Touch Starved

Booping His Nose 『Xiao, Kaeya, Venti』

Wow look, I'm writing headcanons lmao. I might do more if they're wanted :D

⌾ Probably occurred after being with him for a while

⌾ Mans is always on high alert kinda like a guard dog lmao

⌾ Flinched back and glared before going back to whatever he was doing before you touched him

⌾ The type to appear to hate it but after a few times it's done gets immune to it but will never admit it

The small balcony atop Wangshu Inn was yours and Xiao's hangout whenever he wasn't busy with his duties, as he likes to call them. He usually starts his patrol before you show up and finishes after you fall asleep. However, this knowledge never stopped you from trying to wait for him. And yet you'd always wake up in your room after passing out on the upper balcony. Luckily, you didn't have to go that far, as Xiao appeared way earlier than expected.

"You must stop staying out here so late. I refuse to take care of you if you were to come down sick." That was an obvious lie. The only other person he fully trusted was Verr, and she was too busy to take care of you if you were to get sick. "Here," he muttered, holding out a bowl of Cream Stew as he settled down next to you with a plate of Almond Tofu. You informed him of your day, Xiao stopping you from time to time to eat before it gets cold.

The flinch he made caused you to flinch as well, the shock from his sudden jerk making your eyes widen. Your hand was still in the air, your hand sitting there limply from your wrist. His glared moved from it to your face, "Why'd you do that?" The smile you sent Xiao made him scoff but go back to looking at the sky. "Well? Aren't you going to continue your story about the ruin hunter?"

⌾ He's so MEAN ok

⌾ It's all laughs and smiles until he pinches your nose in retaliation

⌾ And won't let go until he either has to do something or feels as though you've had enough

⌾ So essentially a long time lmao

⌾ Then he'd just??? Pretend he didn't crush your nose???? Sir own up please

Angel's Share was less busy when Kaeya was off duty and hanging out with you. Of course, there were the ones who barely ever left, like Nimrod for example. Speaking of him, he was currently drunkenly chatting up a storm with Kaeya, you trying to keep up with the conversation but giving up and distracting yourself by swirling your drink.

Once it was clear that Nimrod was too drunk to even remember his thoughts Kaeya turned to you once again. Seeing a small chance, you lifted a finger that's coating in condensation from your glass. Looking him straight in the eyes, you pressed it against his nose. An amused smile formed quickly, "Oh? Is that what we're doing now? Alright."

Your nose was then pressed against Kaeya's index finger by his thumb, him squeezing occasionally while taking a sip of his beverage. It didn't help that his fingers were cold due to his vision. He reveled in your whines, grumbles, and pleads for him to let go, not even after your nose became red. "Now, now, calm down. I didn't do anything harmful to you."

⌾ The one to enjoy it the most, I'd say

⌾ Attention from his s/o? Sign him up!

⌾ Would definitely do it back to you no hesitation

⌾ And do it multiple times after that during the day

The time you did it was when you met with Venti in the morning at Windrise. He liked to play the lyre to you and you only under the tree as Crystalflies flutter around you. He was just so cute in his element. Plus, the big grin and crinkled eyes he bared after feeling the pressure on his nose was a sight to behold.

The first time he did it to you was right before he was about to play for the people of Mondstadt in front of his statue. You had a commission to do, so he decided to busy himself while you were away. He did it swiftly so he didn't hold you any longer, placing a kiss right where he touched, shooing you away with a heartfelt "Be safe, my lovely!"

In the evening, Diluc was unnerved at the quiet, soft bard who wasn't nagging for dandelion wine every two minutes. One glance to the right of Venti answered all of the questions the noble had. There you were, left hand clasped in Venti's right, your face being home for Venti's loving gaze. If Diluc blinked, he would've missed the fast passing of nose boops you each gave each other before going back to your respective drinks. "You're too cute, my lovely."

When you realize you have a crush on your assistant and you have to hide the fact that the heavens are literally opening up around her

Well look at that! I finally drew that adorable prompt @moonfang182-magic gave me when they commented on a WIP drawing for my digital comic!

If I were to give a general estimation as to when i think Maomao gained romantic feelings for Jinshi, it would have been at the end of LN4

Jinshi saves Maomao from her kidnapping, and she returns to working as the Verdigris House's Apothecary. With Jinshi's true status revealed, Maomao assumes she's never going to see him again

She thinks about this a lot, about how she's too low born for someone of his status to ever see her, and how he doesn't even need her help with his injury anyway, because Luoman is at the rear palace now. There's no logical reason for them to ever see each other again. And it itches at her

And so she starts her experiments again, harming herself. There doesn't seem to be a purpose for the concoctions she's making either, as if she's trying to treat something with no obvious cause. Something too deep for the failed medicines to reach

So she goes to cut off her finger. Specifically, her left pinky finger.

