currently reading: genshin & jjk

Wanderer's ankle was sprained after saving a child from falling rocks. It wasn't a serious injury, but he tensed with fear every time Tighnari came near it. He looked at the man with fox ears with a wary gaze, slowly nodding with a reluctant expression.

"I'm going to kneel down and raise your leg up." Tighnari's actions followed every word he spoke, tending to Wanderer's sprained ankle with careful hands. "I'm going to clean the area... repair the..."

Throughout the entire procedure, Wanderer's indigo eyes did not once leave Tighnari's form. He was like a frightened cat who was ready to attack at any moment... but kept silent anyway because he knew better. He knew, logically, that Tighnari wasn't Dottore. That Tighnari was only trying to help him rather than experiment on him.

He appreciated Tighnari's sharp mind that immediately noticed Wanderer's distress when the medical visit was realized. How Tighnari kicked everyone out of the building for his privacy, how Tighnari made sure Wanderer was comfortable... It was a level of effort and respecting Wanderer's dignity that made him want to try and trust Tighnari.

ScaraNari, but Wanderer collects herbs and material for Tighnari without being asked to. He overhears that Tighnari might need something later, and without thinking, he goes ahead and collects it for him.

I headcanon that both Wanderer and Tighnari are "acts of service" kinds of people, especially Wanderer. Wanderer relies primarily on acts of service in order to show that he cares, being weak in other areas related to affection... while Tighnari is more flexible in responding to others' needs due to experience in his role.

"I gathered the mushrooms you needed..." Wanderer stated before placing down a basket of rukkhashava mushrooms onto the table. It was filled to the brim, all hand picked.

Tighnari owlishly blinked as he stared at the basket, his left ear twitching in curiosity. "I don't believe I asked for you to do this? But I appreciate it nonetheless. Thank you, Wanderer."

The blue puppet huffed as his eyes darted away, seemingly attempting to appear nonchalant. "I overheard you talking to Collei about it. Let me know if you need anything else..."

Tighnari smiled. "I will. Thank you."

ScaraNari, but Wanderer is consumed with guilt over Tighnari's lightning scars. Especially since Tighnari has been nothing but kind to the boy.

It doesn't matter if Tighnari doesn't remember where he got them. It doesn't matter if Wanderer erased Balladeer from existence. Every time Wanderer catches a brief look at those scars engraved on Tighnari's shoulder and back... it makes him feel deeply ashamed and guilty.

"I'm sorry."

It was an apology that slipped past Wanderer's lips without meaning to, causing both Tighnari and himself to freeze for a moment.

"Why are you apologizing?" Tighnari carefully inquired, unsure of how to react to Wanderer's out of character behavior.

At first, Wanderer didn't respond. He seemed hesitant to speak, and was honestly surprised by himself that he said anything. He supposed it was because he couldn't stop thinking about what happened so long ago. When he hurt Tighnari over something so... fleeting, and stupid.

"Don't worry about it. I don't know why I said it."

ScaraNari, but Tighnari is the first person Wanderer ever reveals his true past to. All because Tighnari noticed and questioned the guilt that plagued Wanderer's mind.

"Wanderer, we need to talk." Simple words that carried heavy intention. Tighnari was going to get to the bottom of Wanderer's problems, especially since Tighnari knew--just by observing Wanderer's behavior--that it had something to do with him.

"...What do we need to talk about?" Wanderer replied with a concerned tone, unsure of what Tighnari could possibly want to talk about. Did he do something wrong?

Tighnari wasn't sure of how to confront this issue, but he knew that it would eventually need to be addressed. Which is why he waited until they were alone, undisturbed, before speaking up about it.

"I'm not even sure what the problem is... it's just..." Tighnari spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "There are moments where you behave... weirdly around me. It's almost as though you carry a heavy weight of guilt. But I'm not sure why."

Of course, Tighnari would notice. As much as Wanderer wanted to hide it, Tighnari was an observant man whose entire job relied on observation and analytical skills. But it didn't mean Wanderer liked this situation that was now apparent to the both of him.

What was he supposed to do, much less say? Reveal that he's actually a war criminal, an international terrorist that put Sumeru's Archon's life at risk? Someone who erased his entire past, ensuring that almost no one can remember who he is? Not even is own mother?

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." Was what Wanderer first said, but Tighnari quickly cut him off.

"No, you do know what I'm talking about. Look, I won't pester you if you really don't want to say it, but... please know that I'm here for you, and whatever it is... I won't be upset."

But in Wanderer's mind, it wasn't so easy for him to believe Tighnari. The Balladeer committed countless crimes... one of them being striking Tighnari with lightning over Haypasia. He doubted Tighnari would be anything but angry, and yet...

as a synthetic human, albedo wasn’t raised as most were. he was ‘born’ fully grown, the shaky knees that let him stand those of an adult. rhinedottir hadn’t wasted any time, immediately beginning his training in various forms of alchemy from the moment he was oriented enough to try and speak.

he was taught the periodic table before he was told the names of colors, he was told how to tell which solvent was best for an experiment before he even understand the nature of his creation. he could recite the best methods for creating hydrogen gas by heart, he knew how to make carbon dioxide go supercritical and even experimented with ferrofluids on the side, but he didn’t know what it meant to be ‘burned’ until curiosity got the better of him and he put his hand over a flame.

he was told not to, like so many other things embedded in his memory, but never why. he knew fire was hot, of course, but.. even as his hand jerked away of its own accord, he found himself wondering what the odd feeling under his skin was.

rhinedottir was disappointed to learn of what he’d done, but had simply given him the instruction of ‘don’t hurt yourself, it’ll set you back.’

‘hurt’. thats what this was?

as he waited for his ammonia to drip into the iron solution, he picked through the many bookshelves in the room. many were scientific texts, with a few encyclopedias, but he wasn’t looking for those.

pulling down the lone dictionary with his now-bandaged hand, he flipped through the pages, keeping an eye on his experiment in his periphery as he did so.

hurt

(v) cause physical pain or injury to

(adj) physically injured

(n) physical injury; harm

how strange…

he shifted the book in his hands, staring at his wound through the bandages. carefully flexing his hand, he stopped right on the cusp of something sharp, the skin of his hand… was hurt.

albedo continued to read through various definitions, his experiment shifting in color to a dark brown without his notice.

why would he divert his attention from something so thrillingly new?

albedo was no longer a stranger to pain.

it took him far too long to realize he should probably be buying borosilicate glass equipment to handle the sort of experiments he was carrying out, only ever noticing when his third watchglass cracked under the heat of manganese heptoxide. his hands were permanently covered in little nicks, each carefully wrapped in bandages as to not get anything into them, some deep enough to scar but most barely enough to annoy.

slowly, he began to learn. he learned the safest ways to clean up shattered glass, he learned how to wrap his dominant hand and had become somewhat ambidextrous as a result. he learned when he needed to stop and take a break before he got a headache, he learned to tell when his hand was cramping from notes and took the time to practice with his other. pain was no longer unfamiliar, but it was still just as strange.

he was learning.

though he didn’t fully understand why this wasn’t taught to him, why he wasn’t told how to make a salve for burns or given a set of gloves to prevent it happening in the first place… he sort of could see why he wasn’t. pain was the result of failure, of a broken piece of equipment or a too-hot burner. it made sense.

did it?

he carefully poured water into a beaker, not paying attention to the conversation behind him. one of rhinedottir’s friends was over, as was becoming increasingly common, and he’d stopped listening once it turned to her daughter. a few compounds caught his attention, but he couldn’t afford to be distracted. the ratio of acetone and water had to be just right, and he was nearing the balance point, the solution fizzing less and less with every addition.

