#writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

guardian angel [ genshin scenarios ]

summary: overprotectiveness isn't the cutest, but it's endearing to know that your boyfriend has your best interests in mind (aka instances where the boys are (healthily) protective of you).

characters: alhaitham, childe, cyno, diluc, xiao w/ a gn!reader

warnings: implied catcalling/harassment (alhaitham), intimidation (childe), exhaustion (cyno), minor injuries (diluc), threat of hilichurl attack (xiao). no angst endings.

word count: 3.4k

a/n: this one won the poll, so it's first up! hope u enjoy! thanks to @/spiriteddreams reading over alhaitham's part for me beforehand!!!

-- alhaitham --

Alhaitham enjoys sticking to routines. Thus, when you disrupt his routine of meeting him after work in order to walk home together, he is annoyed, but his brain is quick to rationalize it. They are probably just busy with work or they left work early, Alhaitham justifies. However, there is a less rational part of him that gnaws at his sanity, telling him that something is wrong.

He takes his usual path home, making it only a short distance before he feels arms wrap around his waist. Alhaitham stiffens in response to the sudden touch. But, as he looks down and realizes its just you, mouthing words that he can't hear due to the music playing through his headphones, Alhaitham pauses his music. He pushes one of his earpieces off his ear in order to hear you properly and parts his lips to speak, but an unfamiliar voice cuts through your reunion with Alhaitham.

"Look, he didn't even respond to your greeting," a man proclaims far too haughtily and assuming for Alhaitham's liking. "That's not your boyfriend. But it's okay, sweetheart, I can make sure you're not singl-"

Alhaitham doesn't have time for this nonsense. Don't get him wrong -- he has all the time in the world for you and anything you're excited about, but your distressed expression at the man's words has Alhaitham protectively wrapping an arm around you before turning around to face the mystery man obviously provoking you.

"Are you calling my partner a liar?" Alhaitham immediately challenges, narrowed eyes sharpening the intensity of his multicolored glare. Your harasser blinks a few times, slowly coming to a fearful recognition of who Alhaitham is.

"My apologies, Acting Grand Sag-" the man begins.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to them."

"I am sorry!" the man cries, but Alhaitham can't quite be bothered to hear the man grovel for forgiveness. Alhaitham looks down at you, deciding to let you make the call.

"Would you prefer for me to handle this or would you rather just go home?" Alhaitham asks you softly, looking at you over his shoulder. "I am content with either option."

"Um," you begin, peering around Alhaitham to glance at the man once more, who seems to be trying not to collapse in fear. "Just... Let's just go home. He won't mess with me again, and I'm hungry."

An affectionate, soft smile appears on Alhaitham's face at your words as he realizes you're just as attached to your little routines with him as he is. Thus, with all the venom he can muster in his expression, he turns back to the nervous man.

"If I see you anywhere around here again, I will ensure that you will be dealt with swiftly," Alhaitham promises, and the man nods before scampering off like a coward. As soon as the man is out of sight, Alhaitham sighs and grabs your hand. The action sends your heart aflutter, due to Alhaitham not frequently initiating public displays of affection.

"Are you alright?" He asks, using a gentle voice you don't hear all too often from him. You nod, and he smiles softly once more before giving your hand a gentle squeeze. "Very well then. If anyone else tries to make trouble for you, let me know and I'll handle it."

"Wow," you breathe teasingly. "Alhaitham willingly taking on extra work?"

Alhaitham sighs, but you notice the way a smirk threatens to flash across his features at your playful words.

"I'd work forever if it meant you'd be happy," Alhaitham says, and you playfully place your free hand over your heart, pretending to swoon.

"I think that's the most romantic thing you've ever said," you say with a giggle, relishing in the way Alhaitham rolls his eyes at your words.

"Let's go home. I have biryani planned for dinner."

"Biryani? I changed my mind -- that's the most romantic thing you've ever said."

You get a rare chuckle out of Alhaitham as he guides you home, walking close to you and protectively holding onto your hand tightly in case any more trouble comes along for the two of you.

-- childe --

"Pardon me for interrupting," a silky voice croons from behind where you and Childe stand. "I was hoping to have a word with our dearest Tartaglia."

Childe's grip on your hand tightens as his playful expression turns steely at the sound of the voice. He gives you a cautious glare, before plastering the fakest smile you've ever seen on his face.

"Give me a moment, babe," he murmurs lowly to you, practically speaking through gritted teeth, before turning to face a man you've never seen before. Of course, arriving at Zapolyarny Palace on the Tsaritsa's request practically demanded that you would meet new people, but few were able to evoke such a strong reaction from Childe like this man was.

The stranger adjusts his silver-framed glasses and smiles sweetly at you.

"Apologies for my rudeness, I do not believe we have met," he says, eerily reminding you of a viper waiting to strike. "I am Pantalone, ninth of the Fatui Harbingers. And you are..?"

You look over at Childe, who glances at you out of the side of his eye. You respond curtly, giving the man just your first name, and he laughs.

"I understand your hesitation to divulge answers, but your relationship with Tartaglia is quite evident already. Any other information I wish to find out about you I can do so with ea-"

"Spit it out, Pantalone. What do you want?" Childe asks, and you wonder if your boyfriend has lost his mind at how rudely he is speaking to his superior. However, Pantalone seems to pay it no mind, finding the conversation all the more amusing.

"My my, you're much more friendly Pulcinella and Capitano than you are with me. How tragic. I simply wished to discuss finances with you. Is that such a crime?"

Tartaglia blinks at him, taking a slight step forward and sheltering part of your frame behind him.

"We can discuss it at the Fatui meeting tomorrow. Considering you're a higher rank than me, you shouldn't require my input," Childe says, and Pantalone laughs once more. It is a dry type of laugh, as if he's never really found anything funny in his life. A conniving smile spreads across Pantalone's face once more.

"I see that you are on the defensive because of the company you currently keep. No worries. We can discuss our matters tomorrow," Pantalone says. He turns around and takes a few steps, before looking over his shoulder at the two of you. Tartaglia's hand moves from holding your own to wrapping protectively around your waist. Your lover straightens his posture, ready for a challenge, but Pantalone simply smiles eerily once more.

"I would be careful about who you show affection with in the Palace," Pantalone warns.

This time, it is your lover's turn to grin widely at his opponent across the hall.

"That's alright. I can fight," Tartaglia promises with an edge to his voice that you rarely hear. Pantalone's expression warps indecipherably at Childe's words. The ninth Harbinger shakes his head before turning and walking away, leaving you and Childe alone in the hall once more.

With his arm still on your waist, Childe leans over and presses a quick kiss to your forehead and smiles down at you.

"If any other Harbingers try to intimidate you, let me know and I'll handle it."

You stare at your lover, narrowing your eyes. "How would you handle it?"

Childe laughs softly. "I wouldn't want to ruin your stellar image of me, would I? Now, c'mon, let's go. This place is eerie."

-- cyno --

"You need to rest."

Your boyfriend's figure looms over your own tired one, multiplying the amount of relieving shade that covers your body. Despite Cyno's order for rest, your pride gets the best of you as you dismissively swat a hand through the air.

"I'm fine," you insist.

"You can barely walk. When was the last time you were even in the desert?"

"Is this a setup for a punchline?" You ask. Your voice almost sounds like a croak, straining from a lack of water. Cyno is quick to respond, pulling his own canteen off his belt and handing it over to you.

"No. It's me caring about you, that's what it is," Cyno crouches down to meet you at eye level. "Drink."

"This is your water. You need it. I'm not drinking it," you say stubbornly and Cyno sighs before pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"I know the desert well enough to know how to ration my water. I also know it well enough to tell you when to rest and when to drink. Go ahead. I'll be fine."

You narrow your eyes at him, not moving the canteen to your lips. Cyno sighs before plopping down in the shade-cooled sand next to you. In the distance, you watch waves of heat warp the sand dunes on the horizon, and you wonder if you're in over your head. You'll never admit that though. The last thing you wanted was to slow down Cyno on your trip to the desert, but here you are, struggling to bear the heat.

Cyno sits with you in silence for a moment, before splitting the quiet with another question.

"People often say my humor is dry," Cyno says plainly. "But I think it's only dry when it's in the desert."

A small giggle escapes your lips at the awful pun, and Cyno smiles slightly. Cyno looks over at you. He pointedly looks at the canteen in your hands before flickering his piercing gaze up to you. Despite his best attempt, Cyno can't bring himself to stare at you with the same intimidating gaze he uses for criminals. When he clears his throat to speak once more, you interrupt him by lifting the water to your lips, taking a few sips before handing it back to him.

"I can carry you until we reach an oasis. There should be one not too far away, if we're lucky," Cyno offers, and you giggle at his offer. At your laughter, Cyno raises an eyebrow questioningly. You lean forward, hugging your knees close to your chest and smiling at him.

"What's so funny?" Cyno says, and you beam at him.

"Nothing. You're just cute when you're worried about me."

Cyno's eyes widen, before he decides to study the sand instead of your eyes. You watch as his fingers twitch slightly in the sand as he thinks of the words to say.

"'Cute' isn't exactly how most people describe me," Cyno mutters. In your heat-addled haze, you only grin wider at him before closing his canteen and handing it back to him, drawing his attention once more.

"Well, you're cute to me, even if others can't see it," you say. Despite the warmth of your body, you still reach out to grab his hand, lacing your fingers through his.

"Can we rest for a bit here?" You ask sheepishly. "I'm a bit worried I won't be able to walk far if we get up now."

Cyno nods at your words. "Of course. The last thing I want is to overwork yourself. It's okay if we work at different paces - I'll wait for you as long as you need."

Your heart melts at his honest words, so you scoot over to him before laying down in the sand, holding out your arm for him to rest with you. However, he shakes his head, electing to hold your hand instead.

"I'll watch over you while you sleep. Right now, it's my duty to keep you safe."

-- diluc --

"It's just a scratch, 'Luc," you say to the broad-shouldered man currently fretting over your injuries. "I'll be fine, I just need a bandage."

Diluc glares at you with as much vitriol as he can muster towards you -- which isn't much. You're unsure if this type of glare from him would even scare one of the bunnies on the Dawn Winery grasses outside. It certainly isn't the same glare he uses for handling criminals and members of the Abyss. Despite Diluc's efforts to seem intimidating, he's never been able to be mean or intimidating towards you. Thus, you giggle at his expression and his brows furrow.

"This is serious, love. You can't keep going out there and getting injured," Diluc grumbles. "Come on, sit on the bathroom counter."

"One of the maids could've helped me, y'know," you say teasingly before hopping up and resting on the cool marble basin, watching as Diluc's cheeks flush with a faint shade of red. "But you're way cuter."

"Stop trying to distract me," Diluc mutters, voice plagued by his easily flustered state.

"Is it working?" You ask, and your lover falls silent. The color of his cheeks synchronizes with his hair as he furrows his brow, focusing on cleaning up the scraped skin on your arm with a clean cloth. You smile softly at him as he works, unaware of your affectionate gaze towards him.

"How did this happen?" Diluc asks after a few moments of silence. His voice warbles slightly, and it takes everything in you not to pull him in for a hug -- it would only upset your injury, which would upset Diluc further in turn. Guilt washes over you at the sadness in his voice, and you use your uninjured arm to lean forward and ruffle his hair affectionately.

"I just tripped on a branch while out trying to collect some berries. Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad, sweetheart. I promise."

Diluc swallows heavily before nodding. Both of you know why seeing you injured affects him so much, but neither of you dare speak of the causation. Instead, you move your free hand from his hair to his cheek, heart melting at the way his face instinctively leans into it. Diluc reaches behind you to pick up the roll of bandages that one of the maids provided.

"Tell me if this hurts, alright? It should be taut, but it should not hurt," Diluc murmurs, voice deep as he begins to wrap the bandages starting at your wrist. You hum in acknowledgement, but Diluc is far too gentle to cause you any pain. He wraps the bandage up perfectly, staring at his handiwork with narrowed eyes before looking up at you.

"It's perfect," you applaud him and, for the first time since you've shown up injured, Diluc smiles softly at you. "You did wonderful. I feel better already."

"If it causes you any issues, please let me know." He says hurriedly, and you sigh, causing him to look at confusion. You smile wearily at him.

"C'mere," you urge, moving your hand from his cheek towards his tie. Loosely, you grip the knot of the fabric, urging his face towards yours. Your lips meet Diluc's in a loving kiss. You can tell he's caught off guard by it as you hear the hasty slap of his hand against the marble counter behind you as he regains his balance, leaning further into the kiss. Diluc's other hand reaches forward to curl around your cheek and jaw, calloused fingertips delicately gliding against your skin like a restorationist carefully brushing a piece of fine art.

Diluc is a man of quiet intensity, preferring to show his devotion to you through actions rather than words. As he kisses you in this moment, the reverent movement of his lips tells you over and over how much he adores you. The worried tension eases out of his shoulders as he melts into you, parting only when the two of you need to catch your breath. You use this opportunity to press your forehead to Diluc's, staring at him in the eyes.

"'Luc, I'm not going anywhere." You reach up and cradle his hand closer to your face. "I promise."

Diluc's thumb brushes gently back and forth on your cheekbone as he mulls over words to say.

"I know," he sighs, before sounding more firm in his words. "I know. I trust you. I love you."

-- xiao --

You've never been happier to have your boyfriend accompany you on an expedition. Adventurer's Guild commissions were at an all-time high, but danger was also at an unprecedented level. For reasons still unknown to the Guild, Treasurer Hoarder activity was at an unusual high, which made transporting goods and completing commissions that much more difficult.

Plus, it wasn't that often that you got to see Xiao. Warmer months are approaching, which means monster activity will increase, along with the need for commissions. Sure, the two of you would still meet at Wangshu Inn, but your relationship with the adeptus is still rather unconventional. After all, you knew from the start that Xiao wasn't the type of guy who would take you to fancy dinners at Xinyue Kiosk.

