#angst with a bit of fluff🌥 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kazewhara · 2 years

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Congrats on 2.6k!! It's so great to see your blog growing, especially because it's one of the most inclusive genshin blogs that I have found thus far. Seriously, so many of your fics are gn and I really appreciate it, as I'm sure many others do as well. May I participate in your event? If so, I would love to see a drabble and/or headcanons for Aether and the Siren!MC like the ones you have done for Xiao and Kazuha.

🌿 — eclipse !

✧ — pairing: aether x siren!reader

✧ — format: hc/drabble

✧ — warnings: apathetic feelings towards death (reader)

✧ — tags: siren!reader au, brief fluff, angst, canon divergent, secret-keeping, chance meetings, implied one-sided feelings (aether -> reader)

✧ — notes: thank you so much! and you certainly can participate! i've been meaning to revisit this au, but i was never sure how to.. i'm gonna have fun with this <3 (update: oh god this is so long i am so sorry) but i hope you enjoy this!

✧ — 🌥 — ✧

so i want to approach this one differently from kazuha and xiao. in this one, you're still a siren, but you live out a human life.

it sounds cliché, i know, to have a siren walking amongst normal people in broad daylight with no one suspecting a thing, but your life is just a little bit different.

the archon war had its effects on both people who lived on dry land and underwater. due to some serious long-standing issues, you were exiled from your home and forced to roam the land above the waves. the ocean is far too dangerous for you to navigate alone, so this was the next best option.

you experienced the worst withdrawals; it took you literal decades to get used to having legs, and you nearly succumbed to the universe in your desperate attempts to breathe through your nose as your gills slowly shriveled due to lack of usage. you carry a myriad of scars from having been mauled by monsters. you were easy pickings for them -- a free target.

but one day, as you were being attacked and preparing yourself to finally meet your end, someone saved you.

he is like the sun, you think as you watch your savior cut down a rabid monster before you. he is ferocious; powerful in the way he swings his sword mercilessly. he is nimble; he skillfully dodges every attack that comes his way and counters with a practiced ease. he is tenacious; even when knocked to the side by a monster's hand at full force, he still get back up and makes his next move.

and when it's all over, when he approaches you with his chest heaving, his long hair thrown over his shoulder, and sweat glistening on his sun-kissed skin, you understand that he is made of gold.

his lips are moving and sound is coming out, but you don't recognize much of what he's saying. in all your years, you'd never come across an actual human before. you've only ever heard about them in the scrolls that you would read as a hatchling. you blink dumbly when you hear him finish speaking. you did learn some of their language as was required of you. would you happen to know any now?

"do you think they understand what we're saying?" a smaller looking human materializes in a flash beside the golden man. you jump back with a startled noise and the little being puts her hands out. "oh no, paimon didn't mean to scare you! paimon's sorry!"

the golden man frowns. you don't like that look on his face; it doesn't suit him. "i don't think they can understand us." he steps closer to you and on instinct, you stumble backwards. you trip and fall onto your backside with a cry, which only makes the golden man approach you, his hands hovering over your body. "are you alright?"

you recognize that phrase. you open your mouth to answer, but no words escape you; you make a wheezing sound instead. you shake your head desperately. "not... okay..." you rasp.

the golden man looks up at the floating being and says more words you can't understand. "paimon, we need to get them to a healer. now." he reaches out and touches you so lightly, you wouldn't have thought he was capable of fighting so capably. when you jump, he pats you gently. "i won't harm you," he says softly. "do you understand?"

you take a moment to process. is he saying that he's not a threat? well of course he's not -- he saved you, after all. you nod stiffly. "understand," you echo.

the golden man's lips curl into a smile so gentle, you feel your insides warming. like you were being warmed by the sun. your troubles start to fade. "we're going to take you to the city to get you some help." he speaks slowly to help you understand him better. "will you let me help you?"

the only word you recognize is 'help'. you agree immediately. finally, after all these years of suffering, you're going to get some help. if not that, then maybe someone can put you out of your misery -- anything to bring an end to this hell.

the golden man helps you up onto your shaky legs and guides you by the hand to your new destination. even through his glove, you can feel how warm his hand is.

aether helps you to mondstadt where he gets barbara to help you. her healing works wonders, particularly because she uses hydro, and you're completely dehydrated. so dehydrated in fact, that barbara has to stay by your side constantly for almost two days before you're stabilized.

these humans wouldn't let you out no matter how much you protested. they likely didn't take you too seriously because you couldn't speak the language -- all of your disgruntled complaints came out as indignant cries and frustrated clicks and chirps.

