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stemwriter · 4 months

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Pursuit of Knowledge - Chapter 4

Summary:

[Y/N] continues Act II of Mondstadt, finds out the worst thing about not having the ability to control time at will, and, along with Kaeya, takes a well deserved rest. What's something else that happens in Act II?

That's right! The Diluc trial run. Still, even that should be "normal", right?

Completion of story recommended: Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises (Sumeru Act V), Shenanigans and Sweet Wine (Kaeya hangout)

Also on Ao3 under StemWriter!

Word count: ~8k

You were part of the story now, weren’t you? No matter if the world your avatar was in was made from earth and sky or 1’s and 0’s, you were influencing it regardless. At this point, it’d probably be best to just go with the flow, but you had been thinking about what major event you would want to change, and you really hoped everything would stick to the script long enough to enable you to do that. Even if it meant you would end up upsetting people by hiding things from them.

The four of you hung around in the tavern for a bit just thinking, until Venti finally said to you, “Ah, [Y/N], it should be getting close to time now. Shall we get going?”

You looked at your phone to see the time. It was about 15 minutes past 6pm. It was time. “Oh- right, yeah, we should!”

“You two have somewhere to be? Since Kaeya and I have nothing more to talk about up here, I suppose I can go do other things. If you need me, I’ll be working the bar for a while.” Diluc said, crossing his arms.

“Everyone’s leaving already? Well then, I’ll be taking my leave as well.” Kaeya said, heading towards the stairwell.

He hung around for a second, seemingly expecting someone to say something, then left.

“Come on [Y/N], let’s go! Our prize is waiting for us!” Venti tried to make it sound like you weren’t about to try to steal a divine artifact, and become wanted criminals.

Oh right, you were going to see Diluc again after this! You should probably give him a little hint on what’s going to happen.

“Alright, we’re going to go now.” You walked up to Diluc, and began whispering. “Hey Diluc,” He looked at you. “I promise it wasn’t us, it was the Fatui.”

He looked at you in confusion.

“You’ll get that later. Anyway, bye~” Your tone sounded a lot like Venti’s at the end there. You sighed internally when you thought about that.

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“Alright fortune-teller, what’s going to happen?” Venti asked, eager to get a response from you. For some reason, it almost seemed like he already knew, and was just asking you to see what you’d say.

“Well… We’re not going to get arrested, I can tell you that. At least, not if we do this right.” You didn’t want to tell him it wouldn’t work.

“Is that all you can tell me?” He whined. “Fine, let’s go in.” He pouted after saying that. “But you have to tell me more later! I want to see how much you know!”

You went back in the Cathedral with him, making sure to be quiet. He stayed behind while you snuck your way to the Holy Lyre. You made sure to be very careful there, assuming the guards were actual people, and not the dumbest A.I. you’ve ever seen in any modern game. You looked at their movements on your way in, and they… still seemed robotic. Were they still AI? They can’t be, right? You looked at the face of one of the guards, and while his face had a few more polygons than the NPC’s you saw in the regular game, he had a blank stare as he paced back and forth. That’s… something to think about later. You kept going through the basement, avoiding being seen.

During your attempt at burglary, you remembered your soundboard. You hadn’t used that in a bit, and you knew a good moment to use it again is coming up. You got that ready as you made your way through.

As you entered the room with the lyre, an Electro Cicin Mage steals it, and teleports out. Wow! What a surprise! Thankfully, you just got teleported out of the building too, because you weren’t sure you could go back through the basement without getting caught.

“We’re busted! Run!” You and Paimon said at the same time.

Venti looked a bit confused for a second before leaving with you to the tavern. You made sure your soundboard was ready.

*Benny Hill theme*

The goofy music was fitting, considering the wind tunnel things you assumed he made threw you into the huge statue in the middle of the plaza, as well as the roofs of several buildings. Your grand escape wasn’t very graceful, but you made it safely. As you busted into the tavern, Venti gave you a weird look.

Next thing you knew, you were talking with Diluc again. Right before you headed upstairs, you decided to remind him of what you’d said earlier about the Fatui. In the version you remembered, he trusted the Traveler enough to not turn them in, but you still wanted to make sure he didn’t turn you in here. You listened as two Knights rushed in.

“Ah, Master Diluc. Have you seen two thieves around?”

“...What happened?”

“Haven't you heard, Master Diluc? Two thieves were trying to steal the Holy Lyre!”

“Oh? How odd… any ideas on who the culprits could be? Fatui, perhaps?” He remembered. Yes!

“We don’t know, Master Diluc. One appeared young, was dark-haired, and dressed in a teal green, and the other was… blond. We’re putting up wanted posters now.”

You still didn’t know how they got so much from Venti and yet couldn’t describe Aether as anything else as “blond”.

“I believe they headed that way.” Diluc said, pointing out the door.

You went downstairs to talk to him, Venti running ahead of you. Diluc already seemed tired of Venti’s attitude, assuming he stole something. Not the Holy Lyre der Himmel, but a bottle of alcohol.

You forgot the Traveler and Paimon hadn’t met Diluc yet. Sure, you have, but they weren’t you. Thankfully, Diluc understood enough to where a quick “Ooohhh, right, they haven’t met you yet!” was enough to get the point across. He continued as you remembered, sneaking in an expected bash at the Knights at the end.

Diluc really didn’t like the Knights, huh? You understood that he felt that way because of trauma and stuff, but you wished he had a more… positive attitude about things like that. There weren’t any therapists in Teyvat, were there? Oh! New idea! Become the therapist. Were you qualified? Probably not. But at this point, anyone for these people to talk to would help. You sat back and listened to Venti’s stunning performance again, this time without the fancy cutscene to go with it. Diluc looked awe-struck, probably the same way you did when you first heard it.

You agreed to meet after midnight, when the tavern was closed. Great! Another six hours to wait! …That rhymed, didn’t it.

“Alright, I don’t really have anything to do, so I’ll probably just eat something and take a nap. Bye, see you later!” You said to them, leaving the tavern. You found a corner to log off, and left your bedroom to go “take care” of yourself.

Your eyes hurt a bit from looking at the screen for so long, and your stomach growled with hunger. You’d been online for a good 7 hours, and you only now realized just how much you needed a break. Well, time flies fast when you’re having fun! ‘Was all of that really fun though?’ You asked yourself, before immediately pushing that thought out of your mind to go eat a whole family-sized bag of potato chips. Self care!

You snacked before… gracefully falling asleep, yeah, that, on your couch for a nap that would end up lasting way longer than you anticipated.

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As it turns out, falling asleep on an uncomfortable couch after binging on junk food isn't the best for the human body. You woke up on the floor, nauseous, and somehow even more tired than when you fell asleep, and you decided to go in the bathroom just in case. You checked the time on your phone, and it was already close to midnight. Thankfully, the nauseousness went away and you didn’t have to get worried about getting sick at the worst time possible. You washed your face, and headed to your bedroom to meet the others in the tavern.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before [Y/N] had left with Venti, they said something that Diluc had no clue what it meant until those Knights came running in, looking for the thief who stole the Holy Lyre. He had chosen to believe [Y/N] when they said they could basically see the future, and this only proved it more.

The question was no longer if they were telling the truth or not. It was how to proceed. He had some time to spare while they waited until the tavern closed. He needed to investigate this on his own. “It was the Fatui”, [Y/N] said. If that was so, then he should start where all the Fatui in the city seem to stay. He headed to the Goth Grand Hotel, preparing for a search for answers.

He hadn’t seen Kaeya at all. He was normally still out and about at this time. Did he actually wrap things up at a decent hour? Or was he up to something?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Kaeya left the third floor of the tavern, he was hit with a wave of exhaustion. He was planning to stay in the tavern for a bit, and possibly wait for [Y/N] and Venti to do whatever they needed to, but he desperately needed rest. He left the tavern, beginning to walk to his room in the Favonius Headquarters. Wait, couldn’t he use the waypoint there? [Y/N] had taught him how earlier that day.

