What About A Detective Rivals To Lovers Story With Heizou? (warning: It Gets Pretty Long.)

what about a detective rivals to lovers story with heizou? (warning: it gets pretty long.)

(parts two, three, four and five)

so like, you and heizou are the tenryou commission’s most promising minds, and as a result, you have a habit of trying to outdo each other when it comes to cases— things such as who can solve it the fastest, who can catch the criminal first, and so forth— and over time this has turned into a rivalry. though it doesn’t necessarily harbour any serious negative feelings about each other, it’s not exactly a friendly and positive rivalry, either.

(continued utc)

for example, you dislike the size of heizou’s ego and his seemingly never-ending supply of energy, while he has problems with your seeming lack of passion and indifference when you’re working; not to mention your habit of simply abandoning cases if they don’t interest you enough. he often goes out of his way to continuously annoy you; distracting you to get reactions of any kind, tries to play mind games with you, almost like a child, and he’s disappointed whenever you figure out (and ignore) his ever-so-cunning tactics. he gets on your nerves, and you rub him the wrong way.

and so, when a particularly dangerous and intelligent organisation start stirring up trouble, the tenryou commission decides that the only way this case is going to get resolved is if you both work on it. together.

you almost gag at the thought. heizou doesn’t look too pleased when he receives the news, either; he scoffs and sends you a look containing a hint of condescension, as if he thinks himself better than you. your skin crawls, but your face betrays nothing of the internal curses you’re muttering.

when you first get started on the case, your interactions are snappy and as short as possible; neither of you want to spend any more time than necessary in the other’s presence. rather than working together, your dynamic is more along the lines of “i’ll go away and make some deductions, you’ll go away and make some of your own, and then we’ll come back together and argue about who’s right”. in short, the word ‘cooperation’ suddenly ceases to exist when you’re around each other.

but as a result of your petty bickering rather than focusing your energy on cracking the case, the crimes committed by this organisation begin to grow more violent, and more unpredictable. murders start popping up more frequently in the news. you both hesitate when you hear this; because of your inability to work together, and instead having your focus set on poking trifling holes in each other’s theories, has costed lives. for the sake of the greater good, you make a silent agreement to put aside your rivalry and problems with each other for the time being.

and in doing so, you start realising things about each other that were previously shrouded in bad impressions when you messed with each other; for example, heizou’s habit of playing mind games with people has started to corner potential suspects, while your ability to see through such tricks has stopped both of you for falling for various traps set out for you along the way. though you often face cases with a disinterested manner and apathetic glance, heizou doesn’t fail to notice the passion and time you’re pouring into your work; maybe you do care about these things, after all, and he just failed to notice it before.

perhaps, he starts to think, your mask of indifference is a result of this passion; you spend so much time and effort engrossed in your work that you simply don’t have energy to show it. looking at how diligently you draw connections between pieces of data, heizou could almost describe you as getting lost in your work. but nobody, no matter how skilled or intelligent, can go on like this forever. a foreign feeling begins to settle in his gut; is it concern?

but though he feels guilty, he says nothing of it; he needs you working on this case with him more than he’d like to admit.

as the case progresses, you start to bounce your ideas off each other rather than try to drag the other down; you pose questions to each other and fill in gaps that may be missing in your deductions. when you counter a theory, it’s no longer out of spite, but a way of strengthening the line of thought even further.

in fact, though the very thought disgusts the both of you, one looking from the outside could describe you almost as close. of course, is someone were to say such a thing, you’d belittle the statement. however, you can’t deny that a little voice inside you is seeming to say, ‘maybe he’s not that bad after all.’ you glance at heizou from the corner of your eyes; he catches it, and returns it with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a mischievous grin. the words ‘like what you see?’ are written all over his face. you roll your eyes at him, unimpressed, but can’t help but wonder if he thinks the same.

soon enough, exhaustion begins to take its toll on you. long hours spent analysing evidence have sapped you of your energy; even looking at the progress you’ve made makes you want to be sick. it’s been a while since you allowed yourself to get this engrossed in a case, and for a good reason; getting burnt out while in the middle of investigating murders isn’t exactly what you can call convenient timing.

