#gorou x reader

Scrambles

Tighnari noticed a new book he hadn’t seen before on the floor outside your house. It didn’t have a cover he recognized so he opened it just to see who it belonged to. It only took a moment for him to immediately recognize your handwriting and accidentally read something from about himself from before you guys were together. You came up from behind him just before he was about to close it. When you shouted his name he froze. Even his tail went straight. This looked bad. He snapped the book shut before swivelling. He’d never disrupt your privacy and he didn’t want you thinking he goes through your things when you’re not around . “S-sweetheart? Uh this isn’t what it looks like. I found it on the floor and…” Tighnari would quickly explain. He tries to forget anything he read since he knows he wasn’t supposed to know. He’d only mention something if he read something mentally or physically concerning.

Gorou gets bright red as he reads it. He only read a few pages about what you wrote you wanted to do with his ears/tail. He got lost in the read. He didn’t realize it was your diary when he picked it up. He found the book in your dresser and accidentally dropped it. A random page was opened when he grabbed it. If you had a long or back to back entries about him he’ll be reading it for a while. If you don’t catch him he’ll put it exactly where he found it and ‘subtly’ suggest you touch him the way you were thinking in your diary. If you catch him he’ll go through 5 different phases unsure what to do. He’ll jump, hide it behind his back, take it out from behind his back, hold the book tightly and apologize. He’ll confess to what he read and swear he won’t go through your stuff again. He’s slightly panicked. He knows he should know better. If you get upset with him he’ll try his hardest to win your trust back.

Kaveh is more offended by your insult than intrigued by the gushy romantic parts. How could his beloved think of him as a workaholic! He read only a sentence before planning to put it away so that you wouldn’t notice. When you catch him he’ll over explain. He wants you to know that he values your privacy just as much as you value your privacy.

Varka read the first few sentences and thought, “This sounds like a diary,” yet he still didn’t think it was. When he does realize you walk in a second before he could hide the evidence. He almost drops the book and holds it behind his thigh where you can’t see. He’ll ask you what you’d do if you find out that he “hypothetically” read a bit of your diary. When you get understandably upset he apologizes and swears he wouldn’t have read it had he known it was a diary.

Teases

Flins was in his lantern form when you left it wide open in front of him. You were in too much of a rush to notice that you left your diary open on a rather embarrassing page in front of your glowy husband. Later he’ll jokingly ask you about it or reference it in one of his sentences. “I’m rather flattered that you think so fondly of my eyes.” He’ll openly reveal what he read but he wouldn’t pry. He only read what you left open but no more. From then on if he sees your diary anywhere he might ask “I wonder what new lovely descriptions you’ve added about me.” He’ll watch your sheepish expression while setting the book to the side.

Alhaitham doesn’t care that he read it. It was an accident and that’s that. You were the one dumb enough to leave it somewhere anyone could find. He wouldn’t read past the first page. He’d only read a few sentences before realizing. He’d put it away for you afterwards. He’ll mention it within that day though the situation could vary. If you guys are arguing he’ll say something like “You act like you hate me but that doesn’t seem to be the case in that little diary of yours…Relax I didn’t read past the first paragraph.” If it is normal I think he’d casually mention that he put it away for you and read the first few sentences since he didn’t know it was your private journal.

Cyno is used to reading private messages so it is hard for him to feel guilty when he finds out secret information. He tries to give you privacy nonetheless. He saw the book spread wide open with his name on it. He took a closer look to see that you loved to gush over him in your free time. Once you catch him I think he’d make a joke over it. He’d avoid the question about how much he read just to see you blush from embarrassment. After a few minutes though he’d tell you what he read just to bring your heart rate back down.

Heizou is the teaser. He picked up the book since he hadn’t seen it before. Opened it to a random page and knew it was your diary after reading less than a sentence. He lets you catch him. He starts naming things in there. He doesn’t need to read it to know what’s inside and he loves watching you flush. If you seem upset he’ll tell you the truth. If you only seem embarrassed he’ll let you go the rest of your life thinking he read every single cringy detail you wrote.

