How To Say Goodbye.

hospital au continuation [scaramouche ft. albedo]

fluff, hurt/comfort, modern hospital au, i feel like this is super ooc request: Hey I really loved those doctor AU headcanons especially with scaramouche! Could you do more with him? Would love to see him and s/o sassing one another throughout the hospital but then turn serious the next second. Maybe him admiring how s/o is an expert doctor? Like making painless stitches or taking a patient seriously when other doctors have dismissed the symptoms. Go wild! a/n: thank u for the request! i'd like to say that i'm sorry if this will be very medically inaccurate,, i'm only basing this on my knowledge of medical dramas (which,, aren't accurate to begin with,,) i don't seek to offend anyone D: this was very fun to write tho

the hospital is a place of both life and death. it's the world's little humor to make a place that houses fresh life for the newborn, yet is sometimes the last place a person stops by before bidding their life farewell. as such, being in a hospital—working in a hospital— can feel even more sickening than the diseases you're expected to cure, but you're glad that you at least have people you work with that make the experience much better.

scaramouche may be a nurse that most of the other medical staff either fear or avoid, but he has become your friend (or perhaps even a little more than that).

though he's the type to make the new interns fear for their lives if they commit a mistake, or tell the doctor a little too straightforwardly whenever he knows they're doing something wrong, he does it out of both professionality and hidden passion for helping those that "can't help themselves", as he says.

the type of dynamic the two of you have on field is surprisingly looked up too by many of your coworkers— or, as some may put it, they look up to your ability to get along with scaramouche.

in you opinion, it's quite easy, especially after getting to know his softer side when dealing with patients.

"you know, i really don't get what you have against albedo," you say before taking a sip of your drink.

he shrugs. "i have nothing against him. does it look like i have? he just annoys me seventy percent of the time."

"there's nothing about him that's annoying," you laugh at his answer and glance at those electric purple orbs, then shift your gaze to the quite similar purple darkening under his eyes.

"you should sleep more. doctor's orders." you touched and traced under one of his eyes before his hand swatted yours away.

"well, nurse's duty. as if you get any more sleep than i do, doc. you've been on ER duty for days now. do you even sleep?" he raises his brow, and you could only guiltily laugh and attempt to change the topic.

"ah! let's get dinner tonight? it's friday and i'm sure we're allowed to go home on time today." you ask him, and he looks at you mischievously.

"ask me if i want to come then."

"i don't care if you want to. but i want you to come if you can," you huff out, pouting at his show of slight disinterest.

"yeah yeah," he says a little shyly all of a sudden, "i think i can."

"is it a date then?" you tease, expecting him to laugh and deny.

"your diagnosis. in my humble opinion, i think it is." he says casually, sitting up straight and placing his arms at the back of his head.

"you're getting better at pick-up lines now aren't—"

a buzz. two buzzes. and in an instant the two of you stand to get to action.

"see you there, i'm making a stop at albedo's first," you say seriously, starting to walk away.

"hurry up..." scaramouche could only sigh as he practically ran to where his pager summoned him.

the two of you had lots of common patient, but you silently agreed that right now, there was one closer to both your hearts than the rest.

it was a little boy, with a serious illness, but as of now, it's all but speculation. his symptoms are concerningly similar to disease x, and though you've encountered many patients having similar or the same disease, you've never had one with a child.

this small, sweet, and kind child deserved to live much longer than 6 years, and that much you and scaramouche could agree on.

albedo looked almost embarrassed to give you the child's test results. he sighed as he saw your running towards his office, only sadly looking at the envelope that contained the papers before putting up a serious and professional expression.

"sorry..." was all he said, and your heart sunk immediately. you muttered a hurried gratitude before rushing to the boy's room while scanning through the results.

your mood was drastically dampened, but the sight you first saw as you entered the boy's room made your heart both warm and hurt at the same time.

"the bags under your eyes are darker than yesterday's, i think..." the boy touches his cheek lightly, and scaramouche only accepted it, and though his gaze on the child was soft, you saw him give you a glare as you entered the room with a failed attempt of hiding slight laughter. "my mom says that it's a sign of overworking. nurse scara, you should sleep more so that you don't get sick like me." the boy smiled at him.

scaramouche finished changing his iv bottle and smiled sadly at the kid, only lightly thanking him for his concern before turning to you as if nothing happened at all.

"ahem," he cleared his throat, "he was apparently experiencing some chest pains before we got paged; me and the other nurses available already took care of it, though."

"i see," you were a little lost in thought before scaramouche spoke again.

"is something wrong?"

"well," you sigh, "turns out, our suspicion was correct; he has the disease."

scaramouche clicked his tongue, his face bitter and furious. "if the others listened to your suggestion, maybe it could have been treated faster."

you sighed. "well, it's not like we can treat a disease before confirming what the disease really is... it's not their fault. you know that."

"i do..." scaramouche replied. "well, what are you planning to do now?"

"we'll analyze whether an operation is possible. his condition right now is pretty fragile, so it's better to see what our chances actually are if we operate." you say, handing him the papers in case he wanted to check.

"looks like our date isn't happening, huh."

you could only frown as you get lost in thought.

your job was a job that required minimal mistakes. it wasn't as if you made a mistake, but why did it feel as if you just did?

you tiredly exited the operating room, and was surprised to see scaramouche waiting for you. though he probably already knew of the failed operation and the untimely death of the boy the two of you grew close to, he stayed, waiting.

"the operation was unsuccessful," you said heavily, looking at him with shame.

"it's not your fault," his voice was quiet and understanding, and he could only sigh.

"i think," you hesitated, heaving a deep breath. "i think i need a hug."

he looked at you with what seemed like slight disgust and bargaining; he hated hugs in general. but he ultimately sighed in defeat before saying, "just this once."

his embrace was tight, and so was yours; it contained pent up frustrations about things that were beyond you control, things that you wished you could change but never could, and feelings of regret and sadness for a patient you just lost.

"uh... wanna take that date you offered the other day?" he asked, awkwardly patting your back.

"i'd rather stay at home right now. with you," you answer.

"okay."

"okay."

"Well, is it just me, or were they also waiting for the winery's grapes to turn into fine alchohol?"

Happy (late) birthday Kaeya dearest!! ❄️🤺

yours truly,

premise: as a friend of the most attractive students in school, you're more than used to acting as the middleman between them and the people vying for their affection, often tasked with delivering presents or handing out their love letters. however, when you chance upon a small bouquet of flowers on your desk without a note indicating the sender or who you're meant to give it to, you start to wonder if this one's supposed to be yours.

includes: childe, xiao, diluc, kazuha, albedo, thoma & gorou !

a/n: hahaha why is this so long... anyways this is a college au + reverse harem of some sorts. enjoy. i really don't want this one to flop so likes and reblogs are appreciated thx

“Do you think it's a prank?”

“Why is that the first thing that pops into your mind?” Keqing sighs as she fixes her makeup in front of a compact mirror, smacking her lips to spread the color evenly. “You're really cute, [Name]. why wouldn't someone like you by now?”

Your face burns at the offhand comment. “You're only saying that because we're friends.”

Ayaka giggles, twirling a lock of your hair with her finger. “Of course not. You're very adorable! If anything, it'd be more surprising if nobody likes you.”

“Who do you think it's from, though?” Ganyu quietly asks from beside you, observing the handful of carnations laying on your desk. Scanning the students currently present in the room, she thoughtfully adds, “maybe someone on the shyer side since they couldn't give it to you directly?”

“Or someone who did it to be romantic,” Kokomi suggests, scrutinizing the flowers with keen eyes. “That's quite nice of them.”

