Genshin Kazuha X Reader - Tumblr Posts

“it stings.”

# — pairing: kazuha x gn!reader

# — characters: gender neutral reader, kazuha, mentioned minor character

# — summary: he's your partner. nobody else's.

# — warnings: mildly suggestive; descriptions of making out, hickies

# — tags: fluff, touch of angst, communication, minor character is stupid, zuzu still wants to make out with kazuha, pretty self-indulgent

# — notes: FINALLY. I FINALLY GOT TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. SHAKING AND CRYING, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. reblogs and reactions are appreciated, and i hope you enjoy!

wanna join the (new!) tag list?

✧ — 🍁 — ✧

something’s... off about you.

it's no secret that nature often lends kazuha a hand when observing other people. he can hear the faintest things and pick up on the most minute details with ease -- especially when it comes to you.

for example: shortly after you two first met, after only three rounds during your first sparring match, he knew that you'd injured your wrist a few years back and gave you specific pointers on how to relieve the pain. now, even after going an entire day without seeing you, he somehow knows how you're feeling with no more than a simple glance and knows how to treat you accordingly. kazuha adjusts to things very easily, but he quickly became attuned to you without thinking; the breeze that follows close behind you is one he's familiar with, one he's grown to love deeply.

but for the past couple of days, however, something's been polluting the air you usually carry about with you. it feels like... tension, to say the least.

kazuha isn't too sure if you've realized this yet, but your smiles are thinner and looking a little forced. you're holding him closer at night (he didn't even think it possible, yet here you were) and your shoulders look tight from what he can see. you've also started working your jaw whenever you're quiet. it's not as obvious as he's making it seem, but as someone who trained himself to know all that makes you you, he can spot any oddities from a mile away.

you, on the other hand, are busy wondering why kazuha is so fucking dense.

you didn't think it possible what with how scarily observant he can be at times, but as he chats with some girl aboard the alcor (jiang -- you found out her name against your will), you wonder how he can't see what's right in front of his face.

right now, jiang is giving kazuha the "eyes" -- you would know, because you do it to him as a joke. she's got her head tilted to the side like some curious puppy, and she practically melts every time he smiles. (which is all the time, by the way. this is making you sick.)

you're also standing right next to him as he speaks. you'd think jiang would be more subtle about this.

kazuha turns his head to the side suddenly. he must've heard someone calling his name. "i'll be taking my leave," he tells the two of you. he looks at you and you feel your breath catch. for a second, you damn near forgot why you were so upset. "i'm sorry to leave you alone. beidou seems to need me."

well, fuck.

"it's no problem." you half-lie, mirroring his smile. "go before she gets impatient."

ever the charmer, kazuha takes your hand and brings your fingers to his lips before departing, leaving you with your heart reluctantly racing in your chest. god damn him.

a very uncomfortable silence descends upon you and jiang. you can feel her eyes boring into the side of her head. don't speak to me, you think. don't say a fucking word, don't speak, just stay quiet--

"you're so lucky." jiang sounds so dejected that it makes you look at her. you have to school your expression into an even one -- god forbid you show her just how much you loathe being near her. "he's such a good guy."

at least she knows he's taken. you feel your chest swell with a little bit of pride. "he really is." you have to swallow back the urge to brag.

jiang sighs wistfully. "must be nice..."

it is, you almost say. you bite your tongue. maybe it's best if you leave her to her own devices for now; you should be the bigger person. you say a quick goodbye and head off to find some work to do. the further you are from her, the better.

unfortunately, the universe has other plans.

a question: why is it that when you're trying to avoid someone, you keep seeing them everywhere? because you see jiang everywhere. not only that, you're often tasked with being near her.

like now; you're mapping out some stuff before you send it over to zhiqiong for finalization, and who else but jiang would come by to keep you company? she's helpful, surprisingly, but somehow, kazuha keeps coming up in conversation.

"where did we last see those remnants of osial's wife?" you ask her softly, your eyes fixed on the sheet. you point to a place near the compass in the corner. "was it here?"

jiang hums and points to an area closer to land. "more like here," she says, "i remember someone saying to stay on high alert because of how dangerously close it was to that fishing village."

"right, thanks. now, where did that cargo wash up? near ritou--?"

