Too Much Angst? Okay Imagine Darling First Arriving In Teyvat And The Sheer Happiness They Experienced

Strangers (Chapter Two)

Strangers from Hell AU

Series Masterlist

pairing: ot7 x reader

genre: yandere, horror/thriller

warnings: murder, mature themes, obsessive/possessive behavior, emotional manipulation, stalking, violence (will update as needed)

word count: 5.5k words

quick note!! I had to make some edits in the last chapter bc I realized two plot points were missing so to summarize: yn has a boyfriend named Jihoon that also lives in the city and Nayeon is the friend that got her a job at the company! not major plot points (and they’re only briefly mentioned in the last chapter) but just wanted to put this out there in case you were confused reading this one :)

Today’s the big day. You thought you would be nervous but right now, all you feel is excitement. You finally get to wear the professional clothes you bought recently and you feel like a real adult in them. You opted to wear a gray pencil skirt today as it’s still pretty hot outside, paired with a blue button-up blouse. You slip on the heels and inwardly thank your mom for forcing you to wear them around the house the past few weeks in order to break them in. A quick once over in the mirror gives you all the confirmation you need to start your day.

You try to ignore your clicking heels echoing in the hallway as you fish through your bag for the granola bar you stuffed in there earlier. You don’t see Jimin standing there by his office door, which he takes advantage of as his eyes rake up and down your figure.

“Good morning, YN!” You jump as you look up and see him smiling at you, his abrupt greeting causing you to almost drop the breakfast you had finally dug out.

“Good morning, Jimin.” You bow politely, fully ready to move past him when he stops you again.

“Sorry if I scared you.” He laughs warmly, stepping closer to you. “I just wanted to say I heard that things got a little rowdy last night and I hope you weren’t too freaked out.”

“Oh, yes well-”

“It’s normally not like that at all. We’re usually very quiet and respectful here.”

“I understand. It can get like that sometimes with a lot of people living in the same place.” You try to inch towards where the stairs are when he subtly moves closer, blocking your path again.

“You’re so considerate!” Jimin coos, tapping your arm in a friendly manner. “Unlike that other girl, she’s a real trainwreck.”

Your eyes widen at his blatant gossipping, not expecting him to speak so negatively about one of his tenants. “You mean Soomi?”

“Yes, she runs with a pretty rough crowd so it explains how violent she is.” His words give you pause as you take in this new information, not sure whether to believe him or not. “But don’t worry, you won’t be seeing her around anymore. She packed up and left this morning.”

Keep reading

this is not a very peaceful way to spend christmas...

fluff, chaos, headcanons, scenarios, short fic, modern school au, host club trope a/n: alright folks it's december 1, queue the christmas themed fics!! honestly this isn't that christmas themed, but it was a perfect excuse to write something host club inspired ehehe pls dont flop ahahah i lost the light in my eyes while writing this !

"alright everybody, listen up!" you shout desperately, wanting to get the attention of your noisy class. albedo, who was beside you, had already covered his ears, preparing for the chaos that was about to happen.

"tartaglia, please be quiet." you rub the side of your face as you pointed at him.

"as if i'll allow myself to listen to a bunch of officers my age! you're not the boss of me o esteemed class presi—"

"could you at least show some decent respect?" diluc said, turning to face the back of the classroom where childe was seated.

"yeah! you entitled piece of shit!" venti shouted and pointed at childe.

"hey! no swearing!" you put your finger to your lips, "you're gonna get in trouble for that!"

"ehe..."

"could we all just listen to the officers? it's pathetic how we're high school students, but we have to be treated like grade schoolers by the more mature people of the class. grow up," lumine said (very coolly), not even having to move in her seat for everyone to keep quiet.

"thank you," you cleared your throat before turning to the board, writing '3-1 christmas fair ideas' in all caps.

"so," you took a deep and tired breath, "the student council is holding a christmas fair, and all classes are expected to come up with a creative fund raiser. the funds will go to partner communities in need as part of the school's christmas drive project. so uh, this period is allotted for confirming our class activity, planning, and assigning work for each class members. any questions?"

aether raised his hand.

"yes aether?"

"are each classes limited to only one activity? what if we do two activities for extra funds?" he suggested.

"hm, i think there aren't restrictions, but i could ask the council president right now while you guys list down ideas." you turn to albedo, handing the marker. he nodded in agreement to take over as you hop off the platform.

"you can all go crazy with suggesting; i'll go to the office while albedo lists down ideas."

you enter your classroom once again after successfully confirming that, unfortunately, jean said only one activity was allowed per class, since each classes across the school is also expected to each have unique activities.

"guys—" the class was absolute chaos.

"why do you even want to do a maid cafe? that's so cringe, venti!" diluc said. you turn to albedo for an explanation, but he could only look at you and defeatedly shrug.

"well, we could always do a cafe without maids; like a bar, but no alcohol," kaeya suggested.

"but bro, that's so uncreative!" childe commented; he's in his thinking position, trying to come up with something better.

"oho, can blockhead think of anything better?" kaeya retorted.

"hey!"

in the corner of the classroom, xiao and aether were having a peaceful conversation.

lumine on the other hand, was about to stir up more chaos. "listen! listen. a host club."

the class went silent.

"soooo," you make yourself known, "about the two activities, i was wrong; only one activity per class is allowed."

"albedo!" lumine pointed, "host club!"

albedo wrote it legibly on the board, along with the other suggestions made thus far.

"hm, i suppose that's a pretty good number of suggestions. any more to add?" you ask the class, to which most either ignored or shook their heads in answer.

"let's vote already then. the sooner we submit, the more chances what we want to do will get approved."

"everyone who votes host club, raise you hand," albedo said.

and of course, whether begrudgingly or not, almost everyone raised their hand.

it seems you're having a very hectic christmas this year.

it actually starts under the cut!

lumine + aether

- they work in pairs. do not separate.

- lumine looks absolutely stunning in a suit (aether does too but lumine hits different), and unknowingly became very popular

- their table is crowded!! they're slowly overtaking the fan favorite

- people are attracted to their dynamic and interactions since lumine plays as the older sibling, and it's hard not to find aether cute when lumine seemingly babies him

- if you order a lot, they'll perform a christmas duet for you!

- one of their costumes during the duration of the host club was matching christmas elves

- even though the two of them are really busy doing their own part of the task at hand, they do make sure to ask how you are every now and then

- they know that organizing the class event is an extremely difficult task, so they try their best to show their appreciation of your hard work every so often :D

diluc

- the bartender that, to his misfortune, accidentally turned into a host

- he was literally just supposed to make and provide drinks considering he has experience from his father and their business

- but it somehow turned into people looking forward to entering your little host club in order to see diluc make a drink for them

- "may i take your order? we have a special promo going on, apparently," diluc tries his best not to sigh, "if you order a drink and a snack, i'll give it to you with a wink."

- venti came up with it and through your convincing (that diluc could not resist at all), he tried it

- you were the first tester, and as soon as you saw his wink, you just had to make it a special promo

- worked very well, to say the least

- diluc sees you standing most of the time, either greeting guests or walking around to supervise, so he tries to remind you to take a break at least every hour

- would give you a drink and a free wink and smile just to make you sit down and eat

venti

- everyone thought he was just kidding when he said he wanted to be a host; basically no one took him seriously except you

- he's a very good host though, to everyone's surprise

- he's sort of the idol within the group of hosts; he sings a lot for the people at his table, and if requested, he'd even play an instrument for them!

- he'd also often ask guests he's particularly fond of to dance with him while the others clap (you, eula, and amber were victims of this)

- he kisses the guest's hand and takes a bow in front of them after dancing, especially when it seemed like they were shy while doing so, and that's why he's so popular with the crowd

- he once started a tumult by offering a toast for you

- "i offer a toast!" venti shouted, garnering the attention of the people not only on his table, but from the other tables as well. "a toast to our beloved class president who helped organize this event!" queue the shouts of applause and clinking of glass

- you were so embarrassed because it was so sudden and random, but now you get random messages of gratitude and "merry christmas, manager, haha!" every now and then, so you guess it's heart warming...

kazuha

- he's from a different class, but he is your close friend, so he checked on you and your activity

- he's the vice president of class 3-3, so during the early days of the school year, you bumped into each other when the two of you accidentally entered the wrong venue for the leadership meeting

- you've became close friends ever since, often updating each other about leadership activities and other things that class officers have to attend

- he was with you when venti declared the random toast, and he was just as confused as you when everyone started shouting your name

- he laughed when you turned red with embarrassment, and raised his own ordered drink when he finally understood what was going on

- tries to stop by as often as he can to check on your mental health,, because your whole batch knows: your class is the rowdiest and has a reputation for being the least well-behaved (a very sad reputation, i know 😔)

- he got you a gift on the last day of the christmas fair! it was also the last day of school before the christmas break, so he took the opportunity to do so

- "congrats on a successful christmas fair, [name]," he smiled, offering you the gift. "i hope you enjoy the holidays! though we might not see each other till next year, it would be nice if we stayed in touch through text."

albedo

- during the first day of the host club/christmas fair, you had a breakdown after being told that the student in charge of the design team got sick, delaying the setting up of the venue

- albedo helped you in maintaining the organization of the activity, and offered to lead the design team and recall the tasks you needed to do

- when you came back after checking on the hosts and helping them wear their costumes and props, you came back to a very organized and well-set venue

- he reminds you to relax and trust the process, and often asks you to share some of your burdens with him

- gets really jealous when you talk to another vice president that's not him *cough kazuha cough*

- the two of you probably spent the most time together during the christmas fair

- you go to other classes' activities together!! totally because of obligation and not because he wants to spend time with you, of course

- he offers to buy food for you when the class you're visiting set up a food stall

- the two of you are teased for being a couple because you two have intertwined hands/arms whenever you're outside checking out the activities throughout the school, but you quickly dismiss it while albedo just shrugs

- you once lost him in a crowd because he sort of just silently accepts when he gets pushed away, and though he tries to catch your attention when you're getting carried far away by the crowd, his voice gets drowned

- so the obvious solution is holding hands, duh!

xiao

- a waiter turned host because he became popular by accident

- usually bangs drinks heavier than usual when he's delivering to childe's table

- he doesn't like childe in the slightest, if it isn't obvious

- he does have his own table but a lot of people still ask for his pictures because he looks really nice in a waiter outfit, and very cute when he wears that christmas hat

- after everyone knew that you were the president/ organizer/ manager/ turning maid of the class, people started asking you to take pictures of them with xiao

- some who are too shy to ask even ask you to ask xiao for them

- when the crowd learned that you and xiao were actually close friends, they bothered you even more

- xiao would use his scary dog privileges to ask them kindly to leave you alone because you're busy with more important stuff

- you laugh and tell them it's fine and xiao's obviously joking but everyone took it very seriously

- he doesn't mind getting pictures but he'd rather be asked directly

- there was a day when you wore a christmas costume with the twins (yes it was also an elf) and he asked someone to take a picture of him with you this time

- ever since, you've been hearing rumors around that xiao has a crush on you, but was too scared to ask (and he was making neither confirmation nor repute)

- asked if you wanted to meet up some time during the christmas break during the last day of school

- "oh uh... your christmas gift, i'll just send it on christmas eve if you uh, don't mind."

childe

- your relationship with childe is very weird (it's his fault smh)

- he's usually kind, or at least treats you normally when the two of you spend time together alone

- but for some reason, whenever you're doing officer duty, he becomes more irritable? annoying? obnoxious? disagreeable? loathsome? okay i'll stop

- but he's genuinely a nice guy, maybe he just has some hatred for the student council and officers after being sent to the principal's office for unruly student behavior too much times

- he's really popular!! the host club was a really good time for everyone to see the tamer and friendlier side to childe

- they love it when he talks about how he takes care of his brother and all silently agree that he has malewife potential

- the time when you were dressed up as an elf, he invited you to go to his table, and since you had to supervise anyway, you agreed

- he introduced you as a host and tried to make you act as one too, and though you were embarrassed at first, some of the people present at the table actually thought you were really cute!

