heaven-s-black-box

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello it's me, sorry if this is a bad time, but I got inspired by Arlecchino's story quest, and I wondered about combining that with my previous two requests about the reader being Neuvillette's child, this is mainly just an idea so if you're not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright.

here you go!

It's actually a wonderful time, I'm on summer break now so don't worry about requesting! Requests actually help me keep writing even if I have writers block, so i appreciate them. If I don't feel like writing, I won't.

Anyways that quest was so fun, i loved it. So much lore, so much to look forward to. It also gave me an interesting direction for this fic because while we know Lyney won't leave the house, the idea that he could have a normal life with his lover would definitely cross his mind. If someone was waiting for him, someone he loved as much as Lynette and Freminet?

But i digress, i knew I wanted to write something for Lyney after that quest so your request came in at a great time.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Normal- Lyney x Neuvillette's child!Reader

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Recovery date: April 27th, 2024

Description: Hello it's me, sorry if this is a bad time, but I got inspired by Arlecchino's story quest, and I wondered about combining that with my previous two requests about the reader being Neuvillette's child, this is mainly just an idea so if you're not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright.

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with @crystalkat6747, we thank her for her contribution. Ahh, I actually finished the story quest the day before you sent this request, lol. Can be read as a part three to Let it out and Definitely a Date but can be read alone.

Word count: 810

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Lyney watches the moon’s light drift across the ceiling. Lynette is curled up against one side and Freminet is curled up against the other, both sound asleep after their return to the house. He watches their lashes flutter against their cheeks, eyes flicking back and forth behind their eyelids as they dream. Pleasant dreams, he hopes.

He turns back to the ceiling and chokes down a breath as Lynette’s head presses against his ribs awkwardly. His wounds from their fight with father were mostly healed, but still tender. She shifts off him again quickly, eyes opening briefly as if she could sense his distress.

The long shadows continue to dance above them as Lyney's thoughts drift back to the fight.

As for whether to take them, the choice is yours.

Carefully, Lyney slips his arms out from under and around his siblings and inches towards the foot of the bed. Almost as soon as he’s climbed out, Lynette and Freminet roll towards each other and grab on to each other's hands. It makes him smile, the way they take comfort in each other, like a family.

The streets are empty and dimly lit as he makes his way through the court. He eventually finds himself in front of a familiar house and rounds the side to climb up to Y/n’s window. Their curtains are tied back, and he just sits in the tree for a while watching them.

On their bedside table, he sees the rainbow roses he’d given them on their first date a week ago. Next to those is a little penguin, an otter, and two cat mechanisms that Freminet had gifted them for their last birthday. They looked like a little family.

A clicking noise and the swishing of the window opening startled him.

“Ly-Lyney?” Y/n yawned. “What are you doing here?”

He blinked owlishly.

“I…”

Y/n stared back at him for a moment before backing up and waving him in. They sat back against the headboard of their bed and Lyney crawled next to them, curling against their side.

“You wanna talk about it?” They whispered, arm wrapped around Lyney’s shoulder.

“We can’t have a normal life,” Lyney said, staring at the mechanisms on their bedside table. “I mean, I can’t have a normal life. Not as a member of the house of the hearth, and that means that we- OW!” 

He hissed as Y/n pinched his arm. They cupped his chin and forced him to look up at them.

“I love you. I don’t care what our normal looks like, if it doesn’t look like everyone else's then so be it.” Lyney blinked up at them, cheeks turning red. There was a small frown tugging at the corner of their lips as they continued. “What brought this up anyways?” Lyney chewed at his lip. “Is this about that proposal for former House of the Hearth members?”

The magician’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How did you-”

“My father wanted my opinion,” they shrugged, letting go of his chin.

Lyney slumped back against their shoulder and laced his fingers with theirs. In turn, they hooked one of their legs through his so they were wrapped up in eachother.

“The House of the Hearth is my family, but the other day… it gave me a lot to think about. I could leave at the cost of my current self, not that I want to but it’s never seemed like an option before.We’re preparing for a dangerous mission with other Harbingers, and father wants me to be the next king. I know this was never going to be normal but for just a moment I imagined what it would be like if we were.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Y/n offered again.

Lyney squeezed their hand.

“If I left the house, would you come find me again?”

“Always.”

“And if I die on this mission, would you miss me? Would you be there for Lynette and Freminet?”

“Dying, will not get you out of this relationship, and bold of you to assume those two will let you die without them.”

Lyney let out a snort of amusement while Y/n smirked.

“And if I became the King of the house?”

“Lyney, I’m not leaving you.” They leaned their head against his. “I may not know what exactly is going on, but I love you, and I’ll stand by you no matter what you decide. I never expected you to leave the house, and part of what I love so much about you is your dedication to your family.”

Y/n looked down, finding Lyney’s eyes and offering him a loving smile.

Lyney’s eyes caught once more on the little family diorama on their bedside table before he looked back at them and squeezed their hand again.

“Then will you marry me?”

#researcher s's recovery #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact lyney #lyney #lyney x reader #x reader #gender neutral reader #reader insert #oneshot #genshin impact oneshot #rating unavailable

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello sorry if I'm bothering you but I got an idea from this video. (https://youtu.be/ZcMI-CQcZ_c?si=Ri1SQU-0DO6PMtIV) What if the reader is the biological daughter of Azar and is currently married to Alhaitham and they have a toddler who's almost two years old and the reader wants nothing to do with Azar because of what he did though she was willing to try and keep a somewhat healthy relationship with him because at the end of the day Azar was still her father and her child's grandfather, the reader is a gentle, humble and soft-spoken woman who does try to avoid confrontation.

here you go!

I've actually been watching the anime you linked, but I'm a bit behind so I didn't actually watch the video you sent. i did however try to keep the vibe of the episodes I have seen, so i hope that's okay. This was a really cute idea though, and I decided to use it to focus on Al Haitham and the Reader more than Azar's relationship with them (mostly because Azar doesn't seem like he'd be involved with anything outside of work).

[heaven-s-black-box]

No Second Chances- Al Haitham x Azar's daughter! wife!Reader

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Recovery date: April 26th, 2024

Description: Hello sorry if I'm bothering you but I got an idea from this video. (https://youtu.be/ZcMI-CQcZ_c?si=Ri1SQU-0DO6PMtIV) What if the reader is the biological daughter of Azar and is currently married to Alhaitham and they have a toddler who's almost two years old and the reader wants nothing to do with Azar because of what he did though she was willing to try and keep a somewhat healthy relationship with him because at the end of the day Azar was still her father and her child's grandfather, the reader is a gentle, humble and soft-spoken woman who does try to avoid confrontation.

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank them for their contributions. This one was a little hard to write, so I'm sorry if it's not very good.

Word count: 640

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Al Haitham is not known for his empathy. He comes off as cold, he is calculating, and he doesn’t care for other people's bullshit. Those traits serve him well, they keep him out of trouble and on time, and they make it abundantly clear what he thinks of people.

He can count on one hand the people he tolerates excess complaining and illogical arguments from.

“You don’t have to see him,” Al Haitham whispers into the quiet room, tightening his hold on his wife.

She stops squirming, finally, but he knows she’s not done. He’s proven right when she fights against his hold to turn towards him and he opens his eyes to find her staring into his. Y/n places her hands on his chest, above his heart, and takes a deep breath. He can feel the pounding of her heart.

“I want Ehsan to know his grandfather.”

“He will.”

“Beyond what the history books will say,” Y/n sighed.

