Scaramouche Fluff - Blog Posts

Gosh. When are we going to marry Childe?

Chapter 6: The Final Day

📂 – pairing for this chapter : scaramouche x reader and abit of childe x reader

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📂 – author’s note : all credit goes to their rightful owner! I do not own anything unfortunately

📂 – word count : 8.7k

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The Empress’ demeanour was as remote and as cold as a glacier. Childe stood dazed as he looked at her profile. Her low, gentle voice captivated his ears but her icy voice even more so. How would it sound if she said his name like that?

Childe swallowed dryly as his imagination made his head spin. He wanted to kneel before that overbearing empress and pour kisses on her hand. He wanted to hear her speak in that cold voice and issue commands to him. How would it feel to obey her orders and then to rebel?

It had started out as curiosity. He was curious about the empress of Inazuma, and so he travelled as far as the palace to see her. Despite rumours that she was made of steel or ice, she was surprisingly soft and charming towards birds.

The rumours weren’t exactly wrong, however, he was surprised to see another side of her. He felt sympathy for the way she put up a strong front while she cried in secret. He heard her talking to herself while trying to hold back her tears. If the people had seen this side of her, they would think she is not the emperor’s beloved empress. 

But to him, she was incredible. He had thought that beneath her strong appearance was a vulnerable figure, but he realised that soon enough that it was false.

The feeling of curiosity and attraction turned into anxiety after actually meeting her. Why did she ignore him when he tried to make himself known? Why did she pretend not to know him? Why wasn’t she trying to look for him? Why didn't she stop Lumine when she was impersonating her? Were the comforts of the letters, the jokes that they had been shared, simply a one-sided feeling? Or perhaps it would hurt her pride if someone were to take care of her.

But as Childe drew closer to her, he became even more angry. He didn’t like seeing the things that burdened her or caused her pain. He knew from experience that controlling one’s reputation was difficult, to the point that he had almost gotten in a fight about it in the past.

“Are you jealous of Lumine, by any chance?”

As the Empress’ jaw hardened at Scaramouche’s insult, Prince Childe was overcome with an even more violent impulse than in the dining room. The frozen empress was charming, but the things that made her that way were definitely not. He could hear Diluc’s voice in his head, repeatedly telling him to not cause an incident involving the Emperor of the Inazuma Empire. It irritated Childe so much that he could not officially stand up to defend the Empress' honour.

“Your Majesty the Emperor. You must be more discerning.”

Eventually, Childe spoke. He knew Diluc would be furious when he found out about this. Their king was bedridden so the court affairs were in chaos. Did he really want to antagonise the Emperor of the Inazuma Empire? Despite this, Childe couldn’t help but speak up.

“This doesn’t concern you, Prince Childe.”

“I’m a witness. How can I keep my nose out of this?”

Childe added a grin as he stood next to the Empress.

“Your Majesty, do not worry. I will be the one to spread rumours about the truth. Your reputation will not be tarnished by this mistake.”

Things could have gotten worse if it were not for Diluc, who came running to Prince Childe’s side and stole him away.

“I heard you say something about reputation. Are you changing course?”

Childe walked in silence to the southern palace as Diluc started to nag at him again.

“Do what you usually do, Prince. Don’t fight from the front, fight from behind instead. Why were you trying to start a fight with someone and with the Inazuma Emperor no less? That could have potentially broke our political affairs with the Inazuma Empire? At this rate, us spying on the Inazuma Empire will be exposed soon enough.”

Diluc’s nagging got worse as soon as he closed the door, yet Childe ignored him and pulled up a chair.

“What are you going to do with the chair? Are you going to hit me?”

“Sit down.”

As Diluc sat down, Childe touched his head and forced some of his delusion into him. With a cry, Diluc had turned into a red bird and the clothes he had worn, tumbled to the ground. Diluc’s eyes widened in confusion when he saw Prince Childe taking out a piece of letter from his desk and tied it to his leg.

 -?

“Deliver this to Ayato.”

– …

“I won’t get myself in trouble, so go and deliver it. I’ll fight from behind, just as you said.” 

.

.

.

“Prince Childe seems to be a completely different person than the rumours suggest.”

Countess Jean, who was playing chess nearby, turned her head at my faintly spoken words.

“Hm? What did you say, Your Highness?”

I turned my book upside down and placed it on my lap. Could I tell them this? Would it sound strange?

My ladies-in-waiting knew I was the real letter friend, and so there was no need for me to say anything more. However, I thought it would be helpful if I could change any of the rumours about Prince Childe with my own words…

“Prince Childe. He seems better than I thought.”

I spoke nonchalantly as I picked up my teacup from the table and took a sip. Yoimiya, who was playing opposite of Countess Jean, surreptitiously changed a horse’s position while the Countess was not looking.

“Right. And he knew that the maid and the slave didn’t write those letters! Ah—that was wrong. Anyway, he found out quickly. Even though he’s a womaniser, he’s more faithful than other nobles.”

Countess Jean had slapped Yoimiya on the back of her hand and restored the horse’s original position on the board.

“Yoimiya is right. Though he may seem like a carefree person, he’s not frivolous.”

A lady-in-waiting sitting comfortably on an armchair gave a vindictive laugh.

“Even more so, I liked it when the slave’s lie came to light.”

Other comments from the other ladies-in-waiting started to spring up as well.

“Did you see how his blood pressure went up when she lied to him so shamelessly?” 

“The foreign nobles who mingle with her must have come to their senses by now.” 

However, Beidou, who was silently standing by the door until now had immediately thrown cold water into the situation.

“I don’t believe so.” 

At Beidou’s certain tone, the ladies-in-waiting all turned to her with questioning expressions. The knight nervously scratched her cheek, as if overwhelmed by the beautiful ladies looking at her all at once.

“Baron Thoma is responsible for Miss Lumine’s affairs, and the way he talks about her is…different.”

“Different? How so?”

Yoimiya's eyes were wide as she questioned her. In curiosity, I had set the now empty cup back on the table and had also turned to look at Beidou .

I knew Baron Thoma—he was Scarmouche’s personal secretary, and quite a brilliant man. Moreover, if he was extremely fond of Lumine, it would only be beneficial for her when Baron Thoma comes forward and turns the rumours around.

“Because of Miss Lumine’s beauty and charm, some say that the Emperor and Prince Childe are fighting over her.”

When two conflicting rumours spread, there would at least cause a commotion between people who believed one story or the other. Baron Thoma had definitely planned this out carefully.

Yoimiya shut the chessboard in frustration.

“I absolutely despise her!”

“Watch your mouth, Yoimiya. You are now a lady-in-waiting of the Empress, and offensive language will only hurt Her Majesty’s image.”

“I am careful with my words in front of others, Countess Jean. Yet still…I have no other way to express my emotions!”

Then, as Yoimiya cried out her frustration, there was a tap on the window.

“Queen!”

It had been several days since he came here last, and I quickly got up and opened the window to let him in. I was so happy to see him after such a long time that I held him tightly.

– !

Queen tried to embrace me with his wings, and Yoimiya had finally calmed down and gave a giggle.

“That bird is so sweet. Look at how he holds Her Majesty. Maybe he’s actually not a bird.”

– !

I scolded the ladies for teasing Queen, then I gently placed him on my lap and stroked his head.

Queen's large purple eyes closed as he started to doze off, but he occasionally got startled and looked at me.

“I missed you.”

I confessed my feelings frankly to him, and he peered at me as if he understood me.

“…”

Strange. Why did this bird remind me of Prince Childe? Well, perhaps it was because Prince Childe was the bird’s owner.

“Ah.”

I almost forgot to check the note on his leg. I took the piece of paper from his leg, and opened it while setting Queen aside .

– I had wagered my identity. Why didn't you want to participate in the bet? 

Did Prince Childe know that I was the letter acquaintance or not? A few hours ago, I told myself that the writer was Prince Childe, but I didn’t even have the time to ask him because Scaramouche and I immediately fought…

I hesitated before writing my response.

– Please keep our friendship by letter only. 

Queen watched me patiently as I wrote. As soon as I lifted my hand from the paper, he checked the contents, then made strange noises and started jumping up and down.

– Gu! Gu! Gu!

He seemed to be criticising me on behalf of his owner.

“Don’t be so upset, Queen. I prefer it this way.”

– Gu!

“If your master and I meet each other, we will be the Inazuma Empress and the Snezhnaya Prince, not as friends that are able to speak casually to each other. We would have to be careful about how we behave with each other in front of other people.”

– …

“I have become a source of entertainment because of Scaramouche and Lumine. Under these circumstances, the rumours will worsen if it’s discovered that I’m exchanging letters with a womaniser.”

Maybe it was because Queen had seemed so intelligent, but before I knew it, I was confessing my true feelings.

Queen’s beak opened as if in surprise. I closed his beak shut and hurriedly added an explanation.

“I know your master is not as bad as the rumours say. I think he’s a good person, in fact. Hm? Ha ha, why are you embarrassed?”

.

.

.

Lumine laid down on the bed in a thin lavender nightgown, hugging a cushion. Lying next to her was Scaramouche, who was running his fingers through her soft blonde hair.

“Prince Childe is known for his cruelty and for being a womaniser. Don’t trust people so blindly from now on.”

 “Lumine didn’t know…”

“It’s alright. Anyone can make mistakes. Just don’t make that same mistake in the future.”

“But this isn’t Lumine’s fault, right?”

“Of course. It was that man who had caused a disturbance.”

Lumine leaned her head against Scaramouche’s shoulder.

“But I’m glad His Majesty protected Lumine.”

“I’m glad too. I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Tomorrow is the special banquet! Let’s just relax and socialise with people! I want to be friends with Princess Amber.”

Lumine smiled and patted the cushion like a drum. Scaramouche, who normally would have smiled at her adoorable behaviour, was suddenly as stiff as a stone.

“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”

“You…”

“Your Majesty?”

“Lumine, you won’t be able to attend the special banquet tomorrow.”

Lumine stared at Scaramouche with wide eyes. He felt sheepish after giving her the unexpected news, except that was not the way it should be.

“What? Why not, Your Majesty?”

“There can only be twenty special guests.”

“Can’t I be one of them?”

“The Empress and I had invited ten people each, and we’ve already sent out the invitations…”

“You can be flexible and add one more…”

“But Lumine , the moment we are flexible, the special banquet becomes less special.”

Lumine made a shocked, unblinking expression at his refusal, and Scaramouche felt forced to explain.

“As I said, it’s only for those invited. I don’t know why you would think it would suddenly change.”

“Lumine is your concubine. Your lady. Lumine thought she could go without being invited…You should have invited her too.”

Lumine’s face was red as she whimpered.

“Oh goodness, Lumine.”

Scaramouche took out a handkerchief and patted away the tears that had sprung up in her eyes. But the tears gathered again, and the handkerchief was useless.

“Do you really wish to go?”

“I told everyone at the dinner that I would go to the special banquet.” 

“…”

Scaramouche frowned.

“You should’ve asked me.”

“It’s strange to ask. Besides, His Majesty took Lumine to dinner with the special guests, so of course Lumine thought…”

“It’s my fault.”

Scaramouche sighed and rubbed Lumine's shoulder, but she kept crying, waiting for Scaramouche to change his words. However, no matter how long she waited, it did not happen.

“So in the end, you’re not taking me.”

Lumine wept like a child, and Scaramouche clenched his jaw at the innocence of it. Having only seen the court nobles cry silently, he was amazed whenever Lumine expressed her true feelings honestly.

“I’m sorry, Lumine. Don’t cry.”

“You saw what happened today. If Lumine doesn’t go, Prince Childe will say something to the guests. He said he was going to spread rumours.”

Lumine had a point, and Scaramouche sighed again. However, many of the guests consisted of foreign royal family members and powerful nobles, and were considered the most important people of the year. To set aside an important guest to allow a concubine could cause an international problem.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there. I won’t let Prince Childe say anything strange.”

Lumine’s expression was still morose. After stewing on the subject, Scaramouche finally let out a sigh.

“I will ask the Empress if she can spare a seat. Some of the guests are subjects of this country, so we won’t have to worry about an international problem.” 

.

.

.

The morning sun shone through the thin curtains, casting shadows on the floor in the shape of the window frames.

I yawned and raised myself from the bed. My heart wasn’t heavy despite the incident from yesterday. Perhaps it was because of Prince Childe and Queen…

I patted my face to wake myself up, then went to the bathroom to wash my face. Behind me, my ladies-in-waiting prepared the bathtub with petals and salts. My clothes were removed and I sank into the warm water, allowing my muscles to relax. I closed my eyes and leaned against the bathtub as the ladies-in-waiting massaged my head with careful hands. 

After the bath, I put on a robe and went into the bedroom. As it was the last day of the New Year’s celebration and the day of the special banquet, the dress selected for me was extravagant, but not overly so, and simultaneously captured a sense of calm and elegance.

