໒⦂ 𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐇𝐂𝐒.

໒⦂ 𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍.

synopsis. even when all is lost, withering or crumbling away into dust, the unwilling bond tugging them to one another, again and again, remains unyielding.

genre. angst

tw. violence, kinda manipulation but like- he’s right..

disclaimer. there were no suitable sefikura gifs so i made one myself. if you use it, don’t be an ass, credit.

sephiroth x cloud strife. ( could be seen as platonic too )

the blond’s shoulders shook with exhaustion, hands blistering beneath his worn out gloves as his breaths came out shallow — uneven. as though the very oxygen he breathed had been stripped from his lungs amidst the clashing of steel against steel.

meanwhile the man across from him, stood with an eerie, but predictable calm, bangs flowing in the frigid breeze as his fingers curled around the hilt of his blade, ready.

it was just like last time, and the time before that.. and the time before that. every fight was near identical; same beginning with an ending that was equally the same. the only thing different was the words exchanged.

cloud, however, had grown tired of repetition.

the buster sword, trembling in his grasp, finally sunk into the earth, or whatever remained of it, as the former SOLDIER held himself up with a shaky breath.

sephiroth, mildly confused, though it had not reached his features, lowered masamune to his side, curiosity flashing in his feline-like eyes. “giving up so soon.. cloud? that was the last thing i’d expected, certainly out of you.” came his quiet comment, a hum following. “are you reconsidering my offer, perhaps?”

his offer.. the blond remembered it clearly, it echoed continuously in his head, like a mantra, since it left his curled lips.

“cloud, lend me your strength..” the one winged angel had stated mere moments ago, outstretching his leather covered palm. “let us defy destiny.. together.”

on their previous encounters, the mercenary would have yelled before gathering himself for the end of the battle, once more to prove his nemesis wrong. but the fire in him, whatever continued to burn, at last, faded from dying embers to evaporating wisps of smoke. much like the ones that surrounded the horrifyingly beautiful swordsman standing inches away from him.

with all lost or on the verge of being lost, how was he expected to go on? to continue this life long war without end? a battle could be won and lost, but a war persisted and called for more battles without prevail.

such was this so-called destiny sephiroth wished for them to defy.

but the former infantryman was no fool. at least, he believed he wasn’t.

“i don’t.. need your comments, offers or pity, s-sephi.. roth..” cloud heaved out, shaking his head weakly, attempting to remove his weight from the broadsword he’d been leaning on. “let’s just f-finish this.. once and for all.”

except, even he knew it wouldn’t be once and for all. it never was.

the cherished and famed war hero of shinra always, always, no matter the circumstances, odds or how many times the buster sword was cleaved clean through him.. he never failed to return. like a cat with nine lives, he stayed true to those eyes of his.

cloud had lost nearly every person he held dear to his wounded heart — had almost all of them taken away from him while he simply stood by and watched. too late to have made even the slightest difference to prevent the cruel outcomes that befell his loved ones.

the only one that seemed to persist, despite it all.. was sephiroth, he realized.

whether as a taunt or a bitter reminder of his failures at ending him for good — maybe even both, the self proclaimed ruler of the planet came back time and time again to prove the mercenary wrong. regardless of how deep of a slash he’d put through him using his departed friend’s weapon.

sadly, it was the bitter reality cloud lived. who was to say his silver haired nemesis would not return a third time? perhaps even a fourth, fifth or sixth- maybe even a hundredth.

nonchalance seemed to flicker in those mako colored irises, lips curling into what could be perceived as a smirk, albeit feint. “i thought i would mention, as you seem more withdrawn than the previous battles we shared.” he stated lightly, drawing his hilt back into his signature stance. “i would not want to fight you if your heart was not wholly, and irrevocably in it, cloud.”

the spiky haired male narrowed his eyes, vision slightly blurred from his fatigue and confusion. “why.. should my condition matter to you? am i not allowed to be tired of whatever this is- of constantly having to reenact this fight??” he retaliated in a low hiss, wincing as he forced the weapon into a defensive hold.

