#strangelysweet's fics

[oddlybitter]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kujou Sara/Sangonomiya Kokomi, Kujou Sara/Raiden Shogun | Baal Characters: Kujou Sara, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Raiden Shogun | Baal (Genshin Impact) Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, some speculation on kokomi's character bc she hasn't really been introduced properly yet, Implied Sexual Content, Jealousy, Mild Sexual Content, Blood and Injury, if you squint you can see some of my theories, Like Really Really Squint, Character Study, Relationship Study, Established Relationship, this put me in an empty milk bottle and shook me violently until i wrote it Summary:

The pink-haired woman turns away, hands folded underneath her chest as she feigns shyness. "What is she like?"

The apple is sweet. The inside of the fruit is soft, yielding compared to the defensiveness of the skin. "Perfect. Commanding. Often, I cannot walk in a perfect line after she is done. More often than that, I cannot walk."

"Better than I?"

A pause. 

"Yes."

"Oh."

Sara takes another bite of the apple, the juice running down her fingers. It is sticky, sweet, and cloying on her lips as well.

--

A diplomatic meeting.

#sarabaal #kokosara #genshin impact #genshin #genshin fic #baal genshin #kujou sara #sangonomiya kokomi #wlw #pls pls read the tags #suggestive content #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #a pearl

[anemoelliacia]

You asked for Childe fic recs, here I go: "Justice of the Dead" (series) by sondepoch; "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild" by Erina; "as the tsaritsa wills it" by strangelysweet; and "You Have One New Message" (part of a series) by IlluminanceinTales. All of them are on Ao3. Have fun reading and don't forget to check the tags!

Ahh thank you !! I will definitely check these out 💙

#elliacia answers

[oddlybitter]

draft excerpt from “for the good of the people, tartaglia must die”

hehe i am creating more and more work to do hehe

i am FINALLY writing a chili piece lmfao but it’s also got a lot of other ships in it. so, uh, it’s a bit of a wild ride. here’s what i have so far!! it’s rather unpolished but it has heart!!!

- (zhongli/childe, yanfei/hu tao, chongyun/xingqui + more to come)

- this part mostly focuses on yanfei/hu tao and chongyun/xingqui

cw: violence, blood

Pressing his back to the wall, Childe pants, blood rushing in his ears as he tries his best to listen out for the tell-tale sound of shoes pattering against the pavement. A few yards away, the sound of labored breathing grows louder, and two boys, each about the same height, skid to a halt underneath the Stone Gate's towering sheet of rock, nearly tripping on the uneven boards of the walkway. 

"Where'd he go?" One of them asks, his face very red and eyes clouded with wavering focus.

The other clenches his hand around his sword, brushing his navy bangs out of his face. "I'm not sure. The sun has not yet set. If we keep searching, I am sure we shall locate him before nightfall."

Childe swallows, his eyes wandering to the long poles of bamboo that appear to be his ticket out of here. The first boy, the one with pale blue eyes and thaumaturgist's gear, frowns, wiping his brow. 

"I don't know how much longer I can stay in control, Xingqiu."

While maintaining a look of stony focus on his face, Xingqiu leans closer, brushing the other boy's fluffy hair back with his hand to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. The light-haired boy closes his eyes, swaying slightly. 

Xingqui pulls back, cupping the other's cheek with his palm. "You're doing so well, dearest Chongyun. Just hold on a little longer."

Instead of waiting around to see this exchange and be swayed by their affectionate ways of reassurance, Childe is shimmying up a bamboo trunk, taking an arrow, and sticking it into the wood to get a leg up onto the stone ledge above the walkway. Breathing heavily, he rests for a moment, leaning his hands above his knees as he bends over. Then, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, Childe starts into a sprint again, frowning against the biting wind that beckons from Mondstadt.

How he ended up running from what seems to be the entire population of Liyue is a rather long story that you've probably heard by now. You know, the whole "summoning a destructive tentacle god, nearly drowning the entire city of Liyue Harbor, having a rich lady drop her house on him" thing. He'll spare you the gritty details that you've seen before and cut straight to where the most relevant bit started: this morning, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. 

As an apology for trying to steal his Gnosis and wipe Liyue off of the map, Childe had taken to delivering gifts to Mr. Zhongli, the consultant at Wangsheng. Usually, he would send them by mail, seeing as giving Zhongli those gifts face to face was too much for the other man to bear, especially after Childe realized he had played him like a cheap flute. How a man so polite and honorable could be so cruel was beyond him, but Childe had finally plucked up the courage to see him once again. 

He had entered the funeral parlor with a box of imported wines and teas that he had learned Zhongli was fond of, only to find two young women whispering between themselves at the front desk. One of them had light pink hair that fell loosely around her waist and a set of antlers peeking out from underneath a red hat, a heavy ledger attached at her hip. The other was a girl with dark brown hair tied into twin-tails dyed red at the tips. She was dressed entirely in black with a recurring butterfly motif, and her fingers chimed each time her rings brushed up against one and other. 

Setting the box on the counter, he gave them each a quick smile. "You wouldn't have happened to see the consultant, would you?"

The young women stopped muttering, turning around to face him with faces of dawning satisfaction. The pink one smiled sweetly, clasping her hands in front of her chest. 

"Oh, but of course! Right this way, please." She beamed, leading him into a room Childe hadn't seen before. 