Al Haitham bit back a sigh. He couldn’t say he agreed with her, Azar hadn’t even been particularly present in her youth, but he understood what she was trying to do. When Azar had come to their wedding, she’d been ecstatic. When Ehsan had been born and he’d sent flowers, she’d started planning a day to bring him by the Academia. To her, Azar’s absence had always been explained and was never malicious so she was willing to give him a chance in her life.

That illusion she’d created, that her father carried, was now teetering after the recent events with the Akasha terminal. It was always so fragile, and now she was looking for a way to break it completely.

“It’s making you anxious,” Al Haitham said instead, resting his chin on her head and rubbing a hand up and down her back. “You hardly ate today.”

“I want my father to meet his grandson at least once, and you and Cyno went through all that trouble-”

“Y/n. We don’t care.”

She lowered her gaze, staring at her hands as she drummed her fingers against his chest. Al Haitham slid his hands around her waist to hold hers and placed a gentle kiss against her ring.

“Ehsan has a wonderful family already.” He nudges her chin up. “And if you tell any of them I said that I will put salt in your coffee.”

Y/n cracked a smile, and Al Haitham put his chin back on her head while wrapping his arms back around her.

“Get some sleep,” he whispered. “You can decide in the morning.”

---

Y/n took a deep breath before nodding at Cyno who opened the interrogation room door and let her in. She stepped in, fiddling with her fingers, and stared at the floor as she made her way to the empty chair. Azar watched her with stern eyes, hands folded on the table.

“I hear you’re being sent to Avidya forest.”

“Yes.”

Taking another deep breath, Y/n pressed her palms flat against the table and squeezed her eyes closed before meeting Azar’s eyes.

“Good luck.”

She got up from the chair and headed back towards the door.

“Is that all?” Azar asked, frowning.

“That’s all.”

“How’s Ehsan?”

Y/n stopped with her hand raised to knock for Cyno.

“He’s good, very smart… like his father. I think it would be better if maybe you take some time to think about things and then, if you want, we’ll come visit.”

“But he’s my grandson,” Azar snapped, making Y/n tense up and dig her nails into the palm of her hand.

“You’ve never met him, and the idea of seeing you makes me so nervous that he gets worried. So, for my son’s sake, goodbye,” she breathed, the shaky exhale causing her shoulders to relax as she knocked on the door.

#researcher s's recovery #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact alhaitham #genshin impact al haitham #alhaitham #al haitham #al haitham x reader #alhaitham x reader #x reader #female reader #oneshot #genshin impact oneshot #rating unavailable

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello I saw your story about the avatar being in honkai Star Rail and I was thinking, what if there was an avatar in Genshin impact, I thought it might make sense because all of the elements in Genshin impact are ones that benders from avatar are capable of using. So I was thinking what if the avatar was the reader and she was born in Fontaine and when she was born it put Fontaine into a bit of an excited uproar because it had been a long time since the previous avatar passed away, and I was wondering, how would the avatar play into the Fontaine archon quest, would she be able to ask the past avatar's for guidance, and how would her upbringing from childhood be? Would she be kept under protection as she learned to control the elements or would she be granted a normal childhood and begin training when she becomes a teenager.

here you go!

This was fun to consider. The avatar would definitely fit in in the Genshin Universe, but I don't think Celestia would be very happy. I hope you don't mind the headcanon format, it's just easiest for world building.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- Genshin Impact The Avatar

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Recovery date: April 24th, 2024

Description: Hello I saw your story about the avatar being in honkai Star Rail and I was thinking, what if there was an avatar in Genshin impact, I thought it might make sense because all of the elements in Genshin impact are ones that benders from avatar are capable of using. So I was thinking what if the avatar was the reader and she was born in Fontaine and when she was born it put Fontaine into a bit of an excited uproar because it had been a long time since the previous avatar passed away, and I was wondering, how would the avatar play into the Fontaine archon quest, would she be able to ask the past avatar's for guidance, and how would her upbringing from childhood be? Would she be kept under protection as she learned to control the elements or would she be granted a normal childhood and begin training when she becomes a teenager.

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank her for her contribution. Headcanons because it's easier for world building and I had lots of thoughts.

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I imagine the avatar would be tied to the dragon sovereigns, like they draw their power directly from them

When the sovereigns were wiped out and the archons rose to power, Celestia kept an eye on the avatar

They also tried to rewrite history by claiming they were the ones creating the avatar as some kind of blessing

The archons, of course, know the truth (at least Venti and Zhongli by the time of the current story)

So when the avatar is in their nation they take care to teach them about the dragons

Pre the cataclysm, the archons would jointly raise the avatar to teach them their powers and values

You cannot convince me all of the archons aren’t currently trying to rebel against Celestia

The previous avatar died during the cataclysm because they sided with Khanri’ah

Now, after 500 years, the avatar has returned again in Fontain

And Celestia doesn’t know because Focalors is an absolute queen

The avatar was raised very normally as Neuvillette’s sibling

Furina was the only person that knew they were the avatar from the start, and Neuvillette finds out when they accidentally set something on fire without a vision as a child

A part of Furina hopes that they can help stop the prophecy, but she also doesn’t want them to have that weight on their shoulders like her

In the end, the archon quest passes the same way as in the game but Focalors tells Neuvillette that the avatar will be important for the coming war with Celestia

He and Furina confide in the Traveler who found out about the avatar while in Irminsul, and the Traveler takes them back to Mondstadt so they can tour the previous four nations and learn their powers

Basically speed running elemental mastery like Aang

Training goes smoothly in the first three regions because Venti, Zhongli, and Ei have all met a previous avatar

Nahida just takes the avatar to meet Apep

The avatar and Dain definitely cross paths at some point and Dain tells them about the incarnation he met

#researcher s's notes #genshin impact #genshin impact furina #furina #furina de fontaine #genshin impact focalors #hydro archon #genshin impact neuvillette #neuvillette #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli #genshin impact morax #geo archon #genshin impact ei #genshin impact baal #electro archon #genshin impact venti #genshin impact barbatos #anemo archon #genshin impact nahida #genshin impact buer #dendro archon #genshin impact dainsleif #dainsleif #rating unavailable

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello I had an idea I wanted to share this isn't exactly a request but maybe it could give you some inspiration. I was imagining something like a crossover between the Avatar Legend of Korra series and Honkai Star Rail. Where the Avatar is the emanator of harmony and the current avatar was the reader, and they were born on Penacony, I couldn't help but wonder how the Family would react to the emanator of harmony being born, would the Family raise them or leave them be, and with everything that was happening on Penacony, would they side with the family or the astral express crew?. (If you're not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight☺️)

here you go!

Sorry it took a bit, I just got back from uni and did not feel like writing, lol.

This was fun to write, I love the concept of an avatar in the hsr universe being someone born/ becoming an emanator for all paths. I haven't seen legend of Korra, so this was written based on my world knowledge from Last Airbender and my personal takes on how it would work in this universe.

I left who they side with undecided because in order to write that I would need to know how the Penacony arc ends :)

[heaven-s-black-box]

Emanator- Sunday & Robin & Avatar!gn!Reader

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Recovery date: April 23rd, 2024

Description: Hello I had an idea I wanted to share this isn't exactly a request but maybe it could give you some inspiration. I was imagining something like a crossover between the Avatar Legend of Korra series and Honkai Star Rail. Where the Avatar is the emanator of harmony and the current avatar was the reader, and they were born on Penacony, I couldn't help but wonder how the Family would react to the emanator of harmony being born, would the Family raise them or leave them be, and with everything that was happening on Penacony, would they side with the family or the astral express crew?. (If you're not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight☺️)

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank them for their contributions. Reader and Sunday's engagement is a ploy by the family for status and to force Reader to stay in Penacony, hence this isn't tagged as a Sunday x Reader.