Lohen does not care that he read something private. He accidentally found it but he didn’t accidentally read it. He read the whole book. Had you not caught him he would’ve put it back and check the new entries every once in a while. He’d mention details of things you never told him just to make you feel crazy. When you do catch him he’d stop you from grabbing the book with his hand. “Give me a second I’m still reading about how hot I am.” From that point on he teases you relentlessly about everything he read. If you had an embarrassed reaction he’d keep looking for your diary no matter where you hide it. If you have an angry reaction he wouldn’t read it again but every once in a while you’ll see him quietly chuckling while looking at you.

Wriothesley had assumed someone dropped the book while delivering paperwork since he found it in his office. Read it while sipping his tea and chuckled at what you wrote about him. Only read 2-3 pages. You wouldn’t need to catch him as he would have handed it to you the second you came looking for it while joking about how imaginative or detail oriented you are. If you did walk-in I don’t think he’d try to hide what he was doing. “Just in time. I found this hiding along with my other stacks of work. I admit it’s much more of a pleasurable read.” He’ll only feel bad if he read something dark that he didn’t know about you. Besides that he may jokingly ask you if he could read it after a rough day a few months later.

Guilty/ Feels bad

Bennett would have never touched it had he known it was something so private and important. He read a a few pages before he realized it was your diary. You don’t need to catch him before he goes up to you to confess. He had to anyway. You would have known by the blood from his paper cut on the page anyway. He’ll think fondly though of whatever you wrote but wouldn’t comment on it.

Chongyun can admit he read a little longer than he should have. He wasn’t aware that you were that into him. He tries his hardest to keep his yang energy in check. He jumps when you catch him reading the book. He’ll scramble to explain. He feels super bad about it later even after you forgive him.

Freminet feels extremely bad for reading it. He of all people know how important it is to have a safe space. He read a decent amount even after realizing it was your diary. He’s unsure why. Maybe he wanted to know a bit more about you. Maybe he’d be able to find out why you were so nice to him. He apologizes when you catch him. He feels ashamed over it and self-isolates afterwards so he can gather his thoughts.

Gaming has never been one to ask anyone about something they aren’t willing to share. When he accidentally reads something he shouldn’t have he hisses. He wasn’t sure how he’d bring it up. Just when things couldn’t get any worse you show up into the room and see him reading completely out of context. He quickly explains the whole situation. He even explains the hour leading up to the situation. Swears he won’t mention anything he read. At most he’ll tell you that knowing that you love him so gives him a huge confidence boost.

Itto didn’t realize it was a diary until you told him. He thought you just wrote a book about how much you like him as a surprise. When he does realize he instantly feels guilty.

Kazuha would never read something you didn’t want him to unless he was afraid for your well being. He knew that you wouldn’t have said the things you wrote to his face. Will stop reading mid-sentence. He’d confess even if you didn’t catch him. When you do he leaves no room for misunderstandings. He quickly apologizes. Spends the rest of the day trying to make it up to you.

Neuvillette is still learning things about human culture. He had no idea that this book was so important to you. The book just seemed like records of your daily life. He has heard about cases where criminals document their crimes in their journals but in court that’s all it is. Evidence. He never understood why they’d be so dumb as to write it down. When you frustratingly yell at him for reading it and explain why what he did was wrong he can’t help but feel extremely guilty. He gives you space but he does apologize and tries to tell you that he does honour your privacy.

Venti believes in freedom. A world where no one can have any privacy is a world that he doesn’t want to live in. Even he has his secrets, so he obviously feels ashamed about reading it. Thankfully he only read a little bit about you having a crush on him before you got together but nonetheless he knows he was never meant to see this. He instantly realizes he messed up and is unsure of what he should do when you show up. He’d let you have whatever reaction. If you’re angry he lets you scream at him. If you’re embarrassed he lets you rip the book out of his hand. He’ll then hold his hand against his heart and have a sincere expression as he apologizes.

