I Love How Immediately Gaoshun Has To Tell Maomao To Stop Treating Jinshi Like A Bug Because He's Being

after I got after the shock that I got an answer (alskdksjska) I reread and it and WHEEZED I caNOT BREATHE AJSKSKA

omgomgomgomg askdsldjak i love the mfeeu second generation even though i havent read the og fic its so cute (someone sue me for not reading it skdlad) but like i can only imagine if yoona started dating yoongi would be like uM?? but he loves her so he'd let it happen if she was really happy, and i can see like if yoona ever got cheated on, that boy better RUN AND PRAY bc oml dsakdjl

jdjsksjdjsk i actually love you you’re so galaxy brained 🥴🥴 if you want to read the og fic (and that’s a big ‘if’ bc it was the second thing I’ve ever written on tumblr dot com and you can really really tell) then I’ve just reblogged the mfeeu masterlist so like!! you can!!

also yes yoongi would not be v happy if she started dating but he would swallow his repulsion as long as she’s happy bc he’s watched before as his friends tried to stop their daughters from dating and it only made them sad so he decided not to (though he had no idea how hard it would be lmao)

and honestly, if anyone ever cheats on yoona. well. prayers aren’t going to be much use. not only do you have Yoongi, but also all of the other members who took care of her. and allllll of her oppas and unnies who remember when she was a baby and would literally kill for her. even jihae would be mad if anyone ever hurt Yoona and that’s how u know it’s 🥵

Seokjin: I...I just walked in on Jungkook sitting on his bed, eating grapes in the dark.

Taehyung: What did you say?

Seokjin: Nothing. Before I could even open my mouth, he said, 'I don't have answers.'

A Midnight Waltz

Dearest Guest, 

Our Esteemed Manager would like to formally invite you to our Ghost Hotel’s Septennial Ball this eve. We shall earnestly hope for your attendance.

- Ghost Hotel

HanaNene Ghost Hotel AU

[ Read on Ao3 ]

ok so i watched the trailer to ego.

IT WAS A MISTAKE I LOVED IT TOO MUCH. also me and my friend streamed ego on like 5 devices it was great.

stream ego

Spoilers for Anime Onlys Ahead and for picture perfect arc (vol. 10)

.

.

Hanako was probably at his worst during Picture perfect arc, his expression honestly scared me and somewhat gave me Tsukasa vibes.

I usually don't describe him as "Yandere" because he is such a complex character, but that's the best word I have for him in these panels

On my first time reading this huge arc, I was sure Tsukasa was the big villain in it, but, surprisingly, he had a pretty minor role in it. The main antagonist of this arc is HANAKO. I was SO not ready for that twist.

harry potter

ok so im going to go off on a tangent here and talk about harry potter’s forgotten second gen character

do any of you guys ever wonder what happened to george? well i know what he did. 

forgive me if im wrong, but i believe he married angelina. you all know who im talking about. i forget her last name but you all know her. they had a daughter named roxanne. roxanne weasley. when i first finished harry potter and found out about her i thought she was going to be a key character in the hypothetical 8th book. at the time i finished harry potter, no one knew cursed child was even coming. but now im kinda disappointed no one highlighted on roxanne as a character because she was literally the daughter of one of the legendary pranksters of hogwarts. and as far as age, she is in james jr potter’s year i think.

me and my friends had to make this movie thing, so of course we chose to make an ‘eighth’ harry potter movie, and there were three of us. my male friend chose to be scorpius i think, my other friend was rose, and i was roxanne so it breaks my heart that roxanne is not even MENTIONED in the cursed child playwright so can someone just write her in or MENTION her pls thank you

also i know shes canon because i read about it on pottermore so no shes real

a thousand words

pairings (separately!) - diluc ragnvindr, kaeya alberich, albedo, childe, zhongli, xiao, kaedehara kazuha, scaramouche, dainsleif x gender neutral reader

word count - 2322

genre - hurt/comfort

format - drabbles

warnings - crying, focal point on being touch starved, use of xiao's real name because i love him, cursing in scara's because there will ALWAYS be cursing in scara's

summary - a touch starved reader crumbles upon being given love and affection for the first time by their beloved <3

a/n - hop aboard the self indulgent train!!!/hj but this idea has been on my mind for a while now so i'm eager to write it! :D also this is borderline rambling i apologize if it's not your thing :')))

our actions hold within them partial universes created of stardust and glitter, and a thousand words rooted in the slight slip of one's hand across another's cheek, or perhaps a longing, loving gaze that manages to enrapture another and speak volumes in silence. a simple hug would speak even more than thick, yellowed books and detailed encyclopedias that stretch on for volume upon volume.