It was at the highest point, wasn’t it? He just needed to visualize the area, imagine himself there. Just feel it, and…

And there he was. He almost fainted from the sensation paired with his exhaustion, but he made it. He glided down to the door on the roof, and entered the building. It had been a long day, hadn’t it? He entered his room, took off the bits of armor he was wearing, and promptly passed out on his bed.

--------------------------------------------------------

He woke up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason. Everything told him that he wasn’t supposed to be up right now, but he didn’t feel like he could fall back asleep. He sat up, and realized how bad he felt. He was drenched in sweat, his hair was a mess, and his eyepatch had shifted, making his right eye visible. He quickly adjusted it. There wasn’t anyone else in the room, right? …Of course there wasn’t.

After a quick shower, he changed into a clean uniform, minus most of the accessories. It wasn’t worth the time to put all of that on for the little he was planning to do. He figured he wouldn’t need it, since he could easily hold his own in a fight, should he get in one, but he decided to bring his Vision with him.

He left the building, being careful not to make too much noise, and realized he had no destination in mind. Had the tavern closed yet? Ah, it probably had, it’s not worth it. Is it? Again, something told him to just forget stopping by, but it wouldn’t hurt to check, right? He planned to stop by the tavern to see if it was open, and if it was, to get a drink before leaving the city. After that? You know what they say in Mondstadt:

“Let the wind lead.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Venti couldn’t believe Master Diluc wouldn’t serve him any more alcohol, especially when he was going to be in the tavern, in a room filled with wine barrels for so long. He was alone now, so maybe he could sneak just one more sip without him noticing… But that wouldn’t prove he was trustworthy now, would it? And besides, he wasn’t that addicted to it to where he couldn’t go a few hours without it. For now, he just started to come up with his latest ballad to pass the time.

Or at least he was going to, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about [Y/N]. From the very beginning, they knew who he really was. At first he thought it was because they recognized his voice from when he helped them battle Dvalin, but they supposedly have knowledge of future events. He was wondering how much they knew, but they wouldn’t tell him much at all. It seemed like a weird way to phrase it, and they acted like they knew a lot more detail than he did, but if they really were telling the truth, were they too, aware of the s-

Venti heard Diluc open the door to the room on the third floor. He immediately looked around at the wine barrels, making sure they weren’t touched. Good thing he didn’t try anything!

“Ah, Master Diluc, you’re back! Any news on the Holy Lyre?” Venti perked up. He already knew the answer to that, but he wanted to get the conversation started.

“It’s not where I thought it may be, in the Goth Grand Hotel, but I… persuaded some Fatui members to tell me where it is.” He adjusted his left glove.

“Well then, are we only waiting for [Y/N] and the tavern to close now?” Venti asked.

“That, and I was thinking of contacting one more person to help us. I know it’s late, but hopefully she’ll understand…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diluc stopped by the tavern to close up and check on Venti, and quickly set out again to find some others who could help. It was getting close to time, but he should be able to get someone. Hopefully Jean wouldn’t be too preoccupied with her work…

He opened the door to leave the tavern, and saw Kaeya walking away. Had he not gone to rest? Kaeya turned around after hearing the door open, and looked at Diluc with that same smug expression as always.

“Diluc, you’re still here? And here I’d thought everyone left already… I came for a drink, but I won’t bother you if you’ve already closed up.” He started to turn back around to leave.

“Hold on. I haven’t put everything away, you can come in for a bit if you’d like.” He could help right? Even though Diluc didn’t exactly get along with him very well anymore, he couldn’t deny that he got things done when he needed to.

“Oh, where’s this hospitality coming from? Do you need something from me, is that what this is?"

“I think you’d be useful to us here. I’ll discuss it with you more inside.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diluc said he was going to contact people to help them, but Venti didn’t expect him to be back with help this soon.

He heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs, and then there were three in the room. The help he had found was Kaeya, who sounded almost… shy, like he didn’t feel like he should be there. When questioned about it, he got a little nervous and insisted it was just insomnia. From the looks of it, he thought he could cover up his emotions with clean clothes and perfume. Venti played along with him, changing the subject to what they were going to do next.

“So Diluc, where exactly did you say the Holy Lyre was?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You turned on your console, opened the program, and watched the celestial pathway for a while. It had been sitting there for quite a bit now, huh?

Verifying file integrity…

Why was that taking so long?

Almost as soon as you noticed it, it went back to its normal speed, and the doors appeared. It probably wasn’t anything to worry about, but it scared you at first. You thought your game finally realized something was wrong, and was just going to either fix itself, and sever your connection to this Teyvat, or ban your account.

If you remembered correctly, Venti, Diluc, and Jean should be waiting for you inside Angel’s Share. You knew Jean couldn’t hear you, but you wondered if she would notice your avatar’s robotic movements. Apparently, she didn’t back in the Knights headquarters, but who knows? Maybe she just wasn’t paying much attention.

You walked in to an empty tavern, but after a few seconds, Venti jumped down from the second floor, landing right in front of you. He looked around, and you made Aether jump a couple of times.

“The mysterious [Y/N] has finally returned! Ready to go? Master Diluc can tell you where we need to go. Or, perhaps you already know?” He said, smiling.

He wasn’t going to stop bringing that up until you told him every little detail, was he?

You sighed, and said “Yes, I know. It’s near Springvale, isn’t it?”

You had basically just woken up, so your voice didn’t sound the best, but you hoped he wouldn’t notice. Diluc came down the stairs, followed by… Kaeya? Did he come instead of Jean? That wouldn’t drastically change anything, right? Wait, was that why it took so long to load? Because the story had changed? This wouldn’t drastically change anything yet, right? No. It can’t. Not yet.

Diluc looked at your avatar, and answered, “You’re right about the location. If we’re all ready to head off, we should get going.”

Venti turned to you, you, not your avatar, and questioned, “Everything alright, [Y/N]? Is there something bothering you?” Did you sound nervous when you answered him?

“Yeah, I just took a nap, and… I didn’t exactly sleep well. But that shouldn’t matter too much, let’s go.”

You briefly explained to Venti and Diluc how you were able to teleport, and that they should be able to do it too, and then you all were at Springvale in the blink of an eye. Venti acted like it was nothing new to him, while Diluc was… fascinated, to say the least. Kaeya had to explain to him that yes, that feeling of having your soul torn from your body was normal for this.

Diluc had quite a bit to say about it.

“Those waypoints are all over Teyvat… If the wrong people learned how to use them…” He looked in the direction of the hideout. “That could spell catastrophe worldwide.”

At one point, you had noticed Kaeya had a different shirt on. Or was it the same one, just with less of the flamboyant stuff on top of it? It was nice seeing people in different outfits, instead of the exact same clothing 24/7.

As you all stood at the entrance, you thought about what was in this domain. This was the one where you had to ask a bunch of different Fatui agents where the key to a door was, right? …And it was the one with the Diluc trial, wasn’t it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Add another thing to the list of [Y/N]’s powers… Not only could they possess others at will, and suddenly make people stronger, and tell the future, but they could teleport anywhere in Teyvat they wanted to. And apparently, anyone could do that last thing. Diluc was surprised no one else had found out about this, and frankly, he was glad. There was also something else he didn’t know about yet. The other two kept looking at a spot a little above and behind [Y/N]’s avatar when they were talking to them. It felt like something was there, but he couldn’t see anything. He doubted it was a secret, since chances are, they wouldn’t be doing it in front of him if it was, but he hadn’t had a chance to ask anyone about it yet.