“she’s quite the- klee, don’t-”

without warning, something heavy crashed into albedo’s back. the bottle in his hand tipped and jerked, splashing into and over the rim of the beaker. the heater beneath it hissed as the ice cold water dripped down the side, and though he stood quickly, reaching to unplug it, it was too late. sparks flew as the wiring shorted, the red glow of the plate beginning to fade.

something hot and sharp rose in his chest, buzzing in his hands, the air turning thin. his jaw tightened with the feeling, the cord in his hand biting into his palm.

he’d knocked over his stool in his haste, and beside it was a small child, wide red eyes staring up at him. with bright blonde hair and long, pointed ears, it was clear she was the woman’s daughter.

and she had ran into him.

the woman—alice, his mind supplied, though he didn’t quite hear it—crouched besides her, pulling her up and dusting off her clothes, “klee! what did i say about running in the lab? you know it’s dangerous.”

rhinedottir sighed, leaning against the wall and looking at the failed experiment. “another failure…”

the sharp spikes of feeling turned on him in an instant, and the cord fell from his hand in surprise. he didn’t mean to mess it up! it wasn’t his fault klee was running around! why was he to blame?

“gold, it’s not his fault. i should have watched klee closer.”

“nonsense. he shouldn’t have even been using a bottle. pipettes are much more precise, and if he wished to have any sort of credibility to his findings, he should have used those to better track how much he was putting in. ‘add water until it stops foaming’ isn’t much of an instruction, you know.”

alice stood, some sort of response already forming in the draw of her brows, but albedo turned towards his mess. his hands shook as he moved the too-full beaker to a bin, the heating plate heavier than usual. he ignored the increasingly heated conversation behind him, letting his hands go through the familiar motions of disposal. his chest felt heavy, an odd pulse between his ribs reminding him of the reason he was wiping water off his desk.

he didn’t hold it against the girl, of course. she was too young to even be thought of chastised, and… rhinedottir was right. he probably should have used a pipette to add the water, or at least something less volatile than an open bottle. after this long, he should have known.

his vision blurred, the wad of towels in his hand washing into one mass. he threw the towels into the trash, his free hand coming up to wipe at his eyes. had vapor gotten into them? that wouldn’t be good if that were the case, but though they stung it wasn’t as sharp as it would be from chemicals.

albedo wiped up the last of the water, absentmindedly wondering why his chest ‘hurt’ if he hadn’t been injured.

alice visited often, usually bringing her daughter along as well. he wasn’t sure why, as she was surely too young to learn much in the way of alchemy, but she evidently had learned not to run in the lab, thankfully. she sat on a stool at her mother’s side, carefully drawing in a small notebook.

albedo stood at the sink, doing his best to focus on removing the caked sediment from his glassware. alice was talking, again, telling a story of a place he’d never been or heard of, and his thoughts admittedly wandered when he wasn’t careful. he’d wonder about the knights she was talking about, the cavalry led by a man in frosted blue, and he glanced over his own outfit. plain white, as typical, but he wondered about the dye that would have been used. he always wore white—“easier to tell when you’ve spilled something,” rhinedottir always said—and his few attempts at making dyes always ended up splotched and uneven. how did they dye clothes? or did they dye the thread first? would that be more or less efficient? was it harder to work with dyed thread, maybe, because it could wear during the weaving process?

curiosity bubbled within him as he rinsed off a stir rod, scraping off the leftover sediment with his nail. it would take too much time and space to try what he was thinking, not to mention that he didn’t even know how to go about it, but…

he turned to put it on a towel and paused, seeing klee looking up at him from her stool. she waved, shyly, pen tucked against her palm, and he hesitated for a moment before waving back. it was small, barely a raise of his fingers as to not draw attention, but she lit up anyway. her feet kicked against the stool in excitement and she hid her smile in her sketchbook, and albedo felt his own begin to form. he felt warm, a gentle feeling starting to rise. he tried to pin it down, running over the list of emotions he’d learned, but it didn’t match. it wasn’t the sharp, white-hot spike from when he’d ruined his hot plate, nor the slow but insistent press of curiosity. he felt… soft, almost, a delicate heat pushing him to smile back, gently-

“albedo.“

the sharp call of his name scattered the feeling like fish recessing deep into a lake, repulsed by the word.

rhine had cut off alice, evidently, the latter’s hands still raised mid-gesture.

“are you finished? why are you looking at klee like that?”

though it didn’t show on his face, albedo felt as confused as alice looked. her hands had moved to her sides, eyes flicking between the two of them with an odd twist to her mouth.

albedo swallowed something cold and bitter, taking a breath. “like what?”

he tried to put as much genuineness into his words as he could, but rhinedottir just shook her head.

“you know how.”

“i-“

“get back to work, albedo.”

she looked away, cutting the conversation short despite the argument still on his tongue.

he didn’t know. she never told him. none of the books in his lab ever described what it meant to be alive, to feel, to grow. he’d read all of them, cover to cover and back again, but none of them described what he wanted to know.

albedo turned back to the sink, wondering if there was a name for the cold pit in his stomach.

the next time alice comes, albedo has the time to look and properly greet her. he doesn’t have anything important or time sensitive going on, simply waiting for a dish to crystallize, and it was clear that the short wave he gave, pencil still in hand, had made her happy.

“hey albedo! what are you working on?”

almost subconsciously, his eyes flick to rhinedottir, searching for her approval, but she’s turned away, inspecting some random report on his desk. his chest feels cold as he lifts his sketchbook in lieu of a response. he’s drawn a cecelia, a kind of flower he saw on his last expedition, only ever growing near the top of a cliff.

he wonders of rhine would be proud of its accuracy, if nothing else.

“oh, a drawing?” klee seems to stand a bit straighter when she registers that the notebook in his hand is for drawing and not for research, and alice chuckles at her enthusiasm. “could we see?”

again, albedo seeks his master’s approval. he doesn’t find it.

he takes a quick look around the lab but knows there isn’t anything dangerous. the only active and open chemicals are the one in the beaker behind him, and that’s both well away from an edge and covered with a watchglass. so he nods, spinning his pen from his hand and into a pocket as they carefully move across the lab. he notes the caution with which klee steps over a fallen pen, the hand not in her mother’s tightly gripping her bag.

he tilts the book up for her to take—his heart had picked up at some point and he can see a quiver where his thumb digs into the binding, when did that happen?—but she just peers down at it from where she is, not reaching. it only takes a moment for something bright to reach her eyes, unfamiliar yet not unwelcome.