- during the last day of the christmas fair, he picked up his brother from the elementary department and though everyone was already home because of excitement for the holiday break, he found you at the venue, cleaning the room

- he says that you should go home, but you refused, saying you'll stay a while to make sure that everything's tidy before leaving; you might get in trouble as the class president if you leave the venue dirty

- despite him only stopping by to get something he forgot, he and teucer gladly helped you tidy up, and you ended up going home together

kaeya

- THE FAN FAVORITE

- his table is crowded with people, and you always find yourself having to visit his table every once in a while to clear it of flowers and gifts

- you've dedicated your locker to keep all of the things that don't fit in his, to make sure no gift or flower gets wasted

- you usually help him and diluc transport all the flowers and gifts to their van by the end of each day too

- you were called to the principal's office one time during the christmas fair because of a very 'dedicated' fan of kaeya

- someone apparently reported that you were stealing kaeya's gifts and flowers behind his back (since you would usually take them away discretely and kaeya didn't pay attention most of the time)

- the news of you going to the principal's office spread wide, especially since your class knew of your absence— gossiping and talking amongst students is a magical force of it's own

- so when kaeya heard you were at the office getting your name tarnished for something so stupid and so false, he immediately barged out of the classroom and left everyone without a word

- he explains to the principal that you were only helping him, and you did it with full permission from him, and finally, you were dismissed

- apologized profusely because of having you go through all that useless business that just added to you already busy schedule

- gifted you flowers the next day

- "here, for yesterday. hey! stop laughing! i promise that's not from my fans, diluc can testify!"

scaramouche

- from class 3-2 (there are only three classes, btw)

- their activity is theatrical performance, which he is very good at, though it might not look like it

- invited you to watch prior the fair, and gave you a free ticket, saying that "your poor ass might not attend just because you're cheap" which you refute; you're going regardless if he invited you— you're gonna watch your other friends too!

- his performance was absolutely amazing together with the other class members (he dances really well)

- he once visited your class wearing his traditional inazuma costume for the play and everyone who watched their class's performance were so amazed to see him there too

- so he got really pissed when you should've been touring him around, but was instead bombarded with people asking to take pictures

- he lost his smile and composure when someone asked to wear his hat

- once it was peaceful and you managed to drag him away from the crowd, you asked if you could wear his hat as a joke

- but to your surprise he actually let you wear it

- "i think i understand why you like this hat," you say. it does its job to protect you from the whether, but it's also pretty refreshing and not too enclosed for the head to feel hot

- "you better give me a free drink for this one." "and you say i'm cheap!"

eula + amber

- part of class 3-2 too; amber's a script writer and director while eula is a performer/dancer!

- eula's the president and amber is the vice president, so you meet each other and became friends through leadership activities

- you toured them around one time after seeing they came, saying they wanted to support your class too after seeing you attended theirs earlier

- when you reached venti's area, he inevitably took this opportunity to take the hand of the dancer eula

- "why don't you dance with me, o performer from class 3-2?" "hmph. i suppose it wouldn't hurt."

- they absolutely made a stunning performance; the crowd was cheering on them and they were dancing as if there was music

- eula grabbed a hold of you, and you happen to be holding amber, so the two of you just got kind of got dragged to perform with venti and eula

- the four of you just enjoyed dancing to the claps of the crowd, and though you shyly stumbled here and there, it was undeniably, a really fun experience

- amber unfortunately had to go because of a next show, and eula needed to be on stand by for the next show, so the fun unfortunately came to a stop

kokomi + sara

- they were part of the student council, so you knew them through there

- part of class 3-3! the two of them found you and kazuha in the wrong venue after jean worried the two of you might have not been informed of the venue change

- you got a chance to catch up with them when you visited their class!

- their class has the least chaotic activity,, they basically just set up a gift shop, but what makes them unique kokomi's usage of each class member perfectly

- she suggested that gorou becomes a sort of adviser on what to give a specific person, while mona uses her astrology knowledge to tell whether the recipient is a good match for them if ever they're getting the gift for a crush (they're scarily very accurate in giving advice and intel)

- sara on the other hand suggested for yoimiya to put her pyrotechnics into good use and make safe and campus friendly sparklers, party poppers, and mild fireworks to sell in their small shop

- you have to admit that you used your connection with kokomi and sara to get discounts on the party poppers that your class wanted to get

- they invited you to stay at their shop for a while to catch up after seeing the absolute chaos at your class

- since they also had a polaroid rental, you bought sparklers and asked to buy a picture with the two of them before parting ways!!

- do not underestimate the power of polaroid pictures in making others jealous. *coughs in harem*

thoma + ayaka

- class 3-2 too

- when you learned that thoma was in charge of both moving props on stage, helping actors wear their costume, and touching up makeup, you'd be lying if you said you didn't wish you had him in your class

- ayaka looks absolutely gorgeous in her costume, and thoma did her beauty justice with the way he applied makeup

- the three of you met up backstage when all of you were having a break

- after asking about props and costumes and their process of preparing for the play everyday, thoma asked if you wanted him to put makeup on you just for fun

- ayaka, of course, second the motion, and you could not refuse when the two of them looked so willing to fix you up

- it was relaxing to say the least, that amidst a stressful day, ayaka was there practically giving you a head massage while fixing your hair, and thoma was carefully applying makeup onto your face, with a gentle dab here and there

- "oh! you're doing a look similar to scaramouche's i see," ayaka comments, looking at you with wide eyes

- "yeah! i thought the eyeliner would look well on them," thoma says proudly, and he sure was correct!

- you left their class looking like you had just performed, and though your class was a little disappointed you got pampered by class 2, they were not going to deny that they did an absolutely good job at doing it

ganyu + keqing

- class 3-2, part of the student council, ONE OF THE POPULAR KIDS OML

- they were going on rounds to keep each activity in check, and happened to meet you directly when they checked your class

- ganyu says it's doing great, but the critic keqing was, she said she absolutely hated how crowded it was, no offense

- you agreed though, there was no day that the venue of your class wasn't jam-packed

- so to continue your conversation, you just accompanied them, taking a walk outside as part of your break

- it was quite overwhelming to be receiving a lot of greeting as you walked by casually, and you had to remind yourself that it was of course because you were walking with one of the two most popular kids in school

- after you expressed that this christmas fair was indeed very tiring, they treated you to some ice cream away from the part of the campus that was occupied by a lot of people

- they also showed you a secret empty room that was always air-conditioned, saying you're free to use it under the council's permission if ever you needed to take a break from being around so many people <3

bonus: class 2-1 and 2-2

- since you wanted to support the christmas fair, you also checked out the activities prepared by the other batches, one of which was from the batch below you

- you were surprised that two classes actually banded together to achieve a sort of singular event

- class 2-1 were a class of performers, but they had one member who wanted to do a restaurant so bad

- class 2-2 on the other hand felt as if their restaurant idea was too plain

- so together, they banded a musical restaurant!

- xinyan + barbara: main vocals

- chongyun: drummer

- yun jin: main dancer/face

- hu tao, xingqiu + yanfei: rappers/second vocals

- xiangling + razor: chefs

- noelle + sucrose: waitresses

- bennett + fischl: hosts/ main organizers

bonus: elementary

- since they were too young to come up with their own activities, the little ones were performing a dance show that others could attend and watch

- the officers were required to watch, while childe was watching for his brother, so you, albedo, and childe all go to show together

- qiqi: flower

- klee: sun

- diona: cloud

- teucer: lion

- sayu: tree

- it was fun seeing the absolute chaos they were wreaking on stage, but no one says anything about it because they're just too cute while doing it too

bonus! if u wanted reference and visualization of who was in who's class

Orders

Horrortober Day 30: Blackmail “Why are you doing this to me?”

First time writing for Scara, aaaaaah! It was kind of hard but also satisfying? He has this two-faced personality and I think that’s just so neat for the yandere trope! Still, go easy on me for writing for him for the first time, thanks >-<

Warnings: Yandere, Blackmailing, Implied Violence, Pulling the reader by the hair, Intimidation Characters: Scaramouche/ Kunikuzushi / Balladeer x Reader

On your desk were the proofs and receipts of your failure.

Before you, the mocking grin of a wretched soul.

You stood over your desk, leaning down at it tensely, your hands curled into fists. If not for the fact that you did not want to give the Fatui the satisfaction of having anything on you, you would have liked to sit back and despair for a while. It was but a stupid joke that Scaramouche wanted to pull on you, but unfortunately, this joke would ruin you if you weren’t careful.

With the Tenryou Commission already having made dodgy dealings with the Fatui, maybe it shouldn’t have surprised you that the same mistakes were made in your own ranks. Perhaps you had been too proud to see them happening, but with everything that was collected before you, it would be your head on the line. For as long as you could think, you had worked diligently and in the best interest of your orders. Much better than what you could say about your underlings who seemed to have striven for greatness in a very different way than you.

What was so wrong about being honorable? You wondered about it as you pushed through the documents and letters scattered on the table. Why was it so hard not to give in to the temptation of power through crooked means? All you wanted now was to be frustrated and angry. To bring these miserable blokes to justice who risked not only their fates but yours as well. You’ve put so much into your unit’s training, trying to teach them values and treated them with the deserved respect. Yet, they walked all over you in the end.

“What do you want?” you grumbled, gnawing on your lip. Putting all the evidence of misconduct into a neat pile, you wanted to raise them in the air and throw them at the Balladeer’s smug face. How dare he even showed himself in front of you again. You sent him to the moon once, and nothing had changed about your opinion of him since then. Yet, he came back as if he was a welcome guest to your office, a grin on his face as if he knew more than you.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he scoffed, jokingly rolling his eyes before grinning again. “I need you to come with me. You are needed somewhere far away from here.”

