Jing Yuan Heaven And Earth As A Chessboard

11:30 PM. YOUR WONDERWALL AWAITS.

xiao x gn! reader, a drabble.

info: dystopian x cyberpunk au, inspiration from progenitor animation with albedo on youtube by dillongoo, the maze runner series & cyberpunk edgerunners!

tw: you are a robot here, minor mentions of injuries as well as blood loss, possible ooc xiao since this is my first time writing him, xiao is emotionally constipated, open ended.

a/n: just a random thing i thought up of while thinking late at night. very short and extremely unedited, just letting my brain run in peace. enjoy~

a normal summer day, that’s all that you were hoping for today and that is the exact opposite of what you were getting currently as you ran away from the fatui, just what was their fascination with you when you were a simple human? so utterly wrong that you were for thinking the simplest thought after being thrown out for the chip that you harbored in your neck, the code to the cure of psychosis that was hidden inside of you by one of the war generals, nahida of wisdom.

you knew that, of course, it would not be long before you were found out as a realistic human ai so you kept running until you were able to find a way to a desolate area. it was rather beautiful, still with the sun around perfectly in place between the rather teal trees. you could tell they were dying slowly, the color of the leaves were turning a slight gray. the crinkles from the leaves that you had made were too great for another person who was here with you. you hadn’t realized that another fatui soldier had snuck up on you as you pulled out your rapier, fast and quick — just as the pace of your running.

leave, begone. i don’t wish to hurt you.

a voice spoke quietly to you before it vanished instantly, it sounds as if it was all around you, like it had owned the domain that you had suddenly entered. were you safe here if it seems less deteriorating than the rest of the world? you came upon an oasis of some kind, away from the fatui at that. your inner thoughts started consuming you once you smelled the fresh air that had been contrasting to your usual murky, smoke filled air. you knew this had turned into some kind of guilty pleasure before you noticed a blade cut your cheek as somebody appeared with the knife in the grass below you.

“i knew it.” he spoke quietly before a lance appeared in his hands, the sharp end of his weapon now starting to dig into your clothes. “what are you doing here, robot? you shouldn’t be able to make it to such a place as my temple.” he glared before released his blade as you let out a small breath of relief. no paradise could be free of punishment for you somehow, right? “K0S-M0S, from the current war, i’ll ask again. what pathetic reason are you here for now?”

you managed to develop a sense of empathy over the years as you tried to come up with several possibly solutions to speak your words. finally, a sound solution to speak to a stranger came to your mind. “i come in peace to run away from the war, i’m tired of being used for the good of mankind. i seek refuge for only an hour to catch my breath.”

the forest green hair male could only chuckle slightly in pity as he swung his blade to face upward next to him. “these ai are getting smart, master zhongli was right about this much. you’ve even gained a personality at that. is that even real blood?”

you then carressed your wound at his words, had something happen to you overnight? this blood was black and perhaps, you were able to bleed finally. you became human without realizing the oil that spilled from your cheek, in shock even — the male could tell. you shook your head for a moment as you sternly look towards him, “that… wasn’t supposed to happen. though, you work for zhongli so i can only expect you have some knowledge of my existence, are you planning to report me?” you stated as you got in a ready stance for fighting.

“master zhongli faked his death several years ago in order to prevent the war from coming here and i, as his protector, have a sworn duty to get rid of outsiders. perhaps if another were here to stop you, you would have been lucky.” he stated before getting in his own ready stance, swiftly attacking… and yet it never came.

“that’s enough general alatus.” a deep voice spoke as the male had almost made a precise point, knowing exactly where each unit had their cores. you had to thank the older gentleman that had saved your life just now. “we have a contract in order to not kill (y/n), they are within safe grounds.” he stated before stepping down each step of the gold and white front of the temple with his hands behind his back as he had a good look at you.

“zhongli… what are you doing here? nahida had said to lay low but i hadn’t been aware that it was this low.” you raised an eyebrow before being knocked to the ground by this ‘general atalus’ as he hit your legs with the back of his lance, just to temporarily put you at a disadvantage.

“i believe that you being here shows enough proof of what nahida can be capable of, the outside was never where you belonged and the fatui is deadset on using you to exploit the process of psychosis quicker with that chip in your neck as well.” zhongli had try his best to give you an explanation with the best of his abilities as the god of contracts before gesturing to his knight in shining armor, “xiao, let’s give our guest a place to rest for a moment. you will be watching over them as they are re-energizing for the day.”

xiao could only sigh at the change of events in his own life to now, he sworn to zhongli that he would do anything in his power to protect the ideals that his master had given him as a goal once the war was over. once xiao wrapped your arm around his own and pulled you close, you both ended up walking up the stairs. he then realized how ineffective it would be before picking you up bridal style — to which you felt your heart beat a bit.

heart?

you had a feeling that there was more than nahida was letting on now. why was this all so realistic all of the sudden? she has too many questions to answer once you got back into the regular world. seeing as now you had a place to sleep again, you decided to take into it and sink yourself into the bed before seeing that you were being watched again.

