☁️ 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐊! — An Anthology | wc: 4.2k

Yandere XiaoVen x Reader

About: General headcanons for when they work together to secure - and share - your love.

Warnings: General yandere traits such as obsession and manipulation, along with the idea of trapping you by binding you with them. Crosses into suggestive content a little, but nothing explicitly NSFW.

Pair: Xiao & Venti

Future post: may do a Zhongli & Childe or Kazuha & Heizou version later on, if there is interest.

Only 18+ readers, just as a safety precaution - my Genshin works may cross into suggestive territory, but TWST will remain SFW due to the setting of students and minors.

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MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT | TIGHNARI

summary: being sent to sumeru to close out a business deal for the fatui for your brother was not exactly how you wanted to spend your days. you hated the heat, you hated wildlife, and every worry you had came to fruition when you find yourself lost in the avidya forest as night begins to fall. luckily for you, a forest ranger comes to your rescue when all hope seems to be lost.

warnings: fem!reader, fatui!reader, subby!tighnari, virgin!tighnari, outdoor sex, finger sucking (tighnari), very gentle choking (f->m), kinda sex w a stranger, lowkey one-sided “enemies” to lovers (tighnari has a sharp mouth and it pisses reader off but he is totally oblivious to it)

wordcount: 6.3k

notes: omg cat's genshin debut :0 i had to do it for my pretty baby. ty lia n kat for reading over for me <33 small taglist: @kxeyas @mxnjiros @manjiroscum @dxlucs @suyacho @meowdarame @semisgroupie @tokyometronetwork

reblogs for boost v must appreciated cuz idek if this will stay in the tags cuz its my first time writing for genshin

Sometimes you wished that Pantalone still resented you as he did when you guys were children—at least then you wouldn’t be caught in this shitty situation. You scowled deeply as you looked around the thick brush of the forest, the heat sticking your clothes to your skin. You had no idea where you were in comparison to the crude map that your brother had given you before you left Snezhnaya. 

He must have done this on purpose, you hissed to yourself as you tripped over another branch, he knows you hate the heat and he knows you hate wildlife. You could stay holed up in the palace up in Snezhnaya for the rest of your life and be content, you were sure of it. 

Night was falling fast, and you had a feeling that night in the jungle would be a lot darker than any night you had braved outside in Snezhnaya—and you had always been afraid of the dark. 

Not to mention the creatures out here.

The anger toward your brother faded away, shifting into a sort of anxiety you hadn’t felt in a long time—you could hear the growls resounding through the air but you couldn’t tell where they were coming from. You fisted the vision hanging at your side, a nervous habit that you had developed a few years back. The fingers of your other hand twitched and trembled around the map, your breath quickened as your eyes danced across the lines and symbols. 

You couldn’t figure out where to go.

“Well, aren’t you the lucky one? I wasn’t planning on doing patrol in this direction tonight. You should be quite grateful that I did.” 

You turned around quick, eyes wide and hope blooming in your chest for the first time since you realized you had somehow diverged from the path. Your eyes fell upon a boy your age, or maybe a little older, standing up on the higher ground to your left, dressed in a loose garb that covered his body—dark hair cut chin length with lime green streaks, multicolored eyes and… ears? And a tail. You blinked in surprise, lips parting to speak but no words left your lips.

He clicked his tongue sharply, “Well, come on. I’ll bring you back to Gandharva Ville.”

You shook your head, “I need to be at Sumeru City,” you finally said. He looked unimpressed as he stared down at you.

“You’re a two day walk deep into the Avidya Forest from Sumeru City. You won’t get there before nightfall, I don’t even know if we’ll make it to Gandharva Ville before nightfall if you don’t start moving,” his tone was sharp, almost condescending, and you could feel your face heat up in embarrassment but he paid you no mind, only raising his eyebrows and waiting for you to join him up on that bank.

You let out a breath, trying to push away the humiliation and irritation. You couldn’t remember the last time someone took a tone like this with you—everybody back in Snezhnaya was far too scared of Pantalone to consider having an attitude with you.

“How do I get up there?” you finally asked, looking around for a path up to the ledge he was standing on.

“You climb,” he said, in a tone that made you feel the answer should have been obvious but it only caused dread to pool in your stomach as you stared at the steep hill of loose dirt. How embarrassing it would be to start climbing up only to keep slipping down. As if he could understand what was going through your head, he let out a heavy, exasperated sigh.

Irritation rose swiftly again before you forced it away, watching as he jumped down halfway, landing on a rock jutted out of the dirt. He crouched down and held out his hand to you, once again raising his eyebrows in impatience, “C’mon now, daylight is burning.”

You pushed away the annoyance, shifting your light bag on your back before moving over to below where he was waiting for you, standing up on your tiptoes and holding your hand up toward him. 

Long, slender fingers wrapped around your wrist, and you nearly shivered at the feeling of his warm skin on yours but he didn’t give you the chance, pulling you up onto the rock with a sort of ease you did not expect—he was stronger than he looked.

Your face was hot yet again as he steadied you by the waist, body pressed close to his as you tried to make sure you didn’t fall off the small ledge. You hated how he seemed completely unbothered by the proximity, and the irritation began to brew yet again. His gaze darted up briefly to where he had been previously standing.

“Up you go,” he said offhandedly, and you didn’t really have time to register what he said before his hand dropped yours and came to your waist with his other hand. His fingers pressed deep into your skin as he helped you up the side of the slope, “Go on, pull yourself up.”

“I know,” you couldn’t help but snap back.

“Well then, do it,” he said right back, voice dry.

Letting out a sharp breath you did just that, pulling yourself up and brushing your clothes off as you rose back to your feet, looking around. You had figured there would be some sort of path up the slope but alas… everything still looked the same. Giant trees, brush and more brush. Green, green, green everywhere. 

It was anxiety-inducing, really, and you couldn’t help the way your heart rate started picking up again. You forced yourself to calm back down when you felt him join you at the top of the slope. He clicked his tongue sharply again as he passed right by you, walking through the brush as if he knew it like the back of his hand, following a path that only he could see, “What were you thinking coming out here all alone?” he asked and you bristled.

“I had a map,” you bit back and you could practically see the way he rolled his eyes even if his back was facing you.

“There is no map that can accurately trace the paths of the forest. They overgrow quickly, get washed out by floods. There is a reason that the Forest Watcher’s base is right at where the forest meets Liyue’s Chasm, perhaps you should have stopped there and you would have known that.”

“I didn’t come through the Chasm,” you said, “I came from the northwest. Traveled from Snezhnaya.”

He looked over his shoulder, giving you a once over, “You’re from Snezhnaya?” he questioned but before you could answer, he suddenly looked amused, “Well perhaps you should be awarded then, I don’t think I’ve ever quite seen someone manage to go completely around the city as you did. How you managed to get off path in Vanarana to get to the jungle and all the way down south nearly to the valley is a mystery to me.”

Your body went hot as embarrassment flooded your veins, you glared harshly at him but he was no longer paying attention to you, instead looking ahead again.

“Well, my most sincere apologies for not exactly being used to forests like these. Snezhnaya is a barren wasteland if you know any geography other than this stupid forest.”

“The forest is not stupid,” he countered immediately, shooting you a narrowed-eyed gaze, “Don’t be so childish insulting something just because you don’t understand it. Even the children in Vimara are better than that.”

Your lips parted in shock at the insult but he once again paid you no mind, only kneeling down to pick some berries. “How long were you wandering out here? Do you have any food left with you?” he asked, turning around to pass some berries to you as if he hadn’t just implied you were dull and childish. 

But you were hungry, and though your blood boiled beneath your skin, you swallowed your pride, “A couple hours, and no, I ran out. I didn’t pack enough, I guess.”

“Amateur mistake,” he muttered and you shot him a filthy look that he yet again ignored as he handed you the berries. You tried so hard to push the comment to the back of your head, hands nearly shaking as you brought the berries to your mouth. 

He was watching you in a way you did not like, and just as you were about to pop the berries into your mouth, his hand wrapped around your wrist, tugging it away harshly and making the berries fall to the ground. You stared at him, a litany of curses rising to your lips.

“You don’t even know how to tell poisonous berries from safe ones,” he accused and slowly, you realized that had been a test, a cloud of rage sweeping over your mind as you took a step closer to him.

“I thought they were safe because you handed them to me,” you spit out, jabbing your fingers into his chest. He looked unperturbed. 

“Perhaps you should be more observant, lack of attention will get you killed,” he chided you as if you were a child and your body shook with barely repressed anger as he held out another hand toward you. You refused to reach out and take whatever he was trying to pass over to you but he only reached down to grab your hand, dropping another bunch of berries into your hand as he kneeled down to pick up one of the ones he dropped. 

He held it up for you to look at, “What is the difference between the ones in your hand and the one in mine?”

You stared at him, genuinely wondering if you were about to get lectured on plant life in the middle of a jungle. He waited for you to respond, your throat felt tight and your nostrils flared as you inhaled deeply, realizing he wasn’t going to move until you answered the question and knowing you couldn’t get out of this place without him. 

Your eyes drew between the two berries, “The one in your hand is more vibrant.”

“Precisely,” he looked pleased with himself, “In this forest, never trust the bright colors--animals, fish, fungi or plants.”

Without another word, he kept walking and you were forced to follow behind him, feet dragging against the brush as you chewed and swallowed the non-poisonous berries. You stared at his back, jaw clenched tight as he walked ahead of you silently, occasionally checking back to make sure you were still following. After a few moments, you decided to speak up again.

“I have a meeting in Sumeru City tomorrow evening. It’s not something I can miss… please, take me to the quickest path to the city,” you forced out the word, briefly shutting your eyes.

“No,” he spoke so firmly that you weren’t sure you heard him correctly, “You-”

“You will take me to Sumeru City,” you interrupted, tone venomous, “I cannot miss this meeting-”

“I will not,” he said again, “You’ve been wandering around the forest too long on your own, if you happened to pass by one of the withering zones, the effects could kill you, even with a vision. I’ll bring you back to Gandharva so we can make sure you’re okay, and then once we’ve determined you are, I can bring you to Sumeru City.”

“I didn’t pass by a withering zone,” you did not even know what a withering zone was, “There’s no need-”

“Do you even know what a withering zone is?” he turned on his heel to look at you, lips twisted down. You did not answer. “That’s what I thought. If you’re that eager to die, then, by all means, I will take you to the path to the city. Are you?”

Your lips remained sealed, and you couldn’t bring yourself to look him in the eye. The prospect of death became all too real as he stared down at you expectantly. 

“Okay then,” he said after a few moments, “We’ll have to set up a camp, night is falling fast. Traveling through the forest at night is not wise.” 

You let out a shaky breath, nodding with him in agreement. He let out an approving hum as he looked around before moving a few yards to the right, shrugging his bag off of his shoulder and laying out what seemed to be a tent that he’d have to set up.

You didn’t know what to do except awkwardly stand there as you watched him set up the small tent, tail swishing behind him, ears twitching as he put together the poles that hold up the tent.

You realized you didn’t even know his name.

“Are you feeling any sort of weakness?” he asked absently as he continued to set up the tent, “Light-headedness? Fogginess? Are you able to summon elemental energy?” 

“No, no, no and…” your vision hummed at your side as you tried to summon electro, “and yes.”

“Good,” he said, “That’s a good sign. Of course, it could always hit later but…”

“How reassuring,” you said dryly, “What’s your name, anyway?” 

He looked back at you, surprised, “Tighnari… and yours?”

You told him your name quietly as he finished setting up the tent and rolling out a mat inside of it. Tighnari knelt in front of the tent, gathering up some wood to start a fire. He patted the space next to him and you bit your bottom lip, waiting a few seconds before making your way over, sitting down next to him. 

“What is Snezhnaya like?” Tighnari asked after you settled down, reaching into his bag to pull out what looked like a few bars of food and handing them to you. “I’ve never been.”