heizou notices the light coming from your study that burns throughout the night, and when he sees you these days, the resulting weariness has begun to settle in your voice and in bags under your eyes. when he suggests getting some rest, you dismiss the suggestion, claiming that you’re fine and don’t need any sleep. he isn’t convinced— and neither are you— but, yet again, he doesn’t probe any deeper into it. perhaps it’s selfish of him to do so, but something within him doesn’t have the heart to send you away from his side, even if for your own benefit.

in fact, he realises that he’s coming to rather enjoy your presence, gods forbid. no, more than enjoy; he finds himself actively seeking it out, and when you’re not near him, it’s you he’s thinking of rather than the case.

ah. this isn’t good.

but since he’s already caught feelings for you, he may as well check whether you share the sentiment.

heizou’s behaviour around begins to change. not by much, but he starts showing off more than usual and trying to impress you with his ‘impeccable deductive thinking skills’ (as he calls them). you, much to his disappointment, remain completely unmoved. he’s a rather well-liked guy, and has a fair share of fans; these tactics always work on them. but you’re a tough nut to crack, it seems.

no matter. he can wait.

he tries to look for some other signs that you like him back; after all, he can usually read people like a book, but with you, he can find no hints, no body language, no indications that you return these feelings; this irks him. for the first time, he finds himself unable to deduce somebody’s motives. you’re a mystery to him, and this frustrates him as much as it captivates him.

——————

now, one night, he’s returning from a day-long investigation of the most recent crime scene, scribbled notes and observations tucked under his arm, whistling to himself as he saunters into your shared office to share his recent findings with you. you, meanwhile, agreed to stay inside and make sense of what you’ve got so far. the lights are still on, so you’re most likely still working away. he looks forwards to discussing his discoveries with you.

he pushes open the door, calling a playful ‘hello-o!’, expecting for his enthusiastic greeting to be returned with an exasperated sigh as per usual. but to his surprise, there’s no answer. heizou tilts his head, mumbling an ‘eh?’ under his breath. he’s painfully aware of the absence of your voice.

he peeks inside the room, puzzled. his eyes sweep over the interior, and land on a familiar figure.

you’re slumped over your desk, a pile of annotated, scribbled-on paperwork beneath your head. there is a quill still loosely gripped in your hand, and a light burning beside you.

he can’t help but chuckle under his breath, shaking his head as he approaches you. “you’ve really overworked yourself, haven’t you?” he muses. the only response is your quiet breathing. heizou walks over and pulls out a chair to sit beside you, watching you with a hand propping up his cheek. the light bathes you in a warm glow, and he can’t help but think, hey, you look kind of cute. he shudders to think how you’d react to that statement if you were awake. looking at you, so unkempt and vulnerable, he feels an urge to play with you a little. pull a prank, perhaps. an impish grin spreads across his face, and he reaches his hand towards you— whether to pinch you, poke you, or play with your hair, he doesn’t know.

but then, just as he’s about to make contact, his hand hesitates. you look so peaceful, for once, and he can’t bring himself to disturb you.

he pulls his hand away. you deserve your rest.

because, mixed in with his feelings of endearment and mischief, the concern he held for you before begins taking form as guilt for not stopping you earlier. if he had been more firm about you getting some rest, perhaps you wouldn’t be in this state in the first place. thought it’s tempting, he’s not about to drag you back into the waking world just when you’ve finally got some rest for the sake of his amusement.

you must be uncomfortable, he thinks. even if you sleep for three days, in this position, there’s no way you’ll wake up feeling any better than the moment you nodded off. he briefly considers the possibility of taking you back to your place, but waves it away; your home is hardly nearby, and he would have to wake you to get you there. then he recalls that there’s a minuscule side room containing a bed, should the person using this place need to sleep there. only problem is, there’s only one bed.

heizou shrugs. no problem. he can take the sofa.

he stands up, considering how to move you without waking you. very, very gently, he tips you backwards against your chair to make it easier to lift you. then, still ever so careful, he places an arm under your back, and another under your legs, and picks you up, holding you close to his chest.

