genshin impact imagines +.*

scaramouche | admirer

i lowk hate the ending of this mayb i will edit it some day but for now HAVE IT!!!!! I love scaramouche so much with all my heart i <3 him. might be slightly out of character? im trying my best to learn how his little puppet brain works

warnings: mentions of death
WC: 1019, unedited

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Leaves were falling and the wind whispered as it tickled your skin. The wanderer was quiet.

You were camped out somewhere in Liyue, nothing but endless fields around you– and that was just how you liked it. Scaramouche watched as you fawned over the wildlife. Foxes fell over one another in the grass, birds were preparing for migration and roly-polies tucked themselves beneath the very log you were sitting on. It was fascinating to see so many different creatures in just one area.

As he watched, he thought about joining you, as he was quite curious, but he stayed put. He liked seeing your eyes light up and your head jolting in whatever direction you heard movement in. Like a cat, you were aware of every bug and bird in your vicinity. He smiled softly, but quickly swallowed that feeling.

His face fell as he realized what he was doing. How could he be so enthralled by a mere human girl?

Scaramouche had never felt love like this before. He didn't know how to hold you, or make you feel loved, or what you'd say if you knew. It was disgusting, terrifying even. Nobody taught him how to love. They only taught him how to lose it.

His mother was a fighter, and there were gentler sides to her, sure, but he didn't know them. He only knew kill and grieve and rule first and foremost, always rule. It was ingrained in him, after all, he was made with the sole purpose of ruling in his mother's stead, only to be tossed aside like birdseed.

But you, you were something else. Your fingers held butterflies, your hair swayed gently in the breeze, and it was not menacing, not intimidating, nor was it easy to ignore. He had no desire to dismiss you; he was not bored. He was observing, in awe, at the way you held the world in your hands. You held him in your hands, wrapped around your fingers, and you didn't even know it.

He felt like throwing up. He could not watch someone leave him again. He didn't want to let this weakness penetrate him, so he pushed it away, but he was struggling. Nahida told him not to give up, and you certainly hadn't given up on him this far, but be it by fate or choice, you would one day be away from him.

"Would you like to hold one?" You asked gently. His gaze met yours and he swallowed. Did it matter if you were away from him? You were there, at that very moment, next to him. Expecting him to say no.

Instead, he nodded, lifting his finger for the winged creature to perch upon. As it did, he noticed how its small legs tickled his skin, and the way its wings slowly flattened to reveal deep blues and purples.

"It's quiet," he stated. "And not bothersome. It's... pretty."

You smiled genuinely. You watched the butterfly as he spoke— he watched you. His stomach was in knots. Due to you, and due to nausea from... feeling. Hey, at least he was trying.

Carefully, you raised your hands up to let the other butterflies fly away. They did so in sync, some in search of more flowers, some landing nearby, and one even perching on the edge of Scara's hat.

A laugh left your lips as he watched the butterfly he was holding leave, entirely oblivious. The one on his hat flew down to sit atop his nose. You giggled louder as his eyes widened. They shot over to you, unsure, pleading for help. Days ago, he would've shaken it off in disgust. Now, he was embracing a more considerate approach. Like someone he admired.

You quickly shooed it away from his nose, smiling as you did so. "Scared?" You teased, watching the anemo user's expression scrunch up in offense.

You sat down next to him and took note of how he didn't scoot away. "I hope you know... I like you despite your apprehensions. And the fact that you hate everything. I want to show you that life can be beautiful, freeing, and that not everyone," you grabbed his hand, "is going to leave you."

He stared at you in shock, fingers not yet curled around your own— but twitching. How could you say it so casually, especially to someone like him, someone who would surely push you away without a second thought? But he didn't, he only froze, not sure what to think.

"But you'll die," he said quietly. "You will die and you'll leave me then."

"That's why it's up to you," you frowned, eyes trailing away from him. "That's why humans live the way that they do. To the fullest. To be happy in the now, in this moment. For as long as we've got it."

His eyes wandered around your face before he spoke. "Even though we're never free?"

"It doesn't matter what ties and tethers we have to fate, we can't control it. It only matters if you feel free. It's the choices you make. You create your own freedom, by where you go, how you treat the world, who you choose to spend your time with..." You trailed off.

"And you feel free, spending your time with someone such as myself?" He asked dumbfoundedly. He was surprised, but he was also grateful. You didn't lie to him, you knew your time was limited. But that couldn't stop you.

"I believe that you are worthwhile."

He hesitated, then leaned in to kiss you quickly, pulling away just as fast.

"You fascinate me," he mumbled as he turned his head away. You felt his fingers relax around yours, finally intertwining.

"I hope so, because you are not getting rid of me."

He smiled ever so slightly, though he didn't let you see it. If you always stayed, that would surely be the best case scenario. He wasn't certain he was strong enough to lose someone else, but you made him want to be stronger. To try harder. He didn't need to tell you, you just knew.