"kazuha likes fish, doesn't he?" jiang asks. her question takes you off-guard. it must show, because she apologizes, her face flushing. "i'm sorry, that was really off-topic. it's just-- i noticed that he gets a little excited whenever the chefs grill fish, so..."

you keep your expression as even as you possibly can and try to give her the benefit of the doubt. kazuha isn't very subtle with information like that. everyone knows that he likes grilled fish -- it was one of the first and only things people knew about him for a while. "yeah, he's, uh," you shift your eyes back to the map, "very particular about it. it's a hassle sometimes, but if he's happy, he's happy."

jiang nods -- maybe a little too eagerly for your liking. "i see, i see."

"right. so, ritou. did beidou say we lost stuff near the docks?"

"yeah, apparently some tenryou commission defectors or something took some stuff that was supposed to go on the ship and tossed it into the sea."

"dammit," you swear, "there was some valuable wood in those boxes. the tianquan wanted high quality maple wood for some construction just outside the harbor."

"there were reported sightings of some floating boxes..." jiang is quiet as she marks up places where shipment boxes had been spotted. as she does, she asks: "kazuha... wears a lot of maple leaves, doesn't he?"

you say a silent prayer. whether it's for you or her, you're not sure. "he does." your response is clipped.

"did he ever tell you why?"

you have never wanted to not talk about kazuha before. this is new. you don't like it. "something about his family. i don't know all the details." you're lying. annoyed, you add, "and even if i did, it wouldn't be my place to share them."

"oh." jiang murmurs. "i thought he would've told you. i guess i'll ask him sometime later."

"...right. you do that." you take a silent breath. you try to start working again, but--

"would he be in the crow's nest?" jiang doesn't look at you, but you can see her ears flushing and her lips curling into the most smitten smile. "just so i, uh, know where to find him and ask."

you're not sure what possesses you, but you give her the answer she's looking for. you're being the bigger person, you remind yourself. that's all. you're just doing as any good person would do. thankfully, you work the rest of the time in silence.

sure enough though, later that day, kazuha and jiang are nowhere to be found. xu liushi said something about them being in the crow's nest together talking about their hometowns. you don't like the pit that opens up in your stomach.

now, don't misunderstand; you don't feel threatened by jiang. not at all. you're not worried about her taking kazuha from right under your nose. no, no, that's not the problem at all.

the problem is that she keeps using you as kazuha information bank of sorts. all you two end up talking about is him, and when you don't give her a straightforward answer, she just goes and asks him directly. and kazuha, being the absolute sweetheart that he is, just goes with the flow, blissfully unaware of the lovesick fool jiang is making herself out to be.

the worst part about all this is that she knows that kazuha is your lover, yet she acts this way anyways. right in front of you -- both of you! does she think you're stupid? it's infuriating!

kazuha catches you mulling over it one night before bed. he's already laying down, ready to sleep, but you're still sitting up, rubbing at your temples. you've been nursing a headache for about a week.

"is everything okay, dove?" he asks sleepily. you twist to look down at him and see his eyes already half-lidded. "are you not going to sleep?"

you comb your fingers through his hair, which has been freed from its usual ponytail. "i'll sleep soon, love." you murmur, chuckling when he yawns. "you've had a long day, no?"

kazuha hums his assent. "you didn't answer the question. is everything okay?" he looks a little more awake now, the beginnings of a frown forming on his face.

this is why you've been sitting back and taking jiang's shit these days. because at the end of the day, you have kazuha beside you. you lay down and laugh a little when he immediately wraps his arms around you. kazuha buries his face in your shoulder and you keep running your fingers through his hair.

"i'm fine, kazuha. promise." you tell him.

kazuha leaves a butterfly kiss on your skin. "are you absolutely sure?"

how could you not be? you kiss the crown of his head as his breathing slows. "absolutely."

you want to say that all your troubles were over after that, but things come to a head by the next morning. the alcor docks in liyue harbor during a routine visit for the sailors to spend time with their families. comfortable as you may have been last night, you can't seem to stay asleep. you struggle out of kazuha's arms (he's got a firm grip, even in his sleep) and get ready for the day, stepping out the cabin to breathe in the fresh air.

before the people wake, liyue harbor is one of the most peaceful places on the planet. it's nothing but you and the gentle slapping of the waves against the sides of the alcor. you take a deep breath, refreshed, and head off the ship for a walk. when you return with some trinkets from an early rising vendor -- some matching tassles for kazuha's sword and your polearm -- who else would you run into but jiang.

you would have walked past her, but she was standing just a little too close to your cabin, turning something over in her fingers. "uh..." you narrow your eyes at her, suspicion hardening your tone. "do you need something?"

