#can't and won't
reactions on what punishments make them despair ft. cult!zhongli, childe, albedo
warnings: yandere content, yandere cult stuff, emotional abuse, mean!reader, mentions of violence and suicidal thoughts (albedo), thoughts of self-harm(albedo)
zhongli can only take so much until he breaks. he doesn't mind if you turn him away, doesn't mind when you shout such hurtful words at him. but when you turn up your nose at anything from liyue, he can't help but let a tear fall from his amber eyes. he tries to keep it together as you turn up your nose at the liyuean cuisine prepared for you, refuse the ornate hairpins he's worked tirelessly to perfect, even tearing up the bouquet of glaze lilies he grew just for you. it breaks him even more when you dig into tri-color dango, accept a hat made all the way from snezhanaya, and come home with a bundle of cecilias in your arms. is he not enough? are the riches he's cultivated in his time alive not worthy of your being? tell him, and he'll make things right. he'll completely turn liyue upside down if it means you'll be happy. please don't deny all that he is, all that he's given-- not when it cost him his mind and soul.
childe wouldn't be able to stomach the idea of you refusing his affections, platonic or romantic. he's a touchy-feely sort of person, can't go a day without touching you in some way whether it'd be simple holding or cuddling. the first time you brush him off, he's confused but thinks nothing of it. you're probably just not in the mood, right? he'll try again at a later time, and if you continue to ignore him, he becomes even more desperate by the hour. he becomes irritable at first, and he becomes almost as insufferable as scaramouche with his temper. this stretches on for three days before he actually starts begging and crying, snot dripping from his nose and everything, for you to love him again, to touch his scars and take away the pain that's been ripping at him since he fell into that godforsaken place. don't leave him in that darkness. don't.
albedo has been numbed to many emotions for the longest time, but it hurts him like no other when you look at him with a look of disgust. there's an aching nostalgia that nestles itself underneath his ribcage when you scowl and tell him to get away. albedo isn't sure why it feels like someone's done it to him before. usually, he wouldn't care about the scathing remarks and sneers, but when you do it, he's ready to break down. he hasn't done anything wrong, has he? there's no rational answer for the coldness that comes from you every time he enters the same room as you. you never disliked him before, so what's wrong? he looks at his hands stained with graphite and wonders if you'd like him better if it was stained with blood instead. would you be satisfied then? it's then he'll start wondering if you'd like if it was his or someone else's that would finally appease you.