“Cold,” you said quietly, “and barren. Though I prefer it to this. There aren’t many cities either—just towns that surround the estates of the Harbingers and the wealthier people of Snezhnaya.”

Tighnari made a soft noise, closing his eyes as if he were trying to picture it, “You’ve never seen a forest like this before.”

“Snezhnaya is frozen all year round… I’m not sure if I ever saw grass before I left a week or two ago. I live in the northernmost part of Snezhnaya,” you admitted, watching Tighnari’s eyes open in surprise.

His head bounced back a bit so he could look at you, ears folding slightly at the sudden movement, “Really? That’s fascinating.”

His eyes were curiously trained onto you, and you couldn’t help the feeling that spread through you under his intense stare, looking away and down toward the small fire he had created--it was hot, so you weren’t really sure why it was necessary until he shifted to pull two oval canisters out of his bag.

“Incense,” he explained, “To keep away some of the more unwelcome critters. It’ll help you sleep better too.”

“Is it… safe to sleep out here?” you asked quietly. And you swore that you weren’t usually so cautious and nervous, but this was an unfamiliar situation for you and you did not like it. Not to mention the fact you were still thrown off from getting lost earlier and how that could have turned out.

“Hmm, I’ve done it a million times… well, not actually a million, but you know what I mean,” Tighnari said, “You’ll be okay. I’ll stay up to keep watch.”

“But don’t you need to sleep?” you asked, brows furrowed as you turned your head to look at him yet again. 

He waved you off, “We’ll make sure to get back to Gandharva tomorrow, I’ll let one of the other rangers take over my patrol. I doubt you’d be able to stay up even if you wanted to, you look exhausted.”

You frowned at the comment, looking down at yourself but Tighnari didn’t give you the chance to say anything about it. 

“You should go rest. I’ll be waking you up as soon as dawn breaks so we can start the trek back to Gandharva,” he said. You opened your mouth to protest but as if he could predict it, he turned his head to look at you, ears bouncing. “Now.”

You did not like being ordered around, not at all, actually, but you supposed that you didn’t have much ground to argue with him considering your situation. You let out a heavy sigh as you rose to your feet, slipping inside of the tent and placing your bag down as you curled up on the mat that Tighnari had laid out for you.

You could hear him rustling about outside of the tent, setting up the incense, and it was your only comfort as you lay down and realized just how dark it was. The night seemed to swallow the small fire that Tighnari had lit outside of the tent.

You hated the dark. It reminded you of all the nights you and Pantalone had spent freezing half to death on the side streets of Naveretrov when you were children. And although the Avidya Forest was the opposite of cold, you couldn’t help the way your body shivered at the reminder.

You tried to push it away, squeezing your eyes shut, forcing your mind away from the dark thoughts stirring, and focusing instead on the snarky ranger that saved your life. 

—

Tighnari wasn’t all bad, you decided after tossing and turning for hours. He had a mouth that was too big and far too sharp for him to back up, but you had to admit that it was refreshing compared to the respect your position demanded from the people of Snezhnaya and those who dealt with the Fatui. No one wanted to risk the wrath of Pantalone for disrespecting you, especially when people knew very well that Pantalone would shamelessly drag the other Harbingers right into the situation and it would turn into a very misfortunate conflict for the offender.

It was nice having someone who had no idea who you were or what your position back home was, even if it was a bit jarring, having someone who would talk to you freely as if you were any other random traveler that managed to get lost in the forest.

And if you ignored the snark and snide comments, which you weren’t even sure if he realized came out the way they did, he really was a good person. He went out of his way to help you, offered to stay up on watch all night so you could rest, gave you food, shelter over your head for the night… He stayed up and told you about the forest, and the desert, stories of some of his adventures around Sumeru when he realized you weren’t comfortable sleeping yet.

He was not bad at all, really, in fact, he might just be the exact opposite. And you hated the warm feeling that started to stir in your chest when you thought of him. 

After a few moments of considering what to do, you finally rolled off the mat and crawled out of the tent, rising to your feet to brush the dirt off that had stuck to your clothes.

You looked around, trying to spot him but you weren’t able to catch sight of him at first glance. And it was dark, you were sure it was still the middle of the night. The darkness seemed to smother any and all light around you. You could feel that anxiety begin to pool in your gut again, you could feel the shivers crawling up and down your spine despite the heat.

Your lips parted to call his name but the words dissolved when you looked to your left and caught sight of his familiar figure kneeling next to a small pond several yards away, right within a clearing that let the moon shine down against the water.

Oh, you swallowed thickly when you caught sight of the tiny smile on Tighnari’s lips as his fingers brushed what looked like a sort of lotus, gloves discarded somewhere next to him. The moon reflected prettily against his eyes, tail brushing the ground, and his ears twitched as he looked up suddenly, head turning in your direction.

“You should be asleep,” he noted. “We have a long hike tomorrow.”

“I can’t,” you said quietly, feet dragging against the grass as you made your way toward him, your mouth felt dry as you drew closer to him. He looked pretty under the moonlight, you couldn’t help but note, and you supposed night couldn’t be that bad if it brought you a sight like that.

“Is the incense bothering you?” Tighnari asked, brows furrowed in concern, “I’ve noticed it sometimes doesn't sit well with foreigner’s bodies, I suppose I should have set up a different one.”

“No no,” you said quickly, “it’s not the incense. I just… I have trouble at night, especially outdoors, it brings up bad memories. That’s all.”

“Hmm,” Tighnari said as he settled back down against the grass, “Understandable.”

He didn’t say anything else as returned his attention back toward the lotus. You stood there awkwardly for a moment before moving closer to him, taking a seat on the ground next to him—maybe a bit too close, you could feel his thigh brushing yours but he didn’t seem to mind.

“This is a Nilotpala Lotus,” he said quietly, and you looked down at the white and yellow lotus curiously, “It’s my favorite flower.”

“It’s pretty,” you told him, reaching out to touch the petals gently. 

“Mhm, isn’t it?” Tighnari agreed and you looked up at him, noticing how the green in his eyes sparkled beneath the moonlight. You tried to push away the feeling of your chest tightening, but you couldn’t.

You were just overtired, you told yourself, but you couldn’t drag your eyes away from Tighnari no matter how hard you tried, and you couldn’t help the way your mind began to wander even though you knew damn well it was wrong.

Wondering if his lips and skin were as soft as they looked, if his tongue would be as sharp as it was during the day when he was beneath you, if he would try to take control or if he’d lay back and let you do as you please.

Stop, you told yourself, shaking your head and looking away, breath just a little too quick as you turned your eyes up to the sky. You’re just tired.

“Are you okay?” Tighnari sounded concerned and you forced yourself to look at him again. You thought convincing yourself would be the hardest part but you realized very quickly that controlling yourself would be. “Are you feeling weak? Light-headed?”

You opened your mouth to agree, use it as a sort of excuse to go back to laying down before you did something rash, but the words that left your lips were not a murmur of agreement.

“No,” you said, and you felt overwhelmed as he leaned a little closer, the back of his hand pressing against your warm forehead. You wondered if his ears were sensitive, if he’d shudder beneath you when you ran your fingers against the soft fur. You wondered if his back would arch up into you and you wondered if his fingers would dig deep into your skin like they had when he helped you up the slope. “I’m okay.”

“You’re warm,” he spoke quietly to himself. You blamed the withering zone that you had been sure earlier you hadn’t walked past—it must somehow be causing you to feel this way. “Hm… no sweats or chills though. Does your body feel weak?”

But his face was close to yours now and you could barely concentrate. If you shifted forward just an inch… 

No, you told yourself again, don’t be rash.

But unfortunately, you had always been rash—neither you nor your brother were known for your self-control, a flaw that unfortunately seemed to be written in your family’s blood.

His lips were just as soft as they looked, you noted as you leaned in to press your lips against his. He let out a soft noise of surprise, your eyes were screwed shut but you knew his must be wide open as you brought one hand up to cup his cheek.

You were sure he was going to push you away once he realized what you were doing, but a sort of searing fire ran through your body when you noticed that instead of pushing you away, his hands had drifted to hover over your waist as if he wanted to touch you but wasn’t sure you wanted him to.

You brought your free hand down to one of his, grabbing it gently to lay it against your body and you could feel him inhale sharply as his grip on your waist instinctively tightened. His lips moved hesitantly against yours, and despite the hard grip on your waist, you could still feel the way his fingers were trembling.

He was nervous. The realization brought you more joy than it should have but there was a sort of satisfaction that bubbled in your chest at the sight of the forest ranger vulnerable that you did not expect.

You reveled in the way he chased your lips as you pulled away, and you reveled even more in the soft whimper that escaped his lips as you dragged your lips to the underside of his jaw, trailing slow, wet kisses down his jaw to his neck.

His hands were tense on your waist, “We, ah, we shouldn’t, I-I need to keep watch, and-“

“I can stop,” you said quietly, voice muffled against his skin but his grip on your waist tightened at your words, fingers digging into your flesh to hold you in place and you took that as an answer. 

You shifted closer to him, lips moving just a bit more eagerly when his hands wrapped around your thighs, helping you move to straddle his waist. You brought your hand to slide around the back of his head, fingers intertwining with soft strands of dark hair. You could feel his breath hot and heavy against the skin below your ear as you continued to kiss down his neck toward his collarbone—shifting the loose garb out of the way, letting it slip halfway off his shoulders. 

His breath hitched as your tongue lightly traced the hollow of his collarbone, hands sliding beneath your top so he could feel your skin against his. His nails were sharper than you expected, pressing crescents into your skin and you nearly hissed at the sting.

Slowly, you kissed back up his neck, teeth nicking his skin with each light suck of your lips. He let out a low keen as your lips ghosted up his body, and you smiled slightly when you felt his throat bob beneath your touch. You kissed the corner of his lips softly, waiting for him to let out another soft noise as he turned his face in your direction, pressing his lips against yours yet again. 

Your tongue darted out to swipe his bottom lip, and Tighnari’s lips parted instinctively for you, you cupped the back of his neck, holding him as close as possible as you deepened the kiss. Your lips slid together messily as you pressed your tongue down on his, swallowing the barely audible whines he continued to let out.

He rocked his hips up against yours and your eyes fluttered shut when you felt him grind his cock up between your thighs, pulling back to watch as he tossed his head back against the grass at the minimal friction

You brought your fingers up to brush against his cheekbone, “You’re so sensitive, Tighnari,” you murmured, watching as he looked up at you through his lashes, eyes dilated, lips swollen and pink and wet, parted as he let out quick pants. “Has anyone ever touched you like this before?”

His eyes looked half glassy as he shook his head and you reached out, cupping his cheek and forcing him to look you in the eye, “Do you want this?” you asked quietly, waiting for a response. He nodded, but you only raised your eyebrows, trying to smother a smile when you noticed his hips bucking beneath yours again already. “Do you?”

“I do,” he gasped out, “I do, I do, I do.”

“Mkay,” you murmured, shifting down his body to unlace his pants. He lifted his head off the ground, neck craning to watch you as you undid his pants just enough to free his cock of its confines. You watched as it slapped up against his abdomen, tip flushed and pretty and leaking more precum than you thought was possible. Your tongue darted out to wet your lips as you leaned down, pressing your lips to his tip only for a moment, listening as he let out a choked, shaky breath, as a dull thud met your ears signaling his head dropping back against the ground. 

“So damn sensitive,” you say softly to yourself as you shuffle back up his body to straddle his hips, making sure to shift your own pants off, cupping his cheeks with both of your hands, “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” Tighnari was all but sobbing at this point, trying to rock his hips up into you to get any sort of relief. “I’m sure.”

And that was all you needed to sink down on his cock. You were barely able to hold your eyes open to watch the way Tighnari’s jaw went slack as his cock buried deep inside of you--the stretch nearly making your eyes roll back. 

