welcome , travelers

Usually being one to have a little more finesse, it's almost uncharacteristic of you to carelessly throw the keys on the counter on your way into the kitchen, kicking your shoes off while getting a glass of water, and dripping almost a quarter of it in yourself, seeking to relieve your poor heated skin, it almost felt like steam escaped your pores as the cool water made contact with it.

You were totally gonna die.

You don't have much more time to wallow in your own vaporized pity after finishing your water when you hear footsteps approach you, followed by gentle arms wrapping around your waist.

"Hah, someone just got out of the oven?" the voice belonging to those arms teases gently, true concern behind the joke, and you place the glass on the sink to turn around. Ah, there he is. Just looking at your beloved could make you feel so much better...

"I'm cooked... Absolutely roasted, fried even", you whine, dropping your head forward and resting your forehead on his shoulder. He chuckles softly, more feeling the vibration of his chest than hearing it, and a hand comes up to pet at your hair.

"My poor angel... You look exhausted", he doesn't need to point it out but you agree with him with another whine nonetheless. You stay there for a couple minutes, you simply resting all of your weight onto him and Kaeya silently holding you up.

"... Can we please go to bed? I wanna get all these dumb clothes off..." you complain pulling away just enough to look up at him, where you find a smug smirk. Oh no.

"Oho? I thought you were overheated?" he teases some more, even going ahead and wiggling his eyebrows at you, making you groan and roll your eyes while he giggled.

"You're such a child... I just wanna lie down and be one with the soft cold sheets."

"Whatever my liege desires it shall be, then", and with that, he's picking you up in his arms and carrying you towards the bedroom. Normally you would have squeaked, maybe even complained and fought back while you both died of laughter, but you truly were so exhausted that there was no energy to fight left in your poor aching body, leaving you to simply groan and hug him, allowing yourself to be walked around like a sack of potatoes.

It doesn't take more than a minute for you to arrive to the comfort of your bedroom, the air cooler than the rest of the house a clear sign that Kaeya had been working away on the paperwork you could see on the desk opposite to the bed, only getting up to go greet you like a puppy longing for its owner to come home and zooming to the door as soon as the keys were taken out of your pocket.

Gently, as if you were but a porcelain doll, Kaeya placed you down onto the bed and kissed your forehead before pulling away to look for more comfortable clothes for the both of you, opting for just loose cotton shirts and pajama shorts, not like either of you really had to go out for the rest of the day.

Kaeya made a point to make his free hours as sacred as possible when it came to you, no paperwork, no extra hours or patrolling or anything. If your days off concurred, you had a silent agreement to spend it with the other always, unless truly pressing matters outside of your power pulled you appart.

Now dressed in the most comfortable and fresh clothes you had, you sigh happily and fall back onto the mattress, crawling up onto the center of it while listening to your beloved's harmonious laugh. Once in place, you curl up under the light bedsheets and purr as the cold fabric envelopes your body, slowly lowering its temperature, it almost feels like you're fizzling...

The knight gets in behind you only a second after, leaving his vision just on the bedside table to be able to make use of it and cool down the entire area of the bed some more, knowing you needed it before he could wrap his arms around you.

"There you go, darling... Is that better?" he coos softly, leaving the tiniest kisses along your shoulder and making you shiver.

"Mmhm... Comfy... Thank you, Kae..." you mumble, reaching for your favorite plushie and hugging it close to your chest.

"Of course... Anything for you, my dear", he speaks soft and low, his cool breath brushing against your neck just barely, making you shiver, but... It's even comforting, lulling you into a relaxed and even vulnerable state of mind.

Usually you're the one to do this for Kaeya, pamper and even baby him until he's a mushy little thing without a single thought in his head. Be it for coping purposes or simply to make him feel loved, or even in more intimate situations, you were always happy to take care of him, take control of the situation and let him feel safe and cared for, it was the default you liked to keep and he was more than happy, despite his initial reluctance about not needing to get babied (a lie).

All this was to say that he rarely ever got the chance to do the same for you. He treasured the occasions where you truly needed to let your guard down and be the one to get taken care of, and, even rarer still, you allowed yourself to even do so. He always had his way of caring for you, not leaving a moment of doubt in your heart that he absolutely adored you with all he was, but there was something special in these occasions.

