#bonanus x reader

—chongyun

if anyone's ever watched gravity falls, think of that episode where dipper explores the northwest mansion with pacifica. it goes something like that

your family, as well as even the servants around the castle, grew wary of things that went bump in the night over the last few years

eventually, they called in an exorcist to get rid of anything with malicious intent

his name was chongyun— the best of the best in liyue

it was said even the most gruesome of evils steered clear of his presence. and when you first met, you thought it was no wonder

with his icy stare and his imposing ceremonial greatsword, he looked almost surreal as the ghosts themselves

you were tasked with representing your family. you and the exorcist were about the same age, so your parents thought it would help make him more comfortable

once you got to talk to him personally though, that assumption immediately fell flat on its face

as you went through the palace, his coldness didn't seem to waver, no matter how much you tried to lighten the mood. his tone when speaking (limited to one word replies and/or lengthy explanations about evil spirits) was clipped and entirely professional

it didn't take you long to resign to the fact that you were probably annoying him, and so you stopped

chongyun, however, was left stuck asking himself why you'd suddenly started acting so stiffly

as you forlornly inspected an ancient vase, he wondered if he should apologize for.. something? was he being too cold? he hoped not

though chongyun did worry that his long time crush on you would have him combust if he ever stood an inch too close

besides, he was on a job. professionalism, chongyun. professionalism

just ignore the unwanted whisper of the xingqiu devil on his shoulder urging him to talk to you

he could do that later

maybe. hopefully

his friend would have definitely been having a field day if he saw him now, fumbling over himself about whether or not to initiate a conversation

you, however, had absolutely no clue what chongyun was glaring at the wall about. the mural maybe? was that cursed? you sidled up to chongyun's side and voiced your question to him

if you knew him any better, you'd recognize the vague pink creeping up his cheeks

—bonanus / fanan

you'd initially thought she was a.. strange choice to be assigned as your personal knight

to be honest, you used to think she was one of the nurses. you often saw her in the infirmary, her deep blue hair and pretty smile catching your eye quite easily

fanan's frame was slender, but with the way she carried herself, anyone might guess she was a member of the royal household like you

you couldn't imagine her in all that clunky armor, swinging a hefty sword against the other warriors. you had thought she was too soft-hearted for that

that was a misjudgement on your part

the first spar you witnessed her partake in was when she was training one of her subordinates

the first thing you were wrong about was her weapon— fanan didn't have a sword, no

she had two

long, elegant twin dao sword with carvings of the waves and ocean legends from the hilt to the iron of the blades. the metal was such a beautiful silver it could pass for blue under a certain light

the second thing you were wrong about?

fanan had no use for armor, apparently

she flowed as easily as water, practically dancing around her opponent in a blur of blue

her blades, the seafoam and her azure apparel, the current; she was a tsunami crashing into the tide

her opponent fell before a minute passed

"you've improved." yet she smiled at them, as sweet as ever

you had to hold yourself back from voicing your bafflement. improved? at this rate, you felt you might as well could have fired every other knight at the palace

"i noticed you stop to watch earlier."

it was only after fully checking in on her subordinate did she ask for your thoughts

"what did you think, your grace? was my performance to your liking?"

you could only blink at her

"y..your grace?"

"i—" you cleared your throat. "um.. yes. yes, it was. more than satisfactory, i think. you are quite skilled, sir bonanus"

then she beamed at your words

your heart fluttered

—lyney

in lyney's words, you were a noble of many treasures, and a bouquet of even brighter blossoms. you sometimes found his riveting manner of speech a bit difficult to understand, but that statement was thankfully not one of them

you thought the notion of having a jester was a bit silly. but you didn't have any other way to describe him either

you supposed magician worked well enough

to start, the court of fontaine was simply enamored with him. who wouldn't be?

a charming fellow from humble origins, rising up with nothing but the little mora in his pocket and the support of his family to keep him afloat. and he'd made it. in no time at all, he was a regular presence on the stage of the opera epiclese.

and while the court of fontaine was enraptured with the magician, lyney himself found himself enraptured by you

he didn't believe in love at first sight, but he knew when he was smitten

you came to every show. every night. he even caught a glimpse of your watching eyes during one of his smaller performances

the immediate night after, the opera's crowd was in complete shambles by the end of his tricks, when a single rainbow rose had been thrown into the crowd by his very hand

it had landed in your lap, just as planned

the look you shared that night was the talk of the entire kingdom for weeks

as for you.. well, he made you laugh. what else was there to say?