You hummed in contemplation, trying to figure out who placed it on your table. “Are you sure it's not a prank... or a mistake? You all sit beside me, so maybe they mistook my seat for yours-”

“You're the only one who faithfully sits there, [Name]. We don't even have assigned seats so most of us sits wherever,” Keqing clarifies, staring at you with a disapproving look. “Don't deny it. You know it's yours.”

“But I can't think of anyone who would like me!” you exclaim in defeat. “I am curious about who gave it, though... I should try to find out who it is...”

“More importantly...” Ganyu smiles at you, noticing the blush dusting your cheeks. “Who do you want it to be?”

childe:

in all honesty, he's your first guess.

not because you think he likes you or anything! he's just a huge flirt.

at the beginning of the school year, you hardly got along. you know he's a friendly guy, but it's in the way that... intimidated you. he's part of the “mood maker” clique, attracting attention wherever he goes, and you're not sure if you could handle his energy...

you preferred to stay away from the spotlight though that's a bit hypocritical considering you're friends with the prettiest group of girls in your year, and he relished in it. you didn't know if you could get along.

you didn't become friends until you were assigned partners for a project that meant a lot for your grade, and you vowed to yourself if you couldn't be close to him, you should at least be close enough to work together without trouble.

in the end, you surprisingly hit it off, childe easing the awkward air between you with jokes and random stories to tell about his weird friends. your friendship didn't end when the project did, and you continued to hang out outside of school. you're sure he didn't approach you to get closer to your friends, either; though you had some doubts at first, he was nothing alike with the jerks who tried to use you.

you're no stranger to the pranks he pulled, nor were you unaware of his flirty nature; he occasionally entertained the lot who fancied him when he attended drinking parties. so it made perfect sense if it was childe who gave those flowers, along with the gifts that followed after. it would just be him messing around again, right? oh, definitely! it wouldn't be the first time he spent his money in reckless abandon, bragging that he has the cash to spare for it.

but unexpectedly when you bring up the topic, his expression darkens, showing no sign of joking around. he looks a little shocked, too, to know someone was pursuing you.

“it's not from me,” he admits, gently taking your hand. “but it's true that i like you.”

xiao:

xiao is one of the people you deliver presents to lol

due to his intimidating disposition (and the endless amount of nasty rumors swirling about him, thanks to said intimidating disposition), hardly anybody would dare to approach him, daunted by the perpetual scowl etched on his face. he remains as eye candy, but an entity no one could reach.

you avoided him at first, too. his face is admirable, you can say that much, but you've become somewhat desensitized from having been surrounded by pretty faces 24/7 so you can't really say it's anything new... and yes, you are scared of him to a certain degree. you could never guess what he's thinking.

you weren't sure if he's as scary as people make him out to be though, since people tend to exaggerate gossip for the sake of shock value. he once defended a middle schooler from high school delinquents (through persuasion and not with fists), but the story somehow twisted into another tale entirely detailing how xiao had brutally wiped the floor with their faces and painted the concrete floor with blood...

but as intimidating as he might seem, you don't think he's that kind of character. if you overlook his piercing glare and sharp tongue, he's quite decent.

... you thought that way until you caught him tailing you on your way home.

he crept up behind you, maintaining a natural distance, but after numerous twists and turns in hopes of leading him away, he had yet to cease heading towards your direction. you wouldn't be so suspicious if you hadn't purposely gone in circles around town, leading back to where you came from — which meant he didn't have a particular destination in mind, and fully intended on being hot on your tail.

tired of having bated breath waiting for his next move, you gathered all your courage and confronted him directly, cornering him to the nearest wall to assert dominance. xiao seemed startled by your forwardness, and you took his moment of vulnerability as an opportunity to interrogate him.

unexpectedly, he sheepishly confesses, “i'm not a stalker, i got worried since you're going home this late. haven't you heard about the crime rate these days...”

from there on, you suppose you could say you understood him better. though he's snappy and stern, he's not that terrifying, even sweet at times. when you become proper friends (and you stop suspecting him as your stalker), he saves you a seat next to him, or brings you coffee that you like when he notices you're sleepy in class.

it wasn't long until everybody came to know you were friends and a girl finally — you guessed it — asked you to send a love letter to xiao in her stead.

when you gave it to xiao, he was unusually flustered, flushed pink to the tips of his ears. his expression falls flat once you tell him it's from someone else, badly containing the disappointment to show on his face.

nevertheless, you continue to be friends, and xiao has learned not to expect much from you.

he's the earliest to arrive in class, so you ask him if he'd seen the person who gave you flowers. with a cold, hard look, he says no.

he's acting kind of weird, isn't he...

diluc:

the barista in the coffee shop near your university that has to put up with so much bullshit flirting everyday.

he has to reject people in a roundabout way, and you know he hates it, but of course he has to provide great customer service if he still wants customers right... directly breaking their hearts would only make problems.

but he takes no shit from rude customers.

no, you weren't one of them. in fact, diluc quite liked you a bit. first of all, you don't have any romantic interest for the staff, you genuinely enjoy his drinks (he knows because your face is like an open book), and you mind your own business. he tolerates you enough that he can make small talk with you and it doesn't upset him in the slightest.

so it really ticked him off when some idiot was bothering you in the cafe, starting an argument over a trivial matter that shouldn't be fussed over.

in normal circumstances, diluc would've done the usual protocol — reason with the angry customer, offer free products, and let them leave the premises peacefully. but the moment he saw the man grab your shoulders and you winced in pain as a result, he didn't even have to think of what to do next.

cold coffee rained down on the ill-mannered man's head, evoking a surprised scream out of him. his fingers left your body in favor of patting away the sticky liquid from his clothes, and you stared blankly at the seething figure behind him.

“your order,” diluc announced, his voice tinted with rage. then he pretended to remember something, looking at the empty cup in his hand. “oh, i apologize. you ordered it hot, didn't you?” he forced a smile on his face. “would you like me to brew another one for you?”

the man erupted to a new screaming fit, but he was promptly dragged aside. diluc immediately questioned if you were hurt anywhere, his voice a total 180 from before and turning into a soft tone you nearly didn't recognize.

“that stunt you pulled...” you nervously said. “will you be okay...? won't you get, er, dismissed because of it?”

“...you don't know i own this place?”

“???”

in any case, you've become good friends ever since that incident. so when your secret admirer gives you your customized drink from diluc's shop (that even xiao doesn't know the recipe of!), you ask him if there's a customer who ordered your exact drink that morning.

strangely enough, he changes the subject.

“he only gave you coffee?” diluc wrinkles his nose. “he's not fit for you.”

he proceeds to shove you a plate of pancakes for breakfast and won't let you talk about that topic again.

kazuha:

the soft-spoken boy working part-time as a florist. as one would expect, his good-looking features attracted customers left and right, just like how a flower allures bees with its colorful petals and sweet nectar.

he studies in a different university from you, but it's relatively close by and you run into each other a lot. you could say you're pretty good friends; you exchanged contact information and text every other day, phone each other up to have a meal together whenever you're both free, and hang out over the weekend.

he stirred up some drama with you once. on a rainy day, he invited you to eat lunch together, but you've forgotten to take an umbrella before leaving for school so you told him you'd be a little late 'cause you had to run to the convenience store first. however, he told you not to worry about it and abruptly ended the call.

fast forward to the afternoon: the glass doors to leave the corridors had a few people lurking by, covering what was beyond. you cocked up an eyebrow in question, confused over what was all the fuss, but then you see that familiar pale hair streaked with bright red.

kazuha stood innocently by the school gates, a crimson umbrella in hand, and a small bouquet in the other. he checked his wristwatch every few minutes, seeming to be waiting for someone. he completely ignored the gawking stares pinned on his frame, busying himself by humming a quiet tune.

you hesitantly pushed open the doors, approaching him with wary steps. he immediately perked up once noticing you, beaming brightly to greet you with enthusiasm. he offered you the bouquet, telling you it's nothing more than a small gift the owner had let him craft for free (who mistakenly thought kazuha had a lover, since he was always on his phone texting someone).

you might have known the reasons behind the present, but nobody else did. and what general implications could gifting a bouquet of flowers have?

thus, the school's online forum exploded with questions, asking for the identity of the pretty boy standing by their university, and the lucky person he'd given flowers to.

needless to say it was hard to convince your friends that no, he isn't your boyfriend.

but that was another issue! the issue NOW is the other bouquet you received, much more recent in nature. after suspecting childe, your next thought was to ask kazuha if he had any buyers who purchased the same flowers you had.

his lips twitch for a moment, faintly looking displeased. but he flashes a flawless, award-winning customer service smile, covering his initial expression easily.

