Anyways While Im Halfway Through This Fic, Here’s A Random Flashback To That Time A Xiao Main Suddenly

🍨📘

For the event:

Albedo +

Tysm! (＾∇＾)ﾉ♪

𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 - 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢

take part - here!

pairing - albedo x gender neutral reader (royalty au!)

genre - fluff

word count - 2668

a/n - hello hello!! this is such a pretty photo, kinda reminds me of a botanical garden :) i think those flowers are hydrangeas so i tried to incorporate them into the drabble as much as i could :D ik it's daytime in the pic but for the sake of this it's nighttime ok shhhh. i kind of struggle to write for albedo a bit but i did as best as i could :) i also went v e r y overboard with this :')

content under the cut!

marriage is an odd thing, strong and supportive in theory but fickle in execution and nature, it often made no sense to you whatsoever. so imagine your surprise when your parents, the king and queen of fontaine, came to you and informed you of your betrothal to the crown prince of mondstat: prince albedo.

to many, a betrothal to prince albedo would be a dream. from what you've heard he's quite handsome although a bit socially inept and possessed a mind rivaling that of the most brilliant scholars. you'd be lying if you said part of you wasn't curious, but that part of you was also being swallowed by an inevitable fear of what was to come.

marriage was a thick, steely cuff shackled to ivory floors in your opinion, you'd exchange your freedom in for your country as your duty requires you to, but then what? live a life locked up in a palace with some man you barely know as your husband? the mere thought of it had you running to the nearest bathroom and dry heaving over the sink.

on top of the weighty betrothal, you hadn't a sliver of an idea of what prince albedo looked like exactly. sure, you knew he was a bit quiet and super smart but asides from that? you had nothing to go off of.

and it seemed like you never would officially know what he looked like until the day of your marriage when your parents made it their mission to hide portraits of the prince that had been sent over to your palace as a gift. you tried to sneak a glance under the cloth draped over one of the paintings only to be harshly reprimanded by your person in waiting and dragged off for more nobility training.

the week before you were to be shipped off to mondstat and married, your parents came to you smiling ear to ear. "the monarchs in mondstat have arranged for an engagement ball! isn't this exciting?" and of course, like always, you nodded and went along with it. but in reality you wanted nothing more than to slink away and indulge in your hobbies that had nothing to do with royal duties or marriage.

and now here you stood, greeting one person after the other as you stood beside both your parents and the monarchs of mondstat. guests swept across the marble dance floor, skirts billowing akin to faint smoke. you gripped a flute of champagne in one gloved hand and the other mindlessly fussed with an over-the-top heirloom on your neck. "stop slouching!" your mother hissed, lightly tapping the side of your arm with her elaborate golden fan. you sighed and straightened your back, sending her a look that practically read "happy now?"

bored out of your mind, you had nothing to do but look around and take in the sights (asides from repeating the same basic greeting every thirty or so seconds). the king and queen of mondstat had spared no expense in decking their ballroom out with the finest of decorations and food hailing from the best of cooks and pastry chefs. you glanced towards the side past your parents who stood on either side of you. the king and queen of mondstat were busy being greeting other guests, but you saw no one who looked like they could be the crown prince.

you'd noted down a few possibilities of who albedo could be: the gentleman with inky blue hair and a striking eyepatch who had entered an animated discussion with a guard. or perhaps the stony-faced redhead who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. yet none of them seemed probable to you, that eyepatch man was much too chatty and though the red head was a strong contender for a while, he didn't seem quite socially inept.

though the mini hunt for your betrothed played out like a game in your mind, it didn't help distract you from the overwhelming presence of people that surrounded you. from each and every corner and side came flocks of nobility, ambassadors, lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses, you name the title and they were there. after answering far too many questions for your liking and speaking in tongues that left you with a lump in your throat, you quickly excused yourself to the bathroom only to end up lost within the grand halls of the palace.

