#riptide.works

Your shoulders are slumped and your arms are crossed as you rest against the ledge of the balcony. Xiao jumps off the roof and walks up to you, already decided he's going to ask why you are awake.

His light thud behind you gets your attention and you turn towards him. Xiao notices the dark circles underneath your eyes, which were never there a few days ago before he left. You rush up him in the middle and examine him. There is both adrenaline and fatigue running rampant in your eyes, as if you're unsure if you're dreaming.

When you have convinced yourself, you heave a sigh of relief and pull him into a tight embrace.

A pang of guilt strikes at his heart. Under the Chasm, he had readily offered himself for self-sacrifice umpteen times and in the end, he had chosen to go down that path. Even if he was rescued in the end, he did choose to sacrifice himself at the last lap.

Would that mean that he chose his duty and the others over you? Did he choose to let you live in a world without him, even when he knew you would be devastated? Did he choose to hurt you?

Xiao knows nothing about love and sometimes, he thinks you are foolish for choosing to love him. He nags at you to go to sleep, but you pretend not to hear it, asking him what he was doing before he came.

You ask him to help you up to the roof after he tells you that he was intending to rest on the roof. Xiao gives you a look of disbelief and he tells you to go to sleep with his usual cold tone. He helps you up after you refuse to budge. As he does, he notices your iron clutch on his hand. Even when you lie beside him, you don't let go of his hands.

The leaves above rustle as the breeze exhales, exchanging words when the two of you are not. You only ask him if he had found what he was looking for.

It is the only question out of the many that brims out of your mind that you ask that night. When he says yes, you smile at him with crinkled eyes. He thinks your smile would be your answer to his questions and he feels a weight lifted off his weary heart.

You fall asleep, snuggled up at his side. Xiao carries you to your room at Wangshuu Inn and tucks you into bed. He contemplates staying by your side but decides against it. Instead, he'll come back again in the morning before you awaken.

That scene repeats in your head again. When you told him you loved him just before he left because of the Vision Hunt Decree. You watched his back as he walked away, blending into the sea of people before he vanished from your sight. Even though he said that he loved you the same way, just like how a tree loves the sun.

You redirect your anger towards the Raiden Shogun. If only she did not order the Vision Hunt Decree, it would have been different. 

During the decree, you received occasional letters from him. His words are devoid of any romantic love and the thought crushes your cracked heart into itty-bitty pieces. But in between the ink of the poem he's written for you, you think he loves you. Again and again, you pick up the shattered pieces and put them together again with gold.

The only reminder of Kazuha's presence beside you are the light thuds of his steps on the boardwalk. The distant orders of Captain Beidou to her crew grow louder, serving as a cruel reminder of another looming separation. 

When you no longer hear his footsteps, it pulls you out of your mind.

He's always wandering, always moving towards a new destination. So when he stops for no apparent reason, it alarms you. You turn and finally look him in the eye ever since the two of you separated from the others.

Ruby-red. It reminds you of the red you see when you think of him.

Ruby-red. It reminds you how beautiful he is. You don’t know if you can pay the price of loving a diamond like him. One that shimmers with a new kaleidoscopic pattern every time you look at it.

But you don't see the sorrow and remorse that swirls in those red eyes. The breeze has been screaming to him that it is his fault you carry your heavy heart through the days. The salt in the air pricks his eyes, demanding him to return the silent tears that soak your pillowcase in the night.

He sees the red of his eyes in yours, its shade matching the maple leaves that fall behind you. It’s going to be another goodbye again. Kazuha suppresses the urge to take his hand in yours. A touch of you before he departs miles away from you again.

A moment of only the crash of waves lapses. You ask him what’s wrong and he lies that the maple leaves seem to have given him a new idea for a new poem. Forcing a chuckle, you start inching towards the Alcor with him.

He has one foot on the first step when he reaches the stairs that ascend to the deck. Turning back, he asks you if there's anything you want to tell him.

Maybe, just maybe, he would try to stop his feet from running where they please if you asked. Stop trying to run away to another corner of the world, where he'll eventually leave again. 

If you had nothing to say, he’d tell you to forget him.

You feel your desires overflow the bottle you've shoved them all into.

"Stay."

Is what you want to say. But you keep your lips zipped for the weightless word will hold him down as an immovable mountain when you let it loose.

Kazuha is wrong for saying that he loves you like how the tree loves the sun, you think.

You're the tree that stays anchored; feeling the wind come and go. You're the shore that does not move; welcoming the sea when it washes up on the sand and giving farewell when it resides. No matter how hard you clutch onto him, he'll slip through the gaps that you can't see with your naked eye.

"Make sure to send me letters. I’ll be here when you visit again."

