled back against the arm.

he was taking an elective course in medicinal botany, something he expressed he might want to explore as a graduate student. 

“what are the medicinal uses for yarrow?”

he didn't miss a beat. 

“it’s used for fever, relieving common cold, loss of appetite and has the ability to help with toothaches.”

satisfied you turned to the next. 

“peppermint?”

“pains: headaches, muscle aches and joint pains.”

tighari felt the couch shift as you moved closer, happily accepting your rewarding kiss before you moved back. 

satisfied with the happily tilt of his lips, your gaze roves over to the next question prompt before you tense. tighnari makes a confused noise when you take too long, 

swallowing past the lump in your throat, you croak out, “what are the benefits of medicinal marijuana?”

tighanri is quiet for a moment and you try not to think about it. 

“it can help reduce anxiety. there are cases of it stimulating appetite to assist chemo patients. there is also research into its ability to slow tumour growth.”

you don't even fact check him as you snap the book closed, he was likely right anyway. the two od you had been at it for over an hour and it was time for a break.

 leaving the text in your seat, you ignore tighnari’s curious gaze as you slip outside. realisation slowly dawns on you as you stare down at the pretty obviously growing plant. the small pot stunted its growth a bit, but it was starting to form those distinctive leaf formations. for the most part tighnari left it in your care as you’d learned the rotation arrangements by now. you were sure how much of its progress he actually followed past your reports but it was safe to say it was time for the plant to move to its own space. 

you were just beginning to pick up the plant when tighnari fills the space behind you.

“what’s wrong?”

his voice startles you, but you managed to keep the pot from slipping through your fingers. his voice is curious but not necessarily inquisitive. 

you keep the plant close to your chest, trying and failing not to appear too suspicious. 

“i was just going to move it. the leaves are looking a little droopy.”

tighnari thankfully doesn't try to look for himself but you can practically hear him doing the maths in his head. “no, it should be fine. just leave it for now.”

and what else could you do but obediently place it back? it certainly evaded more questions than outright chucking it over the railing. you had other children, what was one loss?

but before you could contemplate the backlash, tighnari was urging you up.

“come on, let's figure out what to eat for dinner. i think i can tolerate one more night of takeout.”

you let him lead you back inside, very pointedly not looking back.

 |* * *|

you would never admit it. 

but you were definitely trying to murder your child. 

it was a slow, calculated hit that somehow kept getting thwarted despite your best efforts. 

it began with ‘conveniently’ missing water days. it was well thought out because you’d been diligent about hitting all the other plants so that tighnari would have a harder time noticing the one that got a little less attention. 

you managed to facilitate the plan for about a week before tighnari called from the balcony one afternoon. 

“hey, your baby was looking a little dry, sprout so i sprinkled some water. must have just been a hot afternoon.”

you were sure that the plant and you were crying with completely different emotions. 

trial two was more torture for you than the plant. the idea came to you when you were walking home one day and you spotted the little gremlin. personally, you were above bugs. you didn't outright plan their execution on sight, but as long as they minded their business you minded yours. 

but desperate times called for desperate measures as you carefully cupped the fat caterpillar going to town on the lawn and brought it home. 

you discreetly moved the potted fiend to a safe spot away from the others so the capilar wouldn't get too greedy. there were certainly enough leaves available in that one pot alone. you had a distant thought about it possibly being affected by the plants other properties but the clink of the front door silenced them quick enough. 

tighnari startled when you greeted him at the door, barely keeping up with your kiss before you dragged him eagerly through the house. if he was surprised by your onset of libedo, he certainly did not question it, happily letting you drag him into the bedroom.

you managed to convince him to eat in bed as well, sated and pliant from a few rounds as you returned with leftovers. he only left the room to disappear into the bathroom, something you didn't think much of until the time started to not add up. 

just when you were getting concerned, he returned, sighing pleasantly as he relaxed back into the sheets. you welcomed him eagerly, throwing an arm around his waist as you settled for the night. 

“i found the strangest thing.”

you made a small mutter of protest as you roused back to awareness. tighnari took it as a sound of inquiry. 

“since when did we start getting bugs?”

you have got to be kidding. 

 |* * *|

you come to the conclusion that you cannot in sound mind, send your child hurtling off the third story balcony. you can, however, drown it with a bottle of milk. not a single lick of research was done on the matter. you aren't even sure if it would work, but you were at your wits end. 

what had started off as a challenge, grew into a bonding moment but now it was time to let go. to be honest, you couldn't even remember the last time you had gotten the urge to smoke. maybe you really were #plantlife now. 

either way, it did its job. and it was time to say goodbye. 

“what are you doing, sprout?”

the hiss you let out is just exhausted at this point. why do you even try? there is really no point to even beginning to excuse the sight. it was just a student, their plant and a gallon of milk. what else was there to say?

tighnari’s shadow leans over the counter but you don't bother looking up. either way he’s unperturbed by the perplexing scene. 

“cannabis sativa doesn’t require calcium for growth.”

rolling your eyes, you’re willing to just tell yourself at this point. 

“i know that, tigh. i just—” his words catch up to you and your gaze snaps up to his. there is an easy smirk on his face and mirth in his eyes. 

“what did you call it?”

he shrugs,” cannabis sativa. i thought you’d at least know the proper name.”

he knows. 

of course he knows. 

you’re such an idiot. 

your head falls insto the counter space between the two banes of your existence, not even flinching at the satisfying thud of your forehead. tighnari is patient, letting you process it all as his fingers drum against the countertop. 

eventually you speak, “how long did you know?”

“since i brought it inside.”

your head darts up,“bullshit!”

he outright laughs in your face,”sprout, you’re cute and i’m not stupid. what else would you try to grow and hide on our neighbour's fire escape?”

well when he put it that way. still he didn’t have to play along for so long. sure, you’d been lost in the process for a few weeks, but once the recognition settled in it became the most stress you’d dealt with in a while. it was both unfair and deserving. 

tighari’s hands reached forward to cup your cheeks as he had pity on you. 

“it was kind of hilarious. you couldn’t even grow a weed.”

or not. 

you try to pull back but he coos until you settle, delivering a collection of butterfly kisses against your face. he stops when you mumble. 

“you’re not mad?

his silence is contemplative. eventually you can't resist searching his gaze, fearful of what you might find. 

tighnari relents before your anxiety rises to high,” do you plan to start a farm out of our flat?”

it's your turn to roll your eyes,”tigh, i barely managed to grow that.” as if that was enough of a response. 

his laugher deems that it is. he steals another kiss just because he can. “then no i'm not mad. it was kind of fun doing this with you.” his face is light and open. “i kind of forgot that it was weed for a bit too.”

you agree thinking about how much you’d come to appreciate the plant in its final momenst. 

 |* * *|

a few weeks pass and your plant is in full bloom. truly becoming the tale of the little plant that could. it's well past prime harvesting time but you can't bring yourself to cut away the leaves you meticulously spent time raising. 

it was your baby and you would see it through its lifecycle. 

you file through the flat, setting down your belongings in pursuit of the balcony. it was time to rotate the plants now that the highest point of the sun had passed. your baby would get some much needed sunlight for a few days before returning to the shade. 

you crouched down prepared to start the process when you found its spot vacated. and not just from there but the whole balcony. a brief panic swelled in your chest as you tentatively peered over the railing. it was unlikely that it had fallen over but where else could it have been?

your baby had just hit maturity and you lost it.

rushing back into the house, you combed through your belongings in search of your phone. tighnari should be coming home any minute, but you couldn't wait patiently enough for that. you needed to find you kid now.

however, just as your thumb hovered over the contact, the bathroom door cracked open. tighnari walked through, hands preoccupied with something. “hey, i thought i heard you.”

he’s rather determinedly … rolling something between his fingers. the clarity hits you all at once. 

tighari glides a thumb over his tongue before he wets the paper one last time to seal,” i thought i was going to have to go to the store. why do you keep the paper in the bathroom?”

he appears unperturbed by your frozen state, pressing a quick kiss to your lips as he heads to the kitchen.

eventually your brain and lips meet on the same mental synapse,” you know how to roll weed.” it's not even a question. it's so obviously a fact since he just did so. 

he still rewards you with that look; the one that silently questioned the sanity and intelligence of those around him. from your position, if you lean just far enough to the right you can see your child sitting quietly on the bathroom counter. without a thought you go snatch it up and hold it close. 

tighnari had only taken a few trimmings but it was a sad echo of what it was. frowning you played with the remaining leaves,” i wasn’t going to cut it.”

your boyfriend barely listens as he digs through the drawers, likely in search of a lighter. the blunt is settled precariously between his lips as he speaks,” then why did you grow it?

well you basically forgot, kind of remembered and then got insanely attached to it. now, you didn’t want to watch it burn. it was kind of symbolic to you at this point. it was no longer a substance that you sometimes partook in. it was a token of your gesture to explore other methods of anxiety management, even though you didn’t realise it at the time. a lesson of patience and understanding. you didn’t need it anymore. happy with just the reminder. and the faint memory of the wafty smell of—

you come back to the sight of tighnari lighting the end of the joint, brow raised in shallow acknowledgement of your brief bout of contemplation, as if to ask ‘are you done yet?’

“tighnari!”

your boyfriend has plenty of time to take the first drag as you scramble around the counter, plant forgotten as you try to snatch the ashes of your baby from his lips. he humours you with a laugh, dodging the attempts at first before his hand darts out to snatch your chin. he holds it steady as he takes another drag and brings his lips to yours emptying the smokey billows into your mouth.

and you have to admit, it's a pretty good strand. dori didn’t disappoint. 

tighari pats your bottom as you mellow out, watching while you reflectively soaking in the essence. when he was satisfied he left you go, trading his grip for your hand. you dazedly let him lead you to the couch, swallowing a protest as he pulls you down with him. he hands you the blunt and you take another practiced drag, slow and careful as you savored the taste.

you’re still kind of sad as you pass it back. 

tighnari can't help but find hilarity in your state. “for a sad sprout, you’re enjoying it.”

he laughs out loud when you hit his chest in protest, not finding the murder of your child very funny when its not you. 

“what? i thought you’d be excited to enjoy the fruits of your labour.”

“that’s our kid and you burned it!”

tighnari sucked in another slow inhale as he stares at you. 

“we have more kids.”

rolling your eyes, you accept defeat and sag into the cushions. despite your best efforts, he’d obviously won this round. now you were second in command to his flower kingdom. which wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounded. “i don't mean your kids.”

you liked them and all, but it wasn't the same. they’d never share the same fate as their sibling .they’d live out their lives watching the ‘little plant that could’ get plucked for every inch of it’s life. 

tighnari leans down like he’s going to kiss you again and you instinctively part your lips expecting the puff of smoke, “no, i mean i planted more. i got the seeds from dori for a good deal.”

he leans back, head falling against the spine of the couch as you stared at him starstruck.

what the hell.

“tigh, you rebellious little dealer.”

tighnari points at you, joint parched between his ring and middle finger as the embers fall carelessly. “still not selling,” he sings.

which is a shame. anything he would grow would be worth more than ten times then whatever was on the market. 