“no such customer ordered for those flowers that day. but i am curious about this matter... could you humor me and explain more in detail, by any chance?”

albedo:

the med student fawned over by students and teachers alike. he's simply brilliant, idolized by the entire student body. though he's mainly studying science, he's been praised for his art as well, his paintings hung in the art room proudly.

you're not very familiar with him, only knowing him through hearsay. you don't know what he looks like, so you've never confirmed for yourself if he's as beautiful everyone says he is.

he's well-known but you haven't heard anything bad about him, which is an impressive feat. his name is only ever mentioned in concert with endless compliments.

you meet him by chance in exam season. unsurprisingly, the library is filled to the brim, tables stacked high with books and each chair occupied by agitated students sipping energy drinks and coffee to stay functional. amidst all the chaos, one student remains radiant and carefree, leisurely flicking pages through his notes. he's situated by a corner table, unbothered by the mindless zombies despite having plenty of free seats beside him and everyone else is squished together like canned tuna.

and you, carrying binders, books and stationery, are visibly desperate for a place to rest. his eyes leave the words in his notes briefly, beckoning you to come closer. and you, still unaware of his identity, gladly plop on a chair and heave your heavy supplies atop the table. it shakes for a moment as it bears the new weight, rattling his items, and the zombies gape at you in question. ironically, the person you've been bothering is not offended at all.

you sneak glances at him when you need to freshen your eyes from studying, nauseated by the letters that never seem to come to an end no matter how many paragraphs you've read. you're at awe by his fair skin, not a single blemish in sight, and he doesn't even have dark circles under his eyes. truly mysterious. either he has a magical skincare routine or he's not human. if anything, you'd think he just came from a relaxing vacation, not in the middle of hell week.

you snap out of your trance, and you scold yourself for being bewitched. you have more pressing concerns, and so you grill more information into your brain, oblivious to the turquoise eyes that begin to stare at you.

the next encounter comes when exams are finally over, and you celebrate by buying the pricey food set in the cafeteria. the crunch of golden breading is rewarding for your taste buds and you shovel more food towards your mouth, minding your own business.

the seat next to you is pulled back, and you pause from chewing. it's that guy again, his refined beauty easy for you to recognize. he places his tray on the table, smiling amiably as he asks if it's fine with you should he sit there. you nod, but there's plenty of vacant tables around. it's also pretty weird that he sat next to you, not across...

well, strange as it is, that's how you befriend albedo. you've yet to learn why he came on so strong, almost aggressive. like he really wanted to talk to you. but whatever.

the more you learn about him, the more his image of “golden boy” withers away. picture of elegance? the standard of sophistication? sure. but this guy doesn't hesitate to do the weirdest shit sometimes.

he doesn't fear anything. he puts anything edible in his mouth. one school trip to the countryside taught you a few things. if he's offered fried bugs, he'll eat it. if he's given frog legs, he'll eat it. he doesn't care. he'll eat seemingly anything. because of this, you worry his admirers will put something strange in the food they give him, but that possibility doesn't cross his mind at all. (well. not that he eats it. he rejects gifts most of the time. exceptions are when they come from you.)

you're starting to think he really doesn't fear anything. when you start to scream in fright like a headless chicken while watching a horror movie, he calmly studies the anatomy of whatever horrifying creature is on screen, questioning their ability to walk when half of their body is split apart. why is he questioning horror movie logic. “ghosts are supposed to be transparent and can pass through walls, how come she can grab the main character's hair and drag him to the incinerator?” “albedo, please.” (he comforts you when you get scared, hiding your face in his shoulder as he wraps his arms around you. he softly whispers in your ear to tell you when the scary parts are over.)

he's also an overprotective older brother. for good reason, actually. his little sister, albeit cute and outwardly harmless, is an explosive child who likes to make trouble. if he takes his eyes off her for more than two minutes, she will undoubtedly set fire to his little garden.

but aside from being a pain in the ass, his observation skills can help you — surely albedo can make a few guesses for your secret admirer's identity?

she's the reason why he's so observant. he can tell you trimmed your hair because he's all too used to klee chopping off her own hair with craft scissors. he also notices when you feel a bit under the weather. klee is the type to hide her sickness so she could play outside, and albedo would often have to forcibly tuck her back to bed. you're no different. he will, quite literally, drag you to your house and make you rest.

albedo blinks at you, uncharacteristically silent. he purses his lips, and gives you a small smile. he asks a few unassuming questions, things like what traces your secret left behind, or if they'd sent a love letter and he'd check the penmanship to see if he found it familiar.

he's not the most eager to help, you know that, but you're still slightly disappointed when he says, “sorry, i can't help you with something like that. it'd be better if you figured it out yourself.”

thoma:

the cute neighbor living in the apartment next door. just like kazuha, he studies in a different university, but you run into each other a lot because... well. obviously.

you find him rather silly. he'd signed the lease not knowing pets weren't allowed in the premises, and tearfully waved taroumaru goodbye when he moved in. to cope, he started staying at the park near the apartment building, playing with the dogs there and getting hit on by their owners in the process, but let's not talk about that.

despite being a newcomer, he fit right in with the tenants. he made effort to learn everyone's names and chatted with them whenever presented a chance, thus winning their favor. it isn't a strange sight to see him with middle-aged ladies and looking at home, listening earnestly to their complaints about their husbands or rowdy children. (his hard work pays off when they give him their special recipes and inform him of supermarket deals lol)

he seems to get along well with old men too, invited to their drinking parties. except thoma isn't good at rejecting alcohol from older adults, so when you save him from such situation — pulling him away from the old men prying into his love life, because surely a good kid like him would have someone to love him dearly — he's become eternally grateful.

he's honestly too good for his own good.

exhibit a: thoma is prone to cooking too much food for one person to eat in one sitting, so he tends to invite you to eat his hotpot with him or bring you packaged food you can easily pop into a microwave. after your one act of goodwill, he's become strangely attached to you, pronouncing you best buds. he then admits he used to live with a larger group of people (hence his cooking habits), and he's thankful for your company. (you'd argue you're getting the better end of the deal, receiving free food like this)

exhibit b: he's always available to help you in your troubles. need a hand with heavy groceries? he's on his way! ran out of soy sauce? just wait a bit, he's gonna grab some from the cupboard! forgot your key inside your apartment? then stay at his place for the meantime before the locksmith comes! your shower isn't working well?... he promises he won't peek in the bathroom, so feel free to take a bath h a h a h a. need someone's opinion on what outfit to wear for a date? sure, he's- wait.

YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE?

his face twists weirdly as you showcase two different shirts, asking which one he likes better. you raise an eyebrow when he doesn't dare to utter a single word. “are they both bad?”

he blinks rapidly, then shakes his head laughing. he half-heartedly points to the shirt in your left hand, but you can tell he doesn't really think much of it. he excuses himself fairly quickly, saying he had chores to do, and scurried back to his own home.

(you were only going to a date with ayaka's older brother because she insisted you both needed a love life, but it's not like you actually feel anything for him.)

it doesn't end there. thoma acts weird sometimes. he's strangely cold when he sees you inviting kazuha to your apartment to hang out. he also stiffens when he spots xiao walking you home.

but by far, he acted the weirdest when your phone number called him, but when he answered, he heard a different voice respond.

it's childe, whom you went drinking with. he doesn't know where you live, and you're not nearly sober enough to return home on your own, and it's not like you'll agree to staying over childe's house. you also refuse telling him your address, so childe is left with no choices but to call for someone he knows.

he uses your fingerprint to unlock the password in your phone, heading straight for your contact list, and dialed thoma.

it doesn't take long for thoma to arrive where you are, panting after running for a while, and childe is almost impressed. thoma hoists you up and you obediently wrap your arms around him.

“sorry for the trouble. [name]'s dead drunk as you can see,” childe comments, chuckling to himself. thoma doesn't look amused and replies with, “it's no trouble at all. i'd be glad to help [name] anytime.”

then in a way that almost seems possessive, thoma leaves childe behind.

so now when you arrive home, bouquet in your arms, red dusting your features, thoma is displeased once more.

(yet he is envious of those who can freely profess their affections, because he's certain if he were to ever admit his feelings to you, things can never be the same.)

gorou:

you first suspected childe because you thought the bouquet of flowers was a joke, but if it wasn't and it was real with the intentions of sweeping you off your feet...

then you might have another suspect in mind.

gorou is... a funny guy. can you put it like that? you don't know what to think of him. he's nice, you already know that very well, kokomi's good friends with him and told you a few stories about him, all of which are sweet and amusing. your first impression of him was that of a pure-hearted boy that can do no wrong.

he's younger than you by a year, and kokomi was fairly excited when she first told you he would be attending the same university soon. she promised to introduce you to him in hopes you'd be friends as well.

and okay, you could get behind that. there's nothing wrong with meeting new people. gorou sounded like a great guy too, and it'd be nice to take care of someone younger. you've been coddled by your seniors the past year as a freshman, and you thought it would only be right if you did the same to the new batch of students.

so you attended the welcoming party kokomi dragged you into. it was just a small gathering to get the freshmen familiarize themselves with older students, and she told you you'd get to meet gorou there, her eyes carefully scanning the crowd in pursuit of a specific face.

just as you were reminiscing over the past where your sadistic seniors encouraged you to drink a lot in the last welcoming party, shuddering in fright, kokomi tapped your shoulder and gestured to the brown haired boy standing before you.

it must be him. per courtesy, your lips curled into a practiced smile, exuding an amicable air. kokomi briefly exchanged a few words with him, but it looked like she was doing all the talking, the male frozen in spot as if he'd seen something strange.

he stared at you blankly, eyes slightly widened, and you slowly became unnerved with his vacant gaze, your smile faltering. you made eye contact with kokomi, silently questioning her, but she gave a subtle shrug of her shoulders, also confused by his behavior.

then, completely out of everyone's expectations, he'd dropped to the floor.

gorou had knelt on the ground with one steady knee, solemn in his endeavors. in an instant, your hand was seized, fingers enclosed in his warm palm. his piercing stare was impassioned, sincere at its core. heat shot up to the tips of your ears.

“marry me!”

his voice resounded in the entire room, earning unwanted attention. the chatter halted immediately, all eyes dedicated to the spectacle that was the both of you, and your mind began to spin, cold sweat dripping down your forehead.

your voice was caught in your throat, not knowing what to say, and all you could formulate was a garbled string of incoherent mess. undeterred, the grasp on your hand was unrelenting, gorou committed through this act until the very end.

everyone was thinking the same thing: we haven't even started drinking yet, but this little guy is drunk already??

shameless. crazy. a head with loose screws. you're probably the only one who'd describe gorou that way.

but what kind of sane man would say that upon first meeting???

kokomi quickly tried to mediate the situation for him, pulling him away and patting his back to knock him out of his dazed stupor, and pushed you to the farthest corner.

she vouched for him when she saw your puzzled expression, thinking of him as a weirdo, and she insisted he's normally not that odd. she swears he was never interested in dating before, and she isn't sure what changed for him to... propose... all of a sudden... to you, who he'd barely seen for ten seconds, no less.

naturally, it feels strange for you to see him. after that disastrous encounter, gorou — who did feel embarrassment for what he did, horrified at his own impulsiveness — tried to make amends, backtracking steps (he skipped way too many and immediately went to propose lol) and treating you normally like a friend of a friend, slowly trying to make the atmosphere between you casual instead of a freezing blizzard that kills off the amicable mood.

in spite of all that, however, you do feel as if his feelings are actually genuine. he can be clumsy, and incredibly so, you don't know who else could propose to another person within a span of a minute meeting them for the first time, but he means well! you started off on the wrong foot, and maybe this bouquet of flowers is him trying to curry your favor... or something...

yet all he gives is a disbelieving look, and that's enough to provide a clear answer: it's not from him, and he's upset.

it,, probably wasn't a good idea to ask someone who likes you about another person who likes you.

but if it isn't him, who else could it be?!

drop your guesses in the comments but im pretty sure it's already obvious lol

who is the secret admirer?!?!

okay so i already wrote the part 2 for "yours truly" where we get to know his identity but!!!!! i wanted to talk about the little hints i left (well.... looking back on it, they weren't much)

spoilers for my fic so the explanation will be under the cut <3

OKAY. so. let's start by process of elimination, it's pretty easy to tally down the candidates.

characters from part 2 are immediately eliminated bc i NEVER planned to write a part 2 and left the secret admirer in part 1 for sure, so it can only be childe, xiao, diluc, kazuha, albedo, thoma or gorou. i thought the secret admirer not being one of the boys i wrote for would be kinda,,, redundant?? like the point of the fic was trying to find "whodunnit" and if it turned out to be someone random like.. idk. dainsleif? it'd be anti-climactic. like you spent all this time wondering who it is but it turns out to be someone the author didn't even introduce. you'd be disappointed right??? so yeah i didn't do that.

anyways

we know a few things about the secret admirer: 1) he gave flowers, 2) he knows your specific coffee order, and 3) he should be in your university in order to place the gifts on your desk (would be kinda wild if he was a neighbor of yours and he had to go to your university just to give you gifts lol)

important note: when the boys tell you something, it's better to take their word for it. only xiao has lied throughout the entire fic!

firstly, we should remove the guys who have explicitly stated they are not the secret admirer: childe and gorou. though they both admitted to having feelings for you, it's not them. they're very mopey, knowing someone else loves you and is actively trying to woo you :(

second, we'll remove the guys who aren't in your university. it's been established that thoma and kazuha are from a different school, whereas i never mentioned diluc anywhere near your uni and you only meet him through the cafe, so he's implied to not study there!

which consequently leaves us with xiao and albedo. ive brought up xiao many times during part 2, some readers were even misled into thinking he's the secret admirer. but there's really nothing to it lol i just wanted to stick him into the story :P

xiao is sus as fuck in part 1 though. he's in a bad mood when he learns someone else likes you. he wouldnt have to be so upset about the gift on your desk if he was the secret admirer! he lied about not seeing the person who placed it there, too. (which is the only lie in the fic. believe me when i say everyone else isn't feigning innocence or lying about not knowing/seeing the admirer)