you began to realize this when the way in which he caressed your cheek with such love had you melting under his breathy gaze and falling limp in his arms. his body alone seemed to preach with an airy cadence without a single word escaping past his lips.

for so long you'd bared the biting nip of frosting cold and let a sheen of ice coat itself along your skin. yet his touch seemed to melt what remained of blooming winter both in your heart and soul and left behind a shivering something, curled up in a ball and smaller than a marble: the desire for affection, to be loved, and to be wanted.

even now as his arms fit snug around your body for the first time, you let your mind wander to your times of icy frost and barren loneliness where only the softness of your pillow could provide some sort of solace for the gaping hole in your heart where loving hugs and kisses to your cheek were supposed to fit perfectly.

"is this okay?"

you wanted to laugh bitterly at how courteous he was,

"such a gentleman, of course it is." you teased despite the watery waver to the tail end of your voice.

when his arms drew tighter around your body and you felt his lips come to once again melt away at the snow around your temple, your mind drew back to those sleepless nights where all you longed for was one single hug, and suddenly all the snow had been thawed by his touch and left behind a calm, gentle stream of rivulets that trickled down your cheeks from the reservoirs hidden behind your eyes.

oh, how loved you felt in his arms.

content utc!

diluc.

upon hearing the first of your sniffles, diluc's body went rigid as rock as he hurried to pull you away from his shoulder and inspect your face. what he hadn't expected was for you to dive right back in, your arms slung around his torso as if holding too slack would mean he'd fade away into nothing and you'd be left to bear the stinging void of loneliness once again.

"please don't let me go, not yet." sputtered between little hiccups and wheezes, you prayed that he managed to hear the words you spoke directly into his heart.

and hear them he did, in fact he did more than hear them: he understood them. his strong, broad arms moved upwards to hold your body tight against his, taking great care to treat you as if you'd break under his touch. the gentle swipe of hair from your damp forehead and brush of his fingers against your tear-soaked cheeks had your knees buckling under the newfound touch.

to admit his own starve of touch out loud would embarrass him to no end, but he'd never deny the way your warmth made his heart flutter. and he hoped that he could mend the holes in your heart and indulge in each other's arms and this foreign feeling of touch, together.

"it's okay," diluc spoke into the roots of your hair, eyes shutting in pure bliss, "i'm here now, you're not alone anymore."

and you believed him, with all your heart.

kaeya.

"angel? what's going on? are those tears i see?"

despite the teasing lilt to his voice, the worry lined around his lilac pupils could never betray his mind. his hands held your sniffling face as if you were crafted by the gods themselves, each swipe of his thumb careful and gentle and each peck to your nose, eyelid, cheeks, forehead, and lips held within them words that never needed to be said.

"kaeya?"

"yes, darling?"

"could i have another hug?" if your words weren't enough to depict how much you loved him, your eyes screamed in volumes loud enough for the gods themselves to hear them.

kaeya wanted to give you one of his charming chuckles and offer up a cheesy, teasing response like, "aww, it seems not even you can evade my wicked, boyish charm."

but he knew better, and he knew that he understood you more than he let on. so instead of speaking, his arms wrote poetry wrapped tight around your waist, and his lips uttered lyrics to love ballads in the form of pressing kiss after kiss to your hair.

what remained on his skin was the thawed droplets of ice that once covered his body, all thanks to your warmth were they melted and gone. he prayed you'd never let go of him, because he knew he'd never let you slip from his arms.

albedo.

confused, albedo gently pries your face away from his shoulder and takes the first step in brushing away the drops of sorrow that flowed freely from your eyes.

"did something happen, my flower? was i perhaps too rough with my hug?" ever the diligent scientist, albedo's eyes scan yours for any sign of discomfort. yet what he finds staring back at him is the void in your irises beginning to fill up with his reflection, and his theory soon becomes fact when you say nothing more and head straight back into his arms, squeezing tighter and tighter with all of your strength.

you'd come crashing into his life with all of the gentleness of a bull in a ceramics shop, and yet you felt so soft, so fragile in his arms.

"just one more hug, i promise." despite the obvious strain to your voice and the tears that dampened his shirt, albedo conceded and decided to play into your fantasy, where he gives you just one more hug.

albedo himself knows not much of affection, but what he has been able to conclude from his studies is that he loves sharing it with you. and he doesn't need a notebook to detail such findings when he has the ability to hold you tight in his arms and let the beat of his heart detail his findings to your listening ears.

childe.