“i guess we’ll have our house full.”

he nods, sagging into the couch as he hands you the blunt. 

“think after this batch we’ll be ready for real kids?”

“That’s such a trumped-up charge!” You huff and roughly cross your arms over your chest, eyes narrowing as you think back on the charges that had been slapped down onto you by that damned archon. “You trip in the dark and accidentally fall into the oratrice and all of a sudden you’re a criminal. Hmph!”

“Yeah, exactly. It also doesn’t help that you broke in—”

“—I left my bracelet in there after the trial! Was I just supposed to leave it behind and potentially lose it forever? The condition of the lost and found in that place is downright terrible—the guards pocket all the good stuff.”

“You could have bought another one.”

“Not like this one.” You look down to the gray bracelet encircling your wrist, and a warmth spreads in your chest as you gently twist it around, finger rubbing over the messily written engraving on the inside of it. “This was a gift.”

“Hardly.” He sighs, and your eyes flick up to watch as he runs his hands through his already messy hair. “It’s just scrap metal I bent up and welded because I couldn’t buy you proper jewelry back when I was a prisoner.” It’s his turn to look at the bracelet.

“You were so creative back then.” You smile a bit wider. “I remember you used to have something new made every time I came to visit you. What was that one thing you made? The one that we painted together?”

“The ballerina music box.” He groaned, looking a bit embarrassed, and you snapped your fingers.

“The ballerina music box!” The ballerina was a bit oddly shaped, and the box had sharp corners on one side and rounded on the other, and the song the box played was distorted and sounded more creepy than relaxing due to some disfigured cogs, but you loved it nonetheless, and had even sobbed in thanks when he had first presented the gift to you. “I love that little box.”

“It looks like a child made it.”

“A child in the throes of eleazar, yes,” you nod, and his mouth opens a bit in surprise before he huffs out a laugh. “But I still love it… because you made it.” You give him a sweet smile, and you can see him soften up before your very own eyes; broad shoulders losing that rigidness, lids lowering, crease between his dark, thick brows disappearing.

“You’re tryin’ to butter me up.”

“Mhm,” you nod. “Is it working?”

“Not at all, jailbird.” He gives you a smile of his own, and despite the clear sarcasm in it, you can’t help the little flutter your heart does at the sight. “No special treatment for you.” So he says, yet he had placed a cup of tea down for you the moment you were brought to his office, and had even tried to inconspicuously nudge the basket of cookies in your direction, pretending not to notice when you reached for one. “Spouse or not.”

“What a mean man.” You slouch down in your seat. “I treasure the gifts that my lovely, amazing, strong, handsome, and so so so incredibly smart husband gives me and what do I get in return? A criminal record and unfair treatment! I’m suing the entire nation the moment I’m free!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves his hand in the air as if fanning away the conversation, and now it’s your turn to huff. “For the few days that you’re here, you’ll be working directly with me in exchange for coupons.” He takes a slow sip of his tea, adams apple bobbing as he swallows, before gently setting the cup back down onto its small plate. “I’ll make your first job real easy to get you in the swing of things.”

“How kind of you.”

He just barely contains an amused smile. “Very. Now…” He shifts in his seat. “Give me a kiss.”

“I’m married, Your Grace.”

“I’m sure your husband won’t mind. Kiss. Now.” He taps a finger against his lips, and after a moment you stand up and round his desk, hands finding his shoulders as you bend at the waist so your noses brush.

“My husband is a very good fighter, by the way. When he finds out you twisted his spouses’s arm like this, he’ll pummel you.”

“I can handle him.” A hand snags you by the waist, forcing you down into his lap, and you only have time to let out a quiet yelp before Wriothesley’s lips are on yours. The kiss is slow, sensual, and it brings a warmth to your cheeks and covers you with a bashful cloak when he pulls back to let his eyes roam over your face. “I’ve gotta say… your husband is a real lucky guy to snatch up someone as cute as you.”

“Hmph. Seems like you’re trying to butter me up now.”

“Is it working?” He presses his face into your neck, his lips pulling into a smile against your skin, and you have to fight back one of your own.

✦ 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 —

standing tall, loose; relaxed.

standing tall, tense; alert - most likely there’s danger nearby. survey the area closely.

a twitch and a freeze and a slow swivel; alertness, observation - the fox hears something and is trying to deduce what he heard.

drooping, continuous swivel; embarrassment? anxiousness? to observe more. cute

a few continuous flicks; itchy ears - most likely he can’t scratch them at the moment. help to scratch his ears. usually will be rewarded by headpats :D

flat against head; refer to 𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 section.

✦ 𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 —

upright, loose; relaxed. !!!do not pull!!!

upright, tall and unmoving; alert, aggression - best prepare for a fight.

upright, with ears flat against head; curious - fox is interested in object. will sometimes ignore his surroundings. take care to watch over him and any possible dangers around.

moving about, with ears flat against head; needy - little fox wants scratches and pats, so scratches and pats he shall get <3

swaying softly, sideways; happy, content - note to self: to add fox’s subject of interest to ‘likes’ whenever this happens

swaying softly, up and down; excited - fox does this when he sees squirrels, fellow fox in the wild, or a new unidentified plant

“master, if we don't go soon- oh! i-i’m sorry,” collei squeaks when her violet eyes find your sleeping form hunched over on your desk, which is covered in countless papers, your arms acting as your pillow and your lips slightly open.

undoubtedly, you had been working on something and fallen asleep somewhen last night. as your soft snore fills the now-silent room, her teacher, who had been standing beside you right by your desk and motioned her to quieten down, smiles and closes the book in his hand with a soft thump.

“i’ll be there in ten minutes,” tighnari says, his tone gentle and the young ranger knows whenever her teacher takes that tone, it must concern you.

she nods wordlessly and leaves the two of you, giggling into her palms as a cloud of pink blush dust her cheeks.

back in your shared room, the fox hybrid sighs when his eyes fixes on the uncomfortable position you’re in. his arms, trained from wielding his signature bow and climbing sumeru’s terrain, wrap carefully around you, taking care to not jostle you too much as he moves your peacefully snoozing form over to your bed. after he safely tucks you in, he glances towards the desk, or more specifically, the journal that had taken his interest.

…. well, he still has at least five minutes to spare.

𝐟𝐨𝐱 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 #𝟏

✦ 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛 —

fennex fox hybrid | 𝑣𝑢𝑙𝑝𝑒𝑧 𝑧𝑒𝑟𝑑𝑎

✦ 𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑠 —

‘shrooms, fruits, meats, leaves?? (saw him eat some this one time?? for research?? 𝗂 𝖽𝗈 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾)

✦ 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑠 —

leaf and flower bookmarks, shade from the sun, mushrooms (not the poisonous ones though), tail grooming (maybe?? saw a special brush on his room one time - need to prove hypothesis 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖿𝖺𝗄𝖾-𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝗁𝗒𝖻𝗋𝗂𝖽 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇'𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗅 𝗀𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗆𝖾𝖽??), [𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾]

✦ 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑠 —

idiots (special note: read more on avidya forest survival guide + resources on sumeru jungle plantations + "𝖺𝗏𝗂𝖽𝗒𝖺 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝖺𝗎𝗇𝖺 𝗀𝗎𝗂𝖽𝖾" + "𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗌 𝗏𝗈𝗅.1 - 𝗏𝗈𝗅.47") (𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖺 𝖽𝗎𝗆𝖻𝖺𝗌𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗀𝗈𝗋𝗒), loud noises, heavy spices, perfumes

✦ 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 —

standing tall, loose; relaxed.

standing tall, tense; alert - most likely there’s danger nearby. survey the area closely.

a twitch and a freeze and a slow swivel; alertness, observation - the fox hears something and is trying to deduce what he heard.

drooping, continuous swivel; embarrassment? anxiousness? to observe more. cute 𝗂 𝖺𝗆 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖼𝗎𝗍𝖾.

a few continuous flicks; itchy ears - most likely he can’t scratch them at the moment. help to scratch his ears. usually will be rewarded by headpats :D 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖾 𝗄𝗂𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖻𝖾𝗀

flat against head; refer to 𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 section.

✦ 𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 —

upright, loose; relaxed. !!!do not pull!!! 𝗇𝗈 𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗅𝗈𝖼𝗄 (𝗂 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝗀𝗋𝗎𝖽𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗎𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝗇𝗍)

upright, tall and unmoving; alert, aggression - best prepare for a fight.

upright, with ears flat against head; curious - fox is interested in object. will sometimes ignore his surroundings. take care to watch over him and any possible dangers around.

moving about, with ears flat against head; needy 𝗇𝖾𝗀𝗅𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽 - little fox wants scratches and pats, so scratches and pats he shall get <3

swaying softly, sideways; happy, content - note to self: to add fox’s subject of interest to ‘likes’ whenever this happens 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗌𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝖺 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗅

swaying softly, up and down; excited - fox does this when he sees squirrels, fellow fox in the wild, or a new unidentified plant

𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗁𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌, 𝗁𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗍'𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝗂 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗌𝗎𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗎𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗈𝖻𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝖻𝗃𝖾𝖼𝗍 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗅𝗒.

© zhongrin | 2022 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

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"hey, miss, you okay?" he asks, tapping the wooden surface of the counter near to get your attention.

you gaze up at him, your eyes tearful and somewhat puffy red as you sniffle, and the sight of you made chuuya's throat dry for some reason.

he wasn't expecting someone as breathtaking as you. apart from your tears, the alcohol in the high ball whiskey you were drinking was also contributing to the blood pouring into your cheeks.

"m'fine," you sniffle softly, wiping at your tears which makes chuuya sighs.

"is someone giving you a bad time, doll?" he asks, concernedly blinking at you and scanning the room for any suspicious people, but there were only the two of you in the bar.

you shake your head, giggling a little at this redhead's genuine care for you. it was quite sweet of him to be honest. as you glance up at him again, you take a long breath to calm yourself and wipe away any leftover tears.

"i was just crying over.. exams." you blurt out, little embarrassed because he appeared to be an influential man involved in something bigger, like a corporation of sorts, given his fancy and expensive coat, bolo tie, and suit that were of black and gray colors.

"exams?" chuuya repeats your answer, blinking as he looks down at you, making you feel even more embarrassed because he appears to be judging you in some way for it.

"mhm," you mutter gently with a nod, rubbing your arm as you stare down at your lap, feeling glum about it, "i failed one of my exams, and it was a major subject of mine, too."

"that's it?" chuuya sighs quietly, which causes you to become quiet, but instead of something more judgmental, you perk up when you hear a chuckle rumble from his throat and escape his lips.

your cheeks get heated, as if from the whiskey you were drinking or your tears weren't making them flushed enough, and you narrow your eyes at him, "h-hey, it's not funny!" you cry out.

chuuya snickers as he shakes his head, and you wonder if it's the wine making you hazy and all, or if it's something about him—the way he sounded as he laughed and smiled.

he also appears to be genuine, despite his arrogant looking-exterior, and you could tell there was some sort of mysterious allure behind him, as if he was a part of something bigger that you couldn't quite pin down.

"sorry, doll," he sighs, still grinning at you, "you just had me worried there for a second there, you know? you cry like you're on the big screen."