He was about to go in the hideout with everyone when [Y/N] gasped, and said they needed to tell him something.

“Hey,” they began. “I know I probably should have told you this earlier, but remember what my system did with Kaeya that one time? Or, I guess technically two times, but whatever- Just, that thing where it forces someone into my team?” They sounded very tired saying that. He knew they had just woken up, but he felt they were also just… annoyed by that happening.

“Yes. It happened less than a day ago. …Why are you bringing this up now?”

“So- I- Look, there’s nothing I can do about it, at least, not now. Maybe I can eventually figure out how to fix this, but-”

He sighed. "...I’m about to be forced into your control, aren’t I? You don’t have to tip-toe around it, I guessed that as soon as you brought it up. If you can’t do anything about it, do you at least know how long this is going to take?”

He trusted them, right? As far as he was aware, they hadn’t lied to him yet, and they were warning him beforehand. Still, it felt like he barely knew them. Should he trust them with his body? Did he even have a choice?

“Give me a bit, and I can check, but it shouldn’t be more than 10 minutes.”

“You make it sound like you can check any little detail with the snap of your fingers.”

This was a very specific event of the future they were talking about, but it would just take them a minute to check it? They’d done it before with that letter, but he had no clue how. Either that meant they were a very talented hydromancer, or they were getting their information from some other power or source.

“Oh, uh, I kind of can, except I have to do a little more than just snap my fingers. I type the thing I want into a device, I find the media I want, and then I have it. Sometimes it’s pretty hard to find said media, but I can pretty much find anything you could ever think of. Aaaand here’s the thing I was looking for! One more second…”

“You have a device that allows you to view information on anything you want? I guess that sounds about right if your world also has the technology to see the future of other worlds… I’m sure you already know of this, but we have something called astrology that allows people to see the future using the stars. Does your technology take advantage of that?”

“I’ll tell you more about the device later, but no, the technology my world has doesn’t use that. Astrology does exist here, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work the same as it does in Teyvat. People in my world use it to give people ideas of what may be yet to come in their lives, but here in Teyvat it’s like astrologers can see fate itself. …Anyway, I think we’re getting off track here. Going off of what I’ve seen, it’s going to take a little over 10 minutes, give or take. It might be a little longer because I’ll be focusing more on your safety than getting through it, or it might be a little shorter because I have others to help me now. Are you fine with that?”

So it’s not astrology… What is it, then? …Whatever. They’re right, they’re going off track. 10 minutes shouldn’t be too bad, especially with others watching over him to make sure [Y/N] doesn’t do anything harmful. It’s not like he had a choice, anyway.

“That’s… fine. Just try to get it over with quickly. It’s fine if I get a few scratches, just don’t kill me.”

“Alright, I guess we’re ready to head in. I’ll check to see if the guards in there can hear me. If not, great, but if so, I’m… gonna need to rethink things.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

…How were you going to explain to them what a phone is, and what the internet does? That’s a question for another time, but it still made you think.

You’d let Diluc know what was about to happen to him, and you just needed to tell everyone your plan, at least for this first part.

“One more thing, as soon as we go in, there’s going to be a rotating bridge with those cylinder torches or whatever they’re called on one side, and a clear path on the other. Once the bridge flips to the clear side, there should be just enough time to get all the way to the other side if we run like hell.”

Venti thought for a second before responding with, “Wouldn’t it be better for me to just… make a wind current at the start? Then no one has to worry about spinning bridges and torches at all~”

Oh. Right. You had others to help you. He could make a wind current and you could just. Skip over it.

“...Yeah, that might be better. I guess I’m so used to having to rely on my own skillset here that I don’t realize others can help. Also, I’m probably just... tired. Anyway, after that first room, there’s a… door with a guard who acts like he’s about to piss his pants, but after that, there’s a big room with a bunch of smaller rooms inside and we’re going to have to find a key to move on. My question here is, should we split up or stay together while we search?”

Diluc was the first to chime in this time. “Normally I’d suggest we split up, but under these circumstances, it’d be better to stick together in case something goes wrong.”

“Alright.” You said. “We’ve been standing here for a while, I think it’s finally time to go in.”

Diluc adjusted his gloves, and you all went in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, Kaeya gets to witness [Y/N]’s powers of possession; except now, he isn’t the one experiencing it.

After everyone entered the hideout, Aether had vanished, and Diluc, now wearing a Fatui mask, stood in his place. Something about this whole situation seemed… familiar, for some reason. Nothing like this had happened before, right? …It’s probably just déjà vu.

“Come on, let’s just get this over with.” [Y/N] said, nudging Diluc forward.

Now, Diluc had the same slightly-inhuman movement Aether had when [Y/N] was using him as their “avatar”. He was somewhat used to seeing it on Aether, but it was strange seeing Diluc move like that. When he was under their control, he could only move his eyes, and now, he couldn’t even see Diluc’s, as they were covered by the mask.

Venti did as he said he would, and made a fairly large wind current to carry everyone over. He made it look incredibly easy. If it wasn’t for him hearing other Anemo Vision bearers talking about their experiences, he would have thought that was something anyone could do.

At first he thought [Y/N] had been hiding something from him, but he had a feeling they weren’t. Something was certainly… different about Venti. He couldn’t merely be just a wandering bard. Until Kaeya found out who he truly was, he figured he would stay on guard around him.

Diluc- No, [Y/N] walked into a small opening, thinking there might be something in the room it led into. There was a chest inside, guarded by 3 small Electro Slimes. They made quick work of them, unsurprisingly, but they weren’t paying attention to the fight, instead focused on something else.

They left the room and headed to a large door guarded by a very nervous-looking Agent, just as [Y/N] said. They went up alone to talk to him, and switched avatars to the Traveler, who was also wearing a Fatui mask. The Agent did not seem to notice the change.

“No, NO! Don’t eat me! Ah? You’re… You’re human? The entire floor’s defenses… have been broken. I thought it was the Abyss Order attacking…”

[Y/N] said “Hey,” testing whether or not he could hear them. No response at all. They chuckled a bit, and he could swear Aether said something, though he couldn’t hear anything.

“AH- No, do- We hi- The place- I don’t kn-”

“This guy-”

“Y-you- One of the Ele- Signora-”

The Agent pointed his sword at them in both fear and anger, still shaking, still not noticing the person he was speaking to change forms in front of him. So to get the key, they have to venture further in, also just like [Y/N] sai- Wait a minute, did he actually hear that guy say any of that? He definitely heard him say the floor’s defenses were broken… and then [Y/N] checked if he could hear them… and then they laughed for some reason… and then about 5 seconds later, the conversation was over. Something must have happened; there’s no way he could have said that much in that little time. He looked at where the man was again, only to see that… he was gone.

Kaeya turned to [Y/N], who now seemed nervous, and simply asked, “... Did you notice anything unusual there, by chance?”

“...Shit, you did notice. Uhhh, so remember when you first met Aether and you didn’t know his name until I told you because you didn’t hear it even though you knew what was said? I might have done the thing that does that again.”

Which was what, exactly? They hadn’t explained it yet, but now wasn’t the time to get an explanation from them, so he reluctantly decided to move on from that.

They opened the door and though he couldn’t see her, Paimon decided now was the time to ask questions.

“Did he say Signora? What a strange name…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaeya had described to Diluc what it felt like, and although it did feel exactly as he described, he definitely wasn’t used to it. He felt something watching him that he didn’t feel before, but when he looked in its direction, there was nothing there. He didn’t think much of it, as Kaeya had mentioned something like this to him. It was likely where [Y/N] was looking at Teyvat from.

[Y/N] talked to a guard, and for that conversation, he was thrown out of his body, now watching the Traveler from a similar position [Y/N] was. Was this how they saw the world? Strange, but again, exactly what Kaeya described.