"this is ridiculous..." you grumbled, hiking up yet another flight of stairs and passing another intricate porcelain vase that you'd sworn you'd seen twice in trying to navigate the palace. you wondered if you'd just been going around in circles until a certain door caught your attention.

unlike the wooden oak doors that defined many of the rooms in the palace, these doors were purely glass and framed by uncarved wood with some of the leaves still intact. the twisting branches were something like you'd seen in the few alchemy classes you'd taken previously. curious, you placed your palm on the wooden handle and twisted it open.

before you was a sight unlike any other you'd seen before.

tiled paths lined from the door lead inwards towards a stunning indoor garden. along the sides, beds bordered by hedges held silky hydrangeas both violet and ocean blue which surrounded tall, stalking trees that protruded their way up in the middle of the flower beds. bushes and other varying greenery sat in the beds, neatly crafted to form elegant circles. in the middle of the garden, a beautiful beige marble fountain sat spewing water from the top.

for a moment you simply stood by the door and observed with your mouth agape, completely engulfed by the garden that seemed to jump right out of your favorite fantasy novels. you glanced around cautiously, and when you caught sight of no one else, you traversed deeper within.

the only tangible sounds were the soft clicks of your shoes across the tiles and the gentle trickle of the fountain which reverberated throughout the lush garden. as you approached the fountain, you noticed tiny multicolored butterflies hovering over the marble borders. you perched yourself on the edge and watched them flutter around you with curious eyes.

"hello there..." you quietly whispered to a stunning golden butterfly that landed on the tip of your finger.

"i see you've met auric." a voice suddenly broke through the calm silence you had been engulfed in.

you whipped your head around, a tad frightened. at first, you saw nothing but darkness. "w-who's there?" you asked, rising from your seat and looking around.

from the darkness of one of the leading paths stepped forth a young man.

but this was no young man in particular, in fact this was most definitely the most handsome man you'd ever seen in your entire life.

bathed in moonlight, his ashen locks were neatly combed and braided to the back. his attire was that of the finest garb, you noted. gold lined his dark blue overcoat, the tails embedded with dots of silver and aquamarine. but most of all, his stunning cerulean eyes sucked you in like a whirlpool and held you in its swirling grips.

"the great spangled fritillary," he politely smiled, gesturing to the butterfly on the tip of your finger, "scientific name speyeria cybele." he finished, walking closer to you.

"but to me, that butterfly's name is simply auric." said butterfly was still on your finger, flitting its wings every now and then. how it hadn't flown away with your movements, you had no idea.

the name tasted familiar on your tongue, "auric? like the chemical term?" he nodded, placing his white gloved finger near yours.

the butterfly, or auric rather scuttled off your finger onto the man's. "correct, meaning-"

"of, related to, or derived from gold." you eagerly finished for him. he seemed surprised but nodded. "yes...very good. are you perchance a scholar?" from the look on his face, it seemed if you were to lie about your status as a monarch he'd see right through it. and yet you couldn't exactly risk giving up such sensitive information to a complete stranger who had you alone.

"not exactly, i am merely...associated with the royal family of fontaine." lying wasn't exactly your specialty, but for now it seemed like he bought it.

"ah, i see. i too am also...associated with the royal family of mondstat." with a gentle flick of his finger, auric the butterfly fluttered away back to hover over the spewing water.

"is the ball not to your liking?" he asked. you fumbled with a response, knowing that this man was closely associated with the royal family could mean your answer here would be very important.

"i- um, the decorations are quite lovely!" you quickly blurted out, unsure of what else to say.

"ah it pleases me to hear that, are you having a good time?" you nodded your head yes, but from the looks of it you didn't seem too convincing. "you mustn't lie, it's very unbecoming. it's alright if it wasn't to your liking. i'm not much for parties myself." the mysterious man sat himself down on the edge of the marble fountain and gestured to the empty space next to him. "you're welcome to keep me company while i avoid social interaction." you snorted and placed yourself on the space beside him.

"that's a bit contradictory you know."

"i'm well aware, but the clashes of duty and desire are almost always contradictory are they not?" he ended with a charming smirk. smartass, you chuckled and nodded.

you thought back to the butterfly that had perched itself so tamely on your fingertips. "are you a researcher of butterflies?" you asked as you looked up at the fluttering insects that still hovered above you.

"i would consider myself so, i know more about them than most people." he hummed to himself. "and you? you seem awfully intelligent for someone merely associated with the royal family." you gulped and hoped he didn't see through your ruse.