"Look at you... Already so sleepy, mm?" he coos again, so so softly. A hand is caressing up and down your arm, his other arm coming up and fitting like jigsaw pieces under your head as another pillow, and you curl up back against his chest.

"Mmhm... Tired... But better..." you babble back. It was as if all the exhaustion of the day was finally catching up to you, closing your eyes and struggling to stay awake some more to be a bit longer with him.

"Ah, I'm glad, my sweet angel... My poor baby had a very long day, so much to do, and in this heat!" he clicks his tongue, as if reprimanding the entire universe for giving you a hard time. "But it's alright... You're here now, finally home, in my arms... Safe and comfy."

"Safe 'n comfy..." you repeat back, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

"Mhm, that's right... Let's get some rest, my little dove", he proposes, kissing the back of your neck, making you shiver. Cold...

"Mmkay... So sleepie already... G'night..." it's all you can reply with, sleep clinging to you and making youe consciousness swirl around already. He chuckles softly, kissing along your shoulder some more.

he didn't care that your shorts would occasionally rise further up your thighs than they should. diluc was a gentleman, he could keep his eyes to himself, it was the treasure hoarders he was concerned over.

diluc crosses his arms firmly over his chest as he watches over you, listening to how you chat with them innocently. the crew the two of you had stumbled upon were docile enough and didn't see to be up to anything devious. he hadn't thought much of it, just mentally keeping track of time of how long it was taking.

it was only when he noticed one of the treasure hoarders that was standing somewhere behind them had been trained on a certain sight for a while too long.

he turns to look, disguising it as looking off to the landscape behind. the man cocks his head to the side though his eyes remain where they were, even smirking the slightest bit when you shift on your feet, stretching your legs every so often.

of course he wouldn't go and look just to see what the sight was that had this scoundrel's staring so hard, he can put two and two together, and this alone has his fists clenched tight together. how someone could be so brazen and deprived is beyond him.

and it seems that you’re none the wiser to it as well.

the crush that’s been steadily forming since he’s come to know you springs to life in his chest. he steps the urge to take a peek underneath his boot and digs it into the dirt. there is no was on this planet he would ever give into such base desires. not only would it tarnish his honor but it would be taking advantage of your trust. 

diluc glares at the man behind them, making direct eye contact with him to send the message very clearly. his gaze is not wanted and above of all very disgusting.

the treasure hoarder just smirks and licks his lips, paying diluc no mind as if he wasn’t a fucking wine tycoon.

he was about two seconds away from decapitating this man right in front of his little buddies until the sound of your laughter snapped him out of it. diluc looks over to you and was welcomed to the beautiful sight of your smile, covering your face a bit. you never did like people watching you laugh.

“luc! these guys are an absolute riot!” you cackle, muffling your laughter. “c’mon, tell him the story about giving the knights a run around! he’ll loose his mind at it!”

the treasure hoarder had already started his story but there was something more important that had diluc’s attention. the slimey bastard that was once against staring at your ass.

“that’s it.” diluc grumbles.

“hm? hey, diluc, what’s up?-”

with the blink of an eye his claymore is within view and it soon comes to shield your behind from prying eyes. wolf’s gravestone in all its glory shines in the light, the sharpness of the blade glinting and sending a dangerous message to the sorry lot that had dared to stare at you.

his gaze was murderous as he stares down the man, knuckles white underneath his gloves from how tight he grips at the handle. with how long he’s been using a claymore the weight hardly bothers him and he can hold it with one hand no problem which he’s pleased to see ends up intimidating the man.

“h-hey what’s your problem, man??”

“you’re my problem.”

the little commotion gets your attention and you soon try and turn around to which diluc places his hand firmly at your shoulder, keeping you in place. he turns to look at you in what he hopes seems reassuring and not murderous.