After getting dressed, I placed on my diamond earrings and crown. The crown wasn’t made for ceremonial purposes, and wasn’t too large and heavy. I looked over my notes on the special guests while the ladies styled my hair to match the crown.

However, before they could finish, one of Scaramouche’s secretaries arrived. As I was already dressed, I allowed him in, and the secretary had conveyed Scaramouche’s words with great embarrassment.

“Your Majesty, the Emperor would like a word with you.”

“Now?” 

“Yes, it’s about the special banquet, so please come quickly—”

It had to be urgent if it was about the special banquet. I nodded and ordered the ladies to quickly finish my hair.

“We’ll put it back together when you get back.”

“Is that alright? I don’t want to bother you twice.”

“It’s fine.”

“Then you may have your breakfast first while I’m gone.”

Various scenarios about the guests ran through my head when I had followed Scaramouche’s secretary to the eastern palace. Did someone suddenly declare war on our Empire? Have one of the foreign guests complained about the country or did one of them offend us? Has anyone suddenly announced their absence?

“What’s going on?” 

I immediately questioned Scaramouche as soon as I entered his room. Lumine was sitting on the bed, but I pretended not to know her. However, I did notice her staring at me—no, staring at the crown on my head, to be more exact.

I frowned in discomfort, but Lumine continued to stare with a bewitched expression and did not look away. Scaramouche was the first to speak.

“Can you make room for one more person?”

“Is something wrong? Are there any reports that Secretary Sucrose or the Chief Magician Albedo are able to attend?”

The secretary and the chief magician were those who originally had reservations. They were invited by Scaramouche, but they did not attend the New Year’s ceremony because they had declined as they were both busy.

“No, it’s not them.”

“Then…?”

Who on earth were we supposed to set up a seat for? I studied Scaramouche closely, who seemed caught in an awkward silence.

“I want to take Lumine with me…”

“…”

“Can you do that?”

“…”

“Empress? Why won’t you talk to me?”

I was going to apologise, but quickly shoved it down my throat as I felt it was not something I should be apologising for nor was it my fault.

“No, Your Majesty.”

Scaramouche’s brow furrowed at my flat refusal.

“One seat is fine. There is surely one or two people the Empress can ask.”

“It’s possible to ask for consent if they agree. But if Secretary Sucrose or the Chief Magician Albedo came, they would be offended by the sudden cancellation of the invitation…for your concubine.”

Scaramouche’s expression turned even colder.

“I have an idea on what your words mean, Empress.”

“The answer would have been the same if it had been my lover, or even if it had been another concubine that was not Lumine.”

“Then why don’t we exclude people such as Duchess Ningguang?”

“Unlike you, I do not wish to hurt the people I cherish, Your Majesty.”

“!”

I could tell that Scaramouche believed that I was a heartless person. It was clear as day by the lines between his brows were more obvious than usual, and the narrowing of his eyes.

“The empress is cold.”

“As I should be.”

“What?”

An international embarrassment could happen if Scaramouche disregarded his guests, and the blame would fall to him. But if I set aside a guest for Lumine, I would be blamed for doing something as simple as this to impress both Lumine and Scaramouche. A similar rumour had already spread after Scaramouche gave Lumine gifts under my name. While that incident was disgraceful on a personal level, disrespecting guests would directly be judged by society.

But Scaramouche’s behaviour wasn’t a mistake. Even at this moment, he was smart. He was forcing me to act this way to protect himself and soothe Lumine’s heart.

“I’m not intentionally being cruel. Lumine is your concubine, not mine. I don’t know why you’re trying to force me to do things even you, the Emperor, cannot do.”

I was too angry to explain it further to him, so I deliberately turned away. Scaramouche’s jaw was clenched and Lumine glanced at me with a frightened look, but I wasn’t feeling any better at all. I gave my farewell as etiquette as I could, and then left the room with a stately walk. 

.

.

.

When I arrived at the western palace, I found the ladies anxiously waiting for me.

“You should have eaten without me.”

“How could we? We wondered if something terrible happened again.”

“You don’t look good whenever you see the Emperor these days.”

After calming them down, we ate breakfast together, but after that meeting with Scaramouche, all my appetite has vanished. However, I managed to slightly fill my stomach with some soup and pudding. 

Afterwards, the ladies-in-waiting went to prepare themselves for the party, so I sat alone at my desk to check the schedule after the New Year’s celebrations. Firstly, I had to see off the foreign guests, as well as accommodate those that wished to stay longer. I had to also handle any reports of incidents thoroughly such as if any foreigner had a legal problem, it had to be settled before they crossed the border.

The day had passed quickly, and it was time for the feast. I took another look of myself in the mirror, and also saw that each of my ladies-in-waiting were splendidly dressed as well.

“Will you come to the party after the special banquet?”

“I don’t know. I have to check the time…what’s wrong, Yoimiya?”

“Ayaka—no, Lady Ayaka is ill and cannot go to the party. If neither you nor her come, I’ll just show my face and leave quickly.”

Yoimiya, who preferred to mingle with her peers, did not seem very interested in socialising with the other noblewomen.

“I’ll be there if you wait for me, Yoimiya.”

I gave her my promise, and Yoimiya smiled with excitement and quickly went to the grand hall for the party. The other ladies-in-waiting also followed suit, while I went to the Red Rose room for the special banquet.

Lively music filled the air, and the special guests were gathered together in groups of three or four. I walked towards Princess Amber, with a casual nod to everyone else, when I came across Grand Duke Dainsleif first, who was holding a champagne glass. A large statue holding a flower basket and sword and a servant carrying champagne bottles stood symmetrically on either side of him, leaving no other way to pass.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

A nod wouldn’t suffice as he was right in front of me, so I smiled and spoke to him. Before I bowed in greeting, it occurred to me that he ignored both me and Lumine yesterday.

“…Your Majesty.”

Fortunately, Grand Duke Dainsleif did not turn a blind eye to me this time. He didn’t answer my question, however.

“Does the food suit your taste?”

I gave him a small bow for the second time without realising it. Instead of answering me, he stared at me again. His long, sharp eyes were something fierce.

This was Grand Duke Dainsleif’s first invitation to the banquet, and I had never interacted with this man until last year. I had little knowledge of his character. All I knew was that he was a grand duke from a desert country, and had graduated first from a magical academy.

As I waited for his reply, Dainsleif asked me his own question out of nowhere.

“Is this the state of the Eastern Empire?”

“What do you mean?”

“In Khaenri'ah, the King’s and Queen’s emotions are one. ”

“The king and queen as one… That’s amazing.”

” …You know what it means?”

“Not enough to say I’m fluent. Only a few basic words.”

When I lifted my eyebrows, he opened his eyes in surprise and continued.

“If the King’s lover is in front of her, she would be killed immediately.”

“!”

“Are you not able to do that, Your Majesty?”

“I’m afraid that in this great empire I cannot kill a person for no reason, even if I am an empress. A trial must be held first.”

“Foolish that you cannot eat soup out of your own bowl.”

Was he saying that I didn’t have proper control of the Lumine yesterday? However, just as there were the laws in the country of Khaenri'ah, there were the laws of the Inazuma Empire. In my country, concubines were legally approved. And if an empress ever killed an emperor’s mistress? There was the strong possibility of the empress being thrown into prison.

Then what did that leave me? My whole future I had prepared for my whole life, thrown away just for a little excitement? Would I bet my life just to kill a runaway slave that stole my husband? Before giving an answer, however, Grand Duke Dainsleif left with his glass of champagne.

I gave a relieved sigh. He probably thought of me as pathetic.

‘How strange. It was Scaramouche that made Lumine a concubine, so why am I the pathetic woman?’

Unfortunately, Princess Amber seemed to have moved elsewhere in the room. I shook my head and looked around to find another person, when my gaze landed on Duchess Ningguang.

“Queen.”

There was a low voice from behind me. As soon as I turned my head, I found Prince Childe right before me.

“How are you—”

Before I could ask him how he was, he spoke again.

“I’d like to talk to you for a moment.” 

.

.

.

Prince Childe’s expression was a mix of both serious and sad. He didn’t have his usual smile or proud bearing. I motioned for him to speak, remembering that he had helped me.

“It’s alright.” 

Prince Childe picked up two champagne glasses from a passing servant, and with his eyes pointed towards a spot where the music was loudest and would cover our conversation. The open area left no room for the other guests to misunderstand, even if I was with the much-gossiped-about Prince Childe. He was a surprisingly thoughtful man…

As I admired him, Prince Childe extended to me a glass of champagne, which I accepted. He didn’t drink his, however, and simply fiddled with his glass, while I still stood and waited for him to speak. Finally, he carefully opened his mouth.

“I had read your message, Your Majesty. You want to keep our friendship only by letter.”

“You know that it’s me?”

All I had said yesterday was that I knew it was not Lumine. How did he know it was me? When I looked up at him, Prince Childe hurriedly waved his hand and gave an awkward smile.

“Don’t be alarmed. You did not make a mistake.”

“Then …?”

“Both Lady Lumine and her maid knew the contents of the early letters, but not the later ones. So I had thought about it. I found out that a lady-in-waiting named Viscountess Mona had recently transferred from the Empress to Lady Lumine.”

So that’s how he figured it out…

But I was still surprised. Rumours had it that Prince Childe was a womaniser, a cruel man, a person who kept bad company. I had never heard a rumour that he was exceedingly intelligent, and I smiled a little.

But the prince still looked forlorn, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was disappointed that I was the letter acquaintance, even though I’d rather not have it revealed in the beginning. It would be less embarrassing for the both of us to ignore it. So why was his face so stiff?

“Are you alright? You don’t look very happy.”

Prince Childe sighed as he stared at me.

“How can I be happy? I imagined us as good friends, but you want to pretend not to know me in real life?”

Was that really as coldhearted as it sounds? I would have thought he was exaggerating, but the way he looked so forlorn made me swallow my protest. He downed his champagne glass in one smooth motion.

“In fact, I don’t have many friends to share my thoughts with.”

Prince Childe set his empty glass down on the statue pedestal and continued, his voice thick.

“I know. It’s unexpected, isn’t it? Am I popular? Yes. I have many friends. I always have people around me, so you may think I am not lonely.”

“?”

“But that is only what you see. In fact, I’m very lonely. It’s not that I hate my friends—I have many good ones. However, as the prince of the Snezhnaya, I cannot honestly share my thoughts, and always have to be conscious of others.”

“!”

I looked at him in surprise. Those were almost my exact same thoughts. It was as if—as if Queen listened to me and delivered those words straight to Prince Childe.

“It’s not a problem about the people, but my own, so there’s no way to improve it…”

I stared steadily at Prince Childe, as I realised I wasn’t the only one with those thoughts. I had always believed Prince Childe behaved without regard to what other people thought of him, but it was all an act too…

“I loved being able to talk to someone without them thinking of me as ‘Prince Childe or ‘Crown Prince.’ Our conversations weren’t long, but I was happy to have someone exchange lighthearted letters to.”

“…”

I felt just the same. I became a princess when I was young, and this was the first time since with my family that I felt I could open up my heart. Not because there weren’t good people, but because “a good person” and “a person I can reveal my innermost thoughts to” were not the same.

“I’ve always looked forward to those letters. Honestly, I was even happier when I knew that my letter acquaintance was you, Your Majesty. And I had thought you would feel the same but instead you seemed reluctant and inconvenienced.”

Prince Childe sighed, his eyes becoming moist. As I faced those eyes, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I sympathised with everything he said, and felt further shame.

“We had the same thoughts, but different conclusions.”

Prince Childe looked at me with those wet eyes and sighed again, his mysterious violet irises glistening like jewels under the chandelier’s light. There almost seemed to be resentment in his expression. I could either be his friend, or I could end it like this.

“I understand what you feel, Prince Childe.”

“But you still only want to exchange letters?”

“I enjoyed them.”

“Outside of letters, it will be even more enjoyable.”

“…”

“You can just tell me that Scaramouche is a bitch.”

“Keup!”

I choked when Prince Childe tossed all dignity out of the window. Everyone stared at me as I coughed, and Prince Childe lowered his voice once again and whispered, “Scaramouche is a bitch.”

What kind of person…

Prince Childe raised his eyebrows and gave a silly grin.

“There is nothing more funny than watching someone suppress a laugh. Just laugh if you want to. ”

“…”

“If you don’t laugh, your heart will ache.”

Ache? Did he have experience in this?

His smile faded, as did his voice. For a moment, Prince Childe stared at the floor, his forehead furrowed in thought.

“Then, can you do something for me? I’ll keep it a secret you, my Queen, are my letter partner. And I’ll also keep it a secret that we are friends.”

“Are we friends?”

“Don’t you know that we’re friends, Queen?”

He gave a strange smile, then he pressed his lips together and continued.

“Instead, it can be like now. If we meet by chance, please don’t ignore me. And if the two of us happen to be alone, don’t avoid me.”

