#am i logically aware that my friends probably aren't all sick of me at once?

[foxxsong]

Desperately wanting attention but getting the vibes that no one wants anything to do with you is A Feeling

#am i logically aware that my friends probably aren't all sick of me at once? #yes #would i rather shrivel up and die of lack of affection like an infant than risk annoying anyone? #also yes #(i know two of you are on here so if you see this don't feel bad or like you have to message me!! #just sharin ma feelins) #vent ?

[eirikaanemo]

Can You Keep A Secret?

Warnings: imprisonment, mentions of starvation and sickness

Note: I haven't actually played Dvalin's quest but I tried to keep it as close to canon as possible. Feel free to leave a comment or message me if you see something wrong.

Venti x GN!Reader

1.9k Words

Your soulmate is secretly Barbatos... now what?

Everyone has a soulmate. And everyone is born knowing your soulmate's biggest secret. For most people it’s really unhelpful, but for some people it helps them find their soulmate. You’re in the latter group, because yours gives you a name.

You've known your whole life that your soulmate is secretly Barbatos. It's… interesting, to say the least. Of course you'd never dare to tell anyone. Thankfully, asking someone what their soulmate’s secret is isn’t very common. It’s considered to be very rude, so no one asks you what your secret is. They'd think you're crazy!

Barbatos hasn't been around for centuries and you're a mortal. This is the sort of thing you would read about in trashy romance novels! But even though it’s crazy and kind of overwhelming, you know it's true. You don't know if he'd ever accept you or want to be with you, in fact, you’re pretty sure he won’t, but you want to try.

Once that’s settled, you just have to find him. If he's anywhere, it's probably the city of Mondstadt. That’s where he seems to have shown up the most in the past, after all. So you move to Mondstadt. It’s a nice place and the people are friendly. Finding a job with the Knights of Favonius was fairly easy and it paid pretty well.

Unfortunately, the 'Storm-terror' problem starts shortly after you move. He throws the whole city into chaos the first time, and then proceeds to keep doing it regularly. The fear is all encompassing, but that's fine, you try to convince yourself. It will all be worth it when you find him. ‘If you find him’, your traitorous mind whispers.

It's been months, a year even, and you're starting to lose hope. How were you expecting to find Barbatos anyway? Shout from the rooftops for him to reveal himself and whisk you away? He hasn't been around for a long time and you knew that. And to be honest, at this point you've given up.

Going home is the logical thing to do, it’s where your family is after all. But you stay because you made yourself a home here. You have friends: Jean, Lisa, and Kaeya. You have come to love the city: music, freedom, and camaraderie. Well, you love the city except for the 'Storm-terror' attacks. Those aren't very lovable.

What concerns you the most though is that 'Storm-terror' is a dragon. And dragons trend to be important (like, archon important). But no one seems to remember this one. So you research. You visit the cathedral and speak with some nuns. You dedicate some time to listening to bard’s tales, asking them if they know any songs about dragons. One does, and it's surprisingly informational. You spend time at the library, pouring through book after book. And after all this investigation, you've come to the conclusion that 'Storm-terror' is actually Dvalin of the Four Winds. Not that anyone actually believes you

It didn't stop you from telling people your theory though, and being more respectful in how you refer to him, despite all the damage he's caused. Eventually they do start considering it and the city starts catching on. If you keep doing this, you may be able to change the city's perspective of and reaction to Dvalin.

The abyss mage catches on to this, and he just can't let that happen. It could compromise the whole plan. So one day he has Dvalin abduct you and locks you up. And true to your luck, this happens out of the blue while you’re taking a walk that you’d finally convinced Jean to go on with you. Which, of course, reverses all your progress and makes the situation even worse than it was before. Incidentally, this also does the exact opposite of what you’d been trying to do by stressing out poor Jean more.

The abyss mage doesn’t care about anything other than making sure you’re not able to go back to Mondstadt. The mage does not care about human necessities. Who cares if you die? Not him. He hates humans. It's kind of part of his job description.

Your prison is where Dvalin retreats to when not attacking. And the mage has to go report to someone else sometimes, giving you opportunities to speak with Dvalin. He never responds to you, but you can tell he eventually starts listening. You start by rambling about various subjects; then talking about how you know he's Dvalin, and that you're sorry he was being treated like he was, once you know he is listening. Because while you don’t know the whole situation, you know that he feels hurt by how humans have treated him.