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, something felt off to Childe. The pink-haired girl had her back turned to him, fiddling with something on the shelf as she hummed a cheery tune. The smell of old parchment and something terribly musty clouded the air, and before Childe could react, something pressed hard against his windpipe, yanking him backward. Instantly, the pink-haired girl turned around, nodding to something behind Childe's shoulder. With a grunt, he clawed at the rope looped around his neck, digging his fingers between it and his skin as he flipped his assailant over his back. 

The dark-haired girl from earlier went flying, knocking a shelf out of place as she tumbled into the arms of her accomplice. "Yikes! He's feisty!"

As Childe went to summon his water blades, the pink-haired girl set the other on her feet once more, pulling a catalyst out of the air and drawing out the shape of a diamond with her forefingers. A sudden heat flared up by his stomach, and he looked down, taking in the seal on his Vision with a confused stare. The space in his hands remained decidedly empty. 

"According to the recently amended codices, chapter forty-one, segment three dictates that if a criminal goes unpunished and escaped justice, the allogenes within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the crime are permitted to subdue said criminal by any means possible." She said, holding her hands out in the air in front of her. "Revision date of the law is as follows: last night, June, a month after the passing of Rex Lapis."

The dark-haired girl thrust her spear out, slicing through the flesh of Childe's upper arm. "I wanted to give you an advance on our new deal, but Yanfei said that would be first-degree murder."

"We compromised," Yanfei added. "Hu Tao can be very persuasive."

Hu Tao grinned, batting her eyelashes at the other girl. "My, my... Stop it,  you! You're so cute when you flatter me."

Blinking, Childe pressed his palm to the cut on his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. "What's going on?"

"Manslaughter of the second degree!" Yanfei chirped helpfully, and then set his scarf on fire. 

“I thought you said you compromised!” He screeched, batting at the rather fiery half of his scarf.

Smoke clouded the room like thick, cloying cobwebs, and just as Childe had extinguished the blaze that set the entire room full of very flammable objects on fire, he saw Hu Tao and Yanfei slip through a doorway cleverly hidden by a cabinet. Ducking out after them, he left the door open behind him, letting the plumes of smoke cloak his departure. Without a moment’s hesitation, Childe sprinted to the back exit, ripping off the pointedly un-burned part of his scarf to wrap around his arm. 

As he pressed his back against the outside wall of the funeral parlor, Childe ran a hand through his hair, streaking ash over the bridge of his nose. What in the ever-loving fuck just happened, he asked himself, and who the fuck were they?

Before he could have received an answer, Childe lifted his head from his hands just in time to avoid a sword plunging into the ground at his face. Frost crept from the blade, stretching across the cracks in the cobblestone. He looked up, already tired, to see a young girl perching on the roof, peering down at him from above. 

"Qiqi missed..." She muttered, raising a finger to her mouth as if she were trying to remember something. "What were Qiqi's orders again?"

Before he could think, Childe blurted out the first thing to come into his mind. "Do you know a Hu Tao?"

The child's face darkened. "Hu Tao... Qiqi knows."

"She tried to kill me. I think you should run away before she does the same to you."

If realization could have dawned on this expressionless child's face, it would have been blooming like spring flowers. Hopping down onto the pavement beside him, Qiqi nodded solemnly. 

"Qiqi greets you, strange-looking zombie. Many a time has Hu Tao tried to bury our kind. Qiqi will protect you, seeing as we stand against her in solidarity." Qiqi promised very earnestly, and Childe felt a twinge of guilt in his chest for lying to a kid. It quickly vanished as the sound of rushed footsteps echoed behind the doorway a few yards away. 

With a salute, he nodded at Qiqi with a grim look on his face. "Thank you, Qiqi. I am sure you will live on as a hero."

"Qiqi already died, but thank you for the sentiment."

Childe was gone before he could even clock what she meant. 

#chili #tartali #yantao #xingyun #genshin impact #genshin liyue #genshin childe #genshin yanfei #genshin hu tao #genshin xingqiu #genshin chongyun #genshin zhongli #genshin qiqi #genshin fic #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #tartaglia must die

[oddlybitter]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Diluc/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact) Characters: Diluc (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Keqing (Genshin Impact), Venti (Genshin Impact), Bennett (Genshin Impact) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, but i have made it utterly mundane and boring, i present to you...., (drumroll), hell's annual office party!!!, That's right, Alternate Universe - Office, (rubs my evil little hands together), Drinking, Drunken Confessions, childe's questionable taste, prompt from the chiluc week selection, Death Threats, but like, lovingly, ish, Flirty Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), of all of my written childes this one is the most punchable, Feral Diluc (Genshin Impact), for like half, whatever you'll see Summary:

"Well, now I know why they threw you out of Heaven!" Diluc sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth. Childe leans closer, eyes flicking up and down the white suit jacket that the redhead is wearing with an expression of blatant hunger. "There's no way a single angel would be able to control themselves around you."

Narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth like a feral animal, he grabs Childe by the collar of his unbuttoned shirt, seething. "I swear to God, one day I'll fucking kill you."

"I'm counting on it, sweetheart." The ginger-haired demon replies.

--

Diluc and Childe endure an office get-together. Barely.

#chiluc #ao3 link #fic link #genshin fic #genshin diluc #genshin childe #genshin keqing #genshin bennett #genshin venti #coworkers to lovers #chiluc week 2021 #cw alcohol #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #hell is empty

[oddlybitter]

in pursuit of a lantern - excerpt

hi!! once again i am addressing the void of chiluc content-enjoyers with a windchase-inspired fic!!! 

i’ll be posting it soon-ish, just after i finish nocturne!! 

cw: swearing

"What in Barbatos' name," Diluc Ragnvindr whispers to a lantern, "are you doing here?"