you shift your head, mumbling a few vague noises, likely roused by the movement. momentarily panicking, heizou hushes you with a soft ‘shh’, and you relax once more. he breathes an inwards sigh of relief, his heartbeat accelerating. when you lean unconsciously into him, it grows even faster.

heizou lays you down on the bed, resting your head on the pillow, careful to make the impact as soft as possible. he removes his hands, waiting there a moment with held breath to check if you stir again. nothing. phew.

the possibility of joining you arises in his mind. it is tempting, he has to admit.

he shakes away the thought. you would certainly find it uncomfortable if you were awake, so he shouldn’t disrespect that merely because you’re sleeping. however, he can’t help but cast a final glance at you before leaving the room. he smiles to himself.

he snuffs out the light and lies down on the sofa, sleep soon taking him, too, in its embrace.

when you awaken in the morning (or, as you’re later informed, late afternoon), heizou’s already awake, sticking some notes to the ever-growing mural of photos and documents on the wall. you feel… well rested, for once. you could’ve sworn you fell asleep at your desk last night, not in the bed, but maybe your memory is blurry.

you yawn, and heizou turns around at the sound, eyes lighting up when he sees you. as per usual, there’s a playful glint of mischief in his gaze.

“somebody slept well.” he teases, unable to keep himself from smiling at the state of your bedhead and general unkept appearance.

you rub your eyes and grunt. “mn.”

you pause, before saying, “i had a weird dream last night.”

heizou’s grin widens, and he suddenly feels a little giddy. “oh? what was it about?”

“not sure,” you frown. “can’t remember the details. i think it was a nice dream, though.”

“really?” he quirks an eyebrow, an hint of smugness entering his voice. “i’m glad.”

——————————————————————

aaand that’s all i can come up with for now, but i doubt this is the end of that idea. i definitely intend to continue writing this further, and also have a few other heizou-related ideas in store…

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because i will love you until i die, and even longer still

content: angst, learning to move on

character/s: albedo

note: i’m really excited to share this one with you guys!! i have been thinking about this angst prompt for a while now, and it basically centers the concept of grief and loss. i believe it’s a truly difficult journey to wrap your head around the loss of a loved one. sometimes even the smallest of their habits and likes that you’ve picked up still breathes life into them even when they’re gone. i think it’s a beautiful yet sorrowful lesson to experience in life - to learn that love isn’t always about holding on, but letting go - and it’s seriously inspired me to write this albedo story. for now i hope you’ll still enjoy and have a lovely day!!

ALBEDO

Happy birthday, my love.

Albedo jolted up from his sudden slumber, frantically glancing around his empty laboratory.

I thought I heard her…

He blinks, puzzle for a moment, before fully shaking himself awake and running a hand through his unkempt hair in frustration. How did he end up falling asleep in the middle of his work? And a very important project at that.

He glances down at the stacks of scrolls scattered around his desk and the heaps of books dispersed in the room - starting from the area near his feet trailing all the way to the exit of his laboratory.

I was a bit confused on what to give you as a birthday present, so I ended up sticking with a letter instead.

He stands up and stretches his arms, groaning sloppily from exhaustion. Albedo knew he had to clean before doing anything else - you would have reprimanded the life out of him if you saw his mess of a workroom.

It was currently 9:30 in the morning, and his stomach angrily grumbled, urging him to get some food. He ignored the persistent pain, bending down to gather the fallen books and trash disposed all around the room.

I hope you don’t mind this gift - there are also a few things I need to convey to you in my message as well.

A flurry of soft raps echoed throughout the silent laboratory from the entryway. Never batting an eye at the wooden door, Albedo continued to put away a few more items before eventually responding to the knocks. “Come in.”

The door creaks open, a shy and high pitched voice severing the tranquility of the area. “Mister Albedo, it’s me.”

“Sucrose.” He hums, acknowledging her presence. “What do you need?”

She awkwardly fiddled with her fingers. “You’ve been stuck in here for weeks. I was wondering if you wanted to go out and have breakfast with us. And Klee…insists for your appearance.”