"hey, what's wrong? did someone hurt you? did you have a bad day?"

despite the literal chain bomb that was childe's constant stream of questions, his tightened grip only served to make your tears fall faster from your eyes as you realized just how loved you felt in his embrace.

without even needing to open your mouth, he seemed to realize right away when your fist gathered clumps of his shirt into your fingers and gripped with white knuckles.

"oh sunshine," he cooed, moving his thumb to brush just underneath the red rim of your eye, "c'mere. i'll give you lots of cuddles."

and give you lots of cuddles he did. you would never slip from his arms, not with how secure and firm they rested around your body, locked in tight and confirmed with the gentle squeeze to your torso every now and then to remind you of how real he was.

despite the fact that his shirt would be wrinkled with how hard you gripped onto the fabric, or the noticeable wet patch you'd leave on his shoulder from your tears, childe relished in the feeling of your puzzle piece bodies fitting together as one. as much as you craved him, he was addicted to you.

zhongli.

to many who have uttered his name in prayer, they asked for good fortune, another chance, or something along the lines that would only be grantable by a god.

but you uttered no words, not a single peep. instead you spoke his name through the way in which your eyes silently pleaded with him to hold you tight against his chest and he felt your prayers of love deep within the caverns of his heart.

"i'm here, my lily. you never have to ask me to hold you. if you so desire it, it shall be yours."

his words seemed to spur your sobs onwards, but he knew they were from a place that you had long sealed away, a place that had been released with only a single one of his hugs.

zhongli was a man of many words but he was content to let the way in which he held you tight against his throbbing heart speak the words he could never find.

xiao.

your cries are like stabs through the heart for xiao. poor, poor alatus who tries so hard not to mess up the one good thing that's come to him in a long, long time.

he slides away from your embrace in fear that he may have hurt you, which, much to his surprise, only makes your stuttered breaths and rolling tears increase.

"don't go..." you mumbled as you raced against his mind to clutch his torso with all you were.

he doesn't understand, to comprehend such intricacies of the human condition were far beyond his reach and yet he allows you to indulge in feeling the pound of his heart hammer away from under the thin skin of his chest and the feel of his fingers tracing patterns on the underside of your back.

his fears of your pain or sorrow are washed away when he brings you closer to his body and dives into the crook of your neck.

and as your fingers come up to card through his thick locks, he finds himself ever so close to joining you in melting the frigid snow that lay around his heart in exchange for calm, gentle rivers.

kazuha.

the minute tears fall from your eyes, kazuha sweeps in to kiss them away as if sensing your sorrow before you even know it.

"your tears wound me ever so deep, my love. what happened?"

but you can't give a straight answer, not with how the overwhelming warmth that encircles your body overpowers you brain and leaves you a bumbling mess in his arms.

you only answer with the glassy, longing look you give him and the burrowing of your body closer into his arms. any more and you'd merge with him.

his touch is gentler than the drop of a crimson leaf in early fall, and quieter than the gentle shake of wildflowers in spring. he feels like life itself, and as you inhale more of him through your nose you feel yourself unbinding the cords and vines wrapped around your heart.

once his hand came to stroke the top of your head, all while his soothing voice gently shushed your tears and muffled sobs, all you could do was melt and indulge in the finest that kazuha had to offer.

and kazuha knows that he'd do anything to fill the void within you where he fits perfectly.

scaramouche.

"why are you crying? who hurt you?! i'm going to fucking kill them-"

"n-no! scara no!"

the crack in your voice in enough to settle him down and allows you to return to placing your head in the crook of his shoulder. "just for a little bit...let's stay like this, please." you plead into his skin.

scaramouche can't help but indulge you, even if the sight of your tears or the way your shoulders rise up and down sharply sends shooting pains to that odd thing in his chest.

"if nothing's wrong then stop crying, it's annoying." despite his harsh words, his large palm comes up to hold the back of your head against his body, while the other arm pressed your body flush against his.

the way in which he held you completed contradicted his words, and his lingering touch was one you knew you'd think about for the rest of your life so long as you lived.

scaramouche himself felt the similar gaping hole in his chest begin to close, and the foreign feeling for once felt pleasant instead of painful.

"so...you like this kinda stuff?"

with a vigorous nod of your head and tighten grip around his torso, 'noted', scaramouche thought and allowed himself a single, small fraction of a smile that of which he buried into your temple in hopes that you'd see him with your eyes closed.

dainsleif.

you're so tender and soft, dainsleif almost feels as if he's holding a timid daisy rather than his beloved partner.

though he claims to be devoid of so many human traits, you feel his warmth and hear the thunder of his heartbeat against your ear. in this moment you realize: there is someone who loves you, and someone who treasures you enough to allow you close to their heart.

his first hug in so long brings him to near tears, and the spur of rivers that trickled down your face worried him to no end as he makes haste to slip away.