Word count: 870

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In a galaxy so vast, it’s easy for a single life to drift by without creating a disturbance. A drop of water, no matter how big, will be lost in the ocean; that is a fact. No matter how stained or pure it is, it cannot affect the greater body– the only proof of its existence is the storm surrounding it.

Not to mention the insanity of searching for that single drop in the ocean.

That’s all the avatar is, a single drop in the ocean of the universe that most people don’t even believe in. Storms come and pass all the time, worlds are born and end every other day, what could one emanator do to stop any of it? Maybe once, when the species of the universe were more localized, was the role important, but certainly not anymore.

“Y/n, please refrain from doing that,” Sunday sighed, looking up from his book to find his fiance revitalizing a plant.

They stopped humming, a habit they’d picked up by mimicking children's shows growing up, and turned to the head of the family. The golden dust that had risen from their hands to encase the plant slowly dispersed, revealing bright green leaves. While the only Aeon that truly took issue with the powers of the abundance was Lan the Hunt, the family did not want to associate with the powers of different Aeons. They were blessed by Xipe, the Harmony, and that was the path they would follow and spread.

Y/n straightened up in their seat, squaring themself to Sunday with their hands folded gracefully in their lap, and gave him a polite smile. A practiced smile. A smile that said-

“Kill joy.”

Sunday rolled his eyes and set his book to the side.

The two were currently killing time in Sunday’s office in the real world reverie as they waited for Robin to finish her practice. Y/n had already finished a crossword, caught up on the recent IPC news, and Sunday’s pretty sure they slipped into the dreamscape briefly before deciding to fix his office plants. He understood they were bored, but he could only afford them the freedom he did if they abided by the family's rules.

Before he could try and find a compromise there was a knock at his office door followed by the creaking of the hinges.

“Robin!” Y/n cheered, standing up and embracing their sister-in-law. “How did practice go? Is the Harmony causing you trouble?”

The singer nodded solemnly. “I do hope we can find a solution before the Charmony festival,” she sighed, her voice sounding rough and tired.

It made Y/n frown. If there was one thing more frustrating than all of the family’s rules, itt was how helpless they were despite their supposed power. Maybe they’d be able to do more if they could meet with other emanators, or even seek an audience with the Aeons themselves, but as they were now they were barely stronger than a pathstrider. They faintly registered the sting of their nails cutting into their palms, snapping them out of their helpless spiral.

“Here,” Y/n hovered their hands on either side of Robin’s neck, “may I?”

Robin nodded, ignoring the way Sunday cleared his throat in wordless discouragement, and Y/n wrapped their hands around her throat. There was a faint golden glow as they tried to heal physical damage they all knew wasn’t there.

“Better?” Robin asked, frowning along with Y/n as they heard no change.

“Would you please. stop. doing that?” Sunday asked again. “At least until the Charmony festival is over, one of the Watchmaker’s guests is a Galaxy ranger and I would prefer you to not get yourself killed.”

Y/n and Robin looked over at him; Robin sporting a look of confusion and Y/n one of mild amusement.

“I don’t think she’s a ranger,” they shrugged, gliding back to their seat.

“Care to elaborate?” Sunday pressed after a moment of silence.

“Maybe later, once I’m sure, but… I will refrain from using multiple paths, especially with fools and a memokeeper around.”

“That probably is a good idea,” Robin nodded. “I’m sure the IPC would try and buy you from us as well.”

A loud knock sounded through the room.

“Sir?”

“Enter.”

A concierge entered, looking slightly frazzled as he explained that there was a situation at the check in desk that required Sunday’s help; along with the fact that his guest from the IPC was here. The siblings headed downstairs while Y/n offered to meet them in the dreamscape and slipped off to their room.

They’d somehow wound up in the dreamscape Reverie, not Golden Hour like they were supposed to. The lobby was a mess, luggage carts left about and something akin to dust settled over every visible surface. Perhaps it was the effects of IX that left them feeling almost comforted by the vacant atmosphere. Perhaps it was the effects of Nous that led them further into the Reverie in search of answers

Whoever led them here, it mattered not, as they all cried out at once a moment too late.

Run!

And Y/n was granted an audience with the Aeons.

#researcher s's recovery #honkai star rail #hsr sunday #hsr robin #sunday & reader #robin & reader #reader insert #gender neutral reader #oneshot #hsr oneshot #rating unavailable

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello I'm the one who requested the story where the reader is Dan Feng's child and I really liked it, I'm not exactly asking for a part two but rather a prequel exploring the relationship of Dan Feng and the reader's mother before the reader was born, of that's alright with you that is.

Here you go!

I hope you don't mind that it's in headcanon formate, I couldn’t really get all my thoughts out without exposition dumping if I did a scenario format.

To me, the most interesting part is the why and how of this request, since we can assume Vidyadhara don't produce gamete cells, so the process of creating a child would be similar to cloning. I don’t know if you've seen the recent article about the freak fish hybrid, but that's sort of how this idea works to me; the reader should not have worked (at least not first try) the way they went about it, but they did.

Then, of course, making this a scientific endeavor allowed me to make the parental relationship platonic akin to how someone might ask a mutual friend to donate/surrogate for a same sex couple. And, of course, Dan Feng is an interesting character because his view on life and friendships led to him trying to bring Baiheng back despite knowing how great of a sin it was. He's also a character who values the relationship between the Xianzhou and Vidyadhara, and this would be something that could help that.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- Dan Feng & Scientist (Prequel to Reason)

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Recovery date: April 22nd, 2024

Description: Hello I'm the one who requested the story where the reader is Dan Feng's child and I really liked it, I'm not exactly asking for a part two but rather a prequel exploring the relationship of Dan Feng and the reader's mother before the reader was born, of that's alright with you that is.

Notes: Recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank them for their contributions. I hope you don't mind this being in headcanon format, it was the easiest way for me to write this.

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Reader's mother was a scientist who was best friends with a Vidyadhara/human couple

She was friends with Yingxing who introduced her to Dan Feng

She brought it up completely off handedly while doing theoretical research on it and Dan Feng was like “let me know of I can help”

Seriously, Dan Feng was willing to bring Baiheng back to life, he would definitely help a researcher try and give biological children to Vidyadhara

To ensure the fewest repercussions from their work, the child is mostly human (using the scientists DNA) with select sections of Vidyadhara DNA (Dan Feng)

Essentially they made sure the child would have a mortal life span and wouldn't inherit any of Dan Feng's abilities, but that when applied to couples the child would be no different from a naturally conceived offspring

I think their relationship was very friendly, the scientist definitely became close with all of the High Cloud Quintet

Dan Feng could have just received regular updates, but he tried to be as involved as possible

He would visit the lab with lunch and have the scientist explain what was going on, he was super excited when the fetus started to develop from the initial cluster of cells

If you’ve ever see the episode from “Bones” where Brennan asks Booth to father a child for her, that’s basically these two but without the romantic feelings

I imagine the scientist at some point the scientist got married and Dan Feng would attend

When reader’s mother dies, Dan Feng organizes her funeral according to her wishes

The scientist dies kind of young in the same event that killed Baiheng, the war against Shuhu, so Dan Feng tried to both bring her back so she could finish her work and bring Baiheng back

I mentioned in the fic that the hybrids development is super slow, Dan Feng is the only reason the project wasn’t terminated after the scientists death

The scientist sets up automatons to run everything, in case of her untimely demise, and Dan Feng just has to keep an eye on everything because at this point it really is just a waiting game

Then he gets executed and Jing Yuan keeps the project going both because he believes in the idea, and to honor his two friends

The child finishes gestating, as indicated by predicted vital signs and brain activity, around the same time Dan Heng is born (aka Dan Feng is reincarnated)

Obviously this experiment doesn't produce a viable way for Vidayadhara's to have children, the gestation time for the child is too long, and maybe there's ways to make it viable but no one's allowed to look into it for the same reason searching for immortality is banned

#researcher s's notes #honkai star rail #honkai star rail dan feng #hsr dan feng #dan feng #dan feng & oc #oc insert #rating unavailable #headcanons #hsr headcanons

[heaven-s-black-box]

The Shadow- Merman!Ikuya x pirate! fem!Reader

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Recovery date: April 21st, 2024

Description: Ikuya is used to Y/n recklessness, so when she decides to chase a phantom ship he's right behind her.