“what are you staring at? get some rest already.” he stated before looking out towards the night sky, “zhongli said to watch over you so i’m following orders.” he kept his gaze out before you noticed it too, a code written on his neck too, A1ATUS.

sure he was rather rough with his words but you would be in good hands, knowing that this man was a protector in tevyat’s war too and for justice at that. you were able to close your eyes and cuddle up in the blankets, all while xiao had been close by to watch over you and protect you. perhaps he had felt that you and him were rather similar in this world to understand such peace finally?

melukonova, 2023. 𓂃 ☄︎

sky understand, i’m gonna love you till the very end, oh🧍‍♂️

anyway hi

*insert scribbles here*

- hajime iwaizumi

you’re so awkward but cute<3 hi hajime :))

HI SKY!❤️

ANA, HELLO<333 HOW ARE YOU? 🤍

love these tags<3

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current obsession: this is a hard guess. lol jk XD it's ff7!!! i will die on this bridge<3

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Tagged by: @bell-of-indecision, thank you so much for tagging me <3

Last Song: Gmfu by Odetari,6arelyhuman

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Tagging: @somin-yin @a-cloud-for-dreams @axepen @hinsaa-paramo-dharma @basic-bitch-alkali @rhysaka @blackknight-100 @squishywizardd @reykalot

✧ ◜ WORLDS APART.

pairing. welt yang x gn. reader

summary. you’ve travelled through countless worlds together, but there is an end to every journey, a divergence of paths — as the inscriptions of the stars detail your final movement.

notes. imagine having his light cone and not welt @astrolins (loser),, likes and reblogs are appreciated <3

You still remember the day when you first looked up to the stars, and to the galaxy beyond.

You had been enraptured by its beauty almost immediately, the world beneath your feet infinitesimal in comparison to the vast universe before you. How you wished to traverse among the sea of stars, and see a world beyond these skies; make it so your dream was no longer distant in your eyes.

Others had done it in the past, so what was to stop you?

“We can do it.” You had promised the boy beside you, who had looked upon the universe in equal wonder. He peered up at you over his square rimmed glasses, a small smile forming on his lips as he squeezed your hand in reassurance.

You were inseparable back then, bound by a dream. And it was upon such dreams that carried you through all the disasters that had befallen you on your journey — there was hope to see something beautiful at the end. You’ve witnessed the destruction of worlds, but you too have seen such marvellous wonders.

And as lost as you may have felt in the expanse that was the universe, you were never alone. Welt had been your constant companion, an anchor to the only piece of home that you had, while drifting from place to place.

Perhaps having been in your life for so long, you had started to care for him more than just a friend. You’ve been by his side far longer than you have without; so much, you don’t remember a time without him. When you wake from a nightmare, it's always his arms you want to reach for, and words of reassurance you want to hear from his lips. You crave his touch.

Despite all this, you can’t bring yourself to continue upon this journey you had set off on together. When you follow the path of the trailblaze, the future is unpredictable, your fates uncertain. Each trip has a chance to be your last.

You had set off with nothing but the sky in your sights, but now it doesn’t rest solely on traversing through the universe anymore, like you had dreamed of as kids. It’s become a mere fragment of what you wish to do; a starting point, now you’ve seen what is offered beyond.

He reaches for something higher, a far nobler goal, and you can only follow him — fulfil your wishes together. Yet with each near-death experience you have, it adds to the growing fear that you’ll lose him one day, when a single trailblaze mission goes wrong.

Of course, he’ll always try to protect you — when the world is at stake, he will become that hero without hesitation. But it doesn’t eliminate those worries from your mind, when you think for yourself, and not for the both of you. He may be strong enough to continue along this path, but you are not.

He can’t protect you forever.

His selflessness would be his downfall, and you don’t want to be the cause of it — to be a burden he has to constantly protect, holding him back. But even when you’re not there with him, every minute he’s away, your worries for his own safety grow as you pace the corridors of the Astral Express, praying for his safe return.

Relief fills you everytime, when you catch sight of the brunette at the doors, running over to embrace him. He doesn’t see the worry you’ve gone through — he only sees a friend that’s glad to see him back.

He doesn’t see you how you see him.

He doesn’t notice the way your eyes flicker to his lips as you fix his collar, your sharp intake of breath as you force yourself to step away, to a distance respectable of friends. He doesn’t know how you want to close that distance, greet him as a lover with the touch of your lips, rather than an embrace that grows more distant day by day.

What if you were just a bit more selfish?

The path of the trailblaze is not for you. You only continue to push forward because of Welt. You’ve followed him along this path for so long, riddled with such contradictions. You love him, but you constantly endanger yourself and him, chasing something that could be unrequited by staying at his side.

You want to find your own purpose, but it’s out of the same love again, that stops you from leaving his side, you don’t want to leave him alone to travel through the universe. You know he would never leave the Astral Express — not when there are people out there who need to be saved.

You know you have to make a choice. And the day the express pulls into the Herta Space Station, you’ve decided.

“I wish to stay as a researcher here.” You say abruptly to the express crew, who are now looking at you with a range of expressions from shock to disappointment. “Herta herself has offered me a position.”

March and Pompom both have their mouths wide open in surprise, while Dan Heng merely shakes his head, sighing. Himeko looks on as she’s been expecting this, but you can see that she understands. You can’t bring yourself to look at Welt.

He’s the one who steps out first, and then you can see the anguish on his face at this sudden revelation. He doesn’t know how to react to this information. You’ve been with him for so long, and he couldn’t believe it was now that everything was to come to an end.

He wonders if it is him that has done something wrong. But despite such, he understands. You had both travelled through countless worlds, but he was the one who fought to be their saviour. It was a dangerous path to follow, and you had been in the background of it all, only wanting to take in the landscape and all the curiosities you’ve unearthed.

He realises, in his own fixation on everyone else, he had never included you in the equation. Only when it's been pushed in front of his face, this new reality in which you were to be separated — he curses himself for being so blind.

You can study the worlds you’ve wanted to see now from afar, and he no longer has to fear for your safety, with all the battles he has dragged you into. If this was what made you happy, and kept you safe, he was in no position to stop you.