Other than that, Diluc didn’t notice anything off with the conversation, but Kaeya apparently did. Diluc wasn’t the type of person to miss things, so he knew something weird was happening when [Y/N] responded to him in a way that practically confirmed something was off. He made a note to himself to ask them about that after this was over with.

He didn’t understand how that fairy thing- Paimon, was talking. Where was she?

“Number 8 of The Eleven. Goes by the name Signora. The fact the Fatui can run amok across the seven nations like they do is entirely because of The Eleven.”

That was his voice talking. Was that what he sounded like? …Whatever, it was just another thing Kaeya had told him about. He had been surprisingly reliable so far, but he still wondered if there was something important he was leaving out.

They entered a large hall, with a large door at the opposite end and two rooms on each side. There was a mechanism in the center that needed a key, and it presumably opened the large door. …If [Y/N]’s system hadn’t taken control of him, everyone could search one room on their own. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, so it was better they stayed together.

They first searched what seemed to be a storage room. No one was there, so they searched every nook and cranny without interruption. At least, until a few Pyro Slimes came out of nowhere, which his abilities couldn’t provide much help with. Sure, if everything was normal, he could use just his sword instead of his Vision, but…

Kaeya and Venti made quick work of the slimes, since Venti could make a massive wind vortex to suck all the slimes in. No key to be found in there. They moved on to the next room, which stood a single guard. He seemed to stop paying attention to anyone other than the Traveler once he started talking to him. The Traveler tried to convince the guy he was part of some alliance and wanted to “borrow” the Holy Lyre, but he obviously didn’t believe it, especially not when he offered a single apple in exchange for it.

A Cicin Mage appeared, and they fought. His Pyro abilities would actually do something here, but [Y/N] still wouldn’t engage in fear they would hurt him too, with how Pyro and Electro interact. It ticked him off a bit. Fight. He told them before they all went in, it was fine if he got a few scratches, just fight, don’t just run around like a headless chicken. Did this have anything to do with them being a pacifist? She’s already attacking you, just defend yourself. Fight. It’s an easy opponent, he could easily take care of her if he could just- fight.

His body stopped for a second, then pulled out a sword he’d only seen in legend, sending off a fiery phoenix at her, setting the blade ablaze. Was he back in control?

[Y/N] screamed, before going completely silent. Diluc heard something fall to the ground with a clatter, and could feel someone watching him in fear. Was that the point Kaeya and Venti were looking at?

He still couldn’t do much. He was only able to mimic the same few repetitive motions, and even those were incredibly difficult. Every movement felt like breaking out of chains. But still, he pushed. How was he able to do this? Kaeya couldn’t escape it after hours, but he could do this after minutes? The mage was defeated, and [Y/N] finally spoke up again.

“I didn’t do any of that. …Diluc?”

He tried to move more freely, but he couldn’t do anything except that same moveset. How did he even do that? He looked around, trying to get the attention of someone, but he realized he was wearing a mask. He had no way to communicate with anyone.

“I… I don’t know, maybe my controller just glitched? Let’s just keep going.”

…There goes any hope of being able to break out of it. He shouldn’t have thought it was that easy. Still, how was he able to control himself at all, even if it was just for a few moments?

They checked the last room that was downstairs, which had a chest with a few Cicins around it. Just like the other enemies here, they weren’t an issue at all. Thankfully, the key was in the chest, and the group managed to open the door. [Y/N] said there was one more fight, and then they could get the Holy Lyre, and this whole thing would be over.

“Hey, you wanna know the guy's name?” [Y/N] asked. They sounded more and more tired by the minute.

“You know his name?” Kaeya scoffed. “If you know that much, you might as well tell us what he says to us.”

He was acting as if he didn’t believe they really could see such things, but he obviously believed it. He was just saying this to squeeze more information out of them, wasn’t he?

“Oh my god, fine, but I’m not going to be able to do stuff like this all the time. First of all, his name is, I hope I’m saying this right, Zamenhoff…? And as soon as we go in there, he says- wait should I do the voice? I’m doing the voice. ‘Where did you rats scurry out from… Signora is not going to tolerate this kind of interference in our affairs. So I'll be the one to take care of you - save her the trouble of having to deal with you herself.’ …I’m sorry. I think I need to go back to sleep.”

That was probably the least professional telling of the future he’s ever heard, but as they walked into the last room, it turned out to be accurate, just as everything else they’ve said has been. They were audibly exhausted, and he could only think of one time they’ve taken something completely seriously. Should he have let them take control of him? It hadn’t gone too horribly yet, and it was almost over, but he started to get a little nervous.

They entered the fight, and once again, he tried to perform those repetitive moves. [Y/N] was actually fighting this time, but he wanted to contribute something as well. They didn’t seem to notice anything was off this time. The Agent was defeated, and finally, he was fully in control of his own body again. He immediately let out a large sigh.

“Signora is going to end you. The songs bards sing of your demise will be so terrifying - the people of Mondstadt will never sleep again for the nightmares they give them.” Said the Agent, now escaping. [Y/N] mocked him while he was saying it, speaking at the same time as him, but in a far more dramatic tone.

They mocked Paimon too, even trying to match her high-pitched voice. He will admit he found it a bit funny, but he kept a straight face, unlike the other two, who couldn’t help but chuckle. She shot them a look before vanishing again.

“You alright?” [Y/N] asked him.

“Well, I’m not dead, so that’s something.” That… definitely could have gone better.

“So… Back to the tavern now, right? Wait, Venti, aren’t you still wanted?”

“Ahh… That may be a problem… But can’t we just teleport back?” Venti sheepishly said.

“We can only teleport to waypoints, at least as far as I know, and the nearest waypoint is right next to the plaza with all of the shops. I know it’s literally the middle of the night, but I don’t think we can be sure there won’t be anyone out. I don’t want someone seeing people appear out of nowhere.” [Y/N] had a point. Doing that when someone was near may have consequences.

“So I suppose we’re walking, then? I’ll walk ahead, and make sure any Knights patrolling at this time are… looking the other way.” Kaeya said, already going ahead of everyone else.

No one said a word for a bit. Venti had a slightly worried expression on his face, as if he was hoping whatever plan he had would work. [Y/N]’s avatar had that same expressionless face as always, which was… creepy, sometimes, but they seemed like they weren’t paying attention to anything now. Normally Diluc wasn’t one to break the silence, but he had something to say now.

“That wasn’t an issue with your controller earlier, [Y/N].”

“...Hmm?” They replied. They sounded… completely out of it. “So you did that? How?”

“I don’t know. I hope you don’t take any offense to this, but your… pacifism doesn’t exactly suit the way I do things, so, I broke out of it, in a way. I wasn’t able to fully break it, but I managed to do something.”

“So the solution to breaking out of it… is to just break out of it. Wow…!” They sarcastically said, before walking their avatar into a tree.

“I don’t mean for it to sound like that. I’m guessing I had enough willpower to resist your system a little. Again, not all the way, but I think I was able to at least do what you could.”

“That’s so weird… I think I’m gonna have to set aside some time to take a closer look at my system and figure out what’s up sometime.” They yawned. “But definitely not tonight…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

…God, you were tired. What the hell had happened in that domain? Somehow Diluc had managed to fight against your system, and do a bit on his own. How? No clue, but it was a nice surprise.

You remembered that quest on that far-away island that you couldn’t finish the first day. After this, maybe you could beg Venti to take you there so you could finally finish it. There was still about… what? An hour and a half? before you were able to continue it. Yeah, never mind, screw that. There was no way you’d be able to stay awake that much longer. That nap just made you more tired. Guess that quest’ll stay unfinished…

The four of you finally got back to the tavern. Thankfully, Kaeya managed to keep any Knights from seeing you. You pulled up the Wiki again, and found your way to the page on the part of the quest you were at.