His voice was playful and the smile around his mouth looked light, but his gaze was serious. It sounded like a joke, but I knew it wasn’t.

He gazed at me with those earnest eyes, and I felt a strange sensation of my heart being squeezed lightly with fingernails.

.

.

.

‘They must be talking about me…’

Lumine stared anxiously at the doorway, where inside was the special banquet. It should go smoothly with Scaramouche there, but she was still apprehensive.

Would Prince Childe say anything strange to anyone? The Empress seemed unlikely to spread rumours, but Lumine couldn’t say the same about Prince Childe. Lumine bit her lip and sighed again.

“You look blue today. Are you feeling well?”

Baron Thoma appeared by her side and smiled at her teasingly.

“In truth, I’m not.”

“You’re very honest.”

Lumine smiled and nodded. After Scaramouche, Baron Thoma was her favourite person in the palace. He did not prejudiced her, and when rumours of her and Prince Childe had spread, she had heard that Baron Thoma stepped up to defend her honour. Lumine couldn’t help but like the older man.

“Rest assured, no matter how unruly Prince Childe is, he has no choice but to yield to our Emperor. Although the Snezhnaya Kingdom has been growing in power, it still cannot eclipse the Inazuma Empire.”

“Yes…”

“I will do whatever I can to protect Lady Lumine’s honour, so go enjoy the last day of the celebrations.”

Lumine nodded, and her mood lifted as she smiled. Those who did not scorn her gathered around her in ones or twos, and before long she was surrounded by people who were close to her or who wanted to be close to her. She preened at their attention, and whether because they were being thoughtful or not, no one asked her why she did not go to the special banquet. Lumine sipped wine that was surely five times older than herself, and happily accepted the praise that the nobles lavished on her.

“The contrast between your silver hair and your dark eyes is so enviable.”

“It gives off the feeling of purity, like a lily-of-the-valley.”

“Duchess Ningguang might need to defend her current reputation.”

Duchess Ningguang wasn’t present, as she was likely attending the special banquet, so today, more and more people approached Lumine instead.

‘Today, I am the butterfly of the social circles.’

Lumine was feeling pleasantly tipsy. Even before she became the emperor’s concubine, she knew beauty could be a poison. It was only after much trial did she learn how to use her own beauty as a weapon, but even then she found herself walking a precarious tightrope, always in danger.

But it was different here. Everyone praised her and loved her. Her protector was the most powerful man on earth, and no one could lay a hand on her.

“But didn’t you say you were going to the special banquet? Why are you here now?”

However, it was only less than half an hour later that someone brought up an uncomfortable question.

Lumine stared at the woman who spoke. She was not a memorable aristocrat, and did not have large possessions or had duties important in the Imperial Palace. This was the first time this particular noblewoman mingled with them. The other nobles turned silent at the question, but despite their curiosity, they did not speak up.

“It’s…”

Lumine quickly arranged her thoughts and made up a story.

“It’s because Lumine said it was alright.”

“Oh, Miss Lumine?”

“Important foreign guests usually go to the banquet. Rather than having Lumine attend, she thought it would be better to have someone who would benefit our country. ”

The nobles were delighted over her answer.

“Miss Lumine is so smart for a concubine.”

“Indeed. Many of the previous concubines only spent money and idled away, and held no interest in international affairs at all. Miss Lumine is certainly different from them.”

Lumine smiled shyly and lowered her eyes. Their admiration was as intoxicating as a drug.

“Lumine should help His Majesty.”

Lumine murmured that she wanted another drink, and a number of noblemen quickly offered her a variety of wine glasses. Lumine chose a flute with a light purple liquor, and the face of the young man she had accepted the drink from lit up.

Suddenly, Lumine caught a glimpse of someone over the young man’s shoulders. Someone who should not have been there.

The flute slipped from her hand, and the glass shattered on the floor.

“Miss Lumine, are you all right?”

“What happened?”

Lumine was unable to answer, and quickly jerked her head. But the one who surprised her was not there anymore.

‘Did I see it wrong?’

Lumine forced her heart to calm. Perhaps it was the effects of the alcohol.

‘I drank too much.’

While the servants placed the broken glass on a tray and wiped the liquor off the floor, Lumine repeatedly glanced back to where she had seen the man.

“What’s wrong, Miss Lumine?”

Baron Thoma noticed her strange behaviour and turned towards where she was looking, and she quickly caught the hem of his robe to stop him.

 “Baron Thoma. I have a question.”

“?”

“For the New Year’s celebrations, if a nobleman doesn’t come on the first day…can they come on the last day?”

“Of course. Some may not be able to come to the festivities immediately.”

Lumine lowered her voice.

“Do rural aristocrats come to the New Year’s celebrations? Rural aristocrats with small estates? Do you not help choose the guests?”

“Yes, I help choose them. And even the nobility of a small estate can be invited.”

“Even if they haven’t attended for years?”

“Even if they haven’t attended for a long time, we still send invitations for that reason. We don’t leave them completely alone.”

Lumine’s lips started to quiver, and Baron Thoma’s expression darkened.

“Miss Lumine, what happened?”

Lumine shook her head, then took in her surroundings again and pushed her glass towards him.

“L-Lumine’s going inside. I think I’m drunk.”

She answered unsteadily and waved her hand to get out of the crowd. There was nothing to worry about if she made a drunken mistake, but if not—it would be dangerous.

That man…Viscount Lawrence. The lord of the estate where she was a slave. He knew Lumine’s face.

As she was leaving, a loud voice behind Lumine proclaimed, “What? Am I seeing right?”

Goose flesh erupted on Lumine’s back. Her face paled, and her eyes darkened in fear.

Lumine was reeling, and Baron Thoma hastened towards her.

“Miss Lumine?”

Baron Thoma called out to her anxiously, but she didn’t answer.

 “‘Miss’ Lumine?”

The loud voice grew closer, dripping in mockery.

“What is this now? Have you changed your identity?”

The surroundings became deathly silent.

“The world is getting better isn't it? A runaway slave gets treated like a lady now? Hm?”

.

.

.

“So you stopped looking for your letter friend?”

“Yes. If they haven’t revealed themselves by now, then they never will.”

“But you wanted it badly enough to go public…”

“I don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable because of me.”

Prince Childe kept his promise. I awkwardly cut a piece of cake across the table where he was talking to a noblewoman. From time to time he looked at me, and I just smiled and nodded, hoping it wouldn’t seem odd.

‘He’s a good man…’

Scaramouche would have cut off Prince Childe if he said anything strange, but the prince said nary a word about Lumine at all.

The conversation went from Prince Childe’s letters to Grand Duke Dainsleif’s Kingdom, his magic, and how it worked in war. The grand duke offered only a few words, and did not speak about magic though he had graduated from a magical academy. He was equally silent on other topics, but my attention turned towards the door when it opened and someone came in. It was the captain of the guard.

‘What’s going on?’

Our eyes met, and he bowed towards me. Scaramouche still hadn’t noticed him, as his eyes were on Prince Childe.

“Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The moment Scaramouche turned his head, the knight delivered his message.

“You need to come to the grand hall.”

His tone sounded serious. There were only twenty people in the room, so everyone could hear what he said. All the guests’ eyes and attention were on him.

“Why is that?”

The captain seemed reluctant to answer in present company, but Scaramouche picked up on it and went outside with the knight.

‘What’s going on?’

I considered following them, but decided against it. If I was needed, then the knight would have spoken to me as well, and I wouldn’t be required if it had to do with Lumine or anything like that.

‘I don’t need to leave.’

I made up my mind and turned towards the guests again. When the time came, I left the Red Rose room and went to the grand banquet hall. I had to check on the other guests as well, and when the sun went down I had to inspect the fireworks.

‘I also made a promise to meet with Yoimiya.’

However, the atmosphere at the grand banquet hall was livelier than I expected.

‘Did something happen?’

People are usually tired out during the last day of the celebration. However, everyone would dress up for the last day, yet the energy was usually not the same as the first. From the entrance, I saw people talking and laughing, and the noise grew louder as I went in. I looked around confusedly, and Yoimiya ran over to me.

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty, did you hear?”

“Did something interesting happen? I’ve been in the Red Rose room, so I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Something very interesting happened.”

Yoimiya said in excitement, and she moved me to a suitable place for conversation. Nearby, there was a spread of crispy fried seafood, small dishes of pumpkin puddings, and milky coffee.

“You can listen while you eat. It’s an appetising story!”

“What happened?”

Yoimiya pushed a mango pudding and a fork towards me.

“Thank you, Yoimiya.”

“Do you remember Lumine?”

It was not a topic I was fond of. I grimaced slightly, but Yoimiya continued, despite knowing that I didn’t like talking about her.

“Do you remember the rumour that she was a runaway slave?”

“Yes, but are we not allowed to speak of it?”

Scaramouche had said he would punish those that did. Could they speak about this in a crowded place? I was worried, but Yoimiya shouted out before I could stop her.

“She really is an escaped slave! Viscount Lawrence arrived at the party for the first time, and he recognised Lumine!”

“Viscount Lawrence?”

“She was his slave, then she ran away!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If the Emperor was here he would’ve stopped him. Not only that, the viscount had only been in the capital for a few hours so he didn’t know about the rumours about Lumine or the order not to talk about her. That’s why he openly said Lumine was a slave in public!”

“Ah…”

“Lumine said she was not, but everyone believed him. She looked mortified.”

Yoimiya snorted.

“All the nobles who came up to Lumine must have seen it now.”

“And where are they now?”

“When Lumine fainted, Baron Thoma carried her to her bedroom. Then the captain of the royal guard came and took Viscount Lawrence.”

So that was why the captain was looking for Scaramouche. For a moment, some foreign feeling welled up inside me. Was it…vindication? Yes. It must be. Scaramouche was furious when he suspected I spread false rumours about Lumine as a runaway slave. The resentment and sorrow I felt now turned to satisfaction.

However, there was a small corner in my heart that didn’t feel thrilled. What is this uncomfortable feeling?

“…”

I couldn’t figure it out so I decided to leave it be for now.

Now that I think about it, did Scaramouche not realized Lumine was a runaway slave when he had rescued her? Although, even if he did know, I doubt Scaramouche would hate her. After all, he had brought her here because she was pitiful and that he had a powerful desire to protect her. Whether he fell in love with her then or not, it was their first meeting. And whether Lumine was a commoner or a fugitive slave, Scaramouche would still love her. He would try to protect Lumine from mockery of others.

I didn’t know what would happen nor what is happening, but I did know that whatever it was, I did not want to get involved. 

.

.

.

As usual, it was useless trying to avoid getting entangled with Lumine. Each time, it was either her or Scaramouche that got me involved with them, it was as if they were taking turns to do that to me. However, this time, it was Scaramouche. 

As some of the foreign guests would return to their countries and the rest would stay longer at the southern palace. I returned to the western palace, leaving behind those who wanted to stay up for the drinking and revelry. I wanted to take a warm bath to relieve my fatigue of the day. My ladies-in-waiting also seemed exhausted, so instead of having them follow me, I sent them away to take their rest.

However, before I could even finish drawing the bathwater, Scaramouche’s captain of the guard came to see me. I had a sinking feeling the moment I saw him. For nearly a month, all the times Scaramouche summoned me out of the blue had been unpleasant encounters.

What on earth did he want this time? My mood dropped the more I walked through the long corridors, but I managed to control my expression. I hoped I could maintain it in front of my husband…

Finally, I entered Scaramouche’s bedroom in the eastern palace. Scaramouche was seated on a chair by the bed, and I also noticed that Lumine was on the bed with a towel on her forehead. I turned back to Scaramouche again, who had his eyes fixed on me.

“…I’ll take my leave now.”

The captain closed the door, and the atmosphere became even more oppressive. Scaramouche slowly opened his mouth to speak.

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

His voice was cold.

“Why exactly did you call me here?”

I spoke to him just as bluntly.

“Is that the only thing you can say right now?”

“That’s what I’m most curious about now.”

“You don't even blink at this situation.”

The first thought that came to mind was, ‘I must be doing a good job of controlling my facial expression,’ and the corners of my mouth must have tipped upwards as Scaramouche seemed even more offended.

“Are you happy that everyone thinks Lumine’s a runaway slave?”

“Are you going to take your anger out on me?”

 “Empress.”

“I heard about Miss Lumine at the grand hall. I know you’re upset, but don’t take it out on me.”

“Did you think I called you to vent?”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why did you call me in the first place?”

He did not call me to be angry at me, yet his remarks and tone at me says a lot. He probably assumed I was happy that Lumine was discovered to be a runaway slave.

Scaramouche silently watched Lumine’s sleeping form. The ticking of the clock echoed in the room. Only after some time passed did Scaramouche speak.

“Did you really want to prove that Lumine is a fugitive slave?”

“That story again?”

“The Empress was born with a silver spoon. She had a great aristocratic family, enormous wealth, great power, a beautiful mansion, and a natural wit and beauty. But in spite of that, she still wants to be on top of everyone, including the less fortunate.”