“Y/N.” He starts. A part of him still wants you to stay with him, and it takes all his willpower to force that feeling down, to think rationally. But the words don’t fully come out as he wants. “I’m sorry.”

You only give him a sad smile in understanding. “It’s for the best.”

“I know, but—” He sighs.

You let him pull you into a hug, and then you’re both teary eyed, holding onto each other in silence. There’s a million unspoken words on the tip of your tongue, but in your already aching heart, you cannot bring yourself to say them.

You’ve chosen your own happiness and safety over staying by his side. You’ll part as friends and nothing more. It already hurts enough, and to insinuate something romantic would make this parting all the more painful — whether by rejection or longing.

But still, in the moment where you pull apart to finally look each other in the eye, you can see that he too wants to say so much more to you. He brings his hand up to gently stroke your cheek, wiping away a lone tear that has trickled down your face.

“I know our journey together has come to an end. But our friendship is something I will forever hold in my heart.” Welt manages to say, but you know he’s struggling for words, as he gazes back at you, his usual demeanour faltering.

His touch lingers on your skin, as if he’s reluctant to move away, but he eventually settles on placing a firm hand on your shoulder.

“One day, if I too grow tired of faring between the stars, I will find a way to come back to you, and we will return home together. Right now, I can rest assured that you are safe.”

Perhaps you should’ve said the same of him, made him seal that promise. But you’re already overwhelmed with enough emotion, tears blurring your eyes as you watch him slowly walk away. Each step seems more painful than the last, further tearing that divide in your heart.

The rest of your goodbyes are a blur, and by the end of it, whatever else you might’ve wanted to say, have long become lost on your lips — even if you remember, it's too late, the Astral Express now nothing but a faint star in the distance.

You should’ve chosen your last words more carefully — something you’ve come to regret.

Because when that transmission comes through, that the Astral Express is gone — you sink to your knees. You don’t want to accept it. It feels as if you’ve lost a part of yourself alongside it, despite the ties you’ve cut.

You had been awaiting the day where you would be reunited once more, to say those words you had wanted to say a long time ago. But now they lay unspoken for eternity, because Welt was gone forever. He had died with the thought you had only loved him as a friend.

When you gaze at the stars twinkling outside the window, you wonder — would things have been different, if you had not made the decision you did?

Perhaps in another universe, you kissed beneath aureate painted skies, at the dawn of a new journey.

say you'll remember me.

pairing. jingyuan x gn. reader.

summary. you've disregarded time long enough, and now there's a million things both of you have yet to say, but the other is slowly fading away — so much, you've become utterly unrecognisable to one another.

Time kills just as ruthlessly as any other weapon — death is a mercy, now that you’ve seen what other horrors have been brought from forsaking one’s humanity for the price of more time.

You’ve become a victim to such yourself, the curse that had been passed down from your ancestors mistakes, have finally caught up to you.

You hate them for it, all this pain you now suffer, of the petals having begun to crawl their way up your throat, and the hacking coughs riddle your body. Those words of a ceaseless hatred repeat within your mind, as they suffocate you — drowning you in a sea of these cursed flowers.

Such affliction kills you slowly, tearing apart your body and mind, as you can only accept your inevitable descent into madness. Your thoughts are already a jumble of anger and regret, as you look down at the sprouting growths that have spread over your body. It disgusts you, to even look upon your face in the mirror, which is far beyond recognisable.

You don’t know what you even are anymore. You don’t know anything. Pain has taken over your entire body, each movement tearing into a part of you — you cannot think of anything beyond it. It’s all a blur, you cannot focus on anything except your own anguish, the world having faded to obscurity around you.

You’ve started to forget. You feel your grip on the precipice that is your own mind slipping.

You think you would rather rip your own throat out and bring an end to this suffering, because you know there is no cure. In the thousands of years you’ve been around, no one has found one. Yet the healers still believe they can, that they are close.

You want to die already. They’re clinging to a fool’s hope, forcing you to cling to life — a life you no longer can stand to live.

But you’re chained to a bed as a precaution, unable to rise nor speak, silently suffering, your thoughts unbeknownst to the two people who circle around you — a small purple Vidyadhara, who feeds you spoonfuls of random concoctions, and a silver-haired man who looks at you each time with pained sorrow in his golden eyes.

You want to say something, because it hurts, each moment you spend here; except nothing escapes your lips but a muffled sob. The male reaches out as if in response, but his arm is smacked away by the healer. He shouts something indiscernible — perhaps it was your name.

You don’t remember. You don’t remember his name either. But it was the faintest shred of familiarity.

Strangely enough, you feel a surge of unprovoked anger at the Vidyadhara girl who had pushed you apart. A sudden burst of strength courses through you as if in response, writhing against the chains that hold you down, reaching for him.

He’s still looking at you, but he’s drawing back — recoiling, and you feel as if you’re being pulled away from your last remaining anchor of familiarity, your fingers slipping away from these memories, your extant shreds of humanity. You want to call out his name, but you don’t remember.

You want to remember. Yet you only know flashes of pain and rage, constrained by these chains — they bind you to this earth, this reality of suffering.

You sound as if you’re screaming your outrage to the heavens itself, a strangled noise escaping you as a wave of madness takes you, blindly lunging for him to no avail — all while Jingyuan can only watch in stunned silence.

It hurts him to see you in this way, but sometimes, Jingyuan is grateful for those chains. It’s a reminder of restraint to himself, for he wants nothing but to hold you and whisper reassurances in your ear, yet it’s with resignation, he knows it won’t do anything to help you.

He doesn’t know what you would do anyway — you’ve grown unpredictable. Some days, you lie completely still in contemplative silence, your eyes glazed over and blank, while others you’re thrashing around, threatening to snap the chains that bind you.