Scaramouche/Wanderer has a similar reaction to Venti. He has his secrets so he knows how important it is to not pry. He’s frustrated that you walked in on him during such a bad moment. If you immediately start reacting he’ll get even more frustrated at the misunderstanding. He’s not mad at you, only himself for letting his guard down and reading one of your books without knowing what it is. If you give him a moment to explain or have a freeze response then he’ll look at you wide eyed. “Dammit I didn’t mean…” he’ll whisper before getting closer to you to explain what happened. If you get upset he’ll feel guilty until you forgive him. If you forgive him immediately he’ll still feel guilty but will recover a lot quicker. He will also feel unconsciously more affectionate with you knowing that’s how you think of him even when no one would find out if you thought worse.

Baizhu knows how important privacy is for the mental health so he would never read it had it not been an accident. He was tired and thought it was one of his own books. Opened it, read two sentences, then immediately closed it when he realized his mistake. You walked in less than a second later. He didn’t waste any time and explained immediately. Nonetheless he felt bad for invading your privacy. He’ll tell you exactly what he read. He doesn’t even think of the fact that you were writing such gushy stuff about him. Never mentions anything he read again. If he read something physically concerning I think he’d prepare something to help you without telling you or be a little more thorough with his next medical check.

Diluc always has a stack of documents on his desk. When he found it on the floor he thought he had dropped it so he opened it and started reading. Read a paragraph but only because it was about him. If it was about anything else he slapped the book shut the second he realized. Would’ve told you either way but if it wasn’t about him he would’ve told you a lot quicker and with a lot less embarrassment. If you didn’t catch him he would bring it up awkwardly while you guys ate dinner together. He’d rather you not find out from anyone but himself. You catch him with the book in hand when he was trying to put it back where he found it. For a moment you guys just look at each other. He feels bad because he read way more than he should have. He didn’t know you had such good writing skills and vocabulary when you wrote about him. Waits for you to speak first before uncomfortably telling you what happened with a light apology. Unless you ask he won’t tell you what he read. If you do then his face would heat up as he goes over it.

Guilty But Only Because of the Situation

Childe/Tartaglia/Ajax only feels guilty because he upset you. Had you not caught him I don’t think he would’ve admitted it to you that he read it. He realized after the first page that it was your diary but he really liked how much he was learning about you. He learned how you think, how you talk about yourself, what makes you angry or frustrated, and what you adore about him. He loves you so he loves discovering new things about you. He only feels guilty because he hates when you’re upset with him. He won’t go out of his way to read it again but perhaps if you ever leave it open he may glance at what’s written on the page.

Thoma was cleaning when he found it. He was organizing the bookshelf and opened it just to see what type of book it was so he could categorize it accordingly. Opened a random page just to see that you were fan girling over him. He was originally just going to smile and put it away but you walked in on him reading it. He apologizes but I don’t think he feels sorry because he’s pleased with what he read. Had he read one of your deepest, darkest secrets or something else you wanted to hide for good reason I think he’d feel super guilty. I don’t think he would have mentioned it either way to you had you not caught him.

Xinqui found the book barred under a stack of other books you had just lying around. He was interested in what literature you like to read/write so he cracked it open. He was originally going to tease you about what you wrote. He did a little. Up until you got mad. He realizes what he did was stupid and regrets doing it because it was a dumb thing to do. When he read it he only read whatever random pages interested him but didn’t read the whole book.

Doesn’t feel guilty

Razor doesn’t understand why you’re so upset. He can barely read anyways so he didn’t understand half of it. He did get the vibe that you really love him though. Had you not caught him you would’ve still found out because he’d ask you about what something you wrote meant. Since everything is hand written in Teyvat I don’t know if he even recognized your handwriting when he opened the book. He most likely only realized you wrote it after finding out the details were about him. Say you do catch him he doesn’t know why you’re so embarrassed. You’re his mate and mates don’t keep secrets. What does it matter that he found out that you wrote or did something embarrassing?

Characters I didn’t write for

Because I feared mischaracterizing them: Xiao, Zhongli, Albedo, Dahlia, Durin, Ifa, Illuga, Kinich, Mika, Sethos,

Because I just didn’t want to: Lyney, Ayato, Kaeya, Ororon

Baizhu

Baizhu is Liyue’s best doctor. He boasted a hefty record of healing patients with even the most obscure and difficult-to-treat illnesses, giving hope to the sick that they still had a chance to lead normal and healthy lives. But for all his amazing healing abilities, there were illnesses that even Baizhu could not cure. The day you died served as a stark reminder of his limitations.