“cecelias, right?”

hesitantly, albedo nods. “i was exploring the eastern edge of mondstat, looking for valberries, but… i found these instead.”

she hums with a nod, her expression shifting slightly. “you need to go further north if you want valberries. cecelias grow on starsnatch cliff, and you want to go to stormbearer point.” albedo made a note to ask rhine where that was. “still, this is very impressive! the detail is remarkable despite not having a reference; you must’ve been blessed by the creator themself!”

her eyes glitter in a way that tells him it’s supposed to be something said in jest… but he doesn’t get the joke. behind her, rhinedottir’s head snapped up, eyes narrow, the report long discarded, and albedo takes the risk before his master can speak.

“who?”

alice’s face falls.

albedo looks over at klee for the nth time, checking that she was still happily doodling on her own paper. rhine had been swift to pull alice into a side room after her comment, so it was just them left in his lab. her, on the stool he’d offered her after her mother was pulled away, and him, still on the same chair he’d been for the past few hours. his pen felt cold in his hand despite the fact that he should have been producing more than enough body head to keep it warm, something… uneasy bubbling in his blood.

words pushed to the forefront of his mind, the same as they did every time he checked on klee, and this time he let them go.

“do you know who was alice talking about?”

she stops, the room falling silent as her pencil stills, and he feels oddly exposed in front of her wide red eyes. she reaches up to adjust her hat, the clover on it smudging lightly with graphite. “the creator?”

albedo nods. “rhine never calls people ‘creator’s of things, even masters of k-…. masters of alchemy are simply ‘alchemists’ to her. i’ve never heard of such a title before.”

klee pouts, stuffing her pencil into the rings on her notebook and settling it in her lap. between her fingers, he swears he sees something shaped suspiciously like a cecelia.

“the creator made everything! mama says that they are older than even her, and that they gave klee this!”

the stilted grammar of her words throws albedo off, but not as badly as when she reaches for her bag—nearly falling in the process—and unhooks a large glass-looking jewel inset in silver. it glitters red, a pattern of a flame engraved within, and he finds himself leaning closer. questions spring to his mind—‘how did you get it? what does it do? does it have a name? how is it made? how were you acknowledged by somebody so important at such a young age? is there even a significance to it at all? why doesn’t rhinedottir have one? does alice?’—but she speaks before he can voice them, voice unnaturally cohesive for somebody so young.

“i got my vision after i tried to make the biggest bomb ever!” after she what- “i made a mess out of my station… but mama says it’s okay! she helped me rebuild it and everything, and even stitched back on dodoco’s ear!” she points to a small plush charm hanging off her bag, leaving him with still more questions than answers.

“didn’t your mama teach you about them? why are you asking klee?”

albedo fell short.

was this something that parents typically taught their children? he supposed rhine would technically be his ‘mother’…. but even that was more in the literal sense. she was his mother as in she created him, but she was his master in that she taught him about and guided him through alchemy.

(but was that even for his sake? or was it hers?)

before he could say anything, alice had come back, a crease between her brows and a heavy frown on her face.

“come on klee, we’re leaving.”

klee quickly hooked the ‘vision’ back onto her bag and stuffed her notebook inside, slipping off the stood with a ‘bye bye albedo!’ before he even understood what had happened. her hand folded into her mothers, having crossed the room swiftly, free hand tucked under the strap of her bag.

alice gave albedo a long look, filled with a feeling he couldn’t begin to decipher, before her jaw set and the door opened, a wash of cold air sweeping in as they left.

rhinedottir nearly slammed open the door, shutting it just as harshly behind her, but albedo didn’t flinch from where he was weighing out sodium. she’d been returning from expeditions more and more irritated lately, the domains she’s been searching somehow turning up less clues each time. he’s not privy to her work, so he simply keeps his mouth shut, never offering his advice or help even when he knows it helps to talk puzzling things out.

he tapped his stir rod on the edge of his beaker, knocking off the excess solution, and listened to her go through her routine. boots off, shoes on, coat off, lab wear on. bag down, notes up, then the bang of her door.

he stifles a smile at her predictability. most of her actions are prescribed, a routine she likely follows unintentionally, but it brings him a small bit of comfort. she did the same things when she returned today as she did every other day, no mater the size of her discovery, retiring to her room to review her findings. he learned quickly to shut down any attention-sapping experiments as quickly as possible after she returned to be able to dedicate as much as he could to listening to her ramble, leaving space on his table for her diagrams. he rarely got a word in, but that just made him all the better listener, able to concisely say everything he wanted to in the moment’s space of her breaths.

with all of this in mind, he covered his beaker. the solution would be fine overnight, so long as it was chilled, and he was quite looking forward to tonight’s talk.

albedo stood from his stool and began to clean up, listening to the clock tick down.

a few hours later, rhine returns with a heavy sigh. he hears papers flap in her hands as she shuffles through them, the sound growing louder as she approaches. she sits in the chair he’d set out for her in preparation and drops her papers on the table in a messy pile, various diagrams drawn across them.

she picks out one seemingly at random, depicting a diamond-shaped sigil inset onto a large set of doors. a complex web of patterns wraps around it, ending on eight smaller sigils. below the diagram, she wrote out a quote, presumably the one inscribed across the top of the door, “when seeking those who have lost their faith / there’s not much one can do but wait / you take the swiftest trail at once / and try until your hopes prevail.”

he doesn’t know what it means, but he keeps the words in his mind as she shoves aside the rest of the papers, setting down that one and beginning to talk about how she tried to solve it.

“there’s over 40,000 combinations—i did the math—and i wasn’t going to sit there for however long it took. the geo slime condensate only had enough elemental energy preserved in it to activate all of the sigils twice, and that didn’t account for actually killing the things.”

albedo propped his arm on the table, resting his chin in his palm and staring at the paper. he took in and registered her words, of course, hearing and understanding them, but a majority of his mind was focused on the paper. each of the winding paths started at the center sigil and twisted out, quickly becoming hard to follow- likely due to erosion, since the domain seemed embedded into a cliff face.

still, he pulled at the puzzle, picking at the edges. the inscription played on loop in his mind, producing ideas just as quickly as he shut them down. it couldn’t be that they had to leave to a secondary—or more—location, since six separate places for a domain was too complex and highly unlikely. it couldn’t be that there was some sort of prayer or hymn they needed to follow, due to the same argument as the first. there had to be a simpler solution….

“have you tried activating them in the order of the pathways?”

silence.

he looks up at her lack of response, finding her with her hands raised, clearly mid-ramble.