“i never stated you were not allowed to feel burnt out from our repetitive battles.” the older spoke up softly, a contrasting gentleness to his cold blooded nature — the one that was seared into him. “in fact, i have given you a way out of this fate that we share, where our reunions end with our blades locked.” he added shortly after, chuckling quietly, albeit devoid of humor. “it is often always you, cloud, who turns to fighting, anyway, is it not?”

the boy in question felt his heart in his throat, pupils dilating just slightly before he gritted his teeth. he would not dare fall for the words he spoke again — would not allow himself to see sephiroth as anything short of a villain. it was just so like him to say, anyway, twisting his actions to make him feel remorse.

tightening his grasp on the broadsword he held, cloud took a staggered step towards the taller. “don’t you dare give me that shit, you have ruined everything for me!” he shouted back, a bubbling rage surfacing in him the more he eyed the man across from him. “you’re insane to think i would believe a word you say! i know better than to trust someone who wouldn’t think twice about destroying and redesigning me into his own fucked up image!”

how could he not do that? all the things sephiroth said and expressed — it had all amounted to harnessing the sorrow, agony, hatred.. and that burning rage born from the town — his home, that had been scorched to ash and rebuilt as though it had never happened.

all for the purpose of pushing cloud to the very edge of despair, to pull him in deeper into the cold, dark waters. far away from the surface- from any source of warmth or light that wasn’t the flames on that fateful evening.. and into his everything.

a solemn smile seemed to replace the faltering smirk sephiroth sported as he let out another hum. “i am many things, cloud, but a liar.. is not one of them.” he answered lowly, eyes darkening. “you were rejected from SOLDIER five years ago due to sensitivity to mako. you were weak, incompetent and would have likely died on the field, had you been enlisted as you were.”

the younger of the two seemed to blink as he gripped his claymore tighter, glowering at the male he once idolized. if only that boy knew what his hero would become. “s-stop talking.” it came out stuttered, quieter, than he wished for it to. “you don’t know anything about me.”

“oh but i do, cloud.” he continued, anyway, stalking towards him. “i know everything there is to know. the things you cannot remember, the things you choose not to remember.. even things you do not know about yourself.” the teal eyed male went on, returning his sword to his side. “your strength now is more than it was that day in nibelheim. five years soaking in mako, injected with my cells has made you my equal.” he muttered, watching as the sapphire eyed mercenary trembled not in fear.. but in a nurtured, channeled fury.

it pleased sephiroth greatly, like an artist gazing upon his greatest work, as he appeared behind the blond mercenary, faster than any lightning materia could strike.

while the last of the strife family was still processing his position, the long haired male leaned in closely, curling his lips in a mild amusement. “my will and every desire, as well as my aspirations.. they run through your veins and call out to me- yearn to be one with me. you cannot resist the pull of the reunion, that undeniable need to find the one that tugs your strings.” he whispered into his ear, silver locks spilling over his battered shoulder armor. “what would you be without me, if not a weak, dejected infantryman with crushed dreams in becoming a SOLDIER?”

cloud stood there, frozen in his place despite the mixture of feelings he felt and had planned to pour into every slash he would deliver this time on his adversary.

what would he have been, truly, if not for sephiroth? if not for the horrors he had been through to get to this point?

his head lowered in shame, breaths coming out uneven at the realization as the buster sword dropped from his grasp. “i-i’m not.. i refuse to be any of what you say..”

“oh, but you were, cloud. no matter how many ways you paint the story in your head, however narrative you use to retell it.. your origins are embedded in you, unchanging.. as are my own.” the swordsman clad in leather spoke, placing a hand on his bare, quivering shoulder. “fret not, cloud, for you have gained strength in your suffering, have you not?” he mused out, feeling the other tense beneath his touch.

he had grown and gotten more powerful, yes..