You’ve been ill with a rare and mysterious illness ever since you were little. You had difficulties breathing, often coming down with severe coughs, and your body was weaker than normal, so you couldn’t participate in physical activities with other children. When the illness got particularly bad, you were left bedridden due to how weakened it made you. Worst of all, no cure for it existed. No matter how many doctors looked at you, nobody could figure out what caused your illness.

When you grew up, your condition worsened, but you had a shred of hope. Your parents heard about the amazing healing abilities of a doctor in Liyue, and your family traveled all the way to the Harbor in the hopes that Baizhu could cure you. To his chagrin and your disappointment, he could not. Even Changsheng’s powers couldn’t transfer your illness to him. Whatever disease you possessed was a result of your genetic composition, which made it all the more difficult to treat. The best he could do was concoct a medicine that staved off your symptoms, but it was by no means a cure.

Since then, you frequently came to Bubu Pharmacy to get medicine. Against all odds, you had become close to the doctor during your many visits and eventually became his lover.

Baizhu did all he could to search for a cure, not only because you were his patient, but also because he genuinely loved you and didn’t want to watch you suffer. However, despite the many late nights he spent researching and mixing various medicines, nothing helped you long-term. The best he could do was curb your symptoms for a time before you became resistant to the medicine and felt worse again.

The more time passed, the worse your body deteriorated. At first, you struggled to do any strenuous activities, so you resigned yourself to walking and not lifting anything heavy. Then walking became difficult, so Baizhu took the time to come visit you at home and give you new medicines to try in the hopes of getting you back on your feet. You would always smile and thank him, saying that he was better off focusing on his other patients, but Baizhu hated it when you said that. It sounded like you had given up on getting better. Even if you doubted you would live for very long, he promised he would find a way to cure you.

The doctor genuinely believed he could help you. It is a doctor’s job to heal the sick and save lives. No matter how impossible the task seemed, he believed there was a cure for your illness somewhere out there, it just needed to be discovered. But before he knew it, your condition got worse to the point that you coughed up blood and became bedridden, barely able to lift a spoon to feed yourself.

Baizhu experienced a rare panic, and spent all of his free time at your bedside, tending to you and giving you various medicines in the hopes of finding something that stuck. As the days passed and you continued to worsen, Baizhu still refused to give up. You had to get better eventually. You had to. Even as your breathing became weak and you could barely hold your eyes open or speak due to your feeble state, Baizhu refused to face the reality of your impending death.

Utilizing all the medicinal supplies and his knowledge, Baizhu continued to try and treat you. When that didn’t work, he tried to split the burden of your suffering by transferring some of the illness to himself using Changsheng. He would not—could not—give up. Even when your hand went limp in his, even when your breathing stilled and your pulse flatlined, even when Changsheng pleaded with him to stop, Baizhu didn’t pause in his desperate attempts to get you to open your eyes and smile at him again. Not until all his medical supplies were depleted and your body had grown cold.

He still refused to accept your death and his failure. If traditional medicine and Changsheng can’t help, what if a higher power intervened? What if you became a living corpse like Qiqi? Perhaps with the blessing of an adeptus, you could be brought back to life and continue to live together with him like before.

Hearing his deluded mumbling, Changsheng had to snap Baizhu out of his spiraling thoughts by reminding him that Qiqi’s case was special because she was still alive when she was granted an adeptus’s blessing. Her words cut him like a knife, for as much as Baizhu didn’t want to lose even this little shred of hope, he knew Changsheng was right. There truly is nothing that could bring you back.

At that point, Baizhu had to face reality. You were gone. Your illness ended up claiming your life despite his efforts.

That night was a rare time when Changsheng saw Baizhu weep. The doctor silently cried as he cradled your lifeless body in his arms, and apologized over and over for being unable to save you. He failed you both as a doctor and as your beloved, and the guilt ate him up inside.

