they say your spouse's sleeping posture or habits tell what kind of a person they are
and oh boy...
"augh...*hack* damn..."
so what does it mean when your spouse who has either golden retriever energy or black cat energy (up to you), is quite literally enveloping you with his big, muscular body
he was sleeping so soundly too that you were more concerned over him not getting enough sleep instead of you almost suffocating
but hey he's warm
"mmm...soft...warm..."
he was mumbling in his sleep and with the way he was hugging you and caressing your body you pretty much guessed he was dreaming about you. cute as if that didn't melt your heart
for some reason he just slid downwards while he was in very very deep sleep and sluggishly climbed on top of you, with his head on your heart and his body snuggled between your legs
cracking a soft smile you threaded your fingers through his hair and gently scratched his head
"love..." you heard him say before his breathing evened out
"good night to us too"
kaeya, DILUC, zhongli, CHILDE, capitano, neuvillette, WRIOTHESLEY, VARKA, PHAINON, mydei, ASHVEIL, JING YUAN, blade(?), DIAVOLO, BEELZEBUB, malleus, LEONA, JACK, idia (trust i know he hides them pecs under those hoodies), CALEB, RAFAYEL, zayne, YUUJI
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fatui male harbingers smut headcanons w f!reader , ranked from highest to lowest stamina (headcanon) | includes all male harbingers except pulcinella
a/n: requests are open for headcanons, mostly for fatui and nod krai cast ! send me an ask don't be shy :3 request rules are here !
minors dni | likes , reblogs , and follows are appreciated ! <3
TARTAGLIA — HIGHEST STAMINA
as the youngest harbinger, there's no doubt he has the highest stamina out of the fatui men. he's very proud about it, too. he loves to fuck, and it's a surprise to no one. there'll be some days where all he wants to do is ravish you after a long day of combat and fatui affairs, while on other days he wants to take his time to fuck your brains out. sometimes it's hard to keep up with him in bed, with the way he seems to never tire. he loves every single bed activity there is: fucking, eating your pussy, fingering, playing with sex toys, having you suck his dick if you wanted it, and even anal. there is never a time he isn't in the mood to fuck; he'll take every chance he gets to spread that pussy of yours open. this man can't keep his hands to himself at all either; all he wants to do is touch you and please you. tartaglia doesn't have any shame either, he'll take you anywhere and everywhere. quickies by the training grounds, in one of the hallways of the zapolyarny palace, in a secluded spot in the northland bank, and even short makeout sessions during work. this man's hunger is never a joke, because he'll never get tired of you. either way, you'll always be in for a ride with tartaglia, as he probably won't stop until the sun comes up.
SCARAMOUCHE —
technically... he's a puppet... so do puppets really get tired? but seriously, he's definitely a freak—a bratty and cocky freak at that. he loves to degrade you while his hand is wrapped around your throat as he thrusts his cock sharply into you. he gets off to the sound of your moans and pleas, the way your pussy flutters around him with desperation and need from every thrust. scara definitely loves to tie you up too, hands bound together with your legs spread wide and your ankles shackled down so you can't move. he'll tease you, edge you, and overstimulate you until you can't take it anymore. sometimes he even uses a vibrator on you while you're tied up in that position, pressing the toy in a torturous motion against your pussy. and he's not nice about it either. he'll continue to overstimulate your clit till you're shaking and sobbing, begging for him to stop the vibrator. if he's nice enough, he'll lower the intensity, but otherwise... he'll only ramp up the speed. and when you come for the nth time that night, he'll do the honour of cleaning you up by eating your pussy, licking all your juices. and just when you think he's done with you, he comes back for another round, ready to hear your pretty moans.
DOTTORE —
having dottore as a sex partner means having a tons of other guys as your sex partners too. what i mean by that is his segments. each segment has their own level of freak, and by extension, their own level of stamina. omega definitely has the highest stamina out of the rest of the segments, followed by moonttore and primettore. prime definitely has a thing for watching his segments fuck you in front of him, it's like a guilty pleasure. he loves to watch as a segment thrusts himself balls deep inside of you while another has his cock in your mouth, and maybe another to touch and tease you while the other two work on you. moonttore is especially cruel; he'll fuck your pretty little cunt till you're full of his cum and you can't walk. sometimes dottore takes turns with his other segments to fuck you, milking your poor pussy out for the night. he fucks like a man deprived and starved, burying his cock deep inside of you until you beg for him. he's definitely the type to use a drug or aphrodisiac on you if it means you'll be extra sensitive for his cock and touch. anything to help you keep up with his desires. stamina is never a problem for dottore, because there'll always be a segment that's ready to keep your pussy full and warm.
PIERRO —
don't ever assume that his age affects his stamina in the bedroom. while yes, his stamina has definitely worn down over time, pierro knows how to fuck and satisfy their partner properly. he knows your weaknesses and your sensitive spots, and he uses them to his advantage. his knowledge definitely comes from his years of experience, and he'll use them to the fullest to satisfy you. as the director of the fatui harbingers, he's always stressed and has a lot of pent up frustration. so what better way to relieve himself than to fuck his partner? he's the type to fuck you anywhere: bent over his desk, hidden by a pillar in the halls of the zapolyarny palace, or even in the tsaritsa's throne room—as long as she isn't there, of course. pierro will give his all to satisfy you, regardless of how quick he is or where you two are. he's usually very rough with you, but can be quite gentle surprisingly. by the time he's tired, you're shaking and trembling with pleasure, down to your fourth orgasm. even though he gets worn out faster than the rest, he knows how to leave a lasting impression on your pussy.
CAPITANO —
capitano is only this low on the list purely because of how crazy the rest are. most of the time, capitano likes to take his time with you, with slow and deep thrusts and a lot of groaning. he drags out each thrust of his hips and each flick of his fingers against your clit, drawing out soft moans from your lips. he takes his time to please you, conserving his energy while satisfying you. but on days where he feels more stressed than usual, he's rough, fervent. he'll bend you over against the nearest surface, rutting himself deep inside of you till you're arching your back and seeing stars. he'll have his large hands everywhere on you—your hips, your thighs, your waist, your breasts, even your throat to choke you when he's incredibly horny. he loves to watch your expressions as he pounds into you, watching the way your chest heaves and rises sharply with each thrust. and when his body finally gives up and spills his seed inside you, you're ruined beyond comprehension. he'll carry you effortlessly to somewhere more comfortable once you two are done, and he'll make sure to ease any pain he may have caused you during his fervour.
PANTALONE — LOWEST STAMINA
pantalone is a loser. the end. jokes aside, i think pantalone definitely has a lower stamina compared to the rest of the fatui men, but not to be disappointed. he's absolutely kinky in the bedroom, often spicing up your activities with toys and gadgets. he loves to tease your pussy with a vibrator, playing with the setting while shoving a dildo in and out of your pussy. but that doesn't mean he's lazy, because he loves to touch you everywhere and anywhere his hands can reach while using the vibrator on you. fondling your breasts and ass, rubbing your thighs, marking and kissing your neck and collarbone, even fingering your pussy while the vibrator rubs on your clit. but when pantalone does actually fuck you, it's absolutely hot. he'll have his hands everywhere on you during sex, teasing your tits as he drives his cock deeper and deeper inside of you. his thrusts are sharp and rough, but they gradually get sloppier over time when his stamina begins to wane. he'll hold out long enough to see and feel you cum at least twice from his cock, watching as your juices coat his cock and wet the bed. and when he's exhausted? if you're still horny? don't worry, he's still got that vibrator and his fingers to fuck you.
All Genshin men x gn!reader (alphabetically) / sfw / established relationship -> women version (coming soon)
Aether
He won't acknowledge the way he sinks back into your touch when your fingers thread through the golden strands of hair hanging down his back, nor the way a low rumbling sound of bliss seems to emerge from the back of his throat when you massage a particularly sensitive spot on his head. Simply the feeling of your gentle hands brushing and re-braiding his adventure-knotted hair is a reprieve from his demanding everyday life.
Albedo
Watching you sleep is something he can't seem to stop, eyes wandering to you slouched form, observing the rhythmatic way your chest rises and falls as you dream, draped across his work desk or tucked into his side. He'll smooth a gloved hand across your hair, or drape a blanket around your shoulders to prevent the sub zero temperatures of dragonspine from seeping in. There's just something so peaceful about the way you look that soothes his fabricated heart.
Alhaitham
He'll be lounging on the plush cushions of your sofa after a long day of being the academia's scribe, one arm resting lazily behind his head and the other cradling some academic text or another. You'll slide in beside him, attempting to squeeze yourself in next to his broad form on the narrow sofa and he'll grumble under his breath in feigned complaint - he never really means it - but the shift of a bicep from behind him to tucking you securely into his side tells another story.
Ayato
He often takes a brief respite from his duties to wander the estate grounds, pausing in doorways when he hears the soft tune of your humming as he passes by. You'll be doing something inconsequential he doesn't bother to note, but the sound - no matter how perfect or off key it might be, it matters little to him - just seems to lure him closer. He'll wind his arms around your waist, whispering in your ear with a tone full of both amusement and fondness alike - yet he won't yet mention how the mundanity of such a task feels like a refreshing break from the formality of his everyday life.
Baizhu
Never will he outright admit his condition has worn him down, yet when you see him and the weariness of bearing the weight of Liyue's health on his shoulders, it touches a soft, vulnerable part of his tired heart. He'll gently decline your invitation to help, his duty is something he deigned to shoulder alone - and that is to be his fate - though when you insist on sharing that burden, such a concerned expression on your face well, he just can't say no to you it seems.
Capitano
He's not accustomed to gentleness or softness, so the contrast of your slow, soothing touch against the cold hard steel of his helmet is such a foreign sensation he takes weeks to get used to it. Your soft hands trace the inky black abyss where his face would be with such tenderness it feels like he doesn't deserve this sort of adoration, yet he'll lean down into your touch, bringing one large hand up to dwarf your own, brushing his fingers against your knuckles in what he hopes is a gentle manner.