“but i lost everything.” he whispered in a voice so broken from it all, unlike the harsh one that he’d been using as he felt his eyes gloss over with tears; ones that dared not leak in his wake.

..though at what cost?

sephiroth seemed to hum at the crack in whatever stability remained in cloud’s tone, smoothing a hand over his arm, soothingly. “that is the price of strength, cloud. do you think i became the way i am by design?”

other than the propaganda that painted his old role model and the version he came to know now, the spiky haired merc.. knew near nothing of him.

the taller took his silence as a sign to proceed, placing the back of the other’s hand into his palm. “my childhood was spent in a laboratory. those who raised me, the researchers of shinra.. were not pleased with how i was born- what i was born with. they wished for more, to construct and remodel me into that which i am today.” he explained, feeling the blond go completely still.

a mere breath away from his ear, sephiroth parted his lips again to finish. “the famed war hero which you idolized in your youth.. was in reality, a perfectly crafted monster all along, dressed under the guise of an angelic-like grace.”

the one winged angel.

cloud knew shinra wasn’t anything short of sick, having experimented on him as well as many others.. but to this extent?

“unlike you, however, i did not wish for this strength or for anything that was injected, slipped, disciplined or instilled into me.” he finished calmly, no longer fazed by what shattered him, so long ago now. “i did not ask for this destiny, either.. to have to die at your hands repeatedly and be rejected each time by the lifestream. but alas, i have been chosen for this, and to guide you, cloud, as my other half, whenever you lose your way.” the silver haired male finished, raising his free hand to wipe his fresh tears. “so whenever you lose your reason and purpose, i will always be here to gift you a new one. weep not, cloud, for this dynamic is what binds us together.”

he was sure he’d heard something like that somewhere before, and not long ago.

“that which binds us together would be no more.” cloud recalled hearing him say, after the detonation of mako reactor one, amidst the fiery destruction, and his fragile state of mind. “and i would be loath to live in such a world.”

sephiroth had said that about the planet’s annihilation — a result of shinra’s carelessness and abuse of mako as an energy source.

his intentions were in regards to saving the world, but his methods — his vision.. it was flawed- fogged by his resentment for what everyone had done to him.

the self proclaimed first class SOLDIER wondered, would he, too, have reached that point — sephiroth’s point — had he not directed his drive and deplorable feelings into putting an end to him?

his head lowered in shame as he felt his breath catch in his throat. “if i knew strength would mean hurting — bringing death to everyone around me, then i would have never wanted it to begin with.” cloud willed himself to answer, flashes of his most cherished ones appearing in his mind. his mother, zack.. the late avalanche members..

he couldn’t keep doing this. his promise to tifa could barely be kept as it was. how could he be certain she would not be next? or even aerith, now?

sephiroth brought his chin to his shoulder, closing whatever proximity remained between their bodies as he lifted his chin up with his thumb. “it is not too late, cloud, to defy the destiny that has been written out against our will and knowing.” he encouraged in a gentle tone, resting his thumb so close to the corner of the merc’s bottom lip. “your beloved friends could be safe, the suffering would cease and we would stop our never ending fights. all you have to do, is lend your strength to me.. as the only one on this caving world who has endured similar suffering to your own and understands it best.”

ocean hues flashed like those of a deer in headlights, an involuntary shiver dancing down his spine.

to give into sephiroth..? the one thing he had been avoiding, suppressing himself- that part of him from doing.

and yet..

“what.. would i have to do?” cloud asked before he could stop himself from his curiosity, to which the former hero smiled.

“don’t worry, it’s a simple thing.” he assured, stepping around the other to be at his side as he slid his hand into his before gazing up at the sky. “you have gone against me time and time again, to which the cycle of us fighting has reiterated.” the one winged angel stated, trailing his slitted eyes down to the spiky haired hero beside him. “that leaves us with one method not yet attempted.”

partnership.