Oh fuck, you thought to yourself, biting back a moan as Tighnari’s hips jerked up suddenly, tip brushing up against your cervix. His body was shaking and shuddering beneath yours, skin beaded with sweat and face having fallen limp to the side as he tried and failed to regain any sense of control over himself.

Your hands trailed down from his cheeks to his chest, nails tracing a light circle around his nipples, watching as his abdomen spasmed and another pretty moan escaped his lips. 

This wasn’t exactly safe, you noted absently as his slim fingers returned to curling around your thighs, holding you tight. Tighnari was loud, and while it was unlikely any other humans were around you were still out in the open but…

But you weren’t sure you’d be able to stop even if you wanted to.

One of your hands slid back up to his face, two fingers pressing against his puffy lips and you felt distinctly pleased as he parted his lips for you right away, letting you push your fingers into his mouth and press down on his tongue.

Slowly, you began to rock your hips against his—the feeling of his cock dragging against your walls and his tongue swirling around your fingers had heat spreading through your body fast, you could feel his moans muffled against your fingers, the way his hips rocked up to an erratic and uneven pace to try to meet yours.

He was pretty, was all you could really think as you struggled to not let your eyes squeeze shut so you could watch him--watch how drool pooled at the corner of his lips, how his eyes were half-rolled back and tearing up, hair splayed out beneath him and bangs sticking to his forehead, skin flushed from his cheeks all the way down to his chest. Your breath was heavy and shaky as you watched his ears unconsciously twitch and fold with each roll of your hips. 

You leaned forward, the fingers of your free hand grazing his left ear and the sound he let out was absolutely obscene, back arching up against you, the pace of his hips becoming even more erratic. He was trying to speak but his voice was slurred and barely coherent and muffled around your fingers, “Feels’good, s’good, ‘m s’hot, s’hot, ‘m’nna die.”

Tighnari let out a whimper as you pulled your fingers from his mouth, replacing them with your lips so you could press a heated kiss to his, swallowing each and every moan and whine that slipped from his lips, letting your hand trail down to his neck so you could wrap it around gently, only barely squeezing.

But even then, the feather-light action seemed to have him careening right over the edge, hips bucking up into you faster than you could keep up now, fingers digging into your hips as he chased his own high. Each snap of his hips had you letting out breathy moans into his mouth, had your eyes fluttering shut, had your head fuzzy and your body weak as you failed to try to retain any semblance of control.

You could feel every inch of his cock as he fucked it deep inside you--your grip on his neck and hair were the only thing keeping you stable on top of him. You could feel the heat pooling in your lower abdomen, coiling tight; you could feel him moaning into your mouth, you could feel the way they were becoming faster, more high-pitched as he pushed himself closer and closer to the edge, as he felt your walls flutter and squeeze around his cock. 

“Oh god,” you half-sobbed into his mouth, body shaking as you tried to meet each of his thrusts, “Oh god, Tigh-Tighnari, ‘m gonna cum, ‘m s’close.”

You weren’t even sure he was understanding what you were saying, he looked entirely out of it. One particularly sudden thrust of his hips had his hip bone grinding up against your clit and your breath caught, eyes knocking back as the unanticipated friction sent you spiraling, body tensing, crying out as you buried your face into his neck, mind numb and blank as you came all over his cock.

Tighnari let out a string of garbled, incoherent pleas at the feeling of your walls tightening as you came around him, his tail curling around one of your thighs. His hips stuttered and stilled against yours as he followed you soon after, cumming deep inside of you, stuffing you full of his cum with a near-pornographic moan.

You felt hot, and weak, and full. You could feel Tighnari’s cum leaking from around where his cock was still lodged inside of you, warm and sticky as it dripped down your thigh. Your body trembled on top of his, trying to hold back whimpers as his cock twitched inside of you.

His eyes were glazed over as he stared up at the sky, limp against the ground, chest heaving. So damn pretty, you couldn’t help but think again as the moon reflected against his eyes, casting an ethereal glow over his skin. His skin was sticky with sweat and his hair messy and strewn all over his face. You reached out to brush some of his hair out of his eyes, swallowing thickly as he leaned into your touch.

“We should get back to the tent,” you said quietly. Dawn would break soon, and though the prospect of the sight of him splayed out beneath the glow of the rising sun was tempting enough to make you want to stay, you knew it wasn’t an option.

Tighnari let out a soft noise as your words slowly registered, and you bit down on your bottom lip as you let your fingers brush up to his ears again, running your fingers against one of them. You could feel his chest rumble just barely beneath you, eyes fluttering shut at your touch.

After a few moments, you winced as you slid off of him, helping him relace his pants and pull on your own before you shifted to the edge of the water, wondering if you could just go in there to wash up.

You hesitated when you felt a pair of eyes boring into the back of your head. You turned around to face Tighnari again. He was leaning up on his elbows now, his top still hanging off his shoulders, watching you expectantly. He was waiting for something.

“What?” you asked, and he only looked down at the water briefly before his gaze flickered back up to yours.

“There are fungi in that pond,” he said, and you blanched at his words, “they’re rather aggressive. If you had listened to me a few hours ago when I was telling you about the forest, you would know that.”

You stared at him, remembering how he had been staring at you so expectantly, “Were you waiting for me to go in?” Tighnari did not answer your question, which was an answer in itself considering he didn’t shut up any other time. “You’re unbearable.”

“You would have brought it on yourself,” Tighnari said, “I did warn you, you just weren’t listening when I told you.”

The pleasant buzz of the aftermath of your high long gone, you scowled furiously as you rose to your feet, grabbing him by the bicep and hauling him to his feet.

“You are going to find me water to wash up in and then you will bring me to Sumeru City,” you said as you dragged him back toward the tent.

“If you want to go to the city, you will find your own way because I am taking you back to Gandharva, the more you speak the more it makes me think you did go near a withering zone.”

“What is that supposed to mean? … Hey, answer me.”

PLAY-PARTNERS

YANDERE KAMISATO AYATO

Summary: You are in an affair with the head of the kamisato clan, unwillingly.

Warning: May contain triggering content, implied sexual relationship, non-consensual touching, ayato being manipulative- the poor reader is stressed.

The headquarters of the Yashiro commission wasn't by far the most unlikeable place on teyvat.

It held some horrible recollections for the young lady sipping her warm tea at a table, apprehensive, and nervously pressing her lips into a thin line, glancing towards the male present with her, on the other side, eyeing her with what she presumes could be inquisitiveness. She anxiously swallows the bitter beverage, comprehending her next choice of speech.

However, every time she catches a glimpse of him, it's like she doesn't recognize what she was to say. It's the way he looks at her as if he's aware of whatever is fiddling inside that small head of hers, crushing down her meek defences and examining her core nature, then shaming her with his eyes alone.

Ultimately, she decides to remain quiet for fear of saying something she shouldn't and then silently lament it in the future. Instead, pondering when they met. She's a married woman, with no child, a husband who is very much overprotective of her, for good purposes.

The man abruptly leaned forward, and she snips off her reminiscence, stiffly perceiving his upper body, momentarily peeking at his equitable expression, and then dragging it onto the floating liquid in a cup.

"Thanks for joining me for tea on such short notice, I've been thinking about you a lot lately." He confessed, she feebly drew in a soft breath, making herself appear like she was in deep thoughts, but she wouldn't know how believable she seemed.

He resumed.

"I've missed you much. How have you been? Last I saw, you appeared quite happy."

Was he mocking her? When they met, she went all out needing to avoid him, what they did, was nothing more than a grave mistake. Something she'd appreciate being left behind and forgotten, to save her skin and sanity, yes, but, what more can she do to ease the burden of guilt.

She averts her gaze, preparing to answer.

"I'm fine. Just feeling a little under the weather I suppose..." She muttered, shyly deterring her eyes when the look he formulated made her stomach churn. She felt like she was being peeled by the skin.

"I see." He responded.

Subconsciously, her hand reached out to her belly, sensitively grasping it. He noticed.

"Is something the matter? You are very incommunicative today." He said, narrowing his eyes and slightly lifting his chin, she chokes on her word, startling herself and recoiling from the chagrin. Hesitantly connecting eyes, the urge to rend it away was consistent, nervously fidgeting unbeknownst to her worked up brain.

"Yes- I'm good, um... Just thinking about my husband." She untruthfully replied he heeded, said nought in return.

"Is it related to us?" He implored after an uneasy moment of lull and cognition, her shoulders mildly tough up. He noticed that as well.

"Not quite, but yes." She lied.

"Are you worried he will find out about us?" He asked once again, intrigued and somewhat, blissful.

"I wouldn't want him to, but if he does, and he doesn't want to be associated with me anymore, then it is alright. I've been an unfaithful wife." She muttered. His eyes dimmed a little, and he loosened his rigid posture, indulging in grim thoughts.

"And say, if you had the chance to re-marry, would you?" That tricked her mind, she visibly made a nonplused presentation on her face, puzzled but knowing his true intentions behind an indifferent, humane facade.

"I'm not sure about that." She mumbled.

Immediately, she added with an urgency in her voice, "I... need to go now, thank you for having me." He nodded, looking at her then, he stifled a smile.

"You needn't." He retorted.

Stopping the woman in her tracks, wordlessly questioning his intentions, her back turned and face away from his prying vision, he confirmed, "you mustn't leave. Please rest for a while longer." He finished, oddly his face did not compliment his tone. Instantly, buzzing all red alarms in her head.

She stared, wishing to ask, decided to keep quiet.

"You forgot to tell me one crucial thing." He said as he rose to his full height, approaching and closing the distance, the gap between their bodies small and insignificant. She slowly advanced backwards, her gaze trained on him.

"You are with my child, inside of you." He whispered with a grin, she stopped, her fingers loosely clenched and shallow breaths unable to reach her lungs. "How could you keep such a thing from me?" Gently he snaked his hand around her waist, his other, resting and steadily caressing her abdomen.

"If you try anything. It won't end well." He suddenly threatened upon nearing in on her body, leaning towards her ear. She didn't say anything.

He took the time to swiftly arrange her imprisonment.

"Maids! Take her inside and see she rests well, she isn't to leave without me." He sternly instructed, his dominant hand gripping her tight. Voicelessly, demanding her to move along soundly.

"I'll be back shortly. You rest up till then." He smiled, softly stroking her cheek, and then letting his hold unfasten. She looked down, obediently allowing the maidens to drag her inside.

Ayato watched.

Slowly turning on his heels to flee, to make sure someone in her life doesn't reap the likelihood to encounter her again.

Then, her name wouldn't need to be dirted and dishonoured.

You’re probably swamped with asks and I’m so sorry to add another but your writing of Venti and the SAGAU real-world AU is so good! If you’re still accepting can we have a drabble of Venti meeting creators parents? Thank you so much and please make sure you’re getting plenty of rest ❤️

Something of a Family Reunion

Thank you very much, but it's only one 1 am, so I think I'll probably be fine for now—

I've actually been trying really hard to avoid using gendered pronouns along with the phrase (Y/n), but I really physically don't think I can get around it this time without making my dialogue choppy, so I apologize for that, reader is also explicitly female here

Warnings: general sagau, mentions of readers parents, mild cussing

-

He had been with you for over a year now.

You knew this was coming.

Things were getting more serious, well it's not as if they weren't serious from day one when he barged into your house and claimed you were a God, but this was a completely different kind of serious.

"My love, I'm almost packed." Venti practically sung, carrying a rather large suitcase as he rushed past you to put it in the car.

Ever since the beginning he had wanted to know everything about you, including all the people you were either related to or chose to hang out with.

You had managed to put it off this long, but you should have known he would have set something up behind your back.

Then again, it was kind of more right in front of your face.

You happened to get a call from your mother, and he happened to answer first, despite the amount of times you told him not to pick up the phone.

Cheerful and smooth as always, never making anything but a good first impression.

You did manage to get the phone back about five minutes later, but the damage had already been done.

You and him were now taking a rather long road trip to get to your parents, no ifs ands or buts about it.