Notes: Song referenced is The Shadow by Sail North. I finally watched the last free movies, and now I miss Ikuya.

Word count: 1 488

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“None can tame the one the sailors call Shadow!” Y/n cheered as she danced along the rocks lining the tide pool.

A gentle laugh urged her to open her eyes.

“But you’ll still try.”

She pried an eye open and glanced down at the flooded pool. There, leaning on his arms beside her feet, was Ikyua. His shimmering teal tail flicked out of the small pool as the water receded, leaving him temporarily trapped. The fins around his ears twitched as Y/n crouched down in front of him.

“Obviously.”

Y/n booped his nose, making the merman flinch back and crinkle his nose. She sat down and dipped her feet into the pool next to Ikuya so he could lean his head against her legs.

They watched the sun continue to set on the horizon as another ship made its way into the nearby port.

“Sounds like it hasn’t worked out for everyone else who’s gone looking,” Ikuya mumbled as Y/n ran her hand through his hair.

“How long were you listening to me for?”

“Uh, whenever you started talking about setting sail.”

Y/n sighed, “So since the start.”

“I guess,” he shrugged.

---

Maybe she should have listened to Ikyua more. Maybe then she wouldn’t have been knocked from her ship as the Shadow’s cannons wrecked it. Her back slammed into the water, knocking the air from her lungs and forcing her to intake water as she sank down, pinned under a wooden beam. She tried to swim out from under it, only to knock her head against some more debris and intake more water in a shocked gasp.

Panic began to set in as her vision started to blur and she started to drown.

Suddenly she felt her face breach the water, the sharp cool air stinging her face, and she spluttered– spitting and coughing up water as forcing air into her lungs. She gasped, frantically splashing around. Her feet kept kicking something and she grasped at whatever was around her waist, faintly registering the feeling of scales and skin under her hands.

“-ey, Hey! Y/n!” A voice yelled as the thing around her waist tightened.

“I-Ikuya?” Y/n panted out, slowly relaxing in his hold and laying her head back against his shoulder. “What are you?”

“Y/n!”

The pirate captain looked down, squinting through the faint light cast by the burning ship to see Ikuya diving back under water to swim over. Panic re-entered her system and she scrambled against the person behind her again.

Ikuya resurfaced right in front of her and she reached out for him. He grabbed Y/n and pulled her into his chest, letting her bury her face in his shoulder.

“Thanks Rin.”

Y/n looked back to find a merman she didn’t recognize being joined by two others, one of whom she recognized as Hiyori.

“I- thank you,” Y/n breathed out. “Sorry for-”

Rin raised a hand.

“It’s fine, I probably would have panicked too.”

“Is she okay?” The other merman asked, his eyes must have been glowing because even though they were far from the fire she could see them clearly.

Ikuya looked down at her, eyes filled with worry.

“Are you okay?”

“I-” Y/n broke down into another fit of coughs, “I think so.”

The four men shared concerned glances, but the moment was interrupted by a splash as another merman joined them. This one came up right beside Ikuya and immediately addressed Y/n.

“How many people were on the ship?” His voice was stern, causing Y/n to flinch back into Ikuya.

“Ni-chan,” Ikuya hissed.

“Twenty six, not counting myself,” Y/n said, shivering as the wind picked up.

“You came out here with a crew of twenty-six?” Ikuya hissed, his claws cutting through Y/n’s shirt.

The pirate captain hissed as the claws broke skin and the salt water soaked into the open wounds. In turn she dug her nails into his arms.

“I wasn’t going to make anyone join me.”

“Ikuya,” Hiyori urged, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, “we have to get Y/n out of the water.”

“You’re also hurting me,” Y/n muttered, making Ikuya let her go.

Ikuya’s brother pulled over a wooden plank and the brothers helped her up.

The wind child her to the bone, forcing her into a fit of shivers and concerning her saviors.

“Why-why did you ask about my crew?”

In the faint light cast by the wreckage of her ship, she saw Ikuya’s brother frown.

“I’m sorry.”

---

Y/n wakes up to warmth and softness. She winces at the bright light coming in through the window as she opens her eyes, groaning when she tries to move. There’s a weight against her upper legs and her neck feels stiff, but she finds she can’t speak. Her mouth is dry and swallowing grates like sandpaper, but she can’t reach the glass of water on the nearby table.

She must be moving a bit though, because the weight on her legs shifts and gets completely off her.

“Y/n?” Ikuya’s groggy voice calls.

She carefully turns her head to find him rubbing at his eyes and yawning.

As he blinks the sleep from his eyes, Y/n registers that they’re on land and her eyes widen in surprise.

This time when she tries to speak, Ikuya notices.

“Here.” 

He helps her sit up and drink some water, even though swallowing hurts.

“I’m glad you’re awake.” Ikuya stares into her eyes for a moment, unblinking, before clearing his throat and sitting back. “Let me go get Nao.”

“I-” Y/n croaked, but he was gone.

It was only for a moment though, as a man with gray-ish blue hair and glasses entered the room trailed by Ikuya. He sat down in the seat Ikuya had been occupying as Ikuya hovered just behind him.

“Hello,” Nao said softly, “does anything hurt?”

“Is ‘everything’ an answer?”

Ikuya let out a puff of laughter and Nao smiled, reaching out to cup her face. He turned her head towards him carefully, examining her eyes, before turning her straight again and picking up an empty cup.

“Can you open your shirt so I can listen to your breathing?”

Y/n tried to raise her arms.

“No.”

“May I?”

“Okay.”

Nao undid the first two buttons of her shirt before shifting to sit beside her on the bed and placing the cup against her chest. He listened carefully, asking her to take deep breaths before moving back to the stool.

“Ikuya?” Y/n asked, making him perk up.

“Why do you have legs?” Ikuya went to speak but she continued. “Am I… Am I, dead?”

“What? No!”

“I can assure you, you’re perfectly fine,” Nao said, buttoning her shirt back up. “I’ll leave you two alone for a minute.”

He got up and Ikuya quickly dropped back into his seat while Nao left. The bedroom door closed behind him, and a yelp was heard almost immediately as Nao scolded someone.

Ikuya clicked his tongue. “Ni-chan was probably trying to snoop,” he explained. Then he turned back to her. “You probably have a lot of questions.”

“Yes. You have legs.”

“Not curious how you got here or where we are?”

“Yes but… you know what, start wherever and, can I have some more water?”

“Of course.” He helped her drink another half cup of water as he started talking. “You passed out while we were waiting for Nao, this is his house.”

“How did you even find me?”

The merman looked away, twisting the sheets in his hands.

“I was worried about you.”

Y/n started to laugh before quickly being cut off by her weakened lungs. Ikuya placed a hand on her back, rubbing circles to try and ease the cough. Once she caught her breath again, she looked up at him with a smile.