“I don’t do business with your stinking organization,” you retorted, hissing the words in the hope he’d finally get the message. Scaramouche had been bugging you with this before, asking you to leave with him in case things go and don’t go the way he was planning. Crazy, considering you didn’t know him at all.

“So, you’re going to stay and see how your unit, your lifelong work, all just goes down the gutter? I can respect your worth ethic, but don’t you think you’re a little cruel to yourself?”

Getting up from his chair, Scaramouche let out a long sigh before he leaned over the desk, bringing his face too close for comfort. But you’d not back away. You had been fighting scarier opponents than the ones that looked like they were merely ten years old, yet talked like they ruled over the land you were standing on.

“You know nothing about us! Maybe if you dirty Fatui didn’t spread rumors and your disgusting Delusions, no one would have considered being led on by you!”

Even though you spat the words into his face, Scaramouche wasn’t backing away from you either. It was grossly obvious he enjoyed the challenge you were giving him, and you wondered if his life was so dull that bothering you was his only joy. “Maybe,” he chuckled.

The sudden feeling of a strange touch enveloped your fists which helped you lean on the table. A glance down, and you saw two hands caressing your skin curiously, Scaramouche only leaning closer in the moment you were distracted. “You will never know about what could have been. There is only the future we can change.”

Ripping your hands away from him, you finally recoiled. Even though you wanted to be strong and steady, not at the cost of having to be touched by someone who disgusted you so much. There were no words to describe the feeling of hatred you had for this man, who seemed to have singled you out. You barely believed your eyes when you saw him standing in your doorway, your last information having been that he left with the Fatui after their plot was uncovered.

Though you were wringing your hands to get the feeling of his fingertips off of you, it was no use. His touch was sticking to you like tree sap, repulsive, but the feeling always remained. “There is no ‘we’ in this. My future, my decisions.”

Before he could say anything more, you grabbed the papers, carrying them to the fireplace and feeding the hungry flames that awaited them. You’d have to deal with these problems, but not with the seemingly fake pieces of evidence and documents. One soldier at a time would get their deserved punishment, but you didn’t need the help of a Fatui Harbinger to do that. Clapping your hands and turning back to him, you sneered at Scaramouche from above, asking, “Anything else?”

He only continued to smile calmly, pulling another paper from his pocket and another. “How many copies do you think I have? Did you really think I’d give you the original documents? For how stupid do you take me?”

Your face dropped as you watched him produce copies left and right, almost enough to send them to every important person in Inazuma. “It’s not worth staying here, right? If anyone finds these, they will think you couldn’t stand the guilt anymore and abandoned your post. Don’t worry, we’ll be long gone by then,” he taunted you, and you tried to hide your discomposure behind anger.

“Why are you doing this to me?!” you yelled at him, losing it as he wouldn’t stop his mockery. But Scaramouche’s grin only widened in joy as he saw you lose all your cool, exactly what he wanted. He wanted to see this suffering side of you, the desperation and anger. It must have been all that’s on his mind since he came well-prepared to this meeting, one that would - if it came out you were meeting with a Fatui - already get you fired from this position you worked so hard for and had been so proud of for many years.

Finally, he stopped producing papers. No more evidence were left in his little scheme to get what he wanted, but it was enough to get you all executed. His focus was back at you wholly as he approached. Hands outstretched, he searched for yours that you folded in towards your chest, unwilling to hand them over. But you didn’t have to. Scaramouche took what he wanted regardless of how you felt about it.

“I’ve been doing all this for you, don’t you understand it? Now you’re free, and we can start over! So come with me, stop pretending it’s not what you want!”

Unable to understand what he meant, you shook your head in confusion, but Scaramouche’s grip only tightened, squeezing your hands so hard they began pumping blood through them. Free? Free of what? And what were you pretending in his opinion? The enthusiasm he had previously displayed as he threw those fake truths at you disappeared as you remained unwilling to join his joy. His expression turned into a dreadful scowl, and he gave your hands a firm tug, making you almost lose your balance as you didn’t expect it.

“Why do you keep pretending you don’t want to be with me? Are you sick? Broken? Do you need fixing? Why would you keep trying to stay here when you can be with me? You’re so annoying! Make up your mind!”

A tirade of words was screamed at your face as you desperately tried to keep up. Scaramouche was pulling you forward towards the door, more and more against your will, all while you didn’t know what any of his actions meant. You were lost, but you couldn’t help thinking that he seemed to be as well. “Stop it!” you barked back at him loudly, and only for a moment you managed to catch him off-guard, his expression showing the surprise about the loud order you made.

And suddenly, everything seemed to get worse.

“Stop?” he mumbled, narrowing his eyes dangerously. “I haven’t even started yet, you unthankful pest.”

You were thrown to the floor with unknown strength, though you quickly regained your clear thinking after the initial shock. Looking up at him, for the first time he seemed tall and scary to you as if he was going to stomp you into the ground any second now. “All I’ve been doing was for you to love me,” he revealed, and you grew more restless by the second. Who was he? You two never interacted more than once before this. Why did he think it was okay to treat you this way?

“So now, you have to love me, no matter what. You’ll come with me, even if it’s the last thing you do.”

Reaching for you, you hid your face as his hands closed in, fingers curling into your hair instead. Screams of pain erupted from your throat he pulled you after him with ease. There was no one around who could have saved you, you realized as you opened your eyes mid-scream, seeing all the bodies of your unit slumped against the walls and floor of your office building.

“See what I did for you? I prepared all these presents, you ungrateful wretch! Just for you! Be thankful and love me!”

“Stop it!” you bellowed at the top of your lunges, trying to claw at his hand buried in your hair, wanting him to let go. You had to do something! Those were still your soldiers! They relied on your help! No matter what they did wrong, they didn’t deserve to be treated this way, disrespectfully and horrifying!

“You’ll learn it soon enough,” Scaramouche laughed, though his voice carried bitterness in it now.

“I give the orders here.”

Hello!

For the event, I'd like a chocolate milk with bitter golden envy flavor and bitter syrup. I'd like to send Diluc, "I want you to know that I'm never leaving."

From sexy thief reader.

(i would also like to say that i looked at the bitter golden envy and bitter syrup and thought, "this is gonna be a pretty bitter chocolate milk.")

An order for the 900+ Follower event(closed)

Coming right up!

You want a chocolate milk (headcanons) with bitter golden envy flavor (villain au) and an added bitter syrup (consort tag). You'd like to send Diluc "I want you to know that I'm never leaving." From sexy thief reader. Got it!

*~Notes: bitter chocolate milk does not sound pleasant but hey what's wrong with trying new things >:)))

Would recommend reading this before continuing as it will provide some context though it is not required.

*~Warnings: Fighting (no blood mentioned), villain au, cult behaviors

Diluc held onto your hair tightly, flipping his sword in his hand to slice you in half. With no hesitation you cut at your hair, chopping some of it off and nicking his fingers.

He hissed in pain, faltering for a split moment which was enough for you to slip away in a blue flicker, reappearing behind him and bashing his head with the hilt of your daggers.

You froze as the red-head dropped to the ground.

"Shit." You hissed.

Gingerly, you poked the unconscious form of the Darknight Hero. He didn't budge, but he was still breathing. Just in case he was attempting to fake you out.

Keeping him in your peripheral, you scanned the surrounding area. You frowned, "Goddamnit, of course you had to follow me all the way out here..." You tapped your foot, contemplating the right course of action, "It'd take a while for someone to find you... ugh-"

A mitachurl approached, sensing your distress. Its eyes flickered between you and the unconscious Diluc.

You smiled sheepishly, "Could you help me... uh... drag him back to my little camp?"

The mitachurl followed your orders, picking Diluc up as you led them to your temporary camp in the depths of Brightcrown Canyon.

You nodded your thanks to the mitachurl as they set the man down on your bed made of spare cloth. As the mitachurl left you stared down at the red-head now on your "bed", unconscious.

With a heavy sigh, you plopped down next to him to check for any serious damage and contemplated your next course of action.

You could keep him here, wait until he wakes up, and possibly demand compensation from him. Or be nice and inform him of what happened, though that sounded much harder.

Or, you could leave. Let him wake up in a safe(ish) environment, let him go back to Mondstadt and tell everyone how you didn't kill him when you had the opportunity to.

Though, really, where would that get you? Those idiots are too far gone in their made-up fantasy to believe any scrap of truth you presented to them.

You sighed and zoned back in on checking up on Diluc after realizing you hadn't been paying much attention to the task.

Your breath caught in your throat as his bright red eyes were now open and staring directly at you.

Fuck-

You unsheathed your weapon and pointed it directly at him though he barely flinched.

"You could've killed me back there," His voice held a strong front, but it was quiet. As though he didn't want to break the air of tension between him and your blade, "Wh..." He frowned, furrowing his eyebrows, "Why didn't you?"

You blinked and snarled down at him, "Know your place, I'm the one with a knife to your throat-"

"And will you have the guts to kill me this time? Or was it not guts, but care? Did you care?" His eyes portrayed no fear, merely a hunger.

You couldn't answer him, your hands twitched but not in bloodthirst.

You grit your teeth together, "You're ungrateful," You snarled, "All of you, are so ungrateful."

He said nothing as your blade hovered over his neck, his eyes dug into your soul, breaking you down into bits and crumbs. He undid you as tears threatened your eyes because both he and you knew you wouldn't plunge it into his throat.

You huffed, forcing the tears back in favor of hot anger overwhelming your chest, "The past two years were a complete waste," You threw the weapon aside, standing up with your nails digging into the palms of your hands, "And for what. Some stupid god that you've never even seen."

Diluc was silent for a moment, sitting up in the pathetic excuse for a bed, " I believe I have met them." You whipped around and came face-to-face with the red-head. His fiery orbs stared into your own with so many emotions that the rest of his face didn't reflect on, "Your grace."

You pushed your hand against his forehead, pushing him away from you, "Don't call me that. Never compare me to the god you tried to kill me for. No matter what the truth may be, I don't want your titles."

"Then..." His eyebrows furrowed, his carefully crafted defense cracking, "Do you want me to call you by name?"

You narrowed your eyes at the man, before sighing, "Not like there's any records of me here, and there's nothing else I want you to call me so..." You held your gloved hand out, your characteristically smug smile adorning your face. In your eyes there was a subtle glint of companionship, "The name's Y/n. It was nice to beat you, Diluc." You chuckled.

He blinked down at your hand, looked up to your eyes, and something within his calm red orbs shifted. They turned wild, passionate. The vision attached to him glowed the same color as he shook your hand and you unknowingly made Diluc your closest acolyte.