The lantern does not reply.

Narrowing his eyes, the redhead leans closer, giving the lantern a look that could kill it if it were alive. Which, Diluc hypothesizes, it is. "How did you jump like that? You don't even have legs."

Stoically, in the face of such stern interrogation, the lantern does not crack. 

Diluc gets up from where he was crouching, dusting off his knees as he turns his nose in the air. "I know you're in there, Harbinger."

"Master Diluc!" A voice calls from behind him, and he abruptly turns on his heel, pretending like he wasn't just grilling a lantern that Diluc swore he saw jump off of his roof and into a cart. "Have you, by any chance, seen anyone suspicious on the premises?"

Mona Megistus stands, arms akimbo, her face flushed and her chest heaving, proudly on top of the post holding his grapevines in place. He frowns. 

"Miss Megistus. You appear to be trampling this season's harvest." He says flatly. 

She glances downward, makes a little face of apologetic guilt, and hops down onto the grass. Around the soles of her shoes, the grass gives a wet plop in return. Diluc's frown deepens as she sheepishly shakes a speck of mud from the heel of her shoe, crossing his arms over his chest. 

She says, once more, "So, have you seen anyone of interest on the grounds, Master Diluc?"

He's just about to wave her away and go back to interrogating the Harbinger disguised as a lantern when suddenly, a head of blonde hair pops up from behind a bush of grapevines a few yards from where they're standing. With a few leaves in her hair, the girl who calls herself The Prinzessin der Verurteilung points straight at Mona with a look of such conviction and condemnation, Diluc thinks that he's somehow walked in on an outdoor court hearing. 

"You!" The Prinzessin cries. "How low hast thou sunken to resort to the blackened methods of cheating? Night Raven, deliver thy judgment!"

From behind her, a rather large, black bird ruffles its feathers. "You suck!"

The astrologist looks rather offended at that remark, as anyone would be, and Diluc watches as her jaw falls open. Then, without any warning, she crouches low to the ground, and sets off into what should have been a sprint, but is instead a tidal wave of sparkling water. 

"Zounds!" The Prinzessin shrieks, scrabbling over a post that holds the grapes in place. 

"Shit!" The raven yelps, diving in pursuit of his mistress. 

Mourning the drowned grapes, Diluc pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling a slow, heavy breath through his teeth. He can deal with them later, but what he really needs to do is find out how that Harbinger was able to turn himself into a lantern and why he is doing so on Diluc's land. 

He turns back around, glancing down at where the lantern was sitting. Oddly enough, it seems to have grown in size and shape. Less "lantern" and more "gigantic fucking barrel."

Dumbfounded at the brainless idiot, Diluc blinks. "Are you perhaps short of your wits? How in Barbatos' name is a barrel more inconspicuous than a lantern?"

It's as if he's learned nothing. The barrel doesn't reply, because it's a rude, diffident bastard and is enjoying Diluc's torment like the sadist it is.

#mona mains during the event are either the epitome of conceit or the sweetest individuals on that server #windchase event #windchase #genshin impact #genshin fic #chiluc #genshin diluc #genshin childe #genshin mona #genshin fischl #genshin oz #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #chiluc fic #tw swearing #not on ao3 #yet #genshin stuff #in pursuit of a lantern

[oddlybitter]

i’d say shoot your shot, but your aim is terrible

Thanatos/Zagreus. 660 words. 

CW: ... nothing? wow, that’s a first???

Artemis has had enough. Working with Zagreus has shown her many things, and one of those things is that everyone in the Underworld has the worst communication skills she has ever seen. And that's saying something because she's seen hunting dogs turn onto their master after he overwent a little makeover. (It was kind of her, really. Stags have so much more fun.)

Don't get her wrong, she really likes Zagreus, he's chill, a solid 9/10, and she won't be polymorphing him anytime soon, but Zeus' great white beard, that boy was testing her. More than she values sticking to her beliefs, she appreciates straightforwardness. With Zagreus, it's a little like asking a boar to give you a delicate dance. Usually, he's fine, but with a certain someone, Zagreus beats around the bush more than he beats around the skull of that hydra. 

Usually, she wouldn't care that Zagreus was running around, pining after that ridiculous god of death and his odd hair, but she's invested now. It's like watching a group of quails fight for their habitat in the forest. For the first five minutes, you couldn't care less about some round birds, but after that, you've named them, you know that Agnes is struggling as a single mother and that Alexander wants to leave the nest, but without him, Agnes only has three children after the loss of Crysanthe. Yes, this is still about Zagreus' obvious crush on Thana-whatever. 

She sees them hazily through the fog of Asphodel, watching them fight side by side. Zagreus pushes an enemy out of a glowing circle of slow death, and Thanatos frowns, making a face similar to that of a bear who sat on a bees' nest. If only there was something I could do, she thinks, sitting on the steps of Olympus as she peers over the side. 

"Hail, surly sister." A voice calls out. 

Artemis doesn't even have the energy to give a witty response, so she just grunts in acknowledgment. Her half-brother Ares sits next to her on the steps, peering over her shoulder at the scene unfolding below. 

"Ah, cousin Zagreus!" Ares exclaims, then his eyebrows wiggle like pale caterpillars. "And my colleague Thanatos. I was unaware Zagreus had taken him as his lover." 

Artemis sighs. "That's the issue. He hasn't." 