The look in your eyes is animalistic, feral even. There’s barely a hint of recognition within them.

Everytime you lock eyes with him, his heart sinks further into desolate hopelessness. He knows you’re unable to see him in the same light you once did, your memories of him ruptured by the mara that tears you apart in both mind and body. Your reaction to his touch is something of a stranger’s.

He’s lived too long, seen too many deaths, watched as those close to him perish as well, none of them immune to the madness that stemmed from their own roots. It finds a new way to hurt him every time, as he thinks of his mentor Jingliu, and the remainders of the high cloud quintet — all who’ve met such violent ends.

Sometimes, he wishes it was him that had gone mad alongside them. It hurts far more to witness it all from the side, unable to do anything — nothing had struck him in the heart as much as you had.

You’ve lived forever in his memory since the day you first met, and he still remembers that day, among so many others. He reminisces upon them, as you are before him.

It’s been so long since he’s heard your laughter, much less see you smile.

He wants to stand under the sunset again, amongst that field of marigolds with nothing but the feel of the autumn wind blowing through his hair, and your hand in his. And when you had laughed, it was like music to his ears, the merry tinkling of bells — you were simply exquisite, breathtaking beneath the golden light of the setting sun.

He remembers placing a flower in your hair, brushing it back as he had kissed you. Your lips tasted like honeyed wine, addicting and divine — Jingyuan could barely bring himself to part with you, after having savoured such for so many years. If he had known what would soon befall you, he would’ve never let go, memorised every inch of you.

You’ve never had enough time.

It’s one of his fears. That one of you is left to persist in eternity, having to bear witness to the other fall victim to the mara that inevitably overtakes all of you. To live in regret, left to carry nothing but memories within an empty heart.

But not the greatest.

Jingyuan remembers you asking this too, laying in his lap as you had gazed upon the stars in the sky above.

"What's your greatest fear?" you had asked, back when this future hadn’t yet become your reality.

It had all seemed like a distant dream then, when you had eternity stretching out before you. But how quickly such illusions of time had been shattered, these statements turned true.

"To be forgotten," he replied. "But not just that. To be forgotten by a person who I could never forget."

But even you have forgotten that.

omg hi sky!! thank you for the follow <33

hi mikan!! i saw you around on friends’ boards so i wanted to follow you and support you here too :D i hope you’re doing well<333

໒⦂ 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

synopsis. in which you, an engineer major, are paired with a major in architecture — the blueprints of what you’re meant to bring to life.

academic rivals to lovers ( kaveh’s version )

for my fav, @skywalkiings <3

kaveh x gn!reader.

“it’s that time of the year again, everyone!” your teacher called and you nearly smashed your head into the desk in front of you.

“the end of the year project!” she sang, before pouting at the symphony of groans coming from her students. “would you rather i give you another exam?”

silence.

a huff. “as i thought.” the professor continued before smiling again. “this project will be different from the ones in your past years as it will call for everything that you’ve learned here so far at the akademiya! think of it as a preparatory assignment for your future profession!” she elaborated, handing the information sheets to the front row to pass on. “that being said, once everyone has received their paper, i will announce the architect you will be paired with!”

“kill me now..” you nearly spoke aloud, distasteful of the project already. one thing was being assigned a project — another was one in pairs. it was completely unreliable and irritating having to wait on another person or hear their opinions that more than often clash with your own. an architect would be even more stingy, you could just feel it in the very marrow of your bones.

“y/n l/n!” the woman called from her desk, snapping you from your trance. here goes.. “you’re to be paired with a senior, kaveh.”

kaveh? something about that name sounded oddly familiar, but now.. wasn’t the time to think about that.

just as you inclined your head, the bell sounded from its perch on the wall, signaling the end of the lecture.. and the beginning of your pain-in-the-ass project.

waisting little time, you slung your backpack over your shoulder, descending the steps before beelining for the library

it was lunch hour and the halls were bound to swarm with people like a can of sardines. definitely not ideal for a quick getaway and some piece of mind to figure out what the hell to do with this new project of yours.

however your getaway, didn’t quite go as smooth..

as you turned a corner to the entrance of the library belonging to the university, you found yourself smacking face first into someone’s chest. how lucky.

the impact had thankfully been soft, thankfully — nothing to break your nose or anything. unlike some other guy’s chest you ran into once in high school while rushing to class — which nearly knocked you back a few steps.

you rubbed your nose, letting out a quiet ‘ow’, as your eyes lifted, brows now knitted together. “try watching who’s in front of you next time!” you scolded and the boy scoffed.

“i should be telling you the same, you came running out of nowhere! i almost dropped all of my blueprints because of you!” he fired back, holding the rolled up papers tightly against his chest before brushing past you with a huff. “be more careful!”

you were near speechless, wanting to give the crimson eyed male a piece of your mind, but he was gone. deep within the mob of people headed for the cafeteria.

“coward.” you muttered under your breath, clenching your fist before marching into your destination with a low grumble. should you cross paths with that boy again, it’s on sight.

“unbelievable.” you let out quietly, watching as your partner, the blond from the hall, entered through the door of the café you were meeting at.

it was impossible — the kind of thing you only saw in those silly ‘enemies to lovers’ movies. it couldn’t be him, could it? surely he’d been there for someone else..

the architect pushed his sunglasses up onto the crown of his head, looking around the arrangement of tables and chairs before his eyes fell onto yours.

ipad propped in front of you, a pencil case to hold your papers down, and whatever drink you had decided on opting for today.

