Ikigai. [0.1]

ikigai. [0.1]

the reason you wake up in the morning; your life's purpose. + your "firsts" with scaramouche.

pairing: scaramouche + gn!reader

warnings: zombie apocalypse au. fluff, hurt/comfort, kind of enemies to lovers? very brief mentions of death and "face warming up", not visible blushing. also mentions of zombies biting but it's not descriptive. not completely proofread but i might [definitely] edit it later on

author's note: help i think i posted this late and converted the timezones wrong,, sorry about that :') thank you @favoniuscodex for letting me join the first "favorites with friends" collab! also so much apologies,, i didn't write the "first dance at the wedding" prompt because i didn't think it would work out with the current plot for the zombie apocalypse reader & scaramouche T_T however i still enjoyed writing this so much, i hope you all enjoy!

— the first kiss.

if someone told you before that your first kiss would be during a zombie apocalypse, you would've laughed and played along with the joke.

if they told you that it would be with scaramouche, the very one who loathes you and calls you a disappointment on the daily, you would've deadpanned and flat out stated that they weren't being funny.

he kissed you because he thought you were going to die.

—obviously, you didn't think you were going to die right then and there.

the two of you were trapped inside a closet after patrolling the inside of an abandoned house with zombies slowly banging on the other side of the door, and you being the stubborn person you were, thought about kicking down the door itself and possibly and a little bit obnoxiously fighting with it.

scaramouche calmly spoke your name, and you could feel the vibration of his voice from being shoulder to shoulder together. it wasn't like you couldn't acknowledge him; his scent felt stronger than ever despite the horrible smell of zombies outside, and your heart beat felt louder than ever too from the closeness of your figures.

you shush him as quiet as you possibly can. "i'm trying to think of a way to get out," you visibly wince as a zombie pushed onto the door harder, against your feet propped against it to keep it up and stable. "got any ideas, mr. complainer? cause i definitely don't see you doing anything to help!"

"i didn't complain about anything," he scoffed almost as if there wasn't only a piece of wood between you two and the zombies growling harshly for food. "but if i did, it would be about us dying right here and now."

you snorted and reached out to prop the door up with your flat palms. "well, gee, maybe if you tried with me we could live." a grunt escaped you from the feeling of the zombies leaning against the closet door. "yet here you are, doing absolutely nothing!"

"shouldn't you be quiet too?" scaramouche hissed between whispers, the sounds of shuffling meeting your ears from beside you and you assumed he was sitting up to help you hold up the door.

"there wouldn't be a point since the zombies already noticed us in here," you confidently retorted. you turned your head to the side to look at what he possibly be doing, hopefully not causing a ruckus. "have you even been paying atten—"

your eyes abruptly widen— and your face warms up at the sudden feeling of the jerk of a guy beside you kissing you.

your mind and thoughts trace all the way back to the hideout you and a particular group of people (childe, signora, scaramouche, you, and a few more others) took shelter in, and everyone but scaramouche had welcomed you in warmly when you joined from being solo since the zombie apocalypse started—even the sarcastic and confident la signora. he was the only person that had made it obvious that he didn't want to talk to you at all, with his brash behavior and negative words to you. everyone told you that he was like that towards anyone, but you don't see scaramouche indirectly insulting childe in his crude words during meetings or sending glares in la signora's directions almost all of the time.

yet here you are—absolutely kissing scaramouche back because you cannot deny at all that you found him dead-ass attractive since day one, even if you were sending glares back everyday and wondering what the hell he was doing kissing you during a life-or-death situation.

— the first "i love you".

yes, because dating during a zombie apocalypse was a perfect idea for two seemingly bloodthirsty rivals who were actually and completely infatuated with each other.

but surprisingly, you were here, trying not to cry and constantly shaking scaramouche's shoulders because you thought he was going to turn into a zombie.

it was supposed to be completely alright— you two got out of that zombie-filled abandoned house together just with the knives in scaramouche's pockets (which you wondered why he didn't mention them to you before the kiss happened), and you two also fought a zombie bare-handed together after one snuck into the hideout and almost bit childe.

you guys survived months of the zombie apocalypse together, even with risky patrols and break-ins of houses far from the hideout for just rations of food and spareable supplies. he hugged you close when you couldn't sleep at night, and you kept him company every time he was supposed to guard the hideout alone.

but look at you now; trying to heave scaramouche's unconscious form onto your back as you ran back to the hideout with rain heavily pouring onto the both of you.

you two had gotten into a new building downtown, and while you were distractedly going up some stairs, a zombie had suddenly sat up from laying idly on the staircase.

of course, scaramouche being the protective person he was of you, immediately pulled you back into his chest and accidentally let the zombie bite into his ankle in the process.

"you better not fall asleep!" you currently yelled out, fighting back any possible escaping tears while also praying that scaramouche would hear you over the rain and respond. you wouldn't even mind if he replied with one of his stupid, brash insults he didn't really mean—you just wanted him to talk, to prove that he was okay. "you better not be losing to a dumb, measly zombie!"

you could hear your heart pounding loudly in your ears, your pants of exhaustion getting more consistent and constant. you lifted your head up a bit higher as you ran, your rushed steps into puddles risking a harsh fall but not even the thought of it existed in your mind as you only focused on getting scaramouche to safety. you could only pray and beg to the gods that you didn't even believe in that dottore finished his project of the zombie antidote—even if it wasn't fully ready, you were not about to have your boyfriend turn into a zombie anytime soon. you wouldn't allow it.