(you resorted to cursing the humans in your native language whenever they spoke to you.)

you're not allowed to walk yet; you heard a human say something about 'leg' and 'damage' and figured that, since you're the only injured person here, they must have been talking about you. you're bedridden until they say you can walk again. (fine by you. any excuse to not use these horrid legs.)

your savior comes to visit you every day. and every day, he has a smile on his face and he speaks to you in this new language. you make an effort to try and learn it -- you have to if you want to be able to thank him properly. he's patient as you stumble over your words with your thick accent, and he's kind enough to help you sound words out.

you learn that his name is aether and the little being's name is paimon. you quite like those two.

days become weeks, and soon enough, you have a pretty decent understanding of the language. by the time a month passes, you're walking and talking rather casually with aether. by two months, you're leaving the city to accompany him as he does simple commissions.

at the dawn of month three, aether finally asks about your past. sort of.

you're on the outskirts of the city of mondstadt right by the lake. dandelions sway in the wind nearby and you can hear the distant sound of a bard singing a sweet song. you close your eyes and sit on the grass beneath a cedar tree. you can hear the rippling of the lake before you. nostalgia threatens to take you under.

"there you are," a familiar voice comes from behind you. it's aether. you'll always recognize that voice. you spin to see him leaning on the cedar tree with a smile. "i was wondering where you'd went."

"i was feeling..." you frown for a moment. "what is that word?"

"which one?"

"when you feel like you can't breathe." you gesture to drive the point home and rest a hand on the side of your neck, feeling your now dried-up gills. "i felt that way, so i decided to come out here."

aether's expression falls just a bit. "i guess 'stifled' would be the correct word." he walks over and sits beside you, his knees pulled to his chest. he looks out at the lake. "whenever you feel that way, you come here. you must really like the water, huh?"

oh, how you yearn to be submerged in water once again. you long for your tail and the scales that once decorated your skin; for the spray of bubbles that would trail after you with how fast you were swimming. you miss slapping your tail on the water's surface and hearing your friends complain. you miss...

"i miss it." you answer softly. you're not close enough to touch the water now, and it's probably a good thing. if you do, you fear that you might just throw yourself in.

"miss it?" aether asks. "were you a sailor before?"

you gulp. you never told aether anything about your past because he never asked. he was just kind like that -- he never pried, never poked or prodded to try and weasel information out of you. he wasn't like that human with the eyepatch. you don't like him much.

but you suddenly feel reluctant to explain your past to aether. the only indications of your non-human status was your ears and your sharp canines. in place of ears, you had fins on either side of your head. you've never been self-conscious about them, but now that you're around humans, you find yourself lowering them so as to gain as little attention as possible. you also try your best to not open your mouth too wide -- you don't want people asking more questions than they already do.

so you lie. "yes." you reply. you don't want to explain your story to aether, lest you remember the waking hell you finally wormed your way out of. you don't know enough about sailors to keep up such a flimsy lie, but if it holds up, then you won't correct yourself.

"why didn't you say so earlier?" aether pushes your shoulder lightly. "i know a pirate captain in liyue. why don't we pay her a visit so she can take you back on the sea?"

the sea... you look at aether, your eyes wide. "would she really?" you fist at the grass, your heart flipping with joy at the thought of being in the ocean once more. you inch closer to him. "can you take me to her?"

surprised by your enthusiasm, aether raises his brows. his eyes search your face and for some reason, his cheeks begin to turn pink. "uh, yeah! yes, i can. how about i take some commissions in liyue, and we can go when it's all done?"

you can't help but let out an ecstatic crooning noise and lay yourself back on the grass by aether's side. "thank you! thank you so much!"

aether looks down at you, his face still pink. his eyes are so kind and so bright. you've told him on a number of occasions and he often looked at you the way he's looking at you now. you peer back up at him curiously, wondering if you said something wrong. he looks away suddenly and clears his throat.

"you're welcome." he says. "it's nice. um... seeing you so happy, i mean."

aether keeps his word like always.

it's your first time in liyue harbor and the overwhelming scent of the sea brings you to tears. this place, though foreign, is still somehow so familiar to you. liyue harbor is the closest thing you have to home right now.

he guides you to the docks where an enormous ship floats. people are loading and unloading huge boxes of stuff and you just look on, fascinated.

aether leaves you standing on the ship for a moment as he goes to retrieve the pirate captain he spoke of. when he returns with her, you're surprised to see such a tall woman. she's golden, much like aether is. loved by the sun and scarred by time. they must be good friends.

her name is beidou, you learn. she's a little loud, but she's friendly.

beidou takes you for a quick tour of the ship and introduces the crew to you. it's a lot of information and it makes your head spin, but it's not unpleasant.

"y'know, i've come across a few adepti before, but none of them -- whoa, careful there, juza," beidou ducks under a box that a crew member comes by with. "none of them have features quite like yours. you're very pretty."

you flinch and the fins at the side of your head stick up with surprise. both aether and beidou chuckle at your reaction. no one has ever told you that before. "do you really think so?" you ask meekly.

beidou nods with a smile. "absolutely! where'd this one even come from, aether?"

aether's eyes soften as he looks at you. "the sea, apparently." neither of them notice the way you go completely still. he keeps talking. "they said they were a sailor before we met."