Sure, Kaeya was there instead of Jean, but everyone else’s lines were still the same. It looked like things would be on the right track. You repeated everyone’s lines as they said them, but only vocalizing Paimon’s, while just mouthing Diluc and Venti’s to not weird them out too much.

“From now on, you’ll be known as-” Oh, this part, where Paimon gives him a nickname and refuses to call him by his actual name ever again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tone-deaf bard!” said Paimon and [Y/N] simultaneously. The bard didn’t seem too bothered by his new nickname.

So not only could [Y/N] could just pull up a word-for-word script of the “story” they knew whenever they wanted, but said story was accurate, also down to the word? That’s… concerning.

It had been a very long day… Kaeya hoped he could finally get some sleep. Everyone bid their farewells after agreeing to continue in the morning, and he left. Venti was still wanted, right? That may cause some problems. He made a mental note to tell Jean that the Holy Lyre was in safe hands first thing in the morning.

Again, he teleported to the Knights Headquarters, but now, he remembered why they didn’t teleport back to the tavern. Was anyone watching? He looked around, and could see no one. As for the last time he did this… He didn’t check, did he? …Whatever, it should be fine. He made his way to his dorm, and, now feeling he had enough energy to do so, actually did his nighttime routine rather than just passing out. He stayed awake for quite a while, making notes and pacing around before he finally felt tired enough to be able to sleep through the night.

Those thoughts of [Y/N]’s “story” continued as he drifted to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------

“But I shall not bow to the will of fate. I am no pawn in heaven's plan.”

…Here he was, acting in a play, as a character destined for tragedy. Seemed familiar. His character was supposed to simply accept it, yet “he” had decided to improv a section on defying fate.

Despite this being “improv”, it was obvious all of this, scripted parts included, was supposed to reflect his own story. He’d noticed the similarities when he first heard of the story, though he didn’t fully remember when that was, but it seemed even more accurate now, looking at it from a different view.

The truth was, the improv was no less scripted than the rest of the play, nor anything else he’d experienced for that matter. This “play” began much before this street performance.

Even though it felt as if it had been years, he still remembered the beginning as clear as day.

When the Traveler first appeared in Mondstadt, he was unable to clearly remember anything prior to when they arrived. Hell, other than the most major events in his life, he couldn’t remember anything at all, and even those major events were fuzzy. He knew his interests, and his relationships with people, but it was like he had some strange form of amnesia. He’d wanted to tell someone about what he was going through, but every time he got a chance, he would black out, and wake up somewhere completely different.

To him, it hadn’t even been that long since he’d first noticed, but already, days had gone by. He “woke up” again outside of Good Hunter, in the middle of a conversation with the Traveler about something he couldn’t recall thinking about. It had been days. The periods of time he was being knocked out for were getting longer. He had to say something as soon as possible, but he found he couldn’t control what he was saying.

He quickly realized that he was bound to some sort of script. Sure, “fate” served as a loose script, but this was word for word. He wondered whether this was happening to anyone else, but had no way to check, since he was either stuck to this script or unconscious.

It would sometimes be months at a time now he would be unconscious, almost like slipping into a coma. The Traveler was there with him wherever he was, so he assumed they must have something to do with it, but he hoped they didn’t know they did. Maybe then he could still tolerate them.

Over time, it seemed like the writer started to tease him more and more. It started with a few jokes from “him” hinting at it being some kind of story, and now it was a whole play.

He was an actor, playing a character, playing a character destined for tragedy. The only difference between this play and his experiences was that in reality, he was given no choice on whether to take the role.

This little improv session with Prince Qubad made the audience think he refused to accept the fate he was given, that he rejected it entirely, but the story still ended in the same way it was written.

As he looked at it now, he was no different from Prince Qubad in this story. Or at least, “Kaeya” wasn’t. He knew how Qubad’s story was similar to his, yes, but this improv session added something to it.

There were two layers to the scripting. One was fate itself. Destiny. Most people knew about this, and it could be seen fairly easily, only needing the help of some magic. This already seemed like enough restriction, as it was supposedly extremely difficult to change, but there was even more on top of that, at least for him.

It looked like in the future, “he” would have to make a very important decision, and end up choosing a secret third option. While this would be rejecting his fate in terms of what the people of Teyvat consider it to be, he would still be following the narrative this second, stricter script had for him.

…Oh, the irony. Just like the play, the character is written to refuse fate. Sure, the original script may not have included that, just as “his” original fate does not include what he’s likely to do.

He’d been wondering whether he should keep trying to break out of this. Obviously, doing so would grant him back autonomy, but it would also be following the whole “defying fate” path set for him by whatever scripted this. Either way, he was still playing right into its hands.

“Perhaps there's an inept god out there deciding everyone's fates... much like the Akademiya student drafting Darbil's scripts. Yep, "inept" is a good word for it. Honestly, it might even be a little too civil to describe a god who turns fathers against their sons and is bent on endless warmongering... don't you think?”

Either somehow, he had managed to change the script slightly with his thoughts, or the writers were mocking him.

…It was the latter, wasn’t it? “He” continued on about how someone doesn’t have to follow the script if they don’t like it, like it was just that easy. He’d made up his mind. He had to get out of this, no matter if that was what the writers wanted.

The conversation was coming to an end now, he could feel it. The Traveler was about to leave, and from what he knew about their journey, they likely wouldn’t be seeing him again any time soon. Any second now, the Traveler would disappear, and he would be knocked out for gods know how long. Couldn’t they just stay a little longer…?

#sagau #genshin sentience au #genshin fanfic #ao3 #pursuit of knowledge

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ssuperficialspacecadett · 10 months

Text

Star For The Night

Chapter Eleven of the Through the Scope series | Chapter Twelve

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 5.3K

Chapter Overview: Estrella finally gets her chance in the ring

TW: typical boxing violence, men being creepy/weird, knife play (don't look at me like that), p in v penetration

Notes: hey everyone !! guess who's back from the dead LMAOOOO ,, okay so yes i took a break because 1) life was beating the ever living fuck out of me and 2) i'm still working out the kinks of where i want this story to go/ how i want it to end. i always forget that i'm going to need to wrap these things up with a pretty little bow at the end because i just get so excited that i jump in. no worries though because i still fully intend to finish this story. thank you to the people who were patient with me in my break, to the people the sent encouraging messages, and to the people that kept reading the story !! it truly means the word to me ((: still brain storming for chapter 12 so in the mean time please send me fun asks for the TF boys and Estrella !! lmk if you want to be added to the tag list/ if i left you off !! happy reading <3

*no use of y/n & female presenting reader*

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“I know you’re doing it to be respectful and all, but you don’t have to hide in a stall. You’ve seen me naked, Frankie.”

“Yes ma’am.” He comes fumbling out of the cramped space.

You laugh quietly to yourself as you finish tying your shirt. “What do you think?” You turn in a circle so he has a chance to see the full outfit.

His eyes darken as he walks the short distance to you.

“I think we should ditch this place and go to my house before Benny notices we’re gone.” He places two firm hands on your waist and pulls you into him.

“I don’t think we would be able to sneak past the guards.” You motion with your head to the door. “I have it on good authority that they have a military background.”

“Will and Pope definitely owe me a favor for something in the past. I could use that as leverage.” He kisses his way down your neck. “And I bet if you ask really nicely it could work.” Your head drifts to the side and he hungrily licks and bites at your skin.

“Hey! Break it up you two! There will be plenty of time for that later.” Benny walks into the locker room. “I know she’s your girl Fish, but tonight she’s my ring girl.”

“She is my girl.” Frankie wraps his arm around your shoulder and you lean into him. “Officially.”