"i- um, i'm in charge of the younger monarch's...educational teachings. yes-! i'm their tutor." you quickly weaved a lie. it had holes and gaps but it was the best you could do for now.

"you might be interested in the royal library then. if you ever return to the palace i'll be sure to show you." your ears perked up at the mention of a library.

"i'd like that, sure." you smiled. so far you kinda liked this man, he'd been nothing but courteous to you but within was a deeper layer that seemed to rest just beneath the surface. you couldn't lie, your curiosity was beginning to get the better of you. you tried to avoid his gaze yet his eyes bore into you, almost as if analyzing your every move.

"you seem...bothered by something. might i ask what?" you fiddled with the ends of your gloves and sighed.

"am i that obvious?" you peered up at him from your hunched position, a tiny sheepish smile on your face.

he merely waved his hand and dismissed your question, "not particularly, i'm just fairly observant."

perhaps it was the fresh air, or the lack of pressure on your shoulders you'd left behind in the ballroom, but you felt your resolve crumbling bit by bit.

"i'm to be wed soon," you mumbled more to the ground than him, "and i'm not sure if i'm ready to be tied down. or if i'll ever be ready for that."

you hadn't raised your head to check if he was still listening, but from his quiet breaths and slight hums of understanding it seemed he was.

"i see, marriage is quite the hassle i must agree. i simply wouldn't have the energy to expend into maintaining both a relationship and my academic endeavors," you nodded in complete understanding, "but then again, perhaps a relationship wouldn't be too hard to maintain if it were the right person."

"the thing is, i've never met my fiance. i have no idea if he's right for me."

he hummed and you watched from the side as auric fluttered down onto his finger once again. "being someone as lovely as you, your fiance would have to be a fool not to treat you right." he smiled, giving you a reassuring look.

the butterflies in your stomach swirled upwards with his compliments and you hid you flustered eyes in the confinements of the suddenly very interesting ground.

"thank you, for the reassurance i mean." you mumbled.

"of course, i believe you're in good hands."

the curious side of you was clawing away at your sides, demanding that you know more about this mysterious man. the more rational part of you however, demanded that you hold your tongue and treat this as a formal encounter. of course, you chose to be complicated.

"if i might ask for your name?" you boldly asked.

before he could even get a chance to open his mouth and reply, a nearby clock sounded the bell ten times. you whipped your head over and suddenly remembered that your mother would be looking for you.

"i don't mean to cut this short but my mo- i mean! the queen will be looking for me. i must hurry back." you picked yourself up and bowed hastily. as you turned to dash out of the door, he caught your hand in his gloved one.

he seemed to not know what he was doing at first, but cleared his throat and placed a feather light kiss on the back of your silk covered hand. "until next time." he nodded politely at you. if you weren't a mess before you sure as hell were now.

where he had formally kissed your hand and been polite, you managed to squeak out a "goodbye!" before scurrying off.

by some miracle you'd managed to find your way back to the ballroom and stumbled to your parent's sides with less grace than you were taught. your mother turn to you with a worried look, "where have you been?" she hissed lowly under her breath.

"got lost," you panted, smoothing out the fabric of your clothes.

"oh my dear (y/n)! i've been looking for you!" you snapped your head up as the call of your name. your future mother-in-law bounded towards you and took both of your hands in her warm ones.

"i've finally found that elusive son of mine, i'm so very eager to have him meet you." she giggled and clasped her hands together.

your stomach did backflips- did she just say you're finally going to get to meet the man you'd spend the rest of your life with? it was a bit overdue in your opinion, but better late than never you supposed.

you waited expectantly, the nervous butterflies in your stomach began to flutter with each second as you watched the queen of mondstat filter through the crowd for her son. at the thought of butterflies, your mind wandered back to that handsome man in the garden and auric the beautiful golden butterfly. he had the most lovely voice too...you almost thought if you listened hard enough past the classical music and chit chat you'd hear the soft bass of his calm voice.

"(y/n)?" brought away from your thoughts, your eyes fell upon those same cerulean eyes that you'd just seen earlier.

your mouth fell agape and you couldn't hide the immediate shock on your face. "you!" you pointed a finger at the ashen haired man you'd encountered in the garden.