"are you alright? have i hurt you? we don't have to do that again if you don't want-"

you loved him, you loved all of him, even the nervous worrywart side of him that he rarely ever revealed to anyone. but in this moment, all you craved was dainsleif and you made it known of your intentions when you cut his rambling questions off by flinging yourself against his body, holding so tight as if he'd slip through your hands like silky water or thin, granules of sand.

"it feels so nice. you feel so nice." and though normally such bold words would have you flustered and looking away and his cheeks flared up in the color of pyro, dainsleif allows himself this one indulgence and wraps his arms tight around your body as you dry your tears into the fabric of his shirt.

and he'd be sure to never let go until he takes his last breath.

date published: august 18th, 2021

still not over and will never be over the fact that the picture perfect arc looked us all dead in the eye, paused for emphasis, and said, ad verbatim, “yugi amane has a big fat crush on yashiro nene“

starlight, star-crossed

pairing: albedo/reader

rating: general

summary: It comes all too suddenly, an impulse he’s forgotten to hold back, rein in, the words spilling out of his lips, quick and unexpected. “Let’s get married.”

notes: this was done on a whim, so forgive any errors! this is a little too indulgent. but shrugs

Keep reading

❝ ## — 4UR4 0F TH3 ST4RS !! ❞

-> in which you attend a royal ball hosted by the ragnvindr family, and you dance with seven very odd men

-> full fic

-> female! reader, royal au

i’m going to blame the howl’s moving castle theme for the ungodly inspiration it gave me..anyways you can listen to it while you read for that visualization :D and female reader !! (no it’s not just because i wanted childe to say ‘hey girlie’ what are u talking about..) also does this even count as a royal au idk

— “diluc, of mondstadt,” he had said, bringing your hand up to his face to brush a kiss to your knuckles. “may i have a dance with you?”

“i know who you are, prince diluc,” you answered. while some may have found it arrogant that he even bothered to introduce himself at his ball, you found it endearing. it proved he wasn’t the stuck up heir that you read about in the news, it showed that being born into royalty hadn’t corrupted his basic manners.

diluc had given you the gift of a small smile, gently guiding you in towards the center of the ballroom as the orchestra began another piece, his hair swaying in time with his footsteps. you felt the harsh pricks of the whole room staring at you, wondering why you of all people had been asked to a dance by the future king. it felt like barely any time had passed since king crepus died, yet plans were already being made for prince diluc’s coronation.

his gloved hands placed themselves on your shoulder and waist, the dark burgundy and red of his suit contrasting the ivory tile beneath him. it was clear he’d been trained and coached on how to formally dance his whole life. though his eyes were warm, his stance was stiff. it was sure and firm, but lacked the carefree buoyancy the rest of the guests had.

the piano’s keys echoed, and you could feel the music hanging loosely in the air all around you. diluc started a slow waltz, simply stepping the designated steps and lightly spinning you every so often. each time you saw a photograph of him, it became obvious as to why he was being offered so many women from other nations. he was striking in every way, from his dark attire to his fiery hair.

“prince diluc, are you alright?” you asked. it wasn’t a secret that diluc wasn’t the most sociable of the royal family, but he seemed lost, in a way. he navigated the dance floor with ease, knowing where and when to turn, but he looked unfocused and dazed.

“i’m alright, thank you,” he replied, short and to the point.

king crepus’ passing must have made quite the impact on the prince. ‘well, it’s not like he had any time to grieve,’ you thought. ‘he wasn’t prepared to take on all of this. he just woke up one day and found out he’d be king in less than a year.’

“your highne—“

“you may refer to me as just diluc, if that’s okay. there’s no need to be so formal,”

‘no need to be so formal.’ it was starting to seem like diluc wanted to be anything but formal, from his simple suit jacket to his mannerisms similar to those of a commoner. from his slow waltz to the way he purposely stepped too far back to accommodate your incredibly large dress.

‘who ever thought diluc ragnvindr wouldn’t want to be so formal? being the sole heir to a monarchy must’ve humbled him instead of doing the opposite,’ you wondered, so lost in thought that you didn’t even notice diluc picking up your hands and placing them back at your sides.

“i’m afraid our break must come to an end. i should be choosing a wife right now, as much as i’d rather stay and dance with you. you’re thoughtful. it can be hard to find that these days,”

stunned, you looked up at his gloves as he pulled them down to meet his wrists, your eyes flicking over almost all the guests watching you. “oh. i suppose even princes don’t have all the time in the world, do they?”

the ends of his lips curved, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. “no, i suppose they don’t,”

“my, my. don’t tell me you’re leaving this poor girl out to dry in the middle of a ball, diluc. surely you were taught better,”

prince diluc didn’t even tilt his head to check to see who had spoken. you stayed standing where you where, feeling like you were in the middle of something while watching the stranger as he approached you two.