Benny turns his head towards you seeking extra conformation and the giddy look splayed across your face is exactly what he needs.

“Oh shit!” He claps his hands together in front of him. “Congratulations guys!”

Benny bounds up to the both of you and pulls y’all in for a hug. You embrace him with the same energy. There were countless moments before in Benny and your friendship where you knew that he cared for you, but this one takes the cake. He clutches onto you and you can truly feel the happiness he’s exuding.

“It took you long enough.” He says to Frankie as he releases y’all. “I would just like to say for the record that I definitely helped move this relationship along.”

You grin while the man next to you lets out an exaggerated groan.

“What? I was totally playin’ a double agent. Operation catch-a-fish is complete!”

“Operation catch-a-fish?” You and Frankie question in unison.

He hurriedly brushes the query off. “We can discuss that on a later date. Right now I need to give her a quick rundown of her role.” Benny shifts his attention solely on you now. “It’s super simple, I promise. I’ll go out there and do the intro for the whole night and then I’ll introduce you and wave you into the ring. After that you just need to call out the names of each fighter and then start the match. Just remember to say ‘fight’ once you have made your way outside the ring because it gets ugly in there fast.”

“Simple my ass.” You say, crossing your arms over your chest. “How will I know the fighters names? I’ve never seen a teleprompter for the ring girl to read off of and I don’t think I can manage to remember all of those damn names.”

“I’ll tell you the names beforehand. We will have brief chances to talk during the boxin’ rounds since we will be standing next to each other on the side lines. It’s gonna be perfect.”

“You’ll be next to me the whole time?”

“Absolutely.”

You look up when you feel Frankie squeeze your shoulder. “The guys and I will be there too. We won’t let anything happen to you, Estrella. You’re going to do amazing.”

“Thanks. I really hope so.”

It makes you feel good to know that they believe in you so fully.

“You’re going to look amazin’ too! People won’t be able to take their eyes off of you long enough to watch the matches!”

“God, don’t remind me.” You feel his hand tug tighter on you at Benny’s words. You aren’t the biggest fan of overly macho or hyper-masculine men, but this is just the right touch. It felt nice to not have to be the sole person protecting yourself. It felt nice that someone else is more than willing to take up the mantle.

“It’s almost 10 o’clock, Benny!” Will shouts into the locker room. “Let’s get a move on!”

“That’s my cue!” Benny hums. “The names of the guys you will be announcin’ first are Rodriguez and Montoya! See ya’ out there!”

You and Frankie follow Benny out the doors and watch with Will and Pope as he kicks off the night's events.

“Hello, everybody! Who’s excited to see what we have planned?!” The crowd erupts all around him. It’s deafening and quite the stark contrast to how the gym is during a regular week day. People encircle the boxing ring and hoist their beer bottles in the air. They look like a turbulent ocean. “That’s what I like to hear!” He shouts. “Now, I have an extra special treat for y’all tonight! Our usual ring girl is out so a good friend of mine stepped up to the plate and will be fillin’ in for her! You all know and love her! It’s … !”

When Benny says your name the crowd cheers again. You didn’t think that they could manage to get even louder than they were the first time. In front of you, Will and Pope part the sea of people in order to make an obstruction free path for you to walk. You take a deep breath and hold on tightly to Frankie’s hand.

“I’m right here.” He whispers in your ear. “I’m always going to be right here, Estrella.”

You look up at him with tears threatening to show themselves as he guides you through the pathway. His quiet words of support manage to silence the roaring people surrounding you. It feels like it’s just you and him in the room together. He squeezes your hand one last time before letting it go so you can climb through the ropes that encase the ring. Benny holds up the top rope so you can shimmy your way through and join him at the center.

“Ain’t she a peach?!” He asks the throng of people.

Of all the thoughts careening around in your head at this moment, something Benny said to you the first time you met sticks out.

“Bein’ in there is electric, man. Gotta be one of the best feelins’ in the world hands down.”

God, is he right. You feel like you’re on the top of the world when in reality you are maybe a few feet higher than everyone else. The energy in the room fills you with a sense of confidence and excitement you didn’t know you could possess. Faces, some familiar and some new, stare back at you with glee.

“Happy to be here with y’all tonight!” You exclaim.

Empowered by the reaction that you receive, you take a lap around your new stage and wave to everyone. When you circle back around to Benny, you don’t think you have ever seen him look so proud.

“I’m going to get my ugly mug outta here so our main girl can kick this thing off! Take it away!”

He jumps down to where Frankie, Will, and Pope are all standing and cheering for you.

“She’s a damn natural up there.” Pope marvels.

“I knew she could do it!” Benny wraps his arm around his brother.

“She’s going to be the star of the ring tonight, that’s for sure.” Will states.

“That’s my girl!” Frankie shouts up to you. In reality, he would have been proud of you regardless. You tripped getting into the ring? You still got in there when no one else did. Your voice cracked when you started to talk? You were still brave enough to take on this entire room single handedly. You may be their star tonight, but you were his estrella every single day.

“The first fighters of the night are…” You pause for effect. “Rodriguez and Montoya!”

The boxers come racing out of the men’s locker room and make a beeline for the ring. The guests stepped to the side and allowed them through, cheering and hollering the whole time. After they breach the ring, they mirror you by doing a lap. They seem to be feeding off the audience the same way you are. You call them over to you so Friday Fight Night can officially get started. Following your instructions they meet you in the middle of the ring, but each one of them plants a quick kiss on your cheek and asks you to wish them luck. They each get into their fighting stance and wait for your signal.

“Round one!” You yell, slipping under the ropes to the safety of your friends. Benny thrusts a wireless mic into your hands when you get positioned next to him. “Fight!”

Benny uses that same mic to narrate what’s happening during the rounds and then to announce the winner of each match. After Rodriguez goes down hard in the third round, you slip back inside to hold up Montoya’s hand in victory. If you’re being honest, the majority of the night after that is an adrenaline filled blur.

“Dawson and Overton!”

“Dawson wins!”

“Clark and Edwards”

“Edwards wins!”

“Wood and Harrison!”

“Wood wins!”

In between screaming your lungs out announcing boxers for the crowd, Frankie has you wrapped in his arms. It feels so good to be able to lay your tired body against his chest as he places kisses on the top of your head. You can feel his steady heartbeat on your back and it helps you calm your own down. It’s so strong and grounding and yours. It occurs to you that having to get ready to help host the fights tonight stole the time that should have been dedicated to freaking out about Frankie finally asking you to be his girlfriend. You were finally his and he was finally yours. The earlier events of the night clearly showed his past was tumultuous to say the least. He willingly opened up to you about Rochelle, not that she gave him much of a choice, and about his drug addiction. Things that you know couldn’t have been easy to do. You saw it in his eyes that he was struggling to explain it all. Yet, the determination on his end to come completely clean for you was humbling and empowering. It made you want to show him your scars. After all, he wasn’t the only one with skeletons in his closet.

“Okay, are you ready for the last round of fighters?” Benny has to talk loudly next to your ear in order to make sure you can hear him over the noise.

You give him a thumbs up and are secretly happy the night has almost concluded. As fun as this has been, you’re exhausted.

“It’s going to be Jacobs and,” He pauses. “Brunson.” You must have made a face unconsciously because he quickly speaks again. “I know. I know. It’s going to be over soon. We’ll all be right here waiting for you.”

You nod at Benny and tap lightly on the arms that are currently encircling your waist. You look up at him and can tell that he doesn’t want to let you go, but smiles nonetheless as he untangles himself from you.

“Just one more fight.” You whisper encouragingly to Frankie before climbing back into the ring.

“Last fight of the evening, folks! Let’s hope it's a good one!” You announce to the thoroughly drunk crowd. “Your final fighters are going to be Jacobs and Brunson!”