Despite how firmly Baizhu believed that he could save everyone in need of his aid, deep down he knew it was improbable. Some injuries and illnesses were beyond saving. But out of all the people he couldn’t save, why did one of them have to be you?

Ever since the night of your passing, Baizhu slept poorly, plagued by guilt and self-loathing for not being the perfect doctor. The one person he wanted to save most, to spend the rest of his life with, was gone all because he wasn’t skilled enough.

Back when you were alive, he promised to create the elixir of immortality and get you to be the first to try it. He dreamed about a happy future where you, Changsheng, himself, and everyone else could all lead happy, healthy lives. But he was too late, and that promise was left broken, just like his promise to marry you one day.

Despite the tragedy, Baizhu tried to move on. His patients needed him. There were still so many lives he needed to save, so he couldn’t give up now. He tried to smile through the pain and work as usual, but even Qiqi could see how sad his smiles were. He is filled with longing whenever he thinks of you, as well as the ever-present guilt that never faded no matter how many years passed. Despite how painful it was for Baizhu to remember you, he held those memories dear to his heart. As short as your relationship had been, it was a truly special connection he knew he would never have with anyone else.

In the distant future, Baizhu will dedicate years of his life to researching your illness and developing a cure. Though the medicine won’t bring you back to him, he finds a bit of solace in knowing that no one else will have to lose their loved one to the disease the way he did.

Zhongli

Zhongli always knew you would die before him. You were a human, after all. Your lifespan was but a blink of an eye for his 6000-year-old existence.

When you expressed a desire to be in a long-term romantic relationship with him, Zhongli made it very clear that he was an ancient supernatural being who had lived thousands of years, and would live thousands more even after you die because his lifespan was unlike yours. He wondered if this would discourage you from pursuing him, but it did not. After carefully weighing the facts, you remained steadfast in your resolve to build a future with him, and he couldn’t help but admire your determination.

The decades you spent together were some of the happiest Zhongli ever had. You gifted him new memories and experiences of the simple, relaxed life he always wanted ever since he stepped down from his position as Liyue’s Archon. Drinking tea at the teahouse while chatting about his extensive knowledge on various topics, participating in festivals, hosting small gatherings to meet his adepti friends, and getting married were just some of the things you did together. Life was peaceful yet eventful, and Zhongli felt a sense of fulfillment from it. Being able to enjoy the fruits of his thousands of years’ worth of labor felt rewarding, and doubly so since he got to enjoy it with someone he loved.

As the years passed by, Zhongli noticed how your skin gradually developed wrinkles, and your hair gained new white strands. He knew you were getting older, while he still retained that ever-youthful appearance of a handsome young man. To avoid suspicion from the public, but most of all, to appease any insecurity you might have about growing old, Zhongli manipulated his appearance to age together with you. Each year, he added more wrinkles to his skin and grayness to his hair to match the speed of your own aging.

You were surprised when you first noticed these changes, but Zhongli could tell you appreciated his efforts. You had appeared downtrodden about growing older, while he still looked the same as the day you first met him. Now, you seemed more at ease, though he could still catch glimpses of sadness in your eyes. After all, the fact he had to manually age his appearance was a constant reminder that he was not human and that you would have to leave him one day.

As you grew older still and your body developed aches and pains that usually came with old age, Zhongli helped you through the difficulties. He did the more strenuous work around the house, supported you during walks, helped you read text you could no longer see clearly, and fetched your medicine from Bubu Pharmacy to keep your ailments at bay.

Despite the differences that came with you growing old, Zhongli never loved you any less. Everything about him was as constant as the bedrock of Liyue itself, and his love for you never wavered. Even when your beautiful, youthful looks faded, and he had to take care of your frail body, he still loved you just as much as when you first became a couple, if not more. He loved the person you were on the inside more than what you looked like on the outside, and in his eyes, your beauty never faded.

However, it still pained Zhongli to see your lovely hair grow white, and your body weak. It meant that death would come for you soon, and you would have to part ways. He knew it was inevitable, but a part of him silently pleaded ‘Not yet. Don’t go just yet, please stay a little longer.’