“what will it be,” sephiroth asked, squeezing his hand. “cloud?”

the former SOLDIER- no, infantryman, gazed down upon their intertwined hands, which he somehow did not reject as he let his words sink.

what would it be, indeed..

his lips pulled tightly together, and finally, he lifted his eyes to meet those of his greatest foe- who waited patiently, calmly, for his response.

one thing was for certain, cloud wouldn’t be able to stop himself from whatever left his lips in that moment.

cloud could only hope the right choice spilled passed his tainted appendages.

notes. the way i die off and come back to write the most fucked up shit ever.. anyways they have had me on a bad chokehold for DAYS. literally i am not ok. who let square make them this fucked up.. regardless, this is different from what i post- i don’t typically do ship writing any longer, so i hope it was decent!

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໒⦂ 𝐁𝐄𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒.

synopsis. in which you find yourself falling in love with the player behind the main character of the game you have been coded into.

genre. mild hurt + comfort

for @diorlumx <3

kenma kozume x gn!reader

a normal person wouldn’t believe it if they were suddenly told their life was etched into the very coding of the game, left in the hands of the person behind the screen. but that was reality — yours, and that of many others in your world.

you knew, you knew it all too well, as you were the exception.

why it had been you and not someone else, you were uncertain of, though.

part of you assumed something was wrong with you. that your file was corrupted or that a virus had found its way into your mind and consumed you wholly, allowing you privileges most do not possess.

however another side of you, thought it to be a gift, a blessing of knowledge.

for this love would not be possible, had it not been for the adulteration that allowed this interface between you and kenma kozume.

wheras your life was a singular branch to a great tree that was the story this simulation had created, the boy in front of you right now was none other than the player who controlled your fate with a series of clicks.

the protagonist of your tale.

one with an abundance of choices — each option more pleasant than the last, and yet.. it was you that he chose. the person who had captured his frigid heart and melted the ice away, layer by layer.

“y/n, i know we’re separated by reality.. but i just wanted you to know,” he paused, flushing a bit as his bangs fell over his visage. “that you are the reason i keep coming back to this game — why i keep holding off on finishing it.” he confessed, trailing his eyes back over to find you listening, offering him every ounce of your patience and attention.

he was almost certain any other person would have pushed for him to speak up — but you, you looked at him like he was your whole world. as though you’d waited a thousand years for him, and would wait a thousand more, just to hear the words fall naturally.

a smile lifted your lips as you picked his hands up in yours, squeezing them gently. “i wake up every morning hoping to find you again, kenma-san. wishing upon every star that litters the night sky to answer my dreams of truly being with you.” you answered softly, a bittersweet tone behind your words.

“how i wish i could cross the glass that sunders us from one another..” you finished in a mutter, lowering your gaze to the grassy expanse of the school courtyard. “but alas, fate is a cruel, wicked thing.”

the second year slid his hand underneath your cheek with great delicacy, as though you were made of porcelain. prone to shatter into a million different pieces if not handled with care. “fate is also a wonderful thing.. for allowing me the chance to meet you.” he reasoned quietly, urging you to lift your head and meet his loving gaze.

anyone who knew kenma outside of the protagonist character in front of you now would call him a joke for acting as he was.

to just about everyone, he was the hermit of nekoma high’s volleyball club — the unwilling setter thrust into said position by his childhood friend. but he was more than that, so much more.

kenma in love, displaying his true self, was the best version of himself. and he was right here, standing before you and slowly pouring that tentative heart out to you.

although the universe divided you both into reality and simulation, it was still kind enough to allow you one good, real thing. and that was the opportunity to meet again and again, even if an invisible wall separated you.

notes. i didn’t plan to add angst, but it just felt suited to build emotion.. anyway, i haven’t written much for kenma so i apologize if he is a bit ooc! i figured he would have a more vulnerable side if he’s in love yk? i hope you enjoyed though<3

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heyyyy, can i request a cute modern au fake dating prompt with kazuha where he’s the reader’s pretend boyfriend in order to get a free dessert at a restaurant? the reader is his close friend btw. in headcanons please!!

