Christmas Special

When you first arrived in this world, you were so caught up in everything that you forgot the wave of holidays that came soon after, you were just focused on keeping track of the day and month since Teyvat didn’t really have a calendar that you knew of. Even if Tevyat didn’t abide by the same months (why would they, there was no Julius or Augustus here at the very least), you did.

You arrived on Teyvat on October 9th, which makes right now December 24th, Christmas Eve. Yesterday you got your new weapons, which couldn’t have been better timing, and now you were scrambling to hit Christmas this year, despite no one knowing what it is.

Getting four gifts didn't seem that hard until you remembered you were a chronic gifter, it was a problem, and needed them to be perfect and full of meaning.

For Venti, you already had an idea. Dashing out of the apartment, mora pouch clutched tightly in your hands, you called out to Ariel that you would be back soon and started skipping down the street towards Marjorie's place.

The day was nice and open, making it a pleasant skip to the little store front of random antiques, gems, and what have you. Marjorie was standing there as usual, a smile painted on her face and hands placed neatly in front of her.

"Hey Marjorie!" You called riding up next to her, pleasantly noticing that your jog hadn't even taken your breath away.

Marjorie smiled at you, her eyes gleaming like she could tell there was a deal to be struck. "Hey [y/n]! How are you on this fine day?"

You chuckled, feeling kinda antsy. "I'm doing good, but I was wondering if I could buy something from you."

"Oh?" Her smile widened just a bit more. "Whatever were you looking for?"

"Ah I need a black leather journal, kinda worn pages that make it look old." Your hands gestured weirdly as you talked as if trying to paint the image for her.

She perked up. "I have just the thing."

She turned back towards her shop without telling you to follow her, so instead you just stood outside awkwardly, waiting for her to find whatever specimen she was looking for.

Soon enough she emerged back from her store, holding a beautiful book. It was black leather, just like you had asked, with gold edges of the corners and a flat, braided ribbon clearly to be used as a bookmark hung from top. You gently grasped the book and opened it to browned, crinkly pages that made the book look thicker than it probably was. It had that wonderful book smell and was absolutely perfect for your idea.

"This is great Marjorie." You saw her beam proudly and couldn't help but return one of your own. "How much is it?"

"2500 mora." Her smile never faltered and only seemed to get wider at the breath you sucked in, you didn't think you could ever get used to common things being in the thousands worth of currency.

You handed her the mora and held the book tightly to your chest. Object one had been acquired, many more to come.

-

Sweat dripped down your brow as you collected the last flower, a stark difference from when your ass was about to freeze off in Dragonspine, collecting the best star silver you could find. You had the chunks of star silver packed away in your side pouch with the flowers held delicately in your arms so they weren’t crushed.

The bouquet of cecilias wafted a sweet fragrance back to you, setting a smile on your face. The ache in your legs set pleasant sensations of satisfaction but you still had to hurry, the day wasn’t getting any shorter and you still had so much to do.

You rushed back to Mondstadt, steady breath as you jogged, and you waved to the guards as you made your way through the gate. Calming down, somewhat, you speedwalked over to Wagner’s welding hut by the entrance.

“Hello,” you exhaled tiredly. “Do you weld anything that’s not weapons? And can you do it really fast?”

The two men busy at work, the assistant logging something in a book, and Wagner himself shaping… something, you weren’t really sure. Wagner set down the lump of metal he was shaping and crossed his bulging arms. “Depends what it is.”

You chuckled nervously, doing your best not to wring your dirt encrusted hands. “I was wondering if you could make jewelry?”

“Jewelry? Do I look like I make jewelry?” Wagner’s hard stare started to make you sweat again and your smile faltered.

“I’m sorry, I figured that because you welded weapons it wouldn’t be too much of a switch-”

“Do you understand the intricacies of making something like that?”

“Like I said, I’m so sorry-”

“I can make jewelry!” Like an angel appearing in through the clouds, Wagner’s assistant Schulz piped up. “I’m still learning how to make weapons but I’m good at jewelry!”

Oh my god, how the hell were you this lucky? “Are you sure you’d have the time for this?”

“Well what is it?” His smile was bright and the excitement radiating off him, maybe for finally being able to do something instead of logging it, was almost infectious.