You had felt a strong desire to yell at him after that, stronger than usual at least, but the way that he looked at you, apologetic but beaming.

You knew that he wanted this, and you knew that it was partly your fault for putting it off so long.

As much as you wanted to, you couldn't bring yourself to blame him for it.

You were pulled immediately out of your thoughts as he boomeranged back around, giving you a quick peck before going to grab the last bit of luggage.

You hadn't seen him this excited since he found that sale on wine a few months ago—

The car was finally packed, both of you in your respective seats.

You were obviously driving, leaving Venti to take up the responsibilities that come with the passenger seat.

He was insistent not to turn on the radio, claiming that he was perfectly capable of simply providing music himself for the four hour ride.

You had to give him credit, he did go a solid hour.

When he seemed relatively tired out you decided to just talk instead.

"So, same rules as when we're in public, no 'your grace', none of that 'creator' business, and absolutely no mentions of 'God' when referring to either me or you. And I shouldn't have to say don't mention Teyvat at all."

You two had already gone over this before you left, and after it was decided that you were going to come over about a week ago, but you really couldn't afford any mistakes on this.

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing."

Venti laughed at how you practically rolled your eyes, he really should have been taking this more seriously.

"Well, we're only staying there for a few days, I really should have just booked a hotel." The last part you said more to yourself than him.

Booking a hotel was your original plan before your mom just had to emphasize that they had a spare room, and it would be such a shame not to use it in an opportunity like this.

The idle chitchat between the two of you made the time go by quicker, and before you knew it, you were driving into the same driveway you remembered from all those years ago.

Venti was basically bouncing in his seat, you could see metaphorical stars in his eyes as he practically jumped out of the car.

You got out yourself and physically grabbed him by the shirt to pull him back, he almost fell into you and gave you a confused look.

"Remember what I said." There was warning behind those words, and a promise of something if he didn't heed it.

"Of course my love, I won't mess up, I promise." He gave you a small smile of reassurance, one that satisfied you enough to let him go.

You walked to the door, your nerves climbing higher and higher at every step until they were practically in your throat.

You hesitated for a moment before knocking, giving very serious consideration to just turning around and immediately going back.

It wasn't as if you didn't like your parents, of course you loved them, but this just had 'bad situation' written all over it.

Your hesitation was in vain because the door quickly opened before you even had the opportunity to let out a single knock.

"(Y/n)!" your mother quickly embraced you in a hug before pulling back at arm's length to look you over, "It's been too long, you really should call me more, I've been so worried about you recently you know."

You only managed to let out a nervous laugh. She looked at the same as ever, sometimes you wondered if she would ever look any different.

"Right sorry, things have just been a bit hectic lately." You weren't lying, you just couldn't tell her exactly how much you were telling the truth.

Her eyes drifted over to Venti who stood straight, you assumed to make himself look a bit taller.

She seemed to be taken by slight surprise, her eyes widened ever so slightly before returning to their same inviting look.

You mentally cursed at yourself for only just now realizing that it would be kind of surprising how young Venti looked, could you even manage to convince them that he was over twenty-one when he had quite literally nothing to prove it?

"This much be Venti right? The one I've heard so little about?"

That, of course, was a direct jab at you. You could feel guilt seeping at how secretive you'd been about this whole thing, but it wasn't as though you really had a choice.

"Yes ma'am, it's very nice to meet you, I love your daughter greatly." The sincerity in the way he said it almost caused you to blush.

Your mom just laughed at that, "Well come in, both of you, me and your dad can help you unpack a bit later."

Oh right, your dad...

Venti took your arm in his as you both went into the modest house, although even while being modest it beat the place you were currently living at.

Your dad, who was previously sitting on the living room couch, rose to meet you at the door.

"Well it's about time, and here I thought we might never see you again."

You smiled slightly as you gave him a hug, it had been a while, and you would be lying to yourself if you said you hadn't missed them both.

When you both had pulled away he looked over to see Venti at your side, a brief flicker of a similar expression your mom held crossed his face for a moment, causing your stomach to drop slightly.

"This is Venti, he was the one who set this up to begin with."

Your dad gave him a quick once over, but Venti's smile didn't faulter even slightly.

Instead, he simply extended his hand, one which your dad accepted after a moment of hesitation.

"Nice to meet you sir, I've heard a lot about you."

That was a pretty blatant lie, you never really talked about your parents to him, but you had to stop yourself from laughing at the formal way Venti said it.

'Ma'am'? 'Sir'?? You almost felt the need to compare him to Zhongli.

"Hey," you turned at your mothers voice to find that she was beckoning you to the kitchen, "Come give me a hand won't you?"

You let out a quick "Be right there" before grabbing Venti's arm and physically pulling him with you.

You received no protest from him.

Your mother looked over towards you when you entered, putting down the knife she was using to chop vegetables.

She looked over at Venti, giving him a small smile before hurting you out of the kitchen rather quickly.

"What are you—"

"So, that's your boyfriend then?"

You didn't quite like the way she phrased it, a tone that was on the borderline between accusing and worried.

"And uh, how did you two meet? How much younger than you is he exactly?"

You knew this would be brought up eventually, so you made sure to study your voice before calmly speaking, "He's twenty-one." That number was missing a few zeroes, but you had a feeling they would have an even harder time believing you on that one.

Your mom just pursed her lips, stuck between the option of believing and not believing your statement. It's not as if she had any reason not to believe it, other than his general appearance looking a bit younger than that.

She chose to drop it, walking back to the kitchen as you followed suit.

You both walked in to find Venti meticulously cutting vegetables.

"Oh! God I'm sorry, there's no need for you to do that. I can take care of it."

Your mother quickly rushed in to take the knife, her instincts not to let guest do any work kicking in at high speeds.

"I'm going to go start unpacking while you finish that."

Your mom barely had time to register what you said before you had grabbed Venti and left the kitchen.

You both went out to the car before he stopped you, putting his hands on both sides of your face as he gave you a worried look, "What's wrong? You seem nervous."

You practically laughed at that, "Nervous? Now what possible reason do I have to be nervous?"

His frown deepened at your sarcasm.

Venti pressed a gentle kiss on your nose and gave you a smile, "Don't stress yourself out so much, nothing bad is going to happen."

You wanted to believe him, really, you did. But your outlook on this entire situation was getting dimmer by the second.

"It didn't even occur to me before we got here how young you looked, I told my mom you were twenty-one, what a lie that was."

Venti giggled at that, "That is just slightly off."

You let out of breath as you tried to clear your mind for a moment, to let yourself believe that this would all work out. He stood there looking at you the entire time, eye's filled with such profound feeling.

Venti almost regretted making you come here, putting this stress on you, being the direct cause of it in a way. All he could do to make it up to you was give back to you in this way, to reassure you that he would do everything in his power to make this go well.

After you had calmed down slightly, you both grabbed a few suitcases and moved them inside, you directing him to the spare room.

It was your old room, though it looked nothing like it had when you lived in it.

Once you had finished explaining that this was the room you had spent the majority of your time living here in, Venti's excitement pretty much shot through the roof.

He jumped onto the bed immediately, sprawling out, barely able to restrain his mind from thinking about all times you had laid in this exact spot.

You plopped down next to him and he immediately gravitated towards you, clinging to your waist.

You couldn't help but laugh slightly as you patted his head, allowing him to rest on your lap.

After about five minutes you pushed him off, despite his protests, choosing to open a suitcase and start unpacking instead.

You weren't able to get very far before your mom called you both for dinner.

Another bundle of nerves decided the best resting spot would be directly on top of your chest, because it was getting harder and harder to breathe at the thought of sitting at a table together for roughly an hour with nothing but small talk.

Venti could tell by your facial expressions exactly what you were feeling and pulled you into a hug, giving you a kiss as he whispered how he wasn't going to mess up and remembered everything you told him.

The beginning of dinner wasn't quite awkward as much as it was quiet, nobody seemingly wanting to be the first person who spoke.

Your mother did eventually break the silence, looking straight at Venti while doing so, "So, you've been together for a year right? I don't believe (y/n) ever told me how you two met."

Venti sat for a moment, looking almost as if he was recalling the memory fondly, "Well we met through a mutual friend actually, he introduced me, and I knew as soon as I saw her that I very much wanted to get to know her."

You guessed that some of that was partly true, at the very least your mother seemed to believe it.

"So your name," your dad spoke next, "is it Italian?"

"Yes actually, although I'm not."

You wondered for a second how he knew that, before resigning yourself to the fact he probably wouldn't tell you.

"We're just so glad (y/n) has found someone they like." Your mother cut in, giving that all too familiar patient smile, "We were worried for a while she wasn't ever going to date anyone."

"Mom."

Your mother simply responded by laughing, "It's true, you never really made connections with people easy."

The more that came out of her mouth the more embarrassed you were starting to feel.

"Well, I would never have guessed that, your daughter is actually a very popular person, I know quite a few people that care for her greatly." Venti spoke in a way that was practically laced with praise and good intentions, wanting so strongly to announce you as the most important person in his world.

You simply responded by clearing your throat and taking another bite of the food in front of you.

"So where are you from then?"

You mentally cringed at that question from your dad, you were hoping to avoid it at least a bit longer.

Before Venti had the opportunity to fumble for an answer you 'accidentally' knocked over your glass of water, startling them all.

"Oh shit sorry, complete accident—"

You darted off in the kitchen to grab a towel as your mom followed you.

It took a moment for you to get yourself dried off, and by the time you got back, both your dad and Venti were debating about alcohol.

You rolled your eyes and use the towel to wipe off the remaining water on the table, "Well, this has been pleasant, thank you very much for the meal, but I think I'm going to go ahead and retired to the room, tired from the long drive and all."

There were general murmurs of disappointment amongst your parents before they both wished you good night, adamant on the fact you would all do something together tomorrow.

You simply replied with a nod and walked away as Venti followed you quickly.

You practically buried your face into the pile of pillows when you finally found yourself comfortably laying on the bed.

"Well, it wasn't that bad now, was it?"

You had to admit that could have gone a lot worse, you couldn't even imagine what answer he would have given for where he was from.

You hummed in acknowledgement as he crawled into bed with you, quickly situating himself on your side.

"Just four more days." You mumbled to yourself.

"I think we'll pull it off just fine." Venti responded, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before you rolled over to face him.

This was a long shot, but maybe you could actually get an answer out of him.

"Hey, how did you know your name was Italian?"

He responded with a very sheepish looking smile, "I didn't."

You couldn't help but laugh at that, pulling him into your embrace.

"Well, at least you're a good bullshitter."

He only gave you an affectionate kiss on the cheek in response.

You hadn't really intended on falling asleep so soon, but all the stress just seemed to melt away when you were lying there with him.

You would get out of this week alive.

As long as your mom decided to keep the family photo album with all of your younger pictures to herself that is...

The Orcas’ Tale

Not me saying I am almost caught up and then taking another break LOL Anyhow, Mermay 2023 teaser anyone? If you enjoyed this years Mermay, this might be for you (;

Fandom: Original Content   Pairings: Yandere!Orca Merman x GN!Reader   Warnings: Yandere, Reader is stuck in the middle of the ocean/gets pulled into the ocean by the creatures, Non-Con Touches/Kissing, Manipulation, Orca Behavior, Death Mention

Prompt: @sintember Lost and ‘Alone’ - You could die out here if you can’t find humans soon. Maybe that would be better.

»»———————— ♡ ————————««    

This was… not good.

No, actually, telling yourself it wasn’t good was just lying into your own face—this wouldn’t end well for you. It was cold, wet, and the emergency raft you managed to climb into wouldn’t withstand the dangers of the ocean forever. Being a marine biologist had been the one dream you always had, even though you knew the risks of the sea. And yet, somehow, perhaps naively so, you never thought you’d find yourself in a situation that could end deadly.