soon enough, lyney was giving out backstage passes (pass-es, he told lynette. but she saved him the trouble and requested you to come by herself)

you grew close quickly. lyney seemed like an easy person to get close to, after all. he was a devoted suitor as well; never passing up every opportunity to try and impress you or tell you how grateful he was to you for even looking his way

every performance after that concluded with a rainbow rose in your hand. sometimes even several

your visits to the house of the hearth (previously only for business) increased in number

so when the order came from father to get even closer to you and sleuth about your estate and properties, lyney's heart just about stopped in his chest

—wriothesley

you knew each other for as long as you could remember

he was just a random servant boy in the castle that liked keeping you company. you, in turn, had no complaints. he was fun, if not unpredictable, and a welcome interruption to the rigid palace routine

to him, you were like an angel. he called it the luck of the gods themselves that you wanted to play with him at all when they were kids

with the crown on your head as a halo, the cadence of your voice was your song. you always smelled so nice, and your hands were so soft. your smile, however, was the most stunning. the sight of it almost gave him a sense of pride, knowing that more often than not, it had appeared because of him

you were inseparable, and everyone hated it. especially your parents

it was almost ironic. of all the people to have figured out how the two of you felt about each other first, it had to be the ones that needed you apart the most

he didn't exactly help his own case, what with his smart mouth and knack for getting in trouble. it came as no surprise that he was at the receiving end of someone's scolding quite often. you just hadn't expected it to get so far

the trial went by you in a blur of whispers

"i always knew he was trouble" "what a dreadful child" "how unfortunate"

you couldn't sit still, practically leaning over the rail to look at him. you wanted to snap at your family gossiping behind you. you wanted to jump over the rail and run to your best friend. your only friend. you wanted to yell at him. you wanted to comfort him. you wanted to grab him by the hand and run off somewhere no one could catch you

and he wasn't even looking at you

if only you'd known what he was thinking in those moments. that the mere sight of you at the edge of his vision had him near tears

"i'll come back to you. i'll come back." he repeated to himself every night after that before he fell asleep, dreaming of you

years passed. wriothesley never forgot

now the duke of the fortress he was exiled to, he ran back to the overworld the first chance he had

as soon as he saw you on the streets of the city, he knew

and as soon as you caught sight of him, staring longingly after you across the street, you did too

—la signora

the signora lohefalter was a mysterious woman

the fair lady. an esteemed member of the snezhnayan court. from the way she dressed, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, it could be said she was the very definition of the word 'luxuriant'.

between the two of you, it had started with a spark

on her end, a spark of interest

you were a bold one. whether you were a lowly servant, a fellow noble, or somewhere in between, you had a certain look in your eye. one of unyielding fire

it drew her in, this mirror of her own disposition

the court was often a rather desolate place to be. the people flew by and drifted off, colder than the wind. your heat was tantalizing to her. and eventually, she learned to crave your warmth

on your end however, the spark was rather literal

witchcraft was forbidden in all but written law. so when you caught the slightest lick of light escaping the signora's ungloved hands, you weren't quite sure what to do

she'd caught your gaze with an amused smile

"you look like you've seen a ghost, y/n."

not quite

it was an odd game of cat and mouse. it was as if the mouse bared fangs, and the cat was left to do nothing but scramble to catch it

it might take a while longer for her to accept her own feelings if you weren't a noble, or draped in finery from head to toe

but when she does, she claims the feelings with conviction. no matter how much longer it will take for the two of you to end your little game, it's clear what's going on to any outsider watching the two of you

maybe it wasn't so much that you wanted her caught. maybe you just wanted to know why. you've voiced this curiosity to her once, in one of your attempts to obtain a confession

she smiled again, in that coy, oh-so-innocent way that she did. she'd tell you, but.. well, you already knew, didn't you? what was there to tell?

and could you really blame her if she enjoyed the way you looked as you chased her down?

Slap him, he can take a few hits and honestly deserves it for teasing you that much<33

Feigns hurt when you hit him until you relent and tend to his 'injuries'

Then tackles you into a hug when you do

He has four arms so,,,good luck escaping, comrade

If you want him to stop you're gonna have to flatout reject him

Indarias(pyro):

Incredibly cheeky about it

"You think I'm into you? Now why would you be so curious about that? Unless you're trying to tell me you're interested~"

She smiles so innocently the whole while like she didn't just set you up

It absolutely was her idea to let Bonanus discuss her crush on you with Bosacius right as you were walking around the corner

And it was completely staged how Bonanus panicked and told you to forget you heard anything from her

Which of course led to curiosity getting the better of you

And now Indarias was more than happy to poke and pinch your cheeks cooing over how cute you were when you played investigator

"Your interrogation needs work, but I can help with that! Go on, ask me more."