You didn't know... Diluc knew you didn't know but that didn't stop his heart from racing. Knowing the divine one's name... it was a greater honor that most of the archons didn't even possess.

With that he swore to protect you at all costs. His Darknight duties transferred from the treasonous Mondstadt to you. He'd find you in the middle of the night with a single call of your name.

No matter where in the wide lands of Teyvat you may be, when he said your name loud and true you heard it clearer than the whispers of prayers in your ears. (Prayers you had no interest in hearing.) You knew where he was immediately and could teleport to his location with no difficulty

The first time it had happened, it was on Stormbearer Mountains. You were shocked at the instant notice and how easy it was to teleport. You had assumed he was dying or something and needed your help...

but no.

He was just sitting on the edge of the cliff, his legs dangling down and his back facing you. It'd be easy to take his life, he was practically asking you to, but you didn't. Just like last time you clung onto your scraps of humanity and all the same throwing it away.

You sat by Diluc, the wind rustling your large hat and his bright red hair.

He could tell the whole world who you really were. A word from him, the ever serious ex-knight, would be enough for someone to investigate. But could you really kill him? Get rid of the threat? He could make you a god, the one thing you truly hated in this world full of love.

In the end, nightly meetings, and eventually meetings during the day as well, occurred often. The two of you growing closer and closer, him settling into the consort role you hadn't fully recognized. Still, he took care of you like one anyways.

Food, baths, a bed to sleep in until morning, a warm body to keep the cold away anytime and anywhere.

You could play the role of human imposter and he a heretic until the charade was blown to pieces.

Until then, and even after you're forced to face reality, he'll stay by your side. Happy to be your consort as long as you will have him, as long as he will breathe.

The Worshiper Series

Long ago, there were gods who resided in Heaven — existing to watch over and protect the universe. Each of them had their own flaws, trials and tribulations; some which were more sparing than others, but these are their stories…

► Important Note: each of these can be read independently on their own, but for best understanding and comprehension, read in the order below from top to bottom.

Goddess of Light and Life!OC x God of Moon!Yoongi

► 9.4k | 90% Angst, 10% Fluff

► The universe was created with four gods to rule and watch over it. But when you take the crown and become the god of all gods, what the future holds is something you never wanted to know.

➜ Read Here

Human!OC x Human!Hoseok

► 19.5k | 85% Angst, 15% Fluff | War!AU

► The Great War was started by one mortal. One man that was not blinded by prayer and devotion. A peasant who knew that the gods were cruel. And through his suffering, he had one ambition — to kill a god.

➜ Read Here

Goddess of Sky!OC x Sacrifice!Taehyung

► 35k | 80% Fluff, 20% Angst

► He wonders why the sky doesn’t cry for him. After all, he is a sacrifice to a god whose name he never heard of. A sacrifice to a god that everyone had forgotten about. A god who controls weather through emotions.

➜ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

??!OC x God of Wine!Jimin

► 9.5k | 55% Angst, 40% Fluff, 5% Smut

► The God of Wine is carefree and indulgent. Unlike many others who depend on pride and dignity, he does not care that he is not a powerful god. But when he stumbles upon a forest in the mortal realm, he discovers what desperation and anguish means.

➜ Read Here

Ghost!OC x King of the Underworld!Namjoon

► 5.4k | 95% Angst, 4% Fluff, 1% Smut

► The King of the Underworld was denounced and exiled from Heaven as a god. But with your help, he may rise to power once more and claim his rightful throne.

➜ Read Here

Pirate!OC x God of Sea!Jungkook

► 16.3k | 98% Fluff, 2% Angst

► You are the greatest pirate to set sail across the ocean and self-proclaimed ruler of the ocean. But when the true God of the Sea catches wind of your hubris, he punishes you — taking your legs and turning it into a tail.

➜ Read Here

Goddess of Love!OC x God of Sun!Seokjin

► 15.5k | 70% Fluff, 20% Angst, 10% Smut

► After the war, the God of Sun married the Goddess of Love to exemplify that such devastation will never occur again. But you knew his affections were untrue and fled. After a century, Seokjin goes looking for you to bring you back home.

➜ Read Here

Additional Information: Worshiper Series fun facts can be found here.

— in the spring

su-ho x gn!reader

genre: lovers to enemies to… lovers

warnings: swearing, fighting, insulting, that's all i think!

synopsis: you think suho is a stuck up prick who thinks he’s better than everyone else, and never miss an opportunity to tell him so.

author’s note: aouad break i need some suho! also tumblr had the audacity to delete half of what i'd written so i had to... rewrite it... anyways here u go!

“Move.”

Suho’s voice, unmistakably so. You heaved a deep sigh and turned around to face him. He stared at you coldly, but you didn’t budge. Your crossed your arms and leaned on the edge of the doorway to the classroom.

“Do you know how to be polite? You son of a bitch.” you asked calmly, in contrast to your choice of words. He took a deep breath but didn’t respond.

“I asked you to move.”

“You call that asking?”

He walked past you, making sure to shove your shoulder as he did. You scoffed but bit your lip to hold back any words that you felt the urge to spit in his irritating face. You turned around. “Lee Suho.”

He paused and turned around. You flipped him off with a smile, before walking out. Whispers spread around the classroom, before instantly silencing the moment Suho turned back around. People were glad you and Suho weren’t in the same class— It was enough with him and Seojun already. The boy heaved a sigh and walked to his seat, sitting down and sorting out his things calmly.

You walked through the corridor of the school and people made way for you. There always had to be three, right? The three most attractive people in the school. Lee Suho. Han Seojun. And, well, you. It wasn’t self-proclaimed. People had just seemingly silently agreed that it was true between themselves. And of course, the three of you had to have some sort of grudge towards each other.

Rumors always spread in high-schools, but even more so when they concerned the most popular students around. There was a ranking, too. They were organized, in their odd way— You had to give them that. From what you knew, there was a top three of rumors on why you and Suho hated each other.

1. You were jealous of each other. (Ridiculous. Suhon would never hate someone over something as trivial as popularity. He didn’t care whatsoever. Did these people know nothing about him at all?”)

2. Your friendship with Seojun had to do with it. (That also was completely untrue. You knew about the reason why Seojun treated Suho this way, but didn’t even agree with him on the matter. Therefore, that rumor was false as well.)

3. You and Suho used to date. (…)

Well. To anyone concerned, you disliked Suho because he was an annoying, stuck-up prick. That was it.

Suho disliked you because— He didn’t owe anyone an explanation, did he? He scoffed to himself at the thought of it.

Break time came around and you stretched in satisfaction. One of your friends pushed your chair as they walked out of the classroom, making you laugh and thrown a punch in their arm. You packed up your stuff and left the classroom.

You came to an abrupt stop at the sight of someone very clearly standing in your way. Suho. You were the only one in the classroom, now, and he had no business being here. Which could mean he wanted to talk to you for some reason.

“What?” you asked, looking at him. He had his usual cold expression with a slight glare.

“Apologize.” he said, “For flipping me off in the classroom.”

“And why should I?” you scoffed, before crossing your arms and leaning against the doorway, “Would you rather I do it here where no one can see so your precious little ego isn’t hurt?”

He sighed.

“Why don’t you apologize first, then? For not telling me shit when we broke—”

“Quiet down.” he cut you off. You scoffed and walked past him.

“Whatever. Later, smartass.”

“Hey, smartass. Not everyone understands maths like you do.” you sighed, propping the side of your face in the palm of your hand with a slight pout, “None of this makes sense to me, and I hate when things don’t make sense. I’m pissed off, now.”

“You look…” Suho trailed off, and his expression seemed to have lagged between his usual stone-face and a slight smile. He settled on pursing his lips and chewing on the bottom one instead. “… Pretty cute, for someone who’s pissed off.”

You laughed and let your head fall onto the table to hide your grin. “Stop it. You sound stupid when you try to be romantic.”

“I’m not… trying, though.”

“I guess you just sound dumb in general?” you teased lightheartedly. You looked up and realized his cheeks were tinted pink. You smiled and tilted your head, whereas he turned away to look at whatever was so interesting on the floor before muttering something nearly incomprehensible about continuing your homework.

“[name]. Wait.”

You stopped in your tracks and instantly regretted it. No matter how much you tried, you couldn’t help but still listen to him when he spoke. So you turned around to look at him.

“Let’s talk.”

You crossed your arms. “About?”

He started walking towards you at a slightly alarming speed before grabbing your arm and pulling you along as he walked through the hallways of the school. “Us.”

You could’ve shook his hand off, punched him, insulted him, anything really. But you didn’t say a word, letting him guide you to wherever it was he wanted to go. And this place ended up being a small garden hidden next to a tiny park barely anyone ever went to. The flowers there looked pretty, and even prettier when you thought about the fact that you and Suho were the ones to grow them. Now there was color everywhere, with the sun shining on the flower petals and the breeze passing by.

The garden where you’d first gotten together, in the spring around two years before. You hadn’t even step foot there since your breakup, one spring ago.

Suho stood in front of you, but averted his gaze. You took a deep breath.

“Speak.” you said, voice noticeably calmer than the one you used whenever you two would interact at school. “You wanted to talk. So go ahead. Speak.”

He looked at you.

“I apologize.” he said, and your throat tightened. There was a slight feeling of dizziness spinning in your head and you tried to focus. Suho swallowed thickly before exhaling. “I’m sorry I left you that day.”

That day.

“Suho, it’s fine to— to want to break up with me, okay? But can you at least tell me why? …Suho. Hey, Lee Suho! I’m out of your fucking apartment can you answer me already? Is it so hard to explain it to me?! Did I do anything wrong? Suho, seriously. Please. Just tell me. Lee Suho!”

It felt pathetic to even think about. But alas.

“I wanted to end things between us because at that time, so many things were complicated and I had no idea how I was feeling.” he said calmly, quietly. “I felt unwell, and I didn’t know my feelings towards anyone. It was to the point where I couldn’t tell if I liked or disliked you. So I thought it would be best to end things there.”

You looked away. You, quite frankly, wondered if Suho had any fear at all in this moment. Because what he told you could’ve very well earned him a punch in the face for the time it took him to explain. You were mad, because you’d spent all those nights since months ago thinking about whether or not you’d done something wrong. Thinking about whether or not there was a reason you’d missed. All those times, you blamed yourself, you cried about it like a kid, and then acted like you hated him at school. You were angry. And perhaps even angrier now that he had finally told you the reason. But you’d also been waiting for him to do that for ages. So the anger wasn’t as present as you thought it would be. Rather, you felt a bit calmer.

“Then how are you feeling, now?” you asked quietly, looking back up at him. He didn’t even blink or hesitate when he replied.

“I love you.”