Kazuha smiles sadly. He leans down to the crown of your head, lips hovering above your skin. His breath fans your forehead as he asks, “May I?”

He does not have the heart to tell you to forget him and for once, he sees himself as a selfish fool. Unwilling to let go of a gem he cannot appreciate. It’s a pity that he’s the one you love.

There is nothing but focus in Xiao’s eyes and you see his mind running through the steps like clockwork. Despite having cooked for years, he still has the look as if it’s the very plate that’ll decide if he’ll have your hand in marriage. Your parents had only approved of him when he’d met their expectations with the family dishes. 

Not wanting to disrupt Xiao’s focus, you tend to the pots of boiling soup and serve the ready dishes. The aroma of soup rises out of its pot and the smell propels you to ask Xiao to cook you today. Seeing his deep concentration, you decide to ask a little later.

As you scoop up the soup into bowls, he becomes aware of your presence and calls out your name. You scoot over to his side and he gestures toward two glasses of water on the table behind him. 

“The full one is yours. You should drink some before you attend to the customers again.”

It’s only then you realise how dry your mouth is and how parched your lips are. You chug half of the water down and thank Xiao, giving his shoulder a brief squeeze.

Most customers understand that there are only the two of you working at the store. They show you patience and they are understanding when their dish takes a long time. However, like any food establishment, there’ll be troublesome customers. You don’t know which archon you’ve offended when one decides to walk in during one of your busiest periods of the year. 

You can only tell that he’s not Liyue-ian from his accent when he speaks. Every 2 minutes or so, he asks if his dish is ready. It’s not even 10 minutes when he hollers for you to attend to him.

“Why isn’t my dish ready?”

You didn’t help your parents with the store since young to cower at an unreasonable customer.

“I’m sorry, sir. We have many customers today so your dish may take longer than expected. It will be ready soon, thank you for waiting.”

“Then you guys just have to work faster! I can’t believe I’m kept waiting for so long. If it isn’t ready in another minute, I demand a free plate of matsutake meat rolls.”

The matsutake meat roll is the most expensive dish on your menu and this man just took advantage of the peak hour. Contempt brews in your chest and you realise that your eyes have given you away when the man starts yelling again. The other customers fall silent when he starts throwing insults at the store.

A hand squeezes your shoulders. You don’t have to look back to know who it is. When you hear a snarl in Xiao’s voice, chills run down your back.

“Leave.”

Under Xiao’s piercing gaze, the man zips his mouth shut. He scrambles to take his bag and stumbles on his way out. 

The store quickly returns to its normal rhythm when Xiao starts walking back into the kitchen without a word. The chatter of the customers starts and the accidental clinks of cutlery fill the room. 

-

It’s still fairly early in the night. You see children run past the shop through the windows. Lanterns remain brightly lit and some of its rays spill through into the window. 

You flip the sign, letting the word ‘CLOSED’ do its work of repelling customers. The shop has run out of ingredients for the day and it fills you with dissatisfaction that you didn't have the opportunity to ask for a meal from Xiao. Especially when you needed it the most today.

From the kitchen, he says, “[name], sit down at a table.”

You drag your feet and plop down on a chair, arms hanging down your sides. Xiao brings out a plate of piping hot matsutake meat rolls and another of stir-fry shrimp. Your heart soars as you watch him enter the kitchen again to bring out cutlery and two bowls of rice. 

When he sets down the rice on the table, he gives your head a pat. The entire time, your eyes remain glued on him as immeasurable warmth bubbles in your heart. 

You barrel into him and embrace him in a hug before he could sit down. Arms still around him, you tilt your chin upwards to meet his surprised eyes.

A smile spreads on your lips and all you utter is “I love you.” 

Light from the lanterns outside illuminates Xiao’s flushed face in the dim room.

Noticing the hints of redness, you release Xiao from the embrace to let out a hearty laugh with your hand resting on your stomach. “I can’t believe you still get flustered when I tell you I love you.”

He plops himself down on the chair and shoves a spoonful of rice into his mouth. After he swallows it, he retorts, “Eat.”

“Alright, alright.”

Xiao picks up a piece of matsutake meat roll and settles it atop your untouched rice. It says “I love you too” on behalf of him.

“My lord.”

Ayato crouches down to take your hand in his. You finally make eye contact with him to see him smile with closed eyes. The fluttering flames atop of the candles cause the shadows on his face to dance, highlighting the sharp edges of his jaw and nose. 

“[name], you’re here.”

The poker face you commonly wear on your face breaks. While you’re wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, you express faux annoyance with your eyes and raised brows. As an additional measure, you make sure that you sound annoyed, “Lord Ayato, how can I serve you today?”

“I just wanted some time with you before I have to accompany the client.”