"yes, i'm prince albedo. i apologize i should have introduced myself in the garden but," he paused for a moment to extend his hand, "you seemed much more inclined to hide your identity. i thought i'd do the same." your head swam with thoughts of all kinds as you hesitantly placed your hand in his.

the sly glint in his eyes let you know that marriage to him might not be as shackled as you thought.

hospital au continuation [scaramouche ft. albedo]

fluff, hurt/comfort, modern hospital au, i feel like this is super ooc request: Hey I really loved those doctor AU headcanons especially with scaramouche! Could you do more with him? Would love to see him and s/o sassing one another throughout the hospital but then turn serious the next second. Maybe him admiring how s/o is an expert doctor? Like making painless stitches or taking a patient seriously when other doctors have dismissed the symptoms. Go wild! a/n: thank u for the request! i'd like to say that i'm sorry if this will be very medically inaccurate,, i'm only basing this on my knowledge of medical dramas (which,, aren't accurate to begin with,,) i don't seek to offend anyone D: this was very fun to write tho

the hospital is a place of both life and death. it's the world's little humor to make a place that houses fresh life for the newborn, yet is sometimes the last place a person stops by before bidding their life farewell. as such, being in a hospital—working in a hospital— can feel even more sickening than the diseases you're expected to cure, but you're glad that you at least have people you work with that make the experience much better.

scaramouche may be a nurse that most of the other medical staff either fear or avoid, but he has become your friend (or perhaps even a little more than that).

though he's the type to make the new interns fear for their lives if they commit a mistake, or tell the doctor a little too straightforwardly whenever he knows they're doing something wrong, he does it out of both professionality and hidden passion for helping those that "can't help themselves", as he says.

the type of dynamic the two of you have on field is surprisingly looked up too by many of your coworkers— or, as some may put it, they look up to your ability to get along with scaramouche.

in you opinion, it's quite easy, especially after getting to know his softer side when dealing with patients.

"you know, i really don't get what you have against albedo," you say before taking a sip of your drink.

he shrugs. "i have nothing against him. does it look like i have? he just annoys me seventy percent of the time."

"there's nothing about him that's annoying," you laugh at his answer and glance at those electric purple orbs, then shift your gaze to the quite similar purple darkening under his eyes.

"you should sleep more. doctor's orders." you touched and traced under one of his eyes before his hand swatted yours away.

"well, nurse's duty. as if you get any more sleep than i do, doc. you've been on ER duty for days now. do you even sleep?" he raises his brow, and you could only guiltily laugh and attempt to change the topic.

"ah! let's get dinner tonight? it's friday and i'm sure we're allowed to go home on time today." you ask him, and he looks at you mischievously.

"ask me if i want to come then."

"i don't care if you want to. but i want you to come if you can," you huff out, pouting at his show of slight disinterest.

"yeah yeah," he says a little shyly all of a sudden, "i think i can."

"is it a date then?" you tease, expecting him to laugh and deny.

"your diagnosis. in my humble opinion, i think it is." he says casually, sitting up straight and placing his arms at the back of his head.

"you're getting better at pick-up lines now aren't—"

a buzz. two buzzes. and in an instant the two of you stand to get to action.

"see you there, i'm making a stop at albedo's first," you say seriously, starting to walk away.

"hurry up..." scaramouche could only sigh as he practically ran to where his pager summoned him.

the two of you had lots of common patient, but you silently agreed that right now, there was one closer to both your hearts than the rest.

it was a little boy, with a serious illness, but as of now, it's all but speculation. his symptoms are concerningly similar to disease x, and though you've encountered many patients having similar or the same disease, you've never had one with a child.

this small, sweet, and kind child deserved to live much longer than 6 years, and that much you and scaramouche could agree on.

albedo looked almost embarrassed to give you the child's test results. he sighed as he saw your running towards his office, only sadly looking at the envelope that contained the papers before putting up a serious and professional expression.

"sorry..." was all he said, and your heart sunk immediately. you muttered a hurried gratitude before rushing to the boy's room while scanning through the results.

your mood was drastically dampened, but the sight you first saw as you entered the boy's room made your heart both warm and hurt at the same time.

