Experimental Genshin Oneshots

Discovery (Aelay)

I have no idea what the actual ship name is for this pair, so I'll just assume that's the name.

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Night's in Aether's teapot are serene, quiet, and peaceful. Sometimes he wonders how a place can exhibit such beauty, but then again, what can't you do with adeptal energy? It's the perfect place for him to get his thoughts in order, or perhaps to catch a well deserved break after a hard day of work.

Sometimes, he can even hear loud noises coming from one of his guest rooms in the middle of the night. 

Coming back from a day in Teyvat, he wasn't greeted by the peaceful silence he was very familiar with, but instead sounds of rustling and footsteps from one of the rooms inside his abode. Knowing who was inside said room, he shouldn't be surprised. He decided to take a little peek, to see how she's doing. Opening the door, he was greeted by a surprising sight.

It was Layla, but she seemed to be very engrossed in her work. She didn't even seem to realize that he had entered the room. Rarely does he see Layla this absorbed in her schoolwork. Only, something was off. The normal look of exhaustion that plagued her face every time he saw her was no longer apparent. Rather, it was instead replaced by a look of determination. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the workload that was presented in front of her. Curious by the sudden shift in personality, he decided to break the silence.

"Layla?" He called out to her. She didn't even seem to hear it, as she was still scribbling away. 

"Layla?" He called her again. Luckily, that seemed to work, as she then turned to look at her.

"Aether! Sorry, I've been really busy so I didn't even hear you come in." Layla exclaimed, jumping up from her seat.

This caught Aether by surprise. The normally timid Layla was now replaced by a much more cheerful one. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked, concerned for her.

"I'm doing great, actually! I'm actually three quarters of the way done with the latest thesis they asked for. I just need a little bit more time and I should be able to finish this by tomorrow, but I'm just glad I'm finally getting somewhere!" Layla exclaimed while nodding enthusiastically.

Despite the sudden shift in personality, from the timid and sleep deprived Layla, to a more cheerful Layla, he couldn't help but feel happy that her schoolwork was finally going places.

"I'm glad to hear that, but what happened to you, Layla? You aren't usually this cheerful." Aether asked.

"Well actually, Layla is asleep." Layla simply responded.

"What? So who are you?" 

"Well, I'm Layla, of course."

Aether was confused. "But you just said Layla was asleep."

"I know. Can you piece it together?" Layla questioned Aether, and made him connect the dots in his mind. After thinking about it, it wasn't hard to figure out the answer.

"An alternate personality?"

"Correct! Daytime Layla, the one you know that's constantly stressed out by schoolwork is asleep. As for me, I pop out whenever daytime Layla starts sleepwalking, and I always end up finishing whatever schoolwork she hasn't done." Layla explained, answering all of the questions that threatened to come out of Aether's mouth. Still, a part of him almost couldn't believe it, yet it wasn't something that he's never heard of before.

"I see." Was all that came out of Aether's mouth.

"I know, it's a lot to process. I'd love to talk to you for a bit longer, but I should get back to work." Layla sat back at her desk, and slowly began to absorb herself in her schoolwork. Wanting to try and learn more about this "Sleepwalking Layla" he decided to give an offer.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Aether offered.

"Actually yes, could you grab the leftmost book from the top shelf, and then..." The two would easily find a suitable pace, as they slowly finish up whatever schoolwork that Layla hadn't finished. Along the while, he was able to talk a little to this Layla. He came to admire this Layla, and came to love it just the same as daytime Layla. Perhaps this is how she is whenever she isn't sleep deprived or chained down by assignments. After a rather long while, all of the remaining schoolwork that she had was completed. 

"Ahhhhhh.... Thanks for that Aether! I can finally sleep now!" Layla yawned. Even the alternate Layla can be exhausted, he thought.

"I'm glad that's over. I'll just be on my way now." Aether slowly got up from his seat, only for Layla to suddenly grab her hand.

"Hey, Aether..." She said, looking up at him with a smile.

"Yeah?" He replied, turning back to face her.

"Could you keep me company? Just until I fall asleep." Layla said, a pleading look on her face.

Aether hesitated, unsure of what to say. He didn't know if this was okay, but seeing the look on her eyes, he just couldn't say no.

"Alright." He simply answered.

"Yay!" Layla exclaimed, while tackling Aether in a hug.

"Oof! Guess you still have some energy left, huh?" He said, while reciprocating the hug. He slowly carried the exhausted Layla back to her bed, before the two managed to lay down on the bed, as Layla slowly snuggled her head into Aether's chest. 

"Hey, Aether?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell daytime Layla about me, okay?" She requested. He wanted to know more as to why, but seeing the exhaustion on her face, he decided to save his question for later.

"Okay." He responded.

"Good." She said, snuggling back into his chest, as she slowly drifted into the world of slumber. A part of him wanted to leave, but the tight grip Layla had on his body would say otherwise. So, he followed suit, and drifted into the world of slumber...

  

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Honey gold rays of the morning sun began piercing the curtains of the room, as Aether slowly awoke from the land of slumber. In his hands, was a tired Layla, still sleeping soundly, head deeply snuggled into his chest. A part of him wanted to enjoy the sight for just a little longer, but he decided that starting their day was a bit more important.

"Hey, Layla?" Aether said, shaking her awake. It seemed to work, as Layla slowly opened her eyes, and looked up to stare at his face.

"Hmm... Aether? What are you doing in my bed?" She asked, her voice being a stark contrast to the Layla he interacted with last night.

"You asked me to keep you company." Aether answered. 

"I see..." Layla said, slowly burying her face back into Aether's chest.

"Layla... It's time to get up." Aether said, but was met with a groan. Instead, she slowly tightened her grip on him, and a pout would begin to occupy her face.

"Just a little while longer..." Layla slurred, as she slowly drifted back into sleep. He didn't see this as a good idea, but seeing the adorable pout on her face, he just couldn't resist. After all, just a little while wouldn't hurt.

"Alright then..." Aether said, as he too began to drift back into the world of slumber. The pout on her face was now replaced by a small smile, but Aether would never see it, as the pair falls asleep.

   

Hopefully he won't get in trouble for being just a few minutes late from his usual arrival time at the guild...