It wasn’t a compliment in this situation. I looked at Scaramouche with narrowed eyes, and he sighed.

“Yet Lumine had nothing. She became a slave and had no memory or her parents or family. No property, no power, no home. She is just like the Empress who is smart and beautiful, she just doesn’t have opportunities for her.”

“…”

“And then she met me, and she had been trying to get these by herself. The chance to be loved, to eat a warm meal, to relax on a comfortable bed, to learn something.”

She also took my husband, but I didn’t say this because my pride was injured. I wanted to ask if he wanted me to sympathise with Lumine, but the words were stuck in my throat. So I just stared at him without a word. I couldn’t understand why he was talking so much—was he asking me to take care of Lumine's problems because she was in trouble? 

“I don’t need you to understand Lumine. But you have the smallest compassion…can you give it?”

“Compassion?”

“The compassion the Empress shows here and there—for example, towards the orphanages, elderly homes, medical centres, shrines, scholarship centres. Why can't you spare that compassion for Lumine instead!”

Scaramouche exploded at me, but then he stopped himself and collapsed back into his chair. Lumine reached out with a groan, and he quickly took her hand. I noticed that she was wearing a shirt with wide sleeves that looked similar to the shirt I had given to Scaramouche for his birthday last year. I didn't want to admit it, but seeing Lumine wearing the shirt I had bought for Scaramouche and that my husband is treating his concubine better than his wife, made me clenched my fist.

“Lumine is your concubine, not mine, so you should take care of her. I’m not looking after her because she’s not my responsibility.”

“Who said you had to look after her? Ha. Don't make me laugh! I don’t want you to take care of her, so please leave her alone! And Don't even come close to her”

“Have I ever provoked her?”

“Yesterday in front of Prince Childe, when he insulted Lumine. Out of the two of them, Prince Childe and Lumine, you should have sided with Lumine if you don’t know who’s telling the truth! You should stand by your subjects!”

“As I said, I knew the truth, and sided with Prince Childe accordingly.”

“So you are saying Lumine lied?”

“It is you who believe in her innocence, not me. And everyone knew she lied so why bother defending her, Your Majesty?”

“Well, that was yesterday. How about today? Why were you trying to undermine her today?”

“You know I never spoke to Miss Lumine today.”

“You didn't. You didn't talk to Lumine herself, but you called Viscount Lawrence from behind her back.”

The air seemed to tense when he made the accusation. I knew it wasn't true, but he made it sound like it. I glared at Scaramouche.

“What are you trying to imply?”

“You wanted to prove that Lumine is a runaway slave, and so you brought Viscount Lawrence.”

“…I invited the viscount because of Miss Lumine?”

What kind of ridiculous assumption was this? I was dumbfounded as Scaramouche let out an exhale.

“Ever since I said that Lumine wasn’t an escaped slave, didn’t you want to prove me otherwise? Were you so offended by everyone loving her?”

“You’re speaking nonsense.”

I forced my voice to sound calm, but I felt ready to burst. Scaramouche stood straight up from his chair, his eyes flashing threateningly.

“Who knows the guest invitations better than the Empress? You must have been working hard. You even invited Viscount Lawrence.”

“Yes, I know the invitations very well because it is my job. However, I invited him weeks before Lumine even came to the palace.”

“He’s not an important guest, so why did you invite him to the celebrations?”

“As I said before…I’m not interested in every single thing concerning Miss Lumine. And you were confident that she was not a runaway slave. Under these circumstances, why would I not send an invitation to Viscount Lawrence? Adding on to that, how was I supposed to find out she was his slave?”

It was true, I didn’t even know that she was his slave. The only connection I knew was that Scaramouche had found her on the hunting grounds near Lawrence’s estate. Since then, I had never heard mention of it, and if Lumine was commoner, then Lawrence’s attendance was irrelevant. Yet somehow, Scaramouche thought I calculated Lumine was Lawrence’s slave? Me? I was dumbfounded. Does he think I'm not busy at all to find out about useless things?

“If you have any consideration—”

“You should take care of her yourself. You can’t expect me to look after her, even if I didn’t know she was Lawrence’s slave.”

“…You’re so heartless.  A woman who has been living in poverty her whole life now wants to stand straight, and you don’t want to see it? You don’t wish to be tarnished? The Empress is such a horrible woman.”

"Maybe this Empress is sick and tired of you blaming her for every bad thing that happens to Lumine." 

I GOT BUTTERFLIES OMG THIS IS AMAZING

💭 ; bury my heart out of sight (where you don't see me)

synopsis: they planted their heart in the ground, hoping feelings would subside. but they found it sprouting into the world once more (the moment they knew they were in deep but didn't speak their truth)

!! : masterlist.

word count: 2,834

pairings: albedo, itto, scaramouche, xiao x gn!reader (separate)

category: fluff, angst if you squint, modern/high school au, scenarios

warnings: mentions of bruises/injuries in xiao's part, fighting with scaramouche (not too physical)

notes: not afraid to say that the first half of some of these don't make sense- reblogs are greatly appreciated!! might write a part 2 with some other characters or a continuation if this fic does well

ALBEDO.

it was a study of character and emotions in his eyes. a study of character as in he wanted to know why your hands would lace together so nicely with his and why you’d bring a fluttering feeling to his chest when you’d smile. pages upon pages of notes were spread out on the desk, notes with his own observations and some that he’s seen on the internet before. to other’s it must’ve been a surprise to see the usually level-headed blonde so caught up in something that wasn’t a lab experiment. though when said out loud, he just smiled to himself on the inside, for he’s finally experiencing life as it is and not some sort of ship in a bottle.

“albedo?” a small hum leaves his lips, turning in his chair to greet you with a soft smile.

“you’re finally here.” he says, motioning a hand to an empty chair. you take a seat, watching as he sifts through sheets to uncover his sketchbook from beneath the mess and grabbing the pencil from behind his ear “this shouldn’t take too long and sorry again for taking up your time after school.”

“don’t worry about it. i’m in no rush to leave today.” you grin. albedo nods, suppressing the heat that started to creep up his neck. he starts with a few basic outlines on a blank page before letting himself wander and for a while, the soft dance of lead against the paper was the only thing filling the serene silence in the workspace.

“(y/n)?” you blink, tilting your head slightly as light-blue eyes scan your form. a cold hand reaches out, thumb on your chin and the others beneath as he positions your head, making sure the setting sun is hitting you just right. though he doesn’t let go, letting himself bask a little more and to take notice of your features he’s grown to adore.

albedo loves your eyes. that isn’t to say that he doesn’t love all of you, but there was something about the way you gazed at him in the hallways that made him melt. he’s noticed the adoration that pooled within your irises when he’d meet your eyes and the lingering feeling of your touch left him wanting — no — needing more. he wanted to know so badly how a simple glance could have such a great impact. though perhaps coming up to you and asking if he could draw you in the art room wasn’t the greatest way to ease his way into things.

your laugh brings him back to the present; hands gently cupping your face and noses so close they could touch if one of you decided to move.

“albedo?” his eyes trail across your face, from the structure of your brows to the crease of your eyes, before coming to a stop at your lips. temptation rang through him as your curious gaze slowly morphed into a slow understanding. he clears his throat, retracting his hands and stepping back.

“sorry about that.” his heart was beating out of his chest, and it didn’t seem to want to slow down anytime soon, especially when you laugh and give him such a big smile. the words lingered on the tip of his tongue, a simple string of sentences that ended with asking you to be his ready to be released. but instead, he holds them back, shoving them down and only letting out a weak chuckle. there’d be a time for what he wants to say, one that would be perfect and out of a dream but today was not it. he picks up his sketchbook again, rubbing the back of his neck before grabbing his pencil again.

“ah so, where were we again?”

ITTO.

“hey! wait up!” you look back to see itto running towards you, the button up underneath his sweater vest all crumpled and collar undone. it always surprises you how the teachers never seem to scold him for having his uniform all messy. though maybe they just gave up on doing so. he slings an arm around your shoulder, pressing his weight onto you as he hides under your umbrella.

“whew! glad i caught up to you in time before you left.” he grins, bag over one shoulder as his damp hair tickles your neck.

“forget your jacket again, itto?” you chuckle, adjusting the umbrella so it would cover the both of you better “if i’d known that sooner, i would’ve left faster.”

“what? me forgetting my jacket? psh noooooooo as if!” he crosses his arms “it's dangerous to walk home alone y’know so i thought i’d tag along. yeah, to be your bodyguard!

“you know i can handle myself just fine, itto.” you nudge him with your elbow playfully, a smirk on your face.

“oh c’mon!” he groaned “we live close by to each other and i don’t want to go home soaking wet! besides,” he turns his head to face you, a mischievous glint in his eye, before swiping the umbrella out of your hands and starting to jog off “i can always return this to you tomorrow!”

“wait get back here! what happened to wanting to protect me hah?!” his laugh can be heard through the pounding rain as the splash of your footsteps in the puddles only made him run faster. did he feel bad? sort of. itto knew he’d have to make it up to you somehow if you ended up getting sick because of him. apologies wouldn’t mean too much so maybe buying you your favourite snack would work instead. too lost in thought, he failed to notice how your steps have caught up to him.

“hey!” he lets out a grunt as you slap him on the back, making him trip over his own feet. sitting up and rubbing his head, he looks up at your frowning face that didn’t seem to be all too genuine.

“are you hurt?” you ask, picking up the discarded umbrella and scanning him over for any injuries. he patted himself down and gave a thumbs up.

“just my pride and ego but that’s nothing a little kiss wouldn’t fix.” you snort and hold out a hand to him. he takes your hand, fawning on the inside about how perfectly they fit together, before yanking you down to the ground with him, making you drop the one bit of covering you hand in the middle of the street once again.

“bet you weren’t expecting a surprise attack, were ya!” he grins at the sound of your laugh and responds with his own when you wrestle him into a headlock, messing his wet hair around.

“fine you win! but you owe me!” he looks up at you the best he can with his hair in his face and your arm wrapped around his head.

you’d taken off rather quickly after that, using your already soaked through bag as a makeshift umbrella, leaving him with lingering feelings. everything about this felt so right yet so wrong to where he couldn’t help but chuckle. he could only imagine what would’ve happened if he’d accidentally said anything about this. he can’t lose one of his closest friends, not just yet.

“in love with my best buddy, huh?” itto’s grip tightens on your umbrella as he slicks back his hair away from his face “i better not screw this up.”

SCARAMOUCHE.

a string of curses were muttered under his breath as he stormed down the hallway, entering the classroom and shutting the door with a bang. the teacher on duty for the day only gave a half-hearted glare at the cause of the noise as he tossed his bag by a desk. slipping into the desk not too far from yours, scaramouche groans and ruffles his hair, scowling as he sees you resting your head on the desk, arms acting as a pillow. from what he can see, you showed no care that you were stuck in detention and if anything, you appeared more relaxed.

the teacher up at the front closed their book, giving the two of you a pointed look and firm instructions to stay in your seats while they went to go take care of something. the door closed and a beat of silence passed before scaramouche stood abruptly, the chair screeching against the classroom floor. he slams his hands down on your desk, watching you slowly raise your head from your arms to face him and wearing that signature smirk that always sends a rush to his head.

“what now, scara? was the little fight we had in the hallways not enough for you?”

“why did you do it?” his frustrations only grow as you blink, giving no response back. with an angered grunt, he grabs the collar of your shirt and leans over the desk more, pressing you into the back of the seat “answer me!”

“whoa whoa! as far as i’m concerned, i don’t even know what i did besides tossing a few words around.” raising your hands in mock surrender, the smile never leaving your face “want to explain what this is all about?”

“you-” he huffs, a red tone coming to his face as he shuts his eyes “you idiot! you’re insufferable to work with!” he released his hold and threw his hands up in frustration, glaring at you.

“ouch. guess i hit a nerve there.” you rubbed the back of your head with a chuckle “but if you want me to remember then you’re going to have to say it.” he clenched a fist at your words. usually, he’d be able to take on conversations like this one with ease, able to keep a calm face while making the other crumble beneath his words. yet you somehow made him lose all cool. he groaned, cursing under his breath as he regained some of his bearings.

“you- you kissed me in the middle of an argument.” he rubbed his temples “and i want to know why.” you think for a moment, tapping your finger against your lip.

“well, the easy answer is that i just wanted to shut you up.” you give him a closed eye grin “besides from my observations you didn’t object to the action. in fact, you even kissed me back.” scaramouche’s face goes red and this time, he can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or pure anger. he walks back up to you, leaning on the desk again.

“now you listen here-“ you take his chin in your hand and press you finger to your lips in a shushing motion.

