Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1) Xiao/Aether - Lantern Rite

Pretty straight forward, Xiao is overlooking Liyue during the Lantern Rite when he gets an unexpected visit from the Traveler.

2) Diluc/Venti - Morning After Dvalin was Saved

Diluc stumbles upon a tipsy and sleepy Venti at Windrise the morning after Monstadt celebrated Stormbearer's 'defeat'.

3) [NSFW] Ayato/Thoma - Steamy Morning

Thoma just wants to clean the house, but Ayato has other plans that Thoma may not be completely opposed to.

Chapter Text

From the top of a nearby cliff that sat near the entrance to Liyue Harbor, Xiao sat, as he does every year during the Lantern Rite, on the lookout for the hilichurls and spirits that for some reason tended to gather during the holiday. Maybe it was the irregular bustle of visitors and merchants, but Xiao didn’t bother to understand. That wasn’t his job; he was a weapon, and as such he focused on defeating what monsters he could rather than trying to search for their source.

However, this year’s Lantern Rite was a bit different. Xiao tried to focus on analyzing the crowd for danger, but his eyes kept getting drawn to a certain traveler with long, braided, golden locks. This traveler hopped around, drifting from cart to cart of merchants to buy himself and his floating companion treats as well as small souvenirs. The adeptus watched the boy chat with various citizens, from an energetic young chef to a small, seemingly timid young girl adorned in purple. 

There was one acquaintance of the traveler that set off various alarm bells in Xiao’s head. He was ginger, who wore a smirk like a uniform, and used each and every opportunity to lay his hands on the blonde. Be it a draping arm over the shoulders, a sneaky hand on the hip, or (the one that really had Xiao edging to drop off the cliff into the middle of the harbor) a whispering pair of lips on the ear that had the other blushing brightly. 

For the next hour or so, Xiao watched these ministrations go on, trying to hold back his urge to intervene should something more dire take place among the celebrations. Eventually, the yaksha was unable to find the traveler amongst the crowd. At first, he thought nothing of it, figuring that the traveler was dining in somewhere, but after an hour or so passed without so much as a glimpse of the golden hair, Xiao’s mind became muddled with worry. Had that ginger taken him off somewhere? Did he leave the Rite early, but if so, why? Was he sick? What if, what if, what if-

“Xiao!” a familiar voice shouted from behind, interrupting his spiral. Immediately, the adeptus readied himself and pulled out his poleam, ready to protect the one calling his name. However, upon turning, Xiao found no monster, no one in danger, but the very blonde-headed traveler he had been agonizing over before.

The traveler walked up to Xiao with a smile, the glow of two lanterns in his hands illuminating his eyes in a heavenly way. The gold in his hair framed the gold in his eyes perfectly, as if the boy was crafted from cor lapis itself. For a moment, Xiao just stared, and stared and stared and stared, until the golden boy once again called the adeptus’ name, voice laced with concern rather than eagerness as it was before.

“I- ah, Traveler, sorry. I- uh. I’m not used to receiving visitors during the Lantern Rite. Or any time for that matter. How did you even know I was up here?”

“Oh, I-” Aether looked away, a tinge of rose on his cheeks. “I saw you sitting up here and watching over the city. I know you said you didn’t like crowds, so I- um… I thought about bringing the Lantern Rite to you?” The blonde gestured to the lanterns in his hands.

“Oh.”

After a few beats of silence, the traveler immediately started backpedaling. “I- I’m sorry. Adepti probably don’t take part in the Rite; it’s pretty frivolous compared to what you have all gone through, isn’t it? I’ll go-”

Just as Aether was turning away, Xiao snatched his elbow and pulled him back (a little harder than he meant to), their faces merely inches apart. “No! No-” the adeptus jumped back from the sudden closeness. “No, please stay. I… appreciate the offer. It has been years since I have spent the Lantern Rite with company.”

Chapter Text

Morning began to dawn over Monstadt as the impromptu celebrations in honor of Stormbearer’s ‘defeat’ slowed. Cheers and songs faded out as the citizens settled into their beds, some tired and some drunk and some both. The windmills continued to blow, carrying a soft strum of a lyre.

The player of this lyre sat underneath the large oak tree that watched over Windrise, as well as Mondstadt, his eyes half-lidded as a bottle of Dandelion Wine sat next to him, empty. He strummed his lyre gently, humming a sweet tune.

“So you are the one making all that noise,” a serious yet soft voice rumbled.

Venti had a surprisingly high tolerance for someone so small. Just now, even after having drank the night away with the rest of Mondstadt, he was just beginning to feel tipsy. When the red-headed wine tycoon announced his presence, Venti giggled and looked up endearingly. Diluc tried to suppress a blush at the thought that the bard’s laugh was just as melodious as his music.

“Have I bothered you with my playing? You don’t seem like someone who appreciates the musical arts~” Venti drawled, giggled softly again.

Diluc stayed quiet, but he didn’t really have to say anything from the way he sat next to the bard, brushing his shoulder against the other with an uncharacteristic softness. Venti found this odd, but figured that Diluc would explain the sudden intimacy with time, and let silence settle in between the two of them.