LASTLYYYY albedo!!!!! he never openly expressed hostility towards the secret admirer, and only said he couldn't help you find out his identity!!

he's offended you don't consider him a possible candidate :(

and like. did no one think this random mention of a garden was suspicious. it came out of nowhere

kazuha told us outright nobody went to buy carnations at the flower shop. why? because albedo already has carnations at home!

also he's been described as observant

it's not a hint you'll understand from just this, but i'll explain a little more. remember how you first met albedo at the library and more or less studied together? well you do study dates more often after that and of course, coffee is often involved when you're cramming information into your head if you want to pass that biology final. albedo is observant enough (and has the good memory for it) to note down your special order when the barista asks for it. (diluc never denied that someone ordered with your recipe too)

also

fun fact: the ending for part 2 was supposed to be a confession scene and not a lil pov from albedo. couldn't figure out how to go about it and i also felt bad for scaramouche who was supposed to suffer through it

like. you were supposed to leave the room when albedo chickens out from confessing, hand twisting around the doorknob. but he panics when he sees you trying to leave so he places a hand to cover yours, chest nearly pressing against your back.

you turn to his direction, releasing the grip on the doorknob and is startled to see his expression so near, a gap of mere inches separating your lips. your breaths mingle as he leans even closer, words spilling out of him not on his own volition.

then the doorknob twists.

neither of you have your hands around it.

scaramouche pulls open the door and is met with an armful of you.

... he walked in on you. because that's his thing. being the eternal third wheel.

Look at Azul coming home 🥰🥰🥰

i got you!

modern/college au with the genshin boys (preferably Scaramouche, Kaeya, Xiao, Albedo, Childe, and Kazuha) x gn!reader who's their roomate and the pair slowly fall in love? headcanons are fine! (maybe a small drabble at the end of each if you want tho ehe)

Genshin Boys as Your Slowburn Roommate

featuring: Scaramouche, Kaeya, Xiao, Albedo, Childe, Kazuha

[Genshin Masterlist]

anon i LOVED writing these so much thank u so much for requesting them!! modern roommate au is one of my absolute favourites to write and I've already had brainworms for a lot of these before so the excuse to write them all down at last has been amazing lmao

the drabbles are just short lil scenes between 150-250 words each bc I was quite inconsistent w the ideas and the way I planned this out lmfao - also little warning childe's drabble is a bit ✨spicier✨ than the rest but it's just kissing lmao

Scaramouche

This man would be an insufferable roommate, but you’ll be damned if he wasn’t the most efficiently organised person you had ever had to share a living space with.

Everything has its place and everything is spotless, just be careful not to mess with his organisation because you will have hellfire rained upon you for it. 

Disappears for days on end with no explanation, but you get an apology and a frustrated sigh every single time he comes back as he explains that he was dragged into another weekend-long bender by his friends, whom you only know as ‘the loud brat’ (who seems to be a few years younger) and ‘the other one’ (you’ve figured he likes her best).

You’re almost certain he’s only nice to you because he has to live with you, and he’d rather keep you sweet than be at odds with you, but that doesn’t explain the nights you’ll spend taking silent walks together just to enjoy the outdoor air. Nor does it explain the moments when you first come home, where he’s clearly busy but he takes time out from whatever it is he’s doing just to make sure he’s welcomed you back, even if it’s just with a simple observation of “you’re home” as he looks up from his work.

Your slowburn, one tempered through those quiet moments you share, would likely come to a head by mistake. Through an argument of some sort, perhaps you had come home late or something similar, a state wherein Scaramouche had (though he’d never dare to admit it) actually been worried about you. 

“I don’t get why you’re so damn annoyed about this,” you huff exasperatedly, throwing your arms into the air. 

“Because I love you, you stupid idiot!” He snaps, making you flinch. You blink for a second as his words process, still a little too high-strung from the sudden adrenaline rush of the argument. “Fuck, just… I didn’t say anything, okay?”

He makes an attempt to leave, to barge his way past you, but you’re stood in the doorway and you’re holding strong. You place your hand on his arm and ask him to look at you, which he does- reluctantly. Scaramouche looks in that moment like he’s desperate to be genuinely mad at you, but as though he can’t find the heart to follow through with it. 

“For what it’s worth,” you begin, tone soft and kinder as you try to placate the situation. “I’m particularly fond of you as well. Stupid idiot.”

He kisses you there and then and you can’t say you ever regretted it.

Kaeya

Literally acts like you’re married already just on account of you living with eachother. All jokes of course and he’d shut up about it if you asked, but he will introduce you as his ‘house spouse’ to his friends. 

He’s incredibly comfortable with sharing a living space with somebody, though he politely requests that you just let him have his own space when he asks of it- which works out beautifully as you request the exact same. 

If one of you plans to be home later than the other, you’ve already sent a text and the other is already making dinner for you both if you need it. He’s a surprisingly good cook, but you beg him so many times to just stop adding mushrooms to everything.

He will absolutely fall in love first and it comes as a surprise to both of you, but you suppose you can only joke about being married to someone so many times before you actually fall for them. 

This slowburn would culminate in a scene like something out of a movie, with him confessing to you somewhere so beautiful that the entire moment just feels so perfect 

And you know, in that perfect moment, that he’s the one for you.

The snow is falling so delicately over you, dusting your shoulders and the top of your head in a thin layer of white. You bundle your warm outer layers closer around yourself as you look out over the city. The park that Kaeya has brought you to is empty, but it provides the most stunning overhanging view of the college campus below- not to mention the sight of the shoreline just beyond that. It looks a little more dull and lifeless than you’re sure it would in the summer, but there is a quaint beauty to it all the same. 

“It’s pretty,” you comment, smiling up at him. 

He smiles back, nudging your shoulder in that soft playful way you’re so used to. “Not as pretty as you.”

“Flatterer,” you scoff, rubbing your arms as you watch the breath you exhale cloud up in front of your face. 

“I mean it,” Kaeya affirms, tone more serious now. His arm wraps around your shoulders and holds you closer to him and you can’t help looking up at him in curiosity. 

The air around you is palpable, your face feels so incredibly warm. He’s never been this close to you before, with your noses practically touching. You almost miss the quiet request for permission before his lips are pressed sweetly against your own and you’re losing yourself in the moment, throwing your arms around him to kiss him harder. 

Xiao

Somehow incredibly popular despite his seeming reluctance to make friends. There’s always another story for him to tell you about how he’s been confessed to out of the blue, or another mysterious package for him at the doorstep from a ‘secret admirer’. 

You’re not quite sure how he manages it, and from what he’s told you he’s equally as bemused by it. But you like that he’s open about it with you at all, because he’s told you time and again that he doesn’t really ‘do’ friendships. 

It seems that you’re his exception to a lot of things, however. He’s developed a strong sense of respect for you over the time you’ve lived together, to the point where he will just gladly exist around you without the air feeling awkward. 

The moment you first fall for him is when he comes home late one night with a small bundle of fur cradled close to his chest, purring lightly, and a heavy shopping bag slung off his arm. A stray cat, he’d rescued it on his walk back from classes and promptly stopped at the nearest store to grab everything he possibly could to look after it. You can’t say no to keeping it, especially when both it and Xiao himself look at you with the most irresistible little pouts. 

This kitty pretty much becomes your baby, as you even start to work around your routines with how best to care for it, and eventually you’re settled into such a perfect familial routine that it ends up hitting you like a brick that this is really all you want- to spend your life with Xiao like this, even if you just adopt a bunch more pets. 