Rather, the two of you were perfectly content with eating dinner together on the Wangshu Inn balcony whenever the weather was nice and your schedules coincided. 'Dates' were a foreign concept to Xiao, and you didn't want to urge him out of his comfort zone by surrounding him with other humans. Thus, you found enjoyment in the fact that Xiao was willing to help you with this commission -- it was a more unique date for the two of you.

Yet, as the two of you head north to Qingce Village on a trodden dirt path, Xiao is quick to wrap his arms around you, pinning your hands to your sides and clutching you close.

"Xi-" you begin, but you're cut off by the stomach-whirling sensation of teleporting away. The two of you touch the ground almost instantaneously, but you're left reeling and dazed, not used to the feeling of teleportation. The two of you are now stationed in a cave, and you have no clue how far you've gone.

"What? Aren't you not supposed to teleport me like that?" You breathe, mind still spinning with confusion and disorientation, but Xiao silences you with a finger to his lips. With a single swipe of his hand, his mask reappears on his face, and he's quick to summon his spear.

"Wait here."

You watch, dumbfounded, as your lover teleports away, leaving you alone. Xiao wasn't the type to leave you stranded without good reason, so you sigh and make yourself comfortable on the stone ground of the cave, waiting for him to return.

Minutes later, the yaksha returns. The tip of his spear is stained with something, but you figure it's probably better if you don't pay too much attention to that.

"You are bad at watching the surroundings," Xiao says, looking down at you before wiping his mask away. You look up at him, blinking slowly.

"Wow, thanks," you say sardonically, and Xiao tilts his head, not fully used to human sarcasm.

"There were hilichurls following us," Xiao says, sitting down besides you on the cave floor. "They unsheathed an arrow, so I teleported us away."

"Oh," you say as a devious thought pops into your mind. "Thanks, sweetheart."

At the usage of a pet name, Xiao's face turns scarlet and he looks away from you, flustered. Deciding to make it even worse, you wrap your arms around his shoulders, leaning into him and resting your head on his shoulder.

"What would I ever do without my dashing protector to save me? How may I ever repay my loyal knight?" You giggle while Xiao's eyes widen at your playfully romantic words. "You swept me and my heart off my feet with your heroic ac-"

"Enough." Xiao says, but it comes out less as a firm demand and rather as a sheepish choke of words. "Please."

You giggle once more, memorizing the way the red on his face complements the green in his hair, before leaning in to place a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for looking out for me, Xiao," you say, teasing tone leaving your voice. Xiao raises his hand to rest on one of the arms you have wrapped around his shoulder, and you feel your heart swell at the rare initiation of physical contact.

"I will always be there when you need me," Xiao vows, and you realize just how far your relationship with the adeptus has come. While he still blushes at your words, he no longer admonishes you for playful romantics and flirty remarks. Instead, he embarrassedly embraces them, while holding you close.

"Good thing I always need you then, huh?" you murmur softly, as if whispering a secret amidst a crowd. The two of you sit alone in the cave for a while longer, and you realize you wouldn't mind spending forever like this, as long as Xiao was by your side, with his eyes fluttered closed in contentment.

#genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #alhaitham x reader #xiao x reader #cyno x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #genshin x reader #diluc fluff #alhaitham fluff #xiao fluff #cyno fluff #childe fluff #tartaglia fluff #axia.writing #writing.alhaitham #writing.diluc #writing.childe #writing.cyno #writing.xiao

[favoniuscodex]

pulling them by their collar [ diluc, itto, & childe ]

prompt: how they react when you pull them close by their collar/necklace/tie/etc. !!! characters: diluc, itto, childe (separate) w/ a gn!reader warnings: adult innuendos (diluc & childe)! canon-typical violence (diluc). reader wears glasses (itto). please be 16+ to read (just for my own comfort bc there's a few saucy topics) word count: ~2.0k a/n: this is a collab w/ the lovely rulaine! (@rulaineyu) !!! she wrote the same prompt but for zhongli, thoma, kaeya, & ayato! read them here!!

DILUC:

It's not like you meant to be rendezvousing with a man every night and gallivanting through the streets until dawn. It kind of just... happened. When you're a vigilante in a city that is in dire need of assistance, it's practically inevitable to team up with the other masked strangers on the street. You had paired up with the one woman who was definitely one of the Church of Favonius Sisters, even if she looked repulsed at your suggestion that she was such a figure. But now, you're paired with the most infamous of vigilantes yet: Mondstadt's very own Darknight Hero.

You've always wanted to be the best, but much to your behest, the Darknight Hero is fantastic at helping you clear out hilichurl camps on the edge of Mondstadt. You aren't quite sure why he's helping you when he could easily just complete these tasks on his own, but his presence means less work on your plate. Less tasks on the outside of the city means more helping the people inside the walls, which is always a good thing.

"You did well," The Darknight Hero says, causing you to jump out of your thoughts. "Your weapon is helpful for dealing with the archers."

You're spooked at him speaking for once. Usually, the two of you work in silence, communicating only through brief hand signals. Yet, you're even more spooked at the fact that he seemed to sense your self-doubt. It means you aren't concealing yourself as well as you'd like. You straighten your posture.

"Thank you," You say, looking at the mask that covers his eyes and the hood that covers his hair. The apples of his cheeks are still revealed and you swear they seem so familiar.

"Is there a way I can assist you that would red-" Your partner begins, but you quickly tune him out as you hear a twig snap in the distance. You look past him and he thinks nothing of your sudden loss of attention. In one hand, your polearm weighs heavy, but you reach the other hand out and grab the first thing you can think of: the choker that peeks out from underneath his cloak. Your fingers clasp around the red jewel in the center and you tug him far too harshly, sending him stumbling into you.

"Wha-" He begins before you hastily shove his larger figure off of you and step around him, charging towards the direction of the snapped branch and flinging your polearm like a javelin. The final hilichurl cries as your polearm makes contact, knocking it out of the tree it was hiding in. You let out a sigh of relief before turning back to him, grimacing apologetically in his direction.

Now on the ground, the Darknight Hero stares up at you with a flushed face and pure admiration in his expression. His chest heaves heavily as he recovers from you tugging on his collar, before a soft chuckle escapes his lips.

"I am not necessarily against playing rough with you," The Darknight Hero says, causing you to scoff. "But a warning next time would be appreciated."

Ignoring the way your heart flutters at his flirty remark, you shoot him a warning glare before pointing to the flaming hilichurl arrow that is extinguishing itself in the spot where he was previously standing. With the disguise of his mask, your fellow vigilante seems to find himself to be too comfortable with you. Unfortunately for him, you've realized just who he is.

"C'mon, Diluc," You say condescendingly, watching as his eyes blow wide. "I can tug on your collar more later if you'd like, but we gotta clear out the rest of these hilichurls."

"Wai-" He begins, but you huff and turn away and go to retrieve your polearm, leaving him chasing after you.

ITTO:

“Babe!”

You look up from your newly purchased light novel at the sound of your boyfriend’s voice. He charges towards you with cupped hands and you spot the horns of an onikabuto peeking over his fingers. A victorious grin spreads across his lips as he stops in front of you.

“Guess who just won their latest bug fight?” Itto laughs proudly. “This guy! I’d point to myself but I can’t drop my special champion.”

You smile sweetly up at him, pushing up the bridge of your glasses to better focus on him instead of the pages below. At this angle, Itto blocks out most of your reading sunlight with his towering figure, but you had no intention of continuing the book in your hands. No matter how enthralling the plot was, you would much rather give your undivided attention to the man in front of you, especially when he always does the same for you. Thus, you slide the picture of Itto that you use as a bookmark between the pages and set the novel to the side, causing Itto to gasp with interest.

“That’s the book you were gonna get later, right? I thought it wasn’t released yet!” Itto says excitedly. He fumbles with the bug in his hands as it crawls over the edge of his fingers and onto his knuckles. You laugh gently and gesture to the basket next to you.

“I went for my usual books of the week, but Miss Yae was there and gave me an advanced copy,” you say sheepishly. The victorious onikabuto continues to crawl circles around Itto’s hands and you giggle before lifting up the opening to your book basket. “Put him in here.”

“You sure?” Itto asks before grinning even wider as you nod in response. Gently, he lets the onikabuto crawl out of his hands and into the safety of your basket. “He can read the books and get even smarter!”

“He’s already pretty strong if he won a bug fight…” you say, closing the vented lid to the basket. “What if he gets too strong?”

“Well, he won’t be stronger than me,” Itto says confidently. “I’ll protect you!”

At your boyfriend’s haughty tone, you giggle again. The sound causes a faint blush to rise to his cheeks, but his confident posture fails to change.

"How'd the fight go? Y'know, besides the whole winning part?" You ask and your boyfriend practically jumps in place with excitement at your question.

"There was this new guy at the fighting grounds," Itto says, as if the onikabuto fighting grounds aren't just wherever the closest patch of dirt is. "I think his brother brought him or something. He said he had an onikabuto he wanted to fight with and I immediately challenged him, because who better to be your first challenger than the toughest oni out there? Either way, no matter how big his beetle was, he didn't stand a chance against the Beetle Gladiator's beetles! Arataki beetles can't b-"

As your boyfriend rambles about his victory, you can't help but space off. You want to pay attention, but the cute furrow of his brow as he recounts every detail has you focusing more on his appearance than his words. Deciding to save him the breath, you clear his throat.

"Not to interrupt your well-deserved victory speech," you say slyly. "But there's something on your face?"

"Oh, there is? It's probably some of the dango I had earlier," Itto hastily wipes his hand across his mouth and you stifle a mischievous giggle.

"No, that's not it, lean down a little bit so I can get a better look!" You say and Itto obliges.

"Just let me kn-" Itto begins, but you cut him off by hooking a finger through the loop on his choker, just above his Vision. You tug him close, unable to hold back a victory laugh of your own as a vibrant red flush takes over his cheeks. Speechless, Itto stares at you with wonder. You swoop in before he can recollect his thoughts and place a kiss on his nose.

"Got it!" You say proudly and Itto continues to stare at you blankly. The gears in his head struggle to catch up with your brazen actions and he lets out a soft whine.

"You can't leave me with just that, lovebug," he grumbles. You giggle at his flustered state and, at the sound of your laughter, Itto leans forward and steals a kiss from your lips, determined to get yet another victory. You lean into his kiss, letting him hold you close until you run out of air.

"C'mon," you say breathlessly as you pull away from him. "Let's go get some victory snacks!"

CHILDE:

"So? How do I look?"

Your boyfriend is egotistical. Sure, he's earned most of his ego, especially as the youngest Harbinger, but that doesn't mean you like to encourage narcissistic behavior. It is important to retain a level head, especially in a position of power like his. You like to think you're pretty good at keeping him balanced, but as he exits the bathroom to present himself to you, you feed directly into his narcissism, staring at him with wide eyes.

Childe splays his arms out wide, showing off his perfectly tailored black tie suit to you. He often avoids such formal clothing, but the Fatui have shed their typical formal coats to opt for a more modern style of dress for the evening. Typically, you're more than happy to not be by his side at boring political parties, but you're mentally punching the air with jealousy at the knowledge that everyone else gets to see him in this outfit all evening. The suit clings to his waist and shoulders perfectly, sculpting out his figure with flattering precision.

You press your lips together, swallowing heavily.

"You look... nice," you say politely. Childe bursts out into laughter at your formal response.

"Well, it seems as though I know what to wear when I want you to fling yourself at me so we can-" He begins, but you cut him off by clearing your throat. You can't think of anything like that right now or you won't let him leave the door without tearing at least one piece of his clothing off. You smile politely and Childe looks utterly enthralled by your barely contained desire.

"Where is your tie?" you ask sweetly, as if you aren't swooning and falling in love with him all over again at the sight of him in a suit for the first time.

"Oh! Let me go get it. Gotta complete the look for my most adoring fan, huh?"

He slips back into the bathroom before you can chastise him for his teasing. As quick as he departs, your boyfriend returns. You stare at the cloth knot that now sits on his neck and move from your position on the bed. You walk over to him and Childe grins haughtily at you.

"You look good," you say as you stand in front of him. "But your tie is crooked."

"Is it?"

"Yup," you say, wrapping your hand around his tie, fingers curling atop his collarbone. "Let me fix it."

You tug him forward and Childe stumbles, but quickly regains himself as his lips crash into yours. The kiss is messy, and Childe laughs into your lips as his hands instinctively steady themselves on your waist. Before you can pull away and let him return to getting ready, Childe deepens the kiss, hungrily moving his lips against your own. When the two of you part, Childe's cheeks are flushed with exertion and your own lips are slightly swollen.

"I could be late," he offers, and this time, its your turn to laugh at his want for you. His hands loosely rest on your waist and you move your hands to his chest, splaying them out on the black fabric of his tuxedo.

"Oh? Really?" You feign interest. Childe looks hopeful, but you watch as his dreams shatter as you push yourself back from his chest with a giggle. "I don't think you're allowed to be. You're a Harbinger and all."

"You don't have to remind me," Childe whines as you lazily make your way back to the bed. "At least help me fix my tie, babe."

You giggle. "I know I messed it up, but if I help you fix it, you really aren't leaving the house."

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact fluff #diluc x reader #childe x reader #childe fluff #diluc fluff #itto x reader #itto fluff #axia.writing #writing.itto #writing.childe #writing.diluc

[favoniuscodex]

a dance for two [ prince!childe x gn!reader ]

prompt: you are a servant of zapolyarny palace, but the youngest harbinger has his eye on you nonetheless. pairing: prince!childe x servant!gn!reader wc: ~3.1k warnings: lots of self-doubt/romantic doubt but it's the congested royalty au kind LOL. reader has no distinct appearance. a/n: for my favorite childe hater, @monocaelia <3 i hope this lives up to your wildest dreams. childe isn't as much of a dummyhead as usual. he's still stupid, he's just a... princely type of stupid. part of my two year anniversary event! - comments are always cherished!