“the girl in the hall..” he muttered out, realization settling at who his partner had been as he approached you slowly.

an awkward smile replaced the faint grimace he had as he stopped in front of your table. “ah- y/n l/n, i assume?” he asked and you nearly shook your head.

if you’d said no, perhaps he would have left.. but unfortunately, the grade was a priority.

“that’s right.” you answered ( reluctantly ), nodding your head as you moved your papers to one stack. “i’m guessing you must be kaveh, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” not really.

his smile widened, unbeknownst to your true feelings as he took the seat across from you, laying his blueprints down on the free space you’d left him ( begrudgingly ). “the pleasure is all mine! i apologize from my behavior earlier in the hall.. i hope you can forgive me, i didn’t want anything to happen to these.” he chuckled sheepishly, patting the scrolls of paper softly. “they’re the best i’ve come up with! hence why i wanted to bring them to my partner in top condition — which is you, ironically- the girl i ran into..”

you nodded slowly, wondering to yourself if he normally spoke this much and in such an odd manner. but you went along with it, anyway. just bear it for now. “no worries — at least your papers are um.. in tact.” the condition was almost flawless, and yet he still made a fuss earlier. “shall we look through them and see which one works best for the project?”

kaveh blinked at your words, seemingly offended. “beg your pardon?” he asked, lifting his hand from his designs. “which works best? we can’t possibly select one and leave the rest untouched! it’d be criminal!”

his outburst caught you by surprise as you rose a brow at him, judging. “you do realize we cannot make all of those. it’s unrealistic, and there’s hardly time to do all of these when i’m the only engineer working on these..” you trailed off, unrolling one of the papers to show him. “like this — this is meant for a city! i can’t make that!”

“you’re an engineer! there are architects far more demanding than myself, with even more to request! this is your practice!” he reasoned and you scoffed.

“more like my funeral.. these are a total nightmare.” you muttered under your breath and the blond gasped.

“why you- you take that back! i worked very hard on those and i won’t allow them to go unappreciated by a heartless engineer who doesn’t understand art!”

now it was your turn to gasp. “i’m heartless? you humiliated me in the hall today for running into you!”

“i said i was sorry!! now you’re holding a grudge?!”

“as if you have any room to talk!” you bit back, rising from your seat before storming off to what appeared to be the counter. likely to order another beverage — possibly even something alcoholic, with how frustrating your partner was being.

meanwhile the scarlet eyed male parted his lips to demand where you were storming off to, only to close them right after.

he didn’t need to make a scene, least of all with an underclassman! he was better than this — he had to be the bigger person here. not like those petty arguments he shared with his blockheaded roommate at home.

kaveh was a gentleman, a kind soul. it was in his good nature!

..and yet right now, in this petty predicament, he found himself fired up. ready to give you a piece of his mind and defend his hard work.. but he held off. as if there was any need to have the last word, that was an “alhaitham thing” to do!

with a defeated sigh, kaveh dropped his forehead on the dark oak table, groaning to himself.

this project.. was going to be a long one.

“no, no- this won’t do at all! it ruins the aesthetic completely!” the blond complained and you fought the urge to slap him.

this would mark your fifth time redesigning the electrical structure of the layout of where all the lamps and switches would go in whatever complicated ass design kaveh felt the need to use.

granted it wasn’t a real building. the project consisted of making a structure out of a certain material that suited the selected blueprints, and having a working setup of lamps and switches. strangely, the only thing you and your partner came to agree on was using lego bricks as the building materials.

“we can’t be bothered with aesthetic yet if the lights can’t even turn on without someone getting zapped in the process! have you not learned?!” you fired back pointing to your sad excuse of a building. it was barely two floors and kaveh wanted five. “first i get the lamps working, and then you can make it look pretty or whatever it is that you do!”

the architect let out a gasp of offense. “excuse me, i do far more than making things pretty, you just don’t get appeal like i do! who in their right mind would want to go into an ugly half built looking building?!” he ranted, shuddering at his own thoughts. only alhaitham would. “we’d be better off in an abandoned or haunted house!”

you took a deep exhale, willing yourself not to rip him a new one. you were calm, the calmest you could be. this was just a trial to prepare for the future with someone even more snippy and nitpicky.

all you had to do was finish the project as soon as possible and hand it back to your professor. done, finished. no more kaveh, no more irking architects for awhile. just you and your work, as it was before this ridiculous assignment.

now ignoring the blond’s rambling, you carefully smoothed your fingers over the surface — where the wiring was meant to go, humming quietly before taking a ruler out.

although you didn’t want to, you handed it to kaveh, biting back a sigh. “hold this here, do not move it. i have to cut how much wire i’ll need.”

with little chance to protest, the older held the the measuring stick in place, eyeing you with great caution. legos were rather fragile, after all. and neither of you has glued yours, in fear that you would need to go back and fix something.

still, as he watched you at work, he couldn’t help but stare a little. the way your eyebrows furrowed together in concentration, the way you chewed on the inside of your cheek, the meticulous work of your hands. it was weirdly fascinating to kaveh, something he found difficulty looking away from.

“kaveh, could you hand me the pliers and that soldering tool from the stand.” you called out to him, not yet looking up.

but the blond was too focused on what you were doing, the gentle part of your lips. he wondered what you were saying, perhaps muttering to yourself regarding your work.

“kaveh!” you voiced out more clearly, causing him to jolt in surprise.

“what- what is it, i wasn’t staring!”