The sweet fluffball curls itself up in your lap and you pet it absently, leaning back on the sofa and hanging your head back to watch Xiao as he paces around trying to collect what he needs for classes the next day. 

“You’ll hurt yourself doing that,” he notes, tapping your forehead as he passes you by. You frown and sit up, craning your neck round still to watch him as you try your best not to jostle the cat too much. 

“You’re no fun,” you pout. 

He laughs, a heavenly sound you hear far too rarely, and walks back over to you, placing a kiss atop your head. You melt into the feeling, before you realise exactly what had just happened and freeze in your tracks. It seems he hadn’t quite acknowledged what he was doing either, as he stares back at you with equal shock. 

“So, we should talk, huh?” You offer, patting the sofa next to you.

He nods, moves next to you, and you almost forget about the cat in your lap as you pull him into a soft embrace. Though you’re reminded rather harshly as the poor creature leaps up off of you to try and escape being trapped between the two of you. 

Albedo

You are not going to see this man during regular human hours. He’s essentially a cryptid at this point, leaving in mid-afternoon to go to the labs and not coming back home until the early hours of the morning (sometimes entire days later). You’re concerned about how much he eats and sleeps in this time, but he waves you off with an excuse about some new energy bar he has learned helps your motivation and efficiency levels.

However, he never fails to come back on time if you promise to cook dinner for the two of you. 

He will be there early sometimes, just to help you out. Sometimes, he will even bring you some of your favourite snacks, or a new set of notebooks if you’re running low. Just little things he has picked up on. Though he likely won’t say it outright, it is his way of thanking you for taking care of him.

This romance blossoms so very slowly, possibly one of the slowest out of any others here. 

It is one of mutual respect and trust, growing from such a beautiful symbiosis of the two of you existing around one another that suddenly not living together seems like the worst thing in the world. 

If one of you were to have plans to move out, that would prompt the other to confess abruptly. However, otherwise, you pretty much just settle into the sweetness of a romantic relationship over time as you grow more comfortable around each other. 

It is some time into the late evening when you finally hear the door unlock, but you have conveniently just finished plating up dinner for the night. 

“Honey, I’m home,” Albedo calls out to you and your heart races at the nickname. It isn’t the first time the phrase has so casually slipped from him when he has returned of an evening, but you’re almost certain you’ll never get used to it. 

“Welcome back,” you smile, bringing the plates out to the table in the makeshift living/dining room. “It’s just pasta tonight I’m afraid, we’re on a budget this month.”

“Anything you make is perfect,” Albedo hums, carefully dropping his bags at the door and kicking off his shoes. He makes his way across to you and drapes an arm across your shoulders, pressing a grateful kiss to your forehead. 

You discuss anything and everything across the small expanse of that dining room table, be it the experiment that Albedo has been working on for his thesis or the work you have been up to for your own. The conversation flows naturally, amicably, as it always has done for the few years you have lived together now. It feels as though time itself stills when you’re in Albedo’s company, as if the world doesn’t need to exist until you’re done. 

You’ve already lived lifetimes on end in the sanctuary of a home you have created together. 

Childe

Childe listens to 80’s hits and musical soundtracks on full blast from a speaker he stationed in the living room with absolutely zero shame about it, do not look at me and tell me he does not

It’s annoying as hell at times, especially if you want to study, but on occasion it’s hard not to fall into the infectious energy that he radiates as he grabs your hands and spins you around the living room with him, both of you laughing until your sides hurt

Despite most people painting Childe as a typical frat boy type I really do not see it. This man would enjoy a good party don’t get me wrong, but he’d be far too busy focusing on maintaining his physical health for wrestling club meets and events. (You’ll catch him just casually shirtless in the living room one too many times and have to walk back out before it becomes obvious to him that you’re pretty much having a heart attack at the sight). 

Not to mention the downtime he spends on the beginner tier of the archery club. To top it all off, he’d spend weekend mornings down at the swimming pool. Man’s got too tight of a schedule to party 24/7.

Your romance would be very cliche for the typical roommates-to-lovers trope. Gentle brushes of shoulders as you pass each other in the hallway, sidling around one another whilst you complete your morning routines (occasionally bickering as you do, until one or both of you cave a part of your own routine to improve the dynamic). 

Eventually, there would be this overwhelming moment that hits you, whilst you’re doing the most mundane of things together, probably just sat watching TV at the end of a long day, as he leans over and wraps his arm around you and draws you close, letting you cuddle up to his side. You crane your neck up to face him and he’s smiling down at you and in that moment you know you have to kiss him or you’ll explode. 

The rest is history.

The sound of the television across from you has devolved into static in the back of your mind as you focus on how hot Childe’s body feels against yours, the pressure of his hands on your waist as he shuffles you into his lap to kiss you with more fervour. You may have made the first move, but he’s frantic and hungry as he tries to taste as much of you as you will allow. 

“This,” he manages between breaths, between kisses, as he can’t help himself going back for more and more, “isn’t what friends do.”

“Then fuck it, we aren’t friends.” Your hands dip to the hem of his shirt and explore along his chest underneath and Childe simply can’t find it in himself to argue as he falls prey to you for the night.

In the morning, you sit down and talk things through properly, discussing where your feelings stand and what boundaries this means you should set. But that doesn’t stop you from being distracted by the handful of red marks now littering Childe’s neck as you try so hard to focus on the conversation. 

Kazuha

Very sweet roommate, you literally can’t find a complaint about him even if you try.

Leaves little messages across the refrigerator in those bright coloured letter magnets, sometimes a little poem that came to mind as he was having breakfast and sometimes just a simple ‘hope your day goes well :)’

You end up rearranging them to make little messages back, which ends up just snowballing into becoming the primary way you two communicate anything important about the other’s plans for the week. 

Falling in love with Kazuha is another that happens incredibly slowly, though a little more noticeably than with Albedo. Those little messages on the fridge end up having a little ‘x’ at the end of them to signify a little kiss, you can’t quite remember which of you started it now but you fall into the routine with it easily. 

Eventually, and by which it has been years, you come home one day and that same little fridge message is there as always- though you expect to find the same one from this morning so you can change it ready for Kazuha to see (as he returns later than you). Instead, there’s something new already. 

“I think we should date x”

Below, are the letters set up in a jumble for either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. 

You shuffle the letters for ‘yes’ into place below the message, a rush of heat finding its way to your cheeks and your heart beating erratically. As you turn to rush back to your room, hoping Kazuha doesn’t see before you’ve had the chance to calm your nerves, you crash straight into him. 

The yelp you let out is met with a lighthearted chuckle as he holds your shoulders gently and peers around you to check the refrigerator. 

“I’m glad,” he speaks after a moment. “I was almost worried you’d say no.”

“How could I?” You manage, heartbeat still pounding as you become hyper-aware of the feeling of his hands on you. “I like you a lot, you know.”

“I like you too,” he smiles, cupping your cheek in one hand and pressing such a tender kiss to your lips that you’re sure you’ve ascended into a higher plane of existence at the sheer bliss. 

Big brother Kaya supremacy 

hmm uhh maybe modern!au headcanons of tha fave genshin boys? (yknow like kaeya, xiao, albedo etc etc) with their s/o whos also their roomate?