“i am not leaving her, kaeya. you’d better confirm your facts before waltzing in other people’s space,” the redhead snapped.

kaeya laughed. “weren’t you supposed to be finding a wife? or have you just been stalling because you know grand master jean isn’t among the selected candidates?”

diluc didn’t flinch or flush at kaeya’s words. instead, he turned and dropped down his head, sliding whispers into the other man’s ear before stepping towards you. “i did enjoy our dance, y/n. i do hope i’ll see you again,” he murmured, promptly walking off the dance floor, leaving you with the blue haired stranger and questions as to how he knew your name when you couldn’t remember ever telling him.

— “that was awfully rude of you,” you told him, seeing a flash of an eyepatch under his bangs as he let out a laugh again, taking one of your hands and placing it on his shoulder as the music picked up, the once somber waltz turning into a charming one.

“my brother has always been so uptight. princes do have all the time in the world. in fact, i think we all do, don’t you?”

“you haven’t even told me your name yet,” you pointed out.

“kaeya alberich, cavalry captain of the knights of favonius. already interested in me, aren’t you? well, do i get a name?” confidence and charm seemed to radiate off of him, the way his dress shirt was mostly unbuttoned and the patterns on his coat only adding to it. you quickly scanned the room, noticing just as many other women staring at you as before. you knew this kaeya was apart of the knights of favonius, but was he really that important?

“y/n l/n. i have to ask, what’s a knight doing inside the ball? shouldn’t you be patrolling outside?”

“the knights are patrolling outside. the royal family is inside, entertaining the guests,”

“do you always speak in puzzles?” you asked, irritated that you weren’t given a proper answer.

kaeya smriked with stars in his eyes, obviously enjoying the mysterious façade he had put up. “i understand it’s not common knowledge, but i am in fact part of the royal family, miss y/n. i can see how being a step brother might not count as being royalty, though. fine lines, and all that,”

the pieces of the puzzle kaeya had made clicked into place. you had seen photos of the royal family with kaeya in it, but normally he had been standing off to the side or just looking so out of place that you never considered he was a part of it. king crepus and diluc had fair skin and brightly colored hair, their eyes drooping lazily but their posture tall and regal. kaeya was tanned and his hair was the same shade as the dusky sky in the background of most of the pictures. he didn’t stand like he was born to be in the photographs, he stood like he deserved to be in them.

now that you think about it, he was in almost all of the photos you’d seen of the ragnvindr’s. “how did you come into the family, anyways?” you knew you were being nosy, but kaeya didn’t seem like the type to reprimand you for that. he was whimsical in every way—he was probably just as nosy himself.

the cavalry captain kept up his quick pace of dancing, lifting you up in a twirl and gently setting you back down. “that’s a topic for another day. i don’t think we’ll be able to cover the entire history of a lost kingdom in the next couple seconds. it’s about time to switch partners,”

he really did know how to intrigue someone, how to get them roped in to where they were tied to the mysteries he held. what happened to his right eye? where was the lost kingdom was he referring to? how did he manage to steal the attention of almost everyone in the room?

"may i dance with you again?” you rushed, desperate for answers, both of you stepping away in tune with the music.

“of course,” he confirmed. “i would never push you away like diluc did, y/n. and i’m not one to break my word,”

with that, kaeya was gone—probably twirling other girls in the air—and your hands were being taken by a blonde with intricate braids in his hair, his gloves rougher and more worn down than kaeya and diluc’s were. they were casual gloves; ones made for working in.

— “hello,” he said simply.

“oh—hello,”

“sorry, i’m afraid i haven’t been to a ball in ages; it seems i’ve forgotten how strange it is when we switch partners. i am albedo, i work with the knights of favonius,”

“y/n,” you told him, not bothering with a last name since he didn’t. “does everyone here work in the knights of favonius?” you joked.

albedo had smiled a little, obviously not one for jokes but appreciating it all the same. “i don’t actually work on the front lines. i’m just the chief alchemist. i prefer to study life rather than take it from people.” he swiftly sidestepped to avoid stepping on you, not even realizing he’d done it. he seemed very spacey, like his head was beyond the clouds.

but he was graceful. the chains adorned on his coat looked like they were floating, stray pieces of hair passed over his eyes, his boots glided over the tile. it was hard to believe he was even human.