There is a pregnant pause as Thanatos and Zagreus argue below, their voices muffled and their faces blurry. Blinking in shock, Ares frowns. 

"He hasn't? Why not? Thanatos is obviously willing, and Zagreus has the courage of a Trojan in battle." He states, his brow knitted in confusion. 

The hunting goddess groans, holding her head in her hands. "That is the question I am asking! Thanatos seems flighty, if you ask me."

"What? No, Zagreus' courting skills are obviously lacking." Ares retorts, frowning at his half-sister. 

Scoffing, Artemis returns to the pair of gods below, then grips Ares' arm in shock. "By Zeus, it's happening." 

"Thank Aphrodite for that." He says, but he looks over her shoulder with similar energy to an excited puppy. 

From what Artemis can make out, she can see Zagreus holding Thanatos' hand in his, tracing the lines of his palm with a sad air about him. The god of death hovers closer towards him, taking the dark-haired deity's face in his hands and leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. She lets out a loud exhale, a heavy burden leaving her shoulders. Callisto is going to love this, she thinks, stretching her neck from side to side. 

"Well, that took several years of my immortal life," Ares announces, getting to his feet and placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'm going to go fight Athena now, so do tell me if anything else occurs. I would so like to see our cousin happy." 

And he turns on his heel, walking away. Staring at his retreating back, Artemis huffs out a sigh. "And I, too, brother." 

#hades #hades game #hades fanfic #thanzag #thanzag fanfic #thanatos #zagreus #artemis #ares #family dynamics #fanfic #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #attempt at humor #mlm ship #mlm fanfic #callisto #athena #zeus #aphrodite #tw zeus #also on ao3

[oddlybitter]

snippet from upcoming chapter of tsaritsa!!

i’m not sure if this tiny little scene is going to make the cut, but i thought y’all could do with some fluffy domestic chaeya before i snatch it all away from you and plunge the timeline into darkness :) <- not a spoiler. probably.

Kaeya wakes up to sunlight filtering through the fir trees outside the window, the cotton blanket that Ajax smuggled out of his old room draped over the duvet. The bed is empty, but it still smells of him, and shamelessly, Kaeya turns over, burying his face in the pillows. Downstairs, there is clattering and a peal of laughter, then the rapid footsteps up the stairs follows, rousing Kaeya from his half-awake, dozy state. Teucer sprints down the hallway, giggling as he goes. Heavier, slower footsteps follow, and before long, the door handle is turning. 

"Good morning," Ajax says, crawling onto the bed smelling of sugar and butter. "Can I interest you in some breakfast?"

Stretching, Kaeya smirks, sighing contentedly. "What kind of breakfast are we talking about?"

Propping his head up on his hand, the ginger-haired boy scoffs. "Mondstadt-style pancakes, you degenerate."

"Oh, but when you call me names like that, I start to think about the other kind of breakfast, darling." Kaeya drawls, walking his fingers up the sliver of skin uncovered by Ajax's maroon button-up. Running his tongue over his bottom lip, he captures the words that the other tries to say before they leave, sliding a hand into his hair. 

Humming contentedly, Ajax relaxes onto the mattress, sinking further into the folds of the duvet. He tastes like powdered sugar and cinnamon, and when Kaeya opens his eyes, he realizes that there is a smattering of flour in his hair. 

"You've made quite the mess." He states amusedly, patting the powder out of Ajax's hair. "If this is the state that baking has left you in, I mourn the kitchen. Should I come down in protective gear?"

Ajax snorts. "Smartass." 

"You love it." 

And then, because the world is intent on tripping Kaeya up and wrapping him in golden threads, Ajax smiles, his fingertips brushing the former's bottom lip, and he says, "I do."

#chaeya #domestic fluff #fluff #genshin childe #genshin kaeya #genshin teucer #chaeya fic #genshin fic #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #as the tsaritsa wills it #they are so sweet it makes my teeth rot #cw innuendo #cw food mention

[oddlybitter]

as the tsaritsa wills it - a prelude

hello! in between chapters, i conjured up this little scene that happens a little after the first chapter of my fic (which you can find here)! this takes place in a universe where kaeya flees to snezhnaya after his argument with diluc.

so, without further ado, here is the excerpt!

no TWs, but CW for mentions of: blood, injury, no detail on either.

The boy from Khaenri'ah doesn't speak much. 

Tartaglia notes this down in the back of his mind as he watches this gorgeous boy comb the shelves of Dottore's library, no doubt having snatched the key from the constantly working scientist's clutches. After only seeing him bowing down in submission to Her Highness' glacial stare, watching him in such a comfortable space is oddly calming to Tartaglia. His hair hangs loosely over his shoulders, grazing the breast pocket of the Mondstadt-style waistcoat he wore to the palace. Briefly, Tartaglia wonders if he was prepared to travel here. Judging from the bloodstained rip in the side of his shirt that he has failed to hide in his vulnerable wonder of flicking through the pages of a Hilichurlian anatomy book, it appears not. 

Shifting from one foot to another in impatience, the ginger-haired boy leans his mouth against his hands, lips grazing his knuckles where they fold over the ledge of a bookshelf. Kaeya, he said his name was. Star Sovereign. A prince, perhaps, or a noble. Gods, he really is beautiful. Tartaglia stifles a sigh, but he can't stop staring, watching Kaeya's elegant hands drift over the shelves in search of more tomes to satiate his curiosity. He barely even knows him, but by the Tsaritsa's frozen fingers, he wants to. 