"oh, good morning!" jiang spots you then and she lights up, her face red. it's too early for this. "hi, i'm sorry, i just... well... i wanted to give kazuha something."

you don't bother fixing your expression anymore. "it's too early for that. he's probably still asleep."

jiang deflated. "o-oh... then can you give it to him for me? please?" she holds it out to you. it's a little furin that looks handmade. she must've really put some thought into this. "i figured since he was so far from home while the rest of us were here... i-i thought maybe he'd want something to dull the homesickness..."

under any other circumstances, this would be cute. endearing, even. but this is your last fucking straw. you breathe harshly through your nose, your irritation showing through. "jiang, do me a favor and back up, first of all." you shoo her away from your door. she inches back, but you keep gesturing. "back. up." you seethe.

"is something wrong?" she asks.

"for the love of-- you're in front of my cabin at ass o'clock in the morning trying to give my boyfriend a gift." you put special emphasis on 'my boyfriend'. your voice is low and your anger is palpable. you inhale sharply and give her the fakest smile you've ever given anyone in your life. "hold onto the gift and maybe try giving it to him later."

jiang has the audacity to look shocked. "oh! i-i didn't realize, i--"

"of course you didn't." you scoff. "please leave. now. don't wait out here." you don't even wait for her to respond; you walk inside your cabin and slam the door shut with a groan. only after you shut it do you realize that you may have woken kazuha but thankfully, he's already up.

he's just about ready for the day -- fully dressed, save for his scarf. his eyes were already fixed on the door. you feel your face burn; he definitely heard all of that. "good morning," you mutter. you place the tassels you bought on the dresser.

"did jiang do something wrong?" he asks. straight to the point, no cutting corners -- that's just like him. "you seem so upset."

"she was standing in front of the fucking door waiting for you to wake up." you pinch your nose bridge. you don't think you can handle anymore stupidity today and the day has barely begun. "you tell me if she was doing something wrong."

kazuha frowns. "why would she do something like that?"

he seems genuinely confused, but you can't take it. you snap. "are you serious? you haven't noticed the way she's been looking at you?"

"what?"

"kazuha," you laugh bitterly, "there's no fucking way that someone as observant as you couldn't pick up on her obvious crush on you." when he raises his eyebrows, taken aback, you sigh harshly and sit on the bed. "so you're telling me you had no idea."

"is that why you've been acting so strange these days?" kazuha sits beside you and rests his hands over yours. your hands twitch to move away, but he holds them in his own, keeping you in place. "you've been wound so tight lately, but i couldn't put my finger on why. it was because of jiang this whole time?"

you blink at him. "so... you knew something was wrong but you thought it was just me? you weren't paying attention to her at all this entire time?"

kazuha shakes his head. "if it involves romance," he smooths his thumbs over the backs of your hands, "the only person i ever pay attention to is you."

you... don't know what to say.

kazuha keeps talking. "it sounds to me like you've been upset because jiang has been trying to pursue me despite our being together." the smug bastard has the gall to smirk at you. "were you jealous, dove? is that what this is about?"

you slip your hand out of kazuha's and slap his shoulder, embarrassment burning your cheeks. he's not wrong, not in the slightest, but there's no reason for him to say it out loud. "so what if it is?"

kazuha takes your face in his hands and presses a flurry of kisses on your face despite your complaints. "my little angel-" kiss "was so whiny-" kiss "all this time-" kiss "because they were jealous."

"would you shut up?" you give up your fight and just let him chuckle and keep kissing you. this is the kind of affection you really needed, but not at the cost of your pride. it feels so good to be doted on like this after being so high strung for so long. "and i was not whiny. i was angry. get it right."

kazuha kisses your nose. "yes, yes, whatever you say, dove." when he pulls back, he's all smiles, mirth dancing in his eyes. "why don't you tell me why you were so jealous?"

you frown. "don't make me say it."

"i'd like to hear it."

"kazuha, no." when kazuha gives you a faux wounded look, your heart tugs against your will. he even pouts a little, really trying to sell the act. you sigh, defeated. you put your hands over his and mutter your response into his palm.

kazuha leans in close. your face feels like it's on fire. "what was that, dove? i couldn't hear you. will you say it again for me?"