“the teacher’s coming back soon. don’t want to get in trouble for being out of your seat now, do you?” scowling, he yanks himself out of your grasp and flips you off before plopping back in his chair, mouthing to you that this isn’t over and turning his head to the door.

just as you had said, the teacher walked back in, scanning their eyes over the room to make sure nothing was out of place and nodding before sitting back at their desk and opening their book again. crossing his arms, scaramouche lets out a small tsk and looks away from how you’ve gone back to resting your head in your arms. there’s something about you that infuriates him so badly in the way that you question his every word with a teasing smile on your face. just thinking about it makes his cheeks go red (with anger of course). but even he can’t deny that the interactions light up a small bout of joy that makes his usual face start to crack at the sides. he barely registers the teacher saying it’s alright to leave now and runs a hand through his hair, disrupted from thought when you drop a note on the desk before making your way out of the room. hesitantly, he picks it up and unfolds it, grip tightening as he scans the contents.

“thanks for keeping me entertained

on our little detention date, scara

you never fail to amuse me with your antics ;)

(y/n) <3

p.s. if you wanted to be alone with me you should’ve just said so. there’s no need to start a fight in order to do so darling”

with a sigh, he shoves it in his pocket and resists the urge to slam a hand down on the table. So, you want to play the game this way, huh? fine. he’ll indulge in your actions. even if they feel like a nuisance to him.

“i’ve become stupid with this madness, haven’t i?” he mutters, pushing in the chair and walking into the empty hallway “may the best one win.”

XIAO.

he lets out a small grunt as the cloth wet with rubbing alcohol was lightly dabbed against his lower lip. the slow tick of the off-time clock cuts through the weight in the air as he stares at the concentrated look on your face. features gently twisted into a frown with your brows furrowed and the frustrated, yet understanding, look in your eyes. your hand takes his chin and turns his head, inspecting the bruise that started to form on his cheek.

“xiao-” he lightly swats your hand away, not bothering to look at you and using his hand to cover the bruise.

“leave it. i’m fine.” an uncomfortable silence rests over the two of you again. he flexes his hand absentmindedly, wincing slightly at the stiffness in his knuckles and how the reddened skin was starting to bruise as well. his eyes darted around the room, from the stool you were sitting on to the cabinets where you’d gotten the rubbing alcohol from and finally resting on the clock where it read that it was nearing 4:30. slowly moving his gaze back to you, he watched silently as you shifted in your spot, unsure of how to approach him. clenching his fist again with a quiet sigh, he reached his hand out to you, hesitating slightly as you looked at him with quizzical and unsure eyes.

“just... be quick with it.” he closed his eyes, wondering to himself why your hands that held his with so much care made him glow inside, basking in the warmth that you generated in his chest. the rest of it was done in mostly silence, the exception being the small soothing hums that would bubble in your throat whenever you felt his flinch from your grasp.

opening his eyes, xiao turned his head more to face you, watching as you wrapped his knuckles and cleaned off the remaining dirt from his fingertips. pulling his hand back once you were done, he noticed how you eyed the bruise on his face. sighing, he flicked your forehead, lips twitching at the corners as you whined and rubbed the spot. though the lightened moment was quickly snuffed out.

“why did you fight them?” the question made him freeze. “because it was natural” is what he wanted to say since it was. keeping the ones you like closely protected is something that shouldn’t have to be explained. but the way those people made his blood boil with their taunts and words felt different. he felt the way rage bubbled and spilled over into his words and how his vision slowly went red. all that because those words were directed at you. he huffed, crossing his arms.

“they ticked me off. that’s all.” you give a small smile, knowing how he wasn’t telling the full truth. standing from your seat, you placed everything back carefully, closing the cabinets and looking back at him.

“just- please be more careful next time. i worry about you, xiao.” he scoffed, trying to ignore the way his heart picked up and the red hues snaking their way up his neck.

“i’m capable of handling myself. there’s no use for your worry.” you pick up your bag, resting a hand on his shoulder lightly. xiao hated to admit it in his mind but he couldn’t help but slowly sink into your touch.

“even so, i’m always there for you, ok?” he struggles to keep in the whine that threatens to leave his throat when your hand pulls away. reaching for his own bag, he paused for a moment as he registered you saying bye for the weekend and in almost an instant, his body reacted before he could think.

“(y/n). wait” xiao grabbed your hand, stopping your movements as you faced him again with a perplexed look. he could spill everything in this one moment: finally ridding himself of this feeling in his chest for the time being. the words caught in his throat, leaving him open-mouthed with a red face. xiao shudders, everything he wants to say is right there but he just can’t.

“hmph.” he hastily let’s go and averts his eyes away from your quizzical gaze “n-never mind. sorry for keeping you so late and thanks for your help. not that i needed it.”

⠀𐔌 . ⋮ balsam flowers and plum blossoms .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

ʚ general! scaramocuche x fem, courtesan! reader ɞ

synopsis: having been forced to leave his clan temporarily, kunikuzushi assists the heir apparent of liyue in a upcoming border conflict. while there, like a balsam flower blooming in the early fall's frost, your rosy lips and dusty rouge eye make-up draws him in. in a game of go, the unbeatable inazuman tactician finally tastes defeat at your hands.

genres: romance, mild smut, slight angst.

rating: mature, 18+ (mdni).

content warnings: indirect mentions of war, implied smut, mentions of pleasure houses (but reader doesn't really partake), unclear timeskips.

reader specifications: reader is detailed to wear red eyeshadow and red lipstick, it's also noted that reader has long enough hair to pin back.reader is also called 'xiyue' but it is merely an alias.

word count: 2.79k

author's note: this fic is heavily inspired by fengxian and lakan from the apothecary diaries and reader's make-up and attire is based off of fengxian's ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)

‎‧₊ ─ masterlist .ᐟ ༘

Scaramouche’s eyes linger on the letter sent from his mother, the current head of the Raiden clan and he’s too irritated to roll his eyes at her nagging. 

“Throwing me out to accomplish big feats for the glory of the clan,” He sarcastically snarls. “My ass.”

Shaking his head, he tosses the piece of parchment into the fireplace in his temporary office Xiao had provided him, opening the balcony doors before he gazes at Liyue’s bustling streets. 

“General Scaramouche,” Heizou Shikanoin remarks from the other side as the said man’s eyes flit over to his direction.

“Enter.”

“Blessings to the moon of the Inazuman empire,” Heizou murmurs the greeting addressed to the heir apparent of Inazuma.

Handing the general the documents, Scaramouche simply skims over its contents, removing the unimportant ones before waving his hand dismissively. 

Recalling a certain albino haired man, Heizou puts in, “Y’know, I heard of a courtesan that’s unbeaten in Go.”

He inwardly grins as he catches the glimmer of curiosity in Scaramouche’s dark blue eyes. 

“Unbeaten, huh?” Scaramouche simpers haughtily, placing the documents down, interest blooming within him.

“Where?”

“The Yuanfen House in the Red-Light District,” Scaramouche’s nose crinkles ever so slightly before he’s motioning Heizou to the door.

As they make their way to the aforementioned district beneath the starry night of Liyue, Scaramouche can’t help but question, “Who mentioned this to you?”

It's at his words does Heizou chuckle, “Who else besides Kazuha? He’s mentioned repeatedly about how you’re such a shut-in.” Scaramouche glares at his friend causing Heizou to burst out laughing.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

After speaking to the Yuanfen owner, Lihua, the detective motions Scaramouche to a table at the upper levels of the pleasure house.

“Who am I to meet?” It’s a simple and blunt question as he seats himself, his indigo eyes landing on the Go board placed on the table.

Heizou stands at the sidelines, a little ways away from his lord. “The Balsam Flower Maiden of the Yuanfen House, Xiyue is what the owner called her.” His answer is satisfactory as Scaramouche recalls the meaning of each character.

Joyous, rare. He shakes his head as he sets up his black Go stones, rolling them in his palm as he waits for his opponent.

Before long, he hears the rustle of silk fabrics and the soft chimes of metal and beaded hair pins but Scaramouche doesn’t bother looking up.

“You first.” He mutters absentmindedly, fingers tapping quietly against the table.

Scaramouches eyes move from the wide Yuanfen House doors exposing the people walking by to the Go board. He hears a soft hum and more people crowd around him and the courtesan.

It was bound to stir attention: the unbeaten courtesan of the Yuanfen House and the formidable Inazuman tactician and general exchangig calculated blows in a game of Go.

As the courtesan places her white Go stone on the board, a hint of a soft red hue catches his eyes.

Without skipping a beat, Scaramouche is quick to place his own stone, his twilight blue eyes latching on the courtesan’s red tinted nails.

She’s good. He muses, eyeing her abrupt and unexpected moves. But she’s a mere frog in a well.

Soon, he immerses himself in the match, finding himself entertained by her moves and playing style.

But that amusement is quickly shut down as his eyes assess the board. Murmurs from the audience fill his ears much to his annoyance.

I lost. Scaramouche thinks simply, but as he looks at the board further, he realizes he was corner masterfully, having utterly beaten him.

When was the last time I lost this badly? He questions, pursing his lips in mild indignation.

Letting out a quiet sigh, his indigo eyes finally look up and he meets beautiful e/c eyes that seem to sparkle.

With a rosy hue dusted on the outer corners of your eyes and red painted lips, Scaramouche finds himself frozen—captivated almost.

Eyes defiant, and like the smell of the balsam flower that surrounds you, your resinous eyes held a sweet gaze.

Swallowing thickly, Scaramouche composes himself as he gestures for another match of Go, not only captivated by your beauty but your way with the game as well.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

Nights thereafter, Scaramouche always finds himself at the doors of the Yuanfen House, consistently buying all your time for the night, barring any man from seeing you.

He ignores Heizou’s smug grin and Kazuha’s faint smile, choosing your company over theirs, finding the silence between you comfortable and serene, the faint smell of balsam flowers sticking to you sweet and addicting.

Game after game, many nights since he’s first fought you in the game of Go, was he able to finally learn of your true name.

Y/n.

Scaramuche finds it pleasant and sweet, rolling off his tongue like honey easily compared to the name Lihua had bestowed upon you—Xiyue.

But as night bleeds into day and day into night, he gradually gets to know you as you do with him. Soon he learns of your past, how you were born in the pleasure house you now serve.

Regardless of such an odd environment to raise a child in, you muse how Lihua was kind enough to provide an education for you and allow you to retain your purity.

Scaramouche hums, placing his dark stone on the board before his eyes flit over to gaze at you.

Pools of indigo trace your face, studying how your long lashes flutter against the apples of your cheeks, eyes dusted with a red hue, lips tinted south rouge as the rosy plum blossom flower painted on your forehead seems to highlight your beauty even more.

As beautiful as a balsam flower. He finds the thought at the very forefront of his mind.

Your eyes flicker up, meeting his and he spares the board a glance before looking up at you once more, meeting your gaze.

Scaramouche finds himself breathless at the sight of you before him, at your beauty and your intelligence, having bested him once more in Go.

“Scara?” You hum softly and he revels in how your voice seems sweeter when calling for him.

Like a clockwork, his true name tumbles from his lips as his eyes trace your lips. “Kuni.”

“Hm?”

“Kunikuzushi is my real name.” He states simply before collecting your white stones and placing them in your bowl, collecting his soon after.

You smile endearingly as your cheeks redden subtley and he finds himself speechless, the words on his tongue suddenly dying. “Well then, shall we play another game of Go, Kuni?”

His heart aches at how sweetly you say his name and like the fumbling, lovesick fool he is, he nods silently, not trusting his words.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

Despite the looming threat of the border conflict plaguing Xiao and Liyue, Scaramouche is quick to finish his paperwork, assigning Inazuman soldiers to the forefront of Liyue’s west border to help aid the young heir.

Yet regardless of the stress and tension between the higher-ups, Kunikuzushi keeps visiting you night after night, buying you for the entire night.

He feels a swell of pride as he catches your eyes twinkle brightly when you see him enter your chambers.

“Miss me?” Kunikuzushi teases, a smug grin on his face as you bite back a smile.

“Says the man who repeatedly buys me out night after night.” You retort as you eye the Go board he places on your table.

“Go? Aren’t you tired of me beating you?”

“Hah?” Kunikuzushi snaps, his words having no heat as all as he resists the urge to grin. “Just you watch, love.”

You smile shyly and his heart skips a beat. “Bring it on, Kuni.” You chime playfully as your fingers place your white stone on the board.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

Coming from the Jade palace after discussing battle plans and preparations with Xiao, Kunikuzushi’s keen ears catch wind of your price hiking up steadily.

Choosing to brush off such things, he tosses the bag of mora on the counter before making his way to your chambers, his feet carrying him along the familiar path.

Entering, he sees you painting your nails with balsam flower paste. Your eyes catch his and he knows his own soften exponentially.

He’s unfamiliar and clumsy with such longing blooming in his chest and so, he turns to one of the few things he’s keenly familiar with.

“Go?”

You smile but he catches that it doesn’t quite reach your eyes.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

As your game continues, Kunikuzushi eyes you softly and he’s beginning to understand that there’s something amiss simmering in your eyes.