"the bags under your eyes are darker than yesterday's, i think..." the boy touches his cheek lightly, and scaramouche only accepted it, and though his gaze on the child was soft, you saw him give you a glare as you entered the room with a failed attempt of hiding slight laughter. "my mom says that it's a sign of overworking. nurse scara, you should sleep more so that you don't get sick like me." the boy smiled at him.

scaramouche finished changing his iv bottle and smiled sadly at the kid, only lightly thanking him for his concern before turning to you as if nothing happened at all.

"ahem," he cleared his throat, "he was apparently experiencing some chest pains before we got paged; me and the other nurses available already took care of it, though."

"i see," you were a little lost in thought before scaramouche spoke again.

"is something wrong?"

"well," you sigh, "turns out, our suspicion was correct; he has the disease."

scaramouche clicked his tongue, his face bitter and furious. "if the others listened to your suggestion, maybe it could have been treated faster."

you sighed. "well, it's not like we can treat a disease before confirming what the disease really is... it's not their fault. you know that."

"i do..." scaramouche replied. "well, what are you planning to do now?"

"we'll analyze whether an operation is possible. his condition right now is pretty fragile, so it's better to see what our chances actually are if we operate." you say, handing him the papers in case he wanted to check.

"looks like our date isn't happening, huh."

you could only frown as you get lost in thought.

your job was a job that required minimal mistakes. it wasn't as if you made a mistake, but why did it feel as if you just did?

you tiredly exited the operating room, and was surprised to see scaramouche waiting for you. though he probably already knew of the failed operation and the untimely death of the boy the two of you grew close to, he stayed, waiting.

"the operation was unsuccessful," you said heavily, looking at him with shame.

"it's not your fault," his voice was quiet and understanding, and he could only sigh.

"i think," you hesitated, heaving a deep breath. "i think i need a hug."

he looked at you with what seemed like slight disgust and bargaining; he hated hugs in general. but he ultimately sighed in defeat before saying, "just this once."

his embrace was tight, and so was yours; it contained pent up frustrations about things that were beyond you control, things that you wished you could change but never could, and feelings of regret and sadness for a patient you just lost.

"uh... wanna take that date you offered the other day?" he asked, awkwardly patting your back.

"i'd rather stay at home right now. with you," you answer.

"okay."

"okay."

Can I request.. established relationship with Albedo where him and the reader are expecting, it can be hcs or a one shot, it's up to you!♡

God, imagine how soft he'll be, starting a family of his own. Imagine klee also being excited because she'll want to play with the child later on

Thankyou beforehand if you accept this request, don't forget to drink water <3

i LOVE the concept of parent albedo and the idea of him finding out he's gonna be a papa is so 🥰🥰🥰 tysm for this req, i did a hc/fic hybrid for u <3 (sprout if u see this ur papa bedo brainworms yesterday finally gave me motivation to write this lmfao so ty)

I've tried to make the actual method of family starting rather ambiguous to help make this more accessible for any readers, but quick warning that there are still small mentions of pregnancy etc just in case the mere mention/concept makes anyone here uncomfy

[Genshin Masterlist]

I think if he was to have children, physically or adopted, it would have to be something that was planned out first. But that final confirmation that you're actually having a child together will leave Albedo in a quiet shock as it actually settles in.

He's fascinated by human life, always has been, so the concept that he finally gets to curate and raise a child of his own leaves him elated. He wouldn't see them as another of his experiments at all though, especially once he's finally able to see them for himself.

When the news is finally confirmed between you, he won't be able to help himself from pulling you into his arms and holding you tight for so long.

"'Bedo," you chuckle, patting his shoulders. "You can let go of me now."

He shakes his head, which you feel against your shoulder, tufts of blond hair tickling your cheek as he does. "One more minute."

"Is this really so exciting for you?" You ask with a smile as he finally pulls away and you can literally see the little creases in the corners of his eyes as he beams at you.

"We're having a baby," he breathes, the words still seeming foreign on his tongue. He repeats the phrase more readily, more assuredly, and he can't stop himself from drawing you into a passionate kiss.

You kiss back gently, tenderly, cupping his cheeks in your hands."I love you so much, I'm so glad we're doing this."

Albedo will be brimming with anticipation the entire time, constantly planning and re-planning and trying to make sure everything is so very perfect for the arrival of your little one.