“Thank you, but we really need to work on your… habit. Maybe you can join my crew with these new legs of yours,” she teased.

“You want to go back to being a pirate, after everything that just happened?”

“This isn’t the first ship I’ve lost,” Y/n frowned, “but, I might have issues getting a new crew.”

Y/n fell silent for a moment, and Ikuya watched her eyes glass over with unshed tears.

“They’re temporary, by the way.” Y/n sniffed and looked back up at Ikuya. “The legs. Nao’s a witch, he’s also my brother-in-law. My brother, Natsuya, lives here with him and sometimes I visit.”

“I like your tail better.”

Ikuya laughs softly, reaching out to link his hand with hers. His thumb rubs gentle arcs against the back of her hand.

“You’ll have to stay here awhile,” he said softly. “You know, to make sure you’ve recovered.”

“If it’s okay with Nao.”

“It is.”

“Okay,” Y/n smiled. “Then, you’ll stick around?”

“Of course.”

#researcher s's recovery #free dive to the future #free x reader #ikuya kirishima #ikuya x reader #x reader #female reader #oneshot #free oneshot #rating unavailable

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello. I'm sorry if this is sudden but I was wondering if you took story requests and if you do, could you please make a platonic Dan Heng story with the reader being the child of his previous incarnation Dan Feng by using his own DNA along with a normal woman's, the reader's existence was kept top secret and no one really suspected anything because the readers appearance was more human than Vidyadhara, and they were only a baby when everything happened so they didn't really get the chance to know their father. I was also kind of inspired by the 1.5 quest with the heliobi and the reader goes through a similar situation to Bailu but the team saw some of the reader's childhood memories which weren't the happiest.

Here you go!

I definitely didn't forget about the Dan Heng part until right at the end, nope not at all. So if you'd like a more Dan Heng focused part you can come back and request it. This was still a lot of fun to write!

[heaven-s-black-box]

Reason- Ensemble & Dan Feng's child!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: April 20th, 2024

Description: Hello. I'm sorry if this is sudden but I was wondering if you took story requests and if you do, could you please make a platonic Dan Heng story with the reader being the child of his previous incarnation Dan Feng by using his own DNA along with a normal woman's, the reader's existence was kept top secret and no one really suspected anything because the readers appearance was more human than Vidyadhara, and they were only a baby when everything happened so they didn't really get the chance to know their father. I was also kind of inspired by the 1.5 quest with the heliobi and the reader goes through a similar situation to Bailu but the team saw some of the reader's childhood memories which weren't the happiest.

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank them for their contributions. I definitely didn't forget about the Dan Heng part of this story... nope. I still like how this came out though, and if you'd like you can request a part two.

Word count: 1 273

Back to directory

Caelus was a little surprised to get a message from the general, asking the ghost hunting squad to meet him at a certain address. For one, the general was giving them free reign with the Helobi situation, secondly if there was an issue he would surely post on teh forum, and lastly Caelus didn’t recognize the location.

Preparing for a trap, the squad arrived at the location. It was a private residential area that Sushang led them to. The trailblazer knocked on the door as the other three anxiously waited behind him. Huohuo kept looking round for an ambush, while Sushang held her sword tightly and Guinaifen stayed close behind him.

Jing Yuan opened the door with a tired smile and ushered them in. He took them to a living room with tea and sat them down.

“I need your help.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, general,” Guinaifen asked, “why didn’t you just make a post?”

“Ah, well, this mission is a bit more sensitive and cannot be reported on, even if you twist the truth in your post.”

“Is it about Y/n?” Huohuo asks.

The other three ghost hunters turn to her in confusion as she slaps a hand over her mouth.

“Yes. I believe they’ve been possessed.”

“Who’s Y/n?”

Jing Yuan shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat and taking a sip of his tea. Huohuo also hid behind her cup, avoiding everyone else’s gaze as they looked between the two.

“Everything I’m about to tell you,” Jing Yuan sighed, setting down his cup, “is incredibly confidential, and the only reason I’m sharing this is because I believe it will help you save them.”

---

This Helobi dimension was… nice, oddly so. All of the other Helobi dimensions were dark and gray, with a blue tint from the lights. It was eerie, as expected. So thai was even more unsettling.

Everything was bright and colorful; they were in a garden on a bright sunny day.

“Isn’t this… I feeling like I’ve seen this place before,” Shushang mumbled as they looked around.

“I have made my decisions,” Jing Yuan’s stern voice boomed across the garden.

The four rounded a high section of bamboo to find Jing Yuan standing in front of a few Vidyahara’s. They all seemed on edge, the Vidyahara’s were scowling and the general’s shoulders were clearly raised.

Cautiously, the ghost hunters shuffled around to get a better view.

“That’s Y/n,” Huohuo whispered, pointing at a young child Jing Yuan had pressed against him.

The child’s ears were covered by Jing Yuan as the elders tried to convince the general to hand them over.

“I will not allow you to punish them for the sins of their father,” the general practically growled, being careful not to raise his voice.

He’d tried sending them off, but the elders had gotten in his way. So instead he was using his body to shield them as much as possible.

Y/n turned their head and noticed the group of ghost hunters. Their eyes widened and they buried themself closer to Jing Yuan.

“They should not even exist!” One of the elders yelled.

Jing Yuan gnawed at the inside of his cheek. He was in no position to argue with them about that, it was a matter of the Vidyadhara culture after all. Dan Feng had always been one to help others, and so when someone had approached him about the viability of a Vidyadhar/Xianzhou native hybrid for interspecies couples, he’d been open to the idea. He was the high elder, it was his responsibility to make decisions in the best interest of the Vidyadhara and the relationship with the Xianzhou.

The first test was not supposed to work nearly as well as it did, a human embryo with Vidyadhara DNA should not have developed as well as it did, but it did.

Their gestation period was nearly as long as a Vidyadhara rebirth cycle, out running both the scientist’s life and Dan Feng’s.

“We should have terminated this experiment after Dan Feng’s execution!”

“I will not comment on the cultural significance of this, however I will not allow you to speak about my charge like that, much less in front of them!”

A quiet sniff came from in front of him.”

“What do we do?” Guinaifen asked. “We’ve never been in someone’s memories before.”

“This isn’t their memories,” Huohuo whispered back, “this is just an illusion created by the Hellobus.”

Caelus stepped forward, catching Y/n attention. Their eyes were red and teary as they sniffed and hiccuped, clingy to Jing Yuan. No one else seemed to notice him, so he stepped forward again.

That caught the attention of the Vidyadhara who snapped their gaze towards him. He shifted his grip on his bat, ready for a fight, but the elders turned to Y/n instead.

“I mean really, why are you even alive?”

“I don’t…” a soft voice spoke up, muffled by Jing Yuan’s uniform. “I don’t know.”

“Why do you need a reason to live?” Caelus asked.

“You’re just a burden. Most of your kind doesn’t even know you exist, and those that do hate you. You’ll never be a regular Xianzhou native. You will outlive everyone you lov-”

Caelus slammed his bat into the elders head, cutting him off.

The man stumbled back before turning back into a Helobus as the other illusions disappeared in blue wisps. Around them the garden turned into a dark street on the Luofu. Shushang grabbed the small Y/n and brought them back to the other two as they continued quietly sobbing while Caelus captured the Hellobus.

“I-It’s okay,” Huohuo tried to comfort them, her own eyes welling with tears.

Guinaifen pulled them into a tight hug, letting the young hybrid sob into the performer's shoulder.

“Hey,” Caelus called softly.