Childe
He may or may not say - depending on the outcome - that being scolded by you is something of a guilty pleasure, though guilty is probably less of the right word in his case, try obvious. He tries at least a little to school his expression into something neutral when you frown and press the antibacterial cloth a little harder into the cuts littering his skin, telling him off for being so reckless. Despite the reprimanding tone of your voice, he can see the worry flickering across your expression - ok maybe he's a little guilty now.
Cyno
He returns home late most days, well into the early hours of the morning, so the last thing he expects is to see you slumped over the arm of the sofa - clearly where you've slid down from an upright position. He'll slide strong arms under you and slide you back into bed, only joining you after shedding all his heavy gear and the weight of his duties for the night. You'll receive a mild lecture in the morning - why you shouldn't wait up for him when it poorly impacts your own sleep - but when you shyly mention you seem to struggle to sleep without the warmth of his presence next to you, he can't help but soften and let you off the hook, only to find you in the exact same position the next night.
Dahlia
He's easy to please, any time spent in your company is pleasure enough for Dahlia, yet when you drag him to the sofa with two cups of warm sugary tea waiting for you on the coffee table - insisting he regale you with every minute detail of his day (not to mention the gossip he mentioned offhandedly a few days ago) - it's both surprising and heart warming to realise you've noticed and listened to the random things he says. And for that, he'll gladly indulge your curiosity, no matter how mundane.
Diluc
Watching you tiptoe your way back into the bedroom, swathed in one of his silken shirts that practically drowns your form and balancing a cup of coffee in each hand will forever be one of Diluc's favourite sights. You don't even notice he's awake, half propped up on his elbows with that piercing crimson gaze following you as you edge closer. When you do eventually catch him staring and burst out into laughter, passing him his mug as you slip back into the sheets beside him, he'll allow himself to join in, even if a little pink in the cheeks.
Dottore
He'll openly admit that he gets a little thrill when you depend on him for anything. No matter if it's something trivial and you could most likely do it yourself or you genuinely require help from him or a segment (unless you're interrupting important research - that will earn you a look that could put you in your grave and an irritated huff indicating you should 'do something yourself for once'). Though his favourite instance is when you get sick, he can test all manner of new remedies on you to his hearts content, satisfying that mad scientist element in him, but also quietly tend to that tiny part of him that still has something loving inside.
Heizou
Oh if anything could prove more entertaining and endearing then having you perched on his lap, attempting to help solve a case he figured out twenty minutes ago. He would tell you, but the sight of your brow furrowed in concentration and the gleeful look on your face when you turn around to point out a clue you'd linked is so terribly charming to the poor detective he'll follow along for just a little while longer. He then tests how many times he can repeat this scenario before you notice that he's already solved these cases, he just enjoys seeing your face light up, even more so when his own cheeks tint pink at the sight.
Flins
He's developed the awful habit of hiding away in his lantern every time you so much as have a petty dispute - terrible sulker that he is. Every time you sigh, chastising his childish behaviour under your breath but still picking up said lantern, purple glow flooding the darkness of the corridors, and set it on the bedside table before turning to sleep - he never expects it. He eventually comes to the amusing realisation you most likely can't sleep without him near, or struggle to at the least. When you wake, you'll find a certain fae out of hiding, wound around you like a constrictor with his face buried in the crook of your neck.
Gorou
Seldom does he let anyone near his canine features, until you manage to become a small exception to that rule. Oh he'll never admit it, but the blissful sleepy expression on his face whilst you comb through the matted fur of his tail after an exhausting day sparring and patrolling betrays his true emotions. If you deign to tease him even a little, he blushes a furious red and huffs in grumbled protest, yet he still can't seem to pull away from your soothing touch.
Ifa
Oh he's weak for seeing you in his clothes. When he emerges from the bedroom to find you perched on the edge of the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in hand and another waiting beside you, black and bitter - exactly how he has it - his discarded shirt from last night haphazardly thrown on, he swears he has momentary heart palpitations. Even more so when you throw a knowing grin his way and gesture to the cooling caffeine waiting for him.
Itto
The bigger question is what don't you do that makes him fold instantly? If he had to pick one thing in particular however, it would have to be when you indulge his childish dramatics. He'll boast about an onikabuto fight against a child from the city he won, he's aware it's not anything significant, yet when you laugh and clap encouragingly, it touches him in profound ways he can't seem to articulate.
Kaeya
He may not remember it most of the time, his memories a hazy blur of wine and charm, yet on the occasion he does recall you leaning his weight against you and dragging him home from the angel's share to heard him into bed and make him drink some water - swiping a damp cloth over his forehead in an attempt to sober him up just a little, lest he suffer another god awful hangover - he feels the sickeningly sweet feeling of what he refuses to admit is love settle at the pit of his stomach.
Kaveh
Oh he's far too flustered to admit that when he finds himself slumped against his desk, head on an array of architectural papers and pencil still in hand - waking up to instead realise he's propped up on a pillow, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a freshly made cup of tea still emitting steam inches away - his heart does a little flip in his chest. He knows you know it's a bad habit he won't stop anytime soon, yet the little things you do show him just how much you care.
Kazuha
He's a wandering spirit, unable to stay in one place for too long, and though it pains him to leave you behind every now and then - he can't help but feel a little more in love every time he sees you at the dock, waving at him with that saccharine smile and unbridled enthusiasm. It's the knowledge that you'll always be here, waiting for him to inevitably follow his loyal heart back to you that keeps him going.
Kinich
In the rare moments Ajaw isn't trailing behind Kinich like a loud record that won't ever stop playing - much to both yours and Kinich's disdain - he can't help but allow himself the indulgence of your touch. He may not seem like a very touchy guy on the outside, which is partially true, but with Ajaw's frequent interference, physical contact is a luxury not often afforded. So he finds himself wrapping his arms around you like he'll be ripped away the next second, leaning into the warmth of your body like it's his saving grace.
Lyney
He's become so adept at maintaining the façade, the show persona, that when you see past it for the first time, he can't help but be thrown a little off guard. It's when you notice the fatigue under the performer, that he feels seen. It's an odd feeling for him but one he learns to embrace anyway, and one day he finds there's little more comforting than the warmth of your embrace when you ask after his wellbeing.
Neuvillette
Hardworking and hardly ever home should become the motto for Neuvillette's life sometimes, being chief justice of Fontaine means piles of paperwork makes their way onto his desk every time he so dares to glance away from it. It makes the bright afternoons where you slip into his office with lunch and a adoringly sweet kiss to his cheek all the more gratifying. Even spending those 30 minutes with you every few days makes the workload looming above him seem a little smaller.
Ororon
He's perfected the art of awkward fumbling and shy gaps in conversation at this point, no matter how close you get to each other he seems to never overcome this lull in interaction, though you find it endearing, he still flushes with embarrassment every time. Therefore he's come to favour the time he spends with you that takes place in comfortable silence. Whether you're helping him in the vegetable patch or simply sitting side pressed to side on the sofa together, minutes away from falling asleep - all of it soothes his anxious heart and lets him enjoy your company without the nerves of conversation.
Pantalone
For such a wealthy man, he's the farthest from profligate someone could be. Every expensive is documented and accounted for, yet somehow the jewel encrusted necklace that appears on your vanity one day seems to escape the logs. So does the subtly expensive perfume a few days later, then the flowers delivered to your workplace. When questioned, he'll deny any knowledge of such things, claiming they simply don't exist, but the way his lips curve upward when he presses a lingering kiss to your forehead is telling.
Sethos
He's a tease, a fact he won't even deny himself, especially when it comes to you. But then on occasion you'll find it amusing to return the favour, and suddenly he finds himself at a loss for what to do. He never expects you to turn the tables on him and whisper something in his ear or drag a finger down his chest in smug reciprocation, and it makes him blush and mumble something inaudible under his breath every time, much to your delight, he finds.
Thoma
Everyone on the Kamisato estate knows Thoma is arguably the best cook within a 50 mile radius, and he himself cannot deny that his skills in the kitchen are proficient. But on days housework and errands have made his muscles feel like lead and the thought of facing yet something else to tackle when he gets home makes him want to run in the opposite direction, walking through the front door to the smell of your already half finished cooking fills him with gratitude like no other. He'll smother you in kisses while you try and finish purely for taking the weight off his shoulders every now and again.
Tighnari
He's often up late, working on ranger schedules or logging another mushroom related incident as a result of yet another person that's not listened to his advice correctly - yet when he feels a pair of warm arms wind around his shoulders and your face settle into the crook of his neck - he can't help but feel an irresistible temptation to retreat back into the bed. He's been brushing off how tired he feels for at least an hour now and the way you murmur in his ear for him to give up and get some sleep has given him a fresh realisation of the weight in his bones. Maybe the work can be finished in the morning after all.
Venti
As the so called 'weakest archon', he's become used to falling into last place, and he doesn't even mind honestly - sometimes it's better to not have the pressure of being the most powerful. Yet the first time you call him 'my strong archon', he stops like a deer in headlights. He doesn't remember the last time someone referred to him like that, and so confidently too. For once the bard is genuinely flustered - having to turn away and bashfully hide his face before you can notice the impact those three words had on him. Maybe with you he can let himself feel like something other than the weakest.
Wanderer
He often finds himself awake during the night, restless and plagued by memories of the pasts he's lived. He won't admit it, but he doesn't want to burden you with the same, so he'll carefully extract himself from your embrace, pour himself a cup of the most black and bitter tea he could possibly make and head out to sit on the back step, staring up at the endless expanse of Teyvat's star smothered sky. He comes to realise merely minutes later, footsteps approach from behind. He won't turn to look - he knows it's you - but when you settle in next to him with your own cup and inevitably end up falling fast asleep against him moments later, he won't complain.