A faux sigh escapes your mouth but your lips upturn into a smile. You approach him and wrap your arms around him, patting his back. You wouldn’t admit it to him, but you missed him too.

“Thank you for coming, [name].”

You planned that you’d sit by his side until its time and leave by the window facing the ocean, but Ayato has other plans.

You hear from the faint exchange of the guards on the other side of the door about the arrival of the guest. It’s your signal to leave. You pull down your mask for a moment to give him a peck on the cheek and push the mask back up again. Just as you turn around, he grabs your wrist and tugs you flush against him.

Even in the darkness, you see the mischievous glint in his eyes as he rests his hand on the small of your back. “Not so fast, [name].”

Ayato pulls down your mask and captures your lips in his. The rustling outside the door becomes louder and you tear yourself away from him.

“Not now, Ayato! What if other people see?”

He hums, a grin playing across his lips as he sees your reddened face. “Well, if we’re caught kissing, we’re most likely dead. But let’s risk it.”

Ayato rushes in for another kiss, his hands running up your back to your hair. You’re still listening to the tiny movements outside but your sharp senses are slowly melting as Ayato’s lips convey his yearning. The hushed chattering of the soldiers becomes muffled and the footsteps of the staff become inaudible. Gripping the golden rope hanging around his neck, you tug him closer.

“Lord Kamisato, the guest is here. We’re opening the door.”

Both of you break from the kiss, a little out of breath. His arms continue to encircle you, but his grip loosens and you slide out of it with ease. Ayato looks ahead at the door, smoothing out his sleeves as he adorns his dignified smile once again.

Before he opens his mouth to speak, you whisper, “My lord.”

He angles his face slightly to look at you, expression kept the same except for a raised brow. You kiss the corner of his mouth where his mole lies. A hand resting on his shoulder, you linger.

When the door opens, the guards notice the slightly ajar window.

For the first time, Kaeya manages to be by your side for your last moments. Blood thickens, overflows in his hand as he cradles your head and your breaths become shallower. The raindrops from the downpour carry the crimson away, but your skin becomes increasingly pale as they do.

With whatever strength you have left, you grip his hand that’s clasped around his vision. You plead with him not to do what he was about to do.

Tears begin to well upon your eyes when he pries your hand away. When he removes his hand from his vision to cup your jaw, you see imprints of the metal in his hands. Kaeya presses a feather-light kiss to your eyes, then your cheek, then finally your lips; and you struggle to reciprocate.

Against your lips, with steel in his voice, he swears, “Time again and time to pass, I'll come back for you. Always.”

-

Kaeya’s eyes jerk open. He’s sitting in his office, the dazzling sunlight blazing in through its glass windows. The documents are sprawled out just as he remembers them – your application form in front of him, at the very top of the pile.

It should be about time for you to walk into his office. He takes a deep breath and runs through his plan in his mind again.

The door clicks open and Kaeya resumes back into his ever-popular, amicable persona.

He watches as you arrive to stand before his desk and you bow. “Good morning, Sir Kaeya. I am [name], the newly appointed vice-cavalry captain. I will do my best under your service.”

“Pleased to meet you, [name].”

In his heart, he’s relieved it’s the same familiar touch when you shake his hand. He only pulls away when you do.

He takes a seat and props himself up with both his elbows, his fingers intertwining with each other.

“[name], I’m stationing you at Dragonspine with Albedo.”

Confusion crosses your face and you stay silent for a while.

“Sir, please excuse me if this is rude but… Wouldn’t it be more appropriate if I follow you instead? It is my responsibility as the vice-cavalry captain to provide close assistance in your duties.”

Kaeya chuckles, “The Grandmaster has already taken everyone in the Cavalry unit for an expedition. Leave for all but those around Dragonspine, my duties are of no extraordinary note and require no assistance. Besides, it’d be beneficial for you to become a little more familiar with Dragonspine. Albedo’s laboratory has been raided recently too, so I believe he’d appreciate a little extra security .”

“But-”

He stands up and leans into you, his index finger hovering above your lips. “Hush, I’ll train you when the time comes. I’ll come by often to check on your work and progress. Let's head to Dragonspine.”

You open your mouth to protest, but Kaeya walks out of the room without looking back. On the way to Albedo’s lab, Kaeya makes light conversation, asking you about trivial things such as your family. He asks about things he already knew from the previous time loops, careful not to let anything slip.

When you arrive at Albedo’s lab, Kaeya gives Albedo the same explanation as he did to you. He searches Albedo’s face for any sign of knowing. Albedo keeps his eyes on his vials, sparing both of you only a glance. Good, he hasn’t caught wind of Kaeya’s plans yet.

Once all arrangements have been made known and settled, Kaeya takes his leave. When he does, the sensation in one of his hands dulls. He faintly sees the pure white of the snow on the ground through his hand. In the next moment, he can’t and the feeling in his hand returns.