After several days of talking to him, he slowly starts warming up to you. It’s a strange sort of bond that grows stronger as time goes on. He starts responding and the two of you actually have conversations instead of just you talking. Eventually you even mention how you know your soulmate is actually Barbatos and that you've kind of given up finding him.

He gives a thoughtful hum, lets you vent out your feelings, tries to think of an appropriate response, then allows you to drop the subject once you’ve worn yourself out emotionally. It’s becoming obvious that your health, physical, mental, and emotional, is degrading faster as time goes on.

One day Dvalin and the mage both disappear for longer than usual. After the mage makes sure you won’t be able to escape, of course. It’s not like you would’ve been able to leave anyway. At that point you’re not able to do much at all.

Little did you know that only Dvalin would be returning. They ended up facing the traveler and their companions in battle, and Dvalin was freed from the mage’s influence. The first thing Dvalin does is take them to help "the one decent human, that he actually cares about". You're in bad shape at this point, starving, sick, and weak. But you’re aware enough to hear Jean call your name and feel someone gather you in their arms before blacking out.

When you wake up you're at the cathedral and are feeling much better. Certainly you are not fully recovered, that will take weeks. That one bard who was able to play you a song about Dvalin is always there. You vaguely remember him being there when you were found. He doesn’t really interact with you much, he’s just kind of there, but he does play peaceful music that helps you fall asleep when you’re struggling to rest.

Then the day comes for you to go home. They’ve done all they can for you and you’re past the worst of it. But you’re well enough to be out and about. “Now you take care of yourself,” Barbara lectures you. “Don’t push yourself, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and eat three square meals a day, got it?”

“Got it,” you confirm. “Thank you for taking care of me, I really appreciate your help.” She smiles, wishes you well, and returns to the cathedral. You take a moment to breathe and just appreciate being back home, free of your prison and the small cathedral room they’d kept you in while treating you.

Taking a deep breathe you start on your way home. “Hey!” You hear someone exclaim behind you. “Could you hold on a second?” Turning around, you see the bard quickly excusing himself from a street performance before running to catch up to you. Once he’s caught up, he gives you a smile.

“Hi! I’m Venti the bard! Would you be willing to speak with me about something? It’s kind of private so we would need to go to windrise or something, but you’ll want to hear this, I promise.” He says. “Alright,” you agree, “but I can’t make it all the way to windrise. Would my home do? I live alone so we’ll have privacy.” He nods, “that’ll work great!”

The walk home is quiet but comfortable. The bard’s content to hum a tune as he follows you through the streets. Soon you’re home, unlocking the door to let you and your guest in. You lead him over to the couch where you both sit down. “So,” you say, “what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I was talking with Dvalin a day or so after we freed both of you and he said you mentioned you came to Mondstadt searching for your soulmate. And that you said your soulmate’s biggest secret, the one that you know, is that they’re Barbatos,” he explains. You feel a pang of betrayal at Dvalin’s actions and some guilt for sharing your soulmate’s secret in the first place.

It probably showed on your face because he quickly spoke up again. “He didn’t just tell me for no reason though. You see, I am Barbatos. I’m your soulmate.” Your head, which had been drooping with the weight of your emotions suddenly shot up as you fumbled for a response.

Apparently that showed too because he continued, “And I’m sorry I made it so hard for you to find me. I’m sorry I almost made you give up on me. Most of my waking time is spent incognito so I can watch over everyone while not being put in a position of authority. I didn’t anticipate meeting you ”

There’s a moment or two of silence as you gather your thoughts. “It’s okay,” you assure him. “I understand why you did what you did and I’ll never hold it against you. How were you supposed to know I was even born yet, not to mention that I’ve been in the area searching for you.”

You take another moment or two to gather your wits. “I will also understand if you don’t want to do anything about this,” you state. “I don’t want you to feel forced into having a relationship with me if you don’t want to. The last thing I’d want to do is be responsible for making you miserable. And that’s not to mention how you’re an archon and I’m just a mortal.”

Your talking speeds up as you start rambling, losing control of the conversation as you feel more and more nervous. Once you realize you’re rambling you shut your mouth with a click. “Sorry about that,” you mutter. “I do that sometimes when I’m nervous.”

When you chance a glance at him, he honestly looks a little offended but mostly just really sad. “Is- is that really what you think I think about this?” He asks softly. “Because it’s not. I absolutely want this. I absolutely want you. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for millenia and I wouldn’t give this up for the world.”

