the first time you hold hands.♡
(liyue genshin impact x gn!reader)
written headcanon style! enjoy✩
(a/n) gift for @lume-nosity ♡ feel free to comment or reblog characters you want next!! (the xiao part took so much out of me i cant stop fucking squeeallinggg please hoyo give us soft xiao interactions next lantern rite pleaseee)
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he never was an affectionate person, but he tried to change that for you.
it was common knowledge that the adeptus was cold and typically uninviting to mortals, but to you, he was a completely different person.
he was never harsh to you, never yelled at you, not even when he was raging mad, because he didn't want to scare you. he never told you anything differing from kind words or praise, because he knew that doing so would make you happy.
recently, xiao had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to come with you to liyue harbor to have a small meet up with you. it wasn't often that you got breaks from your job, but when you did, you would spend them at wangshu inn, excitedly conversing with the dark-haired man as the moon rose and shone overhead. This time, you had invited him to come to you instead, and that you would show him around modern liyue.
he never liked mortals, but you were different.
"xiao! there you are!" you gave the male a wave from where you stood, beaming. above, the sky was just beginning to get dark, the horizons tinted with hues of violet and crimson.
you could see him clearly from where you stood, the adeptus walking at his usual brisk pace. as he reached you, he paused and hesitated. "what do mortals call these things again?"
"dates?" you giggled, laughing at xiao's innocent and silly nature.
"that's it." the dark-haired male nodded, before glancing at you and then downward with his warm amber eyes. "then... can we hold hands?" he stares down at the ground, face and ears tinged red from embarrassment. xiao extends a hand toward you slowly, waiting for a response.
and you gladly take it, intertwining your fingers with his gloved ones and smiling. "of course."
the night is cold, but with the two of you interlocking hands, suddenly, everything seems all the bit more warm.
"comrade" had always been his title for you.
and the two of you had always been close. you had been childe's friend, advisor, and companion for longer than you could remember. the two of you had braved the harsh winters shneznaya, and when the male had received orders to head to liyue for some unsettled matters, you were more than willing to pack everything and leave with him.
after all, without childe, nothing could be the same.
you watched silently at the interaction between the northland bank receptionist and the familiar ginger, before making a quick motion to childe to mention that you were heading out. it was just too stuffy inside, and you needed some air. it had been a busy past few weeks, and the times where you did have rare solace, you decided you maximize the most of.
pushing open the heavy door, the cold night breeze greeted you. it was chilly, but it did help clear your head. the moon is full tonight, you note to yourself, staring up from where you're leaning on the side railings and smiling.
then there's the sound of footsteps behind you as low and behold, tartaglia himself comes out to check up on you.
"hey, comrade. what are you doing all alone out here?" his voice is nonchalant, but you could decipher the worried undertone in his words.
"i needed to clear my head." you glance back at him, before gesturing to the empty space beside you with a grin. "the view is great here, childe. come take a look."
and he does, stepping over to your side gently with the ghost of a smile still lingering on his face. he follows your gaze quietly, up at the round, shining moon and glittering stars that light up the night sky. then he turns to look at you, and his gaze softens.
then warmth shoots through you as he grasps your hand, fingers brushing yours before he clasps them tightly.
"it's okay if i do this, right, love?"
it was in his notebook that you saw his true feelings, displayed for you to see, and you knew how much it meant for him.
you hadn't meant to stumble across journal - really. it was by complete chance that kazuha had decided to go for a walk and you hadn't realized, and so had gone into his room to speak to him only to find him gone.
thinking that he might be holed up somewhere in the space, busy writing something, you searched high and low and only found a leather bound journal with a red maple leaf on the cover that had clearly been stitched on. opening it, you were astonished to find pages on pages of endless haikus, poems, all sorts of rhymes and tales, all written in kazuha's graceful, flowy handwriting.
a smile upon the breeze,
cruelties done out of fun.
that out of so many people of these
my lover is none.
the rising sun brings forth new morn
still, the memory fades yet,
for even though your face was forlorn,
your smile i shall never forget.
for as long as we play this game,
i wish our paths will never part.
would you say you felt the same?
if i told you what lied in my heart?
the poems and easing verses run ceaselessly from page to page, and you can only feel your eyes widen and face burn as you keep reading, albeit a bit guilty for going through his personal things like this. but as you turn the page to read the last poem, you can hear footsteps resounding from somewhere down the hall.
immediately, you hastily scramble to place the journal back where it was and then dive on top of kazuha's bed, hoping that no one would spot you underneath the covers. the steps stop at the door, and you can hear the hinges squeal quietly as the door gets pushed open.