Strangers have always felt off to Tartaglia. That's why he either goes out of his way to avoid them or make sure they don't stay a stranger. For this boy, this captivating, intricately crafted boy - perhaps he can make an exception. 

Kaeya wanders aimlessly over to one of the windows, pressing the pads of his fingertips to the glass as he watches flurries of snow cascade through the pine trees, wonder on his face that gleams like jewels. Quietly, Tartaglia passes behind a pillar lined with polished skulls of varying sizes. He grimaces at an oddly realistic taxidermied crow, then, after deciding that Dottore is such a creepy old man, he peers back at Kaeya. A frown forms on his face. Somehow, the dark-haired boy is gone, vanished from the windowpane like a ghost. 

Tartaglia deflates, leaning back against the shelf as he sighs, placing the back of his hand over his eyes. For someone he only saw forty-eight hours ago, he really has got it bad. Can the Archons blame him, though? 

"What are you doing?"

Tartaglia jumps three feet in the air. "Oh, Tsaritsa on a boat -" 

Kaeya grins sharply, a little glimmer in his eyes that screams schadenfreude in a way the ginger-haired boy has never seen before. It's so hot and kind of scary. "Pardon me if I scared you. I truly believed I was alone until I saw you doing... Whatever it is you were doing." 

"'S fine!" Tartaglia squeaks, kicking himself mentally as he watches the dark-haired boy's face shift in amusement. "I-I was just... Looking at the s-skulls. They're, uh, really... boney." 

"Well, I should hope so." 

There's a pause as Kaeya blinks. The amusement falls from his face as he takes in the sight of Tartaglia's uniform and the brooch on his lapel. As his brow knits, he seems to realize that his poker face has fallen, and he elegantly rearranges his countenance into something more palatable to an audience. Tartaglia decides then and there that he would never want to be "an audience" to Kaeya. 

"A-Are you really staying here?" Tartaglia blurts out, fidgeting with his hands. 

Almost as if he's watching a tiger circle him like prey, Kaeya suddenly gets very serious, raising his shoulders slightly as Tartaglia gulps. "Who did you say you were again?" 

#chaeya #chaeya fanfic #genshin kaeya #kaeya alberich #childe #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #fanfic #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #genshin impact fatui #genshin impact #genshin impact fanfiction #mlm ship #cw mention of blood #cw mention of injury #as the tsaritsa wills it

[oddlybitter]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kong | Aether/Xiao (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether & Paimon (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether & Ying | Lumine (Genshin Impact) Characters: Kong | Aether (Genshin Impact), Traveler (Genshin Impact), Xiao (Genshin Impact), Paimon (Genshin Impact) Additional Tags: Cooking, Bad Flirting, Food, Comfort Food, talking to the hot demon slayer on the roof of the inn and trying to get his attention with food, Romantic Tension, Fluff, Inner Dialogue, aka aether debates on whether or not xiao wants to kiss him or eat him alive, not like that you nasties, This is fluff, pure fluff, Mentioned Venti (Genshin Impact), paimon Does Not See It, she Refuses To Acknowledge It, Protective Paimon (Genshin Impact), Mentioned Ying | Lumine (Genshin Impact) Summary:

After a moment, Xiao speaks again. "Why did you come?" 

Quick, Aether thinks, play it cool!

"I, uh, wanted to eat with - see - eat you -" He stutters. 

Xiao makes a funny little noise. "You want... To eat... me?" 

"No! With you, I meant with you." Aether rapidly gesticulates the opposite. "I wanted to see - eat with you. Because you're nice." 

-------

Aether is trying his best to get Xiao to stop disappearing on him. Obviously, the only correct solution is to keep him occupied with plates of food.

#XIAOTHER NATION RISE UP #xiaother #xiao genshin impact #aether genshin impact #paimon genshin impact #genshin impact #fanfic #mlm ship #omg i wrote fluff without it being sad?????? #:0000000 #the possibilities i have with this beautiful hapless protagonist #genshim impact fanfiction #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #please talk to me

[oddlybitter]

nocturne - chapter one excerpt

hello again!! from the cavernous depths of my drafts, i bring you the latest: a quick excerpt from an upcoming chiluc fic, nocturne! today’s AU is..... modern vampire/hunter!! 

i plan for nocturne to drop after i finish up the second chapter, which means the whole thing will be posted on ao3 by the end of next week :)

CW: Religious symbolism, non-graphic violence, swearing

Diluc doesn't have weaknesses. He has strengths, and he has patience, and by God, this bloodsucker is really testing both. As the vampire practically frolics out of the grocery store, a bag of inedible food in hand, Diluc rolls his sleeves up. The butcher waves goodbye as he heads over to the self-checkout, trying his best to keep his eyes on the vampire as he crosses through the parking lot. If Diluc cuts him off before he can mingle with the crowd of shoppers frantically salvaging dinner plans and forgotten date nights, then he can quickly dispatch of him before the Guild's representative gets in the way. He slides his card through the machine, punches out his pin, and makes a beeline for the automatic doors. 

"Diluc?" 

Fuck. Shit. Diluc turns on his heel, plastering a smile on his face as he takes in a sight he would literally beg to never see again. 

"Huffman, it's been a while." He says, cursing inwardly. 

The other man smiles back. "Yeah, it sure has. How're things going? I haven't seen you since you walked out on the hit in Sumeru." 

Ouch. Salt straight in the wound. Not only does Huffman lack tact, but it seems that the Guild has shown up early, for once. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Diluc grins blandly. 