"i said," you raise your voice and quickly lower it, "because you're mine. and she didn't get it."

to make up for all the teasing, kazuha kisses you sweetly and you can't help but kiss back. he guides you through the kiss slowly, like you two have all the time in the world. kazuha breaks the kiss and pecks your lips once, then twice. "that's all i wanted to hear." he murmurs against your lips. "i'm all yours, dove. no one else's."

cheekily, you ask: "promise?"

kazuha kisses you as an answer. you're like putty in his hands; he speeds up the kiss this time, laughing under his breath when you sigh, frustrated. you tug at his bottom lip gently with your teeth and he inhales sharply; that always stops him in his tracks. you pull back to look at him and see a blush quickly crawling onto his face. "you're cute," you mumble.

the blush creeps onto his face faster. kazuha averts his eyes for a second -- he's flustered. "so you say."

rather than answer, you kiss him again, this time licking at the seam of his lips to deepen it. kazuha gives way immediately, sighing into the kiss. his hands drop to your shoulders and his fingers twitch each time your tongue meets his own. he makes a small noise when you cup his jaw with a hand and pull away. kazuha's eyes are hooded and his brows are drawn, likely with irritation at you having broken the kiss. he's so pretty like this, barely hiding the desperation that glitters in his eyes.

kazuha moves to kiss you again but you move down, kissing a path from his jaw down to his neck. kazuha inhales sharply and brings a hand to your head as you plant warm kisses against his skin. "it's a little--" he pauses to sigh. "a little early for this, isn't it, dove?"

you can barely hear him. there's only one thing on your mind besides the lingering irritation. you start to suck on a spot just beneath his jaw and feel his fingers curl in your hair. "'m not gonna do all that today," you mutter. "just hang in there. can you do that?"

kazuha hums shakily and swallows, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat. you move along his neck and suck until purples and reds bloom against his skin. all that can be heard in the room is the sound of your kisses and kazuha's broken sighs. he hisses when you bite him particularly hard; he tugs at your hair when you laugh.

"must you bite so hard--?" kazuha's words are broken by a small sound when you suck at a particularly sensitive spot.

"i told you," you kiss your way to the other side of his neck to make fresh marks, "just hang in there."

it doesn't take much longer before kazuha has matching marks on both sides of his neck. after soothing your final one with a few kisses, you finally pull back to admire your handiwork. suddenly, you don't feel so irritated anymore. even better, kazuha's breathing is a little heavy and his cheeks are flushed pink. he won't even look you in the eyes.

you can't help it; you laugh. "are you alright, kazuha?"

kazuha glances at you. you must be looking at him some kind of way, because his cheeks darken and he averts his eyes again. his hand comes up to his neck, covering a few of the marks. "it stings." he mutters. he sounds a little upset, but you can see the satisfied glow in his eyes.

"good." you kiss his forehead one more time before getting off the bed and heading to the mirror to fix your hair. behind you, kazuha takes a second before grabbing his scarf and pulling it on. normally you'd be a little upset about that, but when he stands beside you in the mirror to get a better look at the marks you left, you grin while he squints at you. his scarf isn't hiding much from view.

"you're devious." kazuha says. "and what do you suppose i say to anybody who asks what happened?"

you think for a moment before you shrug. kazuha rolls his eyes at you. you head to the door and open it. your boyfriend tugs his scarf up higher and steps outside. "how does breakfast sound?" you ask him as you walk.

kazuha -- whose ears are red you notice -- sighs. "it sounds nice." he sounds resigned. not upset -- he just knows that he's been beat. it's not often that he's on the receiving end of this. he slips his hand into yours as you walk.

and when you walk past jiang, you relish in the way her face falls. she hides the furin behind her back and walks away, and you don't feel an ounce of regret.

✦ yeah... yeah this feels good. feels good as fuck. i feel strong. yeah.

Please go out with me for tax benefits!

— When you randomly pointed to a handsome man and declared him to be your boyfriend, you didn't think it would get this out of hand. You just wanted a couples discount!

— Alhaitham, Ayato, and Kazuha

[Masterlist]

This was originally written for my upcoming "Help me break my engagement by marrying me instead." fic but I got carried away and it became too plot-heavy. So I made a new one. Most of these have nothing to do with money, I just thought the title was funny.