“the pliers and soldering tool! hand me them, please.” you repeated, gesturing with your nose to what you needed.

the upperclassman blinked once and then twice, not having realized you had been talking to him the entire time while he stared like a weirdo.

unknowingly it made his cheeks bloom with pink, a wave of embarrassment overcoming him. “right-! the pliers and soldering.. tool- on it, heard you the first time!” the blond blurted, quickly rising from his seat to head to where you’d plugged the device in.

careful not to burn himself, he grabbed it by the stem along with the device beside it before moving back to where you sat. “these tools, right?”

lifting your head a little to see what he brought, you nodded in approval, holding out your free hand. “hand me the pliers first, i need to cut off what i don’t need before i can continue.” you told him simply, and thankfully — he knew what those were.

he placed the took in your hand, holding the warmer one in his grasp until you would need it. which didn’t take too long.

“soldering iron, please.” you spoke up again, wiping a bead of sweat from your forehead with a knuckle.

“soldering iron.” he repeated, placing it slowly, and gently between your fingers, as he didn’t want you to burn yourself. banter or not, he wouldn’t wish ill on you.

now that caught you off guard, as you felt his fingers brush your own. so soft and delicate from how careful he was with his craft. unlike engineers, his hands would remain unscathed for the most part. maybe a little sore from many hours spent on drawing, but well kept, otherwise.

confused, kaveh rose a brow at your stillness, uncertain of why you had stopped. “hellooo, earth to y/n.” he waved in front of your face, tilting his head. “there’s a wire and lamp that still needs connecting.”

“i-i’m here, i’m doing it now!” you blurted out unthinkingly, forcing yourself to look away as you lowered your head in a sad attempt at hiding your face from him.

a long project, indeed.

it was the final night to finish the thesis with only the conclusion to be written of your paper.

luckily kaveh had finished up with the building and you managed to create a fully operational battery powered light up system for it.

now all that remained was finishing your research paper and handing everything in tomorrow.

part of you felt relieved to be done with the assignment and all the stress that came with it. but were you done with kaveh? that was the real question.

“that should do it.” the blond breathed out, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind his ear. “all we have to do is check it once more and then print.” he continued, raising his arms to stretch before turning to face you when you hadn’t answered. “y/n?”

you blinked upon hearing your name, snapped from your daze as you looked over at your partner, yawning softly. “sorry i was in my thoughts, guess the coffee wore off.” you laughed, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. “anyway, you were saying?”

kaveh clicked his tongue. “i said we just have to check and then print, though i see my voice puts you to sleep instead!” he huffed out. “please don’t let me keep you up.”

you pressed your lips into a flat line, not fond of his sarcasm. and he said he would never act like his roommate, whom you met a few times while working on the assignment. he was definitely a character.

“haha, very funny.” you commented, rolling your eyes. “well then i guess should be it. if anything we can just check again tomorrow morning.”

the architect let out a hum. “probably.” he answered tentatively, clicking save. “well then that’s it.. did you uh- want to get something to eat? y’know as a celebration for finishing, or something.” why kaveh was asking this, he wanted sure of. last he checked he was beyond annoyed to be dealing with you for as long as he had been.

but in the last few weeks, he felt a slight change in his heart. almost as if it would be strange, not being around you as often as he had been recently.

the offer made your brow raise, surprised to be asked out. not that it was a date, of course! he asked you to eat in celebration of completing your project. nothing more, nothing less.

even still. “like.. a date?” you dared to ask, afraid of what he might answer with — but you couldn’t help the words on the tip of your tongue.

kaveh, astounded that you had asked, let alone phrased it that way, flushed a soft pink. he hadn’t planned on you asking that. was it a date? did you want it to be?

screw it, there was no going back now. “do you want it to be?”

a date with your partner, the one you quarreled with for weeks on end.. but someone you grew oddly fond of being around, and someone you couldn’t quite let go of as yet.

with what little certainty you had left, you shifted closer to him, a warmth rising in your chest. “if i said yes.. would that be a bad thing?”

kaveh paused to think for a moment before smiling at you. “not at all.”

your lips curled up into a grin as you nudged his side. “then it’s a date.”

notes. friendly reminder that ms gurl ( me ) absolutely sucks at anything science-y so if i any terms i used are incorrect — it is either due to the language barrier ( bc i learned all of this shit in dutch ) or my stupidity strikes back with technical things!! anyway hi sky i hope you enjoyed this<3 sorry for the delay :’)

yeah whatever, call it what you want😐

anyway, good job today on your studies, make sure to get some rest soon, no video games all night, ok? ok

* very fancy signature thing *

- hajime iwaizumi.

you are forever so adorable, my love<3 and aaaa, i'm trying my best for sure ehe but i'll only play for another hour or two promise! it's just erm dan heng content<3 i love your signature btw, love

ALL OF THEM ARE SO CUTE I LOVE SIAKSKSK<3

agszc and the WAY THEY SAY I LOVE YOU CAUSE I'M STILL SCREAMING OVER CLOUD'S DATING HCS YOU MADE SNSKDJKD

໒⦂ ( 𝐒𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 ) 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔.

notes. you might be confused with the use of parenthesis but it’s exactly what you think.. not all of them ACTUALLY say those words.. read and see🫡

genre. fluff + angst ( sephiroth’s )

for @melukonova <3

ft. sephiroth, cloud strife, zack fair, genesis rhapsodos, angeal hewley

disclaimer. ok, poetry IS NOT my strong suit, from time to time i experiment with it but i am not the best at it so keep criticism tame please..

gender neutral! reader.

➫ 𝓢𝗘𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗛 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ sephiroth’s confession would be something that requires patience. he doesn’t have much experience with love, as he wasn’t exposed to it much throughout his life.