Wriothesely
Seldom does Wriothesley have the time to emerge to the surface, and that consequently results in very little shared time between the two of you. Therefore imagine his surprise when he returns to his office after seeing to a matter elsewhere in the fortress to find you perched on the edge of his cluttered desk, tea tray stocked and set beside you, with that knowing smirk dancing across your features. He's taken aback for all of a second before suddenly he's right in front of you, sweeping you up into his strong arms. A short break from his duties couldn't hurt.
Xiao
He's not used to being around people, that much is blatantly obvious after spending any amount of time in Xiao's company - he doesn't care for company much either. However after some persistence, he finds you've snuck your way into his space without him even realising, or caring at that - something about your companionship is less bothersome than most. You'll clamber your way up to the roof of wangshu inn most nights, perch yourself next to him and just... exist. He notes you don't scramble to fill the silence, you just lean against his shoulder and watch the stars with him.
Zhongli
He's lived for centuries, and every memory, every whisper of a ghost in the hallways of someone he used to know, is a burden he and he alone must bear. He's steeled himself to this reality - the price an archon must pay - yet when you, a mortal, string your hands through the golden tips of his hair, or gently trace the gold markings that line the charcoal skin of his forearms, listening intently to his stories like there's weight to each and every detail - the load on his heart feels just that little bit lighter.
A/N: This has been in my drafts for way too long why did i think this would take me like 10 mins </3
" they don't know about us " w/ genshin multi men x gn! reader . . . 𝝑𝝔 walking in on you changing, how will he react? || albedo, alhaitham, capitano, childe, wriothesley, diluc, neuvillette, kinich, xiao, dainsleif, wanderer x gn! reader
cw: suggestive, no specified pronouns/anatomy for reader, NO ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP!
synopsis. when he walks in on his crush changing—how does he react?
wc: 1k ; not proofread, might be ooc! + i'll make a part 2 w/ diff characters
albedo was just... lowkey stuck in awe at first. like his mouth is a little agape at first, but he's one of the only ones to catch his composure immediately.
"oh... i—i didn't realize someone was in here, apologies."
doesn't close the door quick enough for you not to notice though, his gaze just lingering through the crack of the door a little longer. more than what you could call friendly look.
alhaitham rolls his eyes, acts ignorant, and plays it off as super duper 'i dont care just hurry up' when in reality, he's covering his mouth in embarassment once he closes that door again.
"oh, better hurry up then, other people want to use this room too."
but in his mind, he'll be replaying the moment he got to glance at your bare skin for a moment (like a man in the 1800s seeing a woman's ankles).
"fuck, what are you doing to me?..."
capitano thinks it is normal to be caught off-guard and vulnerable every now and then, he doesn't lose his composure until after—he didn't mean to think about the moment over and over again... but his subconscious says otherwise.
"ah... my apologies, please continue, i will... be leaving now." he stumbles over his words a little before turning the door knob and returning outside.
he will be fighting his own mind for wandering back to that memory, even if it is out of control, he's just scolding himself like 'stop this lust at once...'
childe is of course one to tease, he ateals every chance he gets, and this is one of those opportunities! he will not shy away from showing his attraction (but will still end up getting flustered)
"ahh... name? i believe you forgot to lock the—hey don't throw that at me!"
still finds himself smirking about it by the time you come out the room, just is leaning against the wall while grinning like a madman.
"it's not my fault i got a peek... ack! okay i'm sorry!"
wriothesley is also one to tease, but not without being... well somewhat polite. it's already impolite when you walk in on your crush changing...
"whoops! my bad, just keep changing... i—yeah i'll just... take my leave."
he ends up flustering a bit at the end but come on, who wouldn't? and if ever you ask him if you look good or not he's gonna explode (with embarassment.)
he'll give you his jacket if you feel you're missing anything before leaving together.
diluc just.. didn't say anything until after. shut the door faster than anything, that was his priority before rewatching the moment where... agh where is his mind heading!!
yes, he is one to fight his own subconscious, feels guilty as fuck afterward, not even because his eyes lingered a bit when he got a glimpse, but it's the fact he remembered every little detail.
"...oh, you are... you are speaking to me... m—my apologies."
neuvillette closes the door just as fast, even if he didn't see anything, the handle almost breaks off from how hard his grip was. and as well as the harshness as he slammed it back shut—
"name are you—i'm... my apologies—"
is all you hear before a loud bang is echoing through the room, and the quick footsteps away from outside walk off in a panic.
can't look you in the eye for at least a day. he is way too embarassed to.
kinich closes the door just as silent as when he opened it, only hearing the two small clicks; one for opening, and another to close it. he'll make sure to keep watch from outside.
"...hmm? it's alright, i saw nothing."
but you can't deny the lingering gaze he gave evey now and then when you two started to walk, especially on the skin that he totally didn't see.
xiao was... well xiao. he is similar to kinich, but way less nonchalant about it. tries too hard he comes undone... like legit red in the face but claims to...
"i... i didn't see anything, i-i promise. i was just... making sure you weren't having trouble or whatever."
he rolls his eyes like they didn't just peer through the small gap he left open to 'leep an eye on you'...
can't maintain eye contact for more than a minute. congrats, you've broken him!
dainsleif didn't mean to walk inside, the door just happened to break while he tried to lean ln the door to hear if anyone was inside—yes he fell in, yes he apologized, no he wasn't crimson-cheeked. he doesn't know what you mean.
"... apologies. again. i... i hope you know i didn't mean that. my.. my blush does not speak for itself. i do not blush."
sure you don't! he totally is not when his orbs hover over your skin like a magnifying glass; letting his eyes unravel whatever he could see, knowing he already saw what he wasn't supposed to...
wanderer? oh he plays it off so well... but the thing is, he doesn't blush at first, not at all. yes he has apologized before closing the door once more; but the thing is, he doesn't realize you're right by the door while he talks to himself.
"cute... why do you have to be so.. fuckin' cute.
makes sure you leave safely, and definitely offered to zip it up for you before he went back out.
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A/N: idk just a random new idea, watch me get more and more unserious with every character you pass
Aether
❝Agh-...shit...❞ - he holds back his sounds as he moans and curses into his hand
❝ Mh-no, like that, yeah...move like that...good❞ - he bites his lip as his lust drowned eyes stare up at you, holding your thighs tight for stability
❝Slower?...okay❞ - speeds up with a slight laugh, stopping seconds later to slow down again
Albedo
❝This spot? Yeah?...knew it...❞ - it's rare for you to see him smug, but that smirk he will give you when he finds out his guess was right is something else
❝Hold still for me...yes?❞ - he pushes your thighs apart, settling down comfortably between them as he dives in
❝Some interesting sounds you make...❞ - and he will carve them into his mind. When you're away he will remember them, will miss them, miss you and everything about you
Al-Haitham
❝Keep quite...❞ - there's no harshness in his words, just slight desperation as he breaths those words in your ear as he fucks you on the couch in his shared house with Kaveh, while he is asleep in his room
❝Tell me what you want...come on, you can do it. Speak up.❞ - sometimes the way he talks to you is infuriating, like he's talking to a stupid child. It not only embarrasses you when he speaks so teasingly, it makes you angry, frustrated, and maybe a bit turned on
❝If you can't watch your hands i won't watch my teeth.❞ - you tugged on his precious hair, so he can't help but tease you even more as he eats you out
Ayato
❝Mmm...yeah...❞ - he's rather quite, Ayato hums more, right in your ear with such a disgusting smirk because he knows any sound he does will drive you wild
❝Don't overestimate yourself, hm?❞ - he always says the same as you sink down on him. He knows exactly that his tip just puts too much pressure on your cervix. He might tease you, but he doesn't want to hurt you
❝I got you...don't worry, i got you...❞ - while you come down from your high...did he came himself? No, but it's okay. You're his number 1 priority
Baizhu
❝So...warm...❞ - no matter how many times you two have sex, your warmth will always overwhelm him
❝Shh...you don't know who might come in.❞ - he doesn't take many risks but god he can't hold himself back when you help him out in Bubu Pharmacy
❝I'll take care of it...don't worry.❞ - look, he's a doctor, a people pleaser and helper, ofc he only takes care of you and not of himself
Capitano
❝Take it slow, theres no rush.❞ - says the big guy with the prettiest cock and he doesn't even know it
❝Do you need a break? No?...heh...alright then...❞ - proceeds to rearrange your guts
❝What did i tell you?❞ - he means please, tell him please, ask nicely with manners like he taught you
Childe
❝Naww, someones needy huh? It went riiight in, with no problem.❞ - I bet you can practically hear and see the smug look on this abominations face
❝Look baby i don't wanna hurt you, yeah? You need to tell me when i go too hard.❞ - just a little nice check in for him. He wants to make sure you know you are always free to tell him off, he doesn't want to force himself on and in you
❝Good? Hah-ah-...yeah...thought so...❞ - sometimes the smugness will flatter, especially once he's close...you don't know who enjoys it more, him or you
Cyno
❝You hear that?...Thats you...❞ - he pumps his fingers in and out of you, slow and fast, changing pace. But no matter how fast or slow, he absolutely loves when you're as wet as you can get
❝Are you certain that you really want th-! Ouch why'd you slap me-❞ - he always asks the same, over and over again, it's nice that he keeps asking for your consent but at this point it annoys you like...bro you already been between my legs for like 30mins I had enough time thinking about it
❝Where?...ah-quick tell me-❞ - whenever he doesn't wear a condom and realistically...I don't think condoms exist in genshin lol
Dainsleif
❝So desperate...it's almost cute.❞ - he knows it's basically a long distance relationship considering he's almost never there. That's what makes it even "better" for him when you two see each other. He can't help but tease
❝Calm down, we're not in a rush.❞ - basically the first, same vibe, call me lazy lol
❝Still...gh-taking it so well...❞ - uhhh yeah we have a theme here
Diluc
❝You look cold...i could warm you up...❞ - sometimes him being smooth works, sometimes not, and sometimes he just sounds like a cheaper version of himself (Batman)...or sometimes he does what Kaeya says-
❝Where's the 'please'?❞ - he's so well mannered it's scary, so he expects the same for you too. Say please and thank you
❝Maybe if you would've behaved like I told you to, we wouldn't be here right now.❞ - he says it so calm as he fucks you against the cold stone wall behind Angels share in the middle of the night where any drunken idiot could see...or the patrols...that are very much sober (hopefully???)