“i apologize for inter-“

he’s cut off with a wave of her hand as she picks up the paper, flipping it towards her. “dont, you already said it. what do you mean by ‘order’? actually, don’t answer. you can tell me tomorrow.”

just as quickly as she arrived, rhine left, picking up all her papers and leaving with a swish of her coat, her door nearly slammed shut.

albedo’s eyes flicked to the clock. she was barely there for ten minutes.

why? he’d spoken up before… granted, never interrupted, but… surely that wasn’t a large enough offense that she left?

he looked around his desk, empty of any equipment or glassware in preparation for the usual hours-long talk. it was earlier than he normally went to sleep, and though he could in theory return to work…

an unusual hesitation had seeped under his skin, pulling at his hands when he tried to stand. what had he said to make her leave? he’d just wanted to help…

after a moment, he stood, awkwardly pushing in his stool. ‘tell her in the morning’…

something odd and unsettling curled around albedo’s limbs as he went through the motions of preparing for bed. his fingers felt stiff where he ran them through his hair, the sheets on his bed cold despite the fire. an unmovable weight had sat itself on his chest, telling him that he’d done something wrong, but couldn’t tell what.

he hadn’t done anything. he’d just offered his help. she was the one that broke routine.

the weight told him that he was wrong.

He hushes you lovingly when he sees your disarray, chest rising rapidly and heart heavy in your ribcage as more tears slip past you "I'm here," he kisses the corners of your eyes, "I'm here, sunshine..." "T-Tighnari, it was so cold..." "I know, I know, sunshine... Don't say a word..."

You're suddenly pulled into a deep hug, Tighnari's baggy shirt soaking with your tears. Nimble fingers run soothingly through your hair, his fingertips rubbing soft circles into your scalp. You still feel so hopeless, dark thoughts screaming, begging to be noticed and consume you whole... Yet, somehow, it was bearable with him by your side, kissing your forehead and smoothing his hands along your back. The utter care and love are radiating from him, a kind of brightness that rivals the celestial sun and threatens to illuminate the dark room draped in the moonlight.

"Look at me."

Silence passes, soft sniffles are heard from you and your head is still smushed against his chest. His hand moves to your chin, gently pushing your head upwards so his eyes meet yours. You're still crying, eyes glossed over and shiny yet somehow you feel too tired to cry, watching Tighnari frown once he saw how dull and empty your eyes looked.

"Don't cry," he smiles, kind eyes staring back with an unwavering gaze, "you don't have to talk about it."

You nod, reluctantly returning Tighnari's loving gaze--however, once you did, you swore you felt your heart twist into a million knots and burst. You could barely see anything, but Tighnari looked as handsome as ever, so, so beautiful in the moonlight. And little did you know, he was thinking the exact same thing. Tighnari's scent filled your nose while you took in a shaky breath, feeling him press your hand flat against his beating chest.

"Deep breaths, I'll guide you." you only now noticed just how dry his voice sounded, but it felt like an overflow of sweet red wine and unnamed songs that fluttered against your ears.

His heart rate was nearly erratic despite the serene smile on his face, and a pang of guilt struck your core, you must have scared him so badly. You listened for Tighnari's signal, breathing in the warm air that swirled and filled your lungs--focusing on your melding heartbeats as Tighnari counted down, finally breathing out. This cycle went on for who knows how long, just until Tighnari knew you felt better, even just slightly.

Seldom words were spoken after that, tears long dried and breaths steady. Your fingers were intertwined with Tighnari's, feeling him squeeze your hand occasionally like a message--that he's here.

He'll always be here.

So isolating...

The glaze lilies seemed to fall into your lap and hair. Eager to adorn your figure as the beloved of Teyvat. You were ever so precious to the earth itself. Soothing your very being. Zhongli was happy today. He was connected to the earth, and the earth was connected to you. Everything was connected to you. A pile of cords, wires, and strings tied to your legs. It was so hard to walk, but the acolytes carried the weight for you. So devoted they all were, especially Zhongli.

So dehumanizing...

The weather was perfectly to your liking. The clouds were retreated to a faraway corner of Teyvat, away from you, the center of the world. The love of Teyvat and the entirety of its inhabitants. The sun shone almost like a spotlight on you, letting everyone know that you were what this world was made for. This was no doubt the Raiden Shogun's - Ei's - doing. Making the weather perfect for you to rest. You deserved the best. Is what everyone said to you. A god above all the rest, even other gods.

You were so selfish...

The god of freedom, Barbatos, now Venti, gave up his godly powers to let Mondstat live up to the title of City of Freedom. Why couldn't your release your hold on Teyvat and revert it to how it was in the game? A harmless world without an almightly god to govern? Hell, you weren't even governing. You were lazing around taking advantage of the kindness of your dear friends. Your devote acolytes.

How insanely selfish and low you were to do this. Coming to Teyvat was a mistake. Furthermore, doing nothing useful was even worse. You wanted to do something, to take action. You felt

So useless...

You spoke your thoughts to some of your well-trusted acolytes. Ones you knew you wanted to be treated like a normal human, but they shot down the idea. Thoma and Venti looked panicked when they heard you say those words to them. I'm a god, shouldn't I do something? I just feel so useless.

They seemed like they might die on the spot at your words. Shouting their protests. You were swallowed in unsolicited hugs and love. Almost as if the two thought that if they let those thoughts fester, they'd grow into weeds. Arduous and near impossible to get out. Venti and Thoma tried to pull it out from the roots.

So bothersome...

You played with a handful of rocks. Utilizing your godly powers for something and lifting them like Ningguang's idle animation. How carefree those days were, when the weight of a world you loved so much wasn't on your shoulders. How carefree you were still acting even with the whole world on your shoulders.

But what could you do? Prayers swirled in your head. Asking, begging, pleading for your help. But if you answered them all, you'd merely be a reskined Jean. If you ignored them you'd be

So neglectful...

What to do with the weight of your world on your shoulders? When you did nothing but use your title to your advantage. You crushed the rocks in your palm and let the dust fall to the ground. You hummed. Destruction sounded fun, but you couldn't go all out just yet.

"Maybe," You muttered, "I could speed up the plot..."

Destroying the fatui, destroying the abyss, treasure hoarders, there were so many options. Help the world out with destruction.

You'd be no better than the gods with Khaenri’ah, but would the children of Khaenri’ah blame you.

There's only one way to find out. A voice in your head whispered.

You pursed your lips. Destroy the world to no longer be useless. No longer a negligent god.

How selfish.

How lonely.

"Your grace!" You turned at the voice.

They smiled brightly at you, the twin you chose to adventure with throughout your journey through Teyvat. Their grin was warmer and more loving than the sun, "Would you like to come with me to do some quests? We're almost finished getting the Inazuma wind glider."

Your breath caught in your throat. You supposed...

You smiled, the sun forming a halo around you, the flowers in your hair accentuating how beautiful you are, "I'd love to. I always have, and always will."

You supposed this was a good start.

The skies are empty, but your constellation is still there.