"come on, darling," the youngest prince begs of you. "just one dance, please?"

prince tartaglia, otherwise known as ajax (the name he insists you call him), is relentless in his pursuits. despite the social and political barriers that separate the two of you, you would believe that wooing you was his primary desire if you hadn't seen his penchant for fighting. rather than setting his sights on a lovely prince or princess of high status from another nation, the prince has decided that the one his heart calls for is none other than you.

the eleventh of the harbingers, prince tartaglia was not necessarily born of royalty, but deemed strong enough to join the royal throne anyways. he will not see the throne in his lifetime, but he will live a life of luxury, riches, and political prestige. you, on the other hand, are his servant -- a maid-slash-butler of sorts, tossed into the halls of zapolyarny palace after an injury left you too weak to continue in the fatui's military ranks.

sure, the prince had flirted with you before he held sincere affections, but everything had changed once he, in a fit of boredom, challenged you to an arm wrestle. falling silent after you defeated him, you had wondered if you would get your head chopped off for besting one of the tsaritsa's holy harbingers in a battle of physical prowess. but, childe assuaged your fears with a deep laugh.

then, in what you would soon learn is typical fashion from him, the prince asked for your hand in marriage.

startled, flustered, and knowing far better than to accept, you had politely declined. two years later, the prince still dropped the question from time to time, if only to see the way you flustered and looked away each and every time before clearing your throat and apologetically declining. now, his request is much easier to fulfill, but you hesitate.

"my prince," your words drip with all the formality that prince tartaglia has begged you to abandon, but to no avail. "what if someone catches us? i am supposed to be cleaning and you are... likely supposed to be somewhere else at the moment."

he looks at you with a sly smirk, before stepping forward, hand extended out to you, ready for you to take. "if all you're worried about is someone catching us, then i wouldn't worry your pretty little mind over it. i can easily cover for the both of us. after all, wouldn't it be more disgraceful if a prince danced alone?"

the prince watches as you hesitate, before hastily adding to his words.

"of course, if you don't wish to dance, then i respect your wishes and i can find something else to do."

you lean on the stick of the broom in your hands, thinking carefully over the prince's request. certainly, you've received scorn from your fellow servants about the prince's fondness for you, but every harbinger has their favorite members of the tsaritsa's esteemed staff of the palace. you've never cared much about the prince's favoritism, until you realized he acted towards you not how his fellow harbingers acted towards the staff. tartaglia viewed you similar to an equal, careful not to tread over any barriers, hesitant to order you around, and always leaving an opening to decline his advances.

you aren't sure why you never do decline his pestering. it simply fuels him on further, but if the dew of the eleventh prince's presence was to suddenly evaporate in the heat of your rejection, you would find your days in the palace far lonelier. perhaps, in a strange way, you would miss him. but you do not dwell on such thoughts, not enough to notice the way your heart would twinge with jealousy at the thought of prince tartaglia looking at another in the way he looks at you.

"i am afraid i do not know how to dance," you confess. "i would be unable to keep pace with you."

the prince grins at you. it's a beam filled with impish carelessness. it washes away the intimidation of his uniform, leaving you basking in the presence of the boy once primarily known as ajax. now, his name falls out of the mouths of most with a royal honorific and far more syllables, leaving the sharp, two-note name only to be uttered by his family and, for reasons you do not wholly understand, you.

"you know how i love a challenge, right, sweetheart?" ajax asks, sweetened pet names rolling off his tongue with an ease that you envy. perhaps it is an arrogance reserved only for a man who is unable to be told no unless he wants to be. (or, perhaps, just maybe, the prince truly longs for you in the way you have yet to realize that you long for him.)

"yes, i am aware, your grace."

it is arrogance. it must be.

"then consider this another challenge. i was not born knowing how to dance. once i arrived at the palace, i was taught. which means if my two left feet can find success outside of the battlefield, then surely someone of your nimbleness can find success in a dance as well."

it must be arrogance because you cannot handle the thought of sincerity being found in all of the prince's sweet nothings towards you. arrogance is the only option, for the other option is to face the fears of admiration that you struggle to acknowledge. you'd much prefer to leave them hidden underneath the blanket of denial that shelters the monsters underneath the bed of your mind. it would be far neater to fold it back into place, but you ignore your duties as a loyal servant of the tsaritsa and leave it in disarray.

you can clean up your mind once prince tartaglia inevitably finds love and engagement into one worthy of his affections, because you swear that all he holds towards you is triumphant arrogance. (you know there is more, but the heart is often betrayed by dishonorable oaths whispered by the tongue in naivety.)

"i suppose i cannot decline an offer to dance from the prince," you say, leaning your broom against the nearest table so that it does not fall over.

"when it is an offer from me, i shall take every declination in stride and respect your wishes," he promises, yet your lips remain sealed after his words. no denial of his offer spouts from your lips. instead, you make your way over to him, typical staffing attire a sharp contrast from prince tartaglia's own regal outfit. the prince extends a hand to you, and you take it, letting out a soft noise of surprise as he pulls you in by your waist.

"mind if i take the lead?" the prince asks with a wink that sends your heart fluttering like a startled butterfly.

"i do not believe we'd be able to accomplish any form of dance if i take it instead," you murmur. you never would have thought that the lifeless blues of his eyes would pull you in, like a bottomless lake filled with mythical creatures that both alarm and allure. you know better than to do so, but you find yourself being pulled into their depths anyways. the prince's unsung siren calls are too alluring to resist.

"it's a simple dance," prince tartaglia says, voice far softer in close proximity. he sounds far more like a boy you could love in this intimacy, yet love is a game that only commoners like you can dare to indulge in. the royalty must look on from above, burying their whims of love under the burdens of duty. you remind yourself that prince tartaglia does not love you, no matter what his words say, what his eyes say, or what his body says as he leads you on in a waltz of sorts.

you've never been musically inclined enough to distinguish the beat of the melody that childe hums. perhaps it is a waltz. perhaps it is a minuet. or perhaps, it is a dance of his own creation, having no coherent movement besides the desire to hold you close. prince tartaglia smiles at you as you glide around the emptied room with him. only the four walls are privy to this moment, yet you find yourself only caring about the man before you.

logic prevailing, you should be nervous. this man could fire you at whim, casting you away from the palace and into a life of disgrace after one wrong step. worse, he likely holds the powers to send you to be imprisoned. but instead of feeling alarmed, you feel comforted in his presence. it is an odd thought.

"see?" the single word is a soft spoke gasp of delight, and you wonder how every royal who dances with ajax does not swoon at his honest earnestness, unaware of the fact that you are the only one to see him smile in such a way. "you're doing wonderful. i knew you'd be a natural."

"why?" the lone syllabic question falls from your lips before you can stop it, but rather than evoking anger, it causes the prince's gaze to flicker down to your lips before returning to your gaze.

"why what?" ajax asks, voice light. you are worried about overstepping the good graces that he holds you in.

"why are you so kind to me?" you ask.

you fool. you immediately reprimand yourself. the question is offensive, borderline treasonous. it is an implication that the prince cannot be kind, and it lacks all the carefully crafted honorifics and formalities that have been ingrained on you constantly since you first stepped in the palace.

"pardon me, your majesty," you begin in the short beats of silence that follow. "i did not intend for my words to sound so uncouth or to imply-"

"hold on," ajax cuts you off, expression unreadable. suddenly you worry that everything is falling apart. you've brutally offended the only royal who is kind to you and you-

"do you trust me?" his question lacks any malice. the man before you has never led you astray. despite all of his flirting with you, he has never been one to lead you astray. you would consider him your only friend at the palace, but such a title feels so little for such a royal figure. labeling him as no more than a platonic companion would eliminate the social boundaries between the two of you, which nearly any other royal would find disrespectful within the palace.

"yes." your words are not a lie. "i trust you, my liege."

"yet, you still do not believe me after all this time?" ajax asks. his voice is cautious. his gaze flits over your face, scanning for any signs of discomfort, and you wonder why he is so hellbent on making sure that he is not overstepping any boundaries with you.

"my prince," you begin, noticing the way ajax's eyes furrow slightly at the honorific. "i am unsure as to what you mean."

"do... do you view me as some salacious fiend?" his voice has dropped to a barely audible murmur of disbelief. "is that it? what must i do to get you to view my fondness towards you as authentic?"

"fondness?" you echo blankly.

have you been wrong this entire time? is it truly possible for a prince to love? this isn't just a prince you're talking about, the small voice within you reminds you as your face rapidly flushes with heat at the dawning realization. it's ajax.

you wonder when he shifted from prince tartaglia to ajax in your mind. you wonder when you started finding comfort in both of his titles, the one he proudly displays to the world and the one he leaves close to you.

"yes, darling," ajax says. "fondness. admiration. enthrallment. i am beginning to exhaust my vocabulary, so please tell me you understand that the only thought in this palace that keeps me sane is the fact that i am in love with you."

the prince's hand leaves your waist, instead finding your own hand. through the thin fabric of his gloves, you can feel his calluses from all of the weapons he wields on a daily basis. in this moment, you have four sudden realizations. one: ajax is in love with you. two: you are in love with ajax. three: you are an utter idiot for trying to deny these two facts for so long. four: the prince is an utter idiot as well, for thinking that you understood him for so long when all that echoed through your mind was the misinterpretation of his advances.

"please," ajax says in the silence that follows. "i would never dream of forcing you into a relationship that you do not want to be in, but if i don't tell you now, i fear that i might explode."

you squeeze his hand lightly, and he rewards the gesture with a sparkle of hope in his eyes at the action, causing your own heart to squeeze with admiration in return. despite his battle scars, despite the past that haunts him constantly, despite the reputation that precedes him, the prince is undeniably beautiful, but you've never seen him look more lovely in this moment.

"ajax," you murmur, trying to memorize the way his auburn hair shines in the light of the sun that begins to set outside. an instinctive, worried grin flashes across the face at you finally using the name that he's practically begged for you to use since the day he fell in love with you.

"you're of royal status, and i am just a servant, there's... there's no way this would work... right?"

childe's grip on your hand tightens, but the pressure of his fingertips pressing into the back of your palm is a welcome one, grounding your thoughts from spiraling away amidst the intensity of his gaze.

"i would go to war against all seven nations if it meant having you by my side," ajax says, before laughing softly at your wide-eyed expression at his words. "but i wouldn't worry about that too much, sweetheart. i wasn't born of royalty either."

"but you earned your position. what have i done? i am not nearly admirable enough to earn a position of royalty like one of you harbingers."

"what haven't you done?" he asks, practically breathless. "you treat me with authenticity no matter the time of day, you are unafraid of speaking your mind, you hold an unforeseen strength in your daily actions. besides, don't you think capturing a harbinger's heart deserves some type of reward?"

"i... don't necessarily need a reward," you say quietly, and the prince laughs softly, utterly infatuated with your honest response to his playful words. "i just want to be by your side."

"and you will always be by my side, as long as you wish to stay here," ajax promises, bringing your conjoined hands to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles.

"besides, don't you think it's a bit too quick to jump the gun on the whole royalty thing?" the prince teases, and you feel your face flush with embarrassed warmth once more. "i should probably court you before we can even think of marriage."

"i didn't mean we'd get married!" you immediately object, voice raising slightly, and you watch as ajax's face lights up in an utterly delighted grin.

"it's okay if you did," he teases. "it lets me know that if i do propose, i won't be rejected."

"that's presumptuous," you say before you can stop yourself, and ajax lets out a noise akin to a giggle at your teasing.

"and here i was, thinking you were worried about being formal," he teases, but before you can apologize, ajax spouts off another question that causes you to freeze up. "would it be presumptuous if i kissed you, then?"

you stare at him with wide eyes, mind going fuzzy at his question. the realization that the prince was not arrogant in the ways that you thought he was finally settles in. ajax is honest in his affections, and, deep down, you knew he always was. but now, you view yourself was a worthy fighter in the battle for his affection, unaware that the only contender he'd ever truly love is you.

"go ahead," you manage to say after your thoughts finally catch up to reality. ajax's hands leave yours, reaching up to cup your face in both hands as he pulls you in for an overdramatic, searing kiss. yet, after a few seconds of adjusting to his brazen, dramatic actions, you meet his kiss with equal fervor, taking him by surprise. you feel him stumble back slightly as you lean further into the kiss. ajax smiles into the kiss at the prospect of the challenge, lips melting against yours as he takes over, determined to leave you as the breathless one.

but, by the time the two of you part, both of you are left gasping for air. there's a darkness in ajax's gaze, like he's ready to swoop in again and kiss you all over, until there is no place left unexplored, but he refuses to indulge it. (you are left pondering the idea of him indulging such a side of him, but perhaps it is best not to explore such actions in the middle of the royal ballroom.) he clears his throat, and suddenly there is nothing left in his eyes but the gentle love and affection he holds towards you.

"you're full of surprises," he breathes, and you realize he is not a holy prince. he is just a man with a fancy title. he is just ajax. perhaps who ajax is, hidden underneath the ferocious guise of prince tartaglia, is why you find yourself falling headfirst in love with him, growing further enamored with him each and every second.

"so are you," you say, unaware of the way your passioned gaze incenses the fires within him.

"keep looking at me like that and i'll be unable to leave you alone, sweetheart," ajax warns, but the threats of the prince no longer scare you. instead, you smirk, causing his expression to twitch with amused disbelief.

"who says i wanted you to?" you say, unaware that your next words will seal yourself inside the prince's heart forever. "i could have quit long ago."