Again, there doesn't seem to be a purpose for this behavior at all- until you remember that her mother cut off the tip of her left pinky, out of anguish and rage at Lakan for abandoning her. Fengxian's love for Lakan is the reason her mother harmed her.

Maomao relates that particular finger of her's to romantic love, because of her parent's tragic love story and the trauma it caused her

Maomao knows how stupid love can make even the most intelligent of people, and has consciously and subconsciously avoided it, because she doesn't want to experience that same sort of attachment and hurt. She's heard her parent's story, heard stories of those seeking love at the Verdigris House, how courtesan's speak about love in hushed tones, and how it always ended in pain for everyone involved

But when she thinks she's never going to see Jinshi again, she goes to cut off her left pinky finger, as if on instinct. The finger she associates with romantic love. The same action Fengxian did, when she thought she'd been abandoned by Lakan.

Maomao is doing the exact same thing as her mother, for the exact same reasons.

It's only when Jinshi walks in through the door that Maomao unties her pinky and puts away the knife, and returns to her normal self.

It's one of those things where - I don't think even Maomao understands the reasons behind her actions here. Something was bothering her, something deep, and she went to the only solution she could think of to fix it- cutting off the piece of her that she associates with romantic love- but she stops feeling that subconscious itch as soon as Jinshi comes to see her. As soon as he's back in her life, things are right again, and she stops hurting herself

it's a moment i think about a lot, and it's one of my favorites in the series, because of what it represents for Maomao specifically. it says a lot about her character and how she feels about Jinshi, even if it takes years for those feelings to fully bloom

love letter; childe

you have received a letter from childe! will you read it or discard it?

word count: 576

please listen to “still with you” by jungkook while reading this! 

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 ????🤨🤨

Hearts, Unchanged: A HanaNene fanfic

HEYO HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY AND HAPPY HANANENE WEEK EVERYONE!

This is my 12th HanaNene fic, holy crap. I’m so grateful y’all haven’t gotten sick of me. (If you have, shh, let me be blissfully ignorant.)

I felt bad that I’d only have one contribution, so I wasn’t going to count this as being for HanaNene Week, but as it turned out, the theme was perfect for Day 1. So… here’s Confessions, I suppose? 

To the HanaNene Community: I love you! Thank you for everything! To my beautiful wives, @kittykatz009, @anubis-005, and @daikonsenpai: MWAH. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH I ADORE YOU I PLEDGE MY UNDYING LOVE AND FEALTY TO YOU. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY YOU GORGEOUS INDIVIDUALS. 💝💘💝 BABY ARE YOU TSUKASA BECAUSE YOU’VE STOLEN MY HEART RIGHT OUT OF MY CHEST. Special thanks to @geekylau for reading over this for me the day before yesterday, and also happy birthday to @macey-wacey!!

Title: Hearts, Unchanged Fandom: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun/Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Pairing: Hanako/Nene Rating: G Wordcount: 5,345 Summary:  “I spent so long on those!” she cut him off, and Hanako found that there was no more room for him to retreat, his back hitting the wall. “I poured everything into them, so you’d finally understand how I feel!” Her fist, small but no less intimidating, grabbed the front of his gakuran by the collar, holding him in place. “But you’re going to stand here and call my chocolates garbage?! Don’t you care about them at all?” 

He wasn’t sure what the best thing to respond with would have been, but his murmured “What chocolates?” definitely wasn’t it.

Nene delivers some very important chocolates. Hanako… does not receive those chocolates, somehow. Also available on: Ao3 Support me on: Patreon | Ko-fi

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Hearts, Unchanged

She’d never looked forward to Valentine’s Day before, but that was all going to change this year.

Nene hummed a tune she’d heard in a movie once as she stirred the mahogany mixture in the pan. It smelled delicious, which was only to be expected when you’d made chocolate as many times as Yashiro Nene had. Sure, maybe her feelings had never been accepted whenever she presented her honmei choco to boys in years past, but she felt quite certain that the boy these were meant for would accept them—the chocolates, and the feelings.

Over the past few months, Nene had sensed something different in her relationship with Hanako-san of the Toilet, the ghost who had become her closest friend. They were more in-tune with each other. They got along better. There was a kind of understanding between them even when neither of them was speaking.

Either that, or Nene was reading way too much into things. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Regardless, she had resolved to take the leap and confess her feelings for him at last. She had wasted too much time denying them and shoving them into the deepest parts of her heart. No matter how much she had tried to make them go away, they kept resurfacing, each time stronger than the last. Recent events had reminded her that time was not something she had an infinite supply of—even if her little lifespan problem had been fixed, Nene had already lost Hanako once in the Severance, and she wasn’t keen on ever experiencing that again.

