God of Alchemy | Genshin Impact x M!Reader

9

Aether grumbled, opening his eyes. His vision was a bit blurry and his body felt heavy as a rock. "Where... am I?" he muttered, sitting upright and taking in his surroundings. He saw multiple beds that were inside the massive room he was in. Cabinets and shelves were plastered onto the walls. Bottles were on the shelves and Aether could easily guess that bottles were inside of the cabinets also. Different sizes and the liquid inside (or what he assumed as liquid) were in different colors also. Sometimes the colors would change also. The liquid(?) that is.

Aether spotting one of the many bottles changing its color from pink to pastel blue. It was mesmerizing, really. But Aether stopped staring at it and decided to venture outside of the room, wondering where he is. Opening the door, "AETHER!" Hearing a familiar high-pitched voice, Aether already knew who that person was. 

"Paimon!" he called back. Opening his arms to let the small female wrapped her arms around his neck. Almost suffocating him at how tight her grip was. 

"You're okay! I thought you weren't going to wake up!" Paimon kept going on and on how about how Aether was never going to wake up.

Aether knows Paimon doesn't mean anything bad but it's a bit excessive how Aether was never going to wake up when he's been sleeping for only a day. Well... he only feels like a day. But with how Paimon is acting then does that mean he's been sleeping for more than a day? A week perhaps? Even a month probably.

"Don't be so overdramatic." Hearing an unknown voice, Aether spun around. Seeing the male that he saw with the others yesterday (or who knows when). The difference is, that he's calm and the aura around him was calm. Quite the difference actually --- at that time, Aether just wanted to give up and beg for his life to be spared. But right now? Aether wanted to depend on the man and just cuddle him. His appearance was still the same as before he saw him. The upper part of his robe was loose, Aether could easily the other male's chest. Seeing the black mark was still there. His stature was tall and Aether had no choice but to look up. 

"He's been sleeping for only 14 hours at most so that should be considered normal when I used my powers on him." Paimon digressed. Huffing, she turned around and put her hands on her hips. 

"I don't believe you!" she said "You hurt Aether! And with your stupid suffocating aura yesterday, we almost died!" Aether knew that but he couldn't help but be in awe. Just realizing how strong this person really is.

"That's not how long people should sleep! At most, they should sleep 10 hours!" Paimon argued, obviously still not happy about the incident yesterday it seems. 

"Although 14 hours is exactly not the shortest but not the longest either. I've already made an estimation at how many hours humans would sleep when I try to do that," he explained. 

Walking past both Aether and Paimon, "I'm sure you two are hungry," he said, "The others didn't want to eat before Aether wakes up so they're still waiting and obviously waiting for an explanation." With that, he walked off. 

"Ah! Wait!" Aether running up to him. Not wanting to be left behind and get lost.

Paimon called out to Aether but the blonde male ignored her, Paimon can't help but get a bit hurt by this and just followed along. The walk there was quiet. The only sound resonating in the hallway were their footsteps and the rustles from their clothing. Paimon doesn't like the silence around them. Although comfortable, it was weirdly too comfortable for three people that do not know each other. "So... you're Kojutsu, right?" she asked. Breaking the silence between the three of them. 

"Venti introduced me like that? Quite a weird way to do it since he rarely calls me by my name..." the male replied. "But yes. I am Kojutsu but I go by (YN) nowadays so call me as such." His words were monotone and his voice was haggard. Almost similar to his appearance. His mop of (HC) hair was all over the place as if he had just woken up and his skin doesn't appear to be healthy and there were bags under his eyes.

"Are you an alchemist?" Aether asked, wanting to know the male further and to continue the conversation. 

"Alchemist? Well... in a way, I am but I use the more old fashion way of doing alchemy than doing the current way," (YN) explained so smoothly and the words came out of his mouth like silk. Aether can't help but get a bit giddy. 

"Then what do you actually do?" (YN) glanced towards Aether and wanted to chuckle at how cheery his expression is. Even then, he can see grief and regret in his eyes. 

"I travel from place to place and just offer some miracles I guess... But I do sell medicine at Bubu Pharmacy but only rarely since I have to bargain to the owner about the price every single time I do." Aether noted the irritation in (YN)'s voice. A slight indication that he's annoyed at probably Baizhou, the man whom he met when trying to buy the Everlasting Incense. 

"You're also a doctor then! But if you are then why did you do force others into sleep?" (YN) hummed. A bit shocked that he was getting asked by this. Regardless, he answered the question too easily;

"Stress. That and shock. Seeing how their bodies reacted yesterday, it would be bad for them to stay awake any further and if they refuse to sleep then they'll put their bodies in harm. And if I remember correctly, humans are... quite frail, aren't they? Their hearts are easily broken and their mind is not as strong they think it to be." The answer was a bit odd for Paimon and Aether. Although (YN) give them a reason on why he did force them to sleep yesterday but the additional statement was not were they expecting. Finally noting how the male would refer to humans as humans rather than saying us.

Edited: July 2, 2021