You scoffed and brought a hand to your face, running it over the expense of your embarrassed features and stopping at the bottom half of it. There was blood rising to your cheeks and it felt too hot. “You fucking idiot, I meant how you feel in general— Fuck.”

He smiled a little at your state.

“Do I really need to say it?”

“It would make me happy.”

“… I love you too, obviously. I’m sure you realized I was just putting up a front when we talked at school.” you said, uncovering your mouth to take a deep breathe. Then you looked at him and he was smiling. You couldn’t help but grin. “Stop it. I know you’re making fun of me.”

“I’m not.”

You sat down on the bench with an exhale, and leaned back against it. Suho sat down besides you like he used to, and before any of you could notice, your hands were intertwined.

“We should take it slow, now.” you said, before staggering slightly, “I mean, if you even want things to… You get it.”

“Of course. Either way I wouldn’t have told you I love you.”

“O-kay, I got it the first time no need to repeat it.” you sighed and scoffed, turning away to hide the heating up of your face. You knew he was smiling because whenever he felt confident enough to tease you, your reaction was always his favorite part. His hand tightened around yours and it felt nice.

Things had changed, perhaps like the flowers around you two had. One spring passed, and you were back again.

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG who proposed to you under the eiffel tower. it was a weekend full of romance and love, so many activities and promises filling your schedule that it didn't seem strange at all when he took you to the eiffel tower in the middle of the night; but when he knelt down and held your hand, you swore that the whole world had disappeared and that only you and Taehyung existed — he made everything disappear, except your love. “i want these days to repeat themselves until the end of our days. will you marry me?”

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG who writes in your wedding shoes and you in his. it was a small idea he had the night before the wedding: like a good luck charm, Taehyung suggested exchanging signatures on your shoes, as if showing everyone that you, even before getting married, had already shared a long journey of life together. “it’s like a symbol of good luck. to show that we will always walk side by side and be there for each other no matter what.”

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG who takes photos of both of you in shop windows. it was a custom that Taehyung created when you were still dating: it was a simple, banal, even sweet way of marking not only your date but also your clothes; huge photographs of you as a blurred couple became special to both of you, as if announcing to everyone that not only were you together, but you were also constantly going out — the flame of your relationship never went out, not even when you got married. “i can count how many times we went out to share our love and how many times i loved you in public. there is nothing more beautiful than that.”

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG that takes you to see romantic plays and recitals. weekend nights became more exciting when Taehyung showed up with two tickets to the new play that was showing at the city theater; they were hours of pure love, faked between rehearsed lines and precise movements, but, nevertheless, beautiful and credible — so credible that Taehyung could only compare your relationship to theirs. “i have tickets for a new ballet recital. it's about two lovers who are destined to be together, just like us. let's go?”

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG who offers you a locket with your wedding date inside. the golden thread glittered in the sun, enchanting the world with the love that Taehyung felt for you; inside it, a small white fabric was stained with a very strong blue paint: a part of the shirt that Taehyung wore to the wedding and the pen that you two used to sign the reality of a dream. “so that the happiest day of our lives can provide a little strength and happiness on heavier days.”

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG who always shows you a rainbow because he believes that it is the gods celebrating your love. Taehyung believed that the happy colors of the rainbow were a reflection of your history: seven stages that led you to the present, seven encounters that fueled you during your dating times, seven promises that were the basis of your relationship — it seemed like number seven was your number and all the colors were the joys you brought to each other. “it’s us once again. look how the red and purple shine. it just makes me love you even more.”

HUSBAND!TAEHYUNG who swears that your love transcends physical death. even in your wedding vows Taehyung stated that there was no end to your love: physical death was just the end of a new stage for you; you and Taehyung would constantly meet again, not giving any value to the physical body when your souls spoke louder and he knew that nothing could separate you — not even death. “like a circle, our love is continuous without any gaps. in this and all realities.”

Hi, I really love your works, they make me so soft(and cry). I really did get a brain wyrm with your last work, the council of gods, and I hope you don't mind me sharing. Just, you know how in imposter aus, there will be at least 1 or 2 characters that will be on readers side? How about for Imp, that's Kazuha (who has never felt comfortable with the imposter!God, the wind so cold and quiet around them) and Tomo(who is still alive because Imp might or might not have accidentally done something through teyvat). Just, these two having Imp's back whenever possible. (And maybe when Mari asks if anyone wants to phone home, everyone gets a shock seeing an alive Tomo.) ty for reading this blurb, I hope you have a good day!

Shameless plug for @fuwon but if you want more imposter au + kazoo and tomo read their story (here) pls it's amazingly yummy and deserves the world.

unsure if i can count this as a part two but who cares lol. This isn't edited and it was highkey rushed but alsdfkjsd;flkasdjfsdl writing is hard <3 (o h, that's why it took so long, it's almost as long as the first part-)

A Council of Gods: Part Two

warnings: Cult behaviors, fluff :>

"Oh, hey Mari? Can I- like - tell my acolytes where I am?" Emi scratched their head with an embarrassed grin, "They're probably freaking out right now."

The four gods, and the puppet, were in a lounging area. The puppet and Imp were playing miscellaneous games by the fire, Mari was sprawled across the rocking chair, Arte was reading a book they'd found about the Fatui.

Mari nodded with a soft smile, "Of course, Arte, would you like to do the same?"

"Huh? Oh," Arte startled from their book, "Yeah I need to." They smiled, "I'm sure they're ready to tear the archons apart."

Imp looked up from their game with the puppet, "Uh..." They fumbled with their new clothes, "Can I... call someone from my world?"

All eyes turned to them and Imp's breath caught in their throat.

Mari noticed how they froze and softened their gaze and tone, "You have someone from your world you'd like to talk to?"

Imp paused but nodded, "Mhm." They hummed.

Mari sighed, "As long as they don't hurt you, then of course you can." They said with a motherly smile.

Arte shut their book with a snap, "If they hurt you I'll hurt them ten times worse." They spat with a strained grin.

Emi giggled and pat Imp's head softly, "They won't even be able to touch you with us around."

Imp frowned, "Well, I like them, and they helped me run away from the fake god and the archons." A faraway look overcame their eyes and a frown tugged down at their lips, "They were ready to do anything for me."

"Well, I can bring your acolytes here now if you wish." Mari stood with a smile, "I'd prefer for you to not go back to your world to meet them. Acolytes can be overbearing, especially after you've been reincarnated." Mari chuckled, "If you went back home I doubt they'd let you come back."

"I'm fine with that." Emi beamed and Arte agreed.

"Now," Mari clapped and four of their realm dispatches appeared in their hands, "Who would you like to send these to?"

Emi had a hard time choosing, though eventually settled on Diluc (they wanted to choose Zhongli but Imp was barely able to stop shaking with one Zhongli around). Arte didn't struggle at all, immediately asking if they could see the Tsaritsa (their cheeks were dusted with a faint pink when they thought about her. It was hilariously cute). And Imp, surprisingly, didn't struggle either. They asked for Kazuha.

Mari nodded with a bright golden smile and the dispatches disappeared, "They should be here soon, they'll appear in the throne room so let's go there to wait for them."

The three others agreed, the puppet followed, casually holding Imp's hand as they walked through the halls. Imp got easily afraid of the acolytes walking around, but holding the puppet's hand made them feel grounded and the puppet never minded.

The five of them waited excitedly for their acolytes to arrive, Imp in particular was silently vibrating in anticipation. They were no longer able to focus on anything but tightly holding the puppet's hands and quietly flicking their eyes to the spot where they had first arrived.

A small white-ish blue light flickered in the spot and two guys appeared. A slightly taller blond holding onto the other's shoulder, who was holding the dispatch in his (unbandaged?) hand.

"Kazuha! Tomo!" Imp shouted, scrambling up and flinging themself onto them, "I missed you two! I'm glad you're both okay."

"Ah! Your grace!" Tomo shouted, "You're okay?"

Tears pricked Kazuha's eyes and Tomo's looked near watery.

"We were so worried about you!" Kazuha sniffled, "We thought- we thought the crow had gotten you."

Imp shook their head with a wide grin, "No, they didn't get me." They turned to the other three gods and the puppet, "Mari," They gestured to them, "Brought me here. They are a god of a different Teyvat, the one we're in right now..." Imp faltered as they looked between the three other gods, "Why do you guys look so..." Imp trailed off, nervousness gripping their veins. Even the puppet looked shocked.

"Tomo's..." Emi approached, staring at him. Their gaze flicked over to Imp, "How is he..."

"Oh!" Imp shouted, panicked, "I- uh- I don't know how I just kinda... accidentally, uhm... interrupted his duel... with the shogun..."

"You what?" Emi and the Puppet shouted, their eyes wide and mouths agape.

Imp flinched back and Kazuha steadied them, "I arrived to Teyvat at the starting area but I had my map and I wanted to go to Inazuma 'cause it had just come out and- and I saw Tomo about to get executed so I- I just- I didn't think and just ran forwards and the Shogun immediately stopped when she saw me!" Imp's hands were shaking, all of the words had tumbled out without any thought or breaks from their panic.

"Your grace," Tomo grabbed their face with his hands and squeezed lightly, "Calm down."

When he tugged on their cheeks they couldn't help but smile, "There ya go," Tomo grinned, "You're alright your grace. I've always told you that you'll be alright."

"I never thought that..." Mari hummed, standing from their throne, "I'm surprised Tomo is alive. It's nice to formally meet you both Tomo and Kazuha. I am grateful to the both of you for treating my friend here so."

Tomo and Kazuha could feel their godly presence. It wasn’t the same as their god, who had touched them with their Divine Gaze, but this world cherished the being in front of them. That much they could tell, so the two bowed.

“We are merely doing what loyal acolytes should.” Kazuha said, rising from his bowing, “The others in our world are fools for following the first sign of godhood, and they hold too tightly to the fake god.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Mari nodded, “One day we shall deal with that, but now is not the time.”

There was another flash of white-blue-ish light and the room temperature dropped significantly. The Tsaritsa stood tall in all her terrifying and blood-filled glory.

Though, as soon as they saw her, Arte launched themselves into her arms with no fear, giggling like a madman.

“Tsaritsa! Here you are! Haha! I’ve missed you.” They clung onto her tightly, and the poor Tsaritsa looked so confused as she glanced around at everyone in the room, but she held onto Arte just as tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re alright, your grace.” She held their face in her hands, though the gesture was far more intimate, “I was so worried for you, we all were.”

Emi leaned in towards Imp and Mari, muttering, “If they start making out I’m gonna throw my shoe at them.”

Imp chuckled, “I’ll burst into tears.”

Mari raised a brow but grinned all the same, “I’ll kick them out of my throne room if they do.”

Emi giggled and Arte looked over suspiciously. To which Emi and Imp looked away, and Mari merely smiled innocently.