You try to hide your repugnance when Brunson is the first one to slip through the ropes and jog around hyping up the viewers. His dark black hair is meticulously combed back as usual. You muster up the last bit of your strength and call out to the two men. They trot over to you and stand by your side, Jacobs to the left and Brunson to the right. Jacobs leans down and places a small kiss on your cheek. It had become somewhat of a lucky thing to do this evening and caught on quickly with the rest of the boxers. They were always respectful and never tried anything else other than a small peck. You genuinely wish Jacobs well in his match. When Brunson goes in for his kiss, you instinctively swivel out of the way.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you have one more kiss left for me?” He speaks so only you can hear.

“Unfortunately, I’m all out.” You shrug innocently.

Backing away from the freshly scorned man, you tell them to get into their fighting stances before hopping out of the ring to use the mic.

“Round one! Fight!”

You pass off the mic to Benny so he can do his thing and retreat to the safety of Frankie. He obviously saw what happened up there and noticed how you were huddling as deep into his body as you could get.

“What was that?” He asks curiously.

“Some prick who doesn’t understand when a woman clearly isn’t interested in him.” You scowl, trying to manifest Jacobs landing a punch to Brunson's jaw.

“Has he been bothering you?” His tone has shifted from one of curiosity to one of worry.

“He tries to hit on me when he comes into work out sometimes.” You feel his arms squeeze slightly tighter on you as you talk. “I shut him down hard every time and Benny is always close by. It’s not a big deal, but I should have told you about him. I don’t want to keep you in the dark.”

“I would have liked to have known if someone was giving you a hard time at work, but I’m not upset at you. I don’t really have any room to be.” You can feel his belly rise and fall as he laughs lightly behind you. “It took me a while to explain what was going on with me. I’m just glad that Benny was there to watch out for you. I am upset at him though.” He rests the underside of his chin on the top of your head.

You hum in agreement. “I also already have a pretty great boyfriend. Why would I even think of entertaining some random guy? He could never satisfy me the way you do.”

Frankie breathes out heavily from his nose and you can feel your hair move. He leans down and places a kiss on your shoulder. “I’ll make sure you’re more than satisfied when we get back to my house.”

A shiver of excitement creeps its way down your back as his words settle in your ears. You know it's cruel and you know you’re in public, but you can’t help but rub your ass against him. The room is full of a bunch of drunk people watching a boxing match so who cares. His hands tighten around you to hold you into place. You’re unable to move your hips.

“You’re playing a dangerous game right now, Estrella.”

“I guess I’m getting tired of watching other people do dangerous things and I wanted to try it out for myself.”

“I’m hanging on by a thread as it is watching you prance around up there in that tiny little outfit. Seeing you dance around for everyone? Get kissed on the cheek by random men? I’m losing my mind down here.”

Both you and Frankie are snapped back to a lustless reality when the crowd lets out a wild cry. Brunson has his arms up in a defensive position while Jacobs wails on him with his glove-covered fists. Overcome by the glorious scene in front you, you start yelling like every other observer.

“Fucking hit him! Take him down, Jacobs!”

Frankie is still holding you while you flail your arms every which way. He looks over at Pope and Will who are transfixed by your sudden outburst. They raise their eyebrows at him and he mouths ‘tell you later’. There is no way they would have been able to hear him over your manic yelling anyway.

“Break his fucking jaw!” You holler.

“Ella es luchadora esta noche!” Pope calls to Frankie over the commotion.

“Esa es mi chica!” He answers.

Jacobs continues to hammer down on Brunson. In a last ditch attempt to get out of the predicament he is in, Brunson takes swings at Jacobs. Unfortunately for him, that left an open space for Jacobs’ fist to make direct contact with the side of Brunson’s head. He lands hard on the matt and, with his last bit of strength, taps his hand on the floor. Pompous fucker didn’t even make it past the first round.

You leap out of Frankie’s grip and charge the ring along with Benny. Both of you scramble to get inside to make the final calls of the night.

“Jacobs wins!” You cry holding up the very hand that took down Brunson.

Benny wraps his arm around your shoulder and speaks into the mic.

“That’s a wrap on this week's Friday Fight Night, everyone! Thank you for coming out and showing support for Brass Knuckles! Remember to come visit us again next week and to drive home carefully!”

Jacobs thanks you for being a great co-host before he heads off to the locker room to shower, change, and head out. Everyone else begins to slowly file out of the building as well. Your strength being rejuvenated after seeing Brunson get what was coming to him, has you giggling and leaning against the ropes facing your friends.

“You really held your own out there, hon. I wouldn’t want to mess with you.” Will teases.

You stick your tongue out and laugh along with him as the gym gets quieter.

“I told you she’d be a good ring girl, Benny.” Pope speaks over your shoulder. “I’d never steer you wrong.”

“I knew you wouldn’t, man.” Benny confirms with a grin. “Come on, Brunson, get up. It’s time to clear out. Better luck next time, hmm?” He looks down at the man sitting in the corner of the ring massaging the left side of his face.

“Yeah, I’m going, Miller.” He grumbles. “Can’t a guy leave the ring with some dignity?”

“I don’t think you had any dignity walking into the ring to begin with.” He chortles.

You haven’t been paying either man any mind because Frankie has walked up to the side of the ring you are leaning against. He pinches the collar of your shirt between his thumb and forefinger and gently pulls your giggling self towards him. He captures your lips in a kiss and you can taste faint hints of the beer he was nursing during the show.

“That's the reason?” A grating voice calls out from behind you. “That’s the reason you won’t go out with me?”

You break away from Frankie and turn to see Brunson looking at you still holding the side of his face; Benny is already staring at him with an open mouth.

“Excuse me?” You question, daring him to repeat what he just said.

“Brunson, the fuck are you talking about, man?” Benny looks exhausted. You aren’t sure if that's from tonight or Brunson specifically.

“You keep shooting me down because you’re fucking one of Miller’s military friends?” He says it like this is the only possible reason for your rejection of him.

“Oh shit.” Pope whispers somewhere behind you.

“Brunson.” Benny warns.

“Did it ever occur to you in your myopic little mind that I just don’t fucking like you?” You hiss.

“You’re such a bitch.” He laughs as if he just said something incredibly profound.

“That’s it!” Frankie growls behind you. “Come here, you fucking asshole!”

You whip around to see Will and Pope rushing forward to grab each of his arms so he can’t climb into the ring.

“Alto, hermano!”

“Don’t, Catfish! You know you can’t have assaultin’ someone on your record! It’s going to hurt your chances of getting it back!”

You don’t know what Will is referring to when he said ‘it’, but whatever it was is enough to cause Frankie to falter for half a second.

“Who’s gonna tell?!” He’s still trying to pull out of their grip. “I know y’all won’t and this fucker won’t be alive to report me!”

“Get the fuck outta the ring now.” Benny’s voice is ice cold when he speaks to Brunson. “You aren’t welcome back here after this either.”

“What? All because I said she was banging your friend?” The battered man climbs to his feet and starts walking to exit the ring. “My bad, maybe she’s banging all four of yall.”

It happens so quickly that you don’t even have time to be scared. Benny’s fist flies through the air and connects with Brunson’s jaw with a deliciously satisfying crack. His body crumbles to the ground and unlike in his first fight, he doesn’t get back up. You don’t hear Frankie trying to get inside the ring now, Will and Pope are both silent behind you as well, and Benny looks as calm as ever.

“I have been wantin’ to do that for a while now.” He beams. “God, that felt so fuckin’ good.”

“You just punched him.” You say airily.