He reaches over and slowly, hesitantly, so as to give you time to escape if you want, gathers you into his arms. You realize that he’s the one who picked you up to bring you home. Your ear rests against his chest as lean against him, and his heart skips a beat as you gently grab one of his hands and kiss it. “I’m glad,” you breathe. “I’m glad too,” he voices softly.

You yawn, feeling the exhaustion from your journey home and the rest of the day hit you. He pulls you close and whispers in your ear, “Sleep well, my cecilia, I’ll be here when the sun comes up and when you wake up.” You fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

#eirika writes #venti x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin venti #venti #soulmate au

[ruensroad]

hello! thank u for the last fill! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ) if u r still doing these (sleep deprivation sentence starters) then "You aren't making any sense." for rencheng!!

I need to apologize, i feel like this one got away from me. But thank you so much for the prompt, sorry if this makes no sense (ha). I started feeling really sick in the middle and it took off to directions unknown.

Prompt from this list and it belongs to this RenCheng AU.

---

It was a testament to how strong his core was that the fever only lasted the day. Memories of waking were hazy and blurred together, but there was a constant in them that helped Jiang Cheng realize a passage of time: Lan Qiren leaning over him, patting his forehead with cool cloth, looking far more worried than anyone had any right to be in looking at Jiang Cheng. His layers of robes gradually lessened, and at one point Lan Qiren was in his final two robes and his hair down, but was back to a good three layers when he’d awoken again.

Jin Ling was in the blurs of time as well at times, peeking over the back of the daybed couch, all big eyes and hopeful face. To Jiang Cheng’s relief, he seemed to be keeping his distance so the threat of him getting sick too was avoided. Small mercies. The boy was a nightmare when sick. His robes had also shed layers, at one point free of all his Jin gold and in nothing but the final Yunmeng purple. His hair had been down then, too, and Jiang Cheng could remember wondering if the little heir would demand a braid in his hair from Lan Qiren. He liked sleeping with a braid, after all, and was rather stubborn about it, as he was with all things.

Jiang Cheng didn’t get an answer to that, because when his eyes finally opened for good, it was to Jin Ling hurrying around in his usual ponytail, though he’d shed his robes for white ones. Lan Qiren’s doing, more than likely, because they looked fresh and clean. The sun was high enough over the room that it wasn’t directly in the window, but still bright enough Jiang Cheng had to blink a few times to get the blur and sleep-grit from his eyes to help them adjust.

He might as well have still been sleeping when he realized what he was looking at. Surely, it was a dream.

Lan Qiren was in the three layers of robes still, despite the time, and his hair was unadorned, the top half in a simple tie, not a proper knot. Kneeling on the rug, he had a wooden sheep in his hand, which he moved out of the way as Jin Ling plopped down in his lap, all cheery confidence with his boat and what looked to be a stuffed bird. The man looked… well, like shit, and that was kind. Exhausted, with red eyes and the hint of sleep-bruises under them, but his smile was warm, if tired, as he indulged Jin Ling’s adventures.

“Truly?” he thought he heard the man murmur, his voice rough but still gentle in deference to their play. 

“Yes! I approve,” Jin Ling said, which made no sense, but made Lan Qiren try to huff a laugh, a sad attempt in its fatigue, that still had Jin Ling beaming as he flew the little stuffed bird around. “I approve so much, Old Teacher.”

The sight was too much for Jiang Cheng’s heart to take and he couldn’t breathe for a few moments. The part of him that wanted impossible things only ached more, that this could be what it was like to share his life with Lan Qiren, to share Jin Ling’s love and enthusiasm for everything. Lan Qiren was soft in the light and so gentle, even when his goatee was playfully pulled. It reminded Jiang Cheng, all at once, that the man was a single uncle too, and that he’d raised the Twin Jades of Lan all alone. He was a man of true kindness and loyal love under all his strict bluster, and Jiang Chng had to close his eyes against the way his heart called out so earnestly. It wasn't right, he told himself, to burden the man with more. Jiang Cheng was not worth the headache, he knew that, but still it was getting harder and harder to push the feelings away.

His core reached out to let them know he was awake and Jin Ling came careening in, flopping gracelessly over him with a delighted laugh. “Jiu-jiu!” he said, hugging him tight, and Jiang Cheng held him back just as closely, even if he was a tad winded from taking a bony elbow to the rib. “You’re awake!”

Jiang Cheng just grunted in answer and sat up, careful not to send Jin Ling sprawling. He felt gross, sticky with sweat and fever grime, but the sickness was gone and his core pulsed strongly, as though the fever had never been. He breathed out in relief, his chin resting on the crown of Jin Ling’s head, and took in Lan Qiren once more.