Goes off on date ideas unprompted regardless of what your initial question was

Her favourite colour? Pink. Speaking of which there's this pink themed cafe she's been dying to check out and you should accompany her

Bonanus(hydro):

Ever so slightly shy about it, probably the second most flustered of the yakshas

She genuinely didn't expect you to find out before she confessed

Either way, she's not going to deny it

"That is...correct," she confirms with a soft smile and giggle, easily slipping her hand in yours. "You...wouldn't happen to have asked because you liked me too, would you?"

Definitely pulls you along saying she has to show you something when you say yes

She takes you to a lake when she slowly leads you into the water, letting it settle up to your ankles

When you ask what she had to show you, she only smiles and leads you into a dance

"Not much, I just wanted to dance with you."

Of course there was more to it than that

As she twirled around with you, the water that splashed up seemed to carry on upwards in slow motion

You'd expect to feel hot under the scorching sun, but the water droplets that drifted around you like snowflakes reflected the sunlight into a million little rainbows while keeping you cool

The tiny rainbows reflected on her like mini spotlights, drawing in your attention to her grace

You were caught staring

"I'm flattered you liked my performance, but won't you be a part of it with me?"

Menogias(geo):

Visibly, his reaction is neither here nor there

"You heard a rumour that I fancy you? Hmm, interesting."

Internally he's going insane and think he just might jump off the highest point of Jueyun Karst

"Is there, perhaps, a reason you're so curious?"

He's testing the waters to see if he should confess to you, though the surprise has been ruined

Feel free to tease him if only to watch him blank out

You can almost see the singular Braincell ping around in his skull

A lot of stuttering and taking back what he's said

No, he never said he was in love with you- wait, not that it meant he wasn't, BUT HE'S NOT SAYING HE IS, he's not denying it but kindly do not assume he's smitten thank you very much

If you don't stop teasing him the rambling will never end

On the other hand, acting upset about him not being in love with you and professing your own love to him will probably result in even greater panic

He'd take your hand and drag you all over the place until he found a suitable spot that fit your preferred aesthetic

Then he fumbles over a confession he half regrets not having planned it in detail as a script sitting in his pocket at a moment's notice

What he does have going for him is how he can sneakily draw precious gems towards him behind his back as he pretends to be fidgeting with his hands

He manages to present that much to you as a present, not that he feels any better about it

Largely anticipating your rejection and he almost flinches when your mouth opens

Xiao:

Easily the most flustered of the five

Denies it so adamantly that you'd believe him if he weren't blushing so badly

He doesn't even want to admit it to himself what makes you think he'll admit it to you

You're lucky he's the youngest and all his big yaksha siblings bully him into confessin when they hear your confrontation

They're all watching him, wide eyed and smiley, nudging him closer to you whenever he takes too long to speak

Which happened a lot, hence why he was very nearly pressed against you

At which point he lashes out at them

"Stop pushing me if you already know I'm into them."

He all but hisses yet they're still grinning at him - wider than before, if possible

Remembers you're there, hides his face in his hands and turns his back to you

"I don't see you, you don't see me."

You could point out how he could just teleport away, but you knew he'd actually do it if you did

Perhaps some time in the future, he'd reveal that he stayed to hear your opinion

-

Bonanus softly hums, her fingertips sending shivers down your spine as she threads through your hair. Her demeanor is calm and soothing, but on the inside she is giddy you allow her to do this. Few give her a chance to express her affection due to her claw-like hands.

Your fingers dance in the air causing light to fracture against the droplets Bonanus has created. A plethora of colors descend and shift across your vision.

"We make a good team, Lady (Name)."

-

Heavy pants can barely be heard above the roaring rain. You stand soaked to the bone, claymore at your side, with a small smile.

"It's time to rest, Alatus."

The yaksha growls. His entire body aches but he forces himself to his feet, sinking into the moist soil. It's been...days and he is yet to land a single blow on you. Rest? He scoffs.

"Demons do not rest, so neither shall I."

The way your brow raises piles a lump of regret in his throat. He has become so enraptured in fighting, he forgot his place. He prepares himself for punishment as you walk towards him. Your hand raises to softly hold his cheek. 'Right,' he reminds himself. He is no longer with his master, hasn't been for decades.

"Do you think yourself a demon, Alatus?"

He hesitantly shakes his head, he is a yaksha.

"Then don't treat yourself as one." You take the spear he's barely able to hold and replace it with your hand, "come now, I'm sure the other's will be happy to see you've grown."