Dottore
❝Hm? This? Oh, thats just for documentation.❞ - he records your voice...he literally studies your reactions and change in voice.
❝I won't tell you again, hold still.❞ - he isn't scared of tying you up at all so either hold still or be held still
❝...hm...you're too quite...❞ - he literally wants the Tsaritsa to hear like???
Freminet
❝Ngh-h-hey-calm down or else-!❞ - WE LOBE SUB BOYS, I WANNA HEAR YOU SCREAM, WE LOVE SUB BOYS
❝This is...new...yeah...❞ - he's a explorer but he also wants to be explored sksksksksk
❝So-warm-!❞ - uhm...self explanatory. When he enters you it's warm lol
Gorou
❝Wdym I'm in heat AGAIN?!❞ - he can't help but not be horny like?? Have you seen yourself??
❝Agh-...i tried to br gentle but you just-❞ - no self control, smh
❝Right there? See...told you i won't forget.❞ - he's eating you out, and still remembers your most sensitive spots like it's craved in his mind...because it is
ft. Childe (Ajax), Alyosha, Capitano, Pantalone, Pierro, [BONUS] Flins
SFW: everyone except Capitano and Alyosha have one or two children with reader, established relationship (married)
Wordcount: 400 - 600 per character
A/N: I'm aware that only three of them are from Snezhnaya,but I'm using those featuring them in the 7.x plus Flins.
Genshin Impact masterlist
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Ajax
A long day. Ajax could describe his whole day too long for its own good. First Pulcinella hands him too much paperwork and then some Fatui agent thinks it's a good idea to hold him up just before he could get home.
But who was he to complain?
You, his poor wife, had been held up at home with not only your chaotic daughter but also his second baby you were carrying right under your heart.
Ajax huffs as he finally fishes out the keys with a small kitty keychain that your daughter had made for him at school and quickly unlocks the front door, pushing it open with his weary shoulder. Inside he's met with the comfy space of his home, lightened bright with orange lamps and the most delicious dinner making everything smell like heaven.
“I'm home!” He yells loudly and is met with red hair sticking out around from the corner alongside the biggest blue eyes sparkling in his direction.
“Daddy!” The little girl laughs as she runs into his arms while laughing loudly. “Daddy's home!”
Ajax lets his briefcase fall to scoop up his daughter, his familiar laughter filling the house as he throws her up and down. “Look who's hereeee! Were you good to your mommy?”
“Mhm!” Her little tooth gap becomes visible as she grins and laughs while being twirled around like some pretty princess – which she was to him. “Mommy's making borscht, my favorite!”
Ajax dramatically gasps and carries her to the kitchen where, like expected, were hunched over a huge pot of very good smelling content. “Oh, my solnyshko, you know I could've done that instead.”
You smile up at him, the exhaustion evident as you turn to him. He's immediately worried and sets your daughter down to stride over to you in wide steps and gives you a huge hug plus a kiss to your cheek. “Hey, let me take over, hm? You're supposed to rest. It's not good for the baby to–””Ajax..” You roll your eyes as he pulls back to look at you once again.
“I'm fine, okay? But what you could do is play a little with your daughter. She's been driving me crazy!” You eye the girl, who's been listening to you talk and shift on her feet while hiding her hands behind her back.
“Oh, that I can do!” His face bursts into a huge smile and he bends down to be face first at your belly, giving it a huge kiss and mumbling against it. “Be good to your mommy, hm?”
You keep your hands at your waist, one faintly reaching out to pat on his ginger hair. Then he turns to his daughter, full of energy and joy. “Who wants to be the pirate?” ”Me! Me!” He grins back at you one last time to also give you a quick peck and then he's off with your daughter on his shoulder.
Thank heavens.
Alyosha
The wind has been banging against both the door and windows for hours now just like the cold seeping through every crack into the small hut you owned alongside your husband. It hasn't been long since you were married and as newly weds he's been planning something grander for you to live in, but you assured him this was actually cozier than he thought.
Currently you were seated in front of the fireplace, poking in it to get the flame to grow a little alongside the wood you were throwing in from time to time. It's been about two hours since Alyosha had gone out alongside Tugarin to hunt some food for you three since the prices on the market had gotten ridiculously high.
You press your knees to your chest while staring into the fire, the flame reflecting in your half lidded eyes.
“I'm home.” You jolt at the deep voice, but quickly relax as you realize that it's Alyosha. “Caught two rabbits.”
He holds up the two animals by their feet, a faint smile on his calm expression. As you try to get up, Tugarin pounces on you to lick your face clean. He still smells of the fish he had eaten earlier, which you laugh at alongside the tingling feeling of his warm tongue brushing over your cheeks.
“Haha, stooop!” You get him to stop and kneel down in front of him to give him multiple kisses on his head. “Here.” You take out some old jerky from one of the boxes under your shared bed, throwing it to him for him to devour. Tugarin's tail wags as he eats. “Good boy!”
Still with a bright smile on your face you get back up on your feet, finally focusing on your husband who didn't seem too thrilled. “Hm? What?” He only huffs in response and lays the rabbits on the small table next to the window to take his hood and jacket off.
“Whaaaat?” He evades your gaze as you try to look into his eyes. The cheeky smile on your face brightens as you pinch at his cheek to direct his head to you. “Hey.”
Alyosha finally meets your gaze, eyes softening instead of him desperately trying to keep up the nonchalant act.
“What's wrong, Aly?”
He crosses his arms, turning to his canine friend who was already waiting for the next piece of beef with his wagging tail. Even though he always wants to be the serious one of the two of you, it was impossible with you being so adorable.
“Where's my hello?” Alyosha turns away again, cheeks red from how embarrassing all of this was, but like the elders always say.. communication is key.
You comically blink at him, the innocence plastered on your features. “Wait.. Are you jealous?” He abruptly turns to you, his whole face strangely red like a ripe tomato. “What?! No!”
He was. You could see it in his eyes. His pout truly wasn't usual for him and you kinda found it adorable. Carefully you rest one hand on his shoulder and take the first chance of him looking back at you to give him a kiss to his cheek.
“Welcome home.” You declare wholeheartedly. “I missed both of you.”
Alyosha's lips gape at your confession, which he'd known from the start with how much you always smiled whenever the door opened and Tugarin came sniffing for your love. He grabs you by the waist and pulls you into a soft peck. “Missed you too..”
You giggle and let go of him to tend to the rabbits. “I'll fix us a good supper. You just rest, okay?” As you pass by Tugarin and pet his head the dog follows you around the room to stay by your side as you do what you said you'd do.
How did Alyosha get so lucky again?
Capitano
“My love.”
You abruptly turn at the deep voice of your husband late in the evening. Any other person would've already been running for their lives at the sight of such a huge man standing in the doorway in the armor of a high ranking soldier, but to you it gave you security.
“Thrain!” You smile brightly at his presence, your legs faster than your head as you run into his arms. “You're home earlier than I thought.”
“Early? Is that what you think of me?” He brushes his hand over your head as the other rests between your shoulder blades. “It's nearly seven.” “Yeah, but sometimes you return late at night so..”
Capitano softly laughs at your words, pulling back so you were pressed against his side. “My dear, what were you doing?”
Your eyes sparkle as he asks, looking back at the spot where three potted plants stood. “Oh, I was just tending to the flowers. You know.. the ones you gifted me?” “I only gifted you the small frostfairy flower, so where'd you get those?”
Capitano always loved to ask about your interests, especially about your love for gardening in a nation where things as such were near to impossible. It reminded him of your love, you loving a deformed beast as him, just like in that opera about the beauty and the beast his colleagues had dragged him to.
“..so I bought it together with Columbina.” You finally finish your little rant about how you had to choose between multiple flowers and ended up getting the dandelion on a shopping spree with his two colleagues, Sandrone and Columbina.
Unbeknownst to you Capitano hadn't really been listening all that much and actually was grateful for his helmet, which he could ‘misuse’ whenever he wanted just to admire you. It hadn't been long since marrying you and those few years together had been the happiest in his centuries of living.
“Hm.. Now.. Isn't it a little too much wearing your helmet at home?” You get on your tippy toes to try and mimic you staring into his eyes. “The maids are in the making of dinner with the radishes I bought.” “You know I don't like being without it in front of others.”
You frown at his words “Others? I'm not part of the others or am I?”
His large hand comes to cup the side of your face. “No.” He says. “You're special. Fine..” He retracts his hands to take off his helmet, with you holding your breath to finally see his face again after the long day and night before without it.
“Much better, right?” You smile as his eyes become visible, which holds great shame and an uncomfortable glint to it. His entire lower jaw reaching to his eyes were bluish from the curse he had long held in himself and something he didn't want you to know until you made him step out of his comfort zone years ago.
You grin instead of leaving in disgust, which he knew many would do if he didn't wear his helmet. Capitano made it clear multiple times when not wearing the helmet that he hated the feeling of being without it, but every time you shut him down when he got to the part of you deserving someone else. With another step and reach up to his face you plant a soft kiss to his slack lips.
“When's Daddy coming home?” Your daughter had been sitting on the living room floor while stacking one of the matryoshka dolls, asking about when Feofan would be home.