#genshin impact x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #childe fluff #genshin fluff #tartaglia fluff #axia.writing #writing.childe #writing.tartaglia #axia.2yrevent

[favoniuscodex]

MYTHOS : LETHE, PART TWO . [ tartaglia, alhaitham, cyno ]

series : mythos, a mythology au - [ info & series masterlist ] series description : you are fated to save the world by assembling a team of the supposedly dead gods of ancient teyvat to stop the apocalypse. great. sounds easy enough, right? [ previous chapter ] - current: prologue pt. 2 - [ next chapter ] pairings: tartaglia x gn!reader, alhaitham x gn!reader, cyno x gn!reader word count: ~5.1k [ ~1.4k / ~1.9k / ~1.7k ] warnings : dream sequences / surrealism . drowning/thalassophobia . brief instances of claustrophobia . minor violence . mentions of death . author note : it's been a while, hasn't it? please read the first part if you haven't! the three parts within this section are all dream sequences, so they're a bit weird, but don't worry, no real trouble happens. if you need anything else tagged in warnings, please lmk! thanks for reading, this series is my baby <3 parts of the prologue won't make sense but it's intended to be that way because it's dream sequences filled with foreshadowing

SECTION INTRO ::

the transition to life in liyue harbor is one of ease. it seems as though everything is falling into place, slowly but surely. the city is still daunting, yes, but you know that it is yours for the taking. nights are spent alone, scheming on when you'll find your next piece of furniture and eating takeout out of flimsy cartons.

work is secure. stability is not necessarily guaranteed, but you believe your boss is fond of you enough to keep you on payroll for another few months. your boss has been a tough read since your first day, but you've managed not to step on any toes and, despite your increasingly strange sleeping patterns, you have arrived on time each day.

thus, each evening, when your eyes groan with fatigue from the screens you use to occupy your free time, you finally succumb to the inevitable. the thought of sleep is rather daunting, but you aren't quite sure why. the sense of danger is quickly buried by the flutter of butterflies in your stomach, as if your next adventure awaits you once you finally retire from this own world for the evening.

you cannot remember your dreams, but perhaps that's what makes them all the more alluring.

IV. GOD OF THE OCEANS - tartaglia

the crashing roar of an ocean wave serves as your alarm. it startles you into consciousness. with little time to react, your body is submerged in water. you instinctively gasp for air just before going under, but it isn't enough, especially as the vicious currents toss you around and pull you further into the murky depths.

you do not know where the shoreline went. after what feels like eons of tumbling through the water, you are unsure if there was ever earth to stand upon. you hold your breath until your lungs scream for air, but there is water up your nose already and very little reason to believe you could ever reach the surface.

when the currents finally release you, you can see nothing but endless blue. knowing that you will die is not the worst part. it is the knowledge that this is your burden to carry alone, for there are no witnesses to your plight. hysterically, you laugh, watching hopelessly as the bubbles of air escape your lips and float upwards, all while you sink in the opposite direction.

before you can close your eyes and embrace the wretched end that awaits you, you feel a tentacle enclose itself around your waist, and suddenly you're being pulled down, down, down into the depths below. your eyes provide you no understanding of the situation, for the monster holding you is too fast, plunging the two of you into the parts of the ocean where no light can reach.

you will not die alone. you'll die as the last meal of this unknown creature. perhaps it is a kind one, who may offer you a swift and merciless death. what does it matter anyways? you think, unable to find it in yourself to struggle as the creature hoists you towards the bottom of the ocean. i was always going to die.

"giving up already? that's not like you."

you are unsure where the words have come from, words familiarly unfamiliar like a distant childhood melody. you are unsure how you have not run out of air. you are unsure where you are going as you torpedo towards the bottom of the ocean. the only certainty in your mind is that death is no longer an option, but even you are unsure of the origin of such an assumption.

the creature holding you reaches the bottom of the ocean. the ground is not earth; it is glass. you realize this as you are unceremoniously slammed against the barrier between ocean and below, feeling it crack under your impact. despite this, no pain shoots throughout your body. an eerie wave of familiarity washes over you, far more soothing than the wave that swept you out into this sea earlier. now calm, you stop writhing in your captor's grasp as you thump into the glass once again.

this time, it shatters.

you and all of the ocean are sent surging into the void of air below. you fall facing upwards, and in the light that shines up from beneath you, you watch as the water suddenly retreats, leaving you to be the only object falling through the air. you greedily gulp in air despite knowing that you will likely face your demise once you hit the ground.

"hold still."

the voice is clearer once again, no longer warped by the waters above. your vision turns the color of seafoam before two arms catch you, breaking your fall with an inhuman ease. you stare up at your savior with wide eyes and parted lips. you focus on his eyes, which match the endless blue that spoke of death for you just moments ago.

"don't look at me like that, i've told you not to arrive up there, but you do anyways," he gently chides. "do you know who i am, princess?"

the corners of his lips peel back in a sharpened grin. you lift a hand up anyways, unafraid of the knife of his inhuman smile as your palm cups around his cheek. the edges of his teeth soften at your actions, snake-like pupils rounding into the familiar circle shape of humanity.

"you're..." you begin, tearing your eyes from his face to inspect the rest of him. you watch his adam's apple bob as he gulps in anticipation, bated breath held. "you are the creature from ocean. the one that saved me."

at your words, your savior's grin drops, and a nearly inaudible sigh of defeat escaping his lips. his teeth sharpen once more, yet you feel no fear. rather, you worry that he'll bite his tongue when he speaks. surely, such an action would hurt with such piercing teeth.

"that's not quite the answer i was looking for," he says, and uncharacteristically strong indignation rises within you, as if you've had this conversation with him thousands of times before. you let muscle memory take over, controlling your tongue to speak with fierce words.

"oh? would you prefer if i call you ■■■■?" you ask, allowing his name to roll off your tongue. your words are a pebble tossed into a still lake, causing emotions ripple across the face of your savior. his intimidating expression gives way to trepidation, and he looks up at the water barrier above the two of you, as if expecting it to suddenly break and ruin your refuge of air.

"you cannot say such things."

all mirth has left his voice as he speaks lowly. light has left his oceanic eyes, reminding you just how far below the depths you are with this strange man holding your life in his hands.

"you are not supposed to know that," he reprimands you. you cannot remember the name that you called him, no matter how hard you try as his gaze pierces you. "and if you do know it, pretend that you don't. if the heavens hear you say that, they'll undo your existence, and even if i drain the oceans, i will be unable to stop them."

"tartaglia." you say. the barrier above you seems to be approaching, walls closing in on the two of you. it is not the name you said earlier, but it is the only name you can bring forth in your mind. he stares at you, expression unreadable.

"tartaglia, where are we?" panicked, you grasp at the flowing gray fabric of his robes. they look as though they are carefreely floating in water, gently sinking down and down despite the two of you being suspended in air. you have not yet reached the bottom of the other side. its as if the two of you are still in the water above, and yet-

"almost home," he says. the statement would normally bring you comfort, but this time, it only leads to your hands frantically scrabbling around his chest, before you hastily fling your arms around his neck, pulling yourself closer to him.

"i- i can feel them," you begin to babble mindlessly, eyes blown wide as you look up at his expression. tartaglia's face begins to contort, smeared in your vision like watercolor pigments haphazardly tossed in a cup of water. despite it all, you can see the worry in his eyes, no matter how unclear they might be. it is a horrid feeling, knowing that he can see your mind slipping out from underneath you.

"wake up," he says, calmly, but there's a faint waver in his voice. "it's okay to wake up. we can see each other some other time."

"i can't," you sob, voice finally cracking as the ceiling of glass above the two of you begins to split. "i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said what i did, i'm sorry."

you feel a hand smooth over your hair, but the soothing attempt proves futile as you feel a drop of water on your forehead.

"it's okay, sweetheart." tartaglia promises, but you can no longer see his lips move. you wonder what expression he wears now.

"everything will be alright," tartaglia has never been one to break a promise, but, for the first time, you doubt the truth of his words. "i promise."

you part your lips to speak, but the glass ceiling above the two of you gives out, thrusting you into darkened waters once more, away from the mysterious savior whose touch felt as familiar as a lover's.

V. GOD OF KNOWLEDGE - alhaitham

you tumble through water until you are washed ashore, tired body sliding gently onto warm white sands. sand grains refuse to cling to your body, even as you push yourself upright and look around. there's a fading sense of loss in your heart, as if you were torn apart from someone you love dearly, but you can't remember their face or their name. perhaps none of it was true and the only truth is found in the overwhelming sense of fear that still clutches at your heart.

perhaps the only truth is this empty beach you now sit on. the land of dreams that you are stuck in fails to generate any seashells or other signs of life. there's an expanse of green that begins where the sands end, but even it lacks detail, as if purposefully designed for you to remain uninterested in it. rather, the waters that you were once so fearful of allure you, since you know there will be no crabs within it to pinch at your toes, and no floating seaweed to imitate a fish slithering by. perhaps it would appear once you thought of it, and the sea creatures are now greedily pinching their claws at the thought of being able to pull you into the depths once more.

the thought of such creatures sends you stumbling away from the tide, feet struggling to navigate the overly soft sands. when you finally reach the grass, you no longer feel tired, and when you turn around, the beach is gone, replaced by a sprawling expanse of even more grass. but this new area is different from the dull one you currently stand in. perhaps, if your eyes do not deceive you, there is a building of glass that is visible only if you squint, prismatic rainbows faintly shimmering while promising a palace of erudition to those who know enough to pass its entrance exam of invisibility.

to others, the entrance may prove to be a difficult find, but you simply know. its a phenomenon you would not be able to explain if prompted, but you know the way to enter the invisible residence. it beckons you as you walk towards it. the overwhelming dread is not enough to hold you back as your hand wraps around the crystalline door handle, a vast pillar of nothingness, and you tug.

the door opens with a heavy groan, as if unused in millennia, and you hurry in. the door slams closed behind you, sealing shut and preventing your unauthorized departure. now inside the invisible structure, you can see the ornate halls that sprawl out endlessly in front of you in woodsy tones. faint accents of green adorn tan, beige, and wooden structures, while wooden flooring is gently coated with the finest of rugs.

instinctively, you take off your shoes. you'd feel awful if you tracked sand into such a beautiful residence. at least your clothes are no longer wet. the crystalline blue outside has long since left your mind, thus leaving your clothes as well. your socked feet pad against the luxurious floors. despite the intricately carved nature of the building you stand in, there is little physical decoration outside of the base appearance of the walls, floors, and windows, but it takes your breath away nonetheless. you know each and every brick and every stone pillar within the vicinity was crafted by hand, even if the hands that created the domain are ones that only reside in your own mind.

you turn to the left. it is where the scent of incense is strongest, and you follow it down the hall, twisting and turning until you reach a set of doors once more. unlike before, however, these doors are wholly visible, crafted of darkened karmaphala wood, with gilded handles that extend the entire length of the door. your hand reaches out to push open the doors, but they begin to open before your hand can make contact with the door.

"this is not a library, so be sure to put everything back exactly where you found it," a voice commands as you enter. you are unsure where it came from, but you care little for finding it as your breath is taken away by the room in front of you.

shaped like a sphere, the room of knowledge before you has bookshelves that cascade up the walls, defying gravity as they curve up and over, still able to hold their books securely despite facing the ground above. golden light filters in through arched windows, impossibly glowing throughout the entire circumference of the room. you wonder if this room has been miraculously thrust into the heavens, but such a thought only reminds you of words you should not have spoken and the dread returns once more.

"you look nervous," the voice asks from just over your shoulder and you jump in place. "normally i don't concern myself with such things, but it is not often that you visit."

your lips part instinctively to apologize, but all words die on your lips as you turn to look at the god beside you. multicolor irises stare at you, piercing right through you as if he can read your thoughts and panic rises within you. his eyes are all-seeing, all-knowing, but his brow furrows in confusion at your shellshocked expression.

"you do not remember me." his words are matter-of-fact. you know that the man before you only ever speaks the truth, but he is wrong. you remember him. you remember him as a puppet of the heavens, as a stone carving of that with which is burdened with divine knowledge. you remember him dying as his mind fractured in two, for even the inorganic cannot comprehend that which was not meant to be witnessed. you remember him as a king driven to madness, whose kingdom and rule have been forgotten by generations. you remember him as...

"alhaitham. scribe of the heavens," he greets you. "you know enough to find my residence, but not enough to acknowledge my place in your memories. how intriguing. perhaps there are things that i have yet to fully understand, but the likely answer for such a phenomenon could simply just be the natural decay of the human lifeform."

you stare at him, blinking once, then twice. your lips part before closing once more, and the scribe looks rather dismayed by your actions. you aren't sure why he almost seems to have anticipated your arrival. it causes dread to rise within you. forbidden words rest within your mouth, turning your tongue into heavy lead, and you find yourself unable to form the words of which you desire. any interest alhaitham might have had in you dies in the presence of your silence as he only sighs.

"all knowledge that humanity could dream of is found on these shelves, so please hesitate before looking for me if you need help. i can assure you that finding the answer yourself is much more rewarding."

there's a dryness to his words that makes you doubt what he's saying, as if he is moments away from a checkmate despite you never having agreed to this game of chess.

"you know what i know," you say, despite the way your mind screams at you to stop speaking.

"i know all that you have said and all that you will say," the god confirms. "i know you like the back of my hand. at this point, it is all simple calculations to know which words will and won't fall from your lips."

"so you know what i should not know," you say slowly. "are you here to reprimand me for it? is that why you summoned me here?"

you memorize the faint sliver of a knowing smirk that appears on his face as he turns away from you.

"i do not enjoy the presence of others. i typically prefer the company of a book. that should be a great enough indicator that i was not the one who summoned you here."

perplexation surges up within you. perhaps at one point you would have understood his words, but in the muddled fogginess of your dreams, you lack the full context to understand what he truly means with his words. your scholarly nature is failing you. this is an exam that you were never told you had to study for, but you manage to muster a haphazard conclusion anyways.

"you're saying i brought myself here?"

"each time you come here, you forget the time we have spent together. you forget your pursuit of understanding why you show up here, but you seek out the answer to your forgotten questions nonetheless," alhaitham says. he walks over to the infinite bookshelves and plucks a book unceremoniously off the shelf. it is purple, with blinding golden binding and trim. the decals on the cover shift in front of you, cycling through a series of glyphs and letters of languages you have never before witnessed.

"you seek your answers in these books that i have written," alhaitham says, and there is a fond wistfulness in his voice, faint enough that you wonder if you imagined it. "but the answer will always be found within yourself."

you open the book, embracing the smell of aged paper that wafts out as it faintly crackles from the slight bend of its spine. the pages are illegible, but as your fingers trace the text, you understand them anyways.