“these fine gentlemen were simply asking to see my choice of weapon,” he looks back to the lot and the glare is back on. he can’t stop a chuckle from escaping when they flinch back. “as well as how i’ve been training in it for over a decade with a 100% accuracy at each hit. they found it impressive.”

peace keeper you are, you just smile and clap your hands together. “ah! yeah, diluc is a real skilled fighter! not only in weapons but hand to hand combat. ooh we could even spar if you guys wanna?”

his victim quickly shakes his head as he takes a step back and away. “no thanks! that guy is-” the claymore tilts close to him. “h-he’s way too strong for us! maybe some other time? heh..”

diluc huffs silently though keeps it in place. “i think this has been enough for today. how about we go our separate ways. we shall head back north and your group can head south.” diluc makes direct eye contact with the man. “far, far, far south.”

it takes a minute or two but the group soon leaves. he silently keeps you there with him until the coast is clear and only when the band of treasure hoarders are out of sight does he let his claymore fizzle out. he idly fixes his gloves before nodding out to where they should go next.

an easy conversation starts between the two of you until you begin to laugh out of nowhere.

he cocks a brow. “what’s so funny?”

“nothing just- man, you were really gonna try and hurt that guy just cause he was staring at my ass?”

diluc looks at you as if you had lost your head.

you just laugh even harder and smack him square on the back. “thanks for doing that, though. who knows! maybe i’ll let you stare for a bit as a reward for protecting my purity or whatever.”

and of course he doesn’t mean to stand there like an idiot on purpose. you had known that entire time? it only now makes sense; you had been attempting to get to the outside of their group, ease closer to him, even tucking your hands behind your back. celestia above he’s an idiot.

diluc’s jaw tightens as he chastises himself mentally though your sweet voice once again snaps him out of his thoughts. 

“you’re already cashing that reward in? goodness, who knew master diluc was a pervert?”

“what- oh!” he looks up to you though accidentally gets an eyeful and quickly brings his hand up to cover his eyes, scowling slightly as he catches up to walk by your side. “shut up. we have the rest of your commissions to do.”

his face burns brightly all the way up to the tips of his ears and the back of his neck. you’ve lose yourself in a fit of laughter and giggles.

honestly the surveillance idea mostly came to me bc i wanted the player to be able to spy on their faves whenever and accidentally catches one of them jerking off. and since we've become close to them first they are already infatuated with us and spend every second thinking of us so of course they call out our name while theyre touching

itto is probably the most blatant about it. you find him humping his pillow, gripping at it like he wished he was holding your hips. you stayed there watching him until he cums where he passes out asleep in the same position. head down, ass up, and a stupid grin on his face

one you wouldn't expect would be jean or keqing. both women are very straight laced and you can hardly picture them touching themselves in any way until you tune into their feed when you hear whispers of your name. jean would be pleasuring herself from behind her desk, thighs spread so far apart as she touches herself to completion. keqing would be laying on her back in her room, pitch black, and a blanket being the only thing to protect her modesty. it seems both of them were very embarrassed to be touching at the thought of their creator.

whenever you hear a call of your name with the scent of ash and grapes, you know it must be diluc. he never calls your name at the start, only ever before he cums or afterwards so you've learned to tune in immediately when he does so that you don't miss the show.

Sight. Still a little blurry with sleep, thus you instinctively rubbed your eyes to try and wake up further. Blinking once more, you sat up, the rest of your senses catching up and allowing you to appreciate the sounds around you as well: birds chirping, the breeze whistling tunes of adoration and longing, a nearby creek, the soft melody of strings being plucked delicately. The scent of wet dirt, fresh mint, a nearby rock that had been under the sun for hours now, apples, ripe and sweet.

Where in the world were you?

As a newborn fawn, you held onto the rough edge of another rock to pick yourself up and stand on your feet, looking around you, but before you got to take a good look, the wind picks up, what was a gentle breath now felt almost like the beginning of a hurricane, having to hold onto your new solid pal to not trip for the few seconds it lasts. Once it is over, you're back to sitting on the grass, huffing to yourself, even crossing your arms in confusion and a bit of frustration, but before you can go ahead and try to get up again, the soft melody nearby comes to a stop and a soft giggle replaces it.

"What's got you so upset, dear one?" you hear someone coo, and… Isn't that voice familiar? You're sent once more into a frenzy to look around you to find the source of the voice, the force of the elements being so gracious as to allow you this freedom this time, and get as a reward the sight of a young man… Floating down? Was he floating?

Soft cheeks are flushed as he smiles, stepping down gracefully on the patch of flowers right in front of you, and you're sure you're gawking at him.

"Oh? Speechless now? It was said you could be shy but I didn't expect their grace to be this quiet."

"What."