── [ 🎞 ] AND THEY WERE ROOMATES 😧⁉️ two hcs each

📍: with kae xiao and albedo !! This is so overdue LMAOO

KAEYA always has someone over. A friend, a party, maybe even a sneaky link 😧⁉️SCANDALOUS… 🤨⁉️⁉️ but none compare to you ofc‼️ ur the apple of his eye, no matter who’s he with. Cooking pasta as he adds wine into the mix behind your back, (the heat burns the alcohol, DW‼️ consent is hot and sexy ykwim) and leaning over ur shoulder and purposely leaning in to you behind your back.. as he traps you between the counter and him.. as he licks ur ear..😰⁉️ YOU LITERALLY YELP.. he’s such a weirdo 😭😭

he tries to emit reactions from you all the time.. like showing up in only a towel in ur room, popping in when ur in the bathroom.. sir please. Get your massive mommy milkers implants OUT OF MY SPACE.. when did this become a WHORE HOUSE 🤨⁉️ like we know ur ass isn’t all that.. we know ur jeans lift ur non existent ass… don’t fuck with us

.

XIAO is nowhere to be seen. He barely goes out his room, and when he does it’s only to use the bathroom or when you’re out of the dorm. And honestly? THATS FUCKING RUDE 🤬‼️‼️ and then you find out he’s a .. a t-t-tw*tch streamer.. 🤢🤢 but you often check up on him and help him with hw because he got none of it done being on that gahdaym phone 🙄‼️

also if you ask he will do ur game levels that are too hard for you. Yes, he’ll be like “this is so easy dumbass bitch.. do I have to do everything for u.. stupid whore..” and then finish it for you and leave a note. HES SO MEAN BUT HES SO CUTE 😭😭 LIKE HES SO RUDE.. BUTT HIS ACTIONS ARE SO NICE⁉️ pick a side mf.. you AINT fooling NO ONE 😍‼️ ik you want this daddy xiao 😜😜

.

ALBEDO always has his sister over while he does some billy nye daddy shit ⁉️ and she’s so smart. Klee is always like, “yeah!! thsi chemical is highly explosive with this one and creates a sjejsjsjsjksjdjdjdhdkpenishsjsj explosion!! It’s called djsjsosossuckmydicksjsjk” like❓THE FUCK 😭⁉️ but you two watch over her while his parents are out for the day, and make sure to make albedo come out of his god forsaken room and shower 🙄‼️ stinky ass

Watching klee set you up.. omg 😭😭 SHE CALLS YOU AND ALBEDO MOMMY AND DADDY… “but you live together! And you take care of eachother? You like each other, right..?” Uh Klee NOT LIKE THAT 🤬‼️‼️ I mean it is but we aren’t admitting it first 🙄so like when you pick up klee, she’ll show you the cards she made for Mother’s Day and she has two. You and Alice, and albedo is by you with a heart 🤢🤢 EW. Cooties. There’s a red line between you too dw klee thought of that!!

For the event:

Albedo +

Tysm! (＾∇＾)ﾉ♪

𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 - 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢

take part - here!

pairing - albedo x gender neutral reader (royalty au!)

genre - fluff

word count - 2668

a/n - hello hello!! this is such a pretty photo, kinda reminds me of a botanical garden :) i think those flowers are hydrangeas so i tried to incorporate them into the drabble as much as i could :D ik it's daytime in the pic but for the sake of this it's nighttime ok shhhh. i kind of struggle to write for albedo a bit but i did as best as i could :) i also went v e r y overboard with this :')

content under the cut!

marriage is an odd thing, strong and supportive in theory but fickle in execution and nature, it often made no sense to you whatsoever. so imagine your surprise when your parents, the king and queen of fontaine, came to you and informed you of your betrothal to the crown prince of mondstat: prince albedo.

to many, a betrothal to prince albedo would be a dream. from what you've heard he's quite handsome although a bit socially inept and possessed a mind rivaling that of the most brilliant scholars. you'd be lying if you said part of you wasn't curious, but that part of you was also being swallowed by an inevitable fear of what was to come.

marriage was a thick, steely cuff shackled to ivory floors in your opinion, you'd exchange your freedom in for your country as your duty requires you to, but then what? live a life locked up in a palace with some man you barely know as your husband? the mere thought of it had you running to the nearest bathroom and dry heaving over the sink.

on top of the weighty betrothal, you hadn't a sliver of an idea of what prince albedo looked like exactly. sure, you knew he was a bit quiet and super smart but asides from that? you had nothing to go off of.

and it seemed like you never would officially know what he looked like until the day of your marriage when your parents made it their mission to hide portraits of the prince that had been sent over to your palace as a gift. you tried to sneak a glance under the cloth draped over one of the paintings only to be harshly reprimanded by your person in waiting and dragged off for more nobility training.

the week before you were to be shipped off to mondstat and married, your parents came to you smiling ear to ear. "the monarchs in mondstat have arranged for an engagement ball! isn't this exciting?" and of course, like always, you nodded and went along with it. but in reality you wanted nothing more than to slink away and indulge in your hobbies that had nothing to do with royal duties or marriage.

and now here you stood, greeting one person after the other as you stood beside both your parents and the monarchs of mondstat. guests swept across the marble dance floor, skirts billowing akin to faint smoke. you gripped a flute of champagne in one gloved hand and the other mindlessly fussed with an over-the-top heirloom on your neck. "stop slouching!" your mother hissed, lightly tapping the side of your arm with her elaborate golden fan. you sighed and straightened your back, sending her a look that practically read "happy now?"

bored out of your mind, you had nothing to do but look around and take in the sights (asides from repeating the same basic greeting every thirty or so seconds). the king and queen of mondstat had spared no expense in decking their ballroom out with the finest of decorations and food hailing from the best of cooks and pastry chefs. you glanced towards the side past your parents who stood on either side of you. the king and queen of mondstat were busy being greeting other guests, but you saw no one who looked like they could be the crown prince.

you'd noted down a few possibilities of who albedo could be: the gentleman with inky blue hair and a striking eyepatch who had entered an animated discussion with a guard. or perhaps the stony-faced redhead who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. yet none of them seemed probable to you, that eyepatch man was much too chatty and though the red head was a strong contender for a while, he didn't seem quite socially inept.

though the mini hunt for your betrothed played out like a game in your mind, it didn't help distract you from the overwhelming presence of people that surrounded you. from each and every corner and side came flocks of nobility, ambassadors, lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses, you name the title and they were there. after answering far too many questions for your liking and speaking in tongues that left you with a lump in your throat, you quickly excused yourself to the bathroom only to end up lost within the grand halls of the palace.

"this is ridiculous..." you grumbled, hiking up yet another flight of stairs and passing another intricate porcelain vase that you'd sworn you'd seen twice in trying to navigate the palace. you wondered if you'd just been going around in circles until a certain door caught your attention.

unlike the wooden oak doors that defined many of the rooms in the palace, these doors were purely glass and framed by uncarved wood with some of the leaves still intact. the twisting branches were something like you'd seen in the few alchemy classes you'd taken previously. curious, you placed your palm on the wooden handle and twisted it open.

before you was a sight unlike any other you'd seen before.

tiled paths lined from the door lead inwards towards a stunning indoor garden. along the sides, beds bordered by hedges held silky hydrangeas both violet and ocean blue which surrounded tall, stalking trees that protruded their way up in the middle of the flower beds. bushes and other varying greenery sat in the beds, neatly crafted to form elegant circles. in the middle of the garden, a beautiful beige marble fountain sat spewing water from the top.

for a moment you simply stood by the door and observed with your mouth agape, completely engulfed by the garden that seemed to jump right out of your favorite fantasy novels. you glanced around cautiously, and when you caught sight of no one else, you traversed deeper within.

the only tangible sounds were the soft clicks of your shoes across the tiles and the gentle trickle of the fountain which reverberated throughout the lush garden. as you approached the fountain, you noticed tiny multicolored butterflies hovering over the marble borders. you perched yourself on the edge and watched them flutter around you with curious eyes.