XIAO

✧ he’d collect random things for you from his adventures; wild flowers, rocks, hilichurl masks, etc. they’re small gifts, because he doesn’t understand the concept of big extravagant presents. he’ll hand it to you with a curt nod, a blush covering his face, or he’ll simply leave it somewhere you’d see it with a notecard that reads “-xiao”

“here, this is for you. i picked it up while i was out today…”

KAEYA

✧ clothes. any clothes you ask for, they’re in your closet within the hour. and even if you don’t ask for a specific item, he’ll always keep is eyes open for any article that reminds him of you.

“hm? you like that? go grab it, it’s yours.”

CHILDE

✧ candy. whenever he’s out and sees your favorite candy in a store, it immediately gets put into his basket. he loves the smile on your face whenever he brings you the unexpected treat.

“got you this, these are the ones you like, right?”

ZHONGLI

✧ books. most of the time they’re old story telling books, but sometimes he picks out a book perfectly correlating with your taste. he also likes watching you read the books he gives you, he waits for your physical reaction to certain parts. he adores the look of pure shock on your face as you read plot twists, looking up at him with your mouth agape.

“i think you’ll like this one, darling. please read it.”

AYATO

✧ jewelry. rings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, you name it, you most likely have it. he buys you the most beautiful and expensive pieces you’ve ever seen. you’re actually scared to wear some of them because of the high price and their dainty looks. whenever you even glance at jewelry, he’s instantly asking the clerk to let him see it, before putting it on you gently. if you like it then he buys it.

“this looks absolutely stunning on you, dear.”

SCARAMOUCHE

✧ necessities, things you need. why would he waste his money on a lame gift that you could very well live without? when you complain about your chapped lips, he’s leaving you a brand new chapstick only 10 minutes later. he loves watching you actually use the things he gets you.

“you said you needed this, right? here, take it.”

And then you catch him, hand on his cock and your name leaving his lips in short gasps. Mortifying! Even more so as you open the door with a call of his name "Master Diluc?" and it's just so good to hear his name from your heavenly lips that he-- right when your eyes land on his flushed face, he comes hard.

Diluc wants to simply slip under the floorboards, to disappear, to erase his shameful existence as his come covers his hand and he's wide-eye staring at you. He tries to speak but his voice is caught, he's stuttering, the ever composed darknight hero a stumbling mess.

Even more so, his breathing erratic and body trembling, when you kneel before him and offer to help clean him up...

Childe

Now Childe... wouldn't care in the slightest. Even if he's caught off guard, he simply huffs 'about time' and insists you solve the problem you created. Even though he's a mess, the blush from his cheeks spreading down to his chest, panting and glistening with sweat. Even though just before you had caught him red-handed you heard his desperate, needy whines of your name and curses.

If anything he's lunging forward to grab at you, batting his eyelashes at you with a cute out on his lips– "Please?" He asks, tone not so one of sincere pleading but rather one that shows he expects you to help him and that he won't let go of it so easily.

He backs you into the wall, guiding your hand to his aching cock that drools come. "See? You did it, it's all because of you." He sighs against your ear before he gives your lobe a playful nibble. "'Come on, help me. I'm aching for you." He emphasis his words with a short thrust of his hips, right into your hands, and he is not quiet at all with his moans.

Despite Childe being the one touching himself, you find yourself more embarrassed and flustered than anything. He always has such a way with turning a situation around, doesn't he?

Tighnari

Managing to sneak up on the Forest Ranger is no easy task, but you're assisted by the fact he can't focus on anything right now but images of you. Tighnari is lost to the feeling of rutting his cock desperately into his hand, biting his pillow, whimpering and growling out your name to the point of tears.

In fact, you are able to watch for a few moments in a stunned silence. You never would of imagined the stern yet kind, the studious and diligent, the composed Forest Ranger to be so desperate (for you, no less!) that he writhes and cries into his pillow at night.

His ears twitch and his head snaps towards your figure, standing in the door frame. You're at a loss for words; expecting him to be embarassed or demand you leave but instead his tail whips back and forth and he whines so loudly, so pretty.

"Please, Please, please," He begs you, voice pitched higher and his eyes glossy with tears. Tighnari rolls over on to his back and you are given view to his hard cock, flushed and hard and slick with come. He growls at the expression you make upon seeing him so bare. "I need you, I need to fuck you."

Ayato

Ayato lets himself be 'caught', he wants you to see. It's all planned from the start, telling you to arrive at a certain time only to find him lounged back and lazily stroking his cock with a sly smile gracing his lips. He wants you to believe that you had caught the head of the clan in a private moment, that you caught him off guard– to give you a slight feeling of control to which he delights in knowing that you truly had none at all.

From the moment he had set his eyes on you, you were going to be his but there had to be a game to it. A push and pull, a trap to catch you in because if not, where's all the fun to it? Drawing it out longer and toying with you makes the prize all so sweeter to him.

CHILDE

rivals to lovers

✧ you and childe were always head to head in everything. whenever you succeeded, so did he, and visa versa. it pissed you off that he always had something snarky to say to you. you could never peacefully be proud of one of your achievements because he always had something to say. eventually you just started distancing yourself and stopped outwardly competing, this pissed him off.

“are you avoiding me?” you suddenly heard from behind you. turning around, you see childe standing with his arms crossed, an irritated look on his face.

“no.” you curtly replied, turning back around to continue walking, attempting to leave it at that and continue ignoring him. you heard him start to walk with you, making you roll your eyes.

“sure seems like it, you won’t even talk to me anymore.” he scoffed out, annoyance laced in his tone. you simply shrugged, “i have nothing to say to you.” your statement irked him, making him huff and glare at the side of your head. “well i have things to say to you.” he stepped in front of you, successfully stopping you in your tracks.

“like what? you got a better grade than me on the test today?” you watched as he shook his head in defense and averted his gaze. “say it then,” you challenged.

you saw a blush creep onto his face, causing your stomach to drop. “i— well i have nothing specific to say but…” he trailed off, glancing at your eyes briefly.

your head tilted slightly in confusion. what the hell was he talking about? you saw him shift his weight from his left to right foot.

“i just like talking to you.”

KAZUHA

childhood friends to lovers

✧ you’ve known kazuha for several years, having met early in childhood. he knows you better than anyone, and the same goes for you. the two of you are each other’s best friends, and are often confused as a couple (both of you quickly denying with red faces)

“are you okay?” kazuha was seated next to you, staring at your zoned out gaze. you quickly looked over when you heard his question and smiled. “yeah sorry, was just thinking.” he nodded at you, not pressing any further, to your relief. you wouldn’t be able to come up with an excuse fast enough if he actually asked you what you were thinking about. you’d rather die than admit you were thinking about him. and you. together.

it’s weird, you’ve tried to ignore your feelings for a while, hoping they’d go away. you have known kazuha forever, you’re bound to get a small crush on him for a few weeks, right? it’s just human nature to like someone you spend so much time with. right?

you and kazuha continued eye contact, him trying to understand what was bothering you, and you admiring his flawless features. he scanned your face quickly before giving you a small smile. you watched as his gaze went to your hand resting in your lap.

he slowly reached out and took your hand in his, making you gasp quietly at the unexpectedness. you let him, of course, not daring to pull away. he pulled your hand up to his lips and placed a gentle peck to your knuckles.