Are you well? Have you been taking breaks like I’ve asked you to?

Albedo shakes his head, dusting his hands off as he stands up. “You know I can’t do that.”

Sucrose sighs. “I knew it.”

“So why bother coming anyway?” He asks, looking around the now tidy room.

She huffed at his stubbornness. “Mister Albedo, you know that isn’t good for your health. If Y/N were here-“

A loud crash echoes throughout the laboratory.

“Don’t say that.”

He seethes through clenched teeth, pent up frustration boiling in the pit of his stomach. In a fit of anger, Albedo’s hands had shoved the previously neat pile of books he arranged, and sent them flying back to the ground.

Even after all these years, hearing your name roll out of anyone’s mouth still sends him into a sensitive and frenzied state.

Sucrose knows that he is slowly dying inside. Anyone could see it in those lifeless pools of teal. Countless days and nights were spent locked up in the tiny room, experiment after experiment only to get his expectations crushed. It had eventually reached a point where even the archons could tell that the great and brilliant Albedo was simply clinging on to the last thin strings of false hope.

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

“I’d voluntarily exhaust the rest of my life making sure it does.” Albedo retorts, eyes fixated at the mess beneath his feet, never daring to meet hers.

Sucrose nods, glancing with pity at the unreadable man with clenched fists standing in front of her.

As I thought. He’s still persistent.

“Alchemy has it’s limits too. That’s all I’m saying.”

Without another word, she quietly slips away through the exit, making sure to shut the door behind her and leave Albedo alone with the voices in his head.

I’ve spent a great deal of time trying to come up with the best way on how to celebrate your birthday.

Not again.

He scoffs, looking away from the scribbled writings on the board down to his chalk - once the length of his index finger, now reduced to a minuscule size. Tossing it behind his shoulder, his fingers dive in to reach for another, before it dawns upon him that he’s finally run out of it.

Archons, this is so damn irritating.

We could pick cecilias and stargaze on Starsnatch Cliff.

Albedo massaged his forehead in frustration, glancing over at the barricaded windows he blocked months ago to obstruct any light from entering the tiny room. It had been weeks since he left the laboratory, and he knew the day would eventually come when he depleted all of his necessary materials and needed to replenish his supplies once more.

Hesitantly reaching for his white dusty coat, he throws it on himself while delving through his pocket for his keys, before carefully approaching the exit of the dark and grimy laboratory.

Or perhaps we could have a nice picnic at Windrise and watch the dandelions flutter in the breeze.

The sun’s harsh glare that peeked through the towering establishments of Mondstadt caused Albedo to wince and squint his eyes at the sight of it.

Today was especially crowded than the usual, or perhaps he simply forgot how the world once looked like before he locked himself out of it. And the longer he stayed with the multitude, the more Albedo felt like he was suffocating as he presently stood amidst the packed jam of bustling citizens.

With one swift motion, he slithered through the crowd, muttering the occasional ‘excuse me’s or incoherent apologies to people who stood in his way.

We could even spend the day cooped up in your camp at Dragonspine. Anywhere is perfect as long as it’s with you.

“Chief Alchemist…?” Flora asks in confusion, blinking once more to check if her vision had betrayed her, upon staring at the man no one had seen for a long period of time.

“I need more flowers.” Albedo hands her a leather bag filled with coins. “Cecilias, if you will.”

“A-ah, right away!” She exclaims and quickly rushes to work, still a bit weirded out to acknowledge his existence back around the streets of Mondstadt.

Albedo tapped his foot in waiting, glancing around the area to make sure no one he knew would notice him.

“I..heard about what happened.” He hears Flora say, and looks back at her, with a bunch of potted Cecilias in a crate on her desk. “I’m sorry for your loss, Albedo.”

He shakes his head rapidly, picking up the crate. “It won’t be a loss soon enough.”

Flora doubtfully nodded as she watched him walk away, wondering if he truly came up with a solution that would eventually fix his problems, or if the alchemist was simply being…delusional.

Anywhere with you…

“Albedo?”