Somehow you ended up like this, your team already having departed and leaving you in this miserable condition. You were sure they were going to turn back the moment they noticed you were missing. But when that would be, was a question of endurance. The endurance to wait it out until they’d see the bright, orange emergency vessel drifting on the sea. They’d be able to find you… right?

Oh, come on. You weren’t that foolish. How were they supposed to find you like this, somewhere out on the ocean with not even a tracker left behind? You knew better than to believe the water beneath you wasn’t moving you farther out on sea either, despite feeling like it was standing still. And the cold, well… If frostbite was the only thing you had to suffer before being rescued and living a long and happy life, that would have been fine.

Shivering, you let out a deep breath. This was definitely not a good day. You didn’t even make any prominent findings on this mission, let alone in all of your career. There would be nothing left behind of your passion and love for the water once you had your last breath. Nothing at all. But it would be fitting for you to die here, on the sea you loved so much, you had to admit.

The splashing of water didn’t rouse you. How could it, in the middle of the ocean? But when your boat shifted, the front with the entrance of the roofed disk pushed slightly beneath the surface, filling the object with water through the small gap in the zipper you didn’t secure, you sprung into the action. The sea wasn’t turbulent at the moment, and you refused to capsize!

“Hey!” you shouted, hoping that if it was just a curious little sea creature wanting to see what was going on, it would be deterred by your voice.

You… didn’t expect it to answer.

“Oh?” it hummed. A pleasant voice, and despite its surprise, not a bit startled or bewildered by what it found. “A human.”

Keep reading

NOOOOO I'M TAKING HIM WITH ME I'M TAKING HIM WITH ME OR I'M STAYING

Aether and Lumine can drag their asses back to Tevyat if they wanna see their older sib again because I'm staying with Wanderer 😭 give that puppet a tiny kiss

(from this and this!) the fact you chose him out of your own siblings—him, the discarded puppet who was never enough. you could have chosen to stay for one of the archons, for the people and the gods you’ve helped. hell, even one of the multitude of friends you’ve made in your travels across teyvat, but the fact that you chose him? he doesn’t quite believe it, ears ringing and heart stuttering as he asks you if you could repeat what you said. and you smile indulgently, ever so soft, ever so sweet, ever so you that he can’t help himself from falling all over again when you say, “of course i’m not leaving, silly. i promised i’d stay, didn’t i?”

he stumbles, nearly trips on his own feet as he rushes to throw himself at you, burying his face in your shoulder as he cries in relief. and you hold him, unbothered by the wetness gathering in your clothes, strong arms secured around him—real, just like the fact that you’re staying with him. staying for him.

and oh, he realizes, welcoming the warmth in his chest, this is what it means to love someone.

sumeru next top model™

don’t mind me— I’m just casually spreading my megane scara agenda 😎

5 (+ 1)

or five times you attempted to pet tighnari's ears and the one time he let you

tighnari x gn! reader rated: t wc: 9k+

a/n: i swear i'm not a genshin writer. every now and again one just really hits me and won't leave me alone. i'm shaking at the prospect of meeting cyno.

|1|

when you had taken up the life of a very luxurious forest ranger, you hadn’t done so with any grand goal in mind. growing up you’d never been enticed by the prestige of the akademiya. the too tight robes warded off any appeal of unlimited knowledge. 

you weren’t much of a haggler either, so market trading had never been much of an option. to be honest, in most cases you couldn't be bothered and would give away something for free if it meant getting the person out of your face.

maybe as a child you’d dreamed of theatre. promises of dancing in front of a crowd. or performing a sincere song of gratitude in honour of your generous archon. but there was a reason why only the children of sumeru dreamt. because it saved you the reality of embarrassment. 

ultimately it made sense for you to be a forest ranger. you were blessed with a vision and had the aptitude for conflict when needed. you didn't mind being outside. sumeru was a beautiful land of bountiful vegetation and fauna. you were proud to be part of the force protecting it. 

so naturally, you were destined to join their ranks. you would fit in splendidly as long as you followed the basic code of conduct.

the rules were simple:

execute every possible strategy to ensure the safety of the public

do not engage in any withering zone excavation without first reporting it

do not under any circumstances attempt to touch master tighnari’s ears.

you believed that honour should be given where it was due, and tighnari certainly earned a bulk of it in sumeru. he was as tenacious in his research as he was in his determination to cull the withering.  

it was admirable. unquestionably gave his subordinates something to look up to. it helped that he made an easy guy to work for. tighnari was an abundance of knowledge, never failing to deliver relevant facts about any form of botany in sight. 

during your initial interview he completely sidetracked himself from testing your competency in favour of dumping the equivalent of a knowledge capsule on the entire forest on you. and during the whole time all you could think was how cute.

those fluffy, distractingly soft ears he had that twitched with every emotion. you noticed that sometimes they swayed unprompted, as if they had a mind of their own. the man himself seemed oblivious to your obsession, or just so immune to the attention at this point that it hardly phased him. 

it was a shame really. 

because by the time he realised you were out of your seat, he had a split second to snatch your offending hand before your fingers to reach the fur. the utterly adorable culprits seemed to tease your failure, flickering invitingly just out of reach of your wiggling fingers. 

at least you had enough integrity to smile in the face of defeat as your future boss leered at you unimpressed. 

he spent the remainder of your now orientation laminating over the very extensive punishment policy to be expected of any broken infractions. 

|2|

it was safe to say the threat of punishment didn’t weigh too heavily on your consciousness. what you did learn, was everything more the life of a ranger had to offer. it wasn’t as though you belittled it to a simple forest guide. you were well aware of how each and every one of your colleagues put their life on the line to protect the gifts from the first of the dendro goddess. 

but you never expected your contribution to feel so satisfying. 

every day your body got stronger, gaining the resilience and stamina to endure long treks through the forest. you became more in tune with your vision, able to protect not only yourself but others from harm. unexpectedly, tighnari’s long winded tangents began sounding more appealing as you absorbed the information rather than repel it. 

with each passing day you grew into the role of a proper forest ranger.

though there was one thing you hadn’t grown out of. 

“you two will be assigned with me. we’ll patrol the southeast canopy.”

tighnari was always so serious when delegating assignments. archon’s bless him. given it was a momentous occasion as it was imperative to understand everyone’s role so that their was a fair opportunity to return home safe and sound. 

it was just he way his ears followed each command. the adorable quiver not at all equivalent to his resolute voice. even after over a year under his command, it was still so distracting. to be fair, you’d learned to control your urges. after the second attempt and a week of making sure the long row of lamps remained glowing, you had at least accepted the pressing issue of testing his patience. 

your respect didn’t go unrewarded either. over time, you learned that under those cute ears was a very interesting man. you always knew he valued his time in the forest and that the publications were not just for show like some of the akademiya graduates. but to witness his unfiltered passion for the forest was … kind of refreshing. 

it made for genuine conversations that allowed you to feed off one another. while you’d never quite match his never ending knowledge for botany, you accompanied it well with your growing love for fauna. 

in short, tighnari had become an unexpected friend. 

with very endearing ears that you still felt the urge to touch after many, many months of barely held restraint. 

it was admirable. 

worth the gained friendship. 

and yet.

collei’s shoulder knocked comfortably into yours as she hopped with glee. her joy made her unaware to the sharp gazes watching her exuberant movements for any signs of fatigue. being around collei had eventually led you to believe that something was different about her.

as a fellow trainee for a time, the two of you had grown close enough for her to feel secure in delving into more of her past. her illness wasn’t necessarily rare but it wasn’t often you met many affected with as much optimism as she had. 

there was no doubt she had bouts of pain. sometimes you would cover her patrols to give her extra days of rest. tighnari was the most observant, always knowing when she needed a break. still the girl was a refreshing take on life in these darkening days. 

it helped that you both shared a fixation with a certain pair of furry ears.

whereas she was more timid in her appreciation, you had yet to shed your bold approach. 

well, maybe you got a little smarter. 

“but i already know about the sweetwater mushrooms,” collei whispered back, confusion staining her voice. there were times like this that her charmingness rivalled tighnari. 

you resisted the urge to pat the crown of her head. 

you all knew about the infamous fungi. upon its discover, tighnari had spent nearly a month after submitting his entry into the new rainforest guide speaking all about its elements; to anyone or anything regardless how responsive. 

if it was a botanical topic the fox found it hard to resist engaging. 

leaning closer, you kept a close eye on the leading man.” i know you do but tighnari always has something more to say. i just need you to ask him about it.” you refrained from using the word distract. 

collei’s ability to lie wasn’t a favourable skill. more often than not she caved in on herself before being able to spin a convincing tail. you’d learned fairly quickly the first time you convinced her to test a new route. the two of you hadn’t found any trouble but the slight delay in return roused a few questions. and of course tighnari had been the investigator. she never had a winning chance. 

“i still don’t get why i have to ask.”

“because i need an opening to try to touch his ears.”

the sharp gasp she left out was enough to shatter the gossip bubble as tighnari turned with a suspicious frown. his gaze fell heavily on you as the culprit. 

“what are you two muttering about?”

laughing sheepishly, your hip checked subtly against the younger girl’s as you took the lead. “just about the dusk birds. their mating season is approaching.”

tighnari raised a brow, but didn’t question further. one of the ways you’d managed to bond with collei had been over the observation of the bird hatchlings. they were one of the safer offsprings you were allowed to track in your earlier days, making you very familiar with their nesting grounds. it was one of the few areas he allowed you both to wander together without supervision. 

“uh huh, well unfortunately i doubt we’ll get many sightings this low. please try to stay vilgint for any threats.”

tighnari rolled his eyes at your comical salute but was unable to hide his small grin. it only fed into your wider one. 

good. he was in an amicable mood today. you’d both need it. 

collei managed to remain cool headed despite your hanging plan as the three of you ventured through the more worn paths. travellers and students alike tended to frequent these parts, fending off most wildlife who didn’t want to be bothered. it was mostly flora that flourished, taking up any available space. 

the perfect conversation starter. 

the green haired trainee squeaked when you cleared your throat and nudged her softly. the noise caused a flicker to tighnari’s ear but he otherwise left the two of you to your devices as he examined the population of fungi. 

your gaze darted to the seemingly preoccupied man and back, to which collei gulped but carefully approached. “um, master tighnari. do you mind going over the procedure for warning travellers about fungi again? sometimes i stumble with the more insistent ones.”

you could hear a bit of truth bleed into the ploy. it was certainly convincing enough as tighnari gestured for her to come to closer as he plucked a few samples. “certainly! it’s always good to familiarise yourself. sometimes they can get a little tricky. like this one, the bell-shaped and conical caps can often confuse people. you have to really pay attention to the arch…”

archons bless him, it didn’t really take much. 

tighnari’s eyes darted briefly to you as you settled near them. his body turned to welcome you into the discussion, but he otherwise continued his deep analysis of proper measurements of cap width. the fleeting eye contact was enough for you to witness the undeniable brightness as he conversed. 

as much as you liked to tease him, the jest hardly had any weight when the man was as serious about his research. he often responded with a chide about the importance of understanding and how it promoted coexistence. and then he would give you editions of his publications for you to study. 

the first few times, after you’d baulked at the depth of the information, you’d actually managed to discover a few interesting elements. despite his ability to drone on, the passion he felt was undeniable when reading through this material. even if you didn’t retain much of the actual reading, the smile you developed lingered. only to widen when you’d witnessed the excited flicker of his tail when you’d returned the books with a few inquiries of your own. 

tighnari took your interest in the fauna populating the forest seriously, cultivating the bud of fascination and furthering it. you hadn’t developed enough academic discretion to attempt a article- not that it would have been credible without the proper education- but tighnari baubles your insights all the same, often using your tracking skills to help develop new routes during various mating and hibernation periods. 

it … really helped you feel at home. valued amongst the other forest rangers. 

so what if you occasionally found your cheeks warming whenever he complimented your new discoveries. 