Edit: If this hits 1k within the next two days, I'll write a part 2

Alhaitham

You blame Kaveh for this. This is entirely his fault and you will not be convinced otherwise. If he hadn't opened his big mouth to Alhaitham about the fact you've been spouting that he was your boyfriend, then you wouldn't be in this mess. It wasn't even that serious, it's not like you were actually emotionally invested with the man and this was all a delusional dream. You barely knew the guy aside from the multiple rumors about him in the first place. You just needed to access some limited-edition books for your thesis and his name happened to be the easiest way to get ahold of them. Sure, you may be lying to authority for the better half of a year about your relationship with the scribe, but it's not your fault they didn't ask questions. If you happened to threaten to tell your very scary and very influential "boyfriend" about this "mistreatment", that's just a byproduct if anything. But now you have a very irritated silver-haired man crowding into your personal space asking why the hell you're announcing to the world that you're both in a relationship. It's creepy. He called you creepy. Is this where you roll over and die in shame?

You swear you didn't think it would get this out of hand. You just happened to spot him in the background while the librarian was giving you a hard time and your dumb brain-to-mouth filter was taking a break that day. So you just blurted that you were Alhaitham's partner and that he would be very upset to hear that you were being treated this way. It's not completely far-fetched, Alhaitham seems like a very, very, private person and on the off chance you were telling the truth? Well, the poor librarian didn't want to lose her job. Besides, it's not like you were planning on doing anything illegal and you don't think you're the absolute worst person to be fake-dating.

By some stroke of luck, or maybe he felt too much pity for you, Alhaitham decides to cut you a deal rather than get you kicked out of the Akademiya. He gets multiple love letters, confessions, and heart-eyed individuals trailing after him all the time. Frankly, he's getting tired of it and since you've already taken the liberty, he won't say anything if you don't say anything. Though he makes it clear that if you ever do anything embarrassing, you're taking the fall and he's going to pretend he doesn't know you. A bit harsh but that's only a safety net. Plus it's not like you actually want to date him so he wouldn't have any commitments. The added bonus is that since he's well-known for having a...rough personality, you don't need to act affectionately with the man or go the extra mile. As long as you have each other's backing, you'll get to check out any textbook you want for free and he gets to be left alone. So for both your benefits, to the rest of the Akademiya you and him are a couple.

You should have known this deal was way too good to be true. As soon as people hear that Alhaitham acknowledges that you're his partner, they're on you like rabid fungi. In comparison to the scribe, you're far easier to prod and poke for any gossip and your quiet day-to-day life is suddenly thrown into the wind. Multiple people a day come to bother you about what it's like to date the moody man. It gets to a point where you have to actually dress incognito just to go and get some coffee. Seriously, didn't people have deadlines and exams to prepare for then to hound you down to talk about your fake love life? Alhaitham is no help either, only shrugging off your complaints and telling you that this is what you agreed to.

He's a horrible partner, fake or not. This isn't your storybook romance where he suddenly falls in love with you, he straight up ignores you sometimes! If anything, this entire situation has stopped you from feeling intimidated by him. Before you wouldn't dare approach him, his appearance and body were enough for you to shy away. You're impulsive, not blind. Alhaitham is drop-dead gorgeous but now that you've reached such an absurd situation it stops intimidating you. You begin to regularly pester the man because you know that even though you're both not actually dating, it would look really bad if he shunned you constantly.

He actually doesn't mind you. Unlike Kaveh or anyone else who interacts with him, you know how to be quiet and independent. Most of the time you both sit in silence, the only noise between the two of you being the flipping of pages and the scratching of ink against paper. If you ever do speak, it's always with a purpose. It's just a bonus that while everyone stares at your table, no one ever approaches. If they need to speak with him, they see your body right next to him and they decide to come back at a later time when he's alone.

Over time, he finds himself seeking you out instead of the other way around. He's come to find your presence comforting and it's the only time when he can actually sit down and read. Being an observant person, he starts to notice your little habits. For one, touch seems to be how you interact with others. You always bump elbows whenever you greet him, pinching his half coat whenever you want to drag him to see whatever captured your attention, and nudging his arm with your hand whenever you need him to bend down so you can whisper something into his ear. He's honestly surprised and concerned that he doesn't push you away with your skinship. If it were anyone else, he would have sent them a sharp glare and pushed him off but he doesn't for you.

All things must come to an end eventually and you've finally finished writing the last sentences for your thesis. Your pat on the back is the firm shut of a book as a deep sigh escapes your lips. Tired but relieved. The goodbye is uneventful, you simply tell him that you don't need him to pretend to be your boyfriend and he's free to live out the single life. He just nods and with that, you're gone.