You were sitting on the couch, reading the book you had been dying to read ever since buying it on the market. The kitchen next door was occupied by your maids, getting some cuisine ready to feed your starving husband, who always was very hungry when returning home. “Soon, baby.” You calmly reply. “Why don't you show your daddy how well you can read, hm? When he's home you grab your notebook, hm?”
Your daughter finds that idea amazing as her eyes sparkle and she bolts out into the huge entrance hall past the parlor and up the stairs to her huge bedroom.
“Bring this to my office.” you hear outside of the living room minutes after your daughter left. “Now.. Where are my girls?”
Feofan's voice makes you smile brightly and leave your book behind on the couch to welcome him. His eyes shine brighter as he sees you standing in the doorway, hands resting on either side of the frame. “Dorogaya(Dear).” He's at your side in seconds, pulling you into a deep kiss. “I hope you didn't miss me too much.” “Oh, you know I always do, but our little girl has been dying to show you something.”
One of Feofan's eyebrows shoots up in confusion alongside a deep hum. Before he could ask your daughter nearly trips down the steps and stops in front of you two, not even waiting to be in her father's arms. You smirk at his reaction as she starts to recite her favorite bedtime story, stumbling only a little over her words.
“Precious..” His jaw is left open at the revelation of his little daughter finally getting that one thing right that he's been spending lots of Mora on tutors for. “My little Spark..” He falls to his knees to scoop his daughter up and twirl her in the air as he rises again,her book nearly flying across the hall.
When he sets her back down his hand fishes out a small yoyo toy out of his pocket. “If I had known you were learning this much I would've bought you another doll.” She only grins and thanks her father with a kiss to his cheek, running off not even seconds after.
Then Feofan's focus turns back to you with a huge rather flirtatious smirk. With a snap of his finger one of the unoccupied maids brings a rather fancy looking bouquet of flowers and not just any flowers, it were those with a thick layer of ice over it – one of the expensive sort.
“Oh, Feo..” You don't even take the gift in your hands and instead wrap your arms around him with your lips pressing firmly to his cheek. “You didn't have to.”
“What's my money worth if I don't even get to spend it on my favorite girls?” He gives you a long passionate kiss and shoos the maid away for some privacy, letting you lead him back into the living room where you three spend the rest of your evening together.
Pierro
The guards open the door for Pierro, who's been looking a little too exhausted ever since leaving Glupov with his briefcase filled with papers that needed signing. He immediately heard his daughter's squeaky voice from her room upstairs, probably playing tea party again.
“Father. You're back.”
He's already halfway up the stairs when he hears his teenage son greet him from the doorway leading to the living room. His young eyes are covered by the white strands hanging down his forehead, eyes nonchalantly tracing up and down his father.
“Son. I'll be in my office. Tell your mother I'll be eating alone.” He grumbles under his breath.
“Again?” His son suddenly talks back, brows furrowed in frustration. “We've always eaten alone ever since Project Stuzha. Will you finally tell me.. no.. us what this is all about?”
Anger boils deep within Pierro's chest. He's been doing all of this not only for him, but also his mother and sister. Shouldn't he be grateful? All he wanted was to keep you three safe and this is how he's repaid?
“All I'm doing is for your future, your sister's future and your mother's well-being.” Pierro's heart rate spikes as he tries to keep himself from yelling at his son, who didn't know any better. “Do not question my choices.”
“Daddy, Daddy!” The high pitched voice of your daughter rings through the large mansion, catching his attention immediately. “Mommy, Daddy's home!”
Instead of getting the warm welcome she was used to, your daughter gets promptly ignored by her father as he gives his son a death glare.
“What's wrong, Pierro?” You, his wife, had appeared just in time to take your whining daughter into your arms. This hasn't been the first time of him blatantly ignoring his children due to stress and the heavy workload. The analyzer that you were immediately understood the situation and you kneel in front of your little girl to brush some hair out of her face. “Why don't you go play with your brother while I talk to your father, hm?”
Pierro lets out a frustrated sigh, turning to you. “I don't have time for this..”
“I know you don't, but that doesn't mean you should act like this.“
“Honey, I–” You press your index finger to his lips to shush him.
“Shh. I know our son asking about the Project isn't very nice of him, but he's still just a young boy who's nearing his Fatui enlistment.” Without him making a fuss you take his briefcase and give it to the next maid you see. “Just one evening of us eating together is all they ask, then you can get back to doing all nighters.”
Pierro shakes his head, but ultimately gives up arguing with you. His arms wrap around your midsection and pulls you into a soft kiss. “As understanding as always, honey.” He stares down at the living room where his children had disappeared into. “Guess I should apologize to our little girl as well.”
You nod and both of you walk down the steps with your arms encircled in the other. Marriage truly wasn't the thing for Pierro, but he wouldn't have it any other way with you.
[BONUS] Flins
“Peek-a-booo!” Your little baby laughs again as you uncover your eyes with the most squeaky voice you could muster. He had been playing all afternoon in his little stroller that you had taken outside so he didn't have to watch the wall all day inside the lighthouse you inhabited alongside your husband, Flins.
You laugh as your son tries to reach up to you, his little elf ears poking into either side of the stroller. It had always been strange to you how, even though Flins didn't have such ears, your son still inherited them somehow.
With the newly raised flowers you start to tend to some older looking graves, something you had always done even before your pregnancy and the early stages of your relationship with Flins. It makes you feel productive and less lazy.
While cleaning the tombstone of another resting place you hum some song that had been stuck in your head for the past days.
From the corner of your eye you see familiar purple hair emerging up the path following up to the lighthouse and the graveyard. Flins, still with his polearm in hand, walks up the path with a slight limp in his walk.
“Kardia(Heart).. You shouldn't be out here.” Once he's at your side, Flins's hand shoots out to cup your cheek. “It's unsafe for our little one, where is he anyway?”
You motion with your gaze to the stroller standing under one of the small roofs, where you could hear the babbling of your newborn. “But before you go I should look over your wounds.”
Flins always knew arguing with you would get him nowhere and he rather kept his words to himself. Soon he finds himself next to the stroller with you sitting beside him, hand gently guiding a bandage over one nasty cut. His focus was solely on his son, whose hands were reaching out for his father while gurgling happily, and your soft touch against his skin.
“What even happened?” You let out a frustrated sigh. “You never get hurt beyond a scrape.”
Flins chuckles to himself, turning to you all the while his hand was rummaging through one of his pockets. “This.” He pulls out a rough yet cute looking teddy bear, handing it to his awaiting baby boy. “I got it from one wandering salesman, but the Wild Hunt nearly ripped it apart. I saved it.” “Oh, Flins..”
But he's not finished.
With another wide smile, which rarely shows itself on his features, he pulls out a beautiful self picked bouquet of wildflowers. “I know how much you love Nocturnal Blossoms so I picked them on the way here..”
“Flins..” With glassy eyes you take the bouquet laced with your favorite flowers– and a few others to make it look even more extravagant– and hold it in front of your face. “They're beautiful.”
“Only the best for my beautiful wife.” With another grin he gives you a kiss and returns back to his son to take him out of the stroller. “And my sweet boy.”
He holds him up into the sky to make the few rays of sunshine that would brighten the graveyard only a little down upon him. The little baby laughs as Flins does a funny expression and the latter gives him a big kiss to his chubby cheek. “I'll be careful from now on.”
“Promise?”
His eyes soften as he looks back at you and he wraps his right arm around you while keeping his son in the other. “Promise.”
note: for context, this is the second post of the reader being the tsaritsa's daughter. reminder that these are strictly platonic due to reader physically being a teenager!! see post here. might be ooc. (prob is lowk) pierro and pulcinella are really short considering there's not much on them..
lore spoilers!!
ps: part 2!!!
00: the jester, pierro.
to say you didn't like him was an understatement. you met him shortly after he joined your mother's band of fools, as you liked to call them. he was cordial and at first, you liked him enough. he'd share stories about his days as the mage of the vinster king before the cataclysm. similar stories your father used to share about his own family in khaenri'ah. and you'd listen, partly from interest and the other half because it seemed no one else wanted to approach you because of your fragile condition.
though, when you began seeking your mother after recovering enough strength to leave the warmth of your chambers with thick clothes and shivering hands, he became an insurmountable obstacle. it was like he could sense your presence at the massive doors to the throne room or one of the many council rooms in the palace. he'd beat you to the door, closing it behind him with a gentle click to prevent you seeing your mother and he'd escort you back to your chambers.
eventually the attempts became more frequent and more desperate than the last, your younger self homesick for a mother that was so far yet so close at the same time.
in one of the last few attempts you made to try and see your mother for at least a second, he'd finally gone cold.
"your mother refuses to see you, child. behave as the duchess you are and see yourself to your room and recover."
he had shut the door in your face.
from that day, you made it a point to avoid him, and he accepted it without a thought. though, there were still a few moments in which he quietly watched over you between the centuries. moments in a warm room where you let your violin echo your loneliness, or the few times you were outside for a few minutes. your face would crumble as the sun which once felt overwhelmingly warm to you now did nothing against the curse on your body, still freezing your hands and arms even with thick coats.
as time progressed and decades passed, you'd make your disdain clear with side glares and dismiss his reprimands with meaningless and empty promises. though on the very rare occasion you tolerated his presence, you'd listen to his stories like you did centuries ago, because in that aspect, it was like a glimpse of your father lingered on in his tales of khaenri'ah.
01: the captain, capitano.
the relationship between the two of you was oddly meaningful. the man was as quiet as a mouse when the two of you were alone. you weren't blind; you knew he and many of the harbingers only kept you company to keep an eye on you. because of that, you didn't find the formidable man intimidating, but a man with wise words and great intellect.
when you picked up the sword after being bedridden for such a long time, your steps weren't even close to your former prowess. once a child who wielded the blade and polearm with the vigor of a graceful warrior now tripped and staggered with simple movements. yet he often sat in silence, watching the flaws in your stance and with a deep voice, he'd point them out.