“when people ask, it's important to point out as many examples as you can to help them identify. in most cases you only have their attention for a few minutes so you need to capitalise.”

you had to give it to collei, she was either fully immersed or integrating very well into the diversion. though when tighnari got like this, it was nearly one in the same. 

rolling onto your knees, you paused as those endearing astute ears twitched in your direction. tighnari hadn’t skipped a beat, however instinct was so inherent. it made for an unfair advantage, however you had desensitisation on your side. the next disturbance you made as you leaned closer hardly got a reaction as his second nature focused on the world outside your bubble. 

it was a flattering downfall that you’d happily exploit as your hand neared your objective. 

“- actually that’s a common mistake. some of the gills look similar but if you notice here..:”

oh no. 

in one fluid motion, tighnari managed to capture your hovering hand, dragging it forward under his arm to come in contact with his other. the motion dragged you flush against his back as he manipulated your fingertips against the underside of the mushroom. 

“-… there’s a coarser distinction. of course, you have to be careful when encouraging other to touch freely as some can still be poisonous.”

naturally you doubted tighnari would use you so freely as an impromptu demonstration, punishment be damned. though the way he kept your appendage hostage implied that you weren’t free from reprimand. 

poor collei chuckled nervously as tighnari held out the fungi for her to try, eyes wondering anxiously between the two of you. from your imprisonment, you were unable to see what expression tighnari was giving off, but if the tight grip was any indicator it was safe to hypothesise that it wasn’t in your favour. 

“i um- see. thank you, master.”

tighnari didn’t appear to have any ill will towards the girl which was a small grace. his tone, however, was noticeably pinched as he directed the conversation over his shoulder. 

“do you have any questions, ranger?”

yep. 

there’s the wrath. 

accepting defeat, your head careened forward into the hollow of his shoulder as you mumbled your negative with the shake of a head. Immediately you felt his posture stiffen in responses to your relaxed submission. the proximity awarded you a personal showcase of the heat crawling up the back of his neck. 

interesting. 

“well then!” tighnari forced a cheerful bravado as he brought you both to an abrupt stand, releasing you in favour of stepping forward to lead. “collei, listen closely as they recite every classification as we finish our patrol. we can make note of their mistakes so that they don’t make them again when they extensively copy them onto the new pamphlets for next release.”

it didn’t evade you how the fox refused to face you as he pressed forward. you dared to guess that the rosy hue of his neck might match the roundness of his cheeks.

perhaps some discoveries were worth the failures. 

|3|

“I really want to feature the spinokrok in my next story but I’ve never really seen one up close. dad says it’s too dangerous though.”

“he’s right. they’re at the very bottom of the ravine.”

“oh…”

“but sometimes i pass through on patrols. if you’d like, i can snap a reference photo for you!”

“really? that would be awesome, thanks so much!”

children’s happiness was truly a unique fruit of motivation, both gratuitous and frankly slightly treacherous to consume. tighnari might liken it to one of the colourful sprouts that populate the banks near the cliffside; beautifully cunning but sure to leave you with a nasty surprise.

—okay, maybe that was a little dramatic. 

but you were certainly going to be in for quite the scolding if tighnari found out that you derailed your patrols for the sake of taking a leisure photo of wildlife. in the defence of safety, the fox wasn’t as easily swayed by a childish promise. 

fortunately, you were adept enough with just about any patrol path through the rainforest by now. your experience often persuaded tighnari to give allowance for you to tend to the paths along the outskirts of the village solo. 

which you were totally doing. 

just from a view a couple hundred metres below. 

the path towards the wetland ravine was a muddy line in the undergrowth, a quieter trail that rarely gathered much traffic: traveller or wildlife. to be honest, you hardly ever saw anything other than the spinokrok’s down here. though given their diet, it wasn’t much of a surprise. 

you carefully neared the bankside, watching the position of the sun in between the treetops. you’d already bartered away a lot of your time venturing this low. while you were known for a bit of wandering, if you took too long to check-in someone would end up alerting tighnari before long. the sky was already beginning to bleed into a light orange, the beginning shades of the setting sun melting into the blue above. 

not your first nighttime return, but the light scolding would be easy enough to shake off. 

the sudden splash drew your attention to the winding river as a crane took flight. the skittish fowl wouldn’t have been alerted to your presence this early which meant that your targets weren’t far off. 

tugging the kamera from your knapsack, you followed the line of the water through the lens. 

“there you are…”

razi would be pleased with the prints of the small brood of three. highlights from above complimented the red scales nicely. curious, you swung the lens further upstream in an attempt to capture a few more. known for their meat, if undisturbed it would be easy enough to find at least another two or three. 

however as the slithering vines stretched norther further, twisting through branches on its congest to conquer vegetation, you found the rapidly darkening view to be concerning. sure enough, the once plentiful flora was beginning to shrink on itself and take on a dull shade. the distinctive red flow of the withering zone was seated right in the apex of the blistering landscape. 

“here too?”

the area was small, but this route was part of the weekly assignments rather than the more frequent. had you not come here in search of fauna, it likely wouldn’t have been discovered for a few more days. unfortunately, locating it yourself was tantamount to giving away your private detour. 

for a brief moment you debated taking the chance to report, weighing the pros and cons. ultimately, the loss of independency once tighnari tracked your impromptu route was too great of a squander. besides, it was a small devastation. you were qualified to handle it.

—except for the corrupted machina lingering just out of sight. 

the narrow lens of the kamera hadn't been able to capture the additional dangers before you neared. had you been aware, you would have attempted to at least down one before you got too close. it was a tight battle, suffering under the thick miasma while trying to cut off the source. 

you’d managed to down the bulkier of the two, but the swindling snake-like projection had been doing an annoying job of evading your strongest attacks. with your hp at threatening level, coupled with low energy regeneration, you were starting to regret your choices just a little bit. 

you briefly wondered if tighnari would scold you through the eulogy. 

the darkness blanketing the forest worked against you, as the remaining threads of daylight faded. the red glow of the withering was the least comforting form of light to rely on as you made a hasty dodge away from the blasting beam. 

“oh, crap.”

a miscalculation saw your foot caught on a fraying vine, careening your forward as you landed heavily onto the ground. the threatening wind of the machina generating energy had you sucking in a harsh breath as you attempted to stand, resulting in a sharp jolt of pain as your ankle protested. a cold chill numbed your body in the worst way as the unsettling realisation of your actions weighed in. scrambling feebly for your weapon, you attempted to shield the next blow though you knew it wouldn't be enough. 

“enshroud!”

your body jerked in alarm as a cloud of green circled the earth around you. the lack of visibility should have been worrying, had you not been very familiar with it’s caster; and the inevitable reckoning that would come. 

the first half came in the form of a series tanglevine shafts trained to track and devastate. the secondary wave wiped out the last of the threats before your savour was able to focus on the bleeding blooms. you’d never been more grateful to witness a successful clearance, as the suffocating effects of the withering abed away. it gave you just enough clear air to breath a grateful sigh of relief before it all soured. 

the second half of your retribution, was a quieter approach of wraith then you were use to. tighnari refused to look you in the eye as he kneeled before your injured limb. not that that you were trying to see the reflection of your guilt staring back at you. it gave you the opportunity to observe that he’d come alone, making you wonder if he’d been informed or had simply stumbled upon you. 

neither option was beneficial. 

the fox was obviously simmering, that much was clear even in his silence. he’d produced a small aid kit from his belt and was examining your ankle. the first sounds of annoyance permeating the air when you squeaked at the firm pressure against the joint. 

it was obvious that you wouldn’t be walking out of here. 

as if you weren’t in enough trouble. 

tighnari’s reticence preserved as he tied a stiff bow at the end of your wrapping before turning to offer his back. sighing, you accepted your fate and looped your arms around his neck. tighnari waited until your knees settled at his sides before he rose to his feet, added a second security under the weight of your thighs. 

at first you hoped to construct a plausible excuse in his silence, but after you’d practised the same redemption for the twelfth time you were starting to become more concerned about his resilience. you dont think you've ever witness tighnari hold back a scolding this long. 

unable to hold out any longer, you poked the hornet’s nest. 

“so razi has this new story idea.”

yeah you were throwing the kid under the bus, sue you. 

the first flicker of his ears was a subtle warning, but you pressed through. 

“he wanted to use the spinokroks as his next character but he’d never really been able to see one up close. and naturally it wouldn’t be safe for a child to traverse the forests. even with his father.”

there goes the second ear. 

“so being the helpful forest ranger i am under your tutelage, i offered to secure a reference photo for him. which of course—”

tighnari’s voice came quiet and strained. “please stop talking.”

you waited for him to say more, sure that he’d have more to tack on, but no other words left his lips. it was disconcerting in a way you hadn’t experienced before. you'd suffered through annoyance, frustration and some rage. 

but rarely disappointment. 

it was bitter tasting. 

it was rather telling when even the wildlife seemed to avoid the pair as you ascended out of the ravine. tighnari managed to not only reach the outskirts of the village, but did so without cracking under the pressure of your culpability. 

unfortunately you weren’t as robust. 

“tigh—”

“for every word, i’m adding a week of lamp maintenance duty.”

you squeezed your arms and legs around him in a hug, seeking out a thread of comfort through the throbbing pain of your ankle. 

“i’m sorry.”

tighnari sucked in a sharp breath as his steps halted. you could see the first glow of the lamps in the distance, no doubt a night crew lingering near to welcome the late returners. 

“you’re an idiot.”

a tight fist squeezed your heart as you shuddered against his back. 

“i know.”

“another week! i cannot believe your absolute disregard for your welfare. not only in straying from your patrols but to attempt to clear a withering zone without reporting it first. what were you thinking?”

your lips parted, voice small,” well i thought given how far off it was that no one would come across it before it spread.”

the fox was quietly shaking under you,” i’m tempted to bench you for a year for this alone. you could have been killed.”

“but i wasn’t.”

tighnari didn’t acknowledge the crackled excuse as he resumed the ascent towards the heart of the village. the conversation was over, at least for tonight. you almost felt bad for those hapless to witness the quiet fury as the leader trudged through the canopy. though the arrangement surely painted a telling story no one dared to stop or question.

upon entering your bungalow, tighnari silently backed into your bed until you took the hint.

as your arms slipped from around him, your fingertips brushed against the furry cartilage. though the action went ignored by both parties.

“rest, we’ll discuss this in the morning.”

|4|

the discussion did not come the following morning, or the rolling day as the sun rose and set. given your ailment you weren't exactly able to seek out your punishment, though the waiting game felt like the precursor. 

for the first three days, your only visitors were collie and one of the local healers. tighnari likely hadn’t banned the nervous girl, allowing her to stumble in at first light to assess your injuries. it seemed as though he also didn’t inform her of much as she tired to glean what she could. 

unfortunately, your mood hadn’t really improved from the night before, nor had your pain levels. you managed a tight smile at best, gritting through a scarce overview. the overhanging rumours were that you finally pushed tighnari to his limits. which was not too far from the truth. 

your medicine came in three intervals, and each visit was just that. umm only offer a genial knowing close-lipped smile as she applied the numbing cream and rewrapped your joints. the only news came from collei with each meal. it was never what you wanted to hear, but the sound of a voice other than your thoughts was welcome. 

you were able to keep up with light chat, the both of you doing an amicable job at avoiding the shaggy sumpter beast in the room. if the flightiness she gave off was anything to go by, then tighnari hadn’t completely cooled off. initially, you’d only probed subtly. asking about her patrols to see who accompanied her. questioning new withering zone reports to gauge who might be assigned. either tighnari had instructed her to be tightlipped or she was on as much of a lockdown as you were because the information gleaned was inconsequential. 

it wasn’t until the fifth day, when you were able to balance on your injured ankle for longer than a minute that you dared to try for more. 

umm had just finished, stepping clear of the doorway to allow collei to maneuver freely with the two bowls of lunch. the younger girl was in a lighter mood, giving you the extra confidence to push. 

you took a bite of the leftover stew first, before testing the waters. “has tighnari taken you on any deeper patrols lately?”

the girl stiffened but otherwise did not show any signs of distress. 