"hello there..." you quietly whispered to a stunning golden butterfly that landed on the tip of your finger.

"i see you've met auric." a voice suddenly broke through the calm silence you had been engulfed in.

you whipped your head around, a tad frightened. at first, you saw nothing but darkness. "w-who's there?" you asked, rising from your seat and looking around.

from the darkness of one of the leading paths stepped forth a young man.

but this was no young man in particular, in fact this was most definitely the most handsome man you'd ever seen in your entire life.

bathed in moonlight, his ashen locks were neatly combed and braided to the back. his attire was that of the finest garb, you noted. gold lined his dark blue overcoat, the tails embedded with dots of silver and aquamarine. but most of all, his stunning cerulean eyes sucked you in like a whirlpool and held you in its swirling grips.

"the great spangled fritillary," he politely smiled, gesturing to the butterfly on the tip of your finger, "scientific name speyeria cybele." he finished, walking closer to you.

"but to me, that butterfly's name is simply auric." said butterfly was still on your finger, flitting its wings every now and then. how it hadn't flown away with your movements, you had no idea.

the name tasted familiar on your tongue, "auric? like the chemical term?" he nodded, placing his white gloved finger near yours.

the butterfly, or auric rather scuttled off your finger onto the man's. "correct, meaning-"

"of, related to, or derived from gold." you eagerly finished for him. he seemed surprised but nodded. "yes...very good. are you perchance a scholar?" from the look on his face, it seemed if you were to lie about your status as a monarch he'd see right through it. and yet you couldn't exactly risk giving up such sensitive information to a complete stranger who had you alone.

"not exactly, i am merely...associated with the royal family of fontaine." lying wasn't exactly your specialty, but for now it seemed like he bought it.

"ah, i see. i too am also...associated with the royal family of mondstat." with a gentle flick of his finger, auric the butterfly fluttered away back to hover over the spewing water.

"is the ball not to your liking?" he asked. you fumbled with a response, knowing that this man was closely associated with the royal family could mean your answer here would be very important.

"i- um, the decorations are quite lovely!" you quickly blurted out, unsure of what else to say.

"ah it pleases me to hear that, are you having a good time?" you nodded your head yes, but from the looks of it you didn't seem too convincing. "you mustn't lie, it's very unbecoming. it's alright if it wasn't to your liking. i'm not much for parties myself." the mysterious man sat himself down on the edge of the marble fountain and gestured to the empty space next to him. "you're welcome to keep me company while i avoid social interaction." you snorted and placed yourself on the space beside him.

"that's a bit contradictory you know."

"i'm well aware, but the clashes of duty and desire are almost always contradictory are they not?" he ended with a charming smirk. smartass, you chuckled and nodded.

you thought back to the butterfly that had perched itself so tamely on your fingertips. "are you a researcher of butterflies?" you asked as you looked up at the fluttering insects that still hovered above you.

"i would consider myself so, i know more about them than most people." he hummed to himself. "and you? you seem awfully intelligent for someone merely associated with the royal family." you gulped and hoped he didn't see through your ruse.

"i- um, i'm in charge of the younger monarch's...educational teachings. yes-! i'm their tutor." you quickly weaved a lie. it had holes and gaps but it was the best you could do for now.

"you might be interested in the royal library then. if you ever return to the palace i'll be sure to show you." your ears perked up at the mention of a library.

"i'd like that, sure." you smiled. so far you kinda liked this man, he'd been nothing but courteous to you but within was a deeper layer that seemed to rest just beneath the surface. you couldn't lie, your curiosity was beginning to get the better of you. you tried to avoid his gaze yet his eyes bore into you, almost as if analyzing your every move.

"you seem...bothered by something. might i ask what?" you fiddled with the ends of your gloves and sighed.

"am i that obvious?" you peered up at him from your hunched position, a tiny sheepish smile on your face.

he merely waved his hand and dismissed your question, "not particularly, i'm just fairly observant."

perhaps it was the fresh air, or the lack of pressure on your shoulders you'd left behind in the ballroom, but you felt your resolve crumbling bit by bit.

"i'm to be wed soon," you mumbled more to the ground than him, "and i'm not sure if i'm ready to be tied down. or if i'll ever be ready for that."

you hadn't raised your head to check if he was still listening, but from his quiet breaths and slight hums of understanding it seemed he was.

"i see, marriage is quite the hassle i must agree. i simply wouldn't have the energy to expend into maintaining both a relationship and my academic endeavors," you nodded in complete understanding, "but then again, perhaps a relationship wouldn't be too hard to maintain if it were the right person."

"the thing is, i've never met my fiance. i have no idea if he's right for me."

he hummed and you watched from the side as auric fluttered down onto his finger once again. "being someone as lovely as you, your fiance would have to be a fool not to treat you right." he smiled, giving you a reassuring look.

the butterflies in your stomach swirled upwards with his compliments and you hid you flustered eyes in the confinements of the suddenly very interesting ground.

"thank you, for the reassurance i mean." you mumbled.

"of course, i believe you're in good hands."

the curious side of you was clawing away at your sides, demanding that you know more about this mysterious man. the more rational part of you however, demanded that you hold your tongue and treat this as a formal encounter. of course, you chose to be complicated.

"if i might ask for your name?" you boldly asked.

before he could even get a chance to open his mouth and reply, a nearby clock sounded the bell ten times. you whipped your head over and suddenly remembered that your mother would be looking for you.

"i don't mean to cut this short but my mo- i mean! the queen will be looking for me. i must hurry back." you picked yourself up and bowed hastily. as you turned to dash out of the door, he caught your hand in his gloved one.

he seemed to not know what he was doing at first, but cleared his throat and placed a feather light kiss on the back of your silk covered hand. "until next time." he nodded politely at you. if you weren't a mess before you sure as hell were now.

where he had formally kissed your hand and been polite, you managed to squeak out a "goodbye!" before scurrying off.

by some miracle you'd managed to find your way back to the ballroom and stumbled to your parent's sides with less grace than you were taught. your mother turn to you with a worried look, "where have you been?" she hissed lowly under her breath.

"got lost," you panted, smoothing out the fabric of your clothes.

"oh my dear (y/n)! i've been looking for you!" you snapped your head up as the call of your name. your future mother-in-law bounded towards you and took both of your hands in her warm ones.

"i've finally found that elusive son of mine, i'm so very eager to have him meet you." she giggled and clasped her hands together.

your stomach did backflips- did she just say you're finally going to get to meet the man you'd spend the rest of your life with? it was a bit overdue in your opinion, but better late than never you supposed.

you waited expectantly, the nervous butterflies in your stomach began to flutter with each second as you watched the queen of mondstat filter through the crowd for her son. at the thought of butterflies, your mind wandered back to that handsome man in the garden and auric the beautiful golden butterfly. he had the most lovely voice too...you almost thought if you listened hard enough past the classical music and chit chat you'd hear the soft bass of his calm voice.

"(y/n)?" brought away from your thoughts, your eyes fell upon those same cerulean eyes that you'd just seen earlier.

your mouth fell agape and you couldn't hide the immediate shock on your face. "you!" you pointed a finger at the ashen haired man you'd encountered in the garden.

"yes, i'm prince albedo. i apologize i should have introduced myself in the garden but," he paused for a moment to extend his hand, "you seemed much more inclined to hide your identity. i thought i'd do the same." your head swam with thoughts of all kinds as you hesitantly placed your hand in his.

the sly glint in his eyes let you know that marriage to him might not be as shackled as you thought.