໒⦂ 𝙁𝘼𝙆𝙀 𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝘾𝙎.

note. hello anon! tysm for requesting, here is your modern au fake dating headcanons with the leaf sniffer himself, enjoy✨

genre. fluff + crack

kazuha kaedehara x gn!reader.

⌗ kazuha.. yk, he’s pretty easygoing, goes with the wind and all of that shit, so normally he’s down with whatever his best friend ( you ) may come up with

⌗ but when you come up to him and ask for him to pretend to be your boyfriend.. for a free dessert, that has his brow raising

⌗ “let me get this straight — you.. want me to be your boyfriend.” he would repeat, and you nod so he continues, “for a dessert..”

⌗ “and that’s so out of the ordinary how?” you would fire back, to which he would throw his hands up in defense.

⌗ to him it’s completely unheard of, but he knew your love for sweets, and wouldn’t want to deny you of what made you happy; he was your best friend after all, and he did have feelings already to begin with..

⌗ playing the role of a boyfriend was a once in a life time opportunity, and it maintains your friendship without you being weirded out by his feelings — it was a win win situation!

⌗ besides, who wouldn’t want free food???

⌗ “alright, alright.. i’ll be your boyfriend for this dessert of yours. what kind is it anyway, for you to get worked up this much?” he’d chuckle, loving the way your features would perk up. you were just too precious to him

⌗ “that’s just it — the menu is a mystery! but there are different options to choose from and whatever we pick is free! it’s an ideal situation if you ask me.”

⌗ and ideal it was.

⌗ the following day would be the day kazuha becomes your boyfriend.. for a free dessert

⌗ the minute you step out of the gates to your university, his mannerisms and attitude take a one-eighty as he reaches for your hand and steps closer to your side

⌗ it takes you by surprise, knowing your best friend to be rather respectful of space, not as touchy as he was being now — but you didn’t mind it, it sold the act after all

⌗ and it felt.. nice

⌗ but you couldn’t help the comment on your tongue. “initiating first, are we? seems like someone wants free dessert after all!”

⌗ a hum left his lips as he looked up at the sky. “something like that, i suppose. but i would think you’d want to convince the staff of your totally real relationship.”

⌗ the bickering jabs would continue all the way to your destination, where kazuha would open the door for you — though he’s done that before. he’s polite, after all.

⌗ says the whole “after you”, which just has you giggling and smiling upon entry.

⌗ the two of you are eventually seated and you ask for the couple’s special.

⌗ a kind employee would then explain the requirements to receive your free dessert, which came as a surprise to you.

⌗ in the ad online there was nothing on requirements, only to have a significant other — but it seemed the workers really wanted to put the both of you to the test..

⌗ it made sense, though. they couldn’t just give free desserts out for nothing — and surely many people would pretend to get free food!

⌗ there was no going back now.

⌗ and so you accept the challenge.. which is none other than the classic kiss of proof.

⌗ as fake couples would likely hesitate, and maybe even try to work around it.

⌗ kazuha stiffened at first, but was still determined to get you that dessert. cold feet would only decrease your chances at getting that dessert you wanted.

⌗ he looked into your eyes, searching your take on the criteria, and found you nodding just slightly — consent.

⌗ and so kazuha did what any boyfriend would have done as he leaned in to press a quick, yet gentle kiss on your lips.

⌗ they felt soft, against his own — his very first kiss, and with his best friend no less..

⌗ stuck in a daze, the two of you just stared at one another for a moment, processing your actions — the feelings a singular kiss stirred up..

⌗ until a plate of the dessert you’d ordered was placed between you.