You took out a picture you had Ariel draw of a hair comb piece with the design of a graceful bird, the same bird of Kaeya’s constellation, and a simplistic bracelet to match it. You reached into your pack to take out the gleaming star silver you wanted the metal to be and the chunk of crystal ore that you managed to pick up in Wolvendom on your way to Starsnach cliff for your cecilias that you wanted it to be embedded with.

“Will these work? Is it too much to get done by tomorrow?” Schulz’s eyes widened and he stuttered out a weak ‘tomorrow?’ before his eyes set in determination. From the corner of your eye you saw Wagner’s eyes light up with pride.

“Yeah, I can get it done by tomorrow.” Your antsy feet launched you towards him, your arms wrapped around his neck with relief.

“Thank you so much!” With that over, you rushed to get back to Wolvendom, intent on getting Diluc’s gift, missing Schulz’s red cheeks and stuttered ‘your welcome’.

-

You took a breath, letting your limbs rest right outside the area of Andrius’ combat ground. The Wolf’s Gravestone you intended to give Diluc was situated right in the center, almost taunting you with how easy it looks to take. You knew, however, that it wouldn’t be easy to beat the Wolf of the North.

You sighed, cursing your intense present gifting needs. You got up, carrying your bow and sword, leaving your claymore behind as you weren’t proficient enough with it to fight such an amazing opponent and it would weigh down the weapons you were already using, which required you to be light instead of steady.

You hopped down into the combat area, taking another deep breath and readying your stance. Andrius appeared in all his glory, almost glowing. You couldn't keep your mouth from dropping for a moment, quickly trying to right your expression when Andrius approached you. His presence was all encompassing, with you feeling like you were about to fall to your knees from the pressure.

“You wish to challenge me?” His voice boomed across the space and you could feel it bounce off every wall, shaking your ear drums.

“Yes,” your voice shook and you discreetly cleared your throat before trying again. “I wish to fight you for the Wolf’s Gravestone.” Your eyes strayed to the sword in the middle of the lair, gleaming in the sun mockingly.

“You wish for the Wolf’s Gravestone?” When you nodded you were shocked when the giant wolf almost hummed in acceptance. “Such a reward will not come easily, do you understand?”

You nodded again. “Yes I understand.”

“Then let us begin.”

-

The fight was grueling. Compared to the strain of your limbs when running around Monstadt the whole day, you felt like you were about to collapse. The burn in your muscles stretched so hard you thought tears were gonna reach your eyes. You had been tumbling, shooting, and swinging your beautiful sword, for who knows how long.

Unlike in the game where this insufferable boss had a health bar that you could see how much more you had to go, there was no telling when Andrius would stop this fight, and he would be the one to stop this fight. It was clear to you that Andrius was really only entertaining this fight, and likely any other fight that he was challenged to. Despite all the arrows you shot, and had to run to get to whenever you ran out, and all the slashes you hit with your sword that came back with blood but never seemed to damage, Andrius never slowed down.

The wolf rushed at you and it took everything in you to get your muscles moving to roll out of the way of the attack. The ground scraped at your hands and you scrambled to get your bow in order. It fit in your hands perfectly and you knocked your arrow. Your awkward position on the ground made it difficult to line up the shot.

You eventually lined it up towards Andrius’ eye as the wolf turned around, a snarl on his lips as he began stalking towards you. You let the arrow fly and Andrius turned his head just enough that the arrow missed his eye, but it caught him in the ear instead. Andrius growled in pain, shaking his head to rid himself of the arrow, blood now dripping from his ear.

You pushed yourself up from the rocky ground, slinging your bow around your back and unsheathing your sword, rushing towards the wolf with his distraction. You slashed at Andrius’ legs and stomach, bringing back blood and finally you saw cuts on his body. He swiped at you but you dodged it, already hyped up on your nth wind. You slashed with no tomorrow, almost forgetting all the lessons Kaeya ingrained into you about how to move your feet and arms to achieve the swiftness you would need for an opponent like this.

Andrius’ howl didn’t even register in your head as you kept going, dodging desperately with every swing of Andrius’ sharp claws and sweat dripping into your eyes. One last stab had Andrius pulling away, his blood hitting the floor.