As you reached your late 80s, your health grew worse to the point you spent most of your time at home. Both you and Zhongli could tell that your time would come any day now, but you said that you were prepared. You got to live a long, happy life and had no major regrets, so death didn’t scare you. Rather, you have grown to accept it.

Zhongli would stay up late at night in bed with you to watch your sleeping face, trying to ingrain the memory of your features and of being together into his mind, because he knew each night might be the last.

One night, Zhongli woke up to the sensation of your life force growing faint, until it completely disappeared. He didn’t need to check your pulse to know you had passed away since he felt it. Your spirit was gone. His heart sank at the realization that this was it. He would no longer get to hear your voice, see your reactions to his stories and affections, or make new memories with you.

Zhongli had lost countless friends and companions throughout the Archon War. He was used to death and saying goodbye, but each time was no easier than the last. The weight of loss settled heavily on him because, despite the years he spent mentally and emotionally preparing for your death, it was still difficult to sit there beside your lifeless body and accept the fact you were gone. There were still so many things he wanted to experience with you. It was truly unfortunate that your human lifespan was so painfully short.

Zhongli took your limp hand in his and held it for a while as his mind went through your shared memories together. In his memories, you were vibrant and lively, the opposite of how lifeless you appeared now. With the part of you he loved most gone, all that remained was a body of flesh that appeared almost like a stranger. It made him miss you, but also helped in coming to terms with your passing.

He mourned for you throughout the night, up until the sun rose above the horizon.

Zhongli took part in arranging your funeral. He carefully supervised every step of the process to ensure your funeral was perfect, and that you were given the proper respect in your journey to the afterlife. Once you were laid to rest, he found himself wandering around aimlessly most days. He walked along the same paths the two of you used to take strolls on, visited your favorite locations in Liyue Harbor, and frequently brought your favorite food as an offering to your grave.

At the teahouse, Zhongli sat at the same table where you always had your dates and stared at the empty seat where you used to sit. He could picture with perfect clarity how you used to sit in that same chair and give him your undivided attention when he recounted tales of times past, and he always loved it when you did. Now, he could only stare off into the distance while reminiscing about the good times he shared with you. Though Zhongli was saddened he couldn’t make more memories with you, the ones he did have made him grateful that you had been a part of his life.

Diluc

Diluc met you shortly after you arrived in Mondstadt with nothing but a satchel of mora and the clothes on your back. You said you came to the nation of freedom in the hopes of starting a new life but never disclosed any details about your past. Though he was curious about the life you led prior, Diluc learned to let it go. After all, Mondstadt was home to many people with mysterious backgrounds and origins, so what’s one more?

During the months you spent together, you had both fallen in love with each other and began a courtship. Diluc knew with certainty that he wanted to marry you, so one fateful night, he got down on one knee before you and presented a golden ring topped with a piece of garnet. You said yes, and Diluc felt the happiest that night than he had in a long time, not since his father’s passing several years ago. Now, he was looking forward to having a family again.

After Diluc lost his father, Adelinde and Elzer were saddened by the drastic change in their Young Master. Diluc used to be so optimistic and passionate, brimming with the desire to become a knight and help people. After Crepus’s death, he had become closed off and aloof, becoming bitter at the corruption running rampant within the Knights of Favonius. However, with your arrival at the estate, Diluc seemed to slowly warm up and smile more, and the senior servants couldn’t be happier by the positive change. They hoped that your union would heal their Master’s wounded heart.

Initially, Diluc didn’t plan to host an engagement party, but his butler Elzer convinced him to go through with the Ragnvindr family tradition. With your agreement, Diluc hosted a ball and invited prominent figures in the business world to attend, most of whom he worked with. During the party, he introduced you to his business partners, making idle chatter and receiving congratulations on your engagement. Everything seemed to be going well, albeit a tad boring, until the two of you were approached by an unfamiliar man in a lavish suit.

The man said he was an acquaintance of yours, and sure enough, you seemed to recognize him. However, the way your posture stiffened, and the color drained from your face set Diluc on edge. He wanted to reject the man’s request to speak with you in private, but you interjected and agreed. Diluc didn’t want to leave you alone with someone who made you uncomfortable, but the pointed look you gave him made Diluc hold back his protests. With great reluctance, he let you go.

