ad astra abyssoque (genshin impact oneshots)

a false sky

"and yet the ones in the abyss are the only ones who can see the true stars"

scaramouche x reader

you are a spy hired by a certain someone from the knights of favonius, the traveler of tevyat, and you're serving under the balladeer, 6th out of 11 fatui harbringers

a/n: this may not be accurate to the story, this is just a shitpost yk

"my lord," you said, kneeling. a single drop of sweat traces your face before it splatters onto your sleeve, staining it.

"you may stand," said the man in front of you, nonchalantly. you stand up, but continue bowing your head, as you had been told, not daring to look the harbringer in the eye. 

"report the results your mission," he demanded, his high, boylike voice sounding almost comical given his tone. you fidget at the corners of your clothes, whether out of anger that this man, no taller than your chin was commanding you, or out of nervousness that this man, no taller than your chin, could pulverize you at any time if he felt like it.

"my lord, it seems that the situation in inazuma with the archon has only worsened, especially considering the havoc that mondstadt's honorary knight had been wreaking." 

"tsk, that bastard. i should've struck them down when i had the chance." the harbringer paced around, but soon regained his composure.

"and the civilians?"

"we've got them all under our thumb, my lord. they have neither the power nor the will to rebel."

"good. you are dismissed." 

sighing a breath of relief, you turn around and walk away. just when you thought you were far enough away from him, you heard him calling you back.

"wait. dont leave yet." 

you turned around, suppressing a scoff, irritated.

"what is it, my lord." 

"come here." 

you lower your head, obediently walking over to the harbringer, clenching your fists.

"now that i've thought about it, i've never seen your face before."

"my lord, i don't think-"

"do i look like i care what you think?" he interrupted, his youthful voice full of arrogance.

"... sorry my lord."

the harbringer nodded.

"take off your mask." 

you obeyed, hands fumbling to take off your mask, but also careful to block out the rest of your face with your hands. the traveler of tevyat, honorary knight of mondstadt, hero of the qixing of liyue, and who hadn't seen your face? clumsily, you "accidentally" drop your mask to the floor. you reach down to pick it up, but the harbringer stops you. 

"leave it. pick it up later."

you nod.

"now, look straight at me."

you look downwards, finally being able to see the sixth harbringer with full clarity. he was shockingly pretty, beautiful even, with large, round eyes, an amiable smile, and an expression far too charming for a man who could slaughter hundreds without breaking a sweat.

not only that, he looked young. as far as you knew, he was older than tartaglia, yet he looked no older than 16. his hair was placed around his head messily, as if he didn't care to brush it today, and the large hat he was known for was placed on his head, veils blowing in the breeze. this was scaramouche, sixth of eleven harbringers, the balladeer. 

"ah..."

you braced for impact, waiting for him to discover your deception, but he merely nodded. he picked up your mask from your ground, making you even more shocked.

"you can go now." 

you put your mask on, bow, and turn around, walking away, wiping away a bead of sweat.

"just kidding," a youthful voice sounds right under your ear. before you even had time to turn around, you felt a sharp pain shoot up your back, and felt your body fell limp. you tried to retaliate, but your fingers wouldn't move, and neither would your legs, arms, or even your head.

you're turned around, until you see that you're lying in the harbringer's arms. his smile twists into a smirk into a scowl, until he laughs. he reaches for your mask and takes it off again, throwing it to the ground.

"you know, you're quite pretty." he leans in closer and you almost flinch. his voice is right beside your ears, cheerful with a hint of malice.

"sadly, i'm on a kill only order. should've acted better, traveler."