Baby-proofs his entire office and at least half of his lab within the first few days. Even though he's always been a hard worker, you're pretty sure you've never seen him so amazingly efficient before.

Absolutely offers to take time off from the Knights to help you look after the baby when they first arrive, practically insists he stays at home with them at least some of the time so he can bond with them as early as possible.

"We have to tell Klee." He states firmly, suddenly, hands on your shoulders as he looks intently into your eyes. He's determined now, basically already walking out of the house to go find the unruly pyro girl. You have to practically jog to catch up with him as he seeks her out.

You find her out along the outskirts of Mondstat city, skilfully cajoling the poor fishermen along the riverbank to let her use her bombs to speed up the process. As she notices the pair of you approach, she leaps up and bounds over to you with a skip in her step.

"Big brother!!" Klee cries out gleefully. Her own personal endearment for you follows fast and she barrels into you immediately, the momentum almost knocking you off-kilter.

"Good to see you too, Klee," you laugh, lifting her up (to which she cheers enthusiastically) and settling her on your hip. "We have news for you."

Once Klee finds out, she does not leave you alone the rest of the day. She's more excited than both of you, effervescent and overflowing with boundless energy as she talks about all the different things she can teach to her new baby sibling.

"I can show them how to make bombs!"

"When they're older, Klee," Albedo chastises gently, but even he can't help shaking his head at the smile that overcomes him at the concept.

i got you!

Is this where you request? Sry if not but

Can I get a fem! Or Gn! Reader spoiling Azul or Ruggie after a long day of work?

I believe in equally spoiling each other supremacy 😼😼😼

Ty!

Yes These two DESERVE to be spoiled!!

@mmmsleep

-You spoil Azul on a normal daily basis

-in return he buys you gifts the will out do yours

-he doesn’t let you think that though he loves the gifts you give him!

-if it’s not gifts spoil this boy with affection

-one day Azul had walked into your shared room looking exhausted and worn out.

-you put down the book you were reading and opened your arms beckoning him to com over

-like a moth to a flame he came over quickly and buried himself into your body

-he was out like light

-Play with the boys hair and you’ll have a very happy Octopus

-Ruggie is very busy with taking over most of Leona’s duties. All while working a job at Mostro.

-This boy is tired 24/7

-let him burrow his head into your chest and he’ll be fine.

-Male? Doesn’t matter. Female? Just means more cushion

-Ruggie doesn’t matter where you are Let. Him. Cuddle. You.

-After a long day Ruggie comes to his and your room to see you fast asleep.

-He’s sad that he didn’t say goodnight to you but he wasn’t gonna wake you.

-He gets into bed after getting his pjs on and basically spoons you digging his head into your neck.

-once he is out of your a light sleeper you’ll roll over and hug him going back to sleep

-deep sleeper? You’ll unconsciously do it.

genshin boys in a fantasy otome game

diluc: the stuck-up duke you're engaged to. incredibly rich and you're basically sold to be his wife by your parents who claim “they only want the best for you.” which, apparently, equals to this seemingly perfect man with handsome features and an endless amount of mora. however, as flawless he may be on the surface, you find out he's just a very negligent fiance who thinks buying you all the dresses and jewels in the kingdom is enough to make you happy. he's stiff and cold, shutting you out of his life; telling you his problems didn't concern you. but maybe... maybe he did that because he didn't want to trouble you. maybe he cares about you to an extent. he makes an effort to join you for dinner, no matter how busy he is, and his gifts are sometimes thoughtful, not just expensive. he's clumsy at flattery, but you appreciate the sentiment. (and maybe — just maybe — you could find happiness with him.)

kaeya: the step-brother of your fiance. you've always thought he was strange. his gaze on you lingered, and he stares at you far too often to be considered appropriate for a mere (soon to be) brother-in-law. his smiles are suggestive, and quite unsettling. but you find out he's kind, just a bit mysterious. he keeps you company when diluc can't make it into dinner, and he accompanies you around town in his brother's stead if he was too busy to come with you himself. he's nothing but a gentleman, friendly and approachable, but you both know there's a distance he can't cross. (and yet he longs to.)