"Things are fine. Busy." He says emphatically, but ridiculously, Huffman doesn't get the hint. Either that, or he's deliberately stalling. Prick. 

"And by busy, you wouldn't mean illegally tailing an A-Class hit without a permit, would you?" 

Diluc sighs. Prick, it is. "Huffman, I don't have the time for those anymore. I have a business to take care of, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be off." 

Swiveling away and walking out of the door as fast as humanly possible, Diluc scans the parking lot for his lost target, his grip shifting around the plastic bag in his hand. Unsurprisingly, the vampire isn't anywhere to be seen, and the tell-tale scent of iron and ashes long gone from the air. Cursing, Diluc glances down at his watch, absentmindedly patting his back pocket for the keys to his car. The entire plan has been dashed hopelessly to pieces, and that means Diluc's going to have to pour even more resources into chasing down some damned mosquito, and for what? Satisfaction? Revenge? Just because he fucking can?

He huffs, unlocking the door and slumping into the front seat. The bag of groceries droops sadly in his lap, deflating in defeat. Inside is a box of mint leaves and a beer, two things he has absolutely no use for. Alcohol messes with him more than he'd admit, although he likes to say it overloads his hunter's senses and makes him inefficient. It's a half-lie, but a lie nonetheless. With a world-weary sigh, Diluc leans forward, hitting his forehead on the steering wheel in frustration. 

"Cheer up, sunshine, you're not completely finished." A voice jovially calls out from his backseat, and Diluc's eyes snap open. 

Almost instantly, he sits up, yanking the handle near the bottom of his seat and dropping it backward with as much force as he can muster. A winded "Oof!" comes from behind him, and as he looks over his shoulder, the hunter's face contorts into a dark frown. Currently pinned underneath his car seat is the vampire he's been tailing, wriggling like a bug underneath a taxidermist's needle.

"Alright, alright," He groans. "I'll knock next time." 

Diluc drives the seat back even further. "Our father, who art in heaven -"

Pressing his hands to his ears and grimacing in pain, the vampire screws an eye shut, attempting to shy away from the sound. "Ah, ah, stop! I'll behave, I promise." 

Getting a good look at him now, Diluc takes in the mess of strawberry blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and an unholy amount of freckles. For a creature of the night, he sure looks like his natural habitat is in the sunlight. Taken aback by his appearance, Diluc can't help but stare for a few seconds, but he quickly snaps out of it, remembering his place and untucking his crucifix from underneath his shirt. 

"Why are you in my car? Do you have a deathwish?" He demands, and the vampire glances briefly at the swinging pendant, his eyes sharpening in hunger. Perhaps it was an ill-thought-out plan to loosen his collar. 

Shrugging, the vampire gives him a haphazard grin, drumming his fingers against the car seat. "Maybe. I just wanted to take a good look at you. For a Guild hunter, you're rather persistent. By now, they should have sent out at least two of you to track me down." 

Diluc scowls. "I'm not associated with the Guild." 

"So you're pursuing me of your own volition?" He presses a hand to his chest, making a show out of swooning against the car door. "A man after my own heart!" 

God, Diluc is going to fucking kill him. You would think that eternal, damned life would sober up an immortal or two, but it seems to have gone to this one's head. Already, Diluc can scope out the key elements of his personality: irritating, cocky, and a complete show-off. In fact, he bets this vampire hasn't even mastered teleportation yet. 

"All bark and no bite," The hunter murmurs aloud. 

It's at that moment that the faintly amused look in the creature's eyes changes, suddenly hardening into a stare like a riptide current, deep and dangerous. With an easy push, the vampire drives the seat upward, sending Diluc's back ramming hard against the steering wheel, his elbow hitting the dashboard with a painful thud. Before he can react, the redhead is being pushed forward, a hand on the nape of his neck sending his face into the cushion of the front seat, which hurtles back from the impact. The vampire laughs airily, his knee pressed into the base of Diluc's spine. Well, perhaps he was wrong about the teleportation. 

He snickers. "So if you're not with the Guild, sunshine, and you're doing this without all of their fancy paperwork, then who's the seasoned hunter I've been expecting? Please don't tell me all you're good at is following breadcrumbs."  

#crackship #literally i saw three (3) fics on ao3 and thought hmm this is totally a ship to get invested in #chiluc #genshin diluc #genshin childe #genshin impact #genshin fanfic #modern au #vampire au #nothing gets the gays going like a vampire au #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #fanfic link #fanfic #crack treated seriously #cw religion #cw swearing #cw mild violence #nocturne

[oddlybitter]

Chapters: 3/4 Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Diluc/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact) Characters: Diluc (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Albedo (Genshin Impact), Scaramouche (Genshin Impact) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Diluc and Kaeya are Siblings (Genshin Impact), Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Smoking, Complicated Relationships, Childhood Friends, Smart Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), for the FIRST TIME EVER i am writing him with more than one braincell, Pining Diluc (Genshin Impact), Emotional Baggage, diluc in two words, that and also no ass but this isn't a "let's drag diluc" fic, Nonbinary Albedo (Genshin Impact), he/they pronouns for him hehe, Consent, Past Violence, brief mention of some of childe's siblings, it's a thing here i'll leave it at that, Implied Sexual Content, albedo has rats no i am not taking questions at this time, Protective Siblings, Terrible love confessions, IMPLIED!! - Freeform, Car Sex, because people have no patience!!, both of them have such poor impulse control it makes me look like a nun Summary:

"You're not any taller." He states between a slow exhale of smoke and a long drag.

Diluc leans against the brick wall. "Sorry to disappoint."