“you feel the same way, right?”

XIAO

seat buddies to lovers (is this a trope?)

✧ you’ve sat next to xiao in class for half the year. granted, you’ve barely spoken to him, but that doesn’t stop the growing affection you felt towards him. he was extremely attractive, and when you two did speak, he was always respectful and nice. he frequently lent you pencils without you even needing to ask, and would help you with your work almost daily.

xiao watched as you rummaged through your bag, frantically searching for a pencil before the teacher started the lesson. he heard you sigh and pause your search, sweeping your gaze across the floor in hopes of finding an abandoned one.

you felt a tap on your arm from the boy next to you. quickly whipping your head around, you see xiao holding a pen out to you. an appreciative smile appeared on your face as you accepted the pen and focused back on the teacher.

near the middle of the lesson you glanced over at him and watched as he flawlessly wrote down whatever the teacher was ranting on and on about. without a second thought, you moved your pen to his exposed arm and started writing on him.

he instantly halted his movements so he wouldn’t mess up your writing. he quietly watched you, not protesting in the slightest. once you pulled away, you put a hand over your forehead, covering your face so he couldn’t see the deep blush present on your cheeks.

he moved his arm at an angle to see what you wrote, and smiled at the message;

“thank you for the pen :) text me and let’s hang out soon! (xxx)-xxx-xxxx”

SCARAMOUCHE

tutor and classmate

✧ you hated having scaramouche as a tutor. if it wasn’t for the actual progress that was clear in your test scores, then you’d fire him. well… that and your embarrassingly obvious crush on him. he was completely rude and always talked down to you, calling you names and belittling you. but for some reason you always came back, you craved the attention he gave you. you craved the occasional praise he gave you when you got good scores. you craved him.

“god, it’s easy. how idiotic are you?” he scoffed at you, hitting the top of your head with his pen. “ow! don’t hit me!” you yelped, glaring at him. “if you weren’t such a dumbass then i wouldn’t need to.” he retorted, an annoyed expression on his face.

“you just suck at explaining stuff,” you rolled your eyes. he tapped your paper without a reply, silently telling you to shut up and do the problem he wrote out for you. sighing, you tried once more the work it out correctly. but as always, he over complicated things and you failed.

“you should just give up already, if you’re too damn stupid to do this then you have no hope of graduating.” his voice was clipped with annoyance.

“just explain it differently instead insulting me! what am i even paying you for…” you mumbled the last part to yourself, but knew he probably still heard you.

you heard him sigh before he slid your paper to face him. “watch,” he ordered. you observed as he quickly worked out the problem to demonstrate the correct way to solve it. once you realized where you messed up you let out a quiet ‘ohhh.’ “got it now? jesus, you’re incompetent.” you angrily snatched your paper back from him with a grunt.

“i need a new tutor, you suck. i’m firing you after this.” you replied. you were teasing, of course. you’d never pick anyone else to tutor you. but you assumed scara didn’t pick up on the sarcasm in your tone, because he immediately gripped onto your wrist with a scowl, causing a blush to instantly rise to your cheeks.

“hell no. you’re stuck with me.”

VENTI

detention buddies

✧ you know venti is a bad influence on you, but you cant really bring yourself to care. the two of you met while in detention, he cheerfully skipped his way over to you and sat on top of the desk you occupied. he made quick small talk with you and then talked to you out of detention as well, which formed this awful ‘friend’ship.

“hey! whatcha up to next period?” venti asked, hopping in front of you. he wore a sleazy smile, like he was up to something and needed— or rather wanted— your help.

“nothing, why?” you suspiciously replied, eyeing him from head to toe. he cheekily smiled before grabbing your hand and leading you to the detention room.

once you entered, you noticed it was empty. you followed venti as he sat on top of the teachers desk, you decided to stand in front of him, almost between his legs.

“we should go do something, it’s so boring today.” he sighed, rolling his head to the left and staring up at you.

“you want me to skip a whole school day with you?” you quipped. the suggestion had your stomach in excited knots just thinking about it. when he nodded, you couldn’t fight the smile that broke out on your face.

“okay, let’s go.” he smiled back at you daringly. “have you ever skipped school?” he questioned, eyeing you up and down the same way you had earlier.

“no, but i’ll try anything with you.” after hearing the words come out of your own mouth, you almost slapped yourself. how could you say that? you tried to keep a straight face to seem confident, but you couldn’t help but avert your gaze as you watched venti’s eyes light up with amusement and his smile morph into a smirk.

you almost flinched when he suddenly stood up— much too close to you— and took your hand in his.

“really? well let’s go then. me and you.”

ALBEDO

✧ hugs you from the front. he’ll place a gentle kiss on your forehead before wrapping his arms around your neck and leaning his cheek against the top of your head. he does this when he needs a small break from experimenting and whatnot, so they always last a little while. when he finally does pull away, he places another kiss to your forehead and goes back to doing what he was doing beforehand.

XIAO

✧ wraps his arm around you while you lean on him. xiao isn’t big on physical affection, it makes him nervous and flustered. when the two of you are together and sitting in silence, you like to lean your head on his shoulder. in response, he never fails to wrap a protective arm around you. either around your shoulder or waist, it depends on the position. he might place a chaste kiss to the top of your head if he’s feeling extra nice that day.

CHILDE

✧ no surprise, he hugs you from behind. sneaks up on you every time, he finds it utterly amusing. the way you flinch and gasp when you feel his arms suddenly snake around your waist and his chin meet your shoulder. he laughs at you afterwards. sometimes he’ll even throw in a startling sound effect while clutching his hands onto your hips like claws. when he’s done laughing at you he places a kiss to the top of your shoulder as an apology.

SCARAMOUCHE

✧ leans into you. he never ever makes the first move to initiate any sort of romantic physical touch. but he won’t push you away if you do. he may mumble a complaint under his breath, but he doesn’t mean it. he secretly seeks out your warmth and waits for you to hug or kiss him, he would never admit this though. when you do hug him, he says something snarky before eventually leaning into you. your arms are wrapped around his waist and your face is stuffed into his neck. after a couple beats, you feel his cheek meet the side of your head. don’t mention it though, he’ll immediately pull away.

GOROU

✧ he adores when you wrap your arms around him from behind. bonus points if he’s sitting down and you’re standing. he loves being completely engulfed in your scent and warmth. when you make your presence known and hug him, he’ll turn around in your grip and kiss you on the temple. he verbally greets you and a gentle, loving smile stretches across his face.