⌗ it doesn’t mean he’s incapable of feeling it, rather, it’s a matter of him truly realizing those feelings he has and how deep they run. now the way those words come out.. would likely be influenced by heightened emotions.

a beat of silence passed before the the silver haired hero closed the door, turning to face you with an expression you weren’t certain his features were even capable of making. “what were you thinking??”

he was distressed, brows knitted together as you watched his chest rise and fall unevenly, each breath more irregular than the last. you assumed it was anxiety — something you’d never associated with sephiroth.. until now, that was. “i was doing my job, an injury or few is unavoidable at times, you know that.” came your mumble, feeling your own brows furrow.

of course he knew that, the top hero knew that better than anyone.. but this. “there are other ways to get things done, what you did today was completely reckless — as though you had no care whatsoever for your life.” he argued, moonlight bangs swishing from right to left when his head shook. “you could have died!”

now it was your turn to get frustrated as you stood up from your place despite your aching muscles, walking up to his broad frame. “and that’s suddenly an issue now? our line of work demands for us to risk our lives everyday no matter the mission! we both knew this going into our relationship, so why are you suddenly so worked up over this??” you matched his tone, not fond of the approach he’d taken in addressing you.

“because i nearly lost you!” he shouted, overcome with emotions so powerful, he couldn’t even stop the onyx, gloved hands that flew to your shoulders, clinging desperately to something.. something even he didn’t know of.

his breath stuttered as he lowered his head, trembling in his place. “i can’t.. i-i can’t have you leave me, too…” the first class SOLDIER whispered in a voice so broken, so defeated, you had to remind yourself that behind this towering, imposing powerhouse.. was a human being, with feelings of his own, no matter how well he hid them. a human that knew loss, and an unwelcomed amount of it.. and feared more of it.

unsure of what to do, you pulled him down into a hug, feeling your anger fade into nothingness as you allowed your eyes to close. “i won’t, not ever.”

➫ 𝓒𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗗 𝓢𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗘 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ he says get help but he’s the one that needs help.. bro just, he can’t say it — he’s too embarrassed and he just doesn’t rlly know how to bring it across properly..

⌗ in the end, he opts for a more subtle method that aerith had once told him about. it required minimal speech on his end, and called for actions to take the reigns — perfectly up his alley.. as long as you got the memo.

“cloud?” you called out in surprise, turning to find a familiar spiky haired blond with an ivory colored flower in between his gloved fingers.

his lightly tanned cheeks were dusted with a tint of pink, seemingly reddening as he held out his hand, averting his gaze. “you said you wanted me to bring you something back from my delivery in sector five.. figured i’d bring something you don’t find everyday here.”

your knowledge of flowers was minimal, as midgar.. wasn’t exactly filled with them. you only rarely saw them from a distance, and on the occasions that you had, normally they were too pricey to purchase.

somehow, however, the owner of strife delivery services seemed to have gotten his hands on one singular flower. when you’d ask for a small souvenir from his travels, it had been a joke, simply you joshing like you normally had with him.. though it appeared this time, that he had taken it seriously.

you cleared your throat, letting out a sheepish laugh. “you didn’t have to do that, but thank you — i’ve.. never received a flower before, much less held one..” you confessed in a soft tone, taking the bloom from his grasp as you brought it close to your face.

even without leaning in to take in its scent, the sweetness greeted your senses as a smile etched itself onto your lips. “aah~ it smells wonderful, what kind of flower is it??”

he rubbed his neck at the question, feeling himself grow more nervous by the second. “it’s um.. it’s called gardenia. aerith’s mom insisted i took one back with me, since they were the newest edition to her garden.. said something about it having a deeper meaning, too.” cloud spoke up, finally lifting his mako-azure eyes to meet yours.

you lowered the flower in your hands, tilting your head. “deeper meaning? i didn’t think flowers were so complex.” you snickered into your free hand before grinning brightly at him. “but, go on. i’m curious!”

the tips of his ears seemed to burn with red as his lips parted before he turned his back to you, folding his arms. “o-on second thought, i forgot..”

“WHAT?? no way, it must be good if you won’t say! come on cloud!” you urged him, moving in front of him to see his face, but all you caught was the faintest smile as he continued to turn away. so cryptic!

➫ 𝓩𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝓕𝗔𝗜𝗥 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ zack uh- as we can tell, he isn’t exactly the ‘think before you speak’ kinda guy — whatever comes out, comes out.. with no regard to how blunt or sudden it might end up sounding.

⌗ now how would that apply to a confession? well, i think he would just say it without even thinking of the impact behind his words. it would just come out naturally, casually.. and you would end up staring like- did he fr just say that??

a sigh left your lips as you turned the page of the newest issue you’d picked up of shinra’s very own magazine, because what didn’t the prestigious electric company have to their name?

meanwhile zack was busying himself with yet another set of squats, clearly antsy. missions had been quiet as of late, mundane even. at the moment, you were both occupying the second class floor, waiting for orders.. but nothing came.

a groan left the nicknamed puppy’s lips as he halted his movements before draping finally himself onto the spot on the couch you hadn’t occupied. “man i bet the firsts are out kicking ass! they really don’t have anything for us to do here??”

you licked your thumb to flip to the next spread, humming. “unless you feel like getting involved with professor hojo’s questionable ass tasks, i’d rather sit here in boredom.” you confessed, missing the grimace on his face since your eyes remained on the passage you had been reading.

“i guess you have a point.. but still.” he pouted, leaning into your face as a means of getting your attention. “can’t we go ask lazard?? he’s gotta have something by now for us, right?!”

a laugh seemed to leave your lips at his complaints as you lifted your eyes at last to meet his zircon ones, a smile stretching across your lips. “and, what? have him tell us no for the fifth time in the last two hours?”

his appendages seemed to part in protest before they jutted out once more. “w-well! for all we know a mission could have popped up on that computer of his right now! with angeal and them gone, they’re bound to ask us! i’m sure of it!” the second class SOLDIER insisted, clenching his fists in determination. “come on, y/n! it beats reading whatever propaganda you’re reading!”

it was partly true, shinra’s magazine went on and on about sephiroth’s feats if it wasn’t already in the daily paper or news. and one look at those puppy eyes had you crumbling. damn him for that effortlessly adorable face..