"you finding the answer is inevitable," alhaitham says. a grandfather clock chimes in the center of the room four times as alhaitham pauses, as if expecting its interruption. "the only question is when."

you stare at him in bafflement, confusion warping your expression briefly, before you return to the pages in front of you. they tell a story of a person whom you do not know, but they feel familiar nonetheless.

"knowledge means nothing if there is no action to follow it," alhaitham says. "but by all means, continue fruitlessly seeking your answers."

"you're not going to help?" you ask. "you taunt me with your words, yet you do not extend any form of guidance?"

"i am the god of knowledge, but i never once claimed to be the god of shared knowledge."

the book in your hand weighs heavy as indignation takes over you. the idiot before you wants action? he wants to speak in mocking, faux platitudes as he weaves riddles around you in unclear words? doesn't he prefer to keep to himself? shouldn't he know to keep to himself?

uncharacteristic anger boils within you, rising up your throat as you snap the book close. the god turns to look at you once more, thoroughly unimpressed with your existence.

"you... you..." you sputter, and the god of knowledge looks at you unimpressed.

"irrational as always," he says. "letting a feeble scholar like me twist your mind into anger because you are unable to reach a conclusion on your ow-"

the scribe's words fall silent as you rear your arm back, hurling the book in your hand as hard as you can at him. but, just as the corner of the spine makes impact with his cheek, the dream shatters, and with it, all of your knowledge does as well, sending you spiraling into nothingness.

VI. GOD OF JUDGEMENT - cyno

"stand up. anger does not suit you," a voice above you says as you blearily open your eyes. confusion washes over you as you find yourself not in your room, but instead on desert sands, baking slowly to a crisp in the harsh sunlight. you squint as you look up, putting a hand over your eyes to filter out the light. carefully, the man standing over you adjusts his position so that his shadow casts itself over your eyes.

"oh gods," you groan at the sight of another godly figure. "not another."

despite your wretched complaint, the god's intimidating features soften as an amused chuckle escapes his lips.

"i think i know exactly who you were with before me," he extends a hand towards you, helping you up as the other adjusts his hat. "but shed your contempt for the gods, at least for this moment. it weighs down your soul."

as you stand up, you finally meet the god's rubied eyes, which threaten to disappear from view as desert winds ruffle his white hair. his features are sharp, as if perfectly crafted to be ever watchful. there is something threatening about his appearance, but you find comfort in his inherent vigilance. despite the polearm that is sheathed against his back, the god before you does not strike fear into your heart.

"interesting," the god notes. "normally, i have to crack a few jokes before you are this at ease. has my appearance gone soft?"

"perhaps my heart has just gone light," you say. "i am certain the scales of judgement will tip in my favor."

a dry laugh escapes the mahamatra's lips. "it is not yet time for your judgement."

"ah?" you say, tongue far lighter than it should be in the presence of the god who strikes fear into the hearts of those who stand before him. "slacking on your duties to be here in this moment, then?"

"judgement is not something that can be rushed, and one who dedicates themselves solely to their duties will lose sight of proper judgement where it matters most. rather, i-"

"take it easy, cyno," you say softly. "i was just joking."

the god of judgement's gaze widens as you speak his name, and a gentle smile splits across his fierce features. you've never met the man before this moment, but you know him far too well, enough to spout off what his favorite jokes are and exactly when he'll make them.

"you remember my name," cyno whispers, and the bated breath of anticipation that escapes his lungs twists your heart into fluttering somersaults. "maybe this is my dream after all."

you feel your cheeks warm at his words, and you are thankful for the way the summer sun hides your flustered state under the guise of sweat. nervously, you glance away. you do not know this man, but your soul does, and it does not remember him being so forward with his words.

"i must apologize," you say, earlier conversations with the other, less agreeable gods forgotten in the presence of the man who will one day decide your heavenly fate. "that is all i can say i remember."

your gaze shifts from his as you look downwards, but cyno pays your dismay no mind as he shrugs his shoulders.

"you remember me well enough to place us both within the desert. you've never been fond of the heat, but you know i am," the god says, seriousness lacing his words. "perhaps we can go somewhere more agreeable for the both of us."

"would you not like to stay in the desert?" you ask. "the sun is uncomfortable, but it is not scorching."

a rumble in the distance interrupts the both of you, and you turn to look at the sound. a wry smile crosses cyno's expression at the sight of the sandstorm in the distance. within the cloud of sand that quickly approaches, lightning races between individual grains of sand, promising danger. as you watch, enchanted by the dangerous sight, cyno's hand wraps itself around your wrist. the soft scrape of the edge of his gloves draws your attention back to him, but the mirth stored within his expression has long since left.

"close your eyes," cyno gently orders and you oblige. "concentrate on somewhere else. anywhere you want, otherwise the dream will shatter."

you heed his words as a gust of wind breezes past the two of you, ruffling the fabric of your clothes. but, the wind fades as quickly as it came, and you open your eyes to a familiar sight. you have never been here before, at least not in your current sense. it does not exist in the waking world, but a sense of deja vu washes over you. you've been here before, but you also haven't.

"puspa cafe," cyno murmurs. "quite fascinating that you choose to revisit this time and world of all places."

"is there something wrong with it?" you ask, suddenly worried about how he may judge you for such a choice. "i... don't recognize it. i do, but i don't."

"when you pick places like this," cyno says. "it means our time is limited together. it must nearly be sunrise for you."

confusion coats your mind like a sticky syrup. sunrise? end of your time together? what does he mean? your awareness of your situation muddles even further as the two of you sit down at one of the cafe tables. this is how it's always been for the two of you. this is puspa cafe, in the middle of sumeru city. cyno has just returned from one of his missions as the general mahamatra, just after being reinstated, and you invited him to meet you here.

typically, there are others that show up with the two of you, but you can't remember their faces. instead, your mind fixates on cyno. it is as if your mind is occupied by other things, only able to consciously focus on one person at a time. this is how it's always been. what is he talking about?

"sunrise?" you ask. "but, look out the window, it's daytime, cyno. we agreed to meet here yesterday. don't tell me you're bailing now."

the corners of cyno's lips twitch. "of course not. what did we agree to speak of here, again?"

you look up at him, baffled by his sudden lack of memory. his piercing gaze flits over your face, as if grappling to understand the situation. it fills you with an odd sense of sadness. has the time away from sumeru city really scattered his thoughts this badly?

"you wanted to show me your new tcg deck. you picked up some new cards in mondstadt, right?" you ask and cyno nods slowly, as if finally catching up to speed.

"mondstadt. i see."

"yeah?" you ask, smiling wide at him. your ignorance has consumed you, now blissfully unaware of the past moments in your dream with him. moments of lucidity are all too rare for you, and cyno knows this well. one day, your paths will cross outside of the limitations of your dreams, but for now, cyno must abide by their rules, no matter how much he wishes to follow his own code of internal judgement and belief.

not wanting you to awake by insisting on your awareness of the dream, cyno pulls out his familiar deck of cards, with several new and shiny cards. each character card has a warped face, as you cannot remember this moment you once lived. but cyno remembers it precisely, despite not yet having achieved godliness. he feels utterly human, but even so, you are still out of reach.

"you don't just see, cyno," you say, a mischevious giggle escaping your lips. "you t-see-g. get it? tcg?"

the pun is almost as bad as the jokes he makes, and cyno groans at your joke. carefully, you take some of his newest tcg cards in your hand, gently inspecting the intricate art on each card.

"um, i know you just got back to sumeru and all that," you say, unable to make eye contact with him as you look at the drawing of blonde hair of the acting grand master of mondstadt before you. "but would you want to meet up again tomorrow? i can shift some stuff around and make it work, but if you want to see your other friends first, that's ok! i can wait."

cyno remembers this conversation. he remembers how he brushed you off at first, unaware of the dividing fates that would consume the both of you whole the next day. cyno would fall victim to the mausoleum of king deshret, in which he was sent there on a rushed expedition by the akademiya grand sages, and you would fall victim to the greed of misguided eremites. he remembers the human bitterness of regret, something he hasn't felt in a long time.

so, he indulges your dreams and you feel your heart flutter as he does so.

"bring your deck and we can play a tcg matchup," cyno says. "you always were my best rival."

the smile that spreads across your face is more radiant than the desert sun, and the edges of your vision wobble as you look at cyno. a faint blush rises to his cheeks, and just as you notice his slightly flustered state, your dream melts into the sand.

your eyes flutter open. the dull gray ceiling of your apartment is a stark contrast to the bright colors of what you were dreaming of. the air still smells of freshly roasted coffee, but as you try to pinpoint why the aroma is so familiar, it fades. instead, you smell the familiar scent of your bedroom's air freshener as you attempt to hold onto the fleeting scenes of your dream, only to watch as the memories of what never was slip through your fingers like sand.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #cyno x reader #alhaitham x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin impact fluff #axia.writing #writing.mythos #writing.cyno #writing.alhaitham #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

prompt: sleeping with a plushie he won for you at a festival + childe pairing: childe x gn!reader cw: childe. he also picks u up in this fic. a/n: WOOOOO this was fun 2 write he's so cute i love him... he's like a lil golden retriever except with a penchant for murder

the last time you and childe had been together, just before he left for liyue, the harbinger had taken you around the snezhnayan capital's yearly winter festival. whenever winter begins, festivals pop up around the country in hopes of ushering good faith and spirits to support snezhnayans through the harsh winter that is about to occur. while not exactly necessary anymore now that technology and architecture have improved, the festivals remain as a longstanding tradition that snezhnayans are all too happy to indulge in.

as for childe, he enjoys the festival as a chance to show off. you knew him well and made him pinky promise not to win you any plushies unless you asked for one. otherwise, the two of you (and any unfortunate fatui recruits that childe spotted on their day off) would be forced to carry around countless jumbo stuffed animals that childe won from a variety of different contests. however, you stopped your tracks at the sight of one specific plush, before tugging gently on childe's hand and pointing at it.

above the stall sat the grand prize plush: an oversized blue narwhal over half your height tall. childe had simply grinned devilishly at you and, five hundred mora and fifteen minutes later, the plush was yours after childe effortlessly knocked down bottle after bottle by chucking the given baseballs at them. the stall keeper had begrudgingly handed over the grand prize after childe hit a pyramid of them so hard that the bottles nearly shattered. thus, the two of you had left with the addition of a narwhal.

childe had left for liyue not long after and you had moved into a cozy little apartment. when you had whined over a letter how you didn't own a kamera to send him pictures of it, childe had shipped you one with no note inside but a smiley face, to which you promptly yelled at him for wasting his money in his next letter. he didn't have the heart to tell you that he used the tsaritsa's money for it, but he reaped his reward of sending you the kamera not long after. pictures of your decorated apartment arrived at his doorstep in liyue, including a picture of your bed with the narwhal plush on top and a note saying that the stuffed animal had taken his place in his absence.

childe, of course, had let out a light laugh at the image. but now, as he returns back to snezhnaya and enters the apartment you had so graciously gifted him a key to, saying that half of it was his as well, childe arrives back only to see your words are true. it’s childe’s worst nightmare: you sleeping with another creature in your bed? the friendly smile of the narwhal peeks out as you hug it close and the beady eyes taunt childe. you snore away peacefully, unaware of the silent war that has erupted between your returned lover and the plush entity wrapped up in your arms. however, childe’s annoyed demeanor softens as he watches your breathing as you sleep. deciding that waiting any longer would become creepy, childe takes a step back out of your doorway, closes the bedroom door, and noisily opens it once more, causing your eyes to snap open on alarm.

however, upon recognizing your lover, you immediately let go of the plush and let out an excited squeal, despite your sleep deprived state. it’s been over a year since you’ve seen him in person and now, he stands before you. an infectious grin spreads across his face as you clamber out of bed and throw yourself into his arms.

“ajax!” you greet excitedly, burying your face into his coat. “i didn’t know you were returning early!”

childe laughs as he hugs you close. “i kept it a surprise, sweetheart. of course, i didn’t expect to come back and see you sleeping with another man.”

his words are teasing, but you pull back and look at him with a confused expression anyways. you glance back at the bed and back at childe, only to understand what he’s saying when you see him playfully glaring at the narwhal.

“oh yeah?” you challenge, immediately falling in line with childe despite the time apart. “the narwhal’s a better cuddler than you.”

childe gasps in indignation at your words before hugging you closer.

“no it’s not!” he cries and you decide to tease him even further.

“says who? you? shouldn’t i be the judge of that?” you tease and childe pouts before a sly grin crosses his face.

“maybe it’s just been so long that you’ve forgotten,” he suggests. “i guess it’s time to remind you who the better cuddler is.”

you recognize that tone of voice he has. it’s mischievous and distinctly childe. but, before you can tell him to stop whatever antics he has planned, childe sweeps an arm underneath your legs before hauling you back over to the bed bridal-style and unceremoniously dropping you on top of the covers. hastily, he shrugs off his jacket before flopping down next to you, laughing as you squeal as he crawls on top of you, pulling you in for a bear hug.

childe pauses in his efforts before looking at the narwhal plush. it sits on the edge of the bed, smiling away without a care in the world or a single thought behind his eyes. pointedly, childe kicks it off the bed, causing you to gasp.

“there can only be one.” childe grumbles before sealing his lips against yours in a kiss, silencing any possible complaints. you laugh into the kiss before wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him in closer.

you were definitely going to make childe pick up the narwhal plush later, but for now, you would cherish your time with him, especially as he holds you so tenderly in a desperate attempt to make up for lost time.

#childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #childe fluff #genshin impact fluff #childe #genshin impact #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

"you know, i think my parents would be proud if i brought you home" with childe?

pairing: childe x gn!reader

the snow that lines the streets of mondstadt is a peculiar sight, but not too rare to set the town into a frenzy. beside you walks childe, the newest resident at the fatui-occupied goth hotel and your long-term lover. after the hectic nature of his assignment in liyue, both the two of you were surprised when childe was assigned to mondstadt as his newest area to patrol. with the stormterror threat eliminated and a gnosis-less archon, mondstadt poses little significance to the fatui’s plans. however, the two of you know better than the question the tsaritsa’s assignment, nor the blessing of her pairing the two of you together.

childe navigates the snow with ease but you, despite being fatui as well, are not a snezhnayan native. your lover is smart enough to recognize this and holds your hand tightly, ready to catch you if you slip alongside him. he laughs as he clutches your hand tightly and tells you stories of snezhnaya. you’re fairly sure he’s bluffing about the way the snow piles up so high that they can’t leave their houses, but you don’t know enough about his home of morepesok to call him out for his lies. he sways your hands back and forth as the two of you walk through the snow-powdered fields of mondstadt, now outside of the boundaries of the city.

“in snezhnaya, we have these fearsome snowbeasts that are taller than any building in mondstadt. they’re harmless, but they like to take humans and eat their shoes-“ childe begins until you playfully bump your shoulder into his own, sending him an accusatory look.

“now i know you’re lying to me,” you say and childe holds up his free hand up in surrender, chuckling at your faux outraged expression at your lover’s teasing. “be honest, what’s really in snezhnaya?”

“my family.” childe says almost immediately. his expression softens at the thought of them and you look at him expectantly.

“you talk about your siblings a lot.” you nod and childe smiles wistfully as he glances at the snowy atmosphere before him. you give him a reassuring squeeze to his hand. it doesn’t take a genius to know that he longs for home.

“my parents are there too. they miss me, i can tell from the letters we exchange,” childe says with a soft laugh. “i talk about you in them, y’know.”

“really?” you ask, although there’s not much surprise in your voice. after how long the two of you have been together, you’re not surprised that childe talks about you to his family. you wonder if he talks about you to his family as much as he talks about his family to you. “hopefully only good things.”

childe laughs, before looking at you with a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.

“i don’t think i could think of a single bad thing to say at you if i tried,” he says honestly, before clearing his throat, as if he wants to change the subject from his sincerity. you feel your own face increase in temperature in response, despite the cold that surrounds the two of you.

“you know,” he begins, glancing away from you and holding onto your hand just a bit tighter as the two of you walk. “i think my parents would be proud if i brought you home.”

“oh?” you ask, unable to contain your smile at his kind words. “are you inviting me to meet them?”

“well, if you’re ever summoned to snezhnaya, i think they’ll demand that i bring you home. they’re practically begging for me to bring you to visit already.” childe chuckles, glancing over at you with adoration in his eyes.

“but-“ he says before cutting himself off, causing you to tilt your head and narrow your eyes at him.

“‘but’?” you echo his words, urging him to continue. childe swallows deeply before letting out a nervous laugh.

“i’m fairly sure my mom would propose to you on my behalf if i haven’t done it by then,” childe confesses, causing you to burst out in laughter. “i’ve never seen my mother beg for anything, but i think she’s frothing at the mouth to adopt you as her newest in-law based solely off the way i talk about you.”

“so, why haven’t you proposed then?” you tease, but your lover stops in his tracks as his face blooms into full hues of scarlet. his mouth parts slightly as he stares at you with wide eyes and you’re half-tempted to kiss him out of his stupor, but your interest in his response prevents you from doing so.

“um- i- um-“ he stammers, clearly flustered. “i-.”

his hand fumbles to the hidden breast pocket of his uniform, slipping underneath the fabric to fish for something. his gloved hand pulls out a small object and his other hand falls from your own. with wide eyes, you watch as your lover kneels down on one knee in the snow, holding up the mystery object in his hand to you. your breath catches in your throat as the object gleams in the sunlight. a ring. tears prick at the corners of your eyes and you struggle to maintain your breathing as childe begins to speak.

“this uh... this wasn’t as romantic as i wanted it to be, but will y-“ he begins, but before he can finish, you instinctively interrupt him, throwing your arms around his neck and barreling into him, toppling the two of you into the snow.

“yes!” you nearly shriek as you pepper his face in kisses. “a thousand times yes!”

childe bursts out into laughter as you smother him in affection despite the thin layer of snow that now coats the two of you. his lips melt into yours and you forget about the world as you kiss him, only to be interrupted by him pulling away and grinning at you mischievously.

“you didn’t even let me finish,” he pouts slightly, yet his eyes gleam with excitement and his words are far, far too happy to hold any serious grievances within them.

“my answer would still be the same,” you say as childe’s hands rest on your waist as you look down at him in the snow. his eyes widen in panic as he quickly gestures for the two of you to sit up and he looks around wildly.

“uh, time for our first date as an engaged couple,” he says nervously as his eyes scan the snow. you tilt your head in confusion, baffled by his sudden change in demeanor. “we have to find the ring i dropped in the snow.”

#i got... carried away #childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #//mail #mail.childe #writing.childe #axia.writing

[favoniuscodex]

hello axia, may I have "i am yours. no refunds." for childe? Thank you so much I love your works dslkhkfhgkdjfne

pairing: childe x gn!reader cw: hurt/comfort a/n: a few people requested this one and all of you were very polite! thank you for the support, i hope you like this fic <3

childe's arrival back to your shared apartment is unceremonious. he swings open the door and, rather than the typical look of glee and flirty remark that he gives you, his lips are pressed into a firm line and his eyebrows are creased with exhaustion. you, in the kitchen, greet your lover, but upon no response, you curiously peek your head out to look at him.

"what? no greeting hug?" you tease, yet concern still makes its way into your tone at the sight of your lover who looks utterly defeated. he musters a weary smile, but it quickly disappears off of his face.

"ah, not today," he says tiredly. he walks about halfway to you before pausing, shoulders sagging.

being a harbinger certainly isn't easy, but you've never seen work bring him this down. hell, he even forgot to take his shoes off by the front door, but with the state he's in, you can't bring yourself to chastise him. instead, you put what you were working on down and exit the kitchen, closing the distance between the two of you and walking over to him.

"did work go alri-" you begin to ask, but childe knocks the breath out of you by pulling you into a close hug. his arms wrap around you desperately as he leans over to bury his face in the crook of your neck. childe breathes you in with a heavy sigh. the scent of industrial-strength soap invades your nostrils. for as much as childe complains about the fatui showers, you know it must have been a rough day for him to willingly scrub himself clean in one, rather than waiting until he got to the comfort of your home.

childe remains silent as he holds you close. his calloused fingertips press themselves gently into your back and you wrap your arms around him in return, gently tracing patterns into the familiar fabric of his uniform jacket.

"are you injured?" you ask softly, breaking the silence.

"no," childe murmurs. "i just missed you."

"i'm right here," you reassure, lifting your hands up to the back of his hair and running your fingers through it. "and i certainly don't plan on going anywhere.

"you promise?" he asks. his voice is small. you hum lightly in response.

"of course, darling. i don't plan on going anywhere. i'm yours, no refunds."

at your words, childe hugs you just a bit tighter, before pressing the gentlest of kisses to your neck. you let him hold you close before carefully prying yourself out of his grip. he looks at you with wide eyes, yet his shoulders seem to stand just a bit taller. you smile at him and take his hand in your own.

"c'mon, i made dinner. we can eat together this time!" you say excitedly and you watch childe's expression perk up a bit at your words as you guide him into the kitchen. his hand clutches your own earnestly and, as a simple reassurance, you squeeze his hand in response. sometimes, the simplest of solutions are best provided in the silence that falls between the two of you as you take care of him, knowing full and well that he would do the same should you ever need it.

#childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

reverse au scenarios [ diluc, childe, scaramouche, xiao ]

prompt: in which you're the popular one and the genshin character is nothing to you but a fan of your work, but hey, he can dream, right? characters: diluc, childe, scara, xiao w/ a gn!reader a/n: each guy is a different au ;;; technically a modern au! :D omg i had to cut myself off on diluc's part i think its such a cute idea. might do a pt. 2 with some other characters but no guarantees

diluc

-> you're a painter and diluc cannot get enough of your work.

diluc takes a liking to your work when he arrives at the newest local museum art exhibition. born into a high-class family of wealth and prestige, diluc's father was determined to instill a love of the arts within his only son. it worked and, even shortly after his father's death, he finds himself wandering down the sleek halls of his favorite hometown city museum, navigating through the crowds of people who arrived to view your art.

as one of the youngest artists to actually obtain their own exhibition in one of the nation's most prestigious art museums, the arrival of your artwork to the museum's walls has drawn the attention of many, including diluc. he knows little about you, yet the moment he stands before one of your pieces of work, he feels transported to another world. it isn't until he feels the presence of someone looking at him with curiosity that he snaps out of his daze.

"do you like the artwork?" they ask with a tilt of their head. "you look as if you've seen a ghost."

"it... speaks to me," diluc says softly, eyes flickering between the intruder and the art.

"oh? pray tell, what exactly lures you in with this piece?" they ask with a smile and, much to his own surprise, diluc finds himself drawn in by the person in the same manner that the painting does. a sadness sparks in his heart as a third person interrupts his conversation, but when he hears the name of his talking partner fall off the third person's lips, he realizes that he has been speaking with you all this time. heat flushes to his cheeks, but before he can say anything else, you're whisked away to another part of the exhibit, flashing diluc an apologetic smile and wave.

as his heart beats rapidly in his chest, diluc makes an impulse decision to buy the painting before him from the temporary exhibit. when his heart (and the plethora of money in his wallet) lead him to buy more artwork, diluc doesn't mind spending the money. after all, that short conversation with you sparked a flame of interest in diluc. he only hopes that he can see you again, but he also isn't quite sure how to approach you when the walls of his home are adorned with some of your best pieces of artwork.

childe

-> you're an athlete and childe can't help but want to be just like you.

a notification lights up the screen of childe's phone, announcing that you have just won the national championship of your favorite sport. however, childe pays it no mind, eyes fixed solely to the screen before him as he watches you step onto the podium, a bright smile on your face. childe can't help but mimic it as a wide grin breaks out across his face, before being interrupted by the whines of his younger brother.

"i wanna watch cartoons, this is boring." teucer whines and usually childe indulges him, but not today, not when you're competing. tonia seems to understand this and thwacks her complaining brother in the head and tells him to shut up. teucer sulks away, but childe pays him no mind, instead focusing on the way you hop off the podium and walk over to the interviewers.

you and childe compete in the same sport. his ambition to get better is fueled in part by you, his absolute idol, who has never given up in the face of any struggles that might have come their way. if he has a poster of you right next to his bed, that's nobody's business. he might have bought a box of cereal just because your face was on it and he might have begrudgingly ate it, but childe won't say he's obsessed with you. he likes you a perfectly healthy amount, even if his siblings disagree.

maybe one day childe will get the chance to compete against you and show you what he's got, but for now, he's more than happy to see you get your rightful trophies and top every podium as you sweep the competition before you. one day, you'll meet, childe tells himself, interlocking his pinkies. after all, he's never broken a pinkie promise before.

xiao

-> you're a singer on youtube and xiao finds peace in your voice.

with a heart burdened by the various contracts he's taken on over the years underneath his boss, zhongli, xiao's free time is spent looking for something to distract him from the everlasting fatigue that seems to plague his bones. he just... doesn't expect it to come when he's swiping through tiktok mindlessly, absolutely baffled by half the videos that come his way. however, the sheer calmness of a video that pops up on his feed causes him to pause in his incessant scrolling.

you appear on his screen, softly crooning the words to an old love song and gently strumming a guitar. your voice is timeless and the comments praise your ability, yet xiao is... stunned. the video loops at least three times before he finally snaps out of it and moves to your profile, clicking on the link to your youtube page where you actively post. he watches your covers and original songs and xiao feels as if he's been tucked in with a warm blanket and an affectionate kiss to the forehead.

xiao falls asleep with your videos on a loop and nearly panics when he awakens to the sound of your voice still singing the next morning, but calms when he realizes it's just you, as if the two of you are long-term friends. he lets out a relieved sigh before realizing just how weird that is. so, like any normal person, he subscribes to your patreon, downloads your music, and blasts it on the way to work as well. as soon as he's able to use headphones at work, he's playing your music as well.

when spotify notifies him at the end of the year that he's in the top 0.05% of your fans worldwide, xiao realizes he might have a problem. but, a notification pops up announcing your newest concert tour date situated right in his city, and xiao realizes his personal crisis can be dealt with later. for now, he's ready to fight for one of the limited meet and greet tickets so he can tell you just how much he enjoys your work.

scaramouche

-> you are an anime character and scaramouche's darkest secret.

when asked if he likes anime, scaramouche rolls his eyes and scoffs. how could he ever like those childish cartoons? do people really think so lowly of him as to be a fan of drawings? he's awfully haughty in his egotistical responses to people, especially when his time spent off work is watching anime. not just any anime, but his favorite show: a little romance show, in which you're the main love interest and he watches the protagonist hopelessly scramble after you.

scaramouche adores your laugh and the way you feel like a breath of fresh air in terms of characterization. while the protagonist bothers him greatly, he agrees with them on their affection towards you. after all, who wouldn't fall in love with you? you're so lovely and intricately crafted that scaramouche can only wish that you were real. he fills the y/n-shaped void in his heart with a plethora of his merch.

the only people that know of his obsession with you are scaramouche himself and the poor bank associate that called him to verify that it was scaramouche who was spending $600 on imported merchandise of an anime character. figurines of you litter scaramouche's bookshelves and posters surround his computer workstation. when other people come over to his house, scaramouche locks the door to his bedroom, especially when it's his coworkers.

much to his demise, scara's secrecy towards you comes crumbling down one day when he leaves his personal phone out on his desk with its screen facing upwards. tartaglia, the coworker he loathes most, traipses over to scara's desk, paperwork in hand.

"hey, i had a quest-" tartaglia begins, yet is cut off by the ding of scaramouche's personal phone receiving a notification. his eyes wander over to the screen and tartaglia's eyes widen as he sees your face on scaramouche's screen.