Blink blink. Oh this was a dream. That's the only logical explanation.

"Ah… Huh! Am I referring to you in a wrong way? I apologize if that's the case!" he quickly comes down to kneel by your side, giving you the biggest puppy eyes you have seen in your entire life. Cute…

"No, no, that's not it. I… You're Venti. Like. You're Venti and you're right in front of me", you tried to explain, not exactly doing a great job at really making the other understand what you meant, given by the way he tilts his head to the side.

"Well, yes! I'm Venti! Venti the bard, but you may call me however you wish!" he excitedly giggles, seemingly ecstatic that you even knew his name. "Oh, we have waited for your return for so long! We need to let everyone know so we can properly celebrate, there will be feasts and festivals and balls and parties, all of it to welcome you here—!"

"I'm gonna be fully honest with you", you interrupted him, only half guilty when he looks back at you clearly embarrassed with how into it he got. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and all that sounds exhausting…" you admit, leaning back on your hands behind you.

"Mm… Then we can stay a bit longer here and I can explain it all to you! It's not strange for you to not remember it all, even I have my memory problems after a long nap, I'm sure it's the same for you, given how long you were away…" he shrugs, deciding to come closer, pretty much flopping onto the grass by your side, short of snuggling up to you.

Normally it would've been… Weird, this whole thing was extremely weird, but you knew him, in some sort of way, and that familiarity felt safer than anything else right now. Not to mention a strange sense of longing within you, of being lost for so long just to be found yet again, like coming back home after a bad trip that went on for too much time and you finally could forget about unknown pillows as you sank into your very own.

Huh! Weird!

"I guess there's no harm in staying, then. I could use an explanation or two…" with that, you allow your body to rest back as well, turning your head just enough to watch Venti's peaceful expression through the long grass leaves.

of course he knows who you are and how you are, admittedly, a pretty big fucking deal in teyvat but that doesn't mean he'll fall for you instantly... it takes a little bit of time to get there

even when he feels himself being pulled towards you with undeniable proof inside himself of how he is attracted to you, how he wants to spend every second in your presence, he refuses to give in so easily. there's possibly some resentment in there as well

"if you are said to be so perfect and kind and loving then how come you were not there to ease the burden that was placed onto me?"

when he comes to you with this he doesn't expect much of anything. you've proven to not be a malicious god and certainly not spiteful. you didn't even seem to want to admit that you were a deity in the first place. it was almost liberating to speak to the divine in such a tone

what cements his feelings for you and what finally has him accepting that you are the one he was truly meant to server and love is when you burst into tears and apologize for taking so long. perhaps all he had really wanted all along was to see you as something more mortal and tangible. word of mouth had tainted his view of you so to see you lay your emotions out so bare..

xiao would follow you to the ends of the world

from that day forward xiao would remain at your side. if you were to set some boundaries and express when you wished to be alone then he would do so but with some obvious reluctance. he would watch you from afar if he didn't have anything pressing to attend to and if he did then he kept his senses open just in case you were to call for him

his devotion to you is on the same level as rex lapis but now he fears that there is more romance involved. he doesn't see himself as worthy just yet to be a partner to you so he tries every day to prove to himself and to you that he will one day deserve to sit at your side and call you his

He crosses his arms and glares up at the tree. “Well? I’m here now, what do you want from me?”

Diluc stands there for just a moment longer, secretly expecting a response but of course nothing comes from it.

He sighs, looking away from the tree feeling rather embarrassed for having such a wish.

With nothing left to do but try and enjoy his day out, he goes to sit at the base of the tree. He slumps against it, one leg folded up and the other splayed out before him. Diluc rests his head along the tree as he watches the clouds in the sky.

He felt like a fool.

For the past month or so he had been.. Strangely content. Happier than usual. That in itself would normally be cause for celebration but with such happiness came an unease.

Jean chalked it up to allergies, his immune system never favored the summer weather.

Lisa suggested that perhaps he was in love. That was the last time he’d ever come to her for advice.

Kaeya had a certain look in his eye. It told him that his past brother likely knew the ailed him but chose not to answer truthfully, only giving a rather cryptic response.

Venti was the only one who had given something halfway decent but even then it was bullshit upon more bullshit.