THOMA

✧ picks you up and spins you. when it’s been a bit too long since you’ve seen him, you call out his name and run to him with your arms open. you see his face light up with a smile and he drops what he’s doing and opens his arms in return. when you reach him, he instantly wraps his arms tightly around you and picks you up and spins around once. once your feet meet the ground he slightly pulls back and kisses your lips.

KAZUHA

✧ pulls you into a hug. he gently takes your hand in his, placing a quick peck to the back of it, before leading you into his arms. he’ll place another quick kiss to your lips before completely pulling you against his body. his hand lets go of yours and instead wrap around you. everything about kazuha’s hugs were comforting and loving. you always felt the safest whenever you were pressed against his chest. he’ll mumble simple love declarations to you while the two of you bask in each other’s warmth.

ZHONGLI

✧ likes to hold your hand while he tells you a story. he mostly does it so you remember to pay attention, as his stories always have a moral. but he also likes the warmth you bring, especially if it’s a sad story about his past. the fact he knows you’re with him helps him through the sad memories.

“let me tell you a story, love.”

XIAO

✧ holds your hand while sleeping. as an adeptus, he doesn’t need sleep but he knows you do. so when night comes and you fall asleep, he stays and watches you for a while— just to make sure you’re safe! when he’s sure you’re in a deep enough trance, he gently takes your hand in his and hold it with a fond look on his face.

“sleep well, i’ll be here.”

ALBEDO

✧ holds your hand while walking through the snowy mountains of Dragonspine. he doesn’t want you to get lost, or worse, fall. he also wouldn’t want your hands to get too cold, so he’ll take hold of one and shove the two of yours intertwined hands into his coat pocket.

“you wouldn’t want to get too cold, right?”

SCARAMOUCHE

✧ holds your hand while walking through crowds. it isn’t often the two of you go out, since he’s always busy with work, but when you do scaramouche protectively grabs onto your hand. he doesn’t want you getting lost in the bustle of people, that would be a nuisance to him since he’d have to go find you. he’ll practically drag you through the people though, so don’t trip!

“hurry up, you’re gonna get lost.”

CHILDE

✧ holds your hand while shopping. he mostly does this so you won’t be able to reach for your wallet. yes, he does fight you to pay for absolutely everything. what kind of boyfriend would he be if he made you pay? you two will go into a shop to look around, and if you see something you like he’ll pick it up and drag you to the counter, quickly taking out money before you can object.

“no way, i’m paying. if you want to pay me back later i can think of a few things…”

KAZUHA

✧ the roommate who‘s always home.

kazuha is usually always sitting at your shared apartment. you really have no complaints since he’s quiet and doesn’t bother you while you’re in your room. if he wants to socialize (spend time with you) he‘ll sit in the common room till you come out and join him, if you want to of course. the two of you take turns doing household chores and if you’re short on rent he understands! but his kindness could be because of his feelings towards you.

“it‘s my turn to get groceries, do you want to come along?”

SCARAMOUCHE

✧ the unfriendly roommate

you two didn’t click at first, but you soon figured out it was because of scaramouche’s attitude. once you got used to it, you learned how to hold a conversation with him. he was prickly and standoffish, but he truly didn’t mind your company. he wont openly voice any wants of hanging out with you, but you noticed that he never brings anyone over or goes to anyone else’s apartment. after coming to that realization, you forced him to at least watch a movie with you a few times a week. this became a regular occurrence.

“what are we watching today? it’s your turn to pick so don’t choose something shitty.”

XIAO

✧ the roommate who helps you with anything

he’s always around if you need something, no matter what it is. at first, you’d have to request his help with multiple thanks and apologies, but after a while he would just notice and assist you without a word. of course, you return the favor by lending a hand to him whenever you can. he always insists he can do it himself, but gives in almost immediately when you give him a look.

“need help? here, move.”

VENTI

✧ the roommate with no personal space

he will randomly walk into your room without knocking, which has led to a few awkward moments when you forget to lock your door. you two spend lots of time together because he’s easily bored and can’t stand being without your company. usually he‘s in your room, sitting on the end of the bed while talking your ear off. you don’t mind it, of course, but it can be a bit flustering when he gets too comfortable and starts cuddling up to you. this often leads to him sleeping in your room.

“can i stay in here tonight?”

CHILDE

✧ the roommate who’s never home

he is out 99% of the time, usually hanging out with the many different friend groups he has. and once you get closer, he‘ll drag you out with him. at first, there was always at least 2-3 other people there, but gradually it became just the two of you. it never really occurred to you that these could be seen as dates, especially with how touchy childe was with you, but then there was a clerk at a store that mistook you as a couple. your heart instantly picked up and childe’s knowing smile and quick agreement with the clerk made your face hot.

“couple huh? i like the idea of that, how about you?”

[mondstadt] [inazuma] [sumeru]

—

Xiao - Emerald Finch

You decided to hang around the Wangshu Inn for two reasons; one being to listen in on all the news and gossip carried by the travelers, and the other was Xiao

Luckily enough for you, you got to have both!

Xiao thought of you as an annoyance at first, to be completely honest

Such a tiny, weak creature following him around whenever it could—it was preposterous

He wished you were like the other birds, too scared of humans to approach him

That was, until his karmic debt flared up again, at least

He had been deep within Dihua Marsh at the time, far from any humans, when he froze up, seized by his unpaid debts to this world

And in this moment, there wasn’t any passing bard to help him

Somehow he could tell that it was different this time. Stronger, perhaps, or maybe he was just weak after purging the area of demons

Either way, despite the agony clouding his mind, he was quite sure he wasn’t going to survive this

You had been flying around the area, looking for anything interesting to do. Recently, you had been trying to get a loach pearl to give to Xiao

(He hadn’t kept your previous gifts, but if you kept trying, certainly he would recognize your efforts eventually)

It was then that you spotted the yaksha, your yaksha, collapsed on the ground

Once again, you regretted being brought to Teyvat as a tiny little bird of all things

You couldn’t call for help, you couldn’t carry him to safety—all you could do was sing

And so you did

You sung past when the sun dipped below the horizon, past when the stars came out and filled the sky, past when your tiny form shook with exhaustion

In fact, you sung until you yourself lost consciousness

You woke in the care of Verr Goldet

Imagine her surprise; the ancient boy-yaksha coming up to her in the crack of dawn carrying a tiny blue finch in his hands, desperately asking her to help it

The two of you gained an understanding that night

He no longer avoided the little bird perched on the roof of Wangshu Inn, and you learned to tell when he wanted to be alone

And now, on a table in his room, there sits both a small tray for birdseed and water, and a gifted loach pearl

Zhongli - Geovishap Hatchling

When you first start following him around, he thinks you’re going to fight him and keeps his guard up

When you don’t do that, he assumes that you think he’s a fellow geovishap, perhaps a parent of some sort

You, of course, are shooting your shot the very best you can. The first thing you did once you entered the world of genshin was find Zhongli