You went to go in again, your adrenaline not letting you go just yet, but a growl from Andrius had you stopping in your tracks. Andrius bowed his head and you nearly collapsed when he started speaking.

“You are a skilled warrior.” His wounds started stitching together but he never took his eyes off you. “Your determination and skill with multiple weapons has impressed me. I believe you are worthy of taking the Wolf’s Gravestone.”

You bowed, legs shaking. “Thank you very much.” You approached him when he gestured you to do so, coming up to the elusive claymore. You grabbed it, wrapping your tired fingers around the hilt and pulling it from it’s snug spot in the ground.

You carried the claymore over your shoulder outside the combat area after one last thankful nod to the Great Wolf.

-

You sat on your bed scribbling furiously in the beautiful black journal you bought earlier. Every poem you could think of from Gillian Clarke, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Frost, and more with you adding some short stories from Grimm collections and H.P Lovecraft. You managed to fill up the whole book, your memory surprising even you.

You placed the book on your nightstand, along with the quill that you had to suffer using. You rubbed your cramping hands sighing in pain and the strain on the rest of your body from today’s earlier events.

Pushing yourself up, you walked past the Wolf’s Gravestone which was leaning on the threshold of your bedroom door. Ariel was in the kitchen cutting up the flowers you asked him too with a butcher knife. Some of the cecilias were cut in half with slim stems free from leaves and dirt and some of the flowers being just the buds.

“Thank you so much Ariel.” You laid your arms around his neck, leaning your chin on his head. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

Ariel looked out the window, gazing at the dying sun. “Yeah you really wouldn’t have.” Ariel turned around in your hold, looking up at you. “Shouldn’t you have started doing this weeks ago?”

“Yeah,” you conceded with a sigh. “But with the Dvalin incidents I’ve been so busy I nearly forgot it. It’s only because I’ve been keeping up with the days since we arrived here that I remembered it.”

Ariel hums. “So what am I getting for Christmas?”

You tightened your arms, smiling slightly. “My wonderful presence.”

“Great.”

“What’s with that sigh?” You teased. “My presence isn’t enough?”

“I suppose it is.” Ariel smiled and squeezed your arm.

You laughed, flicking his forehead lightly. “I’m gonna be inviting Kaeya, Diluc, and Venti over for dinner tomorrow. That okay?”

“Yeah of course, as long as no one sits on my loveseat.”

You scoffed. “The loveseat is in the bedroom, nobody’s going in there.”

“I don’t know, that redhead has been making goo goo eyes at you for a little while now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Diluc is much too focused on literally anything else to have a crush on little ole me.”

Ariel raised his eyebrow. “Wasn’t your goal to get with all the hot people in this world.”

You shook your head in a so-so manner. “Well yeah but I like being friends first and frankly, none of these characters seem like one night stand kinda people. And,” you emphasized. “Diluc’s pretty walled up, I doubt that after only a little less than a year and a half would have him opening up to me.”

Ariel shrugged. “You never know, some people just connect easier than others. Maybe he just finds you trustworthy.”

You laughed and patted his back. “Yeah okay, I’m heading to bed. Can you put those flowers on the window sill under a heavy book so they can dry out?”

“Yeah of course.”

You smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

-

Sitting at the bar of the Angel’s Share, you swirled a glass of Dandelion Wine as your eyes followed Diluc. He was your first target, Kaeya and Venti would be hit when they came later in the evening.

Calling over the redhead you smiled at him as he approached. “Hey Master Diluc, how’ve ya been?”

Diluc’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you speaking like that?”

A teasing grin lit up your face. “Like what?”

“Like you want something.”

You laughed. “Hit the nail on the head Master Diluc. Tomorrow is a holiday that my parents and I had. I wanted you to come over to my apartment along with a couple others to have dinner with me to celebrate.”

“Wouldn’t we be intruding? This sounds like a special occasion.”

You reached out and placed your hand on his gloved ones that had been resting on the counter while he was speaking to you. You gave his hands a squeeze and smiled at him. “The holiday is simply to celebrate family and the time we get to spend with them. I would like one of the closest people to me to be there.”

Diluc smiled at you slightly, squeezing your hand back. “I would love to go. Thank you for considering me for such an occasion.” You nodded. “But who else is gonna be there?”

“Just Kaeya and Venti.”