"it was a major exam," you sigh, turning away from him as you finish the last of your whiskey, "and it might not mean anything to someone like you given your status and appearance, but it is a big deal to me."

"i'm failing quizzes, and now an exam, so yeah, it's all a big deal to someone like me because how else am i gonna be a doctor someday with low grades, you know?" you continue, feeling your eyes become glassy with tears again as you pinch the bridge of your nose.

"hey, now. hey, i didn't mean it like that, sweetheart," chuuya says softly as he realizes he has offended you in some manner, "i just thought you got hurt or something, and you're the one here in the bar drinking apart from me."

"well, thanks for your concern," you say softly, sniffling and fidgeting with the empty glass that was previously full with whiskey to escape his stare, "i just needed a pick me up.."

chuuya feels an unpleasant pause following the end of the conversation. he watches in silence and nibbles the inside of his cheek as you you call the bartender's attention to order another glass of whiskey.

he could still see the melancholic glint in your pretty eyes. it makes him feel bad for laughing about your circumstance. it's a big deal for you, and it was quite strange for chuuya as well.

chuuya was a port mafia executive, and considering his line of work, he shouldn't be distracted, let alone this soft, but he can't stop himself. he's growing soft for someone like you.

"her drink is on me," chuuya says, drawing the bartender's attention just as you were ready to pull out some cash from your wallet, "and i'll order some chocolate-drizzled hazelnut brittle for her."

your eyes widen as the bartender nods to chuuya and serves your beverage beside the chocolate brittle that actually complements the new glass of whiskey he's got you as well.

"why?" you murmur, blinking at him, confused.

"you said you needed a pick-me-up, didn't you? and besides, you seemed like the type to get something sweet with your whiskey." chuuya shrugs as he downs his wine, turning his face away with his gloved hand covering half of his face, just so you wouldn't see the growing blush on his cheeks.

he says in a hushed tone, "just think of it as me making it up to you for earlier, okay?"

with his kindness, you find yourself actually smiling, having forgotten about the exam and how you were crying about it.

maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

it doesn't take long for him to know you were a regular at this bar, and how you frequently come here and drink when you're stressed out as he learns from the bartender.

chuuya isn't even aware of it, yet he's gradually becoming comfortable and used to you, and it was all because of how he just happened to see you crying that evening when you were drinking your sadness away with some whiskey.

it was a pleasant change of pace for once because he wasn't talking about work that included killing or any underground organization businesses like smuggling.

instead, chuuya was conversing with a college student who is more concerned about failing the exams or receiving a low mark from her professor than with being mugged or shot.

instead of being entranced by gunpower and blood, it was the the familiar aroma of your high ball whiskey and his red wine, and the vanilla scent of your perfume clinging on cardigan every time, and he takes solace in that in secret.

and chuuya listens to everything you say, even if he considers the medical jargons and chemistry-related things you talk about puzzling and nonsense as he didn't really quite gets them at all.

but, in fact, these nights became his favorites—something chuuya grew to look forward to like an addiction, and he misses it whenever he can't come to the bar because you're so busy with college.

he was clearly beginning to feel things for you, because why would a port mafia executive like himself have time for an mere college student that was constantly stressed-out, but he resents it in some way.

he despises how sincere and nice you were because it caused him to lose his guard. his stomach was doing flips all the time around you, which was driving him mad.

at the end of the day, or rather evening, it makes him hopeless to think about you and everything, and it's unfortunate.

you and him come from different worlds in the sense that he revels in the darkness and violence as mori's executive, and the fact that he kills makes him a bad person, and you?

you were so good—too good to be true for him, living in the light, going out with your friends and peers, and studying your love-hate pre-med course. you even aspire to be a doctor someday to help others, which contrasted with him having to kill and do such things as a member of an underground organization.

eventually, from his plethora of thoughts and wild emotions, it all comes down to him beginning to wonder what would it be like to be loved by someone like you.

would he wake up to you rushing to get ready in the morning? would he be able to accompany you while you studied and memorized terms? to comfort you and listen to you recite mnemonics he'll never understand?

would he be the one to give you a bouquet as you hold up your college degree someday?

it was all simple domestic notions invading his head now instead of work, but he had never wanted it so badly before, and it was suddenly as important to him as your college course was to you.

it really makes him sad.

still, he was a port mafia executive.

what would your family think? your college friends think? what would you think if you learned the truth about chuuya, from what he does to the kind of person he really was?

would you run away from him if you knew?

it was another of his late evenings with you, and you were drinking whiskey again—a drink to which chuuya had grown accustomed to.

tonight, you were drinking a little too much tjan usual, but to be fair, you had just passed another round of examinations this month, and you were drinking both in joy and in dread.

while you were relieved to have it over with, you are still concerned about the outcome.

your cheeks were red from all the alcohol you had consumed, but you've also been starring at chuuya for quite some time now, blinking in a haze, not realizing you had been staring since half past two.

your gaze travels from his plush cheeks and lips to his ocean eyes. how come you're only recognizing how handsome he was in person after spending so much time with him? was it the alcohol affecting you?

hmm, or maybe it was something else? you do feel your chest warmer and fuzzier than usual.

in any case, you continue to drink your whiskey while giggling to yourself and shaking your head.

chuuya lifts a brow, finding your little giggle as you drink rather endearing, "what's so funny, doll?"

"hmm, someone's getting tipsy," he murmurs softly afterwards, extending his hand out subconsciously to cup your face. chuuya bites his lower lip, watching you lean against his palm as his thumb tenderly carresses your cheek.

"and someone's pretty right now," you giggle again, looking up at him with flushed cheeks.

"huh?" chuuya hums in confusion, though he was finding the words you were uttering quite silly.

"you're.. really pretty, you know?" you murmur softly as you place down the now empty glass on the bar table, smiling softly at him.

"don't you mean yourself, sweetheart?" chuuya chuckles and shakes his head as he finds himself booping your nose, making you smile and giggle even more. yeah, you were becoming tipsy, and he thinks it's adorable.

your [color] eyes gradually narrow as you push your body forward towards him. chuuya's eyes widen for a minute as he notices you leaning against his chest, resting your head against the crook of his shoulder from your seat.

"[name]? y-you okay, doll?" chuuya sputters out, blinking as one of his hands gently moves to your back to rub it comfortingly for you while the other remains on your cheek.

"and you smell so nice too.." you murmur softly, continuing to speak and closing your eyes, not really answering his question at this point.

chuuya takes a deep breath, burying his face in your hair, before wrapping his arms around you and pulls you to his chest, as you softly mumble more stuff at him. as his gloved fingers begin to comb through your hair, his chest rumbles a chuckle.

you two continue to sit on your cushioned seats at the bar like this, and right now, it was just you and him, together with the fragrance of whiskey and wine, and the mellow ambiance being provided by the soft and quiet jazz music playing from the bar's radio.

he eventually rises up from his seat and decides to pull you out of the bar not long after, seeing that you need some fresh air and to be taken home right away.

chuuya was a gentleman, and he wouldn't want you arriving home too drunk, let alone late in the evening.

he wraps his arm around you as he gently pulls you outside, but it sinks into his skin again. the dreadful truth.

even if chuuya really wanted to, he can't be with you like this.. at least that's what he thinks.

you open your eyes, lifting your head when you feel chuuya pull his arms away from you all of a sudden.

"chuuya?" you mutter softly, tilting your head.

"sorry, sweetheart," chuuya sighs shakily, attempting a chuckle, but his smile this time held sorrow as he glances at you and curses under his breath, closing his eyes, "it's just... fuck, i don't wanna ruin this night for you."

"huh, w-what are you talking about?" you ask, blinking in confusion and sobering up as you realize just how serious chuuya was right now.

"baby, an angel like you can't fly down hell with me," chuuya says, looking deep into your eyes before leaning in, his lips to your ear as he whispers, "i'm from the port mafia, and an executive at that too."

as he speaks, his eyes are filled with sadness and perhaps shame. it was apparent that chuuya was not as proud of his work or his life as you were. in fact, how could he compare to someone as good as you in the first place?

it was quite pathetic of him. really.

who would have guessed that someone as arrogant and influential as him would be confessing like this outside a local bar in the middle of the night?

if his friends and colleagues were to see him like this, they would probably laugh, and most importantly think he was an entirely different person.

he finds himself holding his breath, already bracing himself for your reaction with a part of him anticipating you to freak out or get angry.

chuuya watches your eyes widen as he confesses, his heart pounding in his chest. he then lowers his eyes, his head bowed in shame, but he manages a shaky response, "but really, it's okay, baby. you don't even have to love me."

chuuya, however, is surprised to just feel your head rest against his chest again instead of a furious reaction.

"doll?" chuuya asks in surprise, blinking at you.

"i don't have to love you, yes," you whisper softly, your hands reaching for his sleeves, reluctant to let him go, "but i do."

"w-what?" chuuya was in disbelief, and now his eyes were wide—the tables turned.

"i don't mind if you're a port mafia executive," you remark, looking up at him, your hands clenched so tightly around the fabric of his coat that it was bunching in your grip, "i don't wanna ever leave this, these nights we have.. chuuya.."

"fuck, c'mere," chuuya curses under his breath in a hushed tone, and before you two even knew it, his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you to the back of the bar with him, being impossibly closer to you than before.

you feel your back press against the brick wall of the place where you and you him had just left. for a brief time, his forehead brushes against yours, and you find yourself leaning in and melting into the warm skin contact.

chuuya cups your face in his hands and talks quietly, his breath and the whiff of wine hitting your face, "guess you're flying down to hell with me then, hmm?"

"then, to hell with it," you say back in hushed tone, looking into his eyes, "i'm already yours."

chuuya then slams his lips to yours.

"m-mmh," you quietly moan into the kiss. it feels so warm, and you can taste the wine on his tongue mingling with the whiskey on yours, as well as the hint of tenderness in the kiss.

the alcohol intoxicated your mind, but in a nice way that all you could think about in the heat of the moment was his lips against yours and his arms holding you so closely to him, as if you were going to run away from him.

"hush now, love," his words came out in whispered yet sweet mumbles, punctuated by every press of his lips on yours as he continued to kiss, and oh, you tasted so heavenly.

chuuya could taste the whiskey on your tongue, combined with the minty flavor of cherry gloss on your lips, and smell your ever familiar yet soothing vanilla perfume lingering on your skin and sweater, and he adores it.

it was something he could become hooked to—something he looked forward to every time.

in between kisses, you see a smile pulling on your lips, and you giggle, and he laughs as well.

you glance up at him, swaying slightly from the glasses of whiskey you've just had, and it makes him chuckle even more since he honestly feels the same way, and his hands grip you even more securely and closely as a result and to steady himself too.

"guess we're a little too fucked up to stay still from the drinks, huh?" chuuya chuckles as you rest your head against his chest, nestling it beneath his chin, his arms still encircling you.

"you know, my apartment is just nearby, and it's vacant," you say softly.

"noted, love," chuuya hums, knowing exactly where he'll be tonight, and honestly, he doesn't mind. his penthouse was just as empty and lonely even, and the thought of being with you tonight in yours was all he needed.

you giggle again, unable to stop smiling at all as you close your eyes and bury your face in the fabric of his clothes, finding comfort in the aroma of wine and cigarettes from him, as well as his cologne.

