Genshin: Aether Oneshots

Be At Peace

        On a starry night without a source of light, he catches her hand and pleads for her to stay. It's not her choice whether or not she leaves. They've already captured her, and Aether is far too late to stop them. (Y/n)'s hand slips away, but he still calls out to her with more determination than before. Desperate. Heartbroken. He too begins to fall victim to the darkness of the abyss.

        It wasn't (y/n)'s dream. She was already awake by mere coincidence when she saw Aether jolt out of his sleep. A sound stuck between a sob and a gasp was all he could manage as he slowly rose to sit upright. The hand that he shot up to press over his racing heart pulled at the fabric of his shirt. He was across from (y/n) in his own bed, and they were supposed to be getting in some much needed rest after a long journey around Liyue's mountains.

        (Y/n) rose from her bed as well, but he didn't notice her at all. She didn't like how zoned out he was. "Aether?"

        The sound of her voice caused him to flinch. The tianyuan lantern sitting on a side table between their beds served as the light source in the room. It allowed (y/n) to clearly see Aether's face. His eyes flooded with tears when he met her gaze. The sight of them almost had (y/n) tearing up as well. She didn't bother to ask if he was okay. Instead, she got up and went right over to sit at the edge of his bed. She didn't mind how he immediately slid towards he to lean against her back and wrap his arms around her.

        Not a single word was exchanged between them for a fair share of time. (Y/n) recalled that they hadn't done anything that day to trigger any nightmares. At least, not that she knew of. Gathering qingxin had definitely been both a tiring and tedious task, but they had finished gathering all ten of the flowers without even running into a single hilichurl.

        "Thank you." Aether's voice met her ears in a soft tone of gratitude. She felt him shifting to make himself more comfortable as he continued to lean against her.

        "Anytime," she replied. "Do you want to talk about it?"

        "There isn't really much to say. Of all the things I've come across in Teyvat, it's the abyss that scares me the most. It's far more terrifying for them to take away someone I care about again. Just the thought of it..." he fell silent and tightened his hold on her just a bit more.

        "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

        "I know. I know, but what I saw felt real. I just need a moment more, please."

        (Y/n) glanced back at him. "Take all the time you need. I'll wait right here with you. There's no rush. As long as you're alright." It made her feel better to know that she was able to help him just by being there. Even if she didn't exactly know the perfect words of comfort to offer him, she would always be able to sit with him and give her silent support.

        (Y/n) was very familiar with his dealings with the abyss as well as the whole reason Aether traveled across Teyvat to begin with. She didn't know too much about the details of how it had all turned out this way, but she hadn't let that stop her from assisting him. He had gone through ordeals of various degrees and still managed to come out of them victorious. This was just one of the things that bothered him more than others.

        Aether's grip on her loosened and he began to slip away from her. "Ah, he fell asleep." It would be nice to simply let him stay in his slumber, but (y/n) didn't want him to fall. "Aether, you'll have to be more careful." She attempted to get up in order to ensure that he got back into bed properly, but his arms instantly tightened around her again. He awoke again and readjusted himself to his original spot against her shoulder. "You're going to wake up sore if you stay like that. You can at least lay down."

        "I don't want you to go anywhere. At least with you right here, I'll know that you're still safe," Aether mumbled.

        "Scoot over and give me some room, and I'll stay over here for the night. That way we can both get some sleep." Aether reluctantly released her to comply with her wishes. However, the very second that the chance arose, he slipped his arm over (y/n)'s side and found his place near her shoulder yet again. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow for waking you up. Good night."

        "Good night. I hope you sleep well until morning."

        And he did. The starry night was replaced with a rising sun. He turns back towards what was once an endlessly dark void only to find (y/n) standing there with a pair of qingxin in her hand. Aether takes her outstretched hand without hesitation now knowing that he has nothing to fear. No one will pull (y/n) away from him, and he will not be alone. Completely safe. Happy. The dream worked to perfectly counter the nightmare that was now nothing but a faded memory.

        A smile made its way to Aether's face in both dream and reality. Nothing disturbed him for the remainder of that night.
____________________________________

I noticed while drafting that I write a lot of things pertaining to sleep. I'm going to attempt to change things up. Until next time you miraculous readers!