Childe shrugs, then moves his hand close enough to Diluc's mouth that he can take the cigarette back, offering him a haphazard smile. "Never said I was. How's the wrist?"

Absently rolling the joint of his left wrist in his opposite hand, Diluc nods towards the pavement. It is slick with rain and glows gold from the streetlights, but beneath his boots, it's dark and inky, and he feels as if he'll sink into it at any moment.

"It's fine." Diluc replies. "Not much has changed since we last talked."

With a gentle nudge, Childe knocks his arm against Diluc's shoulder, his hands shoved into the pockets of his worn jeans. "No, no, a lot has. You're older, Diluc. You're not that cute little kid with the tortoise socks and the scraped knees anymore."

#not me forgetting to put this on here #anyways #genshin impact #genshin fic #chiluc #ao3 link #genshin diluc #genshin kaeya #genshin scaramouche #genshin albedo #oddlybitter's fics #strangelysweet's fics #chiluc fic #tw smoking #this right here is the first time i'm writing childhood friends to lovers and BOY do i love it #ain't it funny

[oddlybitter]

excerpt from my drafts that never made it out in time for chiluc week!!

so i am infamously slow and terrible at starting new projects because after 3k words or something i get bored and start something else. here is something from the vaults!!

tw: death mention, a literal dead body, smoking

"My idea of a first date generally isn't burying a dead body."

Diluc leans on his shovel, his shirt untucked and streaked with mud. It's the messiest that Childe has ever seen him look, and it's killing him. No pun intended. 

He grins up at the redhead from where he's placing the tarp-covered body in the ditch the two of them dug. "So you agree? You think this is a date?"

Diluc frowns, but he doesn't shake his head. Childe takes that as a victory. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he clambers out of the hole, accepting the hand the other offers him with a bright smile. Overhead, the sky is nearly dark, the faintest hints of purple and pink playing on the horizon, and the stars are just starting to shine, unfettered by the light pollution of the city. No one else is around. Childe would usually think that it would be the perfect time to kiss his date, but there's a corpse in front of them, and they're both covered in grave dirt. A tragic loss, really, but he'll survive for a while longer. 

"How long do you have until your clean-up squad arrives?" Diluc asks, digging around in the back pocket of his jeans. Pulling out a paper box, he shakes it, catching the cigarette that flies out with his other hand. 

As he shrugs, Childe peels a pair of gloves from his hands, tossing them onto the blue tarp. "I want to say half an hour, but they're always bickering about who gets to drive, so I'd say about forty-five minutes."

The cigarette dangles from Diluc's lips as he strikes a match against a black box, using the flame to light it. In this light, the barely-there sunset, he’s just so beautiful. The way the color of his hair glows like a dying fire, how it blows across his face as the wind runs gentle fingers over the two of them. All of it looks like something out of a painting. With a huff, Childe shifts his weight from one foot to the other, folding his hands behind his head as he stares out at the desert. Half a mile from the Sumeru-Fontaine border, the ground is dusty and kicks up clouds of sand that trail down the motorway and very thoroughly in the middle of nowhere. It's just him, Diluc, and this dead body they dumped into a hole in the ground. Very romantic, he knows. 

#tw death #tw death mention #tw smoking #genshin impact #genshin fic #genshin childe #genshin diluc #chiluc #chiluc week 2021 #not on ao3 #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #misc untitled fics

[oddlybitter]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kaeya/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact) Characters: Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Tsaritsa (Genshin Impact), Scaramouche (Genshin Impact), Pantalone (Genshin Impact), Pulcinella (Genshin Impact), Fatui Harbinger Members (Genshin Impact), La Signora (Genshin Impact) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fatui Member Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Khaenri'ah Royalty Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Rating May Change, Rivals to Lovers, Jealousy, i may or may not have made up the harbinger induction process, pulcinella and pantalone are dads to the worst teens ever, Blood and Violence, Swordfighting, Tartaglia | Childe Has a Stutter (Genshin Impact), very self-indulgent headcanon, Tags May Change Summary:

When the Tsaritsa learns of the last living child from the fallen nation, her eyes glimmer like the stars her kind capsized in fear of a revolution. She is a pretty little thing, with diamonds in her ears and on her throat, and her lilac hair spirals into ice-blue curls around her shoulders. Gripping the hands of her throne when she hears the news, she leans forward. "I want him." She announces.

--

The Tsaritsa wants what the Tsaritsa wants.

#completely self-indulgent #chaeya #genshin impact #ao3 link #tartaglia #kaeya #genshin impact tsaritsa #fanfic link #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #also on ao3 #as the tsaritsa wills it

[oddlybitter]

royal straight flush

here’s a little sneak peek of my upcoming royal trio dynamics/ three idiots on a road trip fic on ao3! 

CW: Swearing

The cards fanned out on the table, and as Akira's hand hovered over one of them, the lady with the opal ring the size of an egg cleared her throat.

"Wait," She said, her satin gloves rustling as she pointed at the card herself. "This one."

Grinning, Akira nodded, drawing the card from the deck. "Very well, madam. Is this your card?"

A ripple of shocked gasps and delighted squeals erupted from the audience, and the woman with the giant opal nods vigorously, her earrings bouncing above her shoulders. The applause thundered, and Akira gathered all of the cards back into their box. Banknotes fluttered onto the velvet tablecloth, and he swept them into a neat pile, nodding in thanks. The woman with the opal offered her hand out to shake, and Akira kissed it, then brought his other hand underneath hers to slide the ring off her finger.