-

Kaeya visits you at least once every week. The looks that you cast Albedo’s way don’t escape him – saccharine honey that drips from your iris, brimming at the edge of your eyes. Its sweetness is made even more palpable as you gaze at Albedo while he’s focused on his experiments…

… The same gaze you’ve given him countless times in the past, and all he felt back then was an overflowing waterfall of love. Seeing that it’s for someone else, makes his stomach churn as if he had too much. Sickeningly sweet.

“Do you fancy the chief alchemist?”

You get frantic and wave your hands in denial. Kaeya forces out a laugh. “I see that your type is calm, collected and incredibly talented.”

You continue trying to refute Kaeya’s claim. He leans into your face, his breath fanning your cheek. With a lowered voice, he asks, “What about me?”

Kaeya searches your eyes. There’s panic and your mind is fumbling for what should be the correct answer.

He retreats backwards. “Hmm, since you can’t give me an answer, how about you fulfil a request for me?”

“I’m sorry, Sir Kaeya. Please, let me know. I’ll do anything.”

Anything, huh?

“Stop calling me ‘Sir’. Just ‘Kaeya’ will do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Anything, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

After all, he can’t accept you calling him that when you call Albedo by his name.

-

As time passes, Kaeya visits you less. His hands flicker like a flame on a candle more often than he likes, the translucent quality creeping up his arm.

Kaeya doesn’t realise that his vision has been too either. He only does when Albedo points it out after Albedo asks you to help him to collect some starsilver (in which you oblige with great enthusiasm).

“Kaeya, your vision’s flickering again.”

He unfastens his vision from his belt and inspects it. The glow in his vision stops flickering when he brings it close to his eye. The turquoise blue looks faintly duller to him.

Kaeya just laughs, dismissing it with an excuse he pulls out of thin air.

The silence almost settles like dust until Albedo says, “You’ve done something with time, right?”

He says it as if he’s testing his hypothesis, yet Kaeya hears it having a thin layer of disbelief.

Albedo continues, “I’m not one to trust dreams, but I’ve been having dreams… that make sense. I’ve been going along with my day and it's as if things are supposed to be another way.”

Kaeya keeps his eyes on Albedo’s back, staying silent until Albedo tears his eyes away from his concoctions.

All Kaeya gives Albedo is a confident smile. Silence gets its opportunity to settle and rest atop their shoulders with weight. Albedo sighs in defeat and tells Kaeya to let him know if he ever needs anything.

“Take care of [name] for me, will you?”

When he stands up to leave, you return to Albedo’s lab. Kaeya gives you an amicable hello but he doesn’t wait for your response.

Confident that you’ve taken your eyes off his retreating back, he slows his pace. Your laughter is muffled, but the elation that he hears is crisp. It rings and echoes, even though there’s a valley right beside which should have swallowed the sound up.

-

You’re not sure how long Kaeya has resigned from the Knights of Favonius. Some guilt weighs down on your heart. You’ve been too preoccupied with the object of your affections to notice that your superior has resigned.

Even though he doesn’t know the reason, the alchemist reassures you not to blame yourself.

“Perhaps you should visit him?” Albedo suggests.

“Is there anything you need me to do?”

Albedo shakes his head and tells you to run along to Kaeya’s place.

There’s no response when you knock on Kaeya’s door. You turn the doorknob to find it unlocked, muttering an ‘excuse me’ when you enter.

He lies sprawled out on his bed, his limbs peeking out from underneath his blanket. Sunlight filters through the window, and you think that it seems to filter through his skin too. You realise you’re not being delusional when you approach him.

“Kaeya! Is there anything I can do for you?”

You don’t wait for him to respond and you’re about to leave, but he grabs your hand. His hand is almost crystal clear and a wave of worry overcomes you. Without letting go of your hand, Kaeya shakes his hand and says, “I’ll be happy as long as I can see you.”

There’s a bittersweet undertone that you don’t miss and you want to ask him to explain the situation to you. But your thoughts are all in a jumble and nothing comes out of your mouth.

He gestures for you to lean down to him and you do. His trembling lips press against yours. You close your eyes and kiss him back. In that fleeting moment, you forgot about the alchemist that resided in your heart. At that moment, Kaeya saunters into your heart and makes himself comfortable. It's as if he’s been there before.

You feel Kaeya trying to sit up and you help him up without pulling away. His hand slides up your chin, settling his hand behind your ear. One of your hands lies atop of his chest and the other has its fingers tangled in his navy blue hair.

Memories you don’t remember flood into your mind.