He’s quick to place his stone after you had just done so, but your hand lingers, fingers caressing his before you’re lacing your hand with his. Kunikuzushi’s eyes quickly snap to yours and he’s taken off guard with the raw emotions swirling through them.

Swallowing thickly, he tugs you towards him, his lips descending on yours—sweet and desperate—as your fingers tangle themselves in his midnight blue locks.

Kunikuzushi quickly loses himself in your lips, your touch, your taste as he finds himself addicted, yearning for more. Your hands tug at his clothes as his own slide your silken garments off your shoulders, his hands easily plucking out your hair pins before they wander all over your body, squeezing gently.

Pulling away for air, you pant hotly against his lips. And before he knows it, his hand cups the nape of your neck, bringing your lips against his once more.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

Kunikuzushi kisses your lips, pulling back as he gazes at you, his heart clenching at the sad, glossy look in your eyes.

He hovers over you, yet with his hands interlaced pinning your own to the silken sheets, Kunikuzushi squeezes your hands three times.

A message, a reminder, an unspoke phrase he’s yet to say.

“What’s with the faraway gaze in your eyes?” He murmurs softly as your lips tremble.

“My price is hiking up and Lihua is tempted to sell me.” It’s a broken whisper and Kunikuzushi dives down gently, kissing your lips hard as his knee settles between your bare thighs, your hands squeezing his.

“Don’t think of them while I’m here with you,” His words are breathy against your lips as he moves his hand to gently hold the nape of your neck, his other hand hooking behind your knee as he raises your leg.

“You’re mine, Y/n, and I won’t let any bastard have you.” His words are quiet but you can catch the underlying heat lining his words.

Your heart feels full as you gaze at the alluring man hovering above you. Pursing your lips in nervousness, you cup his face with your newly freed hands, forcing his dark indigo eyes to fly to yours.

Pulling him closer, your noses nuzzle against each other as your lips ghost over his. Your hand trails to his back, fingers gently tracing his spine as your thumb caresses his cheek.

Beautiful. You think to yourself.

He shudders at your motions and his dark blue eyes seem to become more half-lidded, pooling with lust and longing.

“I love you, Kuni.” You confess quietly, breath glossing over his lips and before you know it, he’s slamming them against your lips as you tangle your hand in his dark tresses.

He’s everywhere; his scent and touch driving you insane, dizzying yet so addicting.

Reluctantly pulling away for air, Kunikuzushi’s eyes seem dazed and drunken-like as he attempts to catch his composure. But with you, bare and ready for him beneath him, he finds it hard to focus.

His heart swells as it feels like it’s overflowing with warmth. He gazes at you sweetly as he thumbs the edge of your kiss-bitten lips, the look in his eyes tugging at your heart.

Kunikuzushi loses himself in your heat as your eyes close in pleasure. His hand gently squeezes yours once, twice—thrice.

“I love you,” He kisses you as you wrap your arms around his neck. “I am yours, Y/n.”

He murmurs against your lips, utterly addicted. “Always.”

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

Kunikuzushi wakes up in the dead of night, his eyes tracing your serene features as he pulls you flush against him, his heart thrumming at the feeling of your bare skin against his.

His fingers gently trace the slope of your cheek before his hand cups your cheek. Your eyes sleepily flutter open and the look on his face sends your heart racing.

He places his forehead against yours, noses nuzzling against each other as your eyes close. “I am to leave for the front lines.” Kunikuzushi whispers quietly as your hands interlace with his, squeezing gently in worry.

Squeezing your hand once, twice, thrice—a reassuring and unspoken signal for the words, i love you.

“Do not fret, love. For I will come back and you and I will leave this place,” Kunikuzushi kisses you softly. “Together.”

“Promise?”

He smiles, “Promise.”

Your fingertips trace his cheek softly as his own tilt your chin upwards, “Come back safely to me, Kuni.” You murmur, lips dancing against his.

Kunikuzushi deepens the kiss as your fingers tangle themselves in his indigo locks.

“Always.”

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

The border conflict had taken much longer than he'd anticipated, two months at best but when Kunikuzushi returns to the harbor, he disregards the paperwork and letters littering his office, missing the urgent letters you’ve sent him.

He’s held back from seeing you due to having to close up loose ends with Xiao but once he’s free, he quickly makes his way to the Yuanfen House.

But as Kunikuzushi nears the pleasure house, his ears catch onto news that sends a chill down his spine.

“Did you hear? Someone bought the Balsam Flower Maiden out from the Yuanfen House!”

“Xiyue? No way!”

His eyes widened and his heart beat seemed to echo harshly in his ears. “They beat out the down payment another customer had put in.”

Before he knows it, Kunikuzushi is grabbing the man by his collar, his indigo eyes thundering violently. “When is she being sold?” He snarls and the man pales from the intensity of Kunikuzushi’s eyes, his aura flickering with anger and power.

“T- Today.” Kunikuzushi harshly lets go of the man’s collar before he’s running quickly, his heart aching as panic floods his mind.

He curses himself for being stupid, not having been more careful especially when he knows your price is skyrocketing.

Kicking the door open, he’s demanding to see Lihua, the said woman regarding him with a glare of indifference. “She was bought out.” She states simply as if you were something to be easily disregarded.

His eyes thunder, anger flaring in him as lightning buzzes on his skin. The people within Liyue closest to the harbor’s waters swear they can hear thunder on the horizon.

“I don’t give a damn,” Kunikuzushi growls, fists balling and he doesn’t care to wince at the slight sting his skin radiates when his fingernails dig into his palms.

“I don’t care about the price. I’ll double it, triple it.” He sees the old hag’s eyes sparkle and he feels disgust rise in him. “I want her and only her.”

She smirks, sly and conniving. “She’s all yours.”

Disregarding her words, Kunikuzushi is quick to make his way to your chambers, relief and worry blooming in him.

Opening the doors, he’s greeted with the sweet and slightly spicy, resinous scent of balsam flowers and he finds himself calming down.

Your eyes fly to the door, landing on his figure and they widen in shock. “I’m sorry,” Kunikuzushi admits softly, swallowing harshly as he sees your eyes pool with relief and sadness. “I’m sorry for being so late.”

He isn’t able to say much as your arms are suddenly wrapping around his neck, your scent invading his senses as you bury your face in his shoulder.

Your touch is soothing, calming and in your embrace does he feel less war-torn and he thinks that peace may feel a lot like you.

Kunikuzushi is quick to wrap his arms around your waist as he allows himself to melt into your embrace, placing a kiss on your hairline. “I’m sorry for taking so long.” He apologizes once more and his arms tighten around your waist as he feels your body tremble.

You look up at him and his heart aches seeing unshed tears glaze your pretty eyes. “It’s okay, you’re here now.” You whisper shakily and he wishes he could turn back time to spare you such melancholy.

It’s quiet before you shakily exhale, “I thought I lost you in battle.” Your words are vulnerable and it sends a spike of pain in his chest that lingers.

“Forgive me, my love.” Kunikuzushi murmurs, kissing your lips delicately. “Battered and wrecked, I will always come to you first.”

He holds you closer, “For my heart is so full of you, I can hardly call it my own.”

© 2024 𝐌𝐘𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆-𝐈𝐕. do not copy, repost, share, or translate any of my works to tiktok, instagram, and/or any other websites/platforms.

𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 23𝐑𝐃 — 𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘢

↳ scaramouche & xiao (separate) × gn! reader

content: fluff, crack ? | 𝐗𝐎𝐗𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

small christmas scenarios with the two

↟ 𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙍𝘼𝙈𝙊𝙐𝘾𝙃𝙀

hates the idea, but goes along with your shenanigans because it's "christmas" and it makes you happy

he secretly enjoys it

"can't believe I'm wearing this hideous thing." SCARAMOUCHE scowled, staring down at the ugly sweater in disdain.

you merely rolled your eyes, dragging him by the arm to the kitchen. a cup was thrusted into his face, which he took skeptically.

"what? you've never had hot cocoa?"

"I've never been a fan of anything sweet." he retorted, staring at the assortment of sweet add-ons from the so-called 'hot cocoa bar'.

a small realization flashed on your face before you went to rustle in the cabinets, pulling out a newer container.

"I got some dark cocoa the other day, maybe you'll like this better." you hummed, handing him the instant cocoa powder.

SCARAMOUCHE hesitated a bit, but he scooped some of the powder into his cup of hot milk before stirring. your expectant eyes made him feel a bit pressured as he took a sip, expecting the worst.

to his dismay, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

"...it's okay." SCARAMOUCHE murmured out quietly, watching as you beamed at him.

"that's good!"

"how about we go put on a movie?"

SCARAMOUCHE throughout the movie kept refilling his cup of hot cocoa, which you noticed, but didn't say anything about until the both of you got drowsy on the couch after the movie.

"...how many cups of cocoa did you have, scara?"

to which he would remain silent for a bit, his cheeks flushing the slightest bit of red as he avoided replying, trying to come up with any excuse he could.

"I was a bit thirsty."

"yeah, sure. and you must be a bit cold." you snickered at him, eyeing up his decked out christmas attire; reindeer socks, plaid pants, and ugly cat sweater.

needless to say, SCARAMOUCHE was not going to live it down. especially since he got caught humming along to mariah carey's "all I want for christmas" despite talking shit about christmas music earlier.

↟ 𝙓𝙄𝘼𝙊

doesn't get the whole point of making gingerbread houses (to not really eat them) but he tries it for the sake of seeing you smile

doesn't like Christmas much, but he enjoys spending time with you

the two of you spent the afternoon making gingerbread houses, and the difference between the two were as clear as day and night.

XIAO's gingerbread house was collapsing in as you stared and compared it to your averagely decent looking one. his face was calm as he continued to frost his roof, but the weight of the sweet frosting was contributing more to the downfall of his house.

"xiao..." you tried to stifle a laugh, aware of how seriously he took the activity, as well as how hard he worked on it. "...good job, my love."

"thank you." XIAO replied, putting down the icing bag to dust off his fingers. his expression was stoic as usual, but his eyebrows gave you the impression that he was proud of his work.

you put a gumdrop up to his mouth, to which he obediently opened his mouth and ate. XIAO's face scrunched up a bit, but he swallowed it silently. you pulled him in for a sweet hug, melting into his side as you laughed.

"...these sweets aren't to my liking." he murmured, staring at the abomination of sugar before him.

"well, good thing we won't be eating them." XIAO's brow furrowed in confusion at what you said.

"what's the point of making it, then?"

"they're just for decoration usually."

XIAO was dumbfounded, but he nodded and decided to brush it off, instead focusing on helping you clean up.

the night ended off with cuddling, sweet whispers and quiet giggles exchanged between the two of you.

"did you enjoy building gingerbread houses together, xiao?"

he nodded, bringing his hand up to lightly stroke your cheek.

"I do not get the whole point of making them, only to use them as decoration, but...I'd enjoy anything as long as I'm doing it with you."

slap!

you giggled like a school girl, lightly hitting him on the shoulder. "such a smooth talker, who taught you to say such sweet and cheesy lines?"

"... it doesn't even compare to that gumdrop you fed me earlier." he scoffed, but a small smile graced his lips as he stared at you.

"but I'd eat as many gumdrops that you'd feed me if that means I get to see you beam at me in return."

XIAO didn't care for christmas. but he now does, because it means that he gets to spend more time with you, no matter how dumb or stupid he thinks the activity is.

꒷꒦ˑ ֗ ִ  T○UCH 

Serving size- 1.4k

Nutritional facts- Gn! Reader + Harbinger!Reader (scara’s part) + established relationship (childe & Sara's part)

Allergy warning- Daggers, attempted assault?? (nothing too serious)

Overview-  Reader has a very good sense of touch + Reader is very strong + love confession (bedo's part) 

Contents- albedo, childe, scara 

Instructions- best read in any mode

Formula- headcanons + fast fic (300 words )

Art credits-@Orange627 twt , stalva on pixiv

“Event master list” “Main master list” “Next"

Albedo

 ▸🧼 absolutely amazed by your enhanced sense, he asks questions about it all this time. Did you inherit it? Were you just born with it? Was it something you acquired overtime? He just wants all the answers! (And maybe it is a little excuse to talk to you a bit more)

▸🧼 He worries about you when got out on commission, because of your enhanced feelings pain would feel way worse and he really just doesn't want you to push yourself that hard.

▸🧼 250 words

"(Name), what's the extent of your 5th sense?"

The question wasn't out of the blue, especially from Bedo, but the time was a bit off. You both were supposed to be on a trip just to hang out. I guess this is what bedo views as hanging out.

"Hm, well generally speaking I can feel stuff through walls, rocks or even people so that's really cool, the bad thing is thought high fives hurt a bit "

"does this also mean that simple forms of contact are more intimate for you?" 

" oh, well yeah I guess you could put it like that!"

He stared at you for quite a while almost as I'd he was looking for something to ask you.

"Can I hug you then?"