“i think that’s a lovely way of looking at it,” you said.

“life is lovely, isn’t it? it’s unbelievable, really, some of the things that exist,”

“is that why you practice alchemy?”

“no, not necessarily. i practice alchemy so i can study how life is made—similar to drawing or painting or creating something. i wish to know how everything in this world was created. being so high up in teyvat’s ranks help too, of course,”

‘he has a beautiful way of looking at things.’

“what about you?” he asked.

“me? your life is much more interesting than mine, albedo. working in the wine business isn’t very original in mondstadt,”

“it’s not exactly an easy business to get into, though. besides...you have the aura of the stars. i would love to hear more about you,”

the aura of the stars? was albedo talking about the stars that seemed to shine in kaeya’s eyes, or the stars that burned bright just above the palace?

it seemed you wouldn’t get to find out though, not with the orchestra slowing their music and you and albedo having to tear away to keep up with the other guests.

“thank you for dancing with me, y/n,” he said. always so polite, wasn’t he? “if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, i think i would like to draw you someday,”

“i’d like that. thank you albedo,”

too busy watching him whisk away, you didn’t realize the man behind you, startling yourself when you ran into him.

— “my apologies for not moving out of the way, i’m afraid i was distracted.” if albedo said that you have the aura of the stars, this man must have had the aura of royalty. he stood regally, his hair long and pulled back neatly; his tie knotted perfectly.

“no, that was my fault. don’t apologize, please. i’m y/n,” you introduced.

“i tend to go by zhongli. it’s a pleasure to meet you, y/n,” he nodded in acknowledgement.

“tend to?” you wondered aloud. a pattern was starting to arise at this ball—one that hinted that almost every guest had a secret to hide.

zhongli was an excellent dancer. he stood tall and firm, as if he’d been invited to every royal ball in teyvat. maybe he’d even held his own. “as of right now, yes. exposing my other names might cause some...conflict,”

“there isn’t much conflict in mondstadt. we’ve learned to flow in whichever direction the wind chooses to,”

the man simply smiled, one that said he’d seen and heard that statement many times. “i don’t get the chance to visit mondstadt very often. a shame, really, since it’s so close to liyue. i must learn to make time to travel here. it’s quite peaceful,”

‘he must have lived in liyue all his life, to be so decided and sure of everything. here, we change our minds whenever we please; they keep the contacts they make for generations,’

zhongli did bring the reminiscence of liyue itself. he moved with such certainty, his eyes brightly lined with the same color as the festival lights you saw when you participated in the lantern rite years ago.

“what work do you do in liyue?” you asked.

he thought for a moment, deciding what exactly he ought to say. “i’m not as involved in the economics as i used to be. i worked very closely with the royal family, but was disposed of when i wasn’t of use anymore. now i simply make and sign off contracts. still an incredibly important job in the nation,”

“disposed of? that’s very cruel. i’m so sorry,”

“nothing to be sorry for. i still respect queen ningguang, very much. she had her goals set, and she sacrificed many valuable assets in order to reach them. it’s embarrassing to say i would’ve done the same,”

“at least you can admit that. i know some that wouldn’t.” the thought of a certain blue haired, faux prince crossed your mind.

zhongli nodded, considering your opinion while letting a silence fall between you two. you hated how quick partner changes were, even if the orchestra migrated to a slower tempo. you were still very curious. it was clear you’d leave the palace tonight with many more questions than when you’d come in.

“would you mind showing me around mondstadt, if you ever have the time?” zhongli proposed. “i’ve already seen many sights around here but...times do change, don’t they? people can look at the same sea and find different sights to admire,”

“may you walk me around liyue, too? i’ve only visited a handful of times for the festivals. i have a feeling you’ve seen just about all of it,”

his coat flipped up as he stepped to another young woman, his eyes still focused on you. “i don’t see why not, y/n,”

you followed suite and skipped into position with a bright eyed redhead, dressed in an odd combination of heavy layers and chains. his hair was ruffled, as if the wind had purposely played with it to look like that.

— “hey girlie, hold still—let me do all the work,” he grinned, gripping your waist and lifting you to the other side of him. did the orchestra plan their musical number this way? to take all the energy lost from the somber sections of their song and put it all into this one? the ginger was certainly taking advantage of that, his earring swaying with him as he spun, obviously here for a good time.

“oh—hi?” you gasped, almost tripping over the hem of your dress.

he smiled, a genuine one that told you he probably wasn’t formally invited to this ball. it was hard to stay stunned when he seemed to float in the air. “did i startle you? my bad. i got a little too caught up in that, didn’t i? my name’s childe,”

“child?”