“fine, we’ll ask one last time.. but if he says no, you owe me a drink from the vending machine since i paid last time!” you huffed out, tossing your copy back on the the coffee table as you stood up with your hands on your hips.

as though sparkles had appeared in his eyes, zack hopped to his feet before engulfing you in a tight hug. “for real?? you’re the best, y/n!! i love you! i love you! i love you!!”

➫ 𝓖𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝓡𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗦 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ ah, the romantic and the one that does too much because everyone else ain’t doing enough ( his words ) — genesis. you can expect a very enigmatic brain scratching confession..

⌗ or in other words, the cheesiest kind of confession that involves poetry, some form of incorporation with loveless, and just some frivolous display of his affections for you in case you don’t pick up on the hints..

“y/n, my dear! won’t you hang back awhile? our work is done for today.. perhaps you’ll indulge me in a piece i worked on, hm?” the redhead spoke up, causing you to pause in your tracks as you blinked over at him.

a piece? “you mean.. poetry?” you inquired for certainty, surprised that he had the spare time to be writing something. “i’m not the best at deciphering metaphors and whatnot.. but i’d be willing to hear what you have.” you smiled, eager to see what he had been working on in his free time.

“not to worry!” he waved you off, pulling out a small notebook from his long coat. “even the foolish and emotionally unintelligent, like our beloved sephiroth could understand!” genesis laughed out, fearless of his friend — or in his eyes, rival — as usual.

you let out a nervous chuckle as you pulled up a chair to hear what he’d prepared, praying that your silver haired friend did not hear.. not that he would care, anyway. just genesis being genesis.. “well um, i’ll do my best to somewhat comprehend what you wrote.” you offered, anyway, placing your hands on your lap as a means of resting them.

the male dressed in crimson took it as a sign to commence, lifting his fist up to clear his throat before holding up his poem. “in a bed of asters, the tears of the goddess.. blossoms a favored one amidst a world or filth and endless disasters — a beauty that wears star formed petals for a bodice..and adorns droplet shaped blades of which its creator once wept.” genesis paused, trailing a finger down to the next line. “one day, a new flower would emerge — tall, scarlet, and proud.. tenderly well kept, and yet.. as sorrowed as a rain cloud.”

you almost wanted to question why, curiosity overtaking you despite the urge to giggle at a few.. choice of words he made. how couldn’t you when it was so reminiscent of the usual reciting he did of his most favorite work of literature.

compelled by your zealousness, you fed into your inquisitiveness. “why was it sorrowed?”

a soft chuckle tumbled past his lips at the awe in your voice as he closed the book with a low hum. “for it was loveless, without its starry accomplice.. that bloomed on a path far away enough to diverge.” he finished gently before sliding a hand to your cheek. “nevertheless, that is but fiction.. as our paths will remain entwined, and my heart shall not bleed with my beloved star around.”

➫ 𝓐𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝓗𝗘𝗪𝗟𝗘𝗬 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ ah, yes, the confession of his love.. yet another unspoken way of proclaiming his feelings for you, although i believe his method may just be a little more meaningful.. but just a little.

⌗ however, what would call for the confession exactly, and the realization of his feelings? personally, i believe it’d have either been something in the heat of the moment — in other words, you being in danger, or perhaps.. an inquiry, in regards to the buster sword glued to his back.

“earlier..” your began, eyeing your lover with a curious gaze. “that was the first i’d ever seen you draw the buster sword.. for the longest time, i convinced myself it was decorative, or something.. but there’s more to it, isn’t there?”

the rag in angeal’s hand came to a pause at the question, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. “i remember zack asking me that several times before and i still haven’t presented him with a proper answer.” he mused, eyes softening as he gazed upon his weapon. “growing up, my family was not one for riches. we had enough to get by, thankfully, but making money was hard work on my parents — specifically my father.”

a breeze passed through the few strands of hair that frames his face as he gazed upon the sky. “still, he had wanted to gift me something for passing the SOLDIER exam, and had this forged for me.” he smiled gently, closing his eyes. “it took him a very long time to recover financially for his debts in having this buster made, so long that it cost him his very life in the end..” the first class SOLDIER spoke up, allowing his eyes to lower back down to the blade in his hands. “and so, i do my best to avoid bringing any wear, tear or rust upon it.. as it represents not only my dreams and honor, but the efforts and sacrifice for its creation.” he finished steadily, finally meeting your stare. “but for you, i would draw it without a second thought.”

your boyfriend was already impressive to begin with- the most humble and noble person you had come to know.. but this? it had left you in complete awe to know how sentimental he truly was, despite his stoic demeanor. and for him to have used his beloved weapon to shield you from harm — what did that mean? that he.. held you in higher regard than it..?

“you.. you would do that for me?” your inquiry was stupid, as he had done it once already, earlier in fact.. but angeal nodded, regardless, the small smile on his lips expanding, even if it was just a pinch wider.

“if it guarantees your safety.. in a heartbeat.” he answered with little delay, a fondness in his mako tinted eyes — one that he only ever really showed to you.

notes. zack being the only one who actually says i love you verbatim.. meanwhile the others are cryptic and expect you to guess ( cloud.. genesis.. ) or say it without needing to say those three words.. crazy tbh

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