Sun filtered through the tree as Diluc eventually heaved a sigh and unconsciously fiddled with a blade of grass. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Hm?” Venti tilted his head. “Whatever for?”

“For saving Dvalin. For saving Mondstadt. Without your help, there would have been so much unnecessary bloodshed. I-we, are forever in your debt.”

“So that’s why you’re being so weird,” Venti nodded with a smile.

“What?”

“Well you don’t usually get so close to others as you are now-”

Diluc fought another blush.

“-and, to be honest, I didn’t really think you liked me. Of all people to show up here I would have expected you the least.”

“Oh,” Diluc looked down to his lap with a disappointed tone. “I’m sorry if I gave off that impression. My bluntness sometimes gets in the way of my gratitude, and uh- appreciation, for others.”

With a silent smile, Venti angled his head so that their eyes could meet beneath Diluc’s disheartened disposition. “That’s okay. I could sense your gratitude even before you came here. You care deeply for Mondstadt,” Venti sat up and leaned himself against the taller man. “I appreciate that. The Traveler will no doubt venture out to other lands, and the City of Wind needs- no, deserves a hero. Perhaps I could write a song about you.”

At this point, Diluc had no way of hiding the redness in his cheeks that rivalled his hair. “That is not necessary. I don’t wish to be labelled as a hero.”

“Hm,” Venti hummed with nostalgia, drifting off. “I believed she too felt that way. Too often do humans diminish their worth to this world.”

“‘She’?” Diluc questioned, confused as to who the bard was going on about. 

However, the nobleman was met with silence. Venti’s breaths evened out as he cuddled into the arm next to him. Meanwhile, Diluc’s breaths were caught in his throat as he looked down at the other man’s face, his lashes lying peacefully against his rosy cheeks. 

For a brief moment, the redhead felt anxious, unsure of what to do. Should he leave and let Venti rest? What if his movements disturbed him? Plus, with Venti’s gnosis gone, there’s no telling how the bard would fair in a fight against a gang of hilichurls...

Chapter Text

It was a regular routine.

The sunlight filtered through the trees in the earlier morning, Thoma already at work. He saved the lighter work for in the morning, picking minimal, quiet tasks so as not to wake anyone abruptly. Right now, we swept the leaves scattered across Ayato’s porch and garden connected to the young master’s room.

The fixer swept, swept, swept, the small scrapes on the leaves on the wood and stone almost sending him into a lull. 

But there was always someone who came in to wake him up from that lull.

Small taps could be heard from behind Thoma, footsteps drawing near slowly, getting closer.

And closer.

Until a chest brushed against, arms encircling his waist. Every morning, these arms and chest were bare, and today was no different.

“Hard at work?” a voice, slightly gravelly from sleep but otherwise smooth, mumbled into his ear.

Thoma did not respond, still sweeping, albeit slower. As if he was going to attempt to keep working, but his body suddenly felt heavy and his head foggy. He had grown too used to this - this… routine… the two of them had started. His body could not help but react in anticipation, despite his drive to work.

Ayato, during these mornings, was patient with Thoma. He moved with Thoma slowly as the fixer attempted to continue his work, waiting until he would eventually give into temptation and melt into his master’s arms.

And after a few minutes, he did.

Feeling languid, Thoma’s broom slipped from his hands. He stared down at it for a second before looking up at Ayato with a knowing look. The master licked his lips, dragging his pet back into his room and settling the two of them onto the bed, Thoma on his back and Ayato hovering over him.

“You’re so easy, puppy,” Ayato began, stripping Thoma of his garments and nuzzling his chin.

“O-only for you, Master,” Thoma’s voice shook, ready for what was to come.

“Good boy~”

After leaving Thoma in only his black undershirt, Ayato finally leaned back to look over his pet’s beauty. “I will never get enough of you, puppy.” Thoma let out a shaky breath, wiggling his hips a bit.

Ayato chuckled, “Eager, are we? I’ll be sweet this time.”

With that, Ayato kissed the blonde’s forehead, moving down to his ear, and then his chin. Meanwhile, the master also slid his hand under Thoma’s shirt, moving it upwards until his chest was exposed. Kisses were peppered softly along Thoma’s neck, with a few small nibbles at the spot where his neck meets his shoulders. 

Thoma, feeling a little bold, brought his hand up to his own shirt and pulled it up to his mouth. He bit the cloth, holding the garment in place. After letting his hand back down, he whined softly, puffing his chest out at Ayato with pleading eyes. 

It was a rare sight to see Thoma so desperate right away. Usually, it took hours of Ayato’s teasing and tormenting to get Thoma to be so direct about what he wants. The commissioner smirked, carefully studying Thoma’s expression and behaviour to commit it to memory. “My, my, just what am I going to do with you, puppy? Do you want your chest fondled, your nipples sucked?”

Thoma whined a bit more, pouting slightly. Ayato chuckled again, relenting, “Alright, alright.”

Ayato brought his face down to Thoma’s right nipple, immediately circling it with his tongue.