"wonder what i'll do when the cops come through and the whiskey's run out?" you murmur softly, a random thought arising from the alcohol in your system, but you continued to smile, "or worse.. when my parents find out?"

"well, that's too bad, because i'm already yours, doll," chuuya says into your hair, his nose tracing your forehead and cheek before leaning in for another kiss on your lips, closing the distance between the two of you again.

he then brushes a loose strand of your hair behind your ear and presses his forehead against yours once more, "but that's easy to answer, doll."

"then how?"

"we keep it lowkey."

"lowkey?"

"no one's gotta know, just us and the moon til' the sun starts wakin'"

you like this night. everything was just right and you couldn't care less about anything.

⊹ A.N.: i know what you're thinking, and yes, niki writes a fic that isn't inspired by a taylor swift song for once—i had picked up on niki again while i was listening to lowkey and urs, i couldn't help but imagine chuuya !! ⊹.(⁎˃﹏˂⁎)˚. <3

⊹ P.S.: reader may or may not have been inspired by me, your stressed out biochem college girlie (except i haven't drank in months so FAHEHDJSK pls don't drink if ur underage smh)

the car ride was spent listening to yuuji tell you story after story, the boy opening up to you in a way that he hadn’t quite related to any of the other sorcerers, even gojo.

you smiled to yourself, enjoying his stories as you wondered how to tell kento that you were bringing your student home for dinner. 

there was still a bridge to cross between them, and though you knew they both liked the other more than they let on, kento hadn’t quite connected to the boy like he wanted to.

you hoped that by inviting him over, yuuji would see that kento, truly, wasn’t as intense as he let on. he was sweet, caring, and he did have a sense of humor… even if gojo didn’t really believe that. 

you led yuuji into the house, and stopped him when you heard the sound of kento in the kitchen. his mission had ended earlier than yours, and he’d offered to cook tonight; there would be more than enough food for the three of you. 

“i’ll be right back,” you said, tapping yuuji on the shoulder. “let me go tell kento you’re here.” 

you’d considered letting your husband know before you arrived, but you hadn’t wanted him to protest. kento would try to make a fuss of having a guest over, even if it was only yuuji, and he certainly didn’t care about formalities. 

your heart skipped when you reached kento, his back turned, finishing up the meal that was steaming on the stove. even just standing in the threshold of the kitchen, you were overwhelmed with all of your love for him. 

but it didn’t take much… it never had. you’d always been sickeningly in love with nanami kento. 

your footsteps were soft as you snuck up behind him. “kento,” you said, just above a whisper, snaking your arms around his waist. you kissed the muscles between his shoulder blades, listening to the steady thrum of blood pumping through his body. 

“hi, sweetheart.” he’d heard you approach, and he turned, eyes softening when he glanced at you over his shoulder. “everything okay at the school?”

you nodded, squeezing him tighter. even though you’d seen him just a few hours prior, it felt like a long time—time apart when you were battling curses always dragged as you worried for each other’s safety. “did your mission go okay?” you asked. 

he took your hands from around his waist, bringing them to his lips softly. “everything went fine. dinner’s almost ready so—” then, he noticed your guilty expression, one that you were clearly horrible at hiding. “is something wrong?” 

you smiled innocently. “no! i just… brought a guest.” 

kento’s eyebrows raised, his smiling falling quickly. “well, you could’ve told me before.” he sighed, shaking his head as he turned around to face you. 

“sorry, i thought i’d surprise you.” 

kento’s lips drew into a thinner line. “honey, please tell me gojo satoru is not in my house right now. he’s not welcome here anymore, because the last time he almost destroyed our fucki—” kento glanced up, his words falling away as he glanced over your shoulder. “itadori. hello. i didn’t realize you were there.” 

you turned, releasing kento as yuuji gawked back at you. he’d caught in such a loving embrace with kento. yuuji’s normally stoic teacher was in the middle of swearing, blonde hair tumbling over his forehead. kento had replaced his suit with casual wear, and his contacts had been taken out. in place of them were wire-rimmed glasses. 

“nanamin!” yuuji gasped. “you look so different.” 

“yes, well, i apologize for my apperance.” kento sighed, looking at you from the corner of his eye. “i wasn’t aware we were having guests.” 

“one guest. its just yuuji,” you said, poking him in the middle of the chest as his professional tone returned, so easily taking over. “i don’t think he cares what you’re wearing.” 

“no, i don’t!” yuuji backtracked, eyes wide as he shuffled forward. “no, you look cool, you don’t look so…” 

kento raised his eyebrows, amused, even if yuuji couldn’t detect the humor in his expression. “so what?” 

the boy’s cheeks turned pink, embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “um—”

“you don’t look like you’ve got a stick up your ass.” you said, voicing yuuji’s obvious thoughts as you kissed kento on the cheek with a short laugh. of course, it was only to embarrass him further in front of his student. 

kento feigned a scowl, but didn’t push you away, his gaze firmly planted on yuuji. “that’s because i try to keep my relationships at work strictly professional.” 

“really?” yuuji grinned, stuffing his hands back in his pockets, his posture relaxing as he grew more comfortable in your home. “not very professional to marry someone you work with, is it?” 

you laughed loudly, already caring so deeply for the boy that you’d known for such a short period of time. 

“that was certainly an accident,” kento muttered, but his fingers lingered on your spine, tracing each of the bones. “i’ll have you know we were not working together when we got together.” 

“really?” yuuji’s curiosity spiked. “how long have you been together, then?” 

you thought back to when you were teenagers, when kento had a haircut that he had since regretted, and smiled mischievously. reaching into your pocket, you pulled out your phone and scrolled through old photos, back from when you were just kids, the images grainy and of much lower quality than the ones from your recent vacation. 

“hey, don’t show him those!” kento protested. he reached for your phone, but you scrambled under his arm, stretching your hand out to give yuuji the device. “itadori, don’t—” kento’s voice held a hint of panic, his cheeks hot with embarrassment as he grabbed you around the waist, trying to stop you from giving yuuji the phone. 

but it was already in yuuji’s hands, and you laughed loudly, knowing that while you looked a little more awkward than you did now, your appearance had changed near as drastically as kento’s. 

yuuji squinted his eyes at a sixteen year old nanami, blond hair long enough to reach his eyes, dressed in an all black ensemble, an earbud in one ear. kento was hardly smiling, but you beamed next to him in the photo, dressed more childishly than you were now, but just as pretty. the image from when you still fumbled around each other, unsure how to admit that you were both in love. 

a roar of laughter left yuuji as kento’s expression fell, and he released you, snapping the phone out of itadori’s palm. “that’s you, nanamin? no way. how did you…” yuuji glanced between you, squinting his eyes. “well, i guess looking at you now it makes sense.” 

“i know,” you agreed, covering your smiles with your palms. “we looked a little silly together back then. i saw the potential in him, but satoru certainly loved to make fun of us, didn’t he, ken?” 

“i have absolutely no desire to relive those days.” 

yuuji laughed. “you were just like fushiguro, i bet!” 

“scarily similar,” you agreed, as kento rolled his eyes beside you, putting your phone in his pocket to keep you from scavenging any older photos to share with the kid. “and he still loves to listen to—”

“don’t finish that sentence or i’ll save this dinner all for myself.” 

yuuji eyes flew up to his hairline, but you just snorted, knowing that kento’s threats were about as scary as a puppy.

“he’s still sensitive about it,” you whispered to yuuji. “gojo and his friends made fun of him all the time.” 

“oh really. just me?” kento retorted under his breath.

“you must have been pretty popular, then!” yuuji grinned. “if you were friends with gojo. he said all the girls in school loved him!”

kento made an irritated sound, stirring the spoon roughly against the pot. “well, satoru is the last person you should listen to. he has an ego bigger than the sun. and my wife is leading you astray. she was not similar to satoru, she was painfully shy, and it took weeks for either of us to talk to each other.” kento took the pan off the stove, peering over his shoulder at you. “and she is very lucky i love her too much to dig up any embarrassing stories of her.” 

You give your daughter a strange look, what does that mean? Had your daughter witnessed Manjiro with another woman, is that why she's been dragged into this?

You take a deep breath and pray that your tears won't fall, "sweetie, do you have something to tell me?"

Keina rubs her eyes with her pudgy hands.

"I-i wanna marry Papa but I can't 'cause you're with Papa!" She buries her face into her father's neck, trying to hide the fact that tears are flowing down her face. She's failing, horribly.

You look at Manjiro, and he gives you a toothy grin. You release the tension in your shoulders at that. Your heart starts to calm down, now you're overcome with love at your small family.

"Sorry hun," He rocks Keina, "I gotta pick my little girl over you."

You play along, shaking your head in faux sadness, "well, that's depressing, but that's just how life is sometimes." You walk over to your little girl and remove your ring. Suddenly, her tears ceases. She removes her head from her father's neck and she reaches for the gold band with wide twinkling eyes.

At the last minute, you pull back and she juts out her bottom lip. Once again, tears start to pool her eyes.

"But why Mama!" She yells.

You hum, "are you sure you want your Papa," You tease as you shake your ring in front of your eyes, enjoying how her eyes follow it.

She nods eagerly, "I do! I really do! 's not fair that you have him!"

Manjiro grins, ego stroked, "look, Keina knows what kind of catch I am."

You roll your eyes at his words then look at Keina again, who tries to reach for the jewelry with her small hands. You hold it back, "what about Mama?"

"Mama...?" Not understanding where you're getting at, she stares.

"Yep!" You pop, "mama's the one that makes all your delicious food, which includes your favourites: dorayaki and taiyaki!" You had learned to make it for Manjiro, when you two weren't dating and you wanted to impress him. It's to your luck that your daughter adores the snack almost as much as her father.

Your girl's eyes pop and she whips her head to her father, "Papa! I wanna marry Mama!"

You laugh and place the ring back on your finger. You give Manjiro a victorious smile as he tilts his head back and groans as Keina pesters him for his ring.

"You monster, you've turned her against me." He groans.

You place your hands on your hips and roll your eyes, "not my fault she loves her mama so much." Pettily you add, "guess I'll be the one leaving you for another woman."

Ken Ryuguji (Draken)

Despite what it looks like, Ken is the more domestic one of you two. That's not to say he's the best at it (you've got the burned meals to prove it), but his shops closer to home and more often then not, he's the one taking care of you daughter while you're at work.

Over the years, he's improved dramatically, so you're surprised to see Manami and Ken crying in the living room.

Manami is more dramatic, loud cries that you heard as soon as you opened the door (which means that, surely, your neighbours are going to have something to complain about later) but Ken's tears are less obvious, you only notice the small trail leaving his face as you get closer.

"What's the problem?" You question. Manami holds onto her father's leg, burying her face on his thigh. Ken looks up at you, like he hadn't heard the door open and your anxieties start to peak when you see how red his eye are.

"Yeah- um- no problem." Ken says, wiping away some of the tears on his face, which does nothing to make you feel better about the situation. "Don't worry at all."