Though his eyes furrowed when you mentioned Kaeya, they shot up when you mentioned Venti. “That drunken bard who comes in to sing every once in a while?”

“Yeah, I met him on a walk back from the winery a few weeks ago and we’ve talked since. Sometimes I see him near the statue of Barbatos and listen to his music, it’s really nice. I’d like to get to know him better.” You looked at Diluc, his lowered gaze and his fingers playing with your own. “You don’t have to go if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“No it’s okay. I’ll be there.”

“Great. Make it by seven ok?”

“Got it.” With that Diluc was called to attention by another man at the bar who called for a refill.

You waited for a little while longer until Kaeya strolled through the threshold of the bar. He spotted you waving towards him and joined you in a smooth swing of his legs around the bar stool.

“Hello my dearest.” He swung an arm over your shoulder, pulling you into his side as you laughed.

“Hello my stalker.” You hugged his waist back, leaning your head on his shoulder. “I had something I wanted to ask you.”

“What do you need?” Kaeya smiles as he’s handed a Death After Noon.

“I want you to come to a dinner I’m making tomorrow night. I’m celebrating a family holiday and I want you to be there.”

Kaeya’s smile widened. “You truly want me there?”

You bumped his shoulder with your head. “Yeah of course. I’d love it if you came.”

“Then I’d love to be there.”

“A couple other people are coming though.”

“Oh?” The warmth was gone and in its place was mirth. “You have more friends than me? I thought you were a loner.”

“Ha ha ha.” You lightly slapped his chest as he chuckled. “Just Diluc and Venti.”

“Diluc agreed to go? Did you tell him you wanted to invite me?” Kaeya licked his lips and you caught the way his fingers tapped against your own. You had to stop yourself from chuckling at the similarities between the two brothers.

“Yes, I asked him first. Now, if you still want to go, my last target will be Venti.”

“Of course I would want to go!” Kaeya squeezed your fingers. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“I’m a sweet guy.”

You rolled your eyes but could stop your grin. “Don’t push it.”

As if on cue, the green bard slammed the door open, ready to drink and sing if his boisterous laughter was anything to go by. You patted Kaeya on the shoulder as you got up to catch the wind sprite before he started drinking some alcohol.

“Hey Venti!”

The short boy turned towards you with bright eyes and a lyre clutched in his hand. “[Y/n]! It’s wonderful to see you again, I didn’t see you at my performance today.”

You hugged the boy by the waist, bringing him towards you and resting your chin on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around your neck. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so busy today that I completely missed it. I’ll come to the next one, I swear.”

“Oh it’s no big deal! I want you to enjoy it, not think of it as a chore!”

“I could never think of your beautiful voice as a chore.”

Pink tinted Venti’s cheeks and he swatted your arm. “Stop, you’ll make a bard blush.”

You tapped his cheek playfully. “It seems I already have.”

Venti laughed and you joined him. Letting go of his waist you leaned back grasping onto his hands instead. “I would like for you to come over to my apartment tomorrow for dinner with my friends.”

“I would love too! I’ll bring some wine, a nice large bottle of Dandelion Wine!”

“No need. I have some at home. Just be there by seven okay?”

“Of course!” Venti’s smile was wide and a part of you wished you knew what was going through his head. “But right now I have to go sing a little tune.”

“Good luck.” You waved as he melded into the crowd of cheering drunkards, happy the talented bard was there.

-

You rushed around the kitchen pulling out the boar meat you had bought the other day. Hash Browns, soup, and cookies, as well as other foods, littered the kitchen counter, ready to be put on the table. You had spent all day cooking, sometimes doing things at the same time to get it all done in time.

You had taken a break midday to head down to Wagner’s and shockingly enough, your two items were there in a nice wooden box lined with velvet. You couldn’t thank the excitable boy enough as you throw down more mora than you probably had too.

The elegant bird turned out gorgeous in the shining star silver with the crystals embedded giving it a blue glow. The matching bracelet was similarly beautiful with its crystals surrounded by engraved designs.

Ariel was sitting on the couch in the living room, shaking his head with fond amusement as he watched you scuttled around the kitchen, pulling everything out of the oven and plating it. You frantically set the table as it got closer to seven.