He was anxious the entire time you were gone, unable to fully focus on the business conversations and propositions he was discussing with some of the guests. To his great relief, you returned safe and sound, albeit with a troubled expression on your face. Diluc made a mental note to ask you about what happened once the ball ended.

The man you spoke with didn’t reappear that night, and the party came to a successful close after plenty of eating, drinking, and dancing.

Later that night, you fell sick. You were vomiting and sweating quite a bit, and at first, Diluc thought you had food poisoning. However, when he noticed you were vomiting blood, panic surged through him. You were poisoned.

He called his servants and asked them to fetch a medic, but your condition continued to deteriorate quickly. In mere minutes, you were unable to stay standing and were gasping for breath, so Diluc laid you down on the bed. Tears streamed down your cheeks while you apologized to him, as if you knew you were going to die and why. As if someone intentionally poisoned you.

Diluc tried asking for more information, but by that point, you could barely breathe, much less get a word out. All you did was futilely gasp for air while gazing at him with eyes full of remorse and fear.

Diluc didn’t want to think about the possibility of you dying because the mere thought opened old wounds that never fully healed. But as he watched you slowly suffocate; it triggered a surge of fear in him. This scenario felt so familiar. It reminded him of how Crepus died. Due to the Fatui’s schemes, his father had disintegrated into nothing in his arms, leaving him and Kaeya alone to pick up the pieces. He couldn’t do anything to save his father then, and it frustrated him that he couldn’t do anything for you now, except sit there in fear and despair. Diluc gently took your hand in his, both for your comfort and his, and you clung to his hands like a vice. Despite Diluc’s empty reassurances that you’ll be alright, that the medic is on his way, you had passed away in front of his eyes with a pained expression on your face. The sight of your last moments made his stomach churn.

As he sat beside your body in the dark room shrouded by night, his thoughts shifted to the reason behind your death. You were poisoned, but why? Did someone do it to try and get to him? He did have many enemies, after all. Then, he remembered the suspicious man that had terrified you so much and couldn’t help but think the secret lay with him. Whatever the case, Diluc swore to get down to the truth of the matter.

He gently removed the engagement ring from your finger and hung it on a chain around his neck to always keep with him as a memento. A reminder of the future he was robbed of with you, and of your life which was taken far too early and cruelly.

News of your poisoning spread to the Knights of Favonius. Jean organized an investigation team to catch the culprit and bring them to justice, but Diluc knew it would take them too long. Even after the Knights had improved their ethics with Varka, Jean, and Kaeya at the helm, Diluc was still reluctant to leave everything to them. He insisted on investigating the matter himself. After many weeks of searching for clues, and even partnering up with Kaeya, Diluc managed to find the truth behind your murder. It infuriated him. You were once a Fatuus but had defected from the organization and ran away to Mondstadt to start a new life. You wanted a life where you were free to live the way you wanted, instead of being forced to commit atrocities in the name of the Tsaritsa. But nobody leaves the Fatui alive. Your superiors had found you and sent a Fatuus to infiltrate the ball. After you resisted their attempts to coerce you to return, sometime during the party they spiked your drinking glass with poison, which was how you perished. You were killed for wanting to live your life for yourself.

The injustice behind your death pushed Diluc on a quest for revenge. He swore upon the ring hanging from his neck that your murderers would atone for what they did. After delegating the running of the Winery to Elzer, Diluc packed necessities and embarked on a Fatui hunt. Over the next few months, he diligently searched and hunted down every member of the Fatui squad that killed you. He refused to take breaks, searching day and night for the exact location of the perpetrators and planning his revenge. He had tunnel vision that wouldn’t go away until his mission was completed. Diluc successfully slayed every Fatuus involved in your death. None were spared. Once his mission ended, Diluc returned to Mondstadt, but he became colder than before, much to Adelinde and Elzer’s dismay. He was more stoic and aloof than before, rarely smiling or expressing any emotion. He completely closed himself off, not allowing anyone to get close. Diluc had lost too many people he loved and didn’t want to grow attached and experience another potential loss. Sometimes, Adelinde would catch him sitting idly by a window and staring outside with a pensive, almost sad expression while twirling the ring around his neck. Elzer would spot Diluc standing by your and Crepus’s graves in the light of dawn, presumably after returning from another patrol around the city. Diluc would stand there for a while with his head lowered, looking so lonely and defeated, before heading inside the manor.