childe: a smug thief you caught stealing one of diluc's treasures. before you can scream or call for help, he shushes you, and he slips away from the manor without managing to steal anything. it's a victory on your part, but he's a sneaky rat — he begins to visit you occasionally, just to rile you up for fun. you don't know how he does it, but he climbs through the balcony in your room, hiding in the shadows of the night to not let any of the servants see him. you're unamused by the blatant trespassing, but you can't deny he's entertaining to talk to. for a scummy thief, he sure does seem to love his family a lot. you can tell that much, from the voice he uses when he speaks of his siblings. (he sounds like that when he talks about you too, you know. you just never notice.) he gives you a ring one day — something he didn't steal for once. it's from his mother, he says. she told him to give it to the person he wanted to marry. he confesses he doesn't care about any of the treasure lurking within diluc's home anymore. because out of everything, he only wants to steal you away.

zhongli: your first love. he's an unassuming baron with not a lot of influence, but there's something powerful residing in his eyes, glowing amber even in the dimmest of light. he's kingly, his elegant nature befitting of an emperor sitting on a golden throne, and yet he's as humble as a commoner, with no regards to his overflowing wealth. there's something special about the way he snakes his hand around your waist when you take the chance to dance with him at a ball, supposedly for obligatory purposes, but you lose yourself in his gaze, the color of honey staring deeply into you lighting your cheeks red. when he takes your hand in his, you feel his warmth through his glove (and idly, you wonder what it would be like if his gloves weren't in the way). he led you to the floor, twirling and spinning, and he's the perfect partner; he's as gentle as a passing wind, but his searing touch lingers, when the song comes to a close and he releases you. then your eyes travel to his left hand, an engagement ring adorning his finger, and your heart crumbles into a million pieces.

albedo: a renowned mage known for his genius in the entire continent. magical powers aren't very common, thus mages are normally held in high regard, but he's even idolized by fellow mages. he was adept with his powers from a young age, but he doesn't see himself as anyone special. you meet him as a child when you both attended a boring ball, and since you were both children seeking some entertainment in this formal arrangement mainly utilized by adults, you both ditched the ballroom and went off somewhere quiet so albedo could show you some “party tricks”. he became your usual playmate from there on, and he's essentially your childhood friend. he does the meanest pranks (since he's a mage, he can easily turn your hair color into a bright green or temporarily turn you into a frog), but he's very nice when it counts. he gives you healing potions when you fall ill, and he casts a protection charm in every accessory he gifts you on your birthday. he's particularly interested in the study of dragons, despite dragons basically being a myth in your continent's fairy tales, and everyone thinks he's delusional for believing in them but you support him in his studies. you're naturally curious in what he does as a mage, and he's happy about that, however he is unamused when you jokingly ask him to make you a love potion to give to zhongli. (in retaliation, the very next day, he shows up in your room as a frog, claiming he had an “accident” while he was making a potion, thus turning himself into an amphibian. apparently, the only cure for it was... a kiss? what? didn't he make you an actual remedy when you were the one turned into a frog five years ago?)

venti: a whimsical bard you happened to come across with when you snuck out of your home as a rebellious teenager. you were immature then, and a bit adventurous, and you wanted to see how commoners lived their life. you went out with simple clothes, with a cloak covering your facial features to hide your true identity, but some brute thieves noticed your expensive-looking wallet despite your efforts and immediately took the chance to rob you. then suddenly, a lithe boy jumps from a roof, distracts the men, and grabs your hand to lead you away from the chaos. he's light on his feet, full of bubbly energy, and although you were ready to compensate him for his help with whatever amount of money he could possibly ask for, he only requested for a single drink in a nearby tavern. he is... rather odd. he successfully identified your real title, but he didn't hand you off to palace guards right away to have you escorted back to your estate. no doubt having done so would earn him a great sum, because your parents had put a bounty over your head. instead, he offers to show you around town, plays you a song with his lyre, and introduces you to his friends. yes, he's certainly a strange fellow... but it's not just his behavior that's weird. his way of speaking is too eloquent for a commonner, and he knows too much about the officials governing the kingdom. his songs are always cryptic, insinuating a deeper meaning to his lyrics, and his eyes, though holding a childish twinkle, had a knowing gleam. and to top it all off, he introduced you to his “best friend” — the mythical dragon dvalin himself?! (it's somewhat underwhelming to find out he's the long lost prince of the kingdom right after you saw such a large creature hiding among the mountains.)