"your feet are too far apart and your arms are too close to your body." his footsteps were heavy on the thick carpet. he knew better than to be too close to you, his cryo capabilities would freeze your skin. instead, the scabbard of your sword pushed your arms a few inches to your right side.
"having a firmer base and keeping your feet light will allow you to move like a swan and strike with the strength of a tiger."
some days, he'd come around just to watch you get back up to your feet. he'd heard about your achievements in your youth (wonder from who), and watching you struggle to keep up with simple exercises made something in him want to see you improve. other times. he'd simply come and drink tea in silence, listening to you vent your frustrations about your swordsmanship, and most importantly, your mother.
when your body started adapting to your curse, he started dueling you. while your limbs started freezing over and showing signs of fatigue, he looked like a boulder being brushed by a light breeze. when the jester heard about it, he discouraged the practice and relayed that your mother found it unwise. but you stopped listening to anything that came from him. you made it obvious you wouldn't listen unless your mother said it face to face.
the captain, despite his loyalty to your mother, couldn't refuse your demand to keep training you. and so he did, even when your body was at its limit and your fingers turned a deep cerulean. he was harsh, but by the time you were collapsed on the carpet shivering, he had already draped a thick blanket over you and ordered a servant to bring tea. it was through him that you learned how to insulate your body with the own coldness of your flames.
then when your body warmed enough to stand and move slowly, you'd sit and drink tea together in silence. it was poetic, how a man who was slowly eroding was teaching a child cursed with the same fate. though one day, you were tempted to ask about the thing that plagued you the most.
"what lies beyond your hat, thrain?" he was calm about it, as if he had been prepared for years.
"a face disfigured by time and the consequences of sinners." you could only assume he meant the same erosion that was chiseled into your left hand. dark blue coloring and cracks of light blue creeping up your arm, so different from the half of the curse that affected your vision.
as the years went by, you regained some of your former prowess, and even thrain had to admit that he was putting in effort in defeating you. you weren't near his level, clearly, but you were scarily close considering the curse that burned you at both ends.
shortly before he left for natlan, he confided in you. in came in simple conversation after one of your duels. he calmly his tea, faced clouded with darkness while you regained your breath and warmth. he told you of his anger of the pyro archon, the way the gnosis held the solution towards the night kingdom and ley lines.
of course, you knew the way they functioned. your limited freedom and confinement to the indoors often led you down rabbit holes of information found in the books in the library. but when he told you of the souls in his body and his plan for natlan, you shut down as a defense mechanism.
the day he left, he visited you one last time. you were quiet and distant, but despite that, he allowed himself to get close to you. he patted the top of your head and murmured goodbye before his heavy footsteps disappeared down the corridor.
when the news came of his dormant state, you allowed a single tear to escape the gap of your mask, for the man who was your mentor and made his peace.
but for now, your plan was set in motion.
02: the doctor, dottore.
you quickly found out the doctor was a complex and multifaceted man. his interest in you was quickly piqued, an order from the tsaritsa herself to monitor your wellbeing. you met him a few years after he became a harbinger, a young man expelled from the akademiya for illegal research with too much ambition and too much thirst for knowledge.
the laboratory created for him in the depths of the zapolyarny palace was cold, even by the standards of an acclimated snezhnayan. the first time you stepped foot in it (quite literally), ice crept up your leg and made it a dense block of ice before you could step back. servants had to carry you back to your chambers while dottore followed closely behind, muttering his observations.
your leg refused to thaw until he took the risk of placing fire on it directly. from then on, he made a makeshift lab in the corner of the drawing room in your chambers, visiting you a couple of times a month due to the tsaritsa's demands. you found that dottore was an unconventionally antisocial man. despite talking to himself about his observations and findings, he'd give you one word answers to the things to didn't understand.
"interesting. the compounds and composition hasn't been changed, yet the chemical traces suggest contradicting elements.. why is that?" he watched a small sample of your fire with fascination, seeing it gently lick a blank sheet of paper. in the blink of an eye, it became a thin sheet of ice that broke with a slight touch.
"what does that mean?" you swung your legs languidly with boredom.
"something."
eventually, begrudgingly, zandik, as you somehow forced out of him, found himself warming up to you. sometimes, he brought you sweets or played the piano in your room after the experimenting left you cold and weak. he even began to strike up irrelevant findings in his other experiments just to erase the awkward silence.
but then, his visits became weekly. he'd realized that for some reason, you weren't aging as you should have. sure, you were a godling, but even then, you should have aged until you reached adulthood. but a single year of human development became three for your internal timeframe, then five, then ten, and so on until you became physically stuck at the age of sixteen.
unlike you or pierro or thrain, zandik was human, despite all his attempts to become immortal. you watched his body become slower and strained, watched as wrinkles formed around his eyes and mouth. but he wasn't scared. one day, he told and showed you of his success. on one of your checkups, a boy around your age accompanied him and your heart nearly stopped.
he looked like your little brother, had he lived sans the red eyes.
segments, he called them, a way for him to remain immortal while decaying like a human. the boy was warmer than the original zandik, though he still carried the same sharp ambition and relentless intelligence.
when the original zandik died, you cried for hours, not because you were particularly close, but rather because he became someone else you lost. eventually as time passed and segments grew from children to old men, you stopped crying for them, and each segment strayed from the familiarity the original zandik had with you.
but perhaps out of the consciousness of their being, everytime one of the segments was close to their time, they'd leave with a farewell, something even zandik didn't do, in which you'd stubbornly say you'd see them the following week. of course, by then a younger segment had replaced them and continued as if nothing happened.
once the news from nod-krai and sumeru reached your ears, you did not weep for him. instead, you looked at the piano in your room and sat on the stool, fingers pressing the keys to a solemn melody, the same he played after tiring days. when the song ended, you could only glance back at the piano.
"for good, our final farewell, zandik."
03: the damselette, columbina.
she came to you a particularly lonely night. the palace was oddly quiet except for the gentle weeping coming from your cello, a rendition of a popular ballet piece from the korolevskiy troupe. the song served as the entrance of the grand dance between the male and female lead. you had seen it with your father and mother when it was first released, your little brother barely walking and babbling.
your mother naturally loved it, a grand orchestra piece made by a single composer, the song acting as a final goodbye to his beloved sister. (yes i love pas de deux) you didn't understand it then, too young to comprehend it, but old enough to have the melody remain in your mind. but by extension, you grew to understand why she adored it.
after all, the song was a final, grand act of love.
amidst the timbre of the cello, a soft voice hummed the voice. from surprise. the grip on your bow tightened and what could only be described as a squeal squeak out of the cello. you turned around, surprised to see her standing mere feet away from you. you hadn't heard her coming. she tilted her head, her voice as soothing as a balm for the soul.
"why did you stop?" your eyes tried to meet hers, only to find a crisscross blindfold over her shut eyes.
"i wasn't expecting people. did my mother send you?" you queried, distant but not unkindly.
"the tsaritsa? no, she did not. i was merely wandering about the garden, but the wind carried over the melody. what was it?"
"you've never heard of the grand step of two?" you asked with bewilderment, a break in the composure you were carefully building around yourself. "it's the korolevskiy troupe's best movement."
"i rarely get the chance to leave the palace." she hummed quietly. you took a few seconds to digest her words before placing your bow back on the strings and began playing the descending scale once again. this time, she familiarized herself with the scale before singing it back in cadence.
from then on, her voice became the harmony to the melody of your violin or cello, or even the piano in your room. her voice, soothing as it was, sometimes lulled you sleep in between playing and you'd wake up to her gone, the sleeping only becoming more frequent after the abyssal curse reached your neck. sometimes, you'd talk about mundane things.
"is it as good as everyone says? the play from the korolevskiy troupe?" she mused over tea.
"it's recognized across teyvat as one of the most successful ballet pieces. to think you haven't seen it, i can't deny it, it surprises me."
"perhaps you and i can go see it- oh. forgive me." you shook your head, the movement stiff with melancholy. with the raging winters, even stepping foot outside the palace would be enough to freeze you solid.
"just make sure you see it." you said with a sad smile.
the day she did, she came back to you a few days later. sandrone had accompanied her and cried during the second act, during the grand step of two. she confided in you then. the piece caused her to feel homesick. homesick to a place she never truly belonged and the exhaustion of being utilized for her ability.
you didn't know what it was. unlike the other harbingers, you had never seen her demonstrate any strength that belied her gentle appearance. but there had to be a reason why your mother ranked her so high. at first, it was only a mention that breezed past your thoughts, but eventually, you could see it in her face.
you didn't want to lose anyone else. sure, your heart had become colder and accustomed to death and loss, but even thinking about it made your gut clench as if to throw up. she was the first to simply coexist with you, the first to see you, not as the tsaritsa's daughter, but simply you.
at first, you tried to dissuade her with the obvious that your mother wouldn't tolerate treason against her or the fatui. if she got caught, it would be a death sentence. but you saw the smile on her face, melancholic and languid, her mind already set.
you let her go.
as expected, the rooster had issued the palestar edict on your mother's behalf. days passed following the chaos between the woman who was in fact, the trilune goddess, and zandik.
a single letter had been delivered to you, the emblem of the frostmoon scions colored on the back with a single sentence:
"we'll watch the korolevskiy troupe together someday."
the letter was burned to ashes in the fireplace.
the plan didn't leave room for hesitation.