A knock at the door shocked you out of your groove, and you placed the last plate of food down before skipping to the door. Opening up you found all three standing there with varying smiles. You huddled them all in, pushing them past Ariel who was still on the couch.

“Looks like an amazing spread.” Kaeya wrapped you in a hug on the way in.

“Thanks Kaeya, I tried hard.”

The other two hugged you as well, Diluc a little stiff but Venti with great enthusiasm. Venti giggled as you lifted him off the ground slightly.

The four of you eventually gathered around the table, settling down and filling all of your plates with the spread you worked tirelessly to make. Diluc smiled after trying it, which you took as a huge win, and Kaeya and Venti complimented you, Venti with his mouth stuffed full of hashbrowns, making heat rise to your face.

“So when was the last time you celebrated this?”

“Ah,” You remembered your backstory. “The last time was before my parents passed away. I had been so busy traveling and settling here that I forgot it. But now that I have friends to celebrate it with, I decided to invite you all.”

Everybody looked somber for a moment. “I’m sorry.” Kaeya piped up. “For your loss.”

You waved him off. “No need. They died of natural causes, there was nothing I could have done and I’ve accepted that.” You tried to make it sound believable despite your parents not dying and brushing past it as quickly as possible to keep the mood light.

It seems everyone got the idea and moved past it, talking about the food, the Angel’s Share, the recent events with Dvalin, Venti’s smile faltering slightly when he’s referred to by the boys as Stormterror.

The night continued nicely, wine being poured for Venti, Kaeya, and yourself with your pouring some grape juice for Diluc, with him nodding at you thankfully. Laughs were shared and Kaeya and Diluc seemed to be civil with each other, which was nice.

The sun had gone down by now, the glittering stars shining against the dark night sky. The dinner had been eaten thoroughly and the wine had gotten most everyone rather giggly, with only Diluc being the exception.

"Okay!" You clapped your hands. "Who's ready for gifts?" You kicked your feet excitedly and your grin practically split your face.

"Gifts?" Kaeya swirled his glass of wine. "You didn't mention gifts."

"Oh I didn't?" You said unconcerned. "Well that's one of the traditions of this holiday, everyone gets gifts!" You giggled lightly, the several glasses of wine making you feel all loosey goosey.

"What about your gifts?"

You turned to Diluc with a wistful smile. "I don't need gifts, I have you all."

"I didn't know you were so sappy dearest."

You sighed. "Only when I'm drunk."

You slipped away to your bedroom for a moment to grab the box holding Kaeya's and Venti’s gift, content with hulking Diluc’s last. You strut back into the room, the book under your arm, the flowers crush inside the pages, and the box in your hands with you taking great care not to drop it.

"Okay, I have Kaeya’s and Venti’s, I'll give you yours in a minute." You nodded towards Diluc and he nodded back.

You handed the book to Venti and the box to Kaeya, wringing your hands together and shuffling your feet.

Kaeya opened the box and his eyes widened comically. He reached into the box to graze his fingers against the embedded crystals. He let out a breath, a smile touching the corners of his eyes.

"What is it Kaeya?" Diluc gestured for Kaeya to take whatever it was out of the box and Kaeya delicately held the hair comb and bracelet up to let the two others see.

"It's very beautiful." He whispered, practically breathless. Maybe it was the wine that was making him emotional, but you swore you saw tears gather in his eyes.

"Yes it is." Venti leaned forward to get a better look. "Where did you get these materials?"

"Um, I found the star silver on Dragonspine and the crystal I found somewhere else- I can't really remember where."

"Can you put it in my hair?" Kaeya looked at you with eyes so bright whatever empty resolve you would have had immediately crumbled.

"Venti you can open yours while I do Keaya's hair." You undid the ponytail Kaeya's hair was knotted in, brushing your fingers through the navy strand, detangling them in a way you hoped was gentle. Given Kaeya's dazed expression, you were doing a good job.

You heard Venti creaked open the book, the spine and pages crackling pleasantly. As you turned his hair around into a low bun and secured it with the hair clip, Venti flipped through the journal that you had been frantically writing in only yesterday.

You leaned down and clipped the bracelet around Kaeya's wrist when Venti muttered out, "Oh, what is all this?"

"Hm?"

He fingered one if the dry cecilias secured between the pages. "What are all these poems and stories?"