He still looked far too tired, and Jiang Cheng knew immediately he hadn’t slept a wink. He scowled at the man. “What are you doing?”

“Good to see you feeling better,” Lan Qiren huffed, making no move to leave his spot on the rug, though he did shift to face them, the little wooden ship moving slowly between his hands. Jiang Cheng had never seen him fidget before and narrowed his eyes.

“You can’t just say that like you’re not about to spit blood and collapse,” Jiang Cheng huffed right back, and to his credit, Lan Qiren only looked down at the sheep in tired resignation instead of arguing that. “It was just a fever. I wasn’t dying!”

“I am aware,” Lan Qiren said, far too calmly, and it was hard to tell with the way his hair fell down his shoulders, but Jiang Cheng could almost believe the man's ears had gone red. Probably from being called out. 

Well, good. 

“You should have slept,” Jiang Cheng said, the anger quick and confusing. 

“I should have,” Lan Qiren agreed, which was even more confusing. “I wanted to be sure you were going to be alright. You and young master Jin.”

Logically, he knew he should thank the man, but that ache in his heart seemed to snap, and he closed his eyes against seething words. “You’re not making sense,” he finally bit out, because there were other people that could do that. GusuLan was crawling with healers and nurses, as well as nannies for the children who played in groups. There was absolutely no reason for Lan Qiren to have done this, any of this. “You are not my nurse.”

“That I am not,” Lan Qiren agreed, yet again, and this time looked ready to fall over. There was something sad and resigned in his face, which Jiang Cheng hated immediately, but before either of them could apologize or continue to argue, Jin Ling huffed grandly and smacked Jiang Cheng’s chest. It hardly hurt, but it was meant to, and Jiang Cheng turned his scowl down at his nephew.

His nephew, who was scowling right back. “Don’t be so mean to Old Teacher!” he demanded, princely nose in the air. “Old Teacher was worried about you! He likes you!”

“Of course he likes me, we’re friends,” was all Jiang Cheng managed before Jin Ling started getting truly upset and he felt his mood go backwards in panic. “Jin Ling -”

“No he likes you!” Jin Ling said, face puckered in and angry. “He likes you and you’re being mean! Say you’re sorry, or… or I’ll never talk to you again!”

There was silence that followed that and even Lan Qiren seemed a bit shell shocked. And why wouldn’t he? Jin Ling had just basically accused him of liking Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Cheng watched him wide eyes, waiting for the rufution to come.

It didn’t. Lan Qiren just sighed and moved to stand, and it was far more shaky than Jiang Cheng liked. Immediately, his worry came back under a veil of irritation, and he stood too, sitting Jin Ling down and moving over to him.

“Old Master,” he said, ready to take charge, but Lan Qiren just shook his head and there it was, red ears. Jiang Cheng blinked in shock.

“I’m sorry I have caused a fight,” Lan Qiren said, trying to be polite it seemed, but the exhausted sway of his body only had Jiang Cheng aching to brace him. “Do not be angry with your nephew, Sect Leader.”

It still wasn’t a denial. For some reason, Jiang Cheng’s mind kept circling back to that fact, and soon enough his own ears and face flushed with heat. 

“You… you too?” was the intelligence that fell out of his mouth, but for all he winced at the foolish hope in his voice, it got him the single most stunning expression he’d ever seen on Lan Qiren’s face, and everything just sort of stopped.

“You mean…” Lan Qiren swallowed, stunned, but soon softened in relief and in the way the light hit him, highlighting him in a snowy white glow, he was just as ethereal as he had been when they’d walked under the persimmon trees together. 

But for all the man was beautiful and breathtaking, he also looked painfully tired, and Jiang Cheng knew this wasn’t the time or place for this. Not when Lan Qiren was trembling like that.

“Old Master, you need to sleep,” Jiang Cheng said, firm in that for all his own heart was trembling fiercely. “But… tell me again. When you wake up, tell me everything.”

“I don’t know if I will be able to,” Lan Qiren admitted to him, soft in the admission, but gave him a nod nonetheless and, on swaying feet, made his way to the door. “I will try. For you, I will try.”

It was more than Jiang Cheng could hope for, and he was confused, excited, and terrified all at once. “So will I,” he forced himself to promise regardless. “When you wake up. I’ll be waiting.”

A nod, slow and shaky. “I know you will.”

#ruenwrites #rencheng #jiang cheng #lan qiren #jin ling #catching lightning au