"i'm sure the hideout is close by," you gasped out, trying to soothe scaramouche although you were mostly trying to convince yourself... and failing. panic flowed and coursed even faster throughout your body. "it has to be. it has to. we didn't go that far downtown, i'm sure of it."

you gulped anxiously and let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding. oh god—what if scaramouche turned into a zombie right here and now and bit into your shoulder? the wet strands of his hair stuck to your face and you erased the thought immediately as it came. you knew he was better than that, there was no way that could happen... right?

and low and behold, almost just to prove you wrong— a gasp escaped scaramouche from behind you and he started coughing into one of his hands that you had. looped around your neck so he would stay on your back. your relief was evident on your face as you skidded to a halt, turning your head to the side and your eyes meeting the purple eyes you loved and admired so much.

"there's," he tried to rasp out, then breathed a few deep breaths before trying to continue his sentence. "there's no way i can sleep anyway if— if you... keep hollering at me, [name]."

"oh— oh my god," you breathe, your shoulders trembling as you start to sob and kneel down to let scaramouche get off your back. you watch with blurry eyes as he cautiously and slowly hops off and crouches down beside you, you in too much of the feeling of relief to notice him patting and rubbing circles onto your back. "you're awake, you're actually okay— but— but a zombie bit you! a-and i thought you were going to become infected—" you stop talking as broken sobs interrupt your sentence, your cold hands reaching up to shakily rub your eyes.

"i'm probably fine for now," he whispers beside your ear, and you can hear the tired ache in his voice as he tries to speak. "we just need to go back to base— about now."

you can hear it in his tone that he's trying to comfort you, but he's also trying to urgently remind you that he could still turn into a zombie if you guys don't heal anything.

but you feel too emotional right now from the relief— you want to desperately stand up, but the feeling in your knees are too weak. you're not even sure if you're strong enough right now to hold up the both of your figures. the pressure is too heavy on your shoulders; you need to get up desperately, but you feel like you can't—

"i love you." the hands wiping at your eyes completely freeze in movement at his words, and you slowly look up at scaramouche in the feelings of complete confusion and shock mixed together. you don't move at all as his face softens and his own hands wipe at your face, his fingertips cold against your eyelids but you currently don't have time to care.

at your loss of words, he continues. "anyone else would've left me—you know that?" his hands move down to your jaw as he holds your face gently in his palms. "yet you still carried me... even with the chances of me turning into a zombie and getting you infected too."

and there it is, the sight that gets you the confidence to want to stand up and do almost stand up: his smile.

it's such a small smile, the tips only curved ever-so slightly. his eyes are half-lidded with the tiring exhaustion on the both of your shoulders, and strands of his hair stick to the side of his face from his wet hair.

but it's the best smile you've ever seen in your life— even if it's an optimistic smile during the zombie apocalypse.

— the first time getting a key to their place.

patrols with scaramouche are usually quiet and full of action— rather than words, you guys are creeping around the corners, avoiding zombies slouching in the streets, and looking for new buildings for supplies while strolling together on the sidewalks.

there are only small words exchanged here and there and most of the time you are the one starting the small talk. however, sometimes (although rarely) scaramouche will be the one who starts up the conversation.

you're in the middle of trying to peer into a window when you jolt at scaramouche suddenly asking, "you know how my apartment is in the next few streets over, right?"

"holy crap," you breathe out, turning around and shooting scaramouche a dirty look. "did you have to suddenly talk like that?"

blankly ignoring your question, he continues. "ever since dottore succeeded in the antidote, the number of zombies have died down a lot. do you want to go check out that side of the neighborhood?"

suddenly at his words, you perk up and grin. "wait, really? do you even have your keys with you?"

your face brightens up with curiosity when he pulls a key out of his pocket, swinging the chain back and forth in front of you.

"this apartment complex looks way too nice for surviving a zombie apocalypse," you mention, your hand carefully touching the outside wall of the building as you walk towards the main entrance with scaramouche. you turn your head towards him, but also keep your eye open to be wary of any remaining zombies, even if dottore got most of them with his work-in-progress antidote.

"the landlord was able to lock the door to the stairs that only the residents have the key to, but when the apocalypse started it wasn't like we were going to take our time and unlock the doors with zombie roaming around," he explained, stopping in front of the bottom floor entrance and opening it. there were no zombies in the first floor when you guys walked in. "i was out during the time the apocalypse started, so some people might still be in their apartments."

"oh god, i hope they're still alive if that's even possible," you say, following scaramouche to a a locked door (which you suppose is the door one of his keys can unlock). "how'd you know the landlord originally locked the door?"