"Ah," you murmured, tucking the last if Kaeya's hair behind his ear. "I wrote down all the poems and short stories I could remember by my mother.  When we first met I told you one of her poems and you liked it, yes?"

Venti nodded, like Kaeya holding the book almost ridiculously delicately. "I figured you might find the other's interesting. Do you like it?"

"Yes I love it." A giddy smile spread across his lips, replacing the somber look he had before. "I can't wait to read them all! Seeing the artistry of one so mysterious will be quite the adventure!"

You laughed while resting your hands on Kaeya’s shoulders. "I hope you enjoy it."

Diluc's smile towards the two jolted your memory and forced your hazy mind to get back to work. You spun around, clapping your hands again. "Diluc!"

The man nearly jumped out of his skin, so content with the situation that he started to relax. "Yes [y/n]?"

"It's time for your gift!" You hopped out of the room, back to your bedroom to get the claymore. Lifting the striking red claymore onto your shoulder caused you to wobble for a second but you righted yourself and went back to the living room.

"Alright!" You strolled into the room and did your best to place the Wolf's Gravestone down in a way that wouldn't ruin your floors, ignoring the looks of shock coming from the other three occupants. "Diluc, this is for you!"

"What?" Was the the only thing he mumbled, too flabbergasted to even get out of his place.

"How did you get that?" Venti’s mouth had dropped comically, to the point where you giggled.

"I won it silly. I challenged Andrius to a fight and if he deemed me worthy, he would give me the Wolf’s Gravestone." You shrugged. "I guess I did okay because after a while we stopped and he said in his really loud voice that I did good and I could take it so I did and yeah."

"Huh."

You rolled your eyes. "Well are you gonna take it or just sit there? Cus I'm good with keeping it."

"No!" Diluc shot up. "I mean, no it's fine I like it- love it. It's great, thank you." You smiled at him and hugged him tightly, something that seemed to shock him but he put his arms around you anyway.

Eventually the night came to an end. Nobody left so drunk they couldn't walk but everyone par Diluc was definitely tripping on their way out the door. As you messily cleaned up the plates and cups, the smile couldn't be shaken from your face.

Christmas was never hugely celebrated as you grew up, not even it being something you did around friends. The idea of being together with the people you cared about just to have fun and eat, drink, swap presents, and laugh appealed so much to you. Now that you had close friends, closer than you ever had in your first life, you wanted to appreciate the time you had together.

Sighing, you finished up your chore and you hobbled to bed, changing your clothes into some pajamas, uncaring of Ariel sitting quietly on the loveseat with a book nestled between his lithe fingers.

"How was your dinner?"

"Great."

Ariel finally turned to you, seeing you spread across the bed. "And they all liked their presents?"

"Mhm."

"That's good."

"I have something for you too." You rolled over sleepily to your nightstand and pulled open the drawer to get a little velvet box.

"Oh? Are you proposing? How sweet."

You snorted. "No, not proposing, but these are rings." You sat up from the bed to go plop yourself on the loveseat next to Ariel, who shuffled over to accommodate the space. You flipped open the top of the box to find silver rings with cleanly carved electro crystals embedded like diamonds. "See I had some electro crystals along with the other crystals and because we both like purple, with it being your favorite color, I asked for these rings to be made alongside Kaeya's stuff. I want us to wear them, to show that we're always connected."

You took one of the rings and slipped it on to Ariel's left middle finger and you put the other on your right middle finger. "Now we match!"

You held your right hand up and intertwined it with Ariel's left, hearing the clink of the metal as you shut your tired eyes.

"Yeah, we match." He smiled softly, looking down at your sleeping form with such tenderness. He kissed the top of your head and carried you to bed, tucking you in before gazing at the ring, thumbing it lightly to feel the small electro buzz from the jewel.

"Always connected."

[For my fellow Latinos and Hispanics, just a little fun]

What you'd get them for Three Kings Day:

Diluc - You'd get him a bouquet of small lamp grass and a new quill for all that paperwork he has to do.

Kaeya - You'd either make, or treat him at Good Hunter, to his favorite Chicken Skewers and take a walk with him around Monstadt.

Venti - You'd by him a bottle of wine with some fresh cecilias in a nice vase.