xiao: your ever so loyal knight. as a child, he lived in the slums; a part of the kingdom everyone tended to avoid from fear. your father took pity on xiao when he found him struggling to survive and brought him back home to take care of him, planning to assign him as your personal knight once he was given proper training. xiao was surely worth pitying when you first laid your eyes on him — downcast eyes, sooty face, torn clothing with muddy shoes, and lacking any personal belongings. however, after he'd taken a nice bath, you learned he was quite pretty, with youthful features certain to turn handsome as he grew up. his eyes were an enchanting gold, skin as soft as velvet, and his hair was shiny and silky, though it was unfortunate he shied away whenever you tried to take a closer look. he was surprisingly meek, but you knew better than that. (after all, if he survived in the slums all by himself, you didn't doubt his capability to murder a man with his bare hands.) he was incredibly distant with you, but you didn't give up your attempts to befriend him. you invite him to go to the library to read storybooks together, just to see a twinkle of innocence light up his lifeless eyes. you dismiss his panicked refusal when you set up garden picnics especially for him, because he may pretend like he doesn't want to eat anything, but you can clearly see him eyeing that plate of almond tofu. soon enough, he grows fond of you, and he protects you not only because of his job, but also because you're someone precious to him.

as your knight, and by extension, your dearest friend, he is tasked to watch over you.

so he watches from the sidelines as you befriend another young boy — a mage known as albedo — and gazes in envy as albedo converses with you casually, able to stand on even ground with you. how he wished he could do the same.

he watches as you sneak out from your window to wander around the kingdom without permission, panic settling his nerves when you nearly injured yourself in doing so, but he doesn't stop you from escaping home, because he wanted you to have a taste of freedom. he regrets his decision when you come back home telling about your newest friend, venti.

he watches the exact moment when you fall in love with zhongli, putty in the older man's hands as he twirls you around the ballroom, and xiao could only look at you from a distance, sourness rising from the back of his throat. your heart wasn't the only one that shattered that day.

he watches as you sit across from diluc in the dinner table every night, eyeing the engagement ring on your finger illuminated by the chandelier hanging overhead, and remains silent even when your chatter starts to fill the air. he longs to take it off of you.

he watches, with a sense of empathy, when kaeya glances at you with a gaze too fond, in times you can't notice. you overlook it, as always, because that's how you've always been, unaware of the effect you have on other people. he's glad you were oblivious, sometimes.

he watches as you interact with that good-for-nothing thief every late evening, standing guard by the door in case childe tried to do anything. if he ever did, xiao wouldn't hesitate to slit his throat, because anyone who'd ever dare to hurt you will die by his hand. but childe doesn't do anything, so he stays put, with gritted teeth while that rascal is shamelessly flirting with you again.

xiao watches. he only watches. because he has no right to interfere. he's only a lowly knight, at most, your friend, but it's okay. it's okay because you can smile, even if it's not because of him. that's all that matters.

right?

part ii / part iii / secret route 01

Look at Azul coming home 🥰🥰🥰

how to say goodbye.

summary: what do they do when it’s time for you to go back home? (savanaclaw and scarabia vers).

notes: 1k words, headcanons, angst

Leona Kingscholar

If you were going to leave him, then he wouldn’t have bothered getting attached in the first place. And now that it’s too late to do that, Leona’s only option is to destroy what the two of you have with his own hands. He’s always been good at that, you know: turning everything he can’t have to sand.

Leona won’t cry, he won’t even protest. He’s used to this sinking disappointment in his chest; he’s always been the outcast, the loser, the second-born prince. Never good enough for his family, his people, and now, you. Sure, he knows it’s a hard choice for you to make. But the worst thing about this was that he would have given up everything for you, but you can’t do that for him. He’s just not good enough for you to stay. So Leona cuts you off. All his walls go back up, higher than they were before. He snaps at you if you come close, and you can’t find him at any of his usual napping places. All the while, he has to stop himself from pulling you into his arms again.

“What? If you’re going to leave, then leave. There’s nothing for us to talk about.”

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my girl yanfei serves only the LAW in the court of JUSTICE 🏐🔥