Under the stars, he said he would rip out all the stars in the sky for you. At dusk, he said one day he’ll steal a horse from the stables and he’ll ride into the horizon with you. In the comfort of your bed, he promises he’ll tell you his secret and about the weight of a forgotten world he’s carrying.

When you stop feeling his lips on yours, you open your eyes and fall forward onto the bed. He’s gone. There’s no sign of him when you do a quick sweep of the room. You hurl all the doors in his house open. The doors tremble and shiver when they hit against the wall, but with decreasing power, as you make your way towards the last room. What or who you’re looking for and why you’re slamming doors open start to trickle like water out of a palm.

You try to grasp at them, but it is all in vain. Soon enough, you don’t know why you’re standing by a vacant bed with a lonely, dead vision lying on it.

You don’t know that you saw the last of Kaeya. Only the time that swept him away with its waves knows that he loved you. But time only moves forward, it doesn’t stop for anyone. All you can comprehend by standing alone in the empty room is that something wrenches your heart and it feels more empty than you could ever understand why.

Havoc runs underneath your feet in the form of rumbling as you climb up the hill towards the Golden House. The unconscious bodies of the Millelith line haphazardly outside and they do nothing to quell your worry. Screams loaded with fear cut through the thick air, causing you to quicken your pace.

You burst through the wide-open door into the brilliant gold room. Purple sparks fly against the twinkling gold rays of Mora. Childe hovers in the eye of the storm. Aether’s body lies still at the edge of the chaos, with Keqing, Ganyu and the meagre numbers that remained of the Millelith flanking Childe from all sides. Yet, with every attempt to approach him, he would blink away to the other end of the room.

When you call out Childe’s name, he doesn’t even spare a glance your way. You’re clueless on what warranted this from him – this was nothing like him at all. You take a few steps towards him, getting a closer look at him.

Cuts on the armour blanket his body, blood brimming on its edges and spilling over. A stubborn arrow lodges in one of his forearms, crimson red trickling out. He swings his arm and sends a soldier flying as if the arrow only inflicted an ant bite. Blood outlines his jaw and drips down his chin. Catch a glimpse of his eyes from the sides of the mask when he turns his head away, you see is the bottom of the ocean where light has no reach.

Keqing cautions you to stand back, but you pay her no heed, taking a few more steps closer to him. You call his name again. He releases another ray of purple electricity towards Ganyu and she dodges it by a hair.

There’s a voice in your head that warns you that you'll anger him by using his real name in front of others; but the dire circumstances before you have pushed you to the edge of your composure.

“Ajax!”

Childe’s raised hand halts in midair and he turns his gaze to your direction. A crimson red instead of purple glow in the orb embedded in the mask. It flickers between the two colours.

Your name comes out from his mouth muffled and broken up like an unstable connection. The hand that hovers in midair starts to quiver, moving towards the mask. The flickering of the eye of the mask intensifies. The red abruptly takes its place again, his hand dropping to his side as if he’s done a reset of himself.

You realise there’s something about Childe’s Foul Legacy form that even he himself has failed to realise. Something grave that has led to the consequences in play at this moment.

Your mind starts racing. The puddles of crimson on the ground below Childe tell you they’ve been battling for quite a while. Concern starts seeping and piling into your heart – you don’t know how long more Childe's body can last.

From the corner of your eye, Keqing charges up her sword that glows a vibrant purple. You step in her path. She pulls back and her amethyst eyes widen at something behind you. You dodge Childe’s attack, his clawed hand scraping your arm.

He gets persistent in his attacks and you dodge all of them by a hair. You realise that who – or what’s – controlling Childe has deemed you a threat to be eliminated.

From the corner of your eyes, you see the others striking him. Bringing their sword down on him, throwing spears and firing arrows. You plead for Keqing and her troops to stand back, tone teetering on the edge of a demand.

You almost fail to dodge yet another attack. You notice Childe’s hand wobbling as it nears his face again. The red flickers to purple and back again. A puzzle piece clicks in your head.

When Keqing runs towards him for an attack, you parry her sword.

“Please! Stop! I know how to end this, so please help me!”

You turn your head in Ganyu’s direction, entreating her, “Ganyu, please, shoot his mask!”

She shoots a glance at Keqing beside you, hesitant to follow your request. It’s only seconds but to you, it was precious time ticking away before Ganyu aims her bow at him at Keqing’s nod.

You don’t ask for Keqing to help, but she dashes up behind. She supports you as you fend off Childe’s attacks from others and yourselves.

To keep his attention on you, you yell his name and insult his attire (which in reality, you think is neat but the ends justify the means, so you lie). His attacks become less thought through and he starts to look like he’s only flailing about. Cracks start to spread around the mask, about to shatter. Everything goes on until he realises that Ganyu has become the biggest threat.