“Follow whatever is pulling your heart along and go talk to it! That will solve everything and who knows, maybe love will consume you and everything will be answered!”

Diluc snorts haughtily at himself as he remembers the bards words. Sure he was a god but he didn’t have to sound so annoying about it, former crush or no.

Before he could have anymore time to think about it there was a voice calling out to him from above.

“Hey! Hey hey, you there, D-! D..... Theee stranger in red!”

“… Excuse me?”

“Yeah you! Hey uh, I’m in a bit of pickle right now so you think you can help?”

Diluc looked up to where the voice was located and felt his heart freeze. The tugging had become stronger than it ever had before, so sharp and pointed like it was going to rip apart any second now.

The owner of the voice was covered by the leaves and branches of the tree but if he focused he could make out the outline of their body but even that was hard.

Whoever they were just might be the answer he had been searching for.

More leaves and twigs fell down onto his lap and he grunts in annoyance when he flicks them away. “How can I help you, stranger.”

A pause. “How confident are you in catching a person?”

“Depends on how high up said person is and considering we’re practicing yelling at one another, I’d say you’re rather high up.”

Another pause followed by quiet, nervous laughter. Another sigh. “Yeah.. Right on the mon- On the mora. Yeah.”

Diluc resigns himself to his fate and slips off his jacket, letting it fall into the floor as he tries to coordinate himself to wherever they must be hanging out at.

“Let’s get this over with then.”

“Wh- You’ll help me? Seriously??”

He glares up at them, a bit offended. “You assumed I wouldn’t?”

“W-Well…”

“Get down already before I leave you stuck up there.”

“Okay okay! Gimme a second, okay? This is a really high fall!!”

“You’ll be fine.”

Diluc huffs as he listens to the rustling of the branches, gauging how soon this stranger would jump down from the tree. Really, he had better things to be doing other than attempting to catch somebody from a tree like-

“Huh..” The more he tries to think of what he could be doing with his time he realizes he can’t come up with anything. For some reason, all he wants to do is stick by this stranger and see this through to the end.

He places a hand at his heart, jaw clenching slightly as he thinks it over. And then there was that whole thing where the longing at his heart was pulling him closer to whoever this person was. 

Were the two connected somehow?

He doesn’t have time to think about it for much longer until he hears the strangers voice yell out something that has him on his guard.

“Wait-!”

“Aaand three!! AH-“

Diluc widens his stance and holds his arms out wide for them, grunting when they land in his arms at last, though he does falter back just a bit. That is the last time he will ever catch somebody from a tree ever again.

He growls lowly in his annoyance, a glare locked and loaded on his face as he looks to the person but whatever scolding he had ready to dish out die in the back of his throat when he lays eyes on them.

They’re smiling. It’s a big toothy grin with their eyes filled with stars, their entire being glowing the world up in a way he could never properly put into words.

“You’re Diluc,” the say with a giddy laugh. “The Diluc Ragnivinder!”

And yet he’s still just staring at them like a fish out of water

He comes to his senses and clears his throat, easing them into their feet as he fights a wicked flush off of his cheeks.

“It’s Ragnvindr, actually.” He finally says, not really caring for their incorrect pronunciation, eyes never leaving their form.

The tugging at his heart was pulled taut and it was headed straight towards them. This had to be why he had decided to come here. For them. Diluc swears he can recognize their face from somewhere but he can’t place it. 

All he knows is that he feels so unbelievably loved and cherished.

“Got a staring problem, Master Diluc? C’mon, lemme thank you for saving my tail somehow!”

Diluc snaps out of his daydream as a ghost of a smile breaks onto his lips, nodding. “You wear clothes not of his nation, dirty ones at that. I will have lunch prepared for us at my home..”

“Wh- Man.. You’re a lot more stern than I had expected…” They grumble but dutifully follow by his side.

His heart pounds wildly in his chest as the pieces begin to connect themselves and while Diluc was not the most devoted follower to the gods anymore, you would have to be a fool to not eventually realize that you are standing besides The Creator.

A god who had been absent for thousands of years and only now resurfaced.

A god that will cause a stir in the world if left unchecked.

A god that has his heart pounding, face flushed, and palms sweaty.

“The Dawn Winery?” They squeak out. “Really?? Aaah man Diluc, you’re amazing! I can’t wait!”