"Of course I'm going to worry." You sit beside him on the couch, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on Manami's back, soothing both of them. "There's a lot of crying going on right now, what's wrong?"

Ken sniffs, and rubs his eyes again, "I think this one could explain what's going on." He nudges his daughter gently who lifts up her face and trembles.

You pick her up, and your daughter shakes in your hold. "Baby, tell me what's going on?"

"Y-you're married t-to Daddy a-and thas' not fair!" She says between hiccups of breath.

You crock your head to the side, confused what she might mean, "baby, why's it not fair?"

"I-i-i-" She gently rock her as her cries become more dramatic. Patiently, you wait for her to calm down a bit and speak again.

"I wanna marry Daddy!"

You blink, and when you confirm that she's being serious you restrain a laugh. So this is what your big strong husband was crying about, his little girl wanting to marry him.

"Do you...?" You murmur, moving her around so you can cradle her in one hand and hold Ken's hand in the other. "Okay, then we can share!"

She blinks, not understanding what you're talking about. You wipe away the snot and tears on her face. "You can have him today, but he's still my husband, so I get to take him back when I want him." You wiggle her and she giggles in your hold, her sad mood seemingly vanishing.

You take off your ring and place them on her pudgy fingers, you have to place them on thumb so it doesn't fall off. She looks at the ring in wonder. While she's preoccupied, you turn to your husband, who's buried his head in your shoulders.

"So, turns out you're a big softie." You tease. "Couldn't handle that your little girl loved you so much she wanted to marry you?"

"Don't bully me." Ken mumbles, "I couldn't deal with her, she's just too adorable."

You stroke his thigh, "my big softie." You place a kiss on his forehead, "my wonderful big softie."

Takashi Mitsuya

It's not unusual to hear cries from your daughter's room. After starting kindergarten, she's been introduced to this new world and and she's still adjusting being thrown into it. It is strange to hear them when your husband is in the nursery with her. Your husband's great with children (years of domestic work with Luna and Mana had allowed him to ease into being a father easily). It's no secret how much of a daddy's girl your sweet daughter is.

You drop the laundry basket on yours and your husband's bed and hesitantly walk towards the nursery, unsure of what you might find.

"Takashi...is everything okay?" You question as you start to open the door. You expected a lot of things, but not to see your husband holding back a smile.

You raise an eyebrow as your husband motions you to him. He wraps an arm around your waist and you lay your head on his shoulder.

"What's-" The problem you want to ask, but Takashi has already pressed a finger to your lips and mouths the word watch.

With confused eyes, you watch as Takashi gently rocks your daughter's crib. "Hatsuko, do you want to tell Mommy what's wrong?"

Hatsuko sniffles, "no! I don't want to be a bad daughter."

"You won't be," Takashi says softly, "trust me, you'd never be a bad daughter. Mommy's gonna like what you said."

"Yeah," You're not sure what's going on, but you'd never be angry at your precious daughter. "Mommy really wants to know what you said, could you tell me?" Your curiosity is also peaked.

She looks at you, trying to compose herself, blinking away her tears and rubbing away the ones that have fallen down her face. You wait patiently, as she finally puts herself together.

"I wanna marry Daddy." She whispers, sinking into herself like she's sorry for saying it. The tears start to pool up in her eyes again, you feel bad for finding the situation so adorable. She's obviously distressed about her desires, but you think that it's so heartwarming how genuine and innocent her desires are.

You look at your husband, who was the same love filled look in his eyes.

"Daddy says that since he's married to you, he can't be married to me." Your daughter continues to explain, "I'm sorry Mommy, I don't want to be a bad person, 'm a bad daughter."

"It's okay honey." You reach over and pat her head, "you're not a bad person. In fact-" You remove your wedding ring, "you can be married to Daddy, give me your hand." She reaches her hand out and you place it on her ring finger. She looks at the band in awe.

Her eyes glow, "thank you Mommy!" She cheers.

"No problem." You say, wide smile on your face, "now why don't you go back to bed honey?"

She nods eagerly and Takashi moves so that he can tuck her in properly.

"Daddy, we're married." She whispers to him, waving the ring in front of him. Takashi smiles, and places a kiss on her ring finger and Hatsuko's forehead.

"I know, I'm so happy baby."

You both watch as she loses her fight with sleep, and curls in her crib.

"Can't believe you're gave me away so easily." Takashi teases. You smile, going towards him and wrapping your hands around his neck, his around your waist. You place a kiss on his lips, filled with so much love that you don't know how you're meant to function.

"Can't resist my babygirl." You defend, "besides, like you don't want to be married to our little angel."

He looks at the little angel in question, who's now softly snoring. He smiles, "definitely." He turns to you, so close that your noses brush against each other. "I'm so happy for what we have."

Definitely. You nod, sinking deeper into his arms.

Keisuke Baji

"So you're married to Mama?"

"Yep."

"For how long?"

"Since before you were born."

"And you're going to be married forever?"

"Of course we are."

"So you're never going to get married again?"

"Nope."

"And you can't be married to anyone else?"

"Nope."

"And you don't want to be."

"Definitely not."

"But what about me!"

"Um- what?" Keisuke pauses playing with his cats, which lets you know that this is a serious situation. Almost nothing could tear him apart from his precious pets.

Chieko crosses her arms, her determined face weakened from how adorable she looks.

"What about me Papa!" She protests, "won't you marry me!"

You hold in your laugh at the conflicted look on Keisuke's face. You'd expected something like this, over the past couple of days, you've seen how your daughter's eyes would linger on the band on your finger. She's definitely been asking more questions about marriage lately.

When preparing for parenthood, you had also heard about this phenomena, children wanting to get married to their fathers when they're too young to truly understand concept of marriage, only that it happens between two people in love.

Keisuke looks like he doesn't understand how to handle the situation, dealing with an entire division of delinquents in a fight, sure, that's reasonable, but saying no to his little girl never.

He looks at you for assistance, but you only respond with a smile, holding up your phone and recording the scene. This is pure gold.

Your daughter's eyes start to well up with tears, "Papa answer me! This isn't fair!"

"Well, it doesn't really work like that..." He scratches the back of his neck.

"Why not!"

"Um..."

And that's how you end up with an amazing video to show of your husband trying to explain marriage to your blubbering daughter, something that you definitely use on her wedding day.

Bonus

"Dad! I was four!"

"Nope, you said you were going to marry me and I'm finally saying yes!"

"Dad, would it kill you to get along with my boyfriend!"

"I think it would."

"Mom stop recording and stop dad"

"Sorry hun, this is just too good!"

"You're all crazy!"

“you know… you really shouldn’t be worried too much about keisuke,” you hear your mom interrupt your thoughts as you feel her hand on your shoulder. “maybe this is his way of making friends.” 

“really, mom? being beaten up is his way of making friends?” you hear the door of keisuke’s room open and angry stomps coming closer to the two of you. 

“i was not beaten up! i beat them up.” “and you’re proud of yourself for that?!” if keisuke’s cheeks weren’t bloody from his fight, it would probably be because of your fingers due to how much you wanted to pinch it out of frustration. 

“relax, nee-san! i keep winning anyway.” keisuke said with a smug smile on his face. you pinched the middle of your brows, right elbow on top of your left wrist that crossed on your chest. 

“i’m getting real tired of this, keisuke. this is the second time this week.” “but nee-san, last week it was only three times so—” “that’s not the point, keisuke!“ your brother shut his mouth once he realizes that you were not playing around anymore. 

“from now on, i don’t want you coming home with any kind of bruises or cuts on your body, am i clear?” 

“nee-san–” “am i clear, keisuke?” “...yes, nee-san.” 

you clicked your tongue before placing a hand on his head. “keisuke, you can still have fun without having to resort to violence, you know this, right?” “yeah, sorry, nee-san. it won’t happen again.” you gave his head a pat before he went inside his room. 

your mom looked at you with an amused smile, which you chose to ignore. 

you’ll give keisuke the benefit of the doubt, besides, if keisuke said it won’t happen again, then it won’t happen again. 

“i can’t believe you let it happen again!” you say as you scolded your younger brother who looked anywhere but your eyes, embarrassment filled in his hazel eyes.

“nee-san–” “no, keisuke, you promised! and what did i hear about you joining a gang, are you out of your mind?!” 

“nee-san, it’s fine! we’ll be the best gang there is!” “keisuke, that is not the point! and what do you even know about running gangs?” 

“mikey’s older brother knows how! he taught us what to do and how to beat people up.” keisuke said proudly, unaware of the vein threatening to pop off your forehead. 

“and how old is this older brother you speak of?” keisuke shrugs. “‘dunno. probably 35? 45? never bothered to ask but he owns a bike shop.” 

“let me get this straight.” you say, brows pinched by your fingers, as if you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. 

“a grown, forty-five year old man, is teaching you how to run a gang? and you don’t see anything wrong with that?” keisuke dumbly shakes his head and you sighed. 

“let me talk to him.” “huh?!” “i said, let me talk to him. i’m not letting you join a fucking gang, keisuke.” 

“but nee-san–” “no. tell your friend’s older brother that i’m going to have a talk with him and i don’t fucking care if he brings his gang around.” you say, in a voice leaving no room for argument. keisuke said nothing, nodding his head, not knowing how tomorrow would end. 

“ah?” shinichiro’s eyebrow rose, a cigarette dangling from his lithe fingers as he puffed out the smoke he inhaled. 

“is that so?” “yeah, my sibling will kick your ass!” keisuke bragged, as he stood in front of shinichiro, the rest of toman surrounding them as shinichiro adjusted a few screws on the motorbike he was working on. 

“tell your sibling to bring his gang or whatever, tomorrow. three pm, i won’t back down from that provocation.” shinichiro replied and keisuke nodded. 

once confirmed, the rest of toman dispersed, leaving shinichiro in his shop alone, as they talked amongst themselves about what would happen tomorrow. 

“ne, baji.” kazutora elbows him. “ah?” the ravenette replies, the rest of toman in their own little world. 

“i didn’t know you had another sibling.” kazutora says, noting that he never saw someone else aside from you and your mom aside from baji whenever he slept over. 

“eh? i thought you and (y/n)-nee were close?”

“wait, so it’s (y/n)-nee-san?” keisuke nodded, confused. “who else would it be?”

“baji, you idiot! you set (y/n)-nee up!” kazutora wanted to punch his friend in the face when he continued to look confused. 

“ah, whatever. surely, shinichiro wouldn’t lay a hand on a girl.” kazutora mumbles. 

baji continued to not get what kazutora was referring to. the ravenette could only sigh, hoping that tomorrow wouldn’t have to resort to violence because he’s seen what shinichiro can do and he’s not so sure if you could handle it. 

”nee-san, i think you should back out.” “i can handle it, keisuke. my mind is not going to change.” 

you say as you push open the door to your house. keisuke feels conflicted; maybe he shouldn’t have overestimated you to shinichiro because the aforementioned is the leader of their gang, and as much as you annoy him, he’d never want to see you hurt. 

you pushed the glass doors of the shop opened, triggering the bell above the door as you stood by the bikes. with eyes glaring forward, you wait for the gangster to emerge out of the backrooms. 