“c-h-i-l-d-e. it’s just an alias, don’t worry about it,”

it sounded like he was giving out information he shouldn’t be. was it just to entice you, like how kaeya purposely drew you in with mysteries? or was it simply because he talked too much?

“i’m not sure you’re meant to be telling me that, childe,” you told him.

his hands dropped from your waist. his gloves were different than the other ones you’d seen that night. they were an odd design; nothing you’d seen before in mondstadt, or even liyue. perhaps inazuma? you’d never visited the icy region, but you’d heard of the strange customs from there. “it’s not like you can do anything; if you don’t know my real name then what good is knowing i use an alias?” childe said.

you supposed he was right. it was hard to keep your mind on that topic when he kept up with the quick pace of the music so well. he was quite swift.

“where did you learn to dance like this?”

“i don’t get to dance much where i’m from. my work isn’t exactly as free spirited as this, either,”

you found yourself missing albedo. he had given you straight answers to your questions. but he was all the way across the dance floor now, playfully spinning a small girl in red. a family member, maybe?

childe stopped again, crossing his arms as he studied you, the rest of the guests continuing to dance away. it’d been barely thirty seconds and you were already tired of his games.

“you intrigue me, y/n,” he admitted. had you told him your name yet? “not many women dance with royalty and pass it off as not a big deal,”

“prince diluc’s a person, too. i’m sure he doesn’t like to only be seen as the future king of mondstadt,”

“oh, diluc? i wasn’t even talking about him, but i like your viewpoint.” he set his hands on your waist again, continuing to dance to get out of the way of others.

not diluc? was he mentioning kaeya? zhongli? surely not albedo—he was the chief alchemist, he told you himself. childe definitely knew much more than he was letting on.

“humor me, childe,” you began. “what work do you do? is it in inazuma?”

“my work takes me all across teyvat, actually. it’s something i quite enjoy, travel. of course, working with the fatui wasn’t my top choice—i wanted to work in toy crafting, believe it or not,” he laughed, throwing his head back, the light from the chandelier turning his grey suit golden.

“fatui?” you panted. you were dancing with someone of the fatui! childe wasn’t from inazuma—he was from snezhnaya. and you weren’t supposed to be entertaining two-faced fatui from snezhnaya. “why are you telling me all this? shouldn’t i go and report you?”

he pondered for a moment, humoring you. “you could. i was invited here through someone quite powerful, though, so they’d probably just kick you out. it’s not a secret i’m with the fatui. i don’t plan on just killing everyone in here, either. why can’t a man waltz in peace?” he sidestepped and spun, enchantingly charming. it’d be so easy to fall for him if he hadn’t told you what he did.

they all were. every dance you’d had that night had been nothing short of magical.

“as for why i’m telling you, y/n,” he continued. “i’ve already told you that. you intrigue me. i do hope you’ll continue to. i trust i’ve intrigued you, as well,”

‘he has.’

“you have,” you agreed. “a fatui who’s just here to waltz...i have a hard time believing that,”

childe gave you another grin, twirling you to the right and into someone else’s grasp. it was certainly hard to hold a grudge against someone that danced like that, even if it gave you an awkward encounter with your next partner.

— “if he comes knocking at your door, don’t be afraid to call me. damn fatui...always in other people’s business, aren’t they?”

“it seems so.” you quickly adjusted your stance, realizing the music had slowed back down. looking at the man standing across from you, you noticed he was much different than the other men you had danced with that night.

his suit was loosely fitting, the purple and green accents bright against the white of his jacket. he watched you through heavy eyes, his expression unreadable.

"i’m y/n l/n,” you introduced, trying to start conversation.

“xiao,” he returned simply.

“xiao? what an interesting name. are you from here?”

“no. i come from liyue. i’m simply here to aid an accomplice.” you trailed his eyes to the left. was he motioning towards zhongli? he was certainly to the point.

it was clear he wasn’t here to dance like childe was. all of his footsteps felt unsure, like they were heavily thought out before hand. it was endearing, seeing him put so much effort into such a little act.