He freezes in his spot at the voice calling from behind him.

“Is that you?”

…Albedo, I have to tell you something.

A hand reaches to clasp his shoulder, and he forcefully comes face to face with familiar purple irises and an eyepatch.

“Wow…I never thought you had it in you to leave your laboratory.” Kaeya grinned at the short man.

Albedo shoved his hand off, beginning to pace away before gathering more unwanted attention. “I’m already headed back anyway.”

“So quickly?” The blue haired man chirpily asks, following right behind him. “You’re very persistent in this new project.”

“I would have greater progress in doing so and in making my way back if you’d just turn around and leave me alone.”

Kaeya clicks his tongue playfully. “Aw come on, at least have a drink with me. We haven’t properly talked together since-“

“Finish that sentence and I’ll make sure you never speak again.”

I’ve been denying it for a while now, because I feared losing a great deal just to admit the bitter truth.

Kaeya pauses upon hearing Albedo’s cold and unfamiliar tone. Everyone had been affected upon hearing the news, but Kaeya knew deep down that the blonde had suffered the worst out of them all.

“I know you’re grieving.” He says calmly, putting his hands in his pockets. “We all are. But you can’t just ignore the truth anymore.”

“You’re wrong.” Albedo counters, a wave of foreign emotions crashing around inside him. “I’ve never ignored the truth. I simply thought beyond it.”

Now that it’s standing right in front of me, I can’t just run away anymore like I did for a long time.

“Not even the archons are capable of doing this.” Kaeya says in a fit of frustration, throwing his hands up in the air. “And you seriously believe you can make it work? What the hell makes you so different, anyway?”

“The only difference between me and all of them is that I still haven’t given up.” He says scornfully, glaring over at the man’s direction.

“Not like the rest of you.”

So this is me being brave. I’m sorry it took so long for me to say to you.

Kaeya scoffs, astounded at his resolve. He was aware Albedo was highly intelligent and completely logical, yet at this rate he was just straying away from his original path.

So this is what he chose.

He looks down with surrender, solemnly nodding at the alchemist’s pitiful answer.

“Or perhaps you just don’t know how to let go.”

I’m dying. I think I have been, for a while now.

Albedo stands alone once more in his laboratory.

Perhaps you just don’t know how to let go.

He gently sets the crate of Cecilias on the ground, and carefully walks over to his desk, rummaging through scrolls and books until he finds what he’s looking for. Albedo reaches out for it, and hesitates for a second, before picking up a picture frame that had been face down for a while now.

They say it’s a rare disease - that I can’t be cured. And that I have two months left.

It was a photograph of you smiling amidst the dandelions, your white dress billowing in the wind. He remembers it like it was yesterday, watching you goofily twirl around barefoot in a bed of grass, while he grinned and held up a camera to capture the memory of your beauty.

The sound of your laughter haunts him until this day, and Albedo can hear it echoing around the empty room, almost as if you were standing right beside him. He shuts his eyes and swallows a bile forming in his throat, feeling tears prickle in the corners of his eyes.

“Albedo.”

That’s on your birthday.

The frame slips in between his hands and crashes onto the floor with a resounding smash.

His eyes flutter open upon realizing what he had done, absentmindedly staring at the broken glass beneath his boots.

Please stop calling me, Y/N.

A little too coincidental, if you ask me.

Perhaps it’s fate reaching out to the both of us, saying that it’s finally time to stop.

Weaving through the shards of glass, he carefully plucks your photo from the mess, with blood-tainted hands. He stands back up and stares at the scattered papers and notebooks spread across his desk - a sign of grueling work he wasted months perfecting, only to realize he hadn’t even reached half of it.

Alchemy has its limits too.

He falls back onto his chair, this time unable to stop the tears from tumbling down his cheeks, and the uncontrollable sob that escaped past his lips.

My love, I know it’s hard. I can’t even imagine my life if I was the one losing you.

The tucked away flashbacks of you start to slip out from the locked part of his mind, swirling around like a tornado that had been waiting to destroy everything around it. His vision blurs and the world spins, and for a moment he swears he can see you standing across his desk, looking down with tears at his vulnerable self.