Before any of you could stop him, he discharges a ray of electricity towards Ganyu. She narrowly dodges it but breaks her arm in the process. You blink and he’s already towering over her with a raised hand that grips a violet spear wrapped in sparks.

Ganyu scrambles up and dodges the waves of his spear. You urge her to run over to you. Childe’s attention turns in your direction. He thrusts the spear towards you.

You leap towards him, reaching out for the mask with cracks that run across it. Ganyu passes you and the spear impales your torso. The pain paralyses you and you almost black out, but you remind yourself of your conviction. Mustering a last burst of remaining strength, you claw against the mask. Your fingertip brushes the tip of his mask and it breaks in half.

The sight of a familiar ocean blue eases the immense anxiety in your chest. At the sight of his widening eyes, you forget the pain for a brief moment and cup his face in one palm, leaning in towards him. The next moment, the spear fades and you drop to the ground. Childe catches you but his hold on you is weak. His knees buckle and he kneels on the ground with you lying in his arms.

His eyes do a sweep of the surroundings. The Millelith help their injured comrades out of the Golden House. Keqing’s authoritative voice thunders through the gilded chamber, desperately ordering her troops to request help for you. When he looks at the gaping wound on your torso, his eyes widen.

“[name]... [name]... I’m sorry.”

He chokes on his apology and tears brim in his eyes. A few teardrops trickle down his cheek and drip on your closed eyes. Your eyelids twitch and it opens, half-lidded.

With a shaking hand, you outstretch your hand to cup his cheek again. You tug at the little amount of skin that you’ve pinched. It’s always been the silent way both of you ask for a kiss.

“Ajax, I’m sorry too.”

Childe shakes his head before his lips only brush against yours. He yanks his jacket off and applies pressure to your wound. The blood soaks his jacket through within a matter of moments.

You sputter out a laugh, quipping, “I’m glad I chose to love a hot man.”

“Stop joking, [name].”

Everyone sees the panic in his eyes. The notoriously fearless harbinger has quivering lips and a face that screams about the cruel deed he’s done to you. He remains motionless while staring at your face. The sight of this extraordinary scene unsettles everyone before it, including the ever-rational Keqing, who’s trying to keep her composure. Childe hears her race to the entrance, questioning with impatience as to when medical help would be arriving.

In a hushed tone, you ask with the same half-lidded eyes, “Ajax… Are you there? I can’t see you.”

Childe chokes on his own breath, opting to hum as a response while he tries to hold back a barrage of tears. His hand that cradles your head tightens and he kisses the crown of your head.

“I’m… here.”

He pecks your lips, repeating his previous words when he speaks against your lips. Your eyes flutter shut, and it’s not long when he feels your body still.

Every part of Childe’s body aches, but nothing more so than the heart pounding in his chest. He leans down and brushes his lips against yours. His thumb rubs circles on your scalp as if in a forest searching for signs of life. He breaks away but not long later, he presses another kiss, his hand pushing your head towards him.

You will wake up. Just like in those fairytales where true love’s kiss brings characters doomed to slumber back to the waking world like a magic spell. He wants to believe such magic exists. He has to. He has to… If not… If not..

Doubt is the downfall of any endeavour of chance. That day, he learns that truth the hard way. (And he even doubts that he was your true love).

You turn to walk away and right after, he scurries after you saying “I’M KIDDING, PLEASE”

He thinks to himself maybe if somehow he pulls the pocky towards himself, he’ll pull you closer and fluster you

He jerks himself backwards but unfortunately you didn’t budge, so the pocky stick broke instead

He whines in frustration and demands a rematch bc “I nEvER lOSE”

In the second round, he just plays the game normally without trying anything funny

You have sweet kiss, the taste of chocolate filling your mouth, and of course he wins because you forgot you were in playing a game and you broke away first <3

Zhongli

You think Zhongli wouldn’t know what the pocky game is, but he’s heard of it and he’s got the gist of it. He just has to clarify some tiny details with you

He keeps his gaze on you without looking away the whole time

It makes you flustered and you look away because you know the feeling when you’re embarrassed about being shy but other people look like stuff is nothing to them? Yeah that

you secretly think he’s played this game before and he wants to catch you off guard

(But you don't notice the way the tips of his ears gradually redden)

He doesn’t try do anything funny at all which makes you even more nervous that he’s got something hidden up his sleeve

When you hesitate in advancing, he continues. When his lips brush yours, you fall backwards out of embarrassment

He lets out a hearty laugh and chases after you for a kiss.

Diluc

He scowled when you asked

(but you know he’s just shy)

The shorter the length of the pocky stick left, the more he looks away

If you’re embarrassed like him, there are times the game comes to a standstill and both of you are so close to each other your faces get VERY hot

You say, with the pocky still in your mouth, “Do you want to stop? It’s okay-”

“No, we’ll continue.” (says Diluc, with hints of shaky determination.)