"hello?" kazuha's voice is confused and quiet, and you already know that he's suspiciously scanning the room. heart racing, you hear him walk closer to the bed, pausing before-
"what-" the male threw back the covers, and you can glimpse his startled expression from where you're pressed flat against his mattress. "what are you doing here...?"
"uhm... surprise?" you sit up awkwardly, scooting off the bed and getting onto your feat nervously. "a-anyway- don't think about this too hard- let's just..." you clasped kazuha's hand in yours, smiling frantically. fingers locked together, you tugged kazuha to and out the door. "let's just forget about it, okay?"
poor kazuha's so embarrassed, he can't even say a thing except mutter a quiet:
working overtime was something ganyu was accustomed to. however, she was still unfamiliar with many concepts, namely you, and your seemingly endless affection.
you were a peculiar person, in ganyu's eyes. you always, no matter how late she got off work, waited for the adeptibeast patiently, usually handing her a gift or drink of some sort before walking her back to her house.
the evenings the two of you spend together at what ganyu considers the best moments of her days.
The warm evening glow reflecting off of your face, the lanterns lining the streets, the hustling murmur of excited in the background only convinced ganyu that she cared for you more than she would ever let on.
"ah..." ganyu turns to you, and you blink at her questioningly in return. "speaking of which, was there anything you wanted?"
"well, you're always waiting for me after work... and bringing me all sorts of things too... so i wanted to pay you back for all of the effort." ganyu glances away, deciding to look anywhere but you, glancing at the food stalls, buildings, and the stone path the two of you are walking on. however, her efforts were fruitless, as you were able to see a clear view of her flushed face.
"aw, that's so sweet of you!" grinning, you let out a little giggle at her mannerisms. "but i didn't give you those hoping for something in return. its because i care about you!"
those words rang in the blue-haired girls ears as her warm eyes widened. "then..."
she walks closer to you, tugging at your sleeve with red tinged cheeks. as you turn to look at her questioningly, she takes your hand in hers, intertwining her slender fingers with you.
she had never really understood humans, nor wanted to, until she met you.
no one ever called shenhe a human. it was only ever adepti this and adepti that. maybe it was her lack of present emotions, or maybe it was just her cold demeanor, but her words fell upon deaf ears whenever she tried to explain.
"eh? you seem pretty human to me, shenhe. it's pretty hard to get it wrong, honestly." you glanced up at the white-haired girl curiously. the two of you were seated at liuli pavilion, upon your request to share lunch together.
"hard... to mistake me?" shenhe smiled airily, an expression that was seen by few. "just as i thought. you're different than everyone else. in a good way."
shenhe merely let an relatively amused expression cross her face. "let me ask you something. to you, what makes a human human?"
you thought about her question for a long pause before answering. "i'd like to say... emotions. humans are egotistic and greedy, i'll admit to that, as i'm guilty of it myself, but humans also are thoughtful. they're kind, caring, genuine and understanding. that's what makes communities so powerful too. it's because everyone as the mutual trust and belief in each other that they can do great things." you grinned at the girl. "you have emotions too, they just don't get shown as often as the emotions of others. but that doesn't mean you don't have them."
the white-haired woman stayed silent for the count of three, her multi-colored eyes sparkling as she stared at you with a level of affection you didn't know was possible.
a light blush began creeping across her face as well, although she didn't seem to notice her red cheeks and ears. instead, she just beamed at you.
"caring, you say? then, tell me, is this something a caring human would do?" with that, she reached down at took your hand with hers as a faint smile began to form on shenhe's face. her slender hands were cold to the touch, a pleasant feeling in the warm liyue heat as she intertwined her hands with yours.