"Your earrings are lovely," He said, pointing to the emeralds hanging from her ears.

She blushed, batting her eyelashes and raising her other hand to her painted lips. "Thank you."

A hand from the crowd pulled on the one behind his back, and Akira gave a final, extravagant bow to his audience. "Goodnight! Thank you for your breathtaking performance."

An annoyed huff came from behind him, and Akira smirked, snatching the velvet table cloth and folding it up as he walked back to the car. Sliding into the passenger seat, he waited for a few moments, examining his nails in the dim light. Then, the other door opened, and his partner ducked inside, his scarf pulled up around his nose.

"You," He said, "are a diva."

Akira snorted. "I'm a performer, Goro, and that was my best yet."

Goro took his scarf off, ruffling his hair. "You say that every time."

Bringing the opal ring out of his pocket, Akira raised the gem into the light. It glistened in the dim glow of the car lights, and Goro squinted at it, his hand resting just on top of Akira's. They paused, glancing at each other quickly, but the dark-haired man cleared his throat, placing the ring in his waistcoat pocket.

Sighing, the brown-haired man started the car, throwing his scarf over his shoulder. It hit the backseat, and the backseat yelped. His hands hovering over the wheel, Goro's eyebrow quirked upwards, and he slowly turned to look at Akira. He swallowed, staring at his partner's face as Goro turned to look over his shoulder.

Sitting in the backseat was a young girl, probably not a day out of middle school. She was dressed in a red cardigan and a black and white houndstooth pinafore. Her red hair was hanging loose around her shoulders, and there was a small space between her fringe and her glasses where Goro could see raised eyebrows.

Akira, who was peering around the passenger seat, let out a low, dreading "Oh, fuck me."

"What the hell do we do? We can't pass the border like this. How are we going to get to Toronto?" Goro whispers sharply, gripping the side of his seat.

Akira raised a hand to his mouth, his dark eyes wide. "Did I just swear in front of a child? How old are you?"

The girl looked up, folding her hands in her lap over the scarf, smiling sweetly. "I'm fifteen!"

"Oh, my god." Akira groaned, running his hand through his hair.

Goro smacked him on the arm, glaring sharply at him. "Don't fucking talk to her, you fuckwit!"

Gasping, Akira gave his partner a scandalized look, raising a hand to his chest. "A child, Goro, you swore twice in front of a child."

Said child in the backseat watched with a pleasant smile on her face, watching the two go back and forth. After a while, the squabbling turned into a meager fistfight, with the dark-haired man swatting the brown-haired man, Goro, over the head with a rolled-up map.

Popping her head between the seats, she looked up at the man with dark, curly hair and said, very simply, "Where are we going?"

He looked down at her with surprise, and he instinctively answered, "Canada."

"Akira!" Goro chastised.

Scoffing, Akira waved the map in the air. "Oh, she can read what's on the map. You weren't exactly subtle."

He gestured to the red circle over Canada and the red arrows pointing to Toronto. Scowling, Goro snatched the map from him, rolling it up and stuffing it in the glove compartment. "Shut up."

#tw swearing #road trip #p5 #p5 fanfic #persona 5 #AU #con artist au #sometimes a family is two swindlers and a tiny fluffball of a girl #shuake #akeshu #goro akechi #akira kurusu #ren amamiya #sumire yoshizawa #p5r #kasumi yoshizawa #strangelysweet's fics #wip

[oddlybitter]

Chapters: 1/9 Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kong | Aether/Xiao (Genshin Impact), Diluc/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Kaeya/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether & Venti & Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Venti & Xiao (Genshin Impact), Diluc & Venti (Genshin Impact), Jean/Lisa (Genshin Impact), Albedo/Kong | Aether/Venti (Genshin Impact) Characters: Venti (Genshin Impact), Diluc (Genshin Impact), Xiao (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether (Genshin Impact) Additional Tags: pushing my gay agenda onto everyone here, Courting Rituals, Courtly Love, and who said chivalry was dead, Wingman Venti (Genshin Impact), Reluctant Wingman Diluc (Genshin Impact), Venti Being a Little Shit (Genshin Impact), Kaeya Being a Little Shit (Genshin Impact), they only have one brain cell and they have to share, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fake/Pretend Relationship, zhongli is a himbo i don't make the rules, like he's spouting wisdom but he's also pushing on pull doors, Sibling Rivalry, Established Tartaglia | Childe/Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Strangers to Lovers, international dilfs pretend to date in order to prove a point, Dueling Summary:

Xiao is faced with a dilemma. Not only is he attempting to gain the affections of the mysterious traveler hailing from Mondstadt (probably), he's doing so using the Decarabian era textbook. While trying to follow the steps set out for him perfectly to ensure absolute victory, it appears he's got a rival in his way.

Diluc is faced with a dilemma, as well. While trying to minimise the damage control Venti is wreaking upon the City of Freedom, he's also trying to prove to his brother that yes, he can get a date. The dark-haired stranger at the gates is both making matters worse and better at the same time.

#back on my bullshit <3 #xiaother #zhongluc #chaeya #genshin impact #ao3 link #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #mlm #wlw #fanfic links #venti #diluc #xiao #aether #zhongli #albedo #albether #rules to this

[oddlybitter]

as the tsaritsa wills it

nikita fancam!!! little dork is stealing the show. 

#chaeya #chaeya fic #genshin #genshin fic #genshin kaeya #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #as the tsaritsa wills it #strangelysweet's fics #oddlybitter's fics #also on ao3