But we have to remain brave even in the face of danger.

“I love you, Albedo.” You whisper, gripping his chilly hand tightly, smiling up at his teary face.

Even if it kills us.

“Please don’t leave me, Y/N.” He says, with a traitorous crack of his voice at the end of his sentence, unable to bear the sight of you weak and helpless on your deathbed.

Even if it means we end up alone at the end of the road.

“Big Brother Albedo?”

But that will never be the case for you.

Albedo finally looks up from his desk, stunned upon seeing the hazy figure of a little girl in red standing by the entrance of his lonely laboratory.

“…Klee?”

You will never end up alone in this path.

She hesitantly remains rooted in her spot, clutching the doorknob in her little grasp. “I - Sucrose told me I wasn’t allowed to come in…” Klee nods at herself. “But I heard a crash and I ran away, to see if you…were okay.”

Am I okay?

It takes a moment for him to process her words before he nods at her, hastily wiping the tears off his cheeks and sitting up straighter.

“I miss her too.” Klee quietly says with sorrowful eyes.

“But Big Sister Y/N won’t come back anymore.”

I know.

Promise me you won’t try to save me.

It was the simple and blunt truth, yet Albedo couldn’t help but run away at the face of it.

“You can…come in if you want.” He voices hoarsely, making gestures for her to do so.

She nods doubtfully, slowly walking over to his side, carefully stepping over the glass left on the ground.

Let us accept mortality, even if it makes us lonely.

“Is that her?” Klee asks, pointing her little fingers at the slightly crumpled photo lying on his desk.

“It’s the last one I have of her.” He whispers, holding it out to let her get a better view of it.

“She looks happy…” Klee trails off, touching it gently. “I’m sure she’d want us to be happy too.”

And don’t be afraid to be happy without me again.

The sound of footsteps rushing towards the laboratory echoed around the hallways, and perks up Klee and Albedo’s ears upon hearing it.

“Klee!” The two turn to see a figure panting by the door.

“I told you…not to run away.” Sucrose huffs, leaning by the wall to gain support for her body.

“Sorry.” Klee sheepishly apologizes, guiltily rubbing the back of her head. “I just wanted to see Big Brother.”

“I’m surprised…he let you in anyway.” She remarks, raising an eyebrow at the quiet alchemist.

Because I promise I will love you until I die

He looked down, noticing an envelope stuck behind the destroyed frame. Picking it up, he examines it while letting Sucrose and Klee talk for a moment.

Flipping to the back, his eyes widen upon seeing the date and signature scribbled behind the paper.

September 13, Albedo’s birthday gift

“Is your offer…still up?” He asks, eyes flickering back and forth from your picture to the envelope in his grasp.

“What do you mean-“

“Although…perhaps it would be more fitting to have lunch now.” Albedo states, before slowly setting the possession down and glancing over at Sucrose and Klee.

“If you still don’t mind me joining you, that is.”

and even longer still.

“Of course it is!” Klee exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. “We can make up for breakfast tomorrow, and the day after that, and for the rest of our lives!”

Albedo smiles, standing up from his chair, as Sucrose nods at the little girl’s cheery declaration.

“For the rest of our lives…that sounds lovely.”

Yours always and forever, Y/N.

P.S. I’ve attached a long list of ways on how to celebrate your birthday (and the next ones to come) with everyone else. Have fun - and more than anything, don’t be afraid to try again.

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jeno-has-jaem

2 years ago

Based on this post

NEW ART FINALLY!!!! (Click for better quality)

I’ve been traveling the past few days so I didn’t have time to sit down and draw anything but I got the idea for this comic one night and I had to make it happen so I spent the past 3 days working on this nonstop :’) hope y’all enjoy!

Also hey it’s high ponytail Diluc 👀 @favoniuscodex @witch-hazels-musings come get y’all (grape) juice

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jeno-has-jaem

3 years ago

(should be no direct spoilers? interlude chapter act 2)

i think our hole friends should keep being friends when our lives are not in danger or else i will keep crying about it forever