⌗ “enjoy~!”

notes. i realize this is my first time writing something for kazuha so hopefully he wasn’t too ooc.. anyway hope you enjoyed and that i was able to fulfill what you wanted in your request<3

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✧ ◜ WORLDS APART.

pairing. welt yang x gn. reader

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He can’t protect you forever.

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

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

He doesn’t see you how you see him.

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

What if you were just a bit more selfish?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I know, but—” He sighs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MASTERLIST

summary — the most popular guy in school has his heart set on you. but why? was it some kind of joke? you’re determined to get to the bottom of this.

featuring — ajax tartaglia (childe), y/n y/l/n

warnings — childe x fem!reader, childe will be referred to as “childe”, angst, fluff, high school!au, featuring some genshin ships

taglist: @esthelily

“i don’t understand,” you said, shutting your locker. looking down at the love letter in your hands, you furrowed your brows together in confusion.

‘dearest y/n,

after many days of admiring you, i have come to the conclusion that i have fallen in love with you. please accept my feelings. i will be very grateful.

sincerely,

ajax’

huffing, you folded the paper up and shoved it in your backpack pocket. “does he mean it?” “do you accept his feelings?” your best friends, keqing and ganyu, asked.

you didn’t respond immediately. “i dunno.”

the girls looked at each other. “he’s like one of the most popular guys in school! how am i supposed to know if he’s telling the truth?” you exclaimed, pushing the door open to your classroom.

“hello girls,” miss yelan greeted you. “hi miss yelan,” you replied back, smiling sweetly. she returned the smile, allowing you to take your seats.

since there were a few minutes before class began, you went on your phone. you were somewhat startled when you felt a presence sit beside you. which was strange, considering keqing always sat beside ganyu.

out of curiosity, you looked up and glanced at the person. it was childe.

“hey,” he said, winking. your eyes widened in shock. you couldn’t reply because miss yelan started speaking.

“today we’ll be working on an assignment with partners, you may work with friends but if you get too loud, i’ll separate you,” she announced, clasping her hands together.

students began opening up their assignments on their school computers or headed over to their friends’ seats. you leaned towards keqing and ganyu, but your shirt was tugged by childe beside you.

“wanna work with me?” he asked, already having the assignment up. “…sure.” you eyed him suspiciously. it wasn’t like he was a bad person, so you had no reason to reject him.

“did you see my letter?” he asked, watching you attentively as you got the assignment up online. “i did.”

“do you have a response for me?” he almost sounded excited. “not right now,” you simply replied, making his smile drop.

he glanced at his friends and shook his head, which confused you. you paid no mind to it and began working on the assignment with him.

childe was actually really good at algebra. he helped you work through the equations with ease and got the assignment done pretty early.

“hey, come on.” when he saw you go on your phone, he tugged on your sleeve once more. “what?” “let me take you out on a date,” he declared.

“what?!” you stared at him with wide eyes. you’ve never been on a date before, nor have been asked out, unless as a cruel joke. so, who’s to say he was being serious?

“i wanna take you out,” he repeated, smiling brightly. you stared ahead of you, trying to collect your thoughts.

childe, the most popular guy in school, wants to take you out? it seemed out of the question.

“um…” “have you never been on a date before?” childe asked, chuckling slightly and tilting his head. “…no,” you admitted, quietly. “then let me be your first.”

“i’ll have to think about it,” you said, wanting your friends’ input. “let me give you my number. text me when you have an answer,” he told you, pulling his phone out.

handing his phone to you, you hesitantly typed your number in. you handed it back to him, along with your phone so he could put his number in.

once childe finished, he handed it back to you, letting his fingers glide across yours for a split second. you were startled by the sudden touch of his gloved fingers.

he only chuckled at your reaction. you slightly glared at him. it wasn’t like you’ve even held hands romantically before, so feeling an extremely attractive guy’s hands touch you was certainly a new experience.

with that, the bell rang. childe didn’t miss the chance to wink at you before you left the class.

as you and your friends exited the classroom, ganyu asked, “what was that about with childe?” “i don’t know, honestly. he just sat next to me and offered to be my partner for today’s assignment,” you explained, just as out of it as she was.