No one says anything when they notice that Alhaithem sits at a table alone for the nth time that week. There are a few whispers back and forth about how you either got fed up with this attitude or he realized that he was way out of your league. Either way, everyone assumes you and Alhaithem are no longer together and his routine before you arrived settles back in. Yet, he feels off. He refuses to call it longing, you both were hardly affectionate in the first place, but he feels a bit lonely without your presence beside him. it's been plaguing his mind ever since you packed your things and left. He's hardly been able to concentrate on his book, rereading the same sentence for the fourth time before snapping it shut. Letting out a deep sigh, he runs a hand through his hair before setting it against his closed eyes. What's gotten into him?

"Is this seat taken?"

His eyes shoot open, turning around to see you with an armful of books looking expectantly at him. You look nervous and he can't lie to himself that he doesn't find that just the slightest bit endearing. He can tell that you're struggling to carry all of them from the slight shake in your hands.

"I thought our deal was over?" he says this but he gets up anyways to take the books out of your hands and places them on the table. You just roll your eyes at him because of course that's what he would say first and push forward. You're probably the only one who would act so brazenly in front of him besides Kaveh but he doesn't find it irritating when you do it.

"What? So I need to be in a relationship with you just to sit at a table? I know your ego is big but not thattt big," you stretch your words as you settle comfortably into your seat.

He wonders when he started thinking of that specific chair as yours.

"No. I suppose not," he says with an exasperated smile as he sits back down. You beam back at him as you shuffle your chair closer to him as you open your textbook, your fingertips gave that familiar tug for him to lean in closer.

"Good, because I need some help with this section. I have no idea what the hell "bloom" is."

Ayato

Although Valentine's day was mostly celebrated in Mondstadt and Sumeru, Inazuma still liked to dabble in the festivities during the day of love. Various couples' discounts on tricolored Dango or limited edition books from the Yae Publishing House. There was one popular series in particular that was having a huge discount to celebrate the holiday and even though you weren't in the market for a partner, you weren't going to pass up on such a steal. Only for your excitement to fall flat when the lady informed you that the discount was for couples only.

You can't believe this. You just stood in line for hours only for them to tell you this now? What kind of shady place was this? Of course, they didn't advertise the specifics of this sale, they knew this book was popular. People waiting in line wouldn't just walk away once they found out and they would end up paying full price! Well, two can play this game. You randomly gesture off to the side, saying that your boyfriend was just standing off to the side because he wanted to grab some refreshments. You aren't really looking where you're pointing, too busy digging through your pouch and counting your coins of mora before a sharp gasp stops you. The lady quickly bows and beams at you with a mega-watt customer service smile. She hands the book to you free of charge while profusely thanking you for your patronage. You look off to the side but you don't see anyone, but you weren't going to say no, so you shrug and take it. A free book is a free book.

To be fair, you were making it really easy for the Archons to mess with you. You hear whispers around you that you can't make out, anytime you glance at passing people, they quickly bow and shuffle along. You have a horrible sinking feeling forming in the pit of your stomach and you quickly rush home so you can avoid whatever the hell you just caused. Unfortunately, word travels fast in Inazuma, and every shop you pass by you're being confronted left and right with sales pitches and gifts of appreciation for your partner's hard work. All of which you decline, half of it because you're not actually in a relationship and the other half because you have no interest in their gifts. But you've already dug yourself this far in your grave so you just give a hasty no thank you as you try and dodge everyone who looks at you with that glimmer in their eyes. Who did you point at to receive this much praise?

Ayato is greatly confused when people approach him to congratulate him on his engagement. He wasn't planning on getting married any time soon, his duties as the Yashiro Commissioner taking up most of this time. Did the elders set someone up for him without informing him first? He's curious about who his mystery person is but everyone he asks doesn't seem to know where they went. Apparently, his fiancee is shy but humble, declining gifts from various shopkeepers no matter how expensive they are.

That's until one of the children points in your direction and his eyes slide over to you who looks just as confused as him. He's never seen you in his life and you don't look like anyone from a significant clan. He gets clued in that you boldly announced your relationship with him when you were checking out a specific book meant for couples only. Ah, he's starting to understand now. He offers a piece of candy for the helpful information as he makes his way over to you. His mysterious fiancee.

As soon as the man in front of you says Lord Kamisato's name, the uneasy weight in your stomach drops. You quickly spin on your heel to see the pale blue hair and amused light purple eyes. Oh. Oh, Archon's above, please, out of everyone you could have pointed to, please don't make it be the Yashiro Commissioner. You're about to burn this book into ashes and do a ceremony to banish whatever youkai were stored within the pages if you manage to make it out of this alive.