He crouched down to Y/n’s level as they hiccuped and sniffled, pulling slightly away from Guinaifen. The trailblazer handed the captured Helobus to Huohuo, then turned his attention to the frightened child.

“Y/n, right?”

They nodded, rubbing the tears from their eyes. Caelus grabbed their hand and used the hem of his shirt to dry their tears.

“It’s scary not knowing anything about yourself, isn’t it?”

“Ye-yes,” they hiccuped.

“You didn’t answer my question before. Why do you need a reason to live?”

“Because… I just do.”

“Then, how about we pick something?”

The world around them began to disintegrate without the Helobus free.

“How about…”

---

“Dan Heng?” Caelus called, knocking on the archive door.

“Come in.”

Caleus slid the door open, and the man looked up from his computer. Standing in his doorway was not Caelus but rather an unfamiliar child who looked to be a similar age to Yanqing. The kid shifted awkwardly, looking back at Caelus who gently nudged them forward.

Dan Heng turned his chair around and made his way over, causing Y/n to press themself back against Caelus. He stopped.

“You must be Y/n.”

“Yes sir.”

Y/n’s hand twisted their sleeve awkwardly as Dan Heng extended a hand. They hesitantly took it.

“Would you like to look through the archives? I could use some help filling in the information about the Luofu.”

They looked back at Caelus who shrugged, then turned to Dan Heng.

“Okay.” They stepped towards the younger man and followed him towards the computer. “Are you…” Dan Heng stopped flipping through the archive. “Are you my dad?”

“No, but,” he looked thoughtful for a moment, “I could be your brother?”

A wide grin spread across their face as they nodded happily. “Yes please!”

How about we find some answers?

#researcher s's recovery #honkai star rail #hsr ensemble #honkai star rail jing yuan #hsr jing yuan #jing yuan #jing yuan & reader #honkai star rail caelus #hsr caelus #honkai star rail trailblazer #hsr trailblazer #honkai star rail dan heng #hsr dan heng #dan heng #dan heng & reader #reader insert #gender neutral reader #oneshot #hsr oneshot #rating unavailable

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello. I was wondering if you could make a platonic Honkai Star Rail story with the reader being Jing Yuan's child and but they ended up running away to stay with their mother because they keep messing things up especially after Jing Yuan and the readers mother got divorced. it takes awhile but a few months later the reader suddenly returned to the Loufu because of some disaster where the reader had been living with their mother and Jing Yuan also wanted to talk the reader so he would finally be able to apologize to them especially after he accidentally saw the diary they kept on their computer. (I was kind of inspired by the first episode of The Owl House season three Thanks To Them for this request but If you're not not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight☺️)

Here you go!

This one was pretty easy to write, but's definitely dialogue heavy because it's confined to one spot.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Words and Actions- Jing Yuan & child!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: April 19th, 2024

Description: Hello. I was wondering if you could make a platonic Honkai Star Rail story with the reader being Jing Yuan's child and but they ended up running away to stay with their mother because they keep messing things up especially after Jing Yuan and the readers mother got divorced. it takes awhile but a few months later the reader suddenly returned to the Loufu because of some disaster where the reader had been living with their mother and Jing Yuan also wanted to talk the reader so he would finally be able to apologize to them especially after he accidentally saw the diary they kept on their computer. (I was kind of inspired by the first episode of The Owl House season three Thanks To Them for this request but If you're not not comfortable with writing this that's completely alright and I wish you a good morning/afternoon or goodnight☺️)

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with an anonymous researcher, we thank them for their contributions.

Word count: 1 202

Back to directory

Jing Yuan had imagined this conversation a hundred times, and everytime he only found himself proving them right.

No matter what he said to them in his head, their response always sounded wrong. He imagined they’d give him the silent treatment, but then they wouldn’t listen to his apology and that didn’t sound right. If they yelled and cried the words sounded wrong, he couldn’t imagine them saying they hated him. The idea that they would hug him as soon as they saw each other broke his heart because he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Jing Yuan did not know how to reconcile with his child because he did not know his child.

“General?” Fu Xuan called from the door of the seat of divine foresight. “They’re awake.”

He may not know what to say, or what was about to happen, but he knew what he had to do.

Fu Xuan entered the seat of divine foresight to take over for him while he headed to the alchemy commission.

All throughout the starskiff ride, his hand mindlessly traced a small square in his palm. It was a habit he had picked up when he returned to work after their birth, tracing the size of their tiny hand in his. When had it gotten so big? Was it close to the same size as his now? Was it as soft as the last time he’d held their hand?

The alchemists waved him through to a small hut as soon as he arrived.

His feet felt heavy as he approached the door, the sound of soft laughter slipping through the open window. Lady Bailu was running them through how to use their pain medicine and reminding them to keep their bandages dry. He didn’t know what happened for them to end up bleeding and barely conscious in starskiff haven, no one had had a chance to ask yet.

The door in front of him opened, and he looked down to see Bailu staring up at him. The dragon lady cleared her throat and waved her hand, indicating he needed to move.

“Sorry.” He stepped aside, letting her leave. “May I-”

“It’s up to her,” Bailu shrugged, looking back into the hut.

Jing Yuan followed her gaze to see Y/n sitting up in bed, their head and one of their forearms wrapped in bandages. They were staring at him, but looked away when he made eye contact.

“It’s okay. Thank you, Lady Bailu.”

Bailu nodded and excused herself.

The general slowly entered the hut, as if he was afraid Y/n would run away or change their mind, and carefully closed the door behind himself. He took a seat on the stool beside them.

“How are you feeling?” He asked after a moment of silence.

“Lady Bailu says I have a concussion and some minor burns.” They raised the arm that was wrapped up. “The stupid ship malfunctioned,” they grumbled.

“I heard that your ship was barely functional when it arrived.”

“Yup,” they sighed, popping the p. They leaned back against the headboard and let their head lean against the wall. “The anti matter legion attacked the world we’ve been living on. I was on my way back from a trip and the second I got back to the plant I was attacked, so… I left.”

They fell silent, their eyes slipping shut as they relaxed. Then suddenly they opened and they turned to him with a panicked expression.

“Mom-”

“She already knows. Lady Bailu responded to a message she sent you, and so she messaged me to make sure you really were here. I promised to bring you back as soon as I could.”

“You mean send me back. Take me back implies you’re going with me,” they snipped, leaning back into the wall.

“No, I said what I mean.” Y/n side eyed him, and he took a deep breath. “I understand you’re tired, so if you’d like we can talk later.”

“It’s fine. I’m not allowed to sleep right now anyways.”

Jing Yuan nodded, but when he went to speak he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he reached to the pitcher on their bedside table and poured them both a glass of water. He stared into the cup for a moment, then cleared his throat and tried again.

“I’m sorry.” Outside, he could hear people moving about and a bird likely perched on the tree just outside. Y/n didn’t say anything. “I found your diary,” he could feel them glare at him, but they still didn’t speak, “I promise I didn’t realize that’s what it was.”

“How do you mistake a diary for something else?”

“I thought it was one of your school work books.”

They tilted their head from side to side, accepting the response. Y/n motioned for him to continue as they took a sip of water.

“I should have noticed the pressure you were feeling, and the expectations that you felt due to my position.”

Y/n began to bite at the inside of their lip and fiddle with the bandages on their arm. Jing Yuan waited to see if they’d speak.

He was about to continue when they spoke up.

“I didn’t want to leave,” they mumbled. “I was just… so tired, and you were never around!” Y/n’s eyes went glassy and their throat tightened up. “I was always the general's kid, and it felt like I was never doing good enough. I hate feeling like a bad mark would make people question you.”

“Why would that make people question me?” He cooed.