-

Indarias speaks passionately, the flames of the campfire following the wild gestures of her hands. You love watching her tell stories, real or imaginary. The descriptions she gives and the images she creates in the fire engross you. Tonight, she tells a new story. One so special, Rex Lapis has come to view it with you.

The seven of you sit in darkness around an empty fire pit.

"This tale begins long ago, before even our Lord roamed the lands." She pauses for the poorly contained laughs.

"It begins when the sun and moon once bled into the earth." Two giant embers fall and ignite a roaring flame.

"...and thus, the flower never meant to bloom was called Helleborus."

As applause erupts from around Indarias, her violet hues search for yours. She beams seeing the adoring smile on your lips, proud of herself for being the one to put it there.

-

The sun is pleasant against your skin as you sit with Menogias atop one of Liyue's many peaks. You hide a smile behind your book when you catch him adjusting his robe for the umpteenth time. It was his idea to enjoy the day in each other's company, but as you expected, his mind quickly changed. You continue reading while he pretends to do the same, wondering when he'll fess up.

Though you wish to see him squirm a little more, you can't push down the laughs when he starts picking at grass like a child.

"How long have you known?" Menogias points accusingly, though there is a small smile and feint blush on his face.

---

Thoughts? Critiques? Let me know!

“If we get in trouble, drop everything and blame it on Indarias…” Menogias says, almost immediately contradicting what he had just said and takes a peek through the bamboo over at the two.

“Watch your words…!” Indarias said, whispering, “Don’t you think the two of them are adorable?!”

“I would if you got off me…” Bosacius said, trying to use his second set of arms to wave Indarias off his back.

Alatus balances his polearm on the grass, watching as Bosacius tries to swat Indarias away like a fly, “We’re going to be slaughtered if Bonanus finds out about this.”

“You three are going to be slaughtered.” Indarias says proudly, “Bonanus trusts me! She wouldn’t mind if I were watching—”

“Big words for someone who told me to watch my words, hm?” Menogias says teasingly. Indarias huffs, her eyes in a semi circle as she turns her head back through the bamboo, watching as the two continue to act shamelessly in love, like no one is watching; but knowing them, they’d still act like this, even if they knew if someone was watching.

Indarias gets off Bosacius, sighing.

“What’s wrong?” Bosacius asked.

“It’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” Indarias hums. Everyone turned to face her as she turned to her back, looking through the bamboo trees. “Nice to… you know… have someone.”

Alatus perks up to Indarias words. Despite this being something he normally wouldn’t be interested in, he feels that this is different.

Menogias looks back and forth between Bonanus and Indarias, saying, “In Bonanus’ words, when she’s with [name], she could almost feel her karma slowly being healed.” Menogias chuckles, “It would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“How could someone have such an effect on a yaksha…” Alatus whispers. Indarias seemed to hear it, looking at him with sincerity, but not saying anything. It stays somber like that for a while. Not everyone knowing what to say, they stayed silent. The words that Alatus had spoken stayed in his mind. Now he’s curious, Would somebody ever be able to make him feel safe? To heal his karma as [name] heals Bonanus’?

Bosacius clears his throat, “How about we give these two some privacy?” He shoots a glare at Indarias, who laughs lightly.

“Oh, brother, I’m only having a little fun! They’re so cute!”

Suddenly a cheerfully candid atmosphere returns. The thought will still plague Alatus’ mind, and yet, something about it doesn’t bother him. In fact, maybe he’s hoping to meet that someone.

Perhaps it was for the better, because he really knew how to tell stories

All eyes were on him, the children gasping, "ooh"-ing and "ah"-ing at every turn

"Tell us another story, Mr Zhongli!!"

"Yeah, tell us a personal story!"

You were about to step in but he smiled at you, mouthing that it was ok

"Well, it all began in the back of a car. I was just sixteen-"

"That's so old, Mr Zhongli."

"Perhaps it is to you, little one, but yes, it was then that I met my first love."

You wanted to snicker, some of the children making gagging faces at the mention of love, but it had caught all of their attention completely

"The years went by and they held my heart - they still do, for that matter."

His eyes were on you, and there was no denying that he was talking about you

"I'm not sure what happened, but I suppose their love ran dry...and so we fell apart."

He looked so melancholic as he said it, a bittersweet smile as he gazed at you with the same helpless longing he did so many years ago

It was so sweet, so nostalgic that-

"Whaaat?! It can't end like that, right, Mr Zhongli?"