Arte introduced the Tsaritsa to everyone in the room, including Kazuha and Tomo. The Tsaritsa bowed to the gods and thanked them for taking care of Arte.

“Thanks to you as well,” Mari said with a warm smile, “I’ve heard of Arte’s situation and I am glad that in their world they have a home to call their own.”

The Tsaritsa nodded, holding onto Arte’s hands, “As am I.”

Somehow, Mari and the Tsaritsa immediately dove into conversation pertaining to the harbingers and Mari’s puppet. Which the Puppet was very embarrassed about, hiding their face in their hands and leaning against Imp with a groan. Imp merely giggled at their suffering.

Emi, though, was getting antsy. Where was their acolyte? Their world was the most “normal” but at the same time the entirety of their Teyvat probably went insane when Emi went missing. In the short time Emi was gone, did they already destroy Teyvat trying to find them? Emi nervously bit their nail as the possibilities ran through their mind.

Luckily, the thoughts dissipated as a white-blue-ish light flickered in the room. But instead of Diluc, it was Kaeya holding a small pink bundle of fur in his arms. A… ticked off pink bundle of fur in his arms.

The little thing hopped out of his arms and Yae Miko appeared with an indignant puff, “Apologies, your graces,” She bowed, “For not getting Diluc. He is an unnecessarily suspicious and stubborn individual.”

Kaeya blinked at the once-fox-now-woman but shook himself out of his stupor at the sight of his god (and more?)

“Your grace!” He approached them and bowed lowly, grabbing their hand with a relieved sigh, “It relieves me to know that you are alright. The entirety of Teyvat was so worried for you.” He lifts himself up and grins brightly at Emi.

Emi smiles back, “Aha, is everything alright back at home? I was worried that you would all freak out because of this.”

Kaeya hummed, “It’s… well, we were all worried for you and… okay, the archons - not naming names but the electro and hydro archons - are trying to start up another archon war because they think one of the other archons have taken you-” Kaeya sighed, “It’s a whole, awful, completely unnecessary situation.”

Emi sighed loudly and smacked their forehead, “It hasn’t even been a full day yet,” They groaned.

“I’ve tried to get Ei to calm down,” Yae Miko frowned, “But whenever it comes to you, your grace, it seems as though all sense of reasoning just disappears from the archons.”

Emi huffed, and turned to the three other gods and the puppet with an apologetic smile, “I should probably go back home for a bit, or else I’ll come back to no Teyvat at all.” They smiled but their worried eyes told that they didn’t think it was a joke, “I had a nice time and will come back when I can. I just have to use the realm dispatch to come back?”

Mari nodded, “The same way you first came here. You can leave by tapping the dispatch again, it’ll automatically return you home.”

Emi nodded and grabbed Kaeya and Yae Miko’s hands, “Alright, thank you so much for all of this, and see you all soon!”

“Thank you for taking care of our grace, your highness,” Yae Miko bowed and Kaeya followed suit, also thanking Mari.

“See you Emi!” They all called after her, waving as they and their acolytes disappeared.

Arte and the Tsaritsa immediately lost themselves in conversation with one another. Arte worrying over the harbingers as though they were their children, and the Tsaritsa revealing how Tartaglia threw a tantrum when Arte went missing (the Tsaritsa also threw a tantrum but that’s besides the point).

Imp, on the other hand, yawned.

“Are you tired, your grace?” Kazuha asked, “I assume it’s been a long day for you, hasn’t it?”

Imp nodded and hummed in agreement.

“Here, I can show them to their room,” Puppet offered, “You two are free to come with..?” They trailed off, glancing at Mari for permission.

Mari nodded, “I’ll come as well, it’s about time to go to bed anyways.” They looked back at Arte and the Tsaritsa and called out, “You hear that lovebirds? We’re going to bed!”

Arte and the Tsaritsa turned. Arte giggled and pulled the Tsaritsa along by the hand.

When Arte and the Tsaritsa went into their room, the Puppet practically pleaded with them to “Be quiet, these walls are thin.”

To which Mari giggled and looked away but didn’t say anything. Arte’s face heated up a bit but they nodded in agreement.

Imp eagerly entered their room, Tomo splayed across the couch with a tired sigh and Kazuha carefully sat next to him. Imp paused and sat in between Tomo and Kazuha.

“I don’t wanna sleep alone, if that’s okay with you two?” They asked.

“Of course your grace.” Tomo patted their head, “It’s no different from camping outside. Well, other than this is a lot fancier than that.” He chuckled.

Imp hummed. After much emotional stress, they finally had a moment to rest in comfort and familiarity with their head leaning against Tomo's shoulder and Kazuha's head leaning against theirs. They were out like a light, snoring lightly.

Mari, who was leaning against the doorframe, hummed quietly, "Tomo's not your actual name, is it?"

Tomo chuckled and whispered, "No, it's not. But they called out to me on that day with so much panic and yet so happy to see me. And they called me friend I just..." He looked at them with an affectionate smile, "couldn't tell them my actual name.

I want them to call me that, always."

Brainrot over Foul Legacy being an oversized cat around Darling Reader after he gets us to the Tsaritsa. She simply cannot pry him from us since, him being the only person (er… abyssal creature) that didn’t throw stones and insults at us, is the only source of comfort for their god. She might try to get him to leave but it seems that reader is much more calm with him around, after all, they were being chased by humans and FL doesn’t look all that human, right? So he keeps his privileges as your bodyguard and comfort moth/abyss monster. You two are basically glued together after what happened in liyue so:

Cue shenanigans:

Imagine throwing a yarn ball at him, he gets the string tangled all over his face, claws and horns, maybe it was intentional, maybe it was not, bu he loves the sound of your laugh; so hearty and joyful compared to before.

I’m FIXATED on his fluffy neck, that stuff is probably more comfortable than any pillow in al the nations, you can’t change my mind. You can probably crash onto his neck and pass out in minutes, he would be purring like no tomorrow. When the tsaritsa comes to investigate the sound he is so smug- (if tsaritsa is jelly she HAS to let it slide because no mothman= sad god, and she loves u so much)

When you pester them enough, aka. Just give them puppy eyes, they might let you have a short stroll tru the snow (look, i have NEVER seen snow im goin off on what movies show) with both of them accompanying you on the chilly path, childe basically goes ‘murp!’ When you throw a snowball at him. Have fun trying to land another one, he keeps zooming around like a cat. Tsaritsa might ACTUALLY LAUGH (just a little, just for you).

Would, without a doubt, catch you the single biggest fish you have seen in your godamm life. Pls pet him, he looks so proud, how can you not.(you heartless monster)

PURRS! He purrs so much around you, after he noticed you liked it, he kept doing it because he thinks it makes you feel safe and have a spacial orientation of WHERE he is in the room. (He can be deadly silent when he needs but doesn’t want to spook u) It also serves for the Tsaritsa because if she hears purring she instantly knows you are with Tartaglia and you are safe. (She also has had some problems with him going missing and coming back weeks later so its a plus to know where he is 24/7)

Bleps. Thats it, he sometimes pokes his tongue from the front of his mask to make you laugh and receive headpats.

Not you both tip toeing to the kitchen in the middle of the night for a cup of tea. In theory, it could work, childe himself can be silent as a grave. But he is in his FL form, you know, the one with a stardust cape, some bright af protrusions from his back, that pearl eye that practically glows in the dark- you only make it to the first corridor before you have to scamper back to your room or fear being snitched by another harbinger-

Would he sleep on that island the Tsaritsa calls a bed? Yes. Yes he would. If you are comfortable with him being glued to your side prepare for cuddles, just mind the sharp edges, but you can hide on his fluff. If you prefer him to mind the space he can take the lower part of the bed, dw its big enough. And yes, he keeps purring.

Gets frighteningly in-tone with your emotions and body language; should you tense up at sudden movements or people he will hiss and growl until they take the hint or he can take you away from the situation. (He can only do that to everyone BUT the Tsaritsa, he cannot lose his privileges) Actually, in lieu of this, he can be in the other side of the palace for whatever reason and still sense your mood.

Scaramouche having a staring competition with Childe to see who gets to hang out with you one day. Both don’t need/can’t blink so its a long time until they realize that and until they do you have been spending time with Tsaritsa, happily cuddling in a sea of furs while she reads over some documents.

Will probably plop you into his lap/shoulder/hands at some point and not let you go, demanding head scratching as ransom.

Everyone in the palace has seen it yet cannot believe how did you manage to tame the beast that is the 11th Harbinger Tartaglia. If there were any doubts amongst the newer recruits or higher ranked officials, it is dissipated by now, for surely you MUST be someone special to have this effect in the Tsaritsa and her best soldiers. Such beliefs are set into stone after some poor soul comes across you when Childe was away in some mission and they got to actually see you in person.

There is no mistake, for your being itself carries the golden aura of divinity and the might of the stars in the tips of your fingers.

————————->

Whew, that was a lot XD

Anyways, I suddenly fell in love with the concept of the Tsaritsa being a single mom of the miss match family that is the Fatui and Childe being the troublemaker son with FL being an oversized cat.

Anyways! Love your content! Keep the hard work and thanks for everything! <3

I read this over three times literally starry eyed of how in love i was so here take this 🧍🏻‍♀️ also I'll be adding another part because I can't do it all in one jffhkdnd

If anyone were to pass by your wing in the Zapolyarny Palace, they would've been met with the sound of such a joyful and bright laughter it would've made them smile as well, as though the joy was contagious.

The source of the laughter was you— and the cause of it was Childe in his Foul Legacy form, grumbling as he attempted to pry the colorful strings of yarn away from clawed hands, arms, face, and horns. He only managed to wrap more around himself, making your laugh even louder, to the point where by now you were wheezing and struggling to breathe.

"This isn't funny!" Childe sputtered in that distorted voice, yet anybody could've easily noted that he didn't even sound bothered. "Have mercy on me, your grace! How will I even protect you like this!?"

"Alright, alright, you big baby," you snickered into your hands, gesturing for him to come close. Without even a second's worth of hesitation did you plop yourself down on his lap— it was easier for you to sit that way rather than try to reach Childe in this form any other way. Besides, from the way he immediately began those purrs of his you were sure that he liked it this way, too.

With a scissor, you snipped away at the strings until Childe could finally be freed from his dramatic imprisonment. That done, he laid his big head on your shoulder and began to purr deep from his chest in a way you've become happily familiar with.

"Waitttt," you drawled off, pushing at his chest until he took his head off your shoulder— more specifically, removed the treacherously soft fluff around his neck away from your face. "You know how that thing makes me want to nap all day but—"

"If you want to nap you should nap, your grace. I will protect as I have always done—"

"But I want to go outside today!" You insisted, eyes already turning back to the giant windows of your room. The skies were clear now, as opposed to last night's snowstorm that left the world draped in blanket bright white snow.