“we’re closed.” a male voice calls out and you say nothing, walking up to the register and pressing on the bell that was on the desk. 

“i said, we’re closed!” the voice repeats, the tone turning a bit more hostile but you weren’t going to budge as you pressed on it once more. 

on the other side, shinichiro grits his teeth at the shrill sound of the bell, finding it annoying as he stands up. 

“you think that’s keisuke’s brother?” wakasa asks as he tinkers with his bike, shinichiro shrugs. 

“‘dunno, but that goddamn bell is annoying, i’m gonna go check it out.” shinichiro waves at his comrades before he leaves the curtain separating the backrooms and the desk. 

“can’t you fucking hear? i said we’re clo–” he stops once he sees you looking at him with a raised brow, looking very uninterested. 

the ravenette stops in his tracks because holy shit you were cute, and looked like a baddie too. he recognizes you as his neighbor that he’s seen only twice. you looked familiar, he couldn’t quite point it out.

“can i help you?” shinichiro asked, placing his hands behind his back as he gives a customer-service smile. 

you remain looking uninterested. “get your boss for me.” shinichiro blinks. 

“what?” you roll your eyes in response. “i said, get your boss for me.” shinichiro remains confused, he wants to further ask questions but he is met with you mumbling under your breath. 

“i…” shinichiro says calmly. “i am the boss, uh… this is my shop.” he gestures to the place and you stop your mumbles. 

you blinked confusedly, before your eyes narrowed once more. 

“very funny, pretty boy. tell your boss to stop fucking hiding and face me, i don’t give a shit if his gang would be waiting outside for me.” you declare, and shinichiro would’ve caught on to the fact that you were keisuke’s older sibling— he should’ve. 

with all the signs pointing towards a huge banner that said “i’m keisuke’s sibling!” he disregards every hint he was presented with because holy shit you called him pretty. 

you cleared your throat once you noticed him staring, not making a move before reiterating your previous question. 

“just get me your gang leader or whatever, i want to get this over with.” 

“listen, pretty, like i’ve told you the first time, i’m—” “nee-san!” his words were interrupted when the glass door opened and your younger brother barged in with his friends. 

“please don’t do this, i don’t want you to get hurt!” keisuke says, panting, as if he ran to get here on time. 

“kei, i told you, i’d be fine. and nothing’s happening, their boss is a fucking coward who can’t face me.” you said, pissed off at having your time wasted. 

“uh… nee-san?” you hummed in response. “you’re… already talking to him.” 

with a gasp, you turned back to the ravenette and slapped him across the face, catching him, and the other boys in the shop, off guard. 

“oh shit.” you hear someone, you think his name was draken whisper to mikey, who let out a laugh at what he just witnessed. 

“what the fuck is wrong with you?” you yell to the ravenette who clasped his slapped cheek, head still tilted to the side. 

now shinichiro remembers, you were baji keisuke’s older sister, the cute neighbor he thought that he had imagined because he rarely saw you.

he turns to you with a menacing look in his eye. “the fuck? what’s wrong with you? why would you slap me?”

“boys, leave.” you turn towards the teens who were watching the scene. “but–” mikey tries to interject but shuts up when he sees your stern expression. “i said, leave.” 

“yes, nee-san!” 

you turn to shinichiro once the coast was clear. 

“why the hell are you letting thirteen year olds make a gang and teaching them how to beat people up?” before shinichiro could even respond, you continued. 

“a forty year old grown man like you shouldn’t instigate children's antics, creep!” 

“forty?! where the hell did you even get that information?” now you are confused, “that’s what keisuke said.”

the both of you didn’t know where this conversation was going, and shinichiro still couldn’t help but not be 100% focused on the topic because to him, you looked so hot when you were angry. 

he clears his throat. “no, i’m not fucking forty, clearly i don’t look forty.” he scoffs. “i’m twenty-five.” that makes a lot more sense. 

“and to answer your question, tell your brother to stop twisting the story because i didn’t tell them how to run a gang. i taught them self-defense, which is leagues away from beating people up.” shinichiro answers. 

shinichiro sighs, “clearly, there’s been some kind of altercation to his story because from what your brother told me, you’d beat me up.” 

you sighed, everything seems to be adding up now, you wanted to smack keisuke upside the head for stirring the story for the sake of conflict. 

“no. i said i’d give you a piece of my mind.” “how ‘bout giving me your number instead?” 

“what?” “what?” 

you looked at him, with an expression as if asking him if he were serious. 

“out of all times, you chose now to flirt with me?” shinichiro tries to play dumb. “why are you assuming i want to take you out on a date?”

“i never said that.” “shit.” he mumbles, knowing that he blew his chances with a pretty girl and that he probably embarrassed himself. 

he’s about to believe wakasa’s words that he had no rizz and take a walk of shame back to the back rooms where his friends were waiting for him. 

speaking of which, they didn’t even come out or take a peek even once to check up on him. 

his thoughts were interrupted by a giggle. 

“what did you say your name was again, sano-kun?” “...shinichiro.” 

“give me your phone, shinichiro.” he wasted no time in handing you his phone, you bit back a laugh, but you can see that the scary gang leader that keisuke was talking about was severely overhyped and that you got mad over nothing. 

you sighed as you typed the final numbers of your contact in his phone and clutched it to your chest before looking him right in the eye. 

“you better take care of keisuke for me.” you say before handing him his phone. shinichiro nods. 

“i’ll treat him like i treat mikey, you don’t need to worry about a thing.” “...somehow that makes me worry even more.” the both of you laugh before you nod back to him in parting. 

“alright, i feel somewhat assured. i’ll get going now.” you dipped your head slightly. “wait!” shinichiro stops you from turning around. 

“let me walk you home.” 

“don’t you have to close up shop?” before shinichiro can respond, you see two men emerging from the backroom and clasping the ravenette on his shoulder. 

“benkei and i’ll take care of it.” wakasa said, pushing shinichiro towards your direction. “make sure your future girlfriend gets home safe.” 

your faces warmed at the teasing but neither of you said anything as you walked away, finding easy conversations on the way home. 

meanwhile, your younger brothers were rejoicing over the fact that they’ll soon be brother-in-laws and the rest of toman just want them to shut up because that’s all they’ve been talking about since you told them to go outside. 

“hm?” you look up to see a blonde male with a dragon tattoo on the side of his face look at you and emma curiously, you could only assume that this was the “draken” mikey talked about at the dinner table. 

“are you mikey’s sisters?” he asked, you nodded as a response. “i’m draken.”

“i’m the youngest, emma.” “(y/n).” draken nodded before his dark eyes flit over to the heavy box you and emma were both carrying. without saying a word, he effortlessly lifts the box up and sends a teasing smile to the both of you. 

“are you really mikey’s siblings?” he asks as you and emma led the way to where the box was supposed to be placed. “you’re not as strong.” you turned around to glare at him who only smiled mockingly at you. 

“oi! were you talking shit about me?” you hear mikey ask as he comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair off with a towel. 

“oh, mikey. there you are!” he turns towards you and emma. “i’ll put this away, okay, emma?” you swear you can see a tinge of blush on your sister’s cheeks as she nodded in confirmation. 

“we’re going to meet my sworn brother at the temple, right?” draken confirms to which mikey hummed in acknowledgement. 

“manjirou!” you hear your older brother’s voice yell from the other room. mikey groans as the four of you head over to where shinichiro was. 

“where do you think you’re going?” “i told you, old man. we’re going to the shrine.” “who are you calling old man?!” shinichiro asked in frustration before letting out a sigh, fed up with the younger’s antics. 

“take (y/n) with you.” 

“huh?” “huh?!” you and mikey exclaimed. 

“shin-nii… i don’t want to leave!” you say, tugging at your older brother’s shirt. “i don’t care about mikey and his friends.” you hear mikey let out a scoff at your words. 

shinichiro only gave you a smile as he ruffled your hair. “sorry kiddo, gramps told me to tell you to keep an eye on the problem child.” “i’m not a problem child!” “shut up, manjirou.” 

you sighed, glaring at your brother who seemed to be glaring right back at you. neither of you wanted to follow shinichiro’s words but you knew the earful you would get from your grandpa and shinichiro was not worth it. 

“emma, how about you come with (y/n) and the rest so (y/n) won’t get bored?” “why can’t emma just go alone instead?” emma nodded in agreement, eyes still on the tattooed male.

“(y/n), we all know mikey gets scared when you’re mad.” you smirk at the offended noises mikey lets out. 

“okay, fine.” you relented before turning towards your brother and his friend. “don’t waste my time.” 

–

“i swear, (n/n), it was huge!” baji excitedly exclaimed. you only nodded at the ravenette’s words as the five of you walked towards the shrine. 

initially, it was only supposed to be you, emma, mikey and draken, but baji was already on the way to your house so he tagged along, he was going to the shrine as well, anyway.

once the five of you reached the top of the shrine, you sat down by the steps, conversing with baji and emma as mikey and draken stayed by the entrance. 

“you seem happy today, kei.” you say to the ravenette who talked your ear off animatedly. 

“ah, the group will be meeting draken’s friend and kazutora!” you and emma tilted your heads in confusion. “kazutora?“

baji let out a grin before launching himself into telling you the story of how mikey kicked kazutora’s father because he thought that he was a kidnapper. 

you pinched the bridge of your nose in stress. no wonder gramps and shinichiro asked to keep an eye on him. 

“oi! (y/n), emma! come here. meet the new guys.” you hear draken call the three of you. you stood up, dusting the rubble that stuck to your bottoms before walking over to where your brother was. 

there were two new males in the small group you were in, you could only assume one of them was kazutora and the other was whoever draken’s sworn brother was. 

“these are my younger siblings.” mikey gestured to the two of you vaguely. you rolled your eyes at the way he brushed off your introductions, your eyes were focused on your brother that you didn’t realize the silver haired male staring at you with a fascinated expression. 

“hi, i’m kazutora.” the male with a tiger tattoo on the side of his neck said, you nod in acknowledgement before introducing yourself with your name, the silver haired male coughed a bit to get your attention.

“mitsuya takashi.” he says with a small stutter, placing his hand in front of you. a shy smile on his face. “it’s nice to meet you, mitsuya.” you say as you shake his hand with a smile on your face. 

if you look closely enough, you can see a light blush coating the male’s face.

you and emma didn’t stay for long, there was only so many topics until the boys lose their filters and forget that they have girls with them, so in order to not get in the way of their childish talk, you and emma decided on leaving early so the both of you can prepare dinner earlier. 

“would you like me to walk you home?” mitsuya says in you and emma’s general direction. you politely shook your head with a grateful smile. 

“no need, mitsuya! we’ll be fine. thank you for the offer, though.” before mitsuya could convince you otherwise, mikey interrupts with a “hurry up already!” 

you threatened to cut mikey’s serving off for dinner before you and emma went your way, once the boys lost sight of you, draken pushed his shoulder playfully. 

“eh? my sworn brother is apparently a gentleman. who would’ve known?” mitsuya shrugged draken’s hand off his shoulder with an easygoing smile. 

“shut up.” 