“I don’t know!” They hiccuped. “It was stupid, but it didn’t-”

Jing Yuan moved to sit by their feet and pulled them down into a hug. Y/n wasted no time throwing their arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder, their tears soaking into his shirt. He didn’t care that they were getting snot all over his uniform, he would spend the rest of the day in a messy uniform if it meant he could hold them a little longer.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into the top of their head before kissing it. “I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me, and that you couldn’t make mistakes for my sake. It isn’t your job to worry about my reputation, but thank you. I know you were just trying to help, and I’m proud to have such a caring child.

He rubbed a hand up and down their back soothingly as they continued sobbing into his chest.

When their sobs turned into hiccups, he helped them sit back up and handed them their water. They chugged it, and he poured them another glass and set it aside.

Jing Yuan took Y/n’s hand in his and pressed their palms together, smiling.

“Your hand used to fit right into my palm… it was so tiny. When did you get so big?”

They laughed softly, wiping the lingering tears from their lashes.

“I don’t know.” They laced their fingers with his and let their hands drop between them as he rubbed his thumb along the back of their hand. “Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Can I stay here for a bit?”

“Always.”

#researcher s's recovery #honkai star rail #honkai star rail jing yuan #hsr jing yuan #jing yuan #jing yuan & reader #reader insert #gender neutral reader #oneshot #hsr oneshot #angst with a happy ending

[heaven-s-black-box]

Hello 👋, I just wanted to say I loved the Neuvillette story and I would like to see a continuation where the relationship with Lyney and the reader was explored, but if it's not to much to ask I'd also like some more context with the relationship between Neuvillette and the readers mother.

Here you go!

I know you've already seen the fic, but I'm still going to reply here :)

I'm glad you liked the first part, both parts were a ton of fun to write. Also, in case anyone was wondering what exactly Lynette did that got them on the front page of the paper; she tipped Charlotte off so that Lyney couldn't chicken out of asking Y/n out because at this point it's an open secret.

What I did find difficult was deciding what happened between Neuvillette and Reader's mother. I knew it had to be something about his work tendencies, but it also felt like it needed a little more, and that something more wouldn't necessarily be shared with the reader and their siblings.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Definitely a Date- Lyney x Neuvillette's child!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: April 18th, 2024

Description: Hello 👋, I just wanted to say I loved the Neuvillette story and I would like to see a continuation where the relationship with Lyney and the reader was explored, but if it's not to much to ask I'd also like some more context with the relationship between Neuvillette and the readers mother.

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with @crystalkat6747, we thank her for her contribution. This was fun, and ended up being super long. I clearly have favorites, lol. This is a continuation of Let It Out but, i think it can be read alone.

Word count: 2 699

Back to directory

"I’m going out with Lyney today,” Y/n said before taking another bite of their croissant. “We might leave the city.”

“Very well, I won’t wait for you at dinner time.” Neuvillette stopped spreading the jam on his bread. “And if you could, ask him to stop climbing up to your window. He’s going to get arrested one of these times.”

Y/n inhaled sharply and began choking on their food. They grabbed their tea cup and chugged the drink before coughing some more. Neuvillette watched them carefully, pushing his chair back in case he needed to help.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m-” they coughed some more, “I’m fine,” they wheezed. “I didn’t think you knew about that,” they muttered, pouring themself more tea.

“I had my suspicions, but that was how he came looking for you the other day.”

Y/n cringed a bit at the mention of the other day. It had been three days since they and their siblings had scared their father shitless, and a day since the twins had gone back to Liyue where they were currently running a small legal business. In that time Y/n had stayed close to their father and been helping around the Palais Mermonia; whether it was their way of making up for scaring him or them trying to comfort themself was uncertain.

“On a different topic, I’ve been giving your question some thought.” Y/n’s brows furrowed in confusion. “About why your mother and I are no longer together.”

“Oh.”

“I believe it was as I said before, my duty as your father is to protect you, and your mother did not believe we could do that here. She’d always taken the prophecy seriously, and as the water level began to rise she became more anxious about what might happen. However, I refused to abandon my duties here and while she could not make you leave with her– at least you would have somewhere outside of Fontain you could go.”

“I’m guessing there was more to it?”

A small smile pulled at Neuvillette’s lips. “Yes, but it doesn’t concern you.”

Y/n leaned their chin on their palm and watched their father as he flipped to the next page of the Steambird. His eyes were solemn in a way akin to how they looked after a trial. They’d always known that he hadn’t liked the idea of the divorce, but they’d also gotten the feeling it was partly because he blamed himself. After their mother had left Fontain, he’d made it a point to spend his lunch break with them and take them to see shows they expressed interest in as though he were trying to make up for his previous absence caused by work.

In fact, they’d been in the audience together when Lyney and Lynette had debuted in the Opera Epiclese.

“So, when-”

A knock echoed through the house and Y/n rushed to the front door, Neuvillette close behind.

“Hey,” Y/n breathed out.

“Good morning, Y/n.” Neuvillette heard Lyney say just before he turned the corner. To his surprise, the magician was not in his usual clothes. Instead he was dressed in black slacks and a red dress shirt, sans his usual hat. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, let me just-ah!”

Y/n turned around to find their father standing at the end of the hallway.

“Enjoy your day.”

“Mhm,” Y/n nodded.

Lyney held out his arm for Y/n to take, and they waved goodbye to their father before stepping outside and linking their arm with his. Neuvillette watched them walk down the street, arm in arm, before closing the door to finish his morning routine.

“Nice outfit,” Y/n hummed, leaning into the magician’s side.

“Thank you, you look good too.”

They walked past shops with windows full of mechanical toys and fancy jewelry, occasionally stopping to talk about the items on sale. Y/n shared the story of  a new line of accessories they came across, and how the melusine who was sourcing the material had gifted them one of the first watches made. Lyney smiled as they went on about how pretty the watches circuitry was, which ended with them asking about Freminet’s recent inventions.

Lyney was more than happy to share about Pers’ latest upgrade as they headed towards Cafe Lutece. 

“What are we doing here?” Y/n wondered aloud as Lyney led them up to the counter.

“Grabbing snacks.”

Y/n shrugged, and ordered a batch of conch madeleines. When they turned back from getting their mora out, they found the exact change already on the counter. They turned to Lyney who grinned and pulled them away to a table where they could wait.

“I could have paid for myself.”

“It’s no problem, I like treating you when we go out.”

Y/n let out a fond sigh as a white box was set on the table. The young adults thanked the shop owner before Lyney took the lead once again, dragging Y/n to the aquabus station.

They boarded the Navia line and found themselves reminiscing about the recent flooding of the nation at the mention of their friend. The melusine went on with her speech, occasionally catching the interest of the two as she pointed out animals nearby. Y/n let their head rest against Lyney’s shoulder, unable to see the way the tips of his ears turned red.

In the sky, the sun shone brightly– unobstructed by clouds.

“You know…” Lyney started once they’d separated from the rest of the aquabus riders on their way towards the Opera Epiclese, “when we uncovered the whole scheme behind my first show here, I had nightmares for a week straight that you’d been the one drawn.”

He squeezed their hand but didn’t look at them. His eyes were trained forward as they turned away from the rainbow roses lining the path to look at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the frown adorning their lips.

“What brought that up?”

Lyney’s eyes flickered to their before he looked away again and started steering them towards the Icewind Suite installation.

“I figured you’d be home the other day, and when Monsieur Neuviellette barged into your room and you weren’t there…” He trailed off. “I’m not saying you have to tell someone everytime you go out,” he backtracked frantically when he caught Y/n looking away. “It was just, so unlike you to disappear like that.”