“ooh who was your partner?~” hu tao, your other friend, asked, teasingly. “stop, it’s not like that,” you groaned, shaking your head. “childe offered to be my partner for today’s assignment.”

“childe?!” the brunette exclaimed loudly. “shh!” you and the girls shushed, seeing heads turn around you. “then he asked me out,” you added.

“he what?!” the girls exclaimed, ignoring their shushes a few moments ago. “he asked me out.” “what did you say?” hu tao immediately asked. “i said i’ll think about it.”

she groaned loudly. “come onnnn, this is the first time someone’s been attracted to you. embrace it!” hu tao shook you. “stop, stop!” you brought her hands off your shoulders. “thanks for letting me know people aren’t attracted to me,” you joked.

“i’m sorry!” hu tao quickly covered her mouth. “it’s alright, i know,” you sighed.

“i wanted to know what you guys thought of it first before i said anything,” you admitted. “say yes!” they all exclaimed. well, part of you wasn’t expecting that answer.

sighing heavily, you finally replied, “alright, let me text him.”

childe replied within seconds, scheduling a date and time with you.

“it’s settled, i’m going in a date with childe.”

diorlumx productions, 2023

go check out luma’s 100 follower event!! i’ll give everybody a cookie who does :3

MATCHUP FORM.

* genshin impact

* self-sacrificing, tired™️, easily hyperfixatates on one set thing, very caring, passionate, empathetic, selfless, stubborn, charismatic, helpful, hopeless romantic, talkative, ambivert, very very very nerdy, book smart, not street smart XD

* i like the males :0

* idk my own aesthetic? but definitely galaxy, nature-y things while having a computer nerd’s aesthetic at the same time XD cottagecore would be the best way to describe my aesthetic other than galaxycore as well as fairycore :0

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀

#. SERIES: genshin impact

#. MATCHUP: cyno

#. SMALL THINGS: matching bracelets, pressing foreheads together, laying between his legs as you both read the same book, listens to you ramble about your passions, comes up with your own unique jokes (they’re dumb still but they’re yours), looks at you like you’re the only thing that matters to him, brags about you to his friends, matching plushies

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN MY 100 FOLLOWERS EVENT !

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

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

i'm so dumb i thought i replied and i DIDNT. HOLIDAYS??? I'M SO JEALOUS FR. i've been busy XD but i've been playing final fantasy 7 rebirth and just coping throughout school (its been awful). but you can do it!!! i believe in you<3 also very happy cause i got aventurine in hsr and he's become a new fav so im just overall in a good mood LOL just wish i also could have pulled luocha too... but i got an internship so i'm super excited but i've basically been the same as i always have XD i've been okay!! i feel like i just rambled oops... anyway what's been new? :0

lune, your new carrd looks so pretty<3 i love it omgggg, how have you been? feels like it's been forever 🤧

aaah thank you sky <33 hsjsbd it has been a while but i’ve been doing alright! i’m currently on holidays haha but once i go back to school the grind must start again 😞😞

hbu? hope you’ve been doing okay :)

++ 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

[summary] wrio’s spouse winds up in prison. special treatment ensues.

[cws] gender neutral reader. fluff.

“What you did was incredibly stupid.”

“I’d like to think it was very brave, actually.” You quip back, lips pursed as you turn up your chin. “You should be proud of me, really.”

“I should be proud that you got yourself thrown in prison?” You don’t have to look up to know that Wriothesley is sporting an incredulous expression. “Did they knock your head around a bit before bringing you down here?”

“You’re acting like I murdered someone.” You finally meet his gaze, and you resist the urge to sink down into your seat at the clear disapproval in his eyes. “All I did was—”

“Break into the Opera Epiclese and destroy government property.”