"oh, a sailor, huh?" beidou gives you a once-over. "you wanna join the crux fleet? there's always room for one more."

you're not sure what this 'crux fleet' is, but you assume it has something to do with this ship. you nod hesitantly. "i suppose so?"

beidou's grin widens. what a bright human. "then you two stay put; i'm gonna go find juza." and before aether can tell her to stay put, she's off to find that juza human.

aether sighs and heads over to the edge of the boat and rests his arms on the rail. "so? what do you think so far?" he asks. "do you want to sail with her?"

you start to say yes, but when you walk over and see the way he's looking at you, you hesitate. there's a strange sadness resting just beneath the surface. did he not want to ask that question? you tilt your head curiously. "it would be nice," you answer honestly.

aether's smile is bitter. "right..." he looks at you for a moment longer, his expression unreadable.

he's been acting like this a lot more lately and you're not sure why. he's been giving you lingering looks and his face has been pinker than usual whenever you're around. you're not upset about receiving his attention -- he is like the sun and you could never hate being in the presence of such warm light -- but his behavior is a little bit concerning.

"aether, is everything alright?" you step closer and rest a hand on his arm. "you have been acting... odd."

aether's eyes drop to your hand. "have i?" when you nod, he sighs. "i can't hide anything from you, can i?"

you shrug. "you once called me an open book. i still have yet to understand why, but i know that you are one as well."

"touché." he laughs. he lets a beat pass. "when you look out at the water, do you... ever feel like leaving?"

"all the time," you answer honestly. "why?"

that must be the wrong thing to say, because aether's expression sours. he covers it up, but not very well. "if you... if you want to stay here with beidou then--" he stops abruptly and looks behind you at a crew member carrying a large box. "be careful-- no, wait--!"

it happens very quickly. one second you're listening to aether tell someone to be careful, and the next, you're falling off the side of the ship into the water below. the crew member who aether was speaking to turned sharply to face him, knocking you over the side in the process. you hit the water with a rather loud splash, and everything goes quiet.

it's so quiet. you blink your eyes open. they sting -- it's been such a long time since you've been here.

the changes happen slowly, painfully. the webbing between your fingers returns and your fingernails return to their usual pointed shape. your entire body screams with agony as your gills force themselves open once more. if you thought you were living in hell before, you were wrong -- this is hell.

the feeling of your scales re-emerging from your skin on your shoulders; the feeling of your eyes readjusting to the water, your eyeballs completely clouding over; the feeling of your legs disappearing and your tail growing back. your body creaks and pops in the most painful ways imaginable. nothing could have prepared you for this change. it's been centuries since you've been yourself.

when it's all over, you gasp and look at your hands. you turn them over a few times, inspecting the webbing. these are... your hands. you finally have your hands back! you excitedly look down to see your tail -- it's there! it's really there! your scales are still a little dry because you're still adjusting, but you're finally back to your old self! you can finally go home and--

you freeze. you can't go home. that's why you were on dry land to begin with. home is where aether is now.

"aether." you mutter to yourself. you completely forgot about him just now. you quickly swim to the surface and look up at the ship where you find at least ten sets of eyes looking down at you. you see beidou and aether, both of them looking ready to jump into the water themselves. the commotion aboard stops and everything goes still.

aether calls out your name from aboard the ship. you lock eyes with him and see the very expressions you never wished to see on his face. repulsion. disappointment.

fear.

he calls your name again. "is that you?" loud chattering starts all around him. you don't know what they're saying. "please, answer me! is that--"

"i have to leave." you call back. you wince at the sound of your own voice. it's loud, echoic. you're reminded of what your people were most known for -- what you haven't done in many a moon. the chattering stops and all eyes are back on you. every human aboard that ship is entranced by you; captivated by your presence. "i cannot stay."

all seem to be in a daze except aether, who looks hurt. "why not? what's happening? why is everyone quiet? what are you?"

you feel like crying. you never wanted him to see this. you lied just to avoid telling him about this. now that he knows, you have to let go. but you don't want to say good-bye to your savior. anything but that.

aether is your teacher, your best friend, your confidant. aether is your sun.

but you're a creature of the moon. he wasn't made for you to be close to in the first place. your eclipse has lasted long enough.

you take a deep breath and channel an energy you haven't tapped into for centuries. it still comes naturally to you, even now. when you speak, your every word is laced with it. your power is meant to numb the mind of whoever hears it -- typically, it's used to lure human prey into the water. but you're using it to keep them away.

even from here, you can see aether's eyes clouding over. it's working. "you must forget about me." you croon at him. "live on as though i was never here."

one by one, the sailors leave the edge of the boat and return to their tasks, but aether doesn't budge. this is normal -- there's always one who resists. "aether," you call his name. "please. forget."

it takes a few more seconds, but soon enough, aether turns back and picks up a conversation with a sailor. you finally dip beneath the waves and start towards the east. your tail aches from having not been used for so long, but you'll adjust eventually.

the moon has chased the sun long enough. like this, everything is as it should be. you're in your rightful place, and he's in his. each celestial body continues on their paths, never to cross again.

✦ oh god this was so long i am so fucking sorry i'm sorry

✦ but hey,, remember what happened last time i ended a siren!au like this? wink wink nudge nudge

#🌿.txt #genshin x reader #genshin aether x reader #aether x reader #oh god i need to do a word count #im gonna get my laptop as soon as i post this and drop a wc on the post

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