04: the knave, arlecchino.
she was the first one to be sought out by you. it wasn't directly, but the ascension of the criminal who killed the former fourth harbinger to be her replacement had roused your curiosity. sure, lesser ranked harbingers or mortal ones were simply replaced once their time came, but to think it was mere child who defeated the fourth harbinger was astounding.
you rarely left your chambers for a couple of years. it was around this point where you began wearing a mask to hide your face. the curse had caught up to your face. you understood why thrain hid his, yours a disfigured atrocity that made you break every mirror in your chambers and refused dottore's checkups. even rosalyne, who you often sought out, was denied entry.
the guards stationed at the throne room didn't even stop you at the massive doors, staring at you with bewilderment before opening the doors. there alone in the grand space stood a white and black haired teenager around your physical age, her frame turning towards you. her eyes narrowed imperceptibly with suspicion.
"are you another harbinger?" she asked, though it came out more as a demand. you mere shook your head with a languid grace.
"a mere passer-by. i try to understand who the fools who serve my mother are." you climbed up the steps slowly, almost painfully. your vision had become more unpredictable with the centuries and instead of your body freezing every time the temperature was below your body's liking, it also started freezing things through your clothes, evident in the splotches of ice of the stairs where your feet were.
"mother?" she murmured before humming with realization as she looked at a lavish portrait in the throne room. the tsaritsa with a man, a little boy who looked just like her, and an older girl who took after her father with the tsaritsa's eyes. "you're the grand duchess."
you hummed absentmindedly. you avoided looking at the portrait, the change in what you looked like and now would have probably been another breaking point. instead, you fixed your gaze on her. "you're young for a harbinger, though i suppose life favors the victors." you paused. standing beside her, the ice beneath your feet melted and you felt a hint of warmth. it felt wonderful, the first time in nearly five hundred years in which you felt warm and not cold. "hmm.. perhaps one day, you could join me for tea."
she started coming over to your chambers often, surprising rosalyne who teased you for not inviting her over. simply put, it was refreshing having someone of similar age to you close, even more so someone as honest about her intentions. you found to be serious and stern, though sometimes when it was just the female harbingers and yourself at one of sandrone's tea parties, she'd relax.
her warmth was more than welcome, and you often found yourself falling asleep on her shoulder. often, she relayed what pierro told her about her heritage, about the fall of the crimson moon dynasty and the rise of the eclipse dynasty in khaenri'ah. sometimes, you would supply her with your own stream of information from years of reading about the matter.
the curses you shared, so different yet so similar at the same time only seemed to strengthen the amicable bond between the two of you. hers, which burned so brightly also burned and corrupted her soul. yours, which was once the brightest flame of them all reduced to a power that slowly killed your body from the sheer cold.
she told you of her past, growing up in the house of the hearth alongside the only friend she ever had and the cruel mother that tore the bond between them. her silence suggested the sheer cruelty. in turn, you told her the broader details of your disappearance from the public eye, why the citizens of snezhnaya hadn't seen the grand duchess for centuries.
the knave began leaving for fontaine throughout the year, now managing the house of the hearth her own way. you could see the changes in her, the way she began growing out her hair and wearing makeup to look older than she really was. you watched with a saddened heart and envy as the young girl became a truly formidable woman who cared deeply despite her aloof demeanor.
in the meetings that became less frequent, she began to talk about the children of the house. particularly a set of twins and a younger boy who was well versed with mechanics.
"freminet, he's talented in many areas, yet his lack of confidence holds him back." she said once, her voice much deeper than you remembered it. "you'd get along with him, considering your own expertise in the mundane." she said it as if you weren't a multi centennial being.
she noticed your unusual silence one day, thick and almost oppressive in nature. the tea that was usually in the table in front of you wasn't there, and neither was the cursed girl she grew to see as a valued friend and sometimes slept on her shoulder when the curse exhausted her.
"peruere." you started, voice low and pained. your heart and face burned, feeling the curse extend slightly further. "if the time ever came, where someone you loved dearly was at risk, and it went against the life you've constructed as a harbinger.. would you fight as the knave or as peruere?"
"where does this come from?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity and intrigue. "i'd rather avoid that sort of thing. but in the hypothetical sense.. peruere."
she didn't understand it then, why she could sense you smile under the mask, but now after columbina was gods knows where because of dottore, the decision was much simpler to make as she clenched her fist with steady determination.
the moment she went back to snezhnaya, she went to see you. yet you did not open the door, not the first time, nor the second, or the third day.
you could only listen to her retreating footsteps as you sat against the wall, the room covered in ice as you shed the last tears you ever would.
05: the rooster, pulcinella.
he was much like pierro in terms of keeping you away from matters concerning the fatui. by the time he had come, you weren't interested anymore. you kept your distance from him. you had heard how he constantly twisted people's words against them and began rumors among the ranks about the other harbingers.
not only that, but it seemed the facade of the dedicated mayor who took care of ajax's was really just a means to control him. he was young, you knew childe trusted him implicitly, but you and most of the harbingers understood it was for leverage.
to you, he was just another obstacle in the way of you seeing your mother, but unlike the director, you didn't fight him. although if there ever came a time where he crossed the line, you were more than ready to put him in his place. you weren't a harbinger after all. the rules did not apply to you.
06: the balladeer, scaramouche.
you met him after one of dottore's checkups. the scientist told you of an interesting being he found while in inazuma, a puppet, hidden in the ruins of an old village. at first, it was just a mention until he quite literally crashed into you at the turn of a corridor.
he scoffed and walked away while you stayed winded for a bit, mostly because the captain had not gone easy during a duel and had you wanting to run away from the room.
you rarely saw him between going and leaving harbinger meetings or when you tried to seek out your mother despite the constant refusal from the jester or the rooster. he didn't pay you any mind, as if you were just another deluded person in the palace.
the first proper interaction you had with him was after your last attempt to see your mother. it had been successful, but the event that transpired left you feeling empty and cold. you found yourself in the balcony of one of the towers, not caring about your limbs as they became solid ice or the crystalization of the skin of your face. you didn't cry, but you never wanted to disappear as much as you did at that moment.
"to think the beloved grand duchess of snezhnaya isn't very beloved by the tsaritsa herself. amusing." his voice was as cold as the winter storm that raged outside the castle. you turned and looked at him, four pointed star pupils glaring at him with heat that contested the ice of your limbs.
"you cross a line, balladeer." your voice imitated the command in your mother's voice exceptionally well. "though, i must say that you are the pot calling the kettle black. the abandoned puppet of the shogun, that i fear, is far more depressing than my situation."
"i've made my peace with it." he scoffed. he stopped beside you, wearing only the black and purple clothes that were far too light for such a cold place. he couldn't feel it, you noticed. you envied it.
"if you made your way here to become a harbinger, then clearly, you have not. though, i can't exactly blame you for it." your teeth clattered together as frost covered your chin. he looked at you incredulously, before scoffing again.
"why are you here? are you really willing to suffer for the actions of someone who clearly doesn't want you near?" his words struck something in your and for that moment, they served their purpose. you clenched your jaw and went back inside the palace with difficulty.
there was a strange rivalry between the two of you, not oppressive, but that of two people with incredibly similar situations trying to coax the other to move on while clinging to the past. often, you'd find yourself in situations where you took turns insulting the other while other harbingers like dottore were around. it filled the room with light humor, considering that if any other person said those things to either one of you, they'd be missing by dinner.
however, the two of you also shared the appreciation of knowledge. it had come up in random conversation, but it stuck with you, his theory of a false sky. you found yourself invested in research about the possibility of it, eventually leading to your investigation of the four shades. particularly ronova, the shade of death.
when he started collaborating with dottore, you found yourself suspicious. you knew he wasn't over his past or the betrayals inflicted on him. but to become an artificial god, was a blasphemy that even you didn't consider wise.
"what are you trying to prove, scaramouche? that you can rewrite fate?" you asked him the night before he and dottore left for sumeru. he turned on his heels, answering as if it were the most obvious thing.
"fulfilling what i was created for. godhood is meant to be mine, even if it's achieved through unconventional ways." he scowled slightly. "maybe the reason you're curse hasn't gone away is simply because you let it control you."
you no longer remember him.
07: the marionette, sandrone.
you found the woman intriguing, really. you first met her when rosalyne invited you to her tea party on her behalf, dragging you along while telling you that it would be good for you. you simply let her, mostly because you didn't have anything better to do and you wanted to leave your chambers for a bit.
yet as you entered sandrone's room, what could only be described as a squeak left your lips as a giant automaton filled the room with its tall and rather wide frame.
"don't mind pulonia, take a seat." her voice was high and pompous. you sat next to rosalyne, naturally, far enough away to put some distance between yourself and the giant mecha. rosalyne never let you live your fear of pulonia down.
to say you were a bit terrified of her brilliance for mechanics was an understatement. her workshop was filled with books and parts used for mechas, complex where even your extensive knowledge of the sciences failed to grasp what half of it meant.
you rarely visited her workshop, as there wasn't much in common between the two of you. she tolerated you, as she put it, often spending time complaining about columbina's perpetual singing or rosalyne's habitual drinking habits. she did, however, find an interest in the aspect of your curse. she'd look at the frost on your hands that rarely went away and began ordering pulonia around, much to your dismay.
"why the interest?" you mentioned casually once, observing sandrone as she tinkered with a small device barely larger than a bracelet. she huffed slightly, shooting you daggers, her voice haughty and exaggerated.
"because every time you come over, i happen to find one of my teacups encrusted with ice." she pointed an accusing finger at you. "do you know how long it takes for it to melt?! or how many handles have been snapped off?! clearly gloves aren't going to be a long time solution so i'm making one."
"does that mean you want me at your tea parties? i'm honored." you teased with a small smile. she groaned and rolled her eyes
"please, i'm only doing this because i'd never hear the end of it from rosalyne." she muttered out. what she made was a carefully designed bracelet with constant heating. of course. the gadget froze over the moment it was placed on your wrist, leading to a groan from the woman.
she noticed the way that around her, you took after rosalyne and often teased her. it was probably one of the only things left that really showed that despite the curse, you were still a teenager. of course, whenever she did get annoyed, she'd "send" pulonia after you. she never really did, but watching you run out of the room was amusing enough.
she never did stop trying to build something for your hands. you were her guinea pig for the warming device, yet every time, it failed to work. she never got too discouraged, and by a few days later, you were pulled back into her workshop.
the teasing started dying down after years, as if the curse had hardened you, and it did, literally and metaphorically. but after rosalyne's death, it tanked, and not even threatening you with pulonia was enough to get you to act like before.
your presence at her tea parties became less frequent until you were just another empty seat.