"dottore and i ran into him during a patrol a while ago before you joined our hideout." you watch as he unlocks the door and lets you go first, also reminding you to still be careful with a nod of his head. "he explained that he locked the door in a panic for the safety of our residents, but didn't think about the fact of them running out of resources later on."

you hummed in acknowledgement as you climbed up the stairs, scaramouche not too far behind you. "maybe we can save some of the residents if there are any left," you say. "what floor is your apartment on?"

"the third, right here." one of his hands go to hold your shoulder still while the other reaches to open the door to the third floor in front of you. you peek your head in, taking careful note of how quiet it is. "my apartment should be the second to last one down the hallway, if i remember correctly." you cautiously step onto the floor and follow his instructions, looking for his apartment door.

when you find it and scaramouche confirms that it's his, you grin and spread your arms. "well here we are," you speak, standing in front his door. some part of you wonders if he feels a bit solemnly nostalgic seeing his old apartment again after all those months, but the other part of you also knows he's especially good at not showing his emotions. you turn to him, the key in his hand and his face as expressionless as ever. "are we gonna head in?"

"actually," you raise your eyebrows in confusion as scaramouche turns towards you, key in his hand and almost an amused type of look now on his face. "want to unlock it and take a look?"

your mouth opens and closes in slight surprise. you keep a composed face on as you say a small sure, but your heart undeniably races as you take the key in one hand and hold the doorknob in the other.

although you have been dating scaramouche for a few months now, you don't know much about him; he doesn't talk much about himself and seems to rather ask you about yourself more. what would his apartment look like? is he neat or a leaving everything around type of guy? does he decorate the walls and his room? what's his style of design? what would he even decorate his room with?

"what would you do if childe or la signora was here?" you can't help but curiously ask, hesitantly entering the key into the lock and unlocking the door—you can't help but wonder if he would trust the others into his apartment too, despite you being his romantic partner. the unlocked door makes a click sound and you wait for scaramouche's answer to unlock the door.

your mind races and your face heats up a bit as he simply states, "nothing. i wouldn't let them in unless it was only the two of us here. why?"

"just wondering," you quickly hum and nudge open the door, walking inside and hoping for a change of topic as you observe his home in awe.

but the thought of liking the sound of "only the two of us" remains on your mind.

— the first time waking up next to them.

during the zombie apocalypse whenever you couldn't sleep, scaramouche always sat down next to you while giving comforting touches here and there to get you to sleep. whenever you woke up in the morning, though, he was never there; always being the up-and-early morning person he was and talking with dottore outside the hideout.

now that the zombie apocalypse is over, though, you wake up ecstatic instead of tired—because you have never seen scaramouche look so peaceful, and now you can after the wreck of months you guys have been through.

his slight mess of bed hair makes him look more adorable rather than his usual attractive type of look. his eyelashes cascading a shadow over his close eyelids make him look more tranquil and restful. you can see his chest calmly heaving up and down with slow breaths, and his hand holding the blanket to his side.

you carefully reach out your hand and tuck a few of his hair strands to the side so you can admire his face even better, and you don't even jolt in surprise like you usually do around him when his eyelids slowly open and catch you in the act. you still brush your hands gently through his hair before pulling your hand back, tucking it underneath into the warmth of the blanket.

"i didn't say stop," he tiredly spoke, and your heart melts at hearing the sound of his sleepy morning voice for the first time. you can only sheepishly grin like an idiot in return, hugging the blanket closer as well and wrapping your mind around the fact that this is actually happening.

"nice bed hair," you speak gently, with a small additional yawn. "it looks cute on you, maybe even perfect."

"i can say the same about you," scaramouche chuckles in return. he can only watch in adoration as you yawn again and close your eyes, while tiredly speaking.

"that was the best sleep i've ever had since the start of everything," you speak, stretching your arms out to relax your limbs. "i can't believe it's finally over after everything—dottore must be having the time of his life on the news for creating the zombie antidote. so happy for him."

"you're tired, just go back to sleep," scaramouche blankly states, but there's definitely a smile on his face as he watches you talk practically in your sleep. "we can talk about it later."

"yeah, yeah, whatever," you tiredly mumble and rub your eyes, trying to keep them open. your urge to stay awake to admire a peaceful looking scaramouche runs incredibly strong, but the weight on your shoulders from the exhaustion of the whole situation still idly remains on your shoulders.

scaramouche can't help but chuckle when you open your mouth to try to talk again, only to snore away.

Genshin Fic Recs

so… i ventured into the vast world of Google looking for some good GI fic recs… only to find such a pitiful amount that i was promptly devastated. therefore, the solution is to make my own! :D

keep in mind most of these will be ChiLi or XingYun, and yes, i will try not to include smut unless it was one i really really liked. if anyone wants a separate list for just smut (though that will most likely be shorter) i can try to make one later.`

ft. my bookmark comments :)

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mmmsleep

3 years ago

i got you!

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mmmsleep

3 years ago

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mmmsleep

3 years ago

in the case i survive research defense, maybe i'll get to write this

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.

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mmmsleep

3 years ago

anyways while im halfway through this fic, here’s a random flashback to that time a xiao main suddenly entered my world

player: I’m here

player: I’m finally home

me: um hi??

player: Hi

me: do u need anything in my world?

me: ur free to get whatever you need :>

player: You