“i guess almost everybody is here for work-related purposes. it’s so sad, seeing everyone have an underlying motive. it’s a ball, for archons sake,” you admitted.

xiao sighed, the dark hair hanging near his face flying up with his breath. “it’s nice to find somebody who thinks that way, too. i’ve been called a...work driven person, but even i don’t deceive others for a little more mora or power. another reason why i dislike the fatui. i’m sure the ginger had a deeper reason for being here other than throwing you up in the air,”

to the point. to the point and harsh. it was obvious he wasn’t very social. you sensed there was quite a bit of backstory to his viewpoints.

you weren’t used to the orchestra playing this slowly. kaeya was probably throwing a fit somewhere because of it. every movement you made seemed like it took eons. it was peaceful, but starting to drag. too busy trying not to waltz too quickly, you caught yourself on the hem of your dress, sending yourself falling backwards and in the direction of harsh tile.

wincing your eyes shut in reflex, you didn’t see xiao dashing forward to catch you, his hand supporting your back and his hair falling down into your face, exposing the light blue hidden underneath the top layers.

with the light surrounding him, he looked immortal. immortal and experienced—but different in the way zhongli had looked. zhongli was wise because of everything he’d done; xiao was wise because of everything he’d seen.

xiao didn’t seem to realize grabbing you before you fell could be taken as romantic. instead, he quickly got you back on your feet and absentmindedly fiddled with the buttons on his jacket. he really was here just to aid an accomplice.

“thank you for catching me. that tile wouldn’t have been the best landing,” you said.

“part of the price i must pay. don’t take it personally—it seems i’m used to catching people. there aren’t many people like me nowadays here to do that,”

‘like you? who does he mean? what price is he paying? he’s so vague.’

“xiao, what exactly do you do? what do you mean, ‘like me’? i don’t mean to intrude—i really don’t, i’m used to abnormality in mondstadt—but it’s—“

— “partner switch! sorry, adeptus xiao, but you have to keep up with the music, you know? fancy an evening dance?”

xiao was thrust out of your grasp and into someone else’s, leaving you trying to match the pace of the quick moving stranger who’d taken your hands.

he had elfish features; two short braids the color of a lake hung close to his face, and the top of his hair was ruffled beyond fix, as if he’d quickly thrown a hat on and decided not to wear it at the last minute. his attire might as well have been for a child. rather than dress pants, he had shorts and tights. instead of formal gloves, he had long sleeves.

who was this guy? and why’d he call xiao an adeptus? from what little you knew about liyue’s culture, you thought the adepti had passed long ago.

“i hope you don’t mind my being rude,” you promoted, matching the stranger’s mischievous attitude. “but who are you?”

he laughed a bubbly, genuine laugh. “you can just call me venti. what brings you here tonight, y/n?”

‘this is the third person tonight to know my name without me telling them,’

“how’d you know my name, venti?” he spun you in loose, intricate turns, obviously having no care for the odd stares he was attracting.

“it’s a bards responsibility to know his audience, don’t you think? i also have...other intel, you could say. but alas! you never answered my question. what brings you to the ragnvindr’s palace?”

you gave him the grace of a smile. his was so contagious it was difficult to not return it. “the ball, of course. what about you?”

venti nodded his head and hummed along to the piano. “i’d have to say the same! i suppose i came here to meet up with old friends and discuss some important matters, but i stayed for the music. the orchestra turned me down when i offered to play the lyre with them, though. seems they don’t know talent when they see it.” he sighed like he was thinking the moment over again.

“old friends?”

“yep! you probably danced with at least one of them earlier. mr. zhongli, prince diluc, xiao. oh, and that one alchemy guy! albert? albedo! yes, that’s it,”

you’d danced with all of them...who were these people? diluc was royalty—but how important were zhongli, xiao, albedo, and this bard that they had a meeting with him? on the night he was choosing his wife, no less. “what’s happened that involves the prince in all of this?”

“oh, just some silly fatui disturbing the stone gate. it’s a border issue, really. but we gotta have some archons present in case it all spirals out of control. it usually does. i mean, the city of freedom and the city of contracts trying to work together? you can believe that has some disputes!”

you were lightheaded from all the dancing, you must be. “archons? what do the archons have to do with anything?”

venti’s braids seemed to glow, the little cape on the back of his coat flipping up with the way he danced. he gave you a wink. “well, tonight has been magical, hasn’t it? surely you didn’t think it felt like that just because of the atmosphere,”

he was right. the cool touch of kaeya’s charm, the warm way diluc introduced himself. the free-spirited attitude venti and xiao shared. the steadiness of albedo and zhongli’s perspectives and the flexible, challenging aura childe presented himself with. most of them weren’t commoners, but that couldn’t be the only reason why they felt different from anybody you’d ever met before.

in disbelief, you tried again for confirmation. “are you saying that their are archons here? at this ball?”

venti shrugged offhandedly, the hint of playful smile ghosting his face. “only they themselves and the land of teyvat will know, right?”

THIS WAS SO LONG ??1&.&-)!:1@26/?>]<.>_£ FOR WHAT ???? KATE WHO DO U THINK IS GONNA READ THIS FAR DOWN ????🤨🤨