If Ayato was upset about this situation he's found himself in, it would be immediately wiped away because you look like you're about to collapse. He's trying his best to not laugh at your torment right in front of you, but the mix of emotions that's so openly displayed on your face is making it hard. It's obvious that you didn't mean for this to happen, you've just tripped and fallen into a web of misunderstandings. Too entangled to explain yourself without making a fool out of yourself.

If looks could kill, this storekeeper would be dead on the floor twice over. This man calls out to the Yashiro Commissioner, and just to add salt to the wound, proudly congratulates him on his engagement with you. You said nothing about an engagement, you're far too young to be thinking about that thank you very much. But Ayato just nods along with that ever-pleasant smile without bothering to correct the situation. You're not sure if you should be thankful or not. He might be planning your murder in his mind so you stay silent as well.

When Ayato's gaze shifts to you, you do what any creature does when they're in danger and there's nowhere to run. You hide. You automatically raise your book to cover your face so you don't need to look at the source of your embarrassment. Although it does nothing to hide just how red your face is, you don't see him and that's good enough for you. But this also means you don't see the questioning glance the storekeeper shoots Ayato about your behavior, to which Ayato gives a pleasant smile and waves a hand to dismiss the situation.

"Please excuse my fiancee, we didn't mean to announce our engagement so early," Ayato muses, and the storekeeper nods in understanding while you bring your book down low enough to peer over the edges of the pages. Is...is he covering for you? He looks down expectantly at you but when you don't move, he awkwardly coughs into his fist and tilts his head toward the shopkeeper.

"A-Ah yes, that's right! It was a slip of the tongue and I hadn't realized I said it out loud. Please excuse my behavior," you bow and you can hear Ayato turning his head to snort into his hand. This is awful. You think you would prefer if he just outted you so you didn't need to show the world how awful your acting skills are. This is why you read plays, not star in them. But the shopkeeper nods in understanding, apologizing for saying your engagement so loud for others to hear before you're leaving with Ayato's arm wrapped around your waist.

"I'm deeply sorry. There was a discount for couples only and I just pointed in a random direction and it just happened to land on you. I swear I didn't mean to start any of this," you quickly rush out as you bow before Ayato as soon as you're out of sight from the public eye. He still has that annoying look in his eyes but you're completely at his mercy right now. The smug bastard definitely knows that.

"It's no trouble at all. I found the situation quite entertaining," he chuckles before looking you up and down. Okay...a tiny bit weird but you suppose your actions are worse. There's a long silence between the two of you as if he's pondering something and you've had enough of today's events.

"Um...well if that's everything I'll be getting out of your hair. Please enjoy the rest of your day Lord Kamisato," you mumble as you turn to leave but his hand hooks onto the back of your kimono and drags you right back.

"Ah, ah. It would make a bad impression if my fiancee suddenly left me on Valentine's Day. Oh and please, call me Ayato," he smiles that same polite smile but his eyes tell a different story entirely. His smile even widens at how hard you're biting your lip as you match his with a strained one. For Archon's sake, you just wanted to buy a book, how did you get into this mess?!

Kazuha

As soon as Inazuma's borders reopened, you were jumping on the fastest ship back to Liyue. You even got extra lucky that your good friend Beidou happened to be on the pier and offered you a well-deserved ride back to your home free of charge. You've been so homesick but unable to leave due to the regulation the Electro Archon placed, so to say that you were excited to finally go back was an understatement. Although the Crux Fleet was mainly an armed carrier delivering goods between places separated by sea, it did occasionally transport passengers if they paid enough. It only made sense that others would be like you and wish to return home as soon as possible. It's too bad that one of them happened to take one look at you and decide that you were born to be his.

It's an incredibly awkward affair. This wealthy businessman doesn't appear to mean any harm but he's incredibly dense with no sense of social awareness. Although you've politely declined his advances, he doesn't seem to stop. Even when Beidou herself threatens to throw the man overboard, he just keeps his distance and makes heart eyes at you. Unfortunately for you, Beidou can't actually throw him into the cruel watery depths no matter how much you plead with her. The man seems to be an important figure from Snezhnaya so she can't exactly treat him badly. Thus you spend most of your time ducking away and running away from your creepy admirer.