Diluc would never find someone new to love, of that he was certain. He will continue to wear the engagement ring around his neck up until the day he dies, and when he does, he hopes he will be buried alongside you and his father. If he cannot be with those he loves in life, then maybe he can be with them in death. Until then, he will push on and continue to live, blazing a path of justice to protect the citizens of Mondstadt so that no more victims end up like you and his father.

Tighnari

When a mother reported her child had gone missing within a withering zone in the Avidya Forest, Tighnari immediately dispatched a search and rescue team.

As a fellow forest ranger, you wanted to come along to help look for the child. Tighnari knew you were fairly capable of handling yourself despite not having a vision, but just to be safe, he paired you up with Collei. After all, it was already dark, and who knew what dangers lurked within the afflicted forest.

Right before you and Collei set out to search your assigned part of the forest, Tighnari told you both to stay safe and vigilant. Never did he think the reassuring smile you gave would be the last time he would see you alive.

He managed to find the missing boy before the withering got to him, and escorted the child back to camp for a checkup. As time passed, the other rangers returned, but you and Collei were nowhere in sight. Just as Tighnari was starting to get worried, Collei rushed over to him, out of breath.

In a panic, she explained that your pair had run into a hilichurl camp within the withering zone, and were chased by hilichurls through the forest. She got separated from you in the dark, and wasn’t able to find you again despite searching for a while.

Tighnari fought to stay calm as he rushed towards the location of the withering zone, and stopped when he saw your figure collapsed on the ground just outside the boundary. His heart dropped at the sight, and he quickly knelt beside you to check your vitals.

You had no pulse.

Tighnari felt like he was dreaming, as if he was watching someone else kneeling beside your body. That this wasn’t real. But as he looked at your glazed eyes which stared off into the distance, never once looking at him, reality set in.

You were dead.

Once he accepted that fact, Tighnari’s heart felt heavy, as if weighed down by an anchor.

You had tried to find your way back to camp, but having spent too much time in the withering zone, and not being a vision holder, you had inevitably succumbed to its effects just as you had gotten out of the zone. A pang of guilt welled within his chest. If he had paired up with you instead, or assigned you a different area to search through, would you have made it out alive? These thoughts looped in his mind and wouldn’t leave Tighnari alone.

When he returned to camp a while later, the rest of the Forest Rangers saw him carrying your body with a grim expression on his face. The fact Tighnari wasn’t asking for immediate medical assistance, and the way his ears drooped low, were all the rest of the Rangers needed to know you had died.

The guilt persisted like a phantom all throughout your funeral, and the days that followed after as he tried to keep it together. Breaking the news to your parents was difficult, but Tighnari forced himself to be the one to tell them. He was prepared for their devastation, and subsequent angry accusations for not protecting you like he promised. For once, he didn’t sass back, but rather quietly accepted their hatred. He believed that they had every right to blame him. After all, Tighnari was the one who was supposed to keep you safe, both as the leader of the Forest Rangers, and as your lover.

Tighnari never thought he would miss you as strongly as he currently did now that you were gone. It was nothing new for you to go days without seeing each other because he sometimes had to go to Sumeru City to give lectures or conduct botany experiments in Pardis Dhyai.

But this time was different. This time, he knew he would never see you again.

Never again will he come home to be greeted with your smile, and he missed the warm feeling that filled his heart back then. He missed your voice, the way you pet his ears and tail, the meals you brought him when he was busy with work, the letters you wrote to him when he was out on a trip… he missed you.

Some nights, he would wake up with tears in his eyes, filled with longing for the happy dreams he had about you. But they will forever remain only dreams, taunting him with a life he can no longer have because you’re not here anymore.

You will never return, and Tighnari was left with a heavy feeling in his chest that refused to completely go away no matter how many years passed. He will always regret sending you out with Collei that day.