Benny just flashes you his boyish grin and shrugs. “He had it comin’.” He looks over your shoulder at his friends. “I know you would have done it, Fish. I was just a little closer. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It was probably better that you did it for a number of reasons.” Frankie admits. “The biggest one being I don’t think I could have stopped at just one punch.”

“Well…what do we do now?” You laugh. “We can’t just leave him here. Although, I’m sure I could be convinced to.”

“You and Fish are goin’ to leave him here.” Benny answers nonchalantly. “Y’all have dealt with too much bullshit for one night. The boys and I can stay here to clean up and wait until this loser wakes up.”

“Seriously?” Frankie sounds stunned.

“Seriously?” You echo.

“Seriously?” Pope whines.

“Yeah! Y’all go get the rest you need. Bosses orders.”

“This ain’t nothin’ we can’t handle.” Will assures you.

“I still don’t want to do it.” Pope says, yet he seems to change his tune after Will smacks him upside the head. “But I would be more than happy too!”

You individually hug all three of them for allowing you and Frankie to leave. Benny was right, both of y’all did need rest. Too bad there were other plans in place already.

***

You have barely closed the front door before Frankie picks you up and throws you over his shoulder. He had to watch you frolic around all night in that tiny little outfit and he was struggling to keep it together the entire time. Your breasts were calling his name, that short skirt was teasing him, those fishnets begged to be ripped off, and that smile. Oh, your fucking smile. That was probably the sexiest thing that you wore tonight. He definitely wasn’t complaining about your outfit, but your smile made him weak. The fact that it seemed the biggest when you were looking at him brought him to his knees.

You hear him kick the door the rest of the way open and then he’s tossing you down on the bed. His normally soft brown eyes appear almost black as he stares down at you. You can’t help but clench your legs together and his eyes sweep over your body.

“God, you’re perfect.” His voice is raspy from yelling all evening. “I wish you could see yourself from my point of view.”

A wetness in between your legs starts to make itself known to you. You watch as he tosses his cap off, pulls his shirt off in one swift motion, and starts to remove his jeans. The thigh high boots are all you manage to get off before he places a heavy hand on your leg.

“I want to try something a little different.” He states. “Will you let me?”

There is a command in his question, but also an air of hesitation. He seems like he wants you to be just as on board as he is.

“I’ll let you do anything you want.” You say truthfully.

A grin appears on his face after he hears your stamp of approval. Frankie turns around to the desk behind him and slides something metal off of it. He’s obstructing your view with his hands.

“I told you before that Benny isn’t going to have an outfit to get back from you because I’m going to tear it off.”

You nod, swallowing the growing lump in your throat.

“I decided that I didn’t want to do that anymore. I’m going to cut it off.”

He brings out the object that he took off his dresser and unfolds it in front of you. It’s a pocket knife. However, it’s bigger than any pocket knife you have ever seen. The blade is thin, long, and a blinding silver. Your wetness soaks its way through your panties the longer you take in the image of Frankie holding the knife in front of you. Where he was usually a soft and sweet looking man, now he looked dark and lustful. It’s making you and your body go crazy. You bite down hard on your lower lip hoping that the pain will distract from the throbbing of your clit. It’s unbearable. He balances himself over you by resting one knee on the bed. The next time he talks, his face is inches from yours and his voice is barely above a whisper.

“Don’t you dare move.” He speaks. “I don’t want to cut this beautiful skin of yours. Are you going to be a good girl and stay still for me?” He lets the knife hover over the knot you tied in your shirt earlier that evening.

“Yes.” You breathe out excitedly.

Frankie carefully slips the blade beneath the knot and pulls upward. The cheap material is sliced through and falls delicately to each side of your body. He looks at your black bra like it’s offending him and repeats the same action with the knife. When your breasts are fully exposed in front of him, he lets out a deep sigh. You can see how hard he has gotten from watching your clothes get cut from your body. With his free hand he rolls one of your nipples in between his thumb and index finger. The feeling causes your back to arch slightly as you whine out to him.

“What did I say, Estrella?” Frankie lays the knife flat in the valley of your breasts. The cool metal feels like it's pulling the warmth from your body. “I thought I told you not to move?” He picks it back up again, and with the tip ghosting over your skin, he drags it down to your navel.

“I can’t help it.” You smile. “My body just reacts to you.”

There is a flash of sweetness in his eyes at your words before they cloud back over with lust. “I know the feeling.” He groans, palming your breasts.

Frankie sits back on his leg and lets his blade slip under the waistband of your skirt. You giggle quietly as it melts off your body just as easy as the other two articles of clothing. There is nothing left on your body, but fishnets and underwear. Your breath hitches as the icy metal slides its tongue down your leg. Watching Frankie’s eyes light up with your every reaction is pushing you further and further towards your climax. How could it be possible for him to make you come without his hands ever gracing your skin? You keep your own eyes trained on him as he starts slicing through the material of the fishnets. When he finally finishes, you’re the one who tears off your panties. As beautifully torturous as that was, there is no way you can wait for him anymore.

“I’ve been aching for you all day.” You whimper, butterflying your legs open for his viewing pleasure. “Are you going to come satisfy me like you promised?”

Frankie’s so enamored by your display in front of him that he loses his grip on his knife and it falls softly on the bedroom floor. He walks up the foot of the bed and grasps your hips firmly. Without you having to say another word, he sinks deep inside you and fills you to the hilt. Both of you gasp out in pleasure and gratefulness that this moment is finally here after this strenuous day.

“Fuck. Every time I slip inside you it feels so right.” He utters out as he starts thrusting at a languid pace.

You’re too lost in the sensation of feeling every inch of him stretch you out to respond, but he keeps speaking.

“Every time you twirled around and every time I saw your lips pressed right up against the microphone, I wanted you.” His pace is speeding up now. “Every time I saw you perform for the crowd and every time I saw those men get the blessed opportunity to kiss you, I wanted everyone to know I wanted you. You’re my girl. You’re my Estrella.”

“Yes, Frankie.” Your eyes are locked on him while he pounds into you.

“I want you to say it. I want you to say that you’re mine.”

“I’m yours. I’m all yours.” You gasp.

“Louder.” His voice is a mix of demanding and begging. “I don’t care if the neighbors hear.”

“I’m yours Frankie! No one else's!”

“That’s fucking right.”

He leans down to suck on your breasts while he continues pumping inside your cunt. Your hands find their home in his hair to pull on his curls. Hearing his deep grunts is causing you to feel drunk. His coarse hair is methodically rubbing your clit as he nips at your sensitive skin. You know your high is coming, you can feel it rising quickly to the surface. Wanting to be as connected to him as possible, you slide your hands down to his face and bring him up to your lips. There is a hunger between the two of you that is palpable in the kiss. Each of you is desperate to have more of the other. There is an unspoken knowing that no matter how much is taken, neither one will be full. He silences your screams as you come with his full lips as you release onto him. You feel yourself coating him completely. Frankie never breaks the kiss during or after your climax. You smile as you feel his lips quiver against yours as he finishes deep inside you. His hips quiver with each release.

“That’s it.” You whisper. “Let me have it. I want all of you.”

“You already have all of me, Estrella.”

He didn’t pull out of you immediately, but when he did, you stopped him from going to clean you up. The two of you laid there on the bed, facing each other, as you traced the features of his face. There was something so lovely about the after. The quietness and contentment that encapsulated the both of you was like something out of a dream. If it were up to you, you would have stayed there until the sun rose. Frankie, unfortunately, was to be the voice of reason. He reminded you that you both had work early in the morning and that sleep was something you definitely needed after the day's events. He’s gentle when he washes himself off of your skin. As he puts the cloth away, you pull back the covers and wait patiently for him to hold your tired body. Before sleep can take you from this moment, you muster up the strength to ask one last thing.

“Are you mine, Frankie?”

“I’m yours until all the stars in the sky go dark.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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