The children looked so distraught, presumably used to the happy endings in their fairytales

The more perceptive ones caught his gaze, their own eyes flitting between the both of you, piecing the story together

Those few seemed to buzz with excitement, seemingly believing it was fate that had brought the two of you back together

Their wide eyed stares were practically begging the two of you to date

You could only sigh and smile at them as you made your way over to your ex-lover, placing a warm hand on his shoulder

Well, the library wasn't very quiet anymore, what with the children demanding to be a part of your wedding

Bonanus:

No one expects to end up with their highschool sweetheart

Twas but young love, passionate from start to finish like a blazing candle, destined to burn out

But that didn't make it hurt any less

You remember feeling her growing distant and wondering where her love had shifted

You weren't ready for it to end, and yet you knew it would hurt more if you held on

So you had no choice but to let go, parting on good terms as friends rather than letting the fire die out completely

It was probably her soothing nature that made it go so smoothly, quenching the flames like the gentle rain instead of letting flicker and perish in ashes

You only wished it hadn't ended so soon

It seemed like you were given a second chance when you saw her again

"Bonanus! Erm, hey.... it's been a...long while..."

You weren't sure what you were thinking, calling out to her when so much could go wrong

What if you'd gotten the wrong person? Or she didn't remember you?

What if she didn't want to talk to you especially since you didn't even know what to talk about

But as always, your worries were long forgotten when she greeted you with the same soft smile as she did so long ago, with the same adorable giggle that resounded in your ears like faerie bells and sent your heart dancing

What were you so worried about? Being with her was like stepping into a pool, you start of anxious, toeing the water's surface, but once you're in, it's easily to get lost in its comfort

You never thought she'd become an editor after graduation, but thinking about it, she did seem to love stories, perhaps a habit from her time with Zhongli

You figured now was as good a time as any other to dive right in and try your luck, meeting her again was a chance too good to be missed, and you weren't going to let her slip through your fingers a second time without even trying

"Bonanus, what do you think...about giving us another shot? There's still a bunch of chapters we haven't written in our story."

Her smile was most definitely not good for your heart

Scaramouche:

He hated being questioned because it felt like you were doubting him

And he'd had about enough of being looked down upon, even if you actually weren't

If your love was a book, it'd be a tragedy

Or so you'd think it would be, because there was so many missing pages that Scara had kept with him that you never really knew the full story

And when you'd parted, he'd scribbled your name out, as though trying to erase you from his narrative, and by extension, his memory

It's what anyone would think, but you knew better

If he'd wanted to forget, he'd scrap the entire tale itself

The fact that he was still holding on to the memories showed that he hadn't moved on either

You'd wondered why he'd never given you a reason, and it was most likely because he didn't have one, which was why he could never directly tell you it was over between the two of you

The lack of closure weighed more on him than it did on you

You're his favourite part of the story, from the very start, you'd always been

He remembers how you looked at him, and it scared him

He was afraid one day that adoration would turn to the same gaze of disappointment though he knew you'd never

It didn't take much for him to cave, inking down your story on paper and publishing it under a pen name, hoping it would lead you to him

It would be the closest you'd get to a confession from him, since he'd written everything he was too afraid to tell you, the things he never got to say before it was too late

He only hoped you'd recognise it, even if it was from his perspective

Did you recall those times the way he did? With the same fondness?

He'd find out if you reached out to him, scanning through fan mail in hopes of spying your name among the many unfamiliar ones

Most of the letters asked him how it ends, since he'd left it on a cliffhanger

He only ever chuckles a sad, lonely chuckles to himself - the only way he'd be able to write that was if you were there to pen it down with him

You take her claw into your hands, holding her dearly, “You can’t blame me, hm?” You said, laughing with a close eyed smile. And yet, instead of hearing Bonanus’ cheerful laughter, you hear her sigh as you feel her other claw cover both your hands.

Your eyes flutter open, being greeted with her smile as she looks at both your hands intertwined with her claws. You could tell something was on her mind. You tilted your head as your grip on her claw tightened ever so softly, a peaceful omen that she knew—she cherished.

Suddenly, Bonanus says, “I wish I could hold your hands as you hold mine.”

You look at her solemnly. Bonanus continues,

“The things I would give to feel your hands interlocked with mine. . . just once. . .”

“You’re still as beautiful as the day I first set my eyes on you.” You say as you hear her voice—as you hear her reasons. Bonanus smiles. She rests her head on your shoulder as she clings onto your hands ever so softly, afraid that if she holds it any tighter, you’ll break. You were so precious to her as she is to you.

Bonanus had told you that her claws were the thing that made her suffer her karma, as it was her weapon in battle. And yet, it still confuses her how you can hold them—how you can hold her—so lovingly.

You placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“I’d trade anything to grow old with you.” Bonanus says wistfully.

“As do I, dove.”