If one or both of them disappeared, she’d make sure he knew how she felt first, dammit.

A bit of smoke arose from the chocolate she was stirring, and Nene gasped, realizing that the mix was beginning to burn while she had been spacing out. It still looked fine when she poured it into the little silicone heart-shaped molds, though, so it seemed she’d averted a crisis.

Yes, she thought triumphantly as she placed the chocolates in the freezer to solidify, if Hanako couldn’t see her feelings by now, she’d simply have to spell them out for him.

***

Nene’s heart pounded as she crept along the hallway after school. The old building was pretty much abandoned at this time of day, so there was only one person she was trying not to run into: the object of her affections, the Seventh Wonder himself. He was supposedly occupied this afternoon, so her excessive caution was probably unnecessary, but it never hurt to be careful.

In her hands she held a small box, white and tied up with pink ribbon. Her goal was to simply leave it in Hanako’s bathroom for him to find tomorrow morning—absolutely no one used that bathroom, so she had no fear of another student finding them, and the simple tag “From Nene” would let Hanako know just who had poured her heart into these sweets.

Despite her resolution to declare her feelings, she still felt rather shy about presenting the chocolates to him face-to-face, so she’d opted for this more roundabout method. The chocolates themselves, however, were impossible to misinterpret. There were only 6 of them, but they spelled out something rather important in the white chocolate drizzle atop them:

大 好き だ よ 花子 くん

I love you, Hanako-kun.

Her stomach did a clumsy little flip every time she thought about those words being so plainly written on her handmade gift, solid undeniable proof of her intentions to confess her love.

And speaking of solid…

“Oof!” She suddenly found herself colliding with someone, since she’d been too busy looking over her shoulder to face forward. Whipping her head around to see who she’d crashed into, her eyebrows flew up in surprise as she automatically hid the box behind her back. “Kou-kun?”

“Always nice running into you, senpai,” he joked with a wide smile. Nene grimaced, remembering the very first time she had run into him and ended up accidentally pushing him down the stairs thanks to Hanako’s terrible advice. Luckily, Kou didn’t seem to remember that terrible first impression. “What brings you here to the old building?” her friend asked, resting his staff, Raiteijou, against his shoulder. It was disguised as an umbrella currently, but Nene recognized it from the golden color of the long, thin handle. “If you’re looking for Hanako, I think he said earlier that he’d be at a meeting.”

“Yes, I know,” Nene blurted, and then shook her head. “I-I mean, that’s okay! I’m just here for… f-for… forrrrtune-telling…?” She winced and glanced up at Kou, certain that he’d find the nonsensical answer suspicious.

However, the young exorcist was notoriously gullible and innocent. “Fortune telling?” he echoed, tilting his head a little and making his earring fall onto his shoulder.

Nene felt a bit bad for taking advantage of her friend’s trusting nature, but she was on a mission here. “Yeah!” she said breezily. “I got a fortune that said if I walk the length of the hallway of the old building three times, I would have good luck on all my upcoming exams!” What exams?! They didn’t have exams until March!

“Huh,” said Kou, his eyebrows raised curiously. “That’s a strangely specific fortune.”

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He’s In denialllll

IT’S DAY 7 OF TSUKASA WEEK, FREE DAY!! I didn’t have a single bit of time to write today, sob. BUT! A while ago, I promised a compilation of some of Tsukasa’s best moments in the AmaNene Fake Dating RP I do with my friend (the RP where Ako originated), so here they are!! More beneath the cut!

CONTEXT: 1) Nene has just told Amane about a guy who rejected her very rudely. 2) and 3) Nene and Amane have been on a fake date and have accidentally gotten covered in food, so they go to the Yugi household to clean up. Amane has gone to wash up. Nene sees someone walk into the room, and asks if Amane is back already. It is not Amane. 4) Nene has asked Amane on another fake date, but since Tsukasa is also in the room, she feels obligated to ask Tsukasa if he wants to come, too. Tsukasa, sensing Nene’s desperation to be alone with Amane, says he has other plans. 5) Actually Amane sums it up pretty well. Just enjoy Tsukasa’s weird-ass texting. 6) Nene has come over to the Yugi household to study, but she and Amane get a little… distracted on the couch. Tsukasa is supposed to be upstairs in his and Amane’s room right now. It is storming outside. 7) and 8) Tsukasa wants Nene to stay overnight since the power is off and it’s raining too hard for her to go home. 9) Tsukasa has gone upstairs to take a bath, since he was soaking wet from trying to climb out the window earlier. 10) Ah, brotherly love.

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hananene?!