And right after that he takes a small nibble on the stick

You have to suppress the urge to giggle throughout the game

Both of you finish the game, with Diluc briskly making his way out of the room (and the heat of his lips lingering on yours)

But his flower shop isn’t like the others because other than growing flowers, he dabbles in alchemy to create exotic flowers. Just like the regular flowers, he takes orders for exotic flowers too, though it’ll be a lot more costly.

You first meet him when you tag along with your friends who were curious about his flower shop. You and your friends were like all his other customers who simply admired his exotic flowers.

That's until you start asking him about the meanings behind his exotic flowers.

You start frequently coming back to get his flowers for others. Even when you don’t order exotic flowers, you choose to buy flowers and order bouquets from his shop.

One day, when you drop by to collect your flowers, he asks you for your opinions on the ideas he has. He takes note of your creative inputs very often too. Then it happened again another time you came in to collect another order. Again and again (and he enjoys it, but he just doesn’t know it).

You even become friends with Sucrose and Timaeus. There are many times the four of you talk about growing and creating flowers. It influenced you to grow flowers and think about creating your own flowers (but you dismiss the idea because you don’t know anything about alchemy).

Soon, he starts to wonder if you have a partner and he’s oddly relieved when you say you don’t.

He puts all his ideas in a sketchbook. In that same sketchbook, he starts to include sketches of you.

That amazement on your face when you collected your very first order from him? He captures as many details of that look until he gets it down on paper. That day you came in formal wear? Sketched and refined.

He only realises he’s fallen for you when he’s running his fingers over his inked sketches of you. When he looks carefully at the flowers he’s growing, there’s always some part of you in it, whether or not you’ve contributed some ideas.

He begins to relish in the brief touches of your hands when he passes you the bouquets you’re buying. And he wonders when you’re coming back.

He always opens his shop a little earlier and closes his shop a little later than the stated time, because maybe you’ll drop by or walk past his shop? (You do a few times, but it's 'only' a few times for him :/).

There’s once he let himself lay his head on the counter and watch his glass door, hoping you’ll walk in.

When he’s not looking and the doorbell rings, he deflates a little when someone else other than you walks in.

You always come in to order flowers for the people you care about, and he realises that you probably don’t get a flower of your own. He starts to think about a flower that could represent.

The orders from customers don’t baffle him much. But your flower stresses the heck out of him because he wants to create a flower that embodies you and one that you’ll love.

After a few months, he finally creates the flower for you.

On a day when you come in to collect an order, he places his sketchbook at the counter, a single stalk of the flower atop of it. When the collection time for you to come nears, he heads to the back of the shop where customers are denied access.

You call for his name and for the first time, hearing his name falling from your mouth has never been so nerve-racking.

When he doesn’t respond, you first admire the flower. It’s one you’ve never seen before and you make a mental note to ask him about it.

You then eye his sketchbook and think about flipping through it. You’ve only had glimpses of his sketchbook but you wanted to see all that goes on his head. Looking around and without a trace of Albedo, you start flipping through his sketchbook.

Needless to say, your face got very red. You put it down and Albedo walks out from the back of the store (where he was hiding).

With a smug grin on his face, he teases you, “I didn’t know you were the kind to look through others things.”

You cover your face with both your hands. He gently wraps his hands around your wrist and guides your hand away from your face. Even with all that smugness, he can’t hide the red tips of his ears after all.

“What do you say about running the shop together?”

You ask him what the special occasion is and he gets slightly panicky. “Huh? Uh… I thought I just wanted to share it with you… I come here often and I think it tastes great! Yeah!”

You narrow his eyes at him but you don’t probe further. You like Thoma and seeing him fumble over his words make you hopeful but… He’s probably too professional to break any rules. Including the one you’ve broken. Maybe he’s just secretly nervous on all these dates and just needed to get his act together for the new things he’s trying.

Both of you eat a few bites of souffle. Then, Thoma puts his fork with a piece of the souffle out towards you. He playfully raises his eyebrows and moves the bit of souffle closer to your lips.

You look away before opening your mouth for him to feed the souffle to you. He chuckles and red blooms on your face like the sakura trees outside.

The flowers fall throughout the day and you admire the skyline adorned with the falling sakura. A whole sakura flower falls on your hair and Thoma picks it out of your hair. He tucks it behind your hair, the touch of his fingers ghosting the shell of your ear. He eagerly suggests for both of you to take a photo.

A part of you is annoyed at how smooth this man is and how he does it to all his other clients. But you can’t help but indulge in that fleeting moment.

Before you leave, you smile at him as you always do. When you turn to enter the train station, he grabs your wrist.