“not really, he’s been kind of strict with patrols lately. only seniors have been assigned to the forest floor. i patrolled the understory with nasrin yesterday though! the dusk birds are starting to nest.”

you could resist a soft smile as the girl lead comfortable into a short tangent about the different locations she’d tracked in her notebook. she loved to watch the hatching process from the birth to first flight. tighnari was often more lenient with her during this season. you were pleased to know your mess up hadn’t resulted in that being taken away.

“hopefully i’ll be healed enough to catch one of the hatchings.”

collei’s gaze flickered to your freshly wrapped ankle, “master tighnari wouldn’t say but he’s been pretty testy about ranger etiquette lately. well more than useful.”

“yeah, i was pretty stupid,” you muttered, quoting the fox’s words from that night. 

collei sat upright on the chair by your desk, responding to your despondent mood. “he’s not nearly as bad as before though. i mean that morning after he was really mad. not like loud angry, but everyone knew not to test him. but he’s calmer now”, she assured.

you assumed as much. avoiding you was likely the best way to keep his temper in check.

you watched as the green haired trainee squirmed in her seat, no doubt uncomfortable at the idea of being between the brewing conflict. tighnari no doubt tried to ease that predicament by withholding information. the least you could do was honour your half to keep from setting her off. 

“umm said i should try walking around more. i got permission to pace the platform if you want to join.”

the girl jumped at the chance, nearly losing her bowl in the process. laughing, you quickly took hers and set it on the desk with yours before standing to your feet. collei was at your side, urging your arm over her shoulder. it wasn’t really necessary but you’d never turn down the girl’s assistance. 

carefully the two of you ambled through the leaves shrouding your entrance. it wasn’t the first time this week that the sun warmed your skin. umm had urged you to test the distance from your bed to your porch on the second day with each visit there after. it helped tp press your limitations while keeping the joint from getting too stiff. but this was the first time you’d been able to venture far enough out to interact with more than the same two people for the last few days. 

collei remained diligent as she led you down the straight path, attention not straying from your gait as you greeted faces you haven't seen in awhile. the reception was overall positive, your health and wellbeing superseding the wraith that had hung over the encampment for the past week. it narrowed down the list of those you’d need to apologise to at least. 

“oh it’s master tighnari!”

your gaze snapped to her extended finger, noting the tall tuff of ears before anything else. his back was turned to you, a fortunate thing as you still weren’t sure how to face him just yet. he appeared to be conversing with a group, though it wasn’t the usual collection of rangers waiting for assignments. 

you recognized the garments however. 

collei groaned as she sagged under your arm. “its the akademiya again. when will they ever learn?”

likely no time soon, as the pressure from both the forest and threat of the ‘scarlet king’ followers continued to rise. the first time you witnessed the prestigious envoy attempting to recruit the fox, you’d been in awe. it was somewhat of an honour to be approached by anyone doning the gowns. next to the archon herself, they were the reigning power. however the prestige lost a light grace, when tighnari scoffed at the invitation. 

it was one of the occasions that you’d really come to appreciate more than just his vast knowledge. of course, you respected him as a leader but it was different to consider his understanding of plant life on a scholarly level. his tangents that he loved to rattle your ear with were published and very popular articles. 

he was something of a celebrity. a fact that you loved to tease just to see the tops of his cheeks grow warm at the admission. 

now, even at this distance, you could see a similar red dusting his fair skin. but not in the pleasant way that warmed your chest. 

no it seemed that an inkingly of your excursion still peaked his heart rate. and this wasn't making it any better.

that wasn’t good.

“collei, please help me.”

“huh? oh, wait! not too fast.”

tighnari grit through a tight smile, barely hanging onto his fangs to keep them from showing. at a young age his mother taught him that human could find it threatening. frankly, right now he wished to find out how much of a truth that was if it got these nuisances out of his hair. 

this was the last thing that he wished to deal with right now. the institution had taken a different route it seemed, sending students under the premise of studying under his tutelage. something he would maybe consider any other time than now. 

his foot tapped irritably as one of the bolder ones spoke his piece, spouting words of prose that meant nothing to him. they were all weak and obvlivious children wandering aimlessly. he had enough of those under his own watch. 

“master tighnari, i've read all your publications intensively and feel that i would be a valuable asset in your further research of the withering zones. i believe that together we can find a cure.”

tighnari barely resisted rolling his eyes. it was almost laughable. the withering had plagued them for centuries and they were still no closer to curbing it. no amount of research at this point was going to factor in. all they could do was contain, and that was a skill the akademiya didn’t teach.

breathing audibly through his nose, the fox attempted to remain cordial. “i appreciate your determination, however, i'm not in a position right now to allocate more rangers to facilitate your safety. the forest—”

“—i’ve also read intently on the local fauna and proper was to track warning signs of predators…”

tighnari really hated when he was interrupted. 

“i’m confident in my ability to spot danger before it becomes a problem.”

especially by know-it-alls who were overstepping in his domain.

the student continued on unware of the growing dangers, “i’ve brought a few of my manuscripts with me if you’d like to browse some of my speculations and hypotheses…”

tighnari's brow twitched as the student droned on. for someone who boasted about extensive research on understanding predators he was rather obvious to the one standing before him. the same couldn't be said about his colleagues who were carefully edging back. 

“if i could just get a few samples—”

the student had sense enough to notice as the plant scholar suddenly flinched, hand coming up to grasp the wrist of the hand threatening to touch the tip of his ear. it was the first time since opening his mouth that he’d taken into account the strained curl to the lips of the botany researcher. 

his gaze then flickered to the more relaxed, if not slightly sheepish smile of the forest ranger behind. they seemed otherwise unconcerned despite the death grip they'd been trapped in for … attempting to touch master tighnari’s ears?

the student felt a shudder wrack his body as the fox’s grimace smoothed into … something that he would one day recognize as a reckoning he’d be fortunate to survive in years to come. 

“apologies, you’ll have to excuse me. it appears one of my rangers feels well enough to venture off their bed rest and is due for some new assignments.” with that, the lead ranger looped the still trapped limb over his shoulder before assisting the injured ranger back up the canopy. 

“you can give your manuscripts to my trainee, collei.”

the green hair trainee in question waved timidly, unsure of how she got in this position but willing to help.” hello, im forest ranger trainee collei. please let me assist you safely out of the forest.”

|5|

“it’s master tighnari!”

believe it or not, forest rangers did get off days. while it was still heavily frowned on to use that time to exploit certain privileges to free roam the forest, there were other activities that some could get up to. 

some would use the opportunity to travel to the city or port for the market or to visit family.

others utilised their freedom to work on personal research. 

then there was tighnari who used the opportunity to research the local flora … via oral experimentation. 

your small project had been tossed aside in favor of darting out of your bungalow at the cry of fright from the green haired girl. it wasn’t the first time you’d witnessed tighnari taking his passion … to the next level. that time, curiosity had thrown him into a rather long slumber that he’d conveniently woken up from after a gratuitous amount of panicking on collie’s part and just in time for you to return with the rescue aid party. 

it was safe to say that was not the last occassion, and tighari had treated you both to several lunches to make up for the scares. 

but it wasn’t often that he was brought back to the village in a state. more often than not the ailments resolved in the time it took someone to find him or simply shaken off with no concern. 

it was enough to have you barreling unannounced through the head ranger’s door with apprehension. firm but fraying hands caught you as you stumbled through, righting your body before you could embarrass yourself. 

“don’t worry, tighnari is fine. it’s a harmless reaction to one of the fungi he consumed.”

umm brought her hands to a comfortable leisure behind her back as you peered over her shoulder. 

tighnari was lain out across his bed. it looked as though he had been tucked away intentionally, but the man had fought away the sheets in a fit. there was a light coat of perspiration doting his forehead and his skin had taken on a rosy flush. it hardly looked harmless. you’d never seen the lead forest watcher look so … unravelled. 

when was he going to learn to stop experimenting so freely?

umm gave a passing pat to your shoulder,“with a bit of rest he’ll be just fine.”

you had hoped as much but it eased some of your worries to see him at least home safe. though his predicament still tested your resolve. you would distract yourself for the time being concocting your own chiding speech. seriously, someone needed to hold him accountable. as it seemed, you were the only one daring enough to challenge the fox. 

heavily a relieved sigh, you turned to leave. collie would likely need a second dose of comfort now that you’d taken your own inventory of the indisposed ranger. umm, bless her soul, wasn’t a very convincing source of comfort. having collie help prepare your speech would do some good for her as well.

“wait, don’t go yet.”

you stiffed at the unexpected plea. the voice behind you sounded a bit stronger than it should be in this predicament, more like the fox you recognized. umm hadn’t left you with any instructions, but it was safe to assume he was meant to rest as not to rile up his heart rate anymore. something you were very good at doing.

you liked to think that the two of you were on agreeable terms thus far. you’d been a textbook ranger over the last few weeks. not testing the limits of your privileges or boundaries. it allowed for the two of you to have some nice conversations. though you doubted anything very articulate would come from his mouth right now. 

it was unfair, how adorable he looked with mussed hair, heavy eyes and creased clothes. umm had taken responsibility to rid him of the more decorative parts of his uniform, leaving him in a simple shirt and pants. the said shirt appeared to have been tugged open, revealing the lean muscles of his chest and abdomen. 

that was decidedly leaning away from cute, as you tore your gaze away and scolded yourself. 

“you should really lay back down, tighnari, i need you to be yourself when i deliver your scolding later.”

“tigh.”

“huh?”

you were shaken out of your stupor when he stood, concern triggering your fight reaction as you quickly huddled him back onto the bed before he fell. he allowed you to do so, however when he glanced up at you his olive eyes showed annoyance.

“i prefer when you refer to me as tigh.”

your mouth open and closed silently at the admission. you could never recall tighnari outright scolding you for the curtail of his name. you used it so sparingly, and only ever in the comfort of just yourselves or collei. 

he never really showed any emotion other than surprise the first time he’d realised what you said. you never assumed he’d catalogued the occurrences to feel any ownership over the name.

you fidgeted under the scrutinised of the fox, unsure of how to proceed from there. it was obvious that he was still mildly effective if the rose of his skin was anything to go by. but there was undeniable clarity cutting through the fog in his eyes. it was enough of a relief to have your shoulders sagging slightly. 

if it got him to comply and rest through the remainder of the effects, you could concede. 

“okay, … tigh. please stop eating flora so carelessly.”

it wasn’t your intention to start the chastising prematurely, but if he wanted you to talk, you’d do so. you weren’t sure what all of this he would recall, but you hoped the echoing nag of your voice would hover like a hangover next time he considered experimenting alone. you knew he only tested things with vague assumptions, just enough to ensure that he wouldn’t perish on sight. but it was still close enough calls for you to worry. 

you thought nothing of the way he snared your hands, too used to having them detained in pursuit of your goal. maybe another time you would be the one to catalogue just how frequently the two of you help hands. certainly enough to suffer from desensita-

your speech cut off with a choke as the fox brought one of your hands to the crown of his head. it was the closest you’d ever gotten to your prize, just a simple flex of your fingers and it would be yours. 

and he was just allowing it. 

“um, tigh…?”

you swallowed as his hold slid to your wrist, thumb caressing the inside. 

“it’s what you want, right?” unintentionally your finger flexed under the strain of resisting, just the casual brush against the ear causing the body to shudder. tighnari managed an even breath through his nose, but you suspected his heart was creating as much of a racket as yours was. “ i want you to. i don’t mind if it’s you.”

you sucked in a sharp breath at the omission.

it took strength that you didn't think you had, and stupidity you’d likely reflect on later that night as you regrettably pulled your hand away. firmly not thinking at all about the soft whine that left the fox’s lips at the action. 

your smile was wobbly, frail under the weight of emotions teetering at the edge. you gave his bicep a comforting squeeze before you urged him to lay back in bed. thankfully he didn’t put up much of a fight as you tucked him in. 

his lashes fluttered closed against the cool caress of his cheek.