"Sure you can!"

His sudden figure holding himself around you with a comforting warmth, you wonder why all of a sudden he was being so intimate for a second, maybe a new experiment?

"Aw is this a new experiment of yours?"

"A little but mostly just because I love you."

You could feel his heart beating faster the more you stared, not even that but his face had the faintest rosy tone. 

"My apologies, it wasn't my intention to make you uncomf-"

Albedo's words were cut off by the feeling of your lips lingering on his, he was hoping for a good outcome but this is much better than anything he could have imagined.

"Can we stay like this for a bit longer?"

Childe

▸🧼 This man has tried to sneak up on you many times and failed, failed so hard. He could be in a whole different room and you'd still be able to sense his presences.

▸🧼 Brags about your skills to the other harbingers all the time, They probably have your name memorized by this point. They value your skills to be honest, they even tried to get you to join the harbingers at one point. Childe was so against the whole idea, talked you out of it even though you weren't going to take the position anyway.

▸🧼 400 words

It's been awhile, childe said he was going to be here soon and know you're sitting at the harbingers base with a mad man who experiments on kids, a sad widow who hates everything and a whiney purple haired brat.

"So your the ginger freaks spouse? I'm so sorry. A shame you have to live with that thing."

Ugh now the purple one is speaking could childe please hurry up with his mission. But I mean the man is waiting for a response, maybe he'll shut up if you give him one.

"Yes childe is my husband, and he's not as intolerable as you make him seem."

"Blinded by your so-called love I see? And here I thought you were a better one."

Better one? Thankfully you could sense childe was in the building, although it felt like something was off with his movements you ignored it.

Strangely enough all the harbingers started starting at you, is there something wrong? I mean yeah childe's standing behind you trying and emphasis on trying to scare you but this wasn't irregular behavior for him at all he tried to sneak up on you at least once a week, his efforts always went to waste though.

"Boo!"

Childe came from behind you now standing in front of you staring at him with a blank expression on your face and a rather disappointed look on his, his attempts to scare you were futile again I see.

"Aww why aren't you scared?"

"Childe I knew you were here since you stepped in the building."

"Did you all hear that? Isn't my lover so impressive!"

They all looked at you with a 'it's the third time this week, we get it your in love' type of look, but there was the purple one who looked as if he had something else to say.

"(Name), have you ever thought about joining the fatui I'm sure I could find some use for your skills."

"No than-"

"No no no! They are not joining I prohibit it, never ever will that happen!"

"Now when since did you have supreme authority over (name)? I never thought of you as the controlling type now."

"What do you mean dear mouchey? I'm not controlling I'm looking out for them, tell him (name)!"

"It's fine scaramouche . I was going to deny the position either way."

"Disappointing."

"Don't listen to him love, he has no idea what he's talking about, ok?"

Scaramouche

▸🧼 would never admit but he truly is impressed by your ability, he's never meet someone like you. He compares his subordinates to you alot.

"If (name) can do it with ease then why can't you? I swear everyone in this facility is illiterate!"

▸🧼 he's so scared of you holding his hand not only because he's very awkward around physical affection but also because he's scared his hand are too cold for you to touch and on top of your ability, it would take a lot of convincing. Don't worry he'll eventually come around to the idea, just be a bit patient with him!

▸🧼 the amount of times his man has thrown bottles,books daggers, weapons basically anything in his vicinity at you is astonishing. He says "it's just to keep your skills sharp". You always catch them though, no worries! Also keeps track of how long it takes you to catch things.

"You caught it 3.7% times faster than average, good job keep it up."

▸🧼 god does he wish you weren't a harbinger, yes he's aware you can hold your own and even better but what if, just what if. You'll have to assure him that you're staying with him forever. 

▸🧼 if you and childe are friends he gets soo jealous, why can't you leave the carrot haired thing alone.

▸🧼 300 words 

You were sitting in your office wondering about how your were going to go about stealing the hydro archons vision not as if you could barge in the place and- 

You sensed an object coming your way, seeing as how the pointed object was thrown it was probably scaramouche. Looking up from your notes about the hydro archon swiftly grabbing the blade, why was your husband so adamant on throwing things at you was beyond you.

"that was 0.7% times slower than average, have you been slacking?"

"Its not that, somethings bothering me!"

"What a pitiful excuse…"

He stared at you waiting for an answer as to what was the matter, although your husband would not admit it verbally he would cease anything or person that dared to bother you and your workflow, you had to to admit it was pretty cute.

"The hydro archon, I still don't know how I'm going to go about retrieving it."

"Leave it to someone else, you got the dendro and pyro archons gnosis, the Tsaritsa needs to understand the concept of being overworked anyway."

"But I know I can do this, I just need a little time!"

"I'm fully aware of your skills, but there this thing called self preservation or are you dumb to grasp the concept?"

You simply gave no answer and rolled your eyes in annoyance, you truly did love the man but if he could be a little bit less suffocating with his overprotective personality that would be great. You'd have to admit it was pretty cute though.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Oh nothing your just very pretty."

As the words came from your mouth you could the the reddish tint on his face.he's blushing that's so cute, you have no idea how people could see him as ruthless he's just a little stubborn.

"I'm not, stop with your foolish words."

"scara can I tell you something?"

"Make it quick."

You got up from your desk now standing in front of him with a small smile on your face, planting you lips on his, making him even more red than he already was, you could see the cogs turning in his head after what you just did.

"I love you!"

could you make a vampire reader x scaramouche that teases scara and does and Anya smile when she teases him but when scara teases her she would be flustered Cause I kind of a saw a person saying it and I wanted to request this but u aren't forced to do this

teasing - gn reader x scaramouche

CW: teasing, gn reader, fluff

WC: ~300

AN: this is such a cute request 😭 im sorry it took me so long to write this i had a writing block (also i didnt know how to include the idea of the reader being a vampire sorry 😰) hope you enjoy it regardless

Recently, you've been feeling a certain someone's gaze linger on you and that someone was none other than your lover, Scaramouche. Honestly, you found it quite endearing that he liked looking at you that much and often found it hard to conceal your smile every time you noticed him, fixated on you. Naturally, you wanted to tease him about this and so..

The next time you caught him staring was when you were nose deep in some book, curled up on the armchair and he was sitting on the couch opposite from you, subtly, or so he thought, looking at you. You failed to suppress a giggle and he spoke up.

"What's so funny?" He asked, assuming it was something in your book.

"Oh, nothing." You said in a teasing tone, "Just caught you checking me out, that's all." And you look up from your book to see his baffled expression and laugh to yourself.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" You smile at him widely and he grins at you, but a blush is evident on his cheeks.

"Yeah, I was staring at you. Am I not allowed to admire my significant other when they're so beautiful?" And it's your turn to blush, your plan to tease him foiled by his blatant admittance. You grumble to yourself as a sign of defeat.

"Alright, whatever. You win. Now come here and kiss me." You roll your eyes as his grin widens and he gets up to walk to you.

"So demanding." He says playfully as he plants a small kiss on your nose. You look at him in faux shock.

"You know that's not what I wanted." You said with a pout, and he laughs at you, leaning in again, this time to kiss your lips. When you both pull away, he flicks your forehead playfully.

"Satisfied now?"

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i recently wrote a scara x reader fic and im going to write a smut for part two

what would y'all like to see cuz i got a few ideas

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bully scaramouche x gn reader

CW: mentions of bullying, no gendered terms used for reader, mildly suggestive

WC: ~700

AN: i had an idea for a smut but ive never written full smut before so this is like an experimental fic but if you guys like it i might attempt a part two with smut :)

Scaramouche has been bullying you. You could've easily stopped him, so why did you let him? Maybe it was because you hoped he'd come to his senses and apologise. Maybe you let him put you down to let himself feel better. Or maybe.. you suffered all that humiliation, just for this.

It was quite some time after school hours. You had stayed in the library to catch up on some work after class and were just leaving when you heard someone down the hallway.

"Leave me alone!" You heard a girl shout, followed by a mocking laugh that sounded an awful lot like.. Scaramouche. Your legs moved faster than your mind as you briskly walked to the general direction of the kerfuffle, to be presented with the sight of some poor, teary girl on the floor with the culprit, Scaramouche, pulling her hair.

His attention turned to you when he heard the sound of someone's footsteps approaching. He raised an eyebrow and looked you up and down, clearly irked.

"What do you want?" He snapped, turning his attention back to the girl.

"Let her go. We need to talk." You say firmly, or so you thought. He picks up on the tremors in your voice and the corner of his mouth turns upwards into a smirk. He lets go of the girl's hair and tells her to scram, then grins at you and puts his arms in the air in faux surrender as he approaches you.

"I wasn't aware that we had anythin' to talk about. So, enlighten me, darling." He leans close to your ear and drops his voice down to a threatening whisper. "What do we need to talk about, hm?"

Despite your nervousness, you grab his arm and lead him into an empty classroom. You close the door behind you and gesture towards a chair, implying that you want him to sit. His eyebrow quirks in an amused fashion, as if to say "You're trying to command me?" Regardless, he makes his way to the chair and seats himself.

You walk over to stand in front of him and suddenly slam your hands down on his desk. His eyes widen at this and he flinches, trying to play it off as him leaning back into the chair. He quickly recovers and grins at you, choosing to speak first.

"What's got you so worked up, sweetheart?" You blush at the nickname he uses before shaking your head and opening your mouth to speak back, but he cuts you off. "Oh. That's cute." His blank expression morphs into a smirk. "Did you get flustered by that?"

You flush in embarrassment, realising that he had picked up on your body language. You mumble out a weak "Shut up." and he chuckles and leans forward in his seat, grabbing your chin to make you face him.

"Where's all that spunk from earlier gone? You like me, don't you?" And you make the mistake of making eye contact with him, and you see this crazed look in his eyes that sends shivers down your spine. You clear your throat awkwardly before replying.

"How could I like you of all people." But he sees right through you, and leans closer and you can feel his breath on your lips. You take a nervous gulp and he whispers breathlessly, "If you don't like me, then will you stop me from doing this?" and he leans in and closes his eyes, connecting your lips in a passionate kiss and you can feel him smile while he kisses you.

After what seems feels a few minutes of passionate kissing, you both pull away to take a breath and he smirks at you while you stare blankly at him, processing what had just happened. "Y'know.. I knew you were a looker but, up close.. you're even more attractive." He reaches out to stroke your cheek, but you flinch away from him. He frowns at this and retracts his hand, seemingly annoyed at your reaction.

He gets up and walks behind you and he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him, moving his other hand to grab your face. He lowers his voice and speaks in a sultry tone. "I've taken quite the liking to you." His hand drops to hold your throat and leans closer to your ear. "How about you be mine?"

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║Scaramouche║Tsundere

From Wattpad.

Gender-neutral.

Fluff.

Word count: 1k

---

It was a secret and a secret shall it stay.

The sixth Harbinger is harsh, cruel, cold, and sadistic. That is the image he painted for himself so if he were to be caught dead with a lover, what would come to the reputation he built up himself? He is not one to show kind emotions towards any of his subordinates so he shouldn't be lenient with you.

"Are you mocking me?" Scaramouche snaps at one of his subordinates, looking down at the underling as if they were the most disgusting thing he has ever saw. "N, no, I'm not, my lord.. I spoke out of turn," they stammer, feeling humiliated as he is being scolded in front of you and other Fatui members.

No one spoke up, forced to watch the scene before you unfold. He was scary, you admit, but there was a charm to him that drew you in-- a charm that no one else but you know. "Tut. I have no time for pests like you," Scaramouche snarls. "Leave my sight."

"B, but, my lord, the Tsaritsa--" "I don't care what the Tsaritsa ordered you. I don't want you here." His eyes reflected his tone; harsh. "If you want to live, then you best not make me angry."

The underling quickly left, but not before paying respect to his superior out of fear, and to never return to his ruling. Once gone from sight, Scaramouche's expression fell to a relax one. "All of you.. Just go. I can't deal with this." He sighs, massaging his temples.

His subordinates turn to leave, not daring to say anything more to upset him-- unless they had a death wish or something. With one more glance at the Harbinger, you turn to leave. However, you were stopped by his commanding voice. "You stay. I have things to talk to you about," he beckons you back.

You could feel the uneasy stares you're receiving from the other Fatui underlings, but did not dare wait to find out what sort of bullying you'll receive.

Once gone from sight, Scaramouche sat on a fairly large rock and sighed, using his arms as support to lean back. "Damn those pests. All they are good for is being stupid," he states to no one in particular, closing his eyes.

You stood there, observing the short male silently. Then, "What are you doing just standing there?" he asks, his deep coloured eyes reflecting off of yours. He pats the empty space beside him, silently ordering you to come sit.

Once you did, he rested his head on your lap, hat off on the ground. "You're not going to ask for permission?" you joked, gone was your silent and diligent persona now that there was no one else around. "Shut up.." he mumbles, but after a while, he asks, "You don't mind, right?"