–

age: 15

draken didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed sooner. whenever he tells mitsuya that he had something to do in the sano residences, you best believe that mitsuya was tagging along, even if it was something as mundane as draken making sure that mikey wakes up on time for the toman meeting. 

mitsuya didn’t care, any excuse to see you is something he would immediately take without question. 

he didn’t know why he always had the urge to see you, he brushed it off as finding your company nice and wanting to get to know you more. but with time passing, he still finds himself using that excuse. within the two years of meeting you, shouldn’t he have already known you enough? 

“oi, mitsuya.” draken asks as he walks in front of the male. “what?” the aforementioned replies as he places his hands in his pockets, keeping up with the blonde’s pace. 

“why do you keep insisting to come with me when i’m just going to pick up mikey?”  mitsuya stayed silent, wanting to ignore the question. draken turned his head to look at the other male when his question was unanswered. 

“did you hear me?” mitsuya took a deep breath before nodding. 

draken was his sworn brother, he would understand, right?  

“i think his sister’s cute and i want to see he–” mitsuya could barely finish his sentence before he was pushed to the wall with his collar gripped into draken’s hand as his body was barely off the ground. 

“w-what the hell man.” mitsuya coughed, trying to breathe but the blonde’s grip on his collar only tightened, making it difficult to do so. 

“say that again.” draken said, voice deepening as his eyes turned dark. 

“i-i would. if you weren’t fucking choking me.” mitsuya coughed, trying to rip the grip draken had on his collar. draken relented a little, loosening his grip enough for the silver haired male to step foot back on the ground. 

“the hell is your problem?” mitsuya said after he coughed out a breath, the glare on draken’s face didn’t relent. mitsuya returned the glare right back. 

“i dare you to say it again.” “what?” mitsuya was confused at this point. he doesn’t think he said anything to have pissed off the blonde in front of him. 

“if i heard it correctly, you said you’re following me because you think mikey’s sister is cute?” mitsuya nodded, a confused look on his features. 

a vein on draken’s forehead portruded as he punched the nearest lamp post, further driving the other male into confusion. 

before mitsuya could ask, draken let out a grunt. 

“what kind of fucking brother are you?” huh? now mitsuya was getting agitated as well. 

“what the hell are you talking about?” mitsuya’s fists are now clenching by his side, his patience was running thin and draken wasn’t making any sense. 

“i fucking told you that i liked emma before i even told mikey himself, then you suddenly say you find her cute?!”

“ha?! i never said it was emma!” “but you just said mikey’s sister is cu— wait.” draken stopped mid sentence, an embarrassed flush on his face as realization dawned  upon him. 

“did you mean, (y/n)?!” the blush on mitsuya’s face answered draken’s question as the blonde laughed, hands dragging down his face as he laughs in embarrassment. 

“oh my god. i’m sorry.” draken apologized. 

“don’t tell me…” mitsuya was now starting to realize the cause of the misunderstanding. “you thought i liked emma?” 

“how would i know?! you said mikey’s sister.” 

“(y/n) is mikey’s sister too! and besides, emma is cute but she’s not my type.” mitsuya muttered. 

draken smirks as they both walked together towards the sano residence. “i would be offended, but that’s perfect. don’t ever think about emma that way.”

“i share the same sentiments with (y/n).” 

a silent agreement and a new bond formed between the two of them as they stopped in front of the house. 

“oi, mikey!” draken called out from the door, raising his heavy fist to knock on the door, only for the door to be opened with a confused looking emma. 

mitsuya looked at the opened door to see you peering at the outside from your task at hand. it was as if you were curious to whom the visitors were. but draken’s voice has always been distinct. 

perhaps… were you looking to see if he tagged along? 

mitsuya shook his head, not wanting to feed into his delusions as he looked down to ground himself, only for his head to be raised by your hand. your eyes suddenly staring right at him. 

“h-huh?” mitsuya sputters out, your face remained indifferent as your lithe fingers suddenly attached themselves to his collar. 

“your collar’s askew.” you mutter before fixing it with an unconscious pout on your face. once you were done, you looked back at your handiwork before nodding at him and stepping away, going back to the task at hand. 

mitsuya’s face felt warm, and he was only praying to whoever was listening that his face showed indifference. he looked over to see draken staring back at him with a smirk on his face, and emma looking at her sister with an intrigued expression. 

maybe he should thank draken for almost beating him up.

—

“say… (y/n).” emma calls out from the vanity table of your shared room. you looked up from the book you were reading, waiting for her to continue her statement. 

“will you accompany me to the festival tomorrow?” you tilted your head in confusion at your sister’s request. 

“aren’t you going with draken?” emma blushed a bit before nodding. you looked at her through the mirror of the vanity she was sitting at. “then why do you need me there?” 

“i can’t be alone with draken! i’m too shy.” “so you want me to third wheel?” “no! draken said he’s bringing a friend along.”

you hummed, wanting to refute, but suddenly the weight of your bed shifted as emma plasters her body on yours. “please, (n/n)! you know how i feel about draken! and i’m sure whoever he’ll be bringing will be nice. you know draken doesn’t befriend shady people.” emma fired argument after argument, not giving you room to respond and she shakes your body. 

“emma, calm down! okay, okay. fine. i will.” you sighed, smiling at the cheerful expression on your sister’s face. 

“i owe you one!” “yeah, yeah. now go to sleep, you don’t want draken to see your eyebags now, do you?” 

“(n/n), shut up!” 

“both of you quiet down and go to sleep!” “mikey, shut up!”

—

you blinked at confusion as you see the same confused eyes belonging to mitsuya, staring back at you. 

he was the friend emma was talking about? you didn’t know why they bothered keeping it a secret when draken and mitsuya were rarely seen apart. 

“you’re here.” mitsuya greets, his brown yukata fitting nicely on him. you gave him a smile in response before twirling a little playfully. “yeah, i’m here.” he laughs at your silliness. 

when draken called out to the both of you, you and mitsuya followed emma and draken, falling into a natural conversation. 

the both of you were so deep into conversation that when you looked front, emma and draken were nowhere to be seen. 

"that fucking bastard." mitsuya mutters under his breath, "hm?" you turn to look at him. mitsuya only shakes his head before leading you towards a stall that sells your favorite street food. 

mitsuya's heart pounded against his chest as he saw the way your eyes glimmered upon the sight of the treat, without wasting another moment, he bought it. 

"mitsuya, you didn't need to!" you exclaimed as he pushes the treat in your direction. "i'll pay you ba–" 

"just take it, (y/n)." mitsuya pushes the paper bag containing the treat into your hands. "and don't bother trying to pay me back. it's not going to work." you puff your cheeks in annoyance before sighing and giving him a grateful smile. 

"mm. okay, thank you. takashi." you slipped, mitsuya's eyes widened and his heart pounded on his chest. 

you mistook mitsuya's flustered silence as uncomfortableness as you quickly retracted your statement. 

"i mean, mitsuya–" "takashi is fine." he cut you off, hoping the orange festival lights were enough to hide the blush arising in his cheeks.

"it's only fair that you call me by my first name since i call you with yours." mitsuya continued, avoiding your eyes, you doing the same. 

"...yeah." you awkwardly say, noticing the shift of atmosphere between the two of you.

"uh… we should find emma and draken… right?" you awkwardly ask, shifting from one foot to another. mitsuya nodded, secretly disappointed that his time alone with you is now cut short. 

all of a sudden, a mob of people began running towards the viewing area, causing mitsuya to grab onto your hand, so as to not get separated by the sudden crowd. 

"the fireworks are starting soon." you realized before smiling at mitsuya and pulling him towards an area that wasn't so crowded. 

mitsuya let himself be pulled by you, eyes locked on your intertwined hands and he didn't want to assume, but he felt as if the grip got a bit tighter. then again, he didn't want to get ahead of himself.

sparks of bright colors filled the sky, people letting out sounds of awe as various patterns took over the night sky. 

but mitsuya paid no mind. his eyes were on you and his senses were overwhelmed with the fact that you still haven't let go of his hand. his eyes watched as yours reflected the sparkles in the night sky, how your mouth was slightly parted as a look of awe was plastered on your features. 

in his eyes, you look beautiful. 

his hand hesitantly tightens around yours, drawing your attention from the sky to him. 

"(y/n)..." he says quietly, the ruckus of the people around you made you take a small step forward to hear him better. 

the moment is now.

"i like you." he says, just in time as the biggest firework exploded. 

silence. 

you blinked in confusion as the residual embers of the fireworks simmer down the sky, leaving a fog like hue to cover the night.

"i'm sorry… i didn't hear you. the fireworks were too loud." mitsuya felt embarrassed. the expression on his face was something you couldn't decipher before his face quirks up into a smirk. 

"i said—" the male was cut off as he felt a droplet of rain on his head. "later. we'll find shelter first." 

mitsuya never got to repeat what he said before the rain. but, he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. 

maybe the moment wasn't today. 

the next day after the festival, mikey decided to try a new location and asked to meet in their dojo. 

mitsuya, finding yet another reason to see you, agreed a bit too fast causing a few brows to quirk at the unusual behavior from the second division captain.

mikey only shrugged it off. 

mitsuya wasn't paying attention, he was aware of that. he kept darting his attention to his surroundings, hoping to see just a glimpse of you. draken noticed his brother's actions before smacking him upside the head, telling him to pay attention. but mikey was amused.

mitsuya may hide it, but mikey has always been sharp, and therefore able to read people. the blonde wanted to confront his friend, but of course, when has mikey ever made things easy? 

"oi– sister!" he yelled to the outside of the room, biting back a laugh as mitsuya stiffened in his sitting position. 

the gang leader only felt a bit bad when mitsuya deflated as emma entered the room. 

"what is it, mikey?" she asked, a mask on her face which piqued mitsuya's interest. 

"how's our other sister doing?" mikey asked, emma was confused as to why mikey was asking, he was just in your room teasing your immune system, does he really think a lot can happen in 15 minutes? but emma followed mikey's teasing gaze to his second division captain who was looking back at her with such intensity, she couldn't help but follow along with her brother's questions.

"(y/n)'s fine, she drank her medicine a little while ago so she might be loopy." 

"e-emma." mitsuya was shocked that he spoke up, it was as if he couldn't stop him.

"what's wrong with (y/n)?" he was aware of the glances his co-captains were giving him but he couldn't find it in himself to care. 

"she caught a cold from the rain last night." emma explained, and once mitsuya asked all the questions about you that he needed, mikey shooed her sister away, much to the annoyance of draken.

mikey then began talking once more, but mitsuya was zoning out. 

you were in the same vicinity as him, sick, he could be taking care of you… he should be taking care of you. 

"mikey." he really needs to learn how to shut up. "i'm going to the bathroom, you can continue the meeting without me." he excused himself, but everyone, even pah-chin could see right through him. 

mikey only gave out a nod. baji coughs out a quiet "simp." to which kazutora snorted at. 

"oh, mitsuya?" mikey called out when the aforementioned was by the doorframe.