He tries multiple times to ditch you in areas he knows other geovishaps are

At one point, he’s even attacked by the creatures in the process

When you jump into the fight and defend him without a moment’s hesitation, he realizes that there’s no way to get rid of you

It’s…understandably difficult for him to convince the Millelith that you aren’t a danger to have within Liyue Harbor

If not for a soldier recognizing you as being the geovishap who defended him against some hilichurls a few weeks prior, they most likely would never have budged

Hu Tao LOVES you, so Zhongli gets to bring you to work whenever he wants

You become a bit of an attraction for researchers from Sumeru, who eagerly swarm both you and Zhongli to investigate your unique bond

You really couldn’t care less, to be perfectly honest

However, the researchers seem to be willing to fork over a pretty good amount of money to follow you around, and Zhongli will often treat you when he has the cash on hand, so you’re more than willing to show off for some Sumeru scholars

Spending time with Zhongli is extremely peaceful

He’ll often read aloud to you

You aren’t always paying attention, but his voice is extremely soothing nonetheless

You’re truly living your best life, despite being not much more than a human in the body of a big fucking lizard

Childe - Electro Whopperflower

Unauthorized fucking thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was considering doing hydro slime instead but sanity won out iykyk

You had a bit of a crisis once you came to Teyvat, for obvious reasons

In the end you decided that the best course of action was to just start zapping shit

Nothing was spared from your reign of terror

Hilichurls, slimes, abyss mages, geovishaps, other Whopperflowers

In one memorable moment, you were scorched by an angry abyss lector for blasting him with electricity

You were truly a meanace

The treasure hoarders, Fatui, Millelith, and any unfortunate adventurers were also not left unscathed

You never actually killed anything, though, as it would ruin the fun

Still, that didn’t stop every major human faction, as well as the abyss, from putting a bounty on your head

That didn’t discourage you though

It just meant more people to zap

Eventually, Tartaglia showed up to see what all the fuss was about

He had been expecting an ordinary, if not somewhat aggressive, Whopperflower

He hadn’t been expecting something with the intelligence of a human and hubris to rival Icarus

You were able to hold your own against him for a surprising amount of time

Still, eventually he was able to defeat you

You had expected him to just kill you, in all honestly

You hadn’t expected him to begin cooing at you like you were a puppy, clip a custom-ordered collar around your “neck,” and drag you back to Liyue Harbor

Just about everyone was furious

Tartaglia defended you, saying you were “misunderstood,” “a great sparring buddy,” and a “sweet little Whopperflower”

Through much manipulation and bribery, he was able to keep you within Liyue Harbor

Personally, you thought this was the funniest thing that had happened to you in years, so you let it slide

Tartaglia was beyond enthusiastic about having you by his side

He dragged you around with him everywhere he went

Market? You can help carry bags!

Fishing? You can dig up worms with your roots!

Missions? You can fight alongside him!

Restaurants? Well, he has to feed you, doesn’t he?

You are truly, without a doubt, the most spoiled plant in all of Teyvat

Even if you get into trouble within the city, he always bails you out

With all the money he’s spending in bribes, in his opinion, you can electrocute as many people as you want to

Xingqiu - Electro Cicin

You are a fucking bug. Girl help

You could have been anything. A vishap. A whopperflower. A specter.

But NO. You were a tiny little creature and you couldn’t do anything to change that

There truly wasn’t enough room in your little body to hold all of your rage

You went from place to place for a while, swarming with other cicins or hanging around Fatui cicin mages for that sweet, sweet mist grass

You couldn’t do much of anything alone, so it only made sense

Even a well-thrown rock from a hilichurl could send you spiraling out of the sky

It pissed you off to no end

Eventually, you met Xingqiu, and decided to follow him around

He had been on another adventure with the goal of finding justice for some poor miner, which just so happened to involve the cicin mage you had been following around

Once she was defeated, running off in a hurry, the other cicins all followed her, lured by the tantalizing scent of the mist grass she carried

You, however, had other ideas

You hadn’t done anything meaningful in quite some time, and were growing rather bored

So, you approached him, eventually settling down utop his head

Despite his many, many attempts, he could never find a way to get rid of you

So, you became a companion in all of his future endeavors

Sometimes you even help out in the occasional fight, sending out small bolts of electricity to set up elemental reactions

You followed him everywhere, nested in his hair or buzzing around close behind him

Xingqiu was able to keep you due to a rare beast ownership license he had gotten some time ago on a whim

Still, a cicin was quite an unusual sight within Liyue Harbor, so you often attracted attention

He had once sent you away so he could read in peace, but after seeing how dejected and pathetic you looked upon returning home, he decided not to do it again

For a monster, you’re quite cute

You look a bit like a large, fluffy moth, and he often uses you as a pillow while he reads

For the record, you do not appreciate it in the slightest

Still, you’re squishy and soft like an anemo slime, so you doubt he’s going to stop any time soon

Ah, the downsides of following Xingqiu around…

Chongyun - Cryo Cicin

You are a bug girl help pt 2

Not much bothered to fight cicins, so you were mostly able to do whatever you wanted

So, you decided to just explore Teyvat

As it turns out, there are a LOT of haunted areas in Liyue

It makes sense, considering the lore, but it was still pretty freaky at first

Now, though, you spent most of your time in these haunted zones

It was just rather fun to you; watching humans enter your territory only to be spooked by the spirits in the area

That was actually how you met Chongyun

He had been performing an exorcism, cleansing the area of evil spirits, but there had been a few pyro slimes in the area that attacked while his back was turned

He was able to defeat them quite quickly, of course, but he was overheating and he was out of popsicles

Taking pity on him, you perched on his head and used as much power as you could to cool him down

Surprisingly enough, it worked

You followed him around after that, in a mix of curiosity of the areas he exorcised, and concern for his well-being

Gods above please help this poor boy

Over time, you began to dread seeing his friends, because you knew it would almost always just mean more work for you

You felt like a chaperone, to be perfectly honest

Oh well. At least you were doing something worthwhile

Ganyu - Abiding Angelfish

Girl help you are a fucking fish

You just sort of showed up in one of the ornamental ponds at the Jade Chamber

A few people threw quite a fuss over it

Abiding Angelfish were a symbol of the Adepti, serene and graceful, and they were NOT supposed to be kept in ponds for the enjoyment of humans

Still, manhandling one by removing it from the pond might be more disrespectful than letting it stay in the pond

And how did you end up in the pond in the first place?!

Keqing thought the whole thing was ridiculous, and tried to remove you just to get everyone to shut up and go back to work, but you were terrified and stubborn and did NOT want to leave

The way you thrashed and flopped around was pathetic, and to anyone who respected the Adepti, it was also quite distressing

So in the end, you were allowed to stay there

Ganyu found herself drawn to the pond where you were kept, your slow movements and beautiful appearance calming to her

Perhaps this was best. Even if you couldn’t do much, you were still bringing comfort to Ganyu

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