"i'll do all of your work for a week if you never speak of this again," scaramouche blurts out as he fumbles for his phone. tartaglia's eyebrows raise before a smug smirk breaks out across his face.

"sure!" tartaglia agrees far too happily and scaramouche worries that this will almost certainly not be the last scaramouche hears of this incident, especially since he's spoken down to tartaglia before for watching the same exact show you star in.

#genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #childe x reader #scaramouche x reader #xiao x reader #genshin impact fluff #axia.writing #writing.diluc #writing.childe #writing.scara #writing.xiao

[favoniuscodex]

cooking with them [ genshin x gn!reader ]

prompt: what its like to cook with them!

characters: diluc, kaeya, childe, thoma, ganyu, amber, rosaria w/ a gn! reader

warnings: nothing severe. mentions of parenting in childe's section.

a/n: still learning how to write for the girls,,, pls be easy with me, first time writing for most of the girls listed. i'll be returning to hiatus after this is posted c: amber being bad at cooking comes from her specialty dish description <3

-> diluc ragnvindr

diluc is far more experienced in culinary efforts than he lets on. he first reveals such talents to you as he stands in the kitchen with the white sleeves rolled up, chopping away at an onion with the speed and precision of an expert chef. the pasta bubbles away, heated by the fire that the pot rests upon, and the room is quiet apart from the boiling water and the rhythmic sound of diluc's knife hitting the cutting board. feeling your gaze on him, diluc's furrowed brow softens as he sets the knife to the side and looks up at you.

"is something the matter?" he asks, snapping you out of your confused trance.

"i... didn't know you could cook like this. if i were in your shoes, i'd have no idea where to start without a cookbook." you say softly, voice filled with respect and awe. at your reverent tone, diluc's cheeks flush with a faint rosy tint.

"it's nothing special," diluc says. "i merely learned to help improve the menu of the tavern."

despite his dismissive words, a small smile sits on diluc's face as he continues on with chopping up the required vegetables, clearly enthused by your praise.

-> kaeya alberich

an evening spent cooking with kaeya is filled with smooth music filling the air. butter and garlic sizzle in a pan over low heat and kaeya uses the opportunity to snake his arms around your waist and hum along to the melody. he sways in place with you, grinning ear to ear as you finally set your knife down and turn around to face him.

instinctively, you lean into him, even if a pout rests on your face.

"the philanemo mushrooms won't cut themselves," you huff and kaeya presses his lips against the tip of your nose in a quick kiss.

"ah, does that mean my sweet lover is picking a fungus over me?" kaeya's words are filled with faux-hurt. you narrow your eyes accusatorily at him, yet you loop your arms around his neck nonetheless.

"fine. one dance, alberich," you say. kaeya hums happily at your agreement.

"i wouldn't dare dream of holding onto you for any longer, darling," he teases, but you both know better.

one dance turns into two, two dances turns into four, and four dances around the kitchen in the candlelight results in the two of you having to replace the now-burnt garlic and butter on the stovetop and start all over again, but neither of you would have dared to do anything differently.

-> childe

childe has a wide range of meals that he knows how to make. unfortunately, they're geared towards kids. you understand why his siblings cling to his side as he shapes the pancake batter on the skillet into a smiley face, rather than going with bland, typical ovals. he gestures for you to sit as he finishes up, humming softly to himself before turning and plating the pancakes.

"everything look good?" he asks, pushing the platter of smiling pancakes in your direction. on another plate next to you, various pieces of fruit are cut up, including strawberries cut into the shape of hearts. sunsettia chunks are cut into the shapes of stars next to them. on childe's own plate, two sunny-side up eggs form the eyes and two slices of turkey bacon form the mouth.

you nod and childe sits down happily across from you, not bothering to take off his own apron. he pauses before digging into his own plate as you stare down at your own, expression unreadable.

"is everything alright?" he asks once more. you look up at him calmly.

"let me guess: you're ready to have kids together?" you ask and childe's fork nearly falls out of his hand at your words. instantly, his face turns beet red and his gaze averts from your own.

"how'd you know?" he stammers and you poke at the face of the pancake with a fork.

"just a guess," you laugh as childe attempts to recollect his composure.

-> thoma

thoma speaks with softness as he stands behind you, hand gently wrapping around your own as he guides you through cutting vegetables. his presence is warm as he stands directly behind you and you feel guilty. sure, you had pretended to not know how to cut a vegetable to flirt with him, but it was working so well that you couldn't help but feel bad.

"and so if you chop it like this," he says, putting his other hand over your free hand and moving it atop the carrot. "and leave this hand here while keeping your knife low, you won't accidentally cut your hand and it helps prevent pieces from flying away."

you shiver as his warm breath of his whispers hit the shell of your ear and thoma laughs softly in response.

"nervous?" thoma asks in a low voice, even though the two of you know that you're anything but. "don't worry, i'll be here to help as long as you need me."

you only hope that you don't melt into a puddle underneath his touch before the two of you can leave the planned soup to cook atop the fire.

-> ganyu

ganyu chews gently and thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she watches you wash the rice for the meal. you softly hum along to a familiar liyuean melody that ganyu has heard hundreds of times, yet she thinks that your improvised melody of it is her favorite rendition. nonetheless, her attention is focused on something else this time.

your back turns to her as you huff with annoyance, getting ready to dump out the dirty water to wash the rice once more. for once, she doesn't offer to help and instead eyes the table of pre-cut ingredients. quietly, she shuffles over as you busy yourself with pouring fresh water into the bowl of rice in hopes that this time, it will be clean.

ganyu reaches out a hand towards the ingredients, fingers wrapping around the familiar, tantalizing blossoms of qingxin flowers. before she can pop it in her mouth and munch away on one of her favorite treats, your posture stiffens and ganyu knows she's been caught. she freezes in place as you look over your shoulder at her.

"ganyu," you croon sweetly. "whatcha doing?"

both of you know exactly what she's doing.

"there's additional qingxin in the pantry. you can wash some of that and eat it instead if you want it as a snack," you say, voice far softer. a smile spreads across your face as ganyu's expression lights up, but she shakes her head and her expression turns serious.

"i should help you first. is there anything else i can assist you with in dinner preparation?" she asks and you giggle.

"just sit back and look pretty, sweetheart," you say, knowing exactly how such flirtatious words will affect her and cause her cheeks to turn red.

-> amber

"oh, oh!" amber says excitedly as she peers over your shoulder. "you're making steak for me? don't worry, i know how to make it! you just sit back and relax!"

you know that amber has a special steak recipe, which is exactly why you're choosing to cook it for her. last time she made steak for the two of you, you had desperately tried to find an edible bite, much to no avail. you love amber, but you also love an edible meal. and so, you smile sweetly at her.

"don't worry! i got this, amber!" you grin enthusiastically at her. "how about you make the mashed potatoes to go with it?"

amber pauses. "are you sure?"

you nod excitedly. "yeah! mashed potatoes are really easy! i'm sure you'll do great, sweetheart!"

after amber finishes cooking, she rewards you with what can be described as nearly-liquified potatoes. with a consistency only slightly thicker than milk, the mashed potatoes are more equivalent to a soupy porridge than a substantial side. however, your girlfriend smiles at you so widely that you can't help but eat a spoonful of it anyways, even if you end up spitting it out when she's not looking.

-> rosaria

rosaria rests her head on your shoulder, looking at the dish you're currently mixing away at. the warmth is comfortable, albeit a bit peculiar due to the cryo vision that rests on her figure. its a familiar feeling at this point, telling you to let your guard down because you know that rosaria is around to protect you.

"i usually don't bother with this type of thing," rosaria muses, breaking the silence. "but you are rather interesting to watch work."

"sister rosaria finding me interesting? i'm truly honored," you tease. "is that why you're here with me instead of at the bar?"

rosaria scoffs before turning her head to place a gentle kiss against your jaw.

"we could have gone together," she tries, but you wave her off with your free hand.

"babe, when's the last time you even had a home-cooked meal?" you ask, knowing rosaria's tendency to eat out rather than take proper care of herself. she falls quiet at your words, instead wrapping her arms around your waist a bit tighter.

"exactly," you say, taking her silence as proof of the point you're trying to make. "now, you can either help by measuring out the rest of the ingredients or you can let me do the rest, but i won't be going out tonight."

rosaria's hands fall from your waist and she reaches for a measuring cup.

"that's alright," she says softly. "for now, right by your side is exactly where i want to be."

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #childe x reader #thoma x reader #rosaria x reader #amber x reader #ganyu x reader #axia.writing #writing.diluc #writing.kaeya #writing.childe #writing.thoma #writing.women #writing.rosaria #writing.amber #writing.ganyu

[favoniuscodex]

How do you think Childe would react to his s/o liking Taroumaru more than him?

“coming to inazuma was a mistake,” childe grumbles, lurking just a few feet behind you as you stand directly in front of the counter. your fingers scratch behind the ears of the shiba inu on front of you, giggles escaping you as taroumaru leans into your touch, tongue lolling out of his mouth happily. thoma, your tour guide, bites back a laugh at the harbinger’s embittered words. childe glowers at the sight before him, arms folded tightly across his chest, yet you and taroumaru remain oblivious to the aura of death that radiates off him.

“who’s a good boy?” you coo in a baby voice to the dog in front of you. “you are! yes you are! the cutest, goodest boy ever! working so hard to manage the teahouse! you’re so cute!”

the loud thumping of taroumaru’s wagging tail reverberates through the lobby of the teahouse as your hands roam over the head and under the chin of the shiba inu. he lets out a soft bark in acknowledgement, almost as if he understands your words, yet you pay it no mind. with such soft fur, taroumaru is nearly irresistible and your boyfriend is long since forgotten.

“i’m supposed to be y/n’s good boy.” childe grumbles petulantly, finally evoking a laugh out of thoma. thoma claps a hand on childe’s shoulder, nodding understandingly.

“we all lose to taroumaru. you get used to it.” thoma comforts, yet childe only sulks further at the inazuman’s words. stupid, dumb, and (begrudgingly) cute dog. childe would have to challenge the dog to a battle for your heart one day, but for now, he supposes that taroumaru can receive your affection.

#childe’s dumb for getting jealous of a dog but we all have our moments ig #//mail #mail.childe #childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #writing.childe #genshin spoilers

[favoniuscodex]

HONEY IM HOME + CHILDE aaaaa I know it’d be so soft

Feel free to ignore this request or the Kaeya one I sent, make sure to take care of yourself ( ^ω^ )

prompt: 'honey i'm home' + childe x gn!reader warnings: uhhh there are Faintest Implications of/Jokes about Adult Activities at certain parts a/n: this came out kinda ehhhh but i hope u enjoy it anyways :3

the snowfall outside is quiet.

of course, it always is. snow arrives and departs stealthily, even if its presence is hard to ignore once it coats the ground. yet, the absence of noise echoes loudly in your heart. it's quiet outside, just like it is in the inside of your snezhnayan cabin. the snow piles up outside and you, sitting next to the crackling hearth inside of your cozy cottage, feel completely and utterly alone. it's still difficult for even the highest ranking mages to predict when the next snowstorm would hit snezhnaya. with little family left in the country, if this storm would have been predicted, you would have gone to stay with your lover's family.

instead, you are alone. it is silent apart from the uneasy bubbling of the stew beginning to boil atop the hearth's flames. maybe the next time you get a chance to mail send a piece of mail to ajax, you'll ask him for one of those fancy new fontaine phonographs. having some soft music crooning at you would make these snowy days feel a lot less lonesome, even if the amount of people you're with isn't actually changing.

at the thought of music, you stand up, reminded of a gift childe brought back to you the last time he visited mondstadt. you make the short trek to your bedroom quietly, footsteps muffled by the thick wool socks that surround your feet. you stare at your bookshelf, ignoring the messy covers of the bed you couldn't bother to make this morning. after all, it's just you in here for now. your lover's side of the bed is undisturbed, still partially made despite you tossing the blankets about in your lonesome slumber.

you finally find the object that you're looking for and pick it up carefully. it is a music box that hums the melody of a land you have never visited and the winds of freedom you have never felt. it's a bit sad, being trapped inside your house and listening to the hymns that worship an archon who promises all that is not afforded to you in this moment. nonetheless, you gently spin the crank on the back, winding up the gears, then set the music box on the shelf and listen to its song.

as it reaches the end of its song, the music box whines as the gears slow down to a halt. with a sigh, you reach out to restart the song, only for the front door of the cottage to slam open with an egregious thud. you jump in place, accidentally jerking your hand up to hit one of the bookshelves, before carefully rescinding it. the wind isn't that bad right now, so it certainly wasn't the wind.

immediately, you rush over to the bed, reaching underneath the frame to grab one of the many weapons childe had insisted upon leaving behind 'for your safety'. you had no idea how to even wield a sword usefully, but it was time to fi-

"honey, i'm home!" a familiar voice calls and the sword you picked up clatters from your grip at the sound.

oh, it's just ajax, you think. a wave of relief washes over you before your eyes widen in realization. wait, ajax?!?!

your lover wasn't due home for another four months. why in the tsaritsa is he back now?

"darling?" childe calls once again. the concerned note of his voice startles you out of your stupor and you dart out of the bedroom. you don't bother to verbally respond and instead barrel directly into the man who had just slipped his coat and snowshoes off. you wrap your arms around his torso tightly and he laughs at your eagerness. he returns the hug and kisses the crown of your head while swaying the two of you gently back and forth.

"did you miss me?" he jokes, unprepared for your honest answer.

"i was just thinking about you and wishing you were here," you say as you bury your face in his shoulder. you don't see the slight widening of his eyes at your words, but you feel the way his hug becomes even tighter, desperate not to let you go any time soon.