"hm?" "(y/n)'s room is on the second floor, door to the left." with that, all the boys in the room let our their suppressed laughs as mitsuya nods and bolts towards your room. 

once he was in front of your room, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar, he hears you cough lightly. 

mitsuya knocks with a light fist before pushing the door open. your droopy eyes widened just a tad bit as you saw his figure in front of you. 

“oh… takashi, hey.” “don’t talk.” mitsuya shushes you as he nears the bed and replaces the washcloth with cold water. 

you watch as he moves carefully, as if he doesn’t want to make any sudden movements to make your already hurting head worse. 

“was this because of me?” mitsuya asks as he pulls up a chair beside your bed. 

“why would it be because of you?” you were puzzled, mitsuya has been acting weird lately and you couldn’t pinpoint why. 

“i was with you when it rained at the fest–” “are you some kind of rain god in disguise?” you cut him off with an unamused expression on your sickly features. mitsuya couldn’t understand why but the scowl on your face paired with your reddened nose made him want to coo at how adorable you looked. 

“no?“ “then shut up.” mitsuya cracked a smile at your retort. 

“it’s just a common cold, it’ll go away tomorrow.” you reassure him. 

mitsuya hums in acknowledgement. 

“say…” mitsuya starts, you bit back a yawn, wanting to hear what the male had to say.

“when you get better… do you…” mitsuya couldn’t believe he was at a loss for words. 

you silently gestured for him to continue with his statement. “would you accompany me to the shrine on new years?“ 

“okay.” you smile before letting out a yawn. mitsuya chuckles at the sight before patting your head and standing up. 

“rest up, (y/n). i’ll see you tomorrow.” you nod before letting out another yawn, letting sleep take over you. 

mitsuya then walked over to the door, closing it gently once he left, only to be met with the knowing gazes of his co-captains and president. 

“what.” mitsuya tried to remain indifferent, but he felt his face warm up at the possibility of them eavesdropping. 

he looked over to see draken smirking at him and before he could say anything, baji’s rough voice caught their attention. 

“d-do you… w-w-wanna go to the shrine with me?” baji imitated mitsuya, making sure the tone of his voice resembled a shy boy. baji’s execution of the scene was so exaggerated that mikey had to shush them all because the boys’ laughter was too hard and he’d rather not wake you up. 

as much as mikey doesn’t like to show it, he actually does care for you as a sister. 

“now, now, you can all leave.” mikey said, pushing each and everyone out, draken had a hand on mitsuya’s shoulder as they walked outside. 

"oh, and mitsuya?" mikey called as the remaining boys left. the aforementioned looked back with a curious gaze. 

"i wouldn't mind having you and ken-chin as my brother-in laws." mikey winked before shutting the door. 

draken let out a groan of annoyance before yelling at mikey to shut up before walking the opposite direction. mitsuya turned around, walking back home with a smile on his face. 

—

the day after christmas was probably one of the worst days you have ever witnessed. you were made aware by your brother about what happened on christmas, and as soon as he finished, you bolted over to mitsuya's apartment. 

after knocking a few times, you were surprised to see a small girl in front of you. 

"who are you?" the girl asks quietly. you knelt down to look her in the eye before introducing yourself. you see a flicker of recognition behind her eyes as she gasps quietly and pulls you in, almost catching you off balance. 

"you're the pretty onee-chan that taka-nii talks about!" you blinked, giving her an awkward smile before asking for her name. 

"i'm luna! taka-nii's sister." she pulls you to a room where you see another child cuddling mitsuya who was fast asleep. "that's mana!" the volume of her voice managed to startle mitsuya into consciousness. you gasped as you saw the bandages and bruises on his body. 

mitsuya blinked twice to be sure. he didn't want to believe that you were here, but you were and luna was holding onto your hand. takashi asks his younger sister to step outside the room with their youngest sister. 

luna, who was oblivious to the situation only nodded before chasing her younger sister outside. 

when it was only the two of you, a silence overtook the room. none of you knew what to say. 

after a good minute, that felt like hours, you quietly said. 

"your bandages are tied wrong." you take a step closer, brushing your fingers on the bloodied cloth before you look into his eyes, a silent permission. to where he nods in confirmation. 

you internally cringed as you see the dried blood on his forehead, bruises that decorated the side of his face. 

"i'm not going to ask what happened." you assured him as you measured a clean roll of bandages. "mikey already covered the gist of it." 

your fingers were gentle against his head, if mitsuya didn't know any better, he could fall asleep while you were tending to him. but he knew it wasn't the right time or place. 

once you were done, you pulled back quietly ensuring the bandages will stay in place. 

you held mitsuya's face in your hands, inspecting his features if there were any more wounds or bruises that you missed. you were so focused in your task that you didn't notice mitsuya looking straight at you. 

once your eyes snap to his, you let go of his face gently after patting his cheek lightly.

"you better get well soon, taka." you say, giving him an assuring smile. 

"you still have a shrine to take me to." mitsuya chuckled, even if it hurt his head before he let out a sound of agreement. 

"look forward to it." 

—

unfortunately, mitsuya couldn't pick you up due to his mom insisting that he take his sisters to the shrine as well. you assured him that it was no problem. 

that's how you found yourself trailing behind the rest of toman with mitsuya's vice captain, hakkai and his sister, yuzuha,  behind you. 

the siblings were so lost in conversation that they didn't notice that they were being louder than anticipated. you were so close to drowning them out, the thought of seeing mitsuya plaguing your mind before you were abruptly snapped out of it as hakkai teased yuzuha with him.

"i can see why you would like taka-chan." hakkai said, a light lilt to his voice. "i mean… you saw how badass he was in the christmas fight. i can't blame you for falling."  you grit your teeth, you know you shouldn't eavesdrop at that point, but you couldn't help it. 

"you even fell into taka-chan's embrace." you could vaguely hear yuzuha telling her brother to shut up. but all you could imagine is another girl in mitsuya's arms and that left a bitter taste in your mouth. 

you knew what you were feeling was irrational and immature, but how couldn't you feel insecure? yuzuha was beautiful. and you couldn't fault mitsuya if he falls for her. 

but why should you care? 

what were you and mitsuya? 

your thoughts become overwhelmed with irrational jealousy, you stiffened when you hear mitsuya's voice greet the group. 

"you look nice." you hear mitsuya say to yuzuha, hakkai was blushing from behind as if he was the one being complimented, and you were trying to discreetly sneak out of the group. 

not knowing that mitsuya had his eyes on you ever since he spotted the group. 

"(y/n)." he smiles. you nod back, managing a small smile on your face. 

from the corner of your eye, you could see hakkai pushing his sister into talking to mitsuya. not wanting to meddle with the potential budding of a relationship. you quickly excuse yourself.

only to feel mitsuya's hand clasp against yours.

"where are you going?" mitsuya asks as he pulls you towards him. you looked around to see the other toman members being none the wiser and strolling around the festival. from the sides, you can see takemichi wailing about how mitsuya's sisters stole hina from him. chifuyu was beside him, laughing as he slaps his partner's back, trying to console him but failing to do so. 

"i just needed a bit of air." you say quietly, not wanting to let the thought of mitsuya and yuzuha together plague you. 

"then let's go." "i meant alone." "no."

"no?" 

mitsuya nodded, your hand still in his as he pulls you towards a clearer ground. 

"clearly something is upsetting you. and i want to know." "it's stupid." 

"it's not if it makes you feel this way." 

you let out an annoyed sigh at his stubbornness. 

"no, mitsuya. really–" "mitsuya?" "takashi i'm fine. i swear, you should go to yuzuha–"

"yuzuha?" mitsuya was quietly connecting the dots. but as always, he didn't want to get ahead of himself.

"i mean… hakkai and yuzuha seemed to be waiting for yo–" "i don't care. they're not my date to the festival." mitsuya cuts you off.

your face warms at his straightforwardness. 

"you look beautiful, by the way." you blinked as a response, at a loss for words. 

"i don't know what you heard, but i don't want it to ruin our night. so either tell me now or we'll be miserable for the festival." 

"i…" "you?" 

"i was jealous…" "of?"

you sighed in frustration at the pace of the conversation before tightening the grip of your intertwined hands. 

"i was jealous of yuzuha, okay?" mitsuya only looked at you as you ranted about all the details you've accidentally eavesdropped on the shiba siblings, mitsuya only listened attentively, but when you reached a certain point of explaining why mitsuya and yuzuha should've been each others' dates, he stops you with a finger to your lips. 

"i never would've thought you would look so cute when you're jealous." mitsuya teased, your eye twitched before you slapped his hand away from your mouth. 

"can you be more serious about this?" mitsuya only smiled before pulling you closer to him. 

"you've got it all wrong, i only see yuzuha as a sister. and besides hakkai doesn't know an important detail…" he leans in to whisper in your ear.

"it's takemichi that yuzuha likes." "huh?!" mitsuya laughs at your reaction and before you could ask any more questions. mitsuya mutters lowly into your ear.

"i'm a bit offended that you kept pushing me away when i asked you to be my date." he says before he pulls away and talks in his normal tone, his voice a bit deeper. 

"for years…" he starts. "for years i've tailed behind draken just to get a glimpse of you and for weeks i've tried to hide what i feel for you." you suck in a breath. 

"when you ran over to my apartment when you found out that i was hurt… i almost kissed you then and there." you gasl quietly at the revelation. 

"do you remember when i got interrupted in the last festival we went to?" you nodded. it was the festival you went to before you got sick. 

"i wanted to tell you i like you. like, like you." your eyes widened at his words, heart pounding erratically in your chest. 

"but i wimped out." he says as your lips parted. as if you wanted to say something but he interrupts you with recalling the days when he has always tried catching your attention when mikey brought you over. 

"and now, here i am. just a step closer to you, and you push me away because you think i don't want you?" mitsuya said in a low tone, eyes darkening. 

"you drive me crazy." "t-takashi." 

"(y/n)... may i kiss you? i don't think i can handle it any longer." you didn't answer, you only pulled his chin down to slot your lips on his. mitsuya reacting in no time as he pulls you closer. 

once you pull away to breathe, you couldn't help but whisper on his lips.

"i like you." you barely finish your words before mitsuya is back to connecting your lips together. 

from the distance, you can hear the hoots and cheers of the toman members, the whines of mitsuya's siblings as their vision was obscured by takemichi and chifuyu, they were too young to see this side of their brother and mitsuya was grateful for it, and looking over to yuzuha who nodded with a satisfied glint in her eyes. 

you blushed as mitsuya held your hand tightly, pulling you closer to him as the both of you made your way back to the group. 

for the entire night, mitsuya didn't let you leave his sight, the girls in the group were swooning over the way mitsuya attended to you, wishing that their boyfriend would get the hint, but sadly, they didn't. 

mikey smacked mitsuya's back as hard as he could, earning a grunt from your now boyfriend. once mitsuya recovered from the impact, they both laughed over it.

"make her happy, okay?" mikey asked, gesturing to you. mitsuya smiled and nodded. 

the countdown of the fireworks began. 

and once the first firework exploded into the night, you can hear all the people around you cheer and whoop. 

but in a sense of deja vu, your head tilted back down to see your boyfriend looking at you and mouthing the words he said at the previous festival. 

i like you.