08: the fair lady, la signora.
you were there when she became a harbinger out of formality, even though to had two servants flanking your side and helping you stand straight. you watched as pierro read your mother's decree out loud for the rest of the harbingers to hear. rosalyne-kruzchka lohefalter, the crimson witch of flames, to become the eighth fatui harbinger, and the title of la signora bequeath to her like a heirloom.
you only really met her when you were taken to the infirmary during a difficult night where you would not stop shivering. she was there, getting salve for the burns the liquid flame caused to her face. her eyes locked onto your frame, hiding beneath thick layers of blankets and sheets that barely did anything to stop the shivers.
"what's a kid like you doing here?" she asked kindly, the mondstadtian unaware of your royal blood. the servant beside you had looked at her with a pointed glare.
"this is the grand duchess and the tsesarevna, (name) anastasyevna." (yes matronymics) you were far too out of it to really listen to what they were saying, and eventually the cold brought you into a deep sleep. but when you woke up, you didn't see the servant, but rather rosalyne sitting beside you while reading.
she set down her book when she saw you stir slightly and gave a small smile. her hand was incredibly warm as it takes through the strands of your hair before settling on your cheek. surprisingly, frost didn't cover it and for the first time since you were cursed, someone gave you affection without the fear of your curse.
you quickly learned that your mother had specifically instructed her to look after you, mostly because it seemed that your skin didn't freeze with her touch and because the woman was instinctively maternal around children. as young as you were, you followed her around a lot when you were strong enough to walk like a duckling following its mother.
she never seemed to mind it, encouraged it, even. you, who never stepped foot outside of snezhnaya, often listened to her descriptions of her old home in mondstadt, though they were always laced with slight bitterness, and her studies in sumeru.
once you got better and began playing your instruments again, she often listened closely with a glass of wine, and in her eyes, a melancholy glazed her eyes, especially if the song was ever slightly solemn. you never questioned it. sometimes, she had sheet music sent from the other nations, ballads from mondstadt, anthems from sumeru, or folk songs from liyue.
in every aspect except blood, she became a partner in crime and something of a guardian. the two of you often teamed up to tease sandrone, more so when she began developing a bit of a temper. though you found yourself asking rosalyne more and more about your mother, which she always changed the topic to something else.
she was your constant source of heating, often finding yourself with your head on her lap while you complained about your mother or the endless checkups that she insisted. she'd pinch your cheek lightly with a light chuckle or rub the points of your ear when they were covered with frost. (she never lost that habit, even centuries later when you were taller than her and lost your childlike behavior.)
later in the centuries and after you had seen your mother, rosalyne remained as one of the people who had a deep bond with you. your new antisocial behavior made her push you into interacting with the other harbingers, such as sandrone and pantalone.
"what did the korolevskiy troupe perform this time?" peruere asked, handing over her plate for a slice of cake while you languidly sipped your tea beneath the mask.
"the mountain sparrow. you missed a good one." rosalyne answered, lying next to you on the couch, her hand twirling with your short (or tied up) hair. you ignored sandrone's sharp comment about sitting next to dottore and pantalone. and columbina's rebuttal of seeing sandrone cry.
"the composition was crafted from love and death. it'd be difficult to sit through it without shedding a tear." your voice was a low hum.
"perhaps a rendition?" rosalyne teased lightly, though peruere did seem interested. you shook your head.
"perhaps another time." the fair lady frowned slightly but didn't push.
she had seen you grow from a warm-hearted child to an antisocial teenager, the curse consuming and eroding your being. alongside it, you had developed a thirst for power that wasn't there before, spending more and more time researching abyssal energy and the ley lines.
inazuma was a region you knew little about, even through all the literature in the palace. rosalyne had promised to bring back a few light novels and to tell you about the region when she got back, as she did every time she departed for a nation.
only this time, nothing but ashes came back.
09: the regrator, pantalone.
you met feofan before he became a harbinger, one of zandik's experiments. originally, he was just a name in passing after a check up, though the doctor eventually began talking about him more in his pursuit of an elixir of immortality.
he was much like zandik in terms of ambition, a man born with nothing who hated the gods for interfering in mortal affairs. you didn't think much of him until he became a harbinger by zandik's recommendation. it was then that he and zandik were rarely seen apart, even during your checkups.
your blood was one of the materials zandik sought to try and craft an elixir of immortality. while it didn't work on him, it did for the chain-smoker. despite his hatred for the gods, it seemed the rule didn't apply for you. he felt indebted, even if he never said it out loud.
most of the time, his actions were subtle. you'd open the doors to your chambers and you'd find various assortments of sweets or silks from liyue. he was the reason you owned a cello, finding it in your room after a particularly bad winter night.
"are cigarettes really worth another set of lungs, feofan?" you asked once, nose wrinkling slightly from the smell. you had made yourself comfortable in his office, the room warm and covered with thick tapestries and carpets in front of the hearth. his smile was small and he answered with a hum.
"life's simple pleasures will always have a place. besides, there's nothing a good cigarette can't fix. i may as well make use of immortality to appreciate it thoroughly." you rolled your eyes.
"no being in teyvat is truly immortal. even the gods you hate will eventually erode to the works of time and death. it's only a matter of duration." he gave a light chuckle to your words and simply let out another puff of thick smoke.
"that just gives me more reason to take pleasure in these vices."
one time, he offered you a sip of his wine. he knew you wouldn't get any older physically, but your life was limited, so why not give you a glimpse of adulthood? it was only the one time, both because you spat out the bitter drink and stained a very expensive coat of his, and because he had been reprimanded by the rooster.
part of you knew the man would die not much longer after you eroded, the elixir no longer having a donor for the immortal aspect. you knew he knew, but he always told you the same thing. forget the past, live in the present, and ignore the future.
"if everyone had the same mentality you did, the world would cease to exist." you said over the gentle weeping of the piano dottore played. "equal attention to the three are necessary for survival."
"they distract from the moment. could you imagine being focused on something you couldn't control that you miss the time you spend with a good bottle of wine or comrades?"
needless to say, you appreciated his somewhat absurdist view on the passage of time, even if you couldn't relate to it.
you wanted to take fate into your own hands.
10: ???
11: childe, tartaglia.
you refused to see him for the longest time. it wasn't just because the rooster had personally sought him out at an absurdly young age, but because your mind betrayed you. instead of seeing ginger hair and deep blue eyes, your brain changed his features to a platinum white and eyes that held the four pointed star.
the fourteen year old didn't know who you were, a result of centuries of hiding away in the palace because of your curse. but all he knew was that you were mentored by the strongest man there was. and that was enough to get him to plague every walk around zapolyarny palace.
you'd leave your chambers and walk around the corridors only to have a second set of footsteps imitating yours. you'd shoot him a pointed, but heatless glare through your mask to try and get him to stay away, only for the boy to stubbornly follow you. eventually, his presence became expected and you'd save him a seat next to you in one of the drawing rooms.
"stubborn child, why do you insist on following me like a stray?" you demanded once, watching the boy take multiple biscuits from the serving stand on the coffee table, completely ignoring the warm cup of tea in front of him. he stuffed one in his mouth.
"cause you're the captain's student. he refuses to duel me." he stated, as if it made perfect sense for one of the strongest humans alive to duel a fourteen year old boy. "and if i beat you, then he'll be sure to consider me as a fine duelist."
you sighed in disbelief and continued drinking your tea.
you didn't think much of it until you started realizing more and more lower ranking fatui members were coming back injured from training. when you observed the training one day, you realized that it was childe's doing. despite his age and childish behavior, he had an intense bloodlust not even some vengeful gods had.
you indulged one day, picking up a wooden sword from one of the many racks lined up against the wall and walked over to the ginger, who stood over a well beaten pyro agent. his eyes lit up with adrenaline and he rushed forward, swinging his wooden staff. it only hit air as you side stepped it easily along with the other swings and grabbed him from the back of his collar like a petulant brat.
"what gives?!" he complained, freeing himself from your grip. you huffed lightly.
"if you cannot land a single hit on me, how do you expect the captain to duel you." you watched him huff with disappointment. you sighed through your nose and set the wooden blade down.
"from now, you come to me. other harbingers have already complained that their fatuus are out of commission because of your ruthlessness. understood?" you ordered. his eyes twinkled with satisfaction and victory. you won the battle, but he won the war.
of course, your duels often consisted of his calculated swinging that hit air and your constant side stepping before poking him with the end of the wooden blade or simply making him fall on his ass.
though, you felt.. proud.
once he was tired enough, you'd sit him on a couch and give him sweets. it was in those moments where he'd tell you about his family, especially his younger brother teucer. you listened out of politeness, but inwardly, anger consumed you. you knew the rooster was only taking care of his family as a way to control and manipulate ajax.
with time, he proved to be an exceptionally talented fighter, especially after he gained a delusion. you actually had to carry some of his attacks and his movements were in tandem with yours. even some of his techniques with the polearm were influenced by some of your own, untraditional methods. but you did make sure to put him in his place when he got too cocky.
"at this rate, you might actually make me take this seriously someday." you said, extending a hand towards his form. he shifted back from his alternate form and took it. he had grown taller than you, yet he still carried that childish behavior. you had grown used to it at a certain point.
"only seriously? i was hoping i'd defeat you." after his orders to go to liyue, dueling became rarer because of the schedule conflicts. but after rosalyne's death, even going near you seemed impossible.