“next time, promise.”

between one breath and the next, he fell asleep.

|+1|

tighnari woke to a low hanging sun and a heavy head. despite the warnings he opened his eyes, then immediately shut them. though blurry and out of sequence, the master ranger was able to piece together the majority of his last coherency. 

he’d been experimenting with the effects of the moonshade mushrooms. there had been reports of unaware travellers losing consciousness in the middle of the forest and waking in a fevered state. naturally, he’d taken it upon himself to test the outcome in order to properly assign warning labels in his next publication. 

the initial bout of slumber had been brief, broken by a wave of nausea and the sensation of his body overheating itself. he then recalled umm stripping away his uniform in order to help him cool down.

and then there was you.

he remembered the sound of your concern and the inkling of berating though he couldn't exactly call back the wording. he was sure to get an encore either way; well deserved. 

there was a gaping absence in his recollection, but the sensation of your hand settled between the space of his ears hadn’t escaped him. when had he gotten bold enough to daringly reach out like that? sure you’d done the same on multiple occasions but it had been in pursuit of a singular goal while he—

tighnari stared at the leaf drawn entrance of his chamber, face burning. 

but surely that could not have all occurred before noon. 

“oh good you’re awake. that mushroom managed to down even you for a full day. it's certainly something to be aware of.”

the elderly woman peered briefly through the cut of the door before granting herself entrance. tighnari sat obediently still as she flittered over his vital signs, ensuring his temperature and heart rate were within agreeable boundaries. 

she scribbled the notes like clockwork into the parchment on his desk. while his methods weren’t often agreed upon, umm saw the value in the repercussions. her diligence had help assist in multiple breakthroughs. tighnari would be sure to deliver a nice basket of her favourite tree sap candies once he was back in working order. 

amir would have certainly taken initiative to oversee assignments for the day. he would certainly owe collei a visit as well to assure her fears. he vaguely remembered her putting up a fuss when he’d been carried in, shortly before she’d been directed out leading to her alerting you. 

tighnari’s cheeks grew hot again. he refused to acknowledge the rising blush even as umm chuckled quietly while gathering up her kit. instead, he kept his eyes on the entrance as he pinned his sashes in place and equipped his vision. 

it wasn’t as if the two of you weren’t already rather close. it was safe to say he gave you more allowances than most. sure, your futile attempts to touch his ears could be frustrating at times, but more so because of the opportunities you took than the actual actions. 

despite popular belief, tighnari didn’t truly hold his ears in that high regard. it was more out of proprietary that he shied away from strangers acting out of curiosity. to be honest, he really wouldn’t mind too much if a ranger asked to pet them. but it seems as if their own misconceptions had fed into the unspoken rule that his fox-like features were out of the question. 

except for you. 

over time, the two of you managed to lapse into a comfortable game of cat and mouse. tighnari knew if he’d shown any true signs of anger you would have backed away from the start. but his tolerance had permitted you to try again and again. 

so what if the occasional punishments he placed on you deterred the others, it never snuffed your fire and that was all that mattered to him. 

it was only natural that over time constant exposure would ignite his own interest. he could recall with vivid memory the way it felt to have you pressed against his back that time in the forest when you attempted to claim your prize in the middle of his lecture. he’d made you wait there while he finished the lesson, all the while relishing in the heat permitted his back. 

had it been just the two of you, he would have let you. 

yet when he finally caved and gave you the permission you'd been seeking all this time, you’d backed out. 

‘next time’ you’d promised. 

“if you’re done laminating, once you've finished eating you can go find them. i  believe i saw them returning not long before i came here.”

umm didn’t wait for a response as she saw herself out, her amusement audible even as she descended the ramp to her own domain. 

tighnari didn’t rush the act as he finished his meal and the provided water. once he finished, his lips turned at the dimming sunlight. his schedule was all but thrown out the window for the day, though he doubted anyone expected him to contribute much. still it stung his consciousness as a leader to leave his subordinates hanging , even if they were all self-sufficient adults. at least the headache had disappeared with proper nourishment. there would be time to salvage his routine later.

the sun was positioned late in the afternoon, but the dim light still irritated his eyes. he blinked through the sting as he welcomed the sight of the quaint village operating adequately in his absence. 

he returned any passing waves and gave brief responses to their questions. for the most part everyone seemed confident that he’d make a full recovery, though he still harboured the guilt of worrying them. 

brow pinched, he waved nasrin closer. “have you seen collei?”

the purse of her mouth didn’t spell anything good. tighnari hoped her illness had not acted up in his absence. “she had trouble sleeping last night so someone swapped patrols with her. she just set off not too long ago.”

the girl sometimes had trouble sleeping when plagued with anxiousness. tighnari settled that he would confront her upon her return, for now he had one more stop. he had a feeling he knew who offered to adjust their schedule to accommodate the girl.

he found your bungalow with practised ease, delivering a single knock before you offered entrance. he found you seated at your desk, no doubt detailing the report of your finding before submission. it was a relief to see that you took a break from your typical mischievousness to conduct a seemingly uniform patrol while he was indisposed. 

“i don't suppose you came across any new interesting flora on your patrols?”

tighnari watched as your shoulders stiffened at the unexpected sound of his voice. your head whipped around, eyes assessing him carefully before you gave a timid, relieved smile. 

“i think we can all agree that you’ve had enough adventures for one week,” you noted with light scolding. 

grinning, tighnari cared little if his fangs showed, knowing you wouldn't find them threatening. your gaze followed him as he secured the leaves behind him before approaching your desk. he leaned comfortably against the wooden structure as he browsed the report. it had been routine indeed, not a single withering sighting. 

“are you sure you’re alright? you had me worried for a bit.”

tighnari’s brow rose,” only a bit?”

scoffing, you rolled your eyes,” it’s not the worst thing you’ve eaten but seeing you down for so long was concerning. collei will be relieved to see you back on your feet.”

tighnari braceed his palm against the dest and leaned into the posture,“and you?”

“i owe you a scolding. you always get onto me about being aware and careful of my surroundings. yet here you go testing unknown fungi alone in the forest. at least bring it back before you test it out so we can be there if you need us.”

tighnari waited for you to finish, eyes shining with thinly veiled amusement. you seemed to recognize it as well, huffing as you realised your scolding didn't have as much weight as the seasoned scholar. 

unable to resist, the fox reached out to run is fingers along the side of your face before letting them rest against your shoulder. he watched as your chest expanded to take in the small gasp of surprise. it was a rare moment for him to initiate contact like this, especially given the recent occurrence only yesterday. while his recollection was misty, yours was clear as day. 

“i think you owe me something else too.”

tighnari watched your reactions carefully, from the flutter of your lashes to the rapid thrum of your heart beat against the pulse under your jaw. he never shied away from a discovery the promise of a satisfying understanding driving him from one revelation to the next. 

admittedly, you’d been a gradual observation. the question at the tip of the scale all this time while he’d unknowingly researched you thoroughly with each new interaction. day and day again, you prompted him with new variables both under his control and not. it was only today that he managed to form a working hypothesis. a hesitant theory that he knew would shift everything.

tighnari watched with growing fascination as the initial shock meddling into purposefulness as your hand came into view. impatient, he couldn't resist ducking his hand to meet you halfway. the first careful touch was equally inquisitive and hesitant. each time in the past, your hand had darted out with such certainty. yet now with it all willing at your fingertips, you allowed yourself the time to explore.

he hadn’t realised his head had come to rest against your collar bone until he felt the rumbled of your laughter. you didn’t simply just touch his ears, you caressed the length form the widest part to the tip. your fingertips tickled the tufts of fluff at the base. and the light scratched you delivered against the firm cartilage had him all but melting into your hold. the burst of new stimuli tickled his nerves and left pleasant sensations.

later he would analyse the data but he was already certain about his conclusion. 

your words mussed the top of his head as you spoke, humour bleeding into your intrigue. “can’t believe it took you a year to crack, tigh.”

tighnari sagged further at the uttering of the name. you flinched, not expecting the words of response to be mumbled into your skin. gratefully, it didn't cause you to pause.

“what was that?”

your touch slid from his ears to the curve of his jaw as his head rose to meet your gaze. 

“i actually had two hypotheses I wanted to test.”

though he didn't speak more than that, he could tell you were well aware of the implications. your lips parted to respond, but no words could pass the lump in your throat. tighnari tested the waters, leaning closer enough to brush the tup of his nose against yours. when you didn't pull away, he leaned down and pressed your lips together, firmly but briefly. as he breathed in deeply,  the smell of lush forestry, sweet flora and you invaded his scenes. the scent of familiarity minding with the aroma of what he called home was intoxicating. 

your eyes shone bright with mischief as tighnari pulled away, no doubt observing the rosy hue spreading across his face. 

“i think we need to experiment a little more before we can come to a confident conclusion.”

tighnari leaned back in and nuzzled you affectionately. 

“i agree.’’

tagging upon request: @lott-the-otter @uhohitsemmy

re: genshin sexdoll au. i had an idea about gorou being a (admittedly terrible at it) gaslighting tsundere bitch that wants to come off as nonchalant and "whatever YOU want is fine with me" but then second you turn your head he pounces on you and just jackrabbits his cock into you like he's going to die if he stops for a second. also he cries from overstimulating himself.

tw - unhealthy relationships, codependence, obsessive behavior, attempted isolation, and mentions of past abuse.

i could actually really see this with a Gorou droid who was neglected by his previous user. y'know, locked up at home for days at a time, rarely ever repaired or maintained, taught he had to beg for any attention he got or just suffer on his own forever - because there's nothing that causes an android more suffering than not being able to serve their user properly. of course, you're so much nicer than that. you always come home at the end of the day, and you make sure to comb through his tail every morning and night, and he doesn't even have to get on his knees to bury himself inside of you and thrust and buck until his stores are empty, until his programming fuzzes around the edges and he can't really tell if it's his voice whining or yours.

you take good care of him, as aware as he is that it's supposed to be the other way around. he knows he's supposed to be the strong one between the two of you, that you're supposed to be able to rely on him for everything you need, but he can't help it, something in his code just adores the sound of your voice, the little sparks of pressure and warmth that flood into his system every time you cup his cheeks and, in the kind of sweet tone his previous user would never user, call him a good boy, your good boy. he likes it when he can be of use to you, when you can use him however he wants to, and it's not like he feels any pain, it's not like there's anything to stop him from kneeling between your legs until the fingers you've been running through his hair go slack and you say that little word he hates hearing.

admittedly, he'd tried to do things he knows you wouldn't like, before. he's just so afraid that you're going to leave him behind, that you'll start to pay more attention to something or someone else than you do to him, but he can't seem to go through with it, whether he's just trying to delete a few messages or vault your phone out of a fifth-story window. it might be something in his programming, or a past experience he tried to scrub from his databank, or just a show of how much he loves you - he doesn't know, but he wants to be yours. that's all, really. he wants your attention to be on him, and to bask in your love and care, and he wants to be yours.

he wants to be yours, and he just doesn't know what he'd do if you ever tried to make him into anything else.

Of Mice and Men [Yandere L x Reader]

Title: Of Mice and Men [Yandere L x Reader]

Synopsis: It’s not your first escape plan. But it is the first one that involves attempting to seduce your captor in a bid for freedom. Commissioned piece.

Word Count: 2777

notes: yandere, NSFW, dubcon, mentions of stalking/stalker behavior

It’s not the first time you’ve plotted an escape. You’ve tried a few dozen times, though you–obviously, considering where you still are, and who you’re still stuck with–have yet to succeed.

But this time… this time you’re going to play L at his own mind games. Mind-fuck-games, more like it, and the sarcastic phrase has so much more meaning now that you’ve decided on what you’re going to do.

You’re going to seduce L.

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