“That’s such a trumped-up charge!” You huff and roughly cross your arms over your chest, eyes narrowing as you think back on the charges that had been slapped down onto you by that damned archon. “You trip in the dark and accidentally fall into the oratrice and all of a sudden you’re a criminal. Hmph!”

“Yeah, exactly. It also doesn’t help that you broke in—”

“—I left my bracelet in there after the trial! Was I just supposed to leave it behind and potentially lose it forever? The condition of the lost and found in that place is downright terrible—the guards pocket all the good stuff.”

“You could have bought another one.”

“Not like this one.” You look down to the gray bracelet encircling your wrist, and a warmth spreads in your chest as you gently twist it around, finger rubbing over the messily written engraving on the inside of it. “This was a gift.”

“Hardly.” He sighs, and your eyes flick up to watch as he runs his hands through his already messy hair. “It’s just scrap metal I bent up and welded because I couldn’t buy you proper jewelry back when I was a prisoner.” It’s his turn to look at the bracelet.

“You were so creative back then.” You smile a bit wider. “I remember you used to have something new made every time I came to visit you. What was that one thing you made? The one that we painted together?”

“The ballerina music box.” He groaned, looking a bit embarrassed, and you snapped your fingers.

“The ballerina music box!” The ballerina was a bit oddly shaped, and the box had sharp corners on one side and rounded on the other, and the song the box played was distorted and sounded more creepy than relaxing due to some disfigured cogs, but you loved it nonetheless, and had even sobbed in thanks when he had first presented the gift to you. “I love that little box.”

“It looks like a child made it.”

“A child in the throes of eleazar, yes,” you nod, and his mouth opens a bit in surprise before he huffs out a laugh. “But I still love it… because you made it.” You give him a sweet smile, and you can see him soften up before your very own eyes; broad shoulders losing that rigidness, lids lowering, crease between his dark, thick brows disappearing.

“You’re tryin’ to butter me up.”

“Mhm,” you nod. “Is it working?”

“Not at all, jailbird.” He gives you a smile of his own, and despite the clear sarcasm in it, you can’t help the little flutter your heart does at the sight. “No special treatment for you.” So he says, yet he had placed a cup of tea down for you the moment you were brought to his office, and had even tried to inconspicuously nudge the basket of cookies in your direction, pretending not to notice when you reached for one. “Spouse or not.”

“What a mean man.” You slouch down in your seat. “I treasure the gifts that my lovely, amazing, strong, handsome, and so so so incredibly smart husband gives me and what do I get in return? A criminal record and unfair treatment! I’m suing the entire nation the moment I’m free!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves his hand in the air as if fanning away the conversation, and now it’s your turn to huff. “For the few days that you’re here, you’ll be working directly with me in exchange for coupons.” He takes a slow sip of his tea, adams apple bobbing as he swallows, before gently setting the cup back down onto its small plate. “I’ll make your first job real easy to get you in the swing of things.”

“How kind of you.”

He just barely contains an amused smile. “Very. Now…” He shifts in his seat. “Give me a kiss.”

“I’m married, Your Grace.”

“I’m sure your husband won’t mind. Kiss. Now.” He taps a finger against his lips, and after a moment you stand up and round his desk, hands finding his shoulders as you bend at the waist so your noses brush.

“My husband is a very good fighter, by the way. When he finds out you twisted his spouses’s arm like this, he’ll pummel you.”

“I can handle him.” A hand snags you by the waist, forcing you down into his lap, and you only have time to let out a quiet yelp before Wriothesley’s lips are on yours. The kiss is slow, sensual, and it brings a warmth to your cheeks and covers you with a bashful cloak when he pulls back to let his eyes roam over your face. “I’ve gotta say… your husband is a real lucky guy to snatch up someone as cute as you.”

“Hmph. Seems like you’re trying to butter me up now.”

“Is it working?” He presses his face into your neck, his lips pulling into a smile against your skin, and you have to fight back one of your own.

“Not at all, jailbird.”