“Sorry. For scaring you guys, I mean.”

The two fell silent as they took a seat along the edge of the installation. Lyney set the box of treats between them and Y/n leaned back on their hands to watch the dancing machines.

“Oh, one, I’m supposed to tell you to stop climbing up to my window before you get arrested. Apparently the other day wasn’t the first time father’s caught you.” Lyney nearly choked on a blubber profiterole as his face turned nearly the same color as his vision, making Y/n laugh. “Secondly, why did you come looking for me the other day?”

Lyney stumbled over his words for a minute, still stuck in a coughing fit as he regretted not bringing anything to drink.

“I-” he coughed a bit more, “I wanted to tell you that Lynette and I got a show in Sumeru.”

“Really?” Y/n gasped, clapping their hands together. “That’s amazing, when is it?”

“A few months out, but Lynette and I have to visit the venue sometime next month to make sure everything will work.”

“That sounds fun.”

Y/n took a bite of one of the madeleines, turning back to the sweeping dance. Lyney propped his elbows up on his knees and leaned against his palms, watching them.

They looked over at him from the corner of their eye before inclining their head in confusion.

“What?”

“I want you to come with us.”

“For the show?” Y/n asked around another mouthful of madeleine. They shielded their mouth with their hand before swallowing. “Obviously, if you need me backstage.”

“No, well yes, but I mean next month. I want you to help us make a unique trick for our first international show.” Y/n stopped mid bite as Lyney continued. “I know right now you just come and go as you please, and that’s fine if you want to keep working at the Palais Mermonia, but I want to offer you a proper position in our show.”

Y/n sat up straight and stared at their half eaten madeleine for a moment before popping it into their mouth. 

“I’ll think about it,” they said after they finished it.

The answer seemed to satisfy Lyney as the magician smiled and turned to watch the dancing mechanisms. Across from them, the sun began to droop low enough that it washed out the show– its light glancing off the shiny metal and into the audience's eyes. They took this, and the completed sweets, as a sign that it was time to move on.

Lyney once again took the lead, looping his arm around Y/n’s and leading them back to the aquabus station.

Once back in the main court, he dragged them off to hotel debord where they had dinner before he once again dragged them off without an explanation.

“Alright, I wasn’t going to ask, but what’s all this about?” Y/n laughed as the magician dragged them through the court.

Streetlight had already turned on as the sun was hidden behind the high walls of the court. Lyney was no longer holding their arm but had a tight hold on their hand as they raced through the city.

“I haven’t seen you in four days, need to make up for lost time,” he laughed.

Lyney dragged them all the way out of the city before he slowed down again so they could walk side by side. He gently swung their hands back and forth, smiling as they ran their fingers over some of the calluses on his. They followed a practiced path down to the beach as the sun cast a golden glow over the landscape.

Y/n stopped suddenly when they hit the sand, causing Lyney to be yanked back, and took a deep breath. Lyney found himself smiling at this as he took off his shoes and socks.

A gentle tap at their knee lowered Y/n’s gaze to their feet Where Lyney was kneeling.

“What are you doing?” They asked, feeling their face heat up.

The magician grinned and carefully raised one of their feet to his knee where he began to take off their shoe.

“Taking your shoes off.” They yelped and grabbed his shoulders to balance themself as he removed the shoe and sock. “Other one.”

“I can definitely do that myself,” they laughed awkwardly.

“But I’m trying to spoil you,” he hummed as he set their other, now bare, foot down. He wrapped his arms around their legs and rested his chin against their abdomen. “Now how about a swim?”

“Are you trying to get me in my underwear?” They laughed, trying to ignore the heat spreading across their face and down their neck.

Y/n was so preoccupied with their own embarrassment that they missed the red tint that had also begun to cover Lyney’s face.

“If it makes you feel better I can strip first.”

“Ah, you’re serious.”

The realization stunned them, their thoughts running a mile a minute as they wondered if this had been a date in the first place. Not that they minded, but they couldn’t recall Lyney calling it a-

“AH!” they shrieked as Lyney wrapped an arm under their knees and the other around their back.

“Or we could just do this,” he laughed.

They shrieked and flailed as the deceptively strong magician picked them up and carried them over to the soft waves, then tossed them in. Y/n spluttered as they surfaced, wiping the water from their eyes just in time to watch Lyney jump in after them.

The wave hit them in the face, causing them to inhale water and start choking again.

“Are you okay,” he laughed, standing next to them in the water.

He wrapped an arm around them, patting their back as their head hung between them.

“You jerk,” they wheezed. “Now our clothes are wet.”

They sighed and kicked off the seafloor to float on their back, and Lyney joined them. He intertwined their hands so they wouldn’t float apart, and the two lay there watching the sky darken and the stars appear.

“Lyney?”

Y/n’s voice was muffled by the water in his ears.

“Yes?”

“Was this a date?”

The magician swung his feet under him and began to tread water as they’d floated away from shore. Y/n did the same, but grabbed Lyney’s shoulders to stabilize themself leaving the two practically nose to nose.

“No, if it was a date you’d definitely know.”

“And how would I definitely know?” Y/n inclined their head.

“Well for one I would have brought you flowers when I picked you up, two I wouldn’t let you pay for anything-”

“You didn’t let me pay for anything.”

Lyney cleared his throat awkwardly. “And three I would certainly hope you’d remember me asking.”

“So your sister helps you dress up for all your outings with friends? And you always walk arm in arm and pull out their chair?”

“How did you know Lynette helped me pick this out?”

“Lyney, in all the time we’ve known each other I’ve almost exclusively seen you in your show wear. For the first month we knew each other I wasn’t sure you owned anything else, then I just found out you’re a bit of a workaholic,” Y/n chuckled and moved their hands to cup Lyney’s face.

Lyney moved his hands up to their waist.

“This isn’t a date,” he said, causing Y/n to look at him incredulously. “I was going to ask you out on a date when I brought you home,” he grumbled, making Y/n laugh.

They dropped their head to his shoulder as theirs shook with every laugh. Lyney hugged their waist as they moved closer and pulled them back to where he could at least stand.

“I-”

“Nope. I’m still going to ask you, so save your answer for then.”

Y/n pulled back with a wide smile and nodded before the two wadded back to shore.

Lyney used his vision to dry them off, and they headed back into the city– once again hand in hand.

As soon as they arrived back at Y/n’s place, they turned around with an expectant grin. Lyney had to admit that he was less nervous than he’d expected, probably because they’d already made their answer very clear.

He flicked his wrist, and a rainbow rose appeared in his hand. They giggled as they reached for it, but Lyney pulled it back slightly.

“Y/n?”

“Yes?”

“Would you do me the honor of going on a date?”

“I would love to go on a date with you, Lyney.”

Lyney didn’t let them take the rose, moving it away again as they reached for it, and instead tucked it behind their ear.

“How does dinner tomorrow night sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” they hummed as they reached up to hold the hand lingering near their face. “Goodnight, Lyney,” Y/n whispered as they pressed their lips to his cheek.

---

“So-”

Y/n yelped, nearly falling off the stool at their vanity when Lyney spoke from behind them. The magician was perched on their open window sill with one leg crossed over the other and the day’s Steambird in his hands.

“Good morning,” he grinned at them. “Anyways, maybe it was a date.”

He stepped into their room and handed them the Steambird.

There, on the front page, was a picture of them watching the Icewind Suite. Lyney was leaning towards them with his chin in his palm and a lovesick look in his eyes and Y/n was watching the dance. The headline read Magic and Justice on a date?!

“Lynette?” Y/n sighed.

“Lynette.”

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