You're usually not so bold but the mix of overwhelming homesickness and just wanting to get this journey over and done with, all of it compels you to act rashly. If your new admirer can't take a simple no then you'll find a different way and show him you're off limits. You've seen the man who sits on the crow's nest, you believe Beidou said his name was Kazuha, whose been a part of her crew for a while now. You've only made passing small talk with each other and he seems like a nice person, at least you hope so. Because as soon as his feet touch the ship's deck, you're throwing yourself at him. You have to give him credit, he has lightning-fast reflexes and is a lot stronger than his demeanor expresses since he manages to catch you and stop you both from sprawling across the floor.

You make a show of throwing your arms around him and whining about how he doesn't spend enough time with poor dear you. You can tell he's infinitely confused so you lean in and whisper into his ear about your creepy stalker who can't take a no. Your eyes desperately plead with him to play along with you, just until the ship reaches Liyue Harbour. It only takes Kazuha to look over your shoulder and lock gazes with said "stalker" before he's turning to you with the most tender smile on his lips and a soft apology for being neglectful. A promise to spend more quality time to make up for his behavior. You swear that should have been an omen because you feel your heart stop for a second right then and there.

It's not completely out there. As the lookout, he would have to stay up in the crow's nest most of the day, and given how soft spoken Kazuha normally is, he doesn't look like the confrontational type. But he does make good on his fake promise and you find yourself spending most of your time in the crow's nest with Kazuha rather than ducking into the shadows of the lower deck. Kazuha is a relaxing presence and you can understand why he stays up here rather than with the rest of the crew. The gentle sea breeze brushes through your hair and it's so peaceful all the way up in the sky. You're almost jealous that he has an anemo vision because you think you'd love to stay in the winds forever.

He's also a gentleman through and through. You're not entirely sure if he's just pretending alongside you or if that's just how he normally acts. You think both options are equally plausible and endearing. At some point, you forget that you're supposed to be doing this for show to keep a creepy man away from you and you genuinely start to seek him out. It's during one night when you watch Kazuha whistle a tune through a leaf that you realize just how deep you're in. Now your position is reversed and you start to feel like the creepy heart-eyed stalker. It's something that you must absolutely not let happen, not on your watch.

Your sudden distance from Kazuha leaves him a bit hurt. He knows that this originally started as an act but he felt that you and him were getting close to each other without any ulterior motives. That all your talks of your dreams and aspiration were real and meaningful. But now that you've suddenly pulled back, he question's if everything was made up in his head. It's not like you owe him anything, he decided to help you out from of his own volition. Beidou can only look at this scene painfully at her two idiotic friends pushing themselves away from each other because they can't sit down and talk it out.

She drags the two of you into a private room, her only warning to fix your emotional angst or she really will throw you both overboard. You both know she's entirely serious so you both obediently nod as she slams the door closed.

Beidou leans against the wooden crates with her head propped up with her arm. She should probably stop watching, she's being far too nosy with her friend's love life, but what kind of friend would she be if she wasn't? She hopes you both managed to talk it out and realize that you're both crushing hard on each other. She had been far too busy with Liyue fastly approaching to check in on your progress but from the looks of things, she thinks everything went well. With the red cheeks and your fingertips linked together, it's so cute that she wants to gag on her wine. Don't get her wrong, she's happy for you and Kazuha, but any more of this puppy love is going to send her into an early grave.

"You're not going to stay in Liyue?" she overhears you say. Huh? She honestly thought that Kazuha might pitch a tent and finally settle down with you but the small shake of his head and your fallen expression says otherwise. Damn, talk about a heartbreaker. But he gives you a soft expression, something really vulnerable, and his hand comes up to caress your cheek- and that's her cue to turn away. That's something that even she knows she shouldn't be watching. She instead takes another swig of her cup.

"Captain."

She looks up to see Kazuha standing beside her, the air of nature and sea breeze clinging to him wherever he goes. She politely doesn't bring up the charm clutched tightly in his hands.

"You sure about this kid?" Beidou asks, her eyes still trained on her empty cup of booze. She doesn't need to look to know that he's watching your back disappear into the crowd longingly.

"If I try to force something I know I'm not ready to finish, it would only lead to disaster. Right now isn't the right time. But I'm sure in the future, our paths will cross again," Kazuha nods to himself solemnly. This time Beidou does look at him before she shows a fond smile herself before she brings her arm back and slaps it against Kazuha's back. It's loud and hard enough to jolt him out of his temporary sadness.

"If you ever need a ride back to Liyue, just let me know. We'll get you there in no time lover boy," Beidou grins cheekily as Kazuha flushes a bright red. How cute, he can't even be honest with himself huh?