Heat Lighting [Scaramouche | Reader]

22 - care

Mom, would you wash my back?
This once, and then we can forget
And I'll leave what I'm chasing
For the other girls to pursue

—Class of 2013-Mitski—0:51-

—

"Ei," Yae called out to her love who was brooding on the balcony of the shrine.

The fox familiar could see the frown hidden on Ei's nearly passive face. She had been ignoring her for the past few days after their argument. They disagreed over the right direction to help [name], but Yae didn't want to live with this silence. She lived with it for centuries when Ei locked herself away for eternity.

Yae brushed Ei's arm, "I'm sorry I got mad at you, love."

A light pink blush dusted the tips of Ei's cheeks and she turned her head away, "I am sorry too."

Ei let the wind rush by for a moment before saying, "I am sorry I didn't ask you before I put my own plan in motion."

Yae looked at Ei with fond eyes. The Ei that shut herself out and was incessantly childlike had grown with her new understanding of the world. She seemed to take on an encouraging role with [name] in her own way. Through the few weeks that had passed by with Ei physically in Teyvat she clearly was struggling to resist the Shogun's programming so that she could teach [name] how to control herself.

Yae reached out and held Ei's hand, "[name] is burning up right now. I've tried to help her but it seems as if she can't suppress the Fingerprint's effects. If Scaramouche doesn't come around soon she will..."

Ei clutched Yae's hand and her eyes were glassy, the cadence of her words fast, "I know this is not like me, Yae, but I- I-"

She slowed down her speech, "I think that I might have grown attached to that girl."

Yae smiled and cupped Ei's cheek with her other hand, "So have I. It seems she has us wrapped around her finger, even if she doesn't know it."

Ei pouted but didn't deny Yae's words, "I believe she doesn't want to be attached to us, however."

The pink-haired fox threw her head back in laughter, "Of course she doesn't! She hates this government and its laws."

Ei frowned and looked down at their intertwined hands, "Yaeeee."

"Eiiiii."

The god fiddled with Yae's fingers and quietly murmured, "I do not think she has much of a choice whether or not we care about her."

The words were soft, spoken with an attempt at offhandedness to no avail.

Yae gazed at Ei with adoration and responded, "No, I don't think she does."

Ei looked back up at Miko and gave her a soft peck on the lips. It was Miko's turn to blush and she giggled with a starry eyed expression as they leant on the balcony both indulging in each others warmth, their arms encompassing each other.

—

"This is as far as I take you."

Scaramouche felt his body hit the ground and a groan escaped from him. The adeptus that the insufferable Morax ordered to take him back to Liyue glared down at him. His real eyes stared at Scaramouche as if they were staring at vermin. Gaze as cold as ice, Scaramouche returned the semblance of hate; his eyes locked with the man above him with a tight glare. The adeptus clicked his tongue and turned to leave.

"Do not die."

Scaramouche's face held a lour; it only soured more when he realized where they were. His many many years of existence didn't prepare him from the predicament he was in now. The adeptus had dropped him off on the shore of Watatsumi Island, a clear view of Tatarasuna in front of him as he stood up. Scaramouche noticed that his body wasn't constricted with the tattoos that writhed around him back in Liyue.