Childe whined, shaking his head. "But isn't today too cold? Tomorrow would be a better choice, no?"

"Pulcinella said it'll rain tomorrow," you replied, moving away from him to don a warm, thick cloak that had been draped over a chair. If it happened to be the Tsaritsa's own cloak from when she visited you earlier, well you were sure she wouldn't mind. "I'll even ask the Tsaritsa herself—"

"Ask me what, your excellency?" And there she is! You made your way over to her side without any of your previous fear, a knowledge that had her (and Childe) secretly very smug and happy.

"Let's go out to the gardens, pretty please, Дорогая?" You gave her what you thought was your best puppy eyes, hands clasped with hers. "I've been cooped up for too long what with that snowstorm and Childe being away on a mission. . ."

The Tsaritsa frowned. "Had I known sooner that you felt most comfortable with him I wouldn't have sent him away; I'm sorry, your excellency. But for your request. . ." Your were sure she was going to refuse you, yet her words died down when she realized you were wearing her own cloak.

"Very well," she sighed, though her hand moved to cup your jaw gently. "But please dress warmer, alright?"

"Of course!"

The gardens were closed off to the public, thus you, her, and Childe had more than enough privacy and area for you to be happily moving and going around. At one point, however, you gently led the Tsaritsa away and Childe busied himself to give you two privacy.

"This is an embarrassing request," you began, though there was a bright, mischievous grin on your face. "But can you make a, uh, a snow fort for me?"

"A snow fort?" She furrowed her brows, but still did as you asked— and her confusion melted away when you thanked her with a beaming smile.

"Childe?~" you sang, a snowball prepared in your hand. When he excitedly showed up, you threw it straight at his masked face with no regrets.

The sound he made had you howling with laughter and even the Tsaritsa chuckling behind her hand, even when Childe expertly dodges all the next snowballs you throw at him.

──・──・・ ♡ ・・──・──

"I didn't realize I was to be target practice for today, you grace," Childe was teasing you, you in his arms per the Tsaritsa's orders after you spent more than half the day fooling around in the snow.

"Shush," you chuckled, though your eyes were already growing heavy— really, it was criminal how soft and warm the fluff around Childe's neck was, and how safe you felt with him and the Tsaritsa. . .

Childe floated through the Palace halls to reach your wing, and just when he was a turn away from it did two agents crash past him. They were already loud, and most definitely didn't lower their voices when they caught sight of Childe's Foul Legacy form.

Childe himself wasn't bothered, but he was not blind to how their voices and ruckus made your features twist, rest disturbed— and he could not have that.

He growled, hold protective on you as that peal eye of his stared straight at the two cowering agent. "Silence! Leave, or else I'll make a wonderful example out of your hides,"

The two scrambled away fast, but this time they made sure not to cause the same ruckus as before— good, otherwise not only would've they been answering Childe, but the Tsaritsa herself.

Soon enough he had reached your room; divesting you of your boots and cloak, he joined you on the bed and tucked you close once more to his neck— a position that has by now became familiar to both you and him.

Childe can't help but begin to purr, deep and soothing, and pull you into his arms without hurting you with the sharp edges of armour. He let sleep pull him into slumber, confident in his abilities to protect should anything happen.

That was how the Tsaritsa found the both of you later, with Childe's happy purring almost making the bed trembling and you soundly asleep.

At least she won't have to worry about you being unprotected or unhappy (and she could now easily tell if Childe was with you, quite the bonus).

— bleed

corrupted!hyunsu x gn!reader | 3.8k words

genre: exes reunited in the weirdest circumstances ever

warnings: swearing, blood, fake blood in the gif, canon-divergence, killing, mentions of hallucinations, suicidal ideation, death, bullying and self-harm scars. when i say “corrupted hyunsu” i mean uimyeong got what he wanted basically lol

synopsis: there’s a lot of blood on your face. and apparently, according to a boy you've never met before in your life, it must mean you're above everyone else.

author's note: i love this gif so MUCH it's so pretty He's so pretty... and uimyeong in the back like hello there... love them

You didn’t get nosebleeds often. Actually, you couldn’t recall if you’d ever gotten a nosebleed at all, before.

So the sight of your own reflection in the mirror, blood flowing down the bottom half of your face in inhumane amounts was a bit terrifying, at first. Your hand had come up to stop the bleeding but it simply wouldn’t. It kept on flowing like it was some sort of unending bloodfall, and you honestly thought you were going to die.

And then it stopped. And you looked up. And everything was normal. You breathed heavily, eyes a bit wide as you stared at yourself. The red was painting your skin like a drop of watercolor flowing down a canvas. It was smudged, from your attempts at stopping it, and movie-like. You’d never seen this much blood at once in real life, before. You took a moment to calm down, swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath.

Well, you knew what this meant. You’d been confining yourself to your apartment since the news were announced, but never expected it would happen to you. The virus… Thing. The world was in shambles outside the comfort of your room and you’d been fine with it until now. You were just playing a game on your console when your nose started bleeding. Why did it do it at this moment precisely?

The lights of your bathroom flickered and you stepped back, looking up. There was a inaudible, clicking noise, and then all the lights turned off. The sound of powering down was so loud you wondered if it was only your apartment, or if the whole building’s electricity had shut off.

You gulped. Being in the dark was never really reassuring, much less when it was night and you’d just got the first symptoms of monsterization. You slowly moved towards your living room, dimly illuminated by the light of your — thankfully — open laptop. You followed the light while tip-toeing for no reason, really, and then settled down on your bed. You found your phone and turned it off sleep-mode, only to realize your hands were literally bloodstained. The realization came a bit too late and now your phone and bedsheets had blood on them. Great.

You sighed and tried to find the number of the building manager to ask him if the whole building was down. Your fingers scrolled through your contact list a bit frantically, as you struggled to find his name in it.

And then there were footsteps. You heard them, quite loud and clear and terribly frightening. You lived alone and they most definitely came from inside your apartment. You looked around, to no avail due to the blackout, and only took a deep shaky breath as you backed away towards your wall.

You decided your mind had been playing tricks, or that the noise was simply coming from the outside hallway and felt closer due to the lack of sound caused by the electricity cutting off. And, the sound had stopped, anyway. There was no reason to make yourself more scared than you already were. Yet, you couldn’t stop the shaking of your fingers as you continued to search for this damned contact name.

“Nervous?”

You jumped and screamed on instinct, dropping your phone and jumping off your bed. Someone had just spoken into your ear. Directly next to it. Like they were sitting behind you. Had someone been sitting behind you this whole time? No way. The light of your laptop would’ve showed it. Then had someone snuck up behind you to sit there withhout you even noticing? You couldn’t tell which was more terrifying, and in this moment you frankly didn’t care. You held a hand up towards your bed, now seeing the traces of a black coat on someone’s figure.

“Who are you?!” you managed to exclaim.

No response. The silence felt deafening. Suffocating, even. Your breaths were coming out short due to the overwhelming anxiety you felt. Your fingers were trembling and your head was spinning. Was this part of the virus? Hallucinations? Was none one really there? Your head was whirling with an inordinate amount of scenarios as you waited for whoever was there to speak up.

Then you saw them move, and instinctively took a step backwards. Except your back hit something. And before you could register that there was supposed to be nothing for your back to hit at this area of your apartment, a hand covered your mouth and you started screaming. The grasp wasn’t harsh but it was firm, effectively keeping your head from moving and thrashing in all directions as an attempt to get away. You heard an amused chuckle come from your previous spot on the bed and the stranger moved forward until they sat at its edge. Their face was completely covered by a black hood.

And then the lights turned on.

The stranger pulled their hood off and a face you didn’t recognize came into view. A young man, probably around your age, smiled in an overly-friendly manner and waved his hand so casually one would believe you weren’t being… Held captive in your own home? You unconsciously calmed down for a little bit, before you started thrashing around again. The stranger’s smile fell into a disappointed pout.

“Aw. Don’t tell me my instincts were wrong and you’re not actually a special case? It’d be a pain if you actually turned completely.” he mused, eyes searching your face like he was analyzing you. You yelled incoherently onto the hand on your mouth snd the latter finally let go. But the other hand still held your arm, strongly enough to refrain you from moving much.

“Who the fuck are you and how did you get in there?!” you yelled, this time angry. You were still scared, but once you could put a face and aura on what was at first just a frighteningly mysterious voice in a pitch-black apartment, you felt less terrified. You furrowed your eyebrows at the lack of reply and finally turned your head around. Your eyes widened and your arms fell limp. “… Hyunsu?”

“Two special cases who know each other. How delightful.” the stranger spoke from your bed, still. You paid him no mind, eyes focused on the boy holding you. This was Cha Hyunsu. Cha Hyunsu. Your ex from high-school, before he broke up with you during the mess that happened there and distanced himself as much as he possibly could. He had the same haircut as he used to, the same face but… Not the same look in his eye. There was something darker there, now. And you couldn’t tell what it was.

“What… What’s all this? Why are you here? How’d you get in, how… Who…” you paused to try and even out your breathing, before frowning. “What are you doing?”

“We came to take you.”

His voice was rough in the way it sounded, like he barely spoke and the results of that could be heard. It was dry and devoid of any emotion, as far as you could tell. You shook off his grip on your arm and stepped aside to take turns at looking between the two boys.

“Take me?” you scoffed, “Might I know what the fuck you mean by that? And who are you?” you said the last word with a pointed look towards the boy sitting on your bed. He offered a gentle smile.

“Name’s Uimyeong. I’m a monster. Just like your boyfriend here.” he said. You furrowed your eyebrows. You’d encountered monsters during your only trip down to the nearest grocery store to take everything you could before indefinitely confining yourself in your home. And they did not look so… Human. Was it a play on words, of sorts? It didn’t feel like one. Did that have to do with him talking about a “special case”?

Your eyes widened in realization. The flyers that dropped around your neighborhood, one hitting your window with the wind. It was red and hard not to notice. It talked about the military and calling them if we knew of a special monsterization case, or something of the sort. Now you pieced the few pieces you had together, and came to the conclusion that Hyunsoo and that boy Uimyeong were like the aforementioned special cases. But then…

“What did you mean by take me? And instincts? Can you just… explain yourselves?” you sighed, leaning against the wall.

“Hyunsu-ya told me about you. He said you lived nearby and that knowing you, you’d probably avoided contact with anyone entirely.” he paused to look around your apartment with a satisfied nod, “He seemed to be right on that. He told me about you when I asked if he knew if there was anyone who could’ve turned and could be like us.”

“Be like you?”

“Monsters.” he said casually, and then his eyes turned completely black, as if to further insist on his point. Then they turned back to their former state and he smiled. “That can control it.”