You chuckled. "Not at all," you answered, putting a hand on his head. "Good." Your hands began to move on his head, stroking his soft, indigo hair. He sighs to your touch and feel his shoulders relax.

Enjoying the silence, you thought back to when you were a fresh recruit that was assigned under his ruling. You were scared, honestly, when you heard other Fatui underlings whisper how cruel he was to his subordinates-- even going as far as to leave physical scars on their body.

However, you could say that you have gotten the shorty's amusement and even his heart. It was strange when he first approached you on your day away from him-- who knew he could be infatuated to a weaker person than he was? Well, none of that matter now. All you need to know- and he'll remind you again- was that you were his.

Honestly, you wished that you two could leave the Fatui and abandon your duties as a member, but you knew that Scaramouche seeks something that only the Tsaritsa could offer and wouldn't give it up for the world.

"Hey, why did you stop?" he asks, upset that you stopped stroking his head. "Oh, sorry.. I didn't realise I did," you chuckled. He huffs, but relaxed once again under your touch, closing his eyes as he does.

"Hey," he calls shortly after silence. "I'm not 'hey', Scara," you jokingly reply. He clicked his tongue at your one sided humour. "Whatever. Uh, could you.. Uh.." he trails, the words after the dying on his tongue.

"Hm? What was that, Scara?" You look down at the Harbinger, seeing his cheeks slightly tinged with pink. "C, could you, uhm.." The dusted pink began to brighten up, visible to you that you are sure that the light isn't pulling any tricks.

His eyes averts to somewhere else as he tries to speak. "Can you.. Tell me those words..?" he finally mumbles out. You blinked a couple times, registering his words but coming up empty. "Huh? What words?" you ask, hoping he'd answer.

"Y, you know.. The one where you.." He pauses, his face warm and tingly from the blood rushing to his face. "Like me..?" he whispers. It was barely audible, but you heard it.

Your lips cracked into a smile and you cackled. Who knew that he could be so cute? You laughed so hard that tears were forming at the corner of your eyes. "H, hey!" Scaramouche's face turned a deeper red, feeling embarrassed and wishing that he didn't say anything at all.

He clicks his tongue and turn on his side to face away from you. "Hey, hey, don't turn away from me," you out a hand on his shoulder, trying to budge him to turn him onto his back again

Your laughter now dying out, you stare at the shorty's side profile. Knowing that he won't look at you, you catch him by surprise by placing a kiss on his cheeks. And finally, he turns, face flushed as he touches his cheek. "I love you, Scara." You gave a close-eyed smile. His heart fluttered, but he wouldn't say that out loud-- not even in a million years.

Still having him lie on his back, he averts his eyes once more. ".. I, I know that.." Chuckling, you leaned closer to his face and instead of a kiss on his cheeks, you placed your lips onto his, catching him suprised yet again.

Scaramouche stares at you blankly, the wheels turning in his head visibly represented by his expression. You grin, making a small comment, "You're such a tsundere."

---

║Scaramouche║Nyah!?

From Wattpad.

Gender-neutral.

Fluff.

Word count: 1.1k

---

Even though he appeared as the cruel and scary Sixth Harbinger, it wasn't all that hard for you to get close to him- seeing as your opposite attracted him to you out of pure curiosity. At first, you were indeed a tad bit scared when you bumped into him as he had a scary aura with a face to match it. Even the following encounters with him were not the best of memories-- putting a knife to your throat was not a nice experience.

In truth, you don't even know how you got inside his walls of thorns and is now hanging out with him as if the encounters didn't happen like it did. Well, that was a long time ago and now, you two were on a more intimate level than friendship.

"Why won't you let me see him?" you ask, pointing towards a closed door as your brows furrowed. You went to visit him at the inn he stays at in Inazuma a couple of times now, but any and all attempts to see him were turned down by one of his subordinates. It has gotten to the point where you began to show how much you were upset. "I'm sorry, but Master Scaramouche ordered us to tell everyone who comes to see him to leave."

"I'm his lover. Can't you just let me take a peek inside?" you ask, growing more irritated the longer you stood outside his room. The Fatui underling shook their head. "I'm sorry. Master Scaramouche has specifically ordered that you are to not step inside."

Your face fumed a shade of red. "Tell him to come outside if he doesn't want me to go in then! He has locked himself up for a week now!" you raised your voice to the unwavering underling. "I'm really sorry. But even we were told not to disturb him."

Day and night, the Fatui would guard his door while he locks himself up in a dark room. You don't know if he has eaten at all.

Taking a deep breath, you decided to go with Plan B, seeing as the underling was strong in their stands to stop you. You turned around and walk a couple steps away from the door before quickly rushing back and attacking the underling, knocking them out with a thud. "I'm sorry, but I need to have a chat with Scaramouche," you quickly say to the Fatui.

Opening the door without making a creaking sound, you were greeted with a dark room. The furniture inside were outlined with the only light source-- the light from outside. You strain your eyes inside and could vaguely see a silhouette of a man. "Scaramouche?"

The silhouette flinches at his name, quickly getting on his feet. "(Y/N)? How did you get in? Those worthless.." "I knocked the one outside, sorry," you add, hoping that it would save the poor subordinate's life.

"Just go." His voice was harsh, but you stayed unwavering in the dark. "No. I haven't seen you at all and I'm getting worried about your health," you said, feeling the wall beside you for the light switch. "There's no need to worry about me so just go."

Dismissing his words, you continued to feel the wall until you finally found it. "Aha!" With that, you clicked the switch. Smiling, you turned to look at Scaramouche, but that soon fell when you had taken a look at him, eyes wide and full of shock.

In front of you, stood the same Scaramouche that you knew, but with a slight difference; he had cat ears. "Scara, I.." You were at a lost for words, flabbergasted by the two furry things on his head. His face was showed embarrassment with deep dusted red on his cheeks. He adverts his eyes to the ground, not wanting to look at your silly expression. "I told you to go.." he mumbles quietly, no longer were there harshness in his tone.

You two stood there quietly; one with embarrassment and one with wide eyes. "Hey, if you're gonna laugh, just do it already and leave," he snap, eyes still glued on the ground.

You were surprised at his words, but that was replaced with a smile, walking closer to the Harbinger and stopping at his foot, but not before closing the door behind you. He moves his head up to look at you, confusion written on his face.

Looking at his cat ears one more time, you place a hand on top of his head, looking at him with an earnest smile. You watched as his face turned red again, your smile growing wider. "Y, you.. W, what are you doing?" he asks.

You chuckled, not answering his question and instead, stroke his head. This only made Scaramouche's warm face even hotter. "H, hey..!" You hushed him, giving him a close-eyed smile.

Giving into your wishes, he closes his eyes and allows you to pat his head. He admits, he quite like the warm feeling on his head, but he would never say that out loud. However, that one thought betrayed him as a low and quiet purr leaves him. And to make things more worse for him, the room was still so the purr was quite loud enough for you to hear.

You two stare at each other, both of your eyes widened at the surprisingly cute sound. "I..!!" Scaramouche stammers, words dying out in him. You quickly regained your composure, your smile returning to your lips. "Do you want a hug?" you ask. Hesitantly, Scaramouche answers by nodding his head, wishing that a meator fell on him at this point.

You two got comfortable underneath the blankets, Scaramouche resting on top of you as you continue to stroke his head. You notice that he also has a tail to match his ears which you found adorable. His arms wraps around your waist and his tail wrapped around one of your legs.

"Is this why you locked yourself up for a week?" you ask softly. He subtly nods, burying his head deeper in order to hide his face. "If that's the case, there was no need to hide." You chuckled at his childish gesture.

"I wouldn't be caught dead with these things by a subordinate," he mutters. You laugh, a smile so wide that it could hurt. "How did you get them?" He was quiet for a few seconds before answering you. "It doesn't matter.. Can we not talk about this?"

"Well, they are very cute. I kinda want it to be permanent," you state in a joking manner. "Shut up.." he snaps quietly. You feel him growing tired under your touch. He was enjoying this and you knew, although he wasn't going to confess anytime soon.

You kissed the crown of his head, hearing light snores coming from the male. "Sleep tight, Scara."

---

Scaramouche kissing headcannons? Pretty please???

combining these two requests because i can fit them well together!

scaramouche kissing headcanons

warnings: fluff, and my horrible attempts at explaining kisses, i feel bad putting him as a warning the entire time but he is a menace

✧ scaramouche,, isn't too fond of physical affection

✧ in his eyes, it's weird that people press their mouths together and 'make out', which literally looks like they are eating each other's face (he watched fatui recruits make out in the hallways, my dude saw some wild stuff)

✧ however, scaramouche is open to learn more about kisses, though you need time and patience to warm him up to the idea

✧ while he likes soft pecks on his cheeks when he isn't in the mood for more affection, he becomes really soft around you (and his cheeks are extremely squishy and you feel like you have to thank the shogun for creating him like this)

✧ cup his cheeks and pepper his face with kisses and he will groan at your display of affection, but never dares to make any argument against you - in fact, if you would stop due to his reaction, he'll glare at you and ask immediately why you stopped

✧ for him, kisses are really intimate. after all, he wouldn't press his mouth onto anyone else mouth other than yours that is, so that's that

✧ i see him as the type of person to grab your hands and press soft kisses onto the back of your hand, your fingertips and any small wound you have from fighting that he could find. he also likes pressing his face into the palm of your hand afterwards, a smug grin on his face when he notices your startled and flustered expression on your face as you try to process what he just did. it's such a simple act to show how much he truly appreciates you and yet you always have the same shocked look on your face.

✧ kisses with scaramouche are not an everyday thing. while he has his five minutes in which he might be more demanding for affection than on other days, he doesn't really want to to kiss you the entire time. if you ever come home to him however and kiss him on the lips unprompted, he'll scoff but won't ever refuse you

✧ despite that, kissing him for real, on his actual lips is somewhat of an experience. you can tell he has never done this before and it bothers him to the point of wanting to reject any sort of affection like this, so that's why you need patience. he'll quickly believe that he is of no use if he is unable to perform any task before him, even if it might be a simple kiss (it's the trauma)

✧ his kisses are slow but demanding, leaving you breathless when he parts from you. his hands usually cup your face in an almost possessive way, his way of making sure you're not actually leaving (which sounds stupid in his head since you're right?? there??). his kisses might be slow and somewhat sensual, something rather unexpected from the balladeer of all people, but he's demanding your entire attention to be directed at him, to only see him in those few seconds and that you wouldn't dare even to think about anyone else

✧ he doesn't really peck your face or suddenly attack you with a barrage of kisses, but rather, when he happens to be in a good mood, he'll kiss your forehead gently and immediately turn away and leave the scene as quickly as possible

✧ in a way he reminds you of how snow is, ice cold to the touch but melts right away when coming in contact with your skin - scaramouche was just like that. with no natural body warmth and nothing to essentially make him human, he struggles with himself in a way you couldn't understand but try and grasp upon his feelings

✧ you know that the only reason he still wants to keep you at an arms length at times is rooted in his own fear of being abandoned, something you'd never dare to speak up about with him. knowing him, he'd get upset if you ever mentioned any hidden insecurity of his

✧ so when he kisses you, a small gentle kiss to the back of your hand, a loving kiss on the lips that only you ever came to receive from him, he was similar to a snowflake melting and warming up. he might be cold to the touch, but his heart must be otherwise, that's what you're certain about

✧ at one point, scaramouche might even become impatient if you forget to kiss him after returning home or if you forget your daily peck on his cheek (something he wants to hate but craves as a part of his routine)

✧ sitting across the room, he might clear his throat multiple times, his arms crossed before his chest as he glares at you expectantly

✧ if you have the audacity to ask him what's wrong he'll scoff, simply asking in a deadpan tone if you didn't forget about something - if you still can't remember, scaramouche won't say it and leave the room just moments later, mumbling something under his breath not even you could understand. his pride doesn't allow him to ask for kisses, and besides, how could you forget? (he's more bothered by the fact that he hated not receiving any kiss that morning as you were in a hurry)

✧ why don't you magically understand what he wants from you? stupid mortal

✧ it's not until weeks later you notice the subtle pattern in his behavior. if you kissed his cheek he wouldn't sit down at the same spot and clear his throat pasisve aggressively, sitting there with his arms crossed and glaring at you

✧ if you ask him about it in a rather amused tone, he'll huff and dismiss you, claiming that 'you're too stupid to even remember your own routine' - you don't press this matter and simply give him a peck on his cheek

✧ my poor boy never received any love, so any form of affection and especially physical affection feels foreign to him, so he needs time to warm up to it. however, in his case it's absolutely worth it - for him as for you, he can show you even further how important you are to him, even if it was just a simple kiss

✧ and being a little shit, he expects the same treatment for him without having to ask for it. after all, you said this is what lovers do, so it should come natural to you, right?

✧ he won't admit that he likes kisses. he will never admit this, but you know better