“I know I’ve already accepted the payment for today but… Please go out with me and let me pay you back a hundred times more?”

You nod and he lets out a long sigh of relief. You laugh at how he’s dropped his confident facade and just seems to be a tangle of nerves at that moment.

He’s not as professional as you thought, huh?

Zhongli meets you at a quaint cafe in the outskirts of the city. He usually meets you at the cafe first to collect the payment. You have no idea how he’s learnt to be thick-skinned because he just asks for it without beating the bush. You find out he’s VERY strapped for cash and it gets endearing when he rambles talks about his lack of Mora. Today, you’re about to pull out some cash from your wallet when he stops you.

“Hold on to the cash today. Let’s go.”

He doesn’t let you ask any further when he takes your hand in his. When you step out of the cafe, he asks, “Pardon me for doing this, especially when you’ve already planned something. May I bring you around for the date today?”

You nod, secretly worried that he thinks your date plans to be boring. Your date plans have been getting sloppier as of late but you just want to see him. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You can never get tired of the way

He brings you to the less-known, nonetheless beautiful, places in the city.

There’s the tranquil park near the outskirts of the city, where he tells you about its history he’s interested in.

There’s a row of shophouses that hasn’t been touched by the modernity of the city, where he tells you of the good photo spots. You take a few photos. Some by yourself, some with the two of you holding hands.

There’s a spot near a serene neighbourhood that overlooks the city, where he shows you a picturesque view of the setting sun straight out from a painting.

“These are all my favourite places and I wanted to share them with you.”

You start blushing and get fuzzy inside until you remember he’s your rental boyfriend. There’s a nagging feeling he’s probably done this with a lot of other people who rented him for his services.

You sigh and decide to end the date there. You take out your wallet again, about to pull out a wad of cash.

Still looking into the distance, with the glow of the sun’s rays highlighting the curve of his jaw, Zhongli asks, “How about going out with me? I’ll cancel all my future bookings.”

Childe meets you at the train station nearest to your home. He would meet you at your doorstep, but his agency doesn’t allow rental boyfriends to have information on clients addresses. He takes the train with you to the nearest arcade and tells you that he’ll beat your high score you made at one of the machines.

As he gets all pumped up about beating you, you recall the first time you rented him and brought him to an arcade. His fingers clumsily stabbed the buttons which ended up getting the both of you kicked out because he almost destroyed the machine.

In the next date, you know he’s done his research and practice, showing a lot of familiarity even with the machines you don’t commonly play. You think it’s endearing that he puts in so much effort for his job, but you remind yourself he probably does this for everyone else that pays him. You found out this guy is rich, so you’re pretty baffled on why he’s doing this job. When you ask him, he says he’s just doing it for fun in his spare time and that he wants to make people happy.

Now, he’s an expert. But you always tell him he’s far from beating you.

That day, a new machine arrives in the arcade and Childe familiarises himself with how the game works quicker than you. When he sees you having some trouble, he shoots you a smug grin. But he comes up behind you right after that, his hand on yours to guide you with the controls. You are overly-conscious of how his body hovers over yours. The freezing cold arcade has gotten fairly hot for once.

At your usual games, he throws mock tantrums as if he’s a kid and refuses to give up until he beats you. You have to drag him out of the arcade before he spends too much money there. As much as he’s a rich guy, you’d feel irresponsible letting him spiral down the rabbit hole of arcade games. Sometimes you wonder why you’ve fallen for him, but he’s just charming that way.

But most of your dates have been to the arcade, he’s probably going to fall for someone classier and people who ask him to go on fancy dates.

He pays for dinner, again. With rental boyfriends, usually the client pays during dates. You think he’s going to run out of Mora and you hope for him to find someone who’ll watch out for him (you. But you think you’re a joke because he’ll probably like someone better who doesn’t argue with him when he pays too. Spoiler alert no!!)

You see your bus coming, so you take out your wallet to make payment for the date. He commonly forgets to collect money (because he didn’t sign up to do this for money in the first place), so you’re the one who remembers to pay him. You hope people are decent enough not to take advantage of this.

He pushes your hand back to you and passes you a slip of paper.

“Here’s my number, since we’ve just been talking through the rental application. Oh, and stop calling me Childe or Tartaglia. I go by Ajax for people I care about.”

He winks at you.

Your bewilderment shows all over your face and he continues.

“I’ve cancelled all my bookings and deleted the application. If you're good with having me, I’m dating you now, sweetheart.”

a/n: this was inspired by rent-a-girlfriend. I don't really like the show but the premise was interesting. I may not finish watching it so I don't know how the anime executed the ending but here's how I think the boys would have done the confession. Figure-drawing fried my brain so I thought whatever and just wrote this HAHA.