You gulped. So that was… What the military meant by special cases. You took a deep breath and glanced at Hyunsu, who was blankly staring down at the floor. “Why do you think I could be like you? What makes you think I even got a single symptom?”

“Well, I’d say I can’t argue with that, but the…” he grimaced a bit, vaguely moving his hand in front of his mouth, “… Blood on your face is an obvious tell.”

You instinctively looked away and tried to rub it off. It was dry, by now. You looked back at Uimyeong who only smiled casually. “We came here because I trust Hyunsu and I have this… This gut feeling. That you might be one of us. So what do you say? Come with us? Stay in your apartment?”

You knew that whether you completely turned or truly was a special case like he claimed you could be, you’d be alone in your apartment. At least with them… Well, you’d have company. Who understood you, instead of fearing you.

You looked down. “Whatever. I’ll come.”

You saw Hyunsu perk up at the words and he walked towards you. His hand slowly came up to your face and settled on your cheek. He rubbed the skin softly with a starstruck look on his face. His eyes were turning black. “Really? [name], it'll be perfect. We can wipe off every pathetic human that bothers us with this power, now. Just like we wanted to back in the day, remember?” he said with a frighteningly cheerful tone. Then his expression dropped and he blinked the darkness off, like he was confused.

“… We’ll find more people like us.” he said, and this time his voice was blank, hand dropping back to his side. You furrowed your eyebrows at the change in demeanor and glanced at Uimyeong, who only shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated manner. You looked back at Hyunsu and sighed. There was something odd going on.

“… Hyunsu. I’m glad to see you again.” you said. He nodded slowly, expression unchanging but feeling reciprocated.

Then you were out of the building. To be frank, it was terrifying. You hadn’t left your apartment in ages and the world outside was in shambles. You knew it from the news and the view you had from your window, but seeing it up-close was definitely worse. There was something extremely interesting, though, and it was how easily Hyunsu and Uimyeong made their way through the swarm of monsters that would try and attack each of you. Uimyeong was on a league of his own, for sure, his arm capable of turning into a literal blade to slice any monster’s head off their shoulders. Hyunsu was different. He looked unfazed at times while sending monsters flying, and sometimes you could see the hints of a manic grin overtaking his features. And well, during thw whold ordeal, you felt awfully useless. You didn’t have any super-strength or powers so all you could do was use your best dodging skills to prevent yourself from getting killed.

Not that Hyunsu would let you.

You found yourself in a black, military van. Uimyeong sat at the front and started driving off like it was nothing, and then began to answer every question you had but hadn’t even voiced out. Special cases, monsters, the martial-law, the military’s plans, and at last, Hyunsu’s whereabouts during the entirety of this mess. He was staying in an apartment complex of the name of Green Home Mansion Apartment, that Uimyeong described as “a place with weirdly resilient people with a fear of the unknown. You know, like every other human.” and you quickly understood the boy bad developed a worrying superiority complex over the duration of the experiments the government had done on him.

Well, it made sense. But he was still terrifying in his own calm, smiley and friendly way. Even more so with the amount of blood on him. But you supposed that considering your face was still drenched in some, you didn’t have much to say about that.

You looked at Hyunsu who’d been asleep during the whole time Uimyeong was speaking.

“How did you two meet each other?”

“How did you two meet each other?”

You laughed at the synchronization of yours and Uimyeong’s question and he glanced your way with a grin. “Alright. I’ll go first.”

He talked about the group of thugs he joined, mostly out of boredom. He talked about how they eventually came to the place Hyunsu lived at, and the chaos that happened there. He talked about the fact that Hyunsu grew out of his, as he called it, “human-liking phase” and finally understood and acknowledged his true power… Or something like that. That basically, Hyunsu left the people of Green Home and left with Uimyeong before one of them called the military to report a special case, as the flyers you’d seen asked people to.

“I think part of him is trying to understand that change.” Uimyeong mused, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. “You know, when his eyes turn black and he goes manic? I think that’s the monster part trying to fully take over. And then you have our introverted, anxious Hyunsu.. The one you seem to know best.”

“Ah. We’re not dating anymore.” you suddenly said, reminded of Uimyeong calling him your “boyfriend” earlier. “And contrary to what you seem to think, I’m actually more familiar with the other part. On certain aspects, at least.”

In front of you, Hyunsu was asleep. You sighed.

“Then. Your turn, answer my question.” Uimyeong said cheerfully. You hummed.

“Well, we dated in high-school. He was extroverted and friendly, and very joyful. He wasn’t the number one popular boy in the school, but he did have popularity.” you reminisced out loud, “Then things changed and he somehow got bullied. This new guy transferred and started treating him really badly. The higher-ups at the school didn’t give a fuck, and his family were… Practically blaming him. The point is, I stayed with him, but after things finally calmed down, he broke up with me. He said he wasn’t good for me and I’d spent too much time on him already, or something of the likes…”

Then you sighed, scratching your neck.

“What you call the “monster part of him” looks, to me, like what he’s been bottling up. It’s like a version of Hyunsu that didn’t completely close off emotionally after the bullying. One that went batshit and started beating up people. That’s how it feels to me. It’s strange.”

Uimyeong hummed. “Well, the monster isn’t something separate from him, anyway. That further proves my point... The monster is part of him. I guess it would make sense. He’s just battling his own self, isn’t he?”

Hyunsu woke up with a gasp and looked at you with wide eyes. There was a moment where things seemed to slow, and then he moved towards you so fast you barely registered it. He held your face in both hands and looked at you with a worried look. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah?” you said, confused. “Did you have a nightmare?”

His eyes turned black momentarily, then he looked away, moving back into his seat. “Yeah.” He looked down at his lap, where he fiddled with his fingers. Uimyeong stared at him from the rear-view mirror with a squinted eyes and pointed interest. There was something in the way he looked at him that screamed obsession. You were practically certain Hyunsu himself hadn’t realized.

“Hyunsu-yah.” you said. He looked up. You beckoned him over to sit next to you. Slowly, he got up from his seat to move beside you. Then he went back to looking down and fiddling with his fingers. That was just like the last time you’d seen him, but worse. When he broke up with you he was starting to lose life— Starting to lose the will to live. It was visible and it was worrying but he put great effort in pushing you away whenever you tried reaching out to help him. You hesitantly reached a hand up to his hair, and when he didnt move, started brushing through it. You brushed off the dust and all, and them you moved his face towards you. You tried to rub off the blood on him but it was dry. Then you inspected his features, and his hands, his arms, his neck. Then you hummed in content. There weren’t any new scars since the last time you’d seen each other. You were glad.

You covered his forearms back up with the long sleeves of his sweater and held both his hands. During the whole ordeal, Hyunsu had been staring at you with barely a single blink. He had this adoring look in his wide, innocent eyes. It was different from the way he used to look at you. Hyunsu had lost part of him during his last years of high-school, so of course he’d changed. But it was still Hyunsu. And you still loved him. You looked up at him with a smile.

“Are you okay?” you asked, but he only frowned and reached out to your face. You furrowed your eyebrows when his thumb swiped over your upper lip, but then realized it came back with fresh blood. Your eyes widened and you covered the lower half of your face entirely in anticipation for the nosebleed you now knew was coming. Hyunsu grabbed your hands and slightly shook his head as he brought them away from your face.

“There’s no use in trying to stop the bleeding.” he said monotonously, “Since it’s the second time, we might see how you hold up to the monster. It might be hard.”

“Huh?” was all you could get out before your head started aching really badly. You held the sides of your head with your arms and closed your eyes tightly, eventually falling over onto the floor of the car as you winced in pain. You felt like you'd never felt such excruciating pain before. When your eyes were open there was blood, and you’d blink then there’d be nothing at all, and at some point, the pain stopped. You opened your eyes and sat up.

This was not the car.

A dark, dark space with a mirror. You slowly sat up and looked around. There seemed to be nothing other than the wide mirror in front of you. So you got up and walked over to it. The more you stared at your reflection, the more distorted it became. Slowly, your eyes turned black and your smile widened. Yet you were certain you were not smiling at all. You took a frightened step backwards and the reflection did not move.

“The weaker me. I've been waiting for you.” the reflection said, “Waiting for you to accept me. You’ve lost so much hope lately it became so easy to awaken. You see, the more hopeless you became, the more easy it was to trigger a physical reaction in you. The nosebleeds and headaches and all… Mhm. That was me. Or rather, you. After all we’re the same, aren’t we?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” you scoffed, then pinched the bridge of your nose, “Will you stop monologuing like a fucking idiot and let me place a damn word in? Thanks. As it happens I’m far from being hopeless or whatever bullshit it is you were spewing out. I’m fine, and I want to live. And I will live. As a human.”

Your reflection hummed curiously. “As a human?”

“I’ve done so for all of my life. I'm pretty certain I can keep doing it.”

Your reflection smiled, then laughed. “Oh, my. Maybe you might actually manage to overpower me… That would mean getting my monster powers and keeping a human form. How lovely that is. Please, keep trying your best. I’m looking forward to it.”

"Please," Despite the confusion you felt, you knew one thing for sure. This so called reflection of yours was pissing you off. You punched the mirror and the glass shattered around your fist. “go die”

“Gladly.”

You yelled in fear and jumped awake. You looked around you with anxiousness, and slowly came to the realization you were still in the military van. It had stopped, and Uimyeong and Hyunsu were looking at you expectantly. Uimyeong smiled and held up Hyunsu’s hand by the wrist, shaking it in the air. “I had to keep him from trying to wake you up.”

Ah.

“Anyways. Seems you’ve met the monster?” Uimyeong said, sighing as he let go of Hyunsu’s wrist. He leaned back in his seat and smiled to himself. “I’m satisfied. If this was a game in trials I’d say you passed the first one. Congrats, [name]. You might just really be a special case.”

You looked up at him, then at Hyunsu, who kneeled in front of you and wrapped his arms around you. His hold was tight and he didn’t say a word. You could feel he was scared. Anxious. Or at least, that he had been. He felt relieved now, you could feel it. You figured he was hoping for Uimyeong to say that. After all, considering you already had symptoms, it seemed like being a special-case was the best thing that could happen. So you exhaled in relief and let your head fall onto the boy’s shoulder, rubbing his back comfortingly. “It’s okay, Hyunsu.”

He nodded, but didn’t let go.

“Hyunsu.”

He finally pulled away and he was kind of pouting. He looked like a kid and it made you laugh. “Come on, now. It’s fine. I’m sure you went through worse, too.”

“It’s not comparable. This isn’t about me.” he mumbled blankly, pulling you to sit next to him on the seats. You heard Uimyeong sigh and mumble something about love in the midst of an apocalypse as he went back to the driver’s seat and started up the car. You leaned against Hyunsu’s shoulder and he let his head rest on top of yours. Well, this was as fine as things could get, it seemed.