"well," he says, reluctantly pulling away from you a bit to gaze into your eyes. "i'm here now, darling."

he pulls you in close once more, but this time, he presses his lips against yours. the warmth of his kiss contrasts with the cold of the wintry air he let in by opening the front door and you proceed to melt into his touch. normally, you'd tease him for being cliché, but this time, you can't help but indulge it. in his absence, you missed all of him, including his cheesiness when it came to romance.

yet, you're the one to break the kiss as you feel his hands slowly moving lower on your figure. caught in the act, he pouts at you, expression reminiscent of a puppy and you mimic his face in return.

"you just traveled through a snowstorm to get here, dummy," you say, affectionately. "don't you want to eat dinner first?"

"i know a few thi-" ajax begins, cut off by your glare. he knows better than to spoil this moment with an inopportune joke, so he clears his throat and speaks in a forcefully polite way. "dinner sounds great, i would love to eat with you, sweetheart."

however, childe can't bring himself to be disappointed as you burst out into laughter at his awful attempt at a formal tone.

"you can make out with me later," you promise and childe perks back up, sending you into another fit of giggles at easily predictable behavior. you lean in and give his cheek a quick kiss before plucking his hand off your waist and interlacing your fingers through his. "now c'mon, i'm sure you've got a lot of new stories to tell me, don't you?"

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #childe fluff #genshin fluff #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

,,,,imagine . dancing with househusband childe in the kitchen. actually anything with househusband childe

a/n: nonnie i didnt know if u wanted kids involved or not so i passed on them LOL. modern au, gn!reader.

you walk into your home and it smells of chemicals. the pungent smell of bleach and the type of lemon scent derived only from the likes of clorox and its kin waft through the air and you wince.

"jeez, you ever think of opening some windows?" you call out into the studio apartment. your lover isn't visible from the doorway, yet the light that exits the bathroom lets you know exactly where he is. instead of greeting him, you slip off your shoes and walk over to the closest window, unlatching it and hoisting up the lower glass pane, breathing in a sigh of relief at the immediate gust of fresh air that moves through the place.

"opening the windows would mean i'm weak, comrade!" the far-too-cheery voice responds and you roll your eyes, knowing full and well that he can't see you as you move around the apartment and unlatch the windows.

"weak for wanting to breathe?!" you ask. "i swear, ever since you retired from the fatui, you've been desperate to fight everyth-"

your words are cut off by a pair of firm arms enclosing themselves around your waist, causing you to let out a slight yelp of surprise. your back presses into the familiar, solid torso of none other than your lover, childe, who chuckles at the way you immediately relax upon recognizing the feeling of his figure.

"warn me next time, sheesh," you mutter halfheartedly, which only makes childe lean in closer, resting his chin on your shoulder. his breath tickles your ear.

"that ruins the fun then, darling," he coos and you feel your face flush as his words drop down to a sultry tone. childe's hands wander to your hips as he presses a kiss to the spot just behind your ear, but before you become putty in his hands, a sudden realization has you bursting into giggles. the trail of kisses childe leaves down your neck is interrupted as your laughter only increases, causing childe's grip to loosen and allow you to turn around.

"are you-" you begin, before bursting out into laughter. "are you really trying to seduce me while wearing rubber gloves?"

you take childe in in all of his glory. a headband pushes his hair out of his face unceremoniously, causing small tufts to fold over and bunch up at the front of his head. his face is contorted into a pout and a light sheen of red covers his cheeks, flustered by the situation. his typical clothing has been discarded for an old sweatshirt and sweatpants, in which the holes on the former are glaringly evident among the black fabric. most notably of all, however, are the bright pink rubber gloves that cover his hand, the tops of which are hastily adorned with various peppa pig stickers. you glance at them and glance back up to childe, folding your arms over your chest and raising his eyebrows.

"i..." he begins, cheeks growing even pinker under your playfully judgmental gaze. "tonia found them and decided to make them her next victim."

"that's cute. but that doesn't answer my question," you say. childe looks rather sheepish at the confrontation and lets out a slight laugh.

"i suppose i thought you looked cute today," childe mutters, averting his gaze from you.

"you suppose?" you question and childe's eyes widen in alarm, completely ignoring the mischievous smirk on your face.

"i also missed you!" he says quickly, desperately trying to detract from any potential misunderstanding of his words. you soften at his words and reward him by looping your arms around his shoulders, locking your hands together behind his neck, and pulling him in for a quick peck of a kiss on his lips.

"as you should," you murmur as you pull away, staring into his eyes as childe looks at you, utterly enamored and mystified with you. "as you should."

it takes a moment for childe to register your words and a look of faux hurt crosses his expression. instinctively, his hands move to grip your hips once more, yet he uses the opportunity to shake you lightly back and forth in place.

"say you missed me too!" he cries petulantly and you grin at him. you bite back your words and childe only grows more desperate, beginning to put on his usual theatrics as he begins to wail for you to acknowledge that you felt the same way.

"fine, fine, i missed you too!" you cry and childe's upset expression immediately turns cocky. "plus, the apartment looks lovely, you did a great job cleaning today."

childe's cocky expression falters at your genuine praise as his cheeks flush once more. your expression softens at the way he melts under your praise and you hold back a smile as you reward him with a kiss.

"my cute little househusband," you gush as you pull away, causing childe's eyes to widen and for him to inhale sharply. even after years of romance, the smallest compliments could get the ex-harbinger worked up like it was nothing. you giggle at his expression, but childe cuts you off by surging in for a kiss once more, seemingly determined to distract you before you can completely melt him into the ground.

the rubber gloves feel strange through the fabric of your clothing, but you suppose you can tolerate it for now, especially since your favorite person is wearing them. after all, nobody else would dare to hold you so tenderly yet earnestly (and you're not sure they would live long enough around childe to be able to). so, you ignore his cleanup fit and return his eager affections, deciding that kisses from your lover are certainly the best way to be welcomed home.

#i legit wrote this in like 25 min sorry for any errors LOL #genshin impact x reader #childe x reader #childe #genshin impact #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

🥝 for childe please?

🥝 - give me a character and i'll tell you how they speak of you when you're not around

pairing: childe x gn!reader

childe speaks of you in three separate ways.

the first is towards the fatui. he speaks of you in vague, rough terms, only when provoked by his fellow harbingers. childe isn't quite sure how they figured out about you, but he's more disappointed that they know rather than surprised. in a perfect world, he'd be able to flaunt you everywhere he goes. instead, knowing full and well of the fact that his fellow fatui members would take advantage of any weakness he shows, he speaks of you dismissively. it's dishonest and it makes his heart hurt every time he denies your relationship, yet he pushes onwards in hopes that no other harbinger would dare to bother you.

the second is how he addresses you towards his family. childe is no poet. in language classes at a young age, childe was a matter-of-fact personality, always avoiding the flowery language reserved for scholars and those who view the world in a far more romantic way. nonetheless, childe crafts metaphors to the best of his ability, if only to give his distant family an insight as to how radiant you truly are. the words might not always make sense and they certainly aren't the type that literature teachers would ever reference in class. but, his family understands exactly what he means, as evidenced by the toothy grin teucer wears when he first meets you, as he insists that you're the 'super cool person that his brother wants to make toys with forever'.

the third way he addresses you is with zhongli. the ex-archon isn't the fondest of childe, yet he still tolerates him enough to go out for drinks with him on occasion. it's on one of these nights that childe arrives a bit more nervous than usual. zhongli picks up on this change in behavior easily and, like a sinner at the altar, childe can't help but confess all of his secrets to the god before him -- specifically, the ones bothering him this evening. they're all related to you. if i wanted to make a contract with someone, how would i go about it? childe asks worriedly. zhongli's eyebrows furrow in confusion before he glances down at the hands of the harbinger, only to see him fiddling with an engagement ring in his hands. zhongli smiles gently. perhaps the fondest words of all that childe says about you are the ones left unspoken, instead conveyed through his desire to perfect his wish for a blissful eternity with you by contacting the god of contracts as to how to ensure it happens smoothly.

#idk if i like this one ! oh well #childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

for the event, mistletoe with childe 😍

prompt: mistletoe + childe w/ gn!reader notes: modern!au. typical relationship banter. winter/christmas prompt list can be found here.

"look up."

you sigh. stuck in the middle of the entryway to childe's apartment, you suppose you're forced to face the fate that your boyfriend has planned for you. you don't even have to look up to know exactly what is hung precariously on the doorframe. you turn around to look at your boyfriend, whose lips are split into a wide, idiotic grin as he looks at you adoringly. you narrow his eyes at him.

"very funny," you state plainly and childe's eyes gleam at the challenge you've so neatly laid out before him.

"aw, that's not very festive of you, y/n," he says, putting emphasis on your name that he scarcely uses anymore in favor of sappier nicknames.

"mistletoe?" you ask dully. "really? if you wanted to kiss me, you could just ask."

childe's arms snake around your waist as he pulls himself closer to you. "where's the challenge in that? isn't it more fun when we're thrust into romantic situations? spontaneity and all that stuff?"

"if this is spontaneous, then who hung the mistletoe up, huh?" you ask, glancing up pointedly before returning your gaze to meet his familiar blue eyes. childe's hands interlock at the small of your back, arms resting on your hips as his cheeks tint with an embarrassed pink. he bursts out into a small fit of laughter and you find yourself unable to keep up your annoyed façade anymore, smiling in response to his blatant amusement with the situation.

"ah, you got me there," he concedes. "now are you going to kiss me or not?"

you lean in closer to him, causing his laughter to fall silent as your lips hover a short distance away from his own. you watch as his eyes focus on your lips and his breath catches in his throat. yet, before he can lean in and seal your lips together, you let out a huff of amusement, throwing him off.

"i dunno, what would i get from it?" you ask impishly and childe blinks before staring at you in shock.

"what do you mean 'what would i get from it'?! i'm your boyfriend?! i want to kiss you because we're dati-" he begins, but you cut off his upset tirade with a kiss, stunning him into silence. his arms instinctively tighten around you, yet it takes a few more moments for his lips to recover as well, finally responding to your kiss as he moves his lips against your own.

without breaking the kiss, childe nudges you further into the entryway before pinning you against the nearest wall. the picture frames nearby rattle as your back thumps against the wall and childe kisses you with more intensity, causing you to break the laugh with a kiss. he pulls away with a pout on his face.

"that one riled you up, huh?" you giggle and childe huffs dramatically, ready to whine once more until you speak again. "wanna try again, then?"

"aren't we away from the mistletoe now, though?" he grumbles and you grin at him.

"we can pretend like some is there, babe," you say and, before you can tease childe for the fact that he was the one to move the two of you, childe kisses you once more.

hm. maybe mistletoe isn't that bad after all, you think as childe leaves you breathless in a passionate kiss, his hand cupping your jaw as he deepens the kiss.

#genshin impact x reader #childe x reader #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

🍅 with Childe!

🍅 - give me a character and i'll tell you what action of yours makes them the most flustered! <3 write a scene of you flustering them

"tonia, i'll give you twenty thousand mora if you just sit still," childe pleads to his younger sister before him, loosely holding her long locks of hair in one hand and dangling a hairbrush from the other.

"you're brushing too hard. it hurts," his younger sister whines. childe glances over at you pleadingly, silently begging you to come take his place. with an amused huff, you stand up from your seat and trot over to the two of them, gently nudging childe to the side and taking over his duty.

"you just wanted a simple braid, right?" you ask softly and tonia nods. unlike childe, you make quick and gentle work of the task, ignoring his envious stare as tonia complies to your simple commands.

"you're the best big sibling ever!" tonia says as you tie the hair tie around the end and stand up, signaling your completion. she whirls around and barrels directly into you, hugging you close.

"hey, i thought that was me? besides, (y/n) isn't your older sibling, that's me," childe explains. tonia pulls away from you with a roll of her eyes.

"yeah, well, mom and dad say that one day they're gonna be my sibling-in-law so it's pretty much true," tonia huffs and childe freezes at the implication of his words. knowing your boyfriend well enough, your gaze turns from his younger sister to him, watching as his cheeks begin to dust with red.

"not quite yet though, tonia," you say apologetically. "it's not my fault your brother hasn't proposed."

you watch as childe begins to malfunction at your words, face blossoming into various hues of pink and red.

"propose?" childe echoes dumbly. "marriage?"

you grin at him. childe looks as if he's been hit in the stomach by a hilichurl club.

"anyways, we should get going, shouldn't we?" you ask before childe can have a chance to truly process what you're saying.

"wait, hey-" childe begins, but tonia interrupts by taking a hand of both yours and childe's in each of her own and tugging on them dramatically, forcing the two of you to trail after her as she begins to lead the way to your shared destination.

it takes a solid half hour for the blush to finally leave childe's face.

it returns once more when you lean over and whisper in his ear what type of ring you'd like during lunch.

childe proposes three weeks later and tonia demands on being the flower girl. teucer is sorely disappointed by her calling dibs.

#childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #//mail #axia.writing #writing.childe

[favoniuscodex]

🍊 childe

🍊 - give me a character n i'll tell you how they'd kiss you

whether its been five minutes or five months apart, childe kisses you as though he is man whose holy grail lies in the smooth expanse of your lips. he has learned from the abyss that in teyvat, there is no salvation, yet he swears he comes pretty damn close when you give him that half-lidded look before tugging him close by the lapels of his jacket to finally close the distance between the two of you.

tartaglia is greedy. he always has been. he's never been one to settle down or simply take what is given to him. he always yearns for more and more. and you, the greatest gift of all? no greater indulgence exists for a sinner like him, not when your lips taste like they can cleanse the filth of the abyss that seems to linger in his heart, like blood under his fingernails that he can never seem to wash off.

as for ajax, all he wants is to show you just how much you mean to him. he's always been a bit of a bumbling fool when it comes to his words of affection, stumbling over awkward 'i love you's in inopportune moments and erroneously dropping misguided affections. yet, in a kiss, no miscommunication can occur. it is an action he longs for every time the two of you are apart, for it is the pure loveliness that he cannot place in his letters to you, no matter what flowery prose he manages to spill onto the pages.

he kisses you as though he misses you, even if you're determined to spend forever in his arms.

#childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #//mail #//mutuals #mal ! #writing.childe #axia.writing