howthestarsdidfall
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Summary
A 7-part series for ZhongXiao Week 2026
For years, Xiao has wondered about the true purpose of Morax's retirement plan. He knows his archon too well, and he knows that Morax has a secret, secondary plan, held close to the chest. The answer arrives when he accompanies Morax on a diplomatic trip to Snezhnaya.
Spoiler warning for the 7.1 plot
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After many weeks of denial, Danica offers her mouth in service of the Tsaritsa.
7.1 plot spoiler. Reference to an alpha/beta sub dynamic with Vesna and Danica
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These Cruel Stars: The Demon Called Red Xiao by howthestarsdidfall
Fandoms: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
26 Sep 2026
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Xiao did not flinch or look away. He sat there, his horns nearly brushing the Geo Archon's hair, and stared up into his eyes. Ancient dragon eyes, that had seen every mystery of Teyvat and still found something worthwhile in him.
"What if I become him again? Will you promise to kill me?"
Rex Lapis snorted, his warm breath clouding over Xiao's face. "I'm not concerned about that."
"Please." He grasped Rex Lapis's hand in both of his, holding desperate and tight. "Promise me."
This hidden vale could have been the entire universe, in that moment. Everything in Xiao's being was pinpointing onto the expression on Rex Lapis's face.
Rex Lapis closed his other hand over Xiao's and told him, "I promise."
Slow-burn Xiao / Zhongli romance, heavily focusing on how Xiao recovers from the torment he endures from his former master. His traumatic memory splits into two selves: Xiao and Red Xiao. In order to become the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao must first conquer the demon of his own past.
Romance sparks at Chapter 17; smut only in Chapter 20. All tagged characters appear on the page.
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What was Morax like? Alatus had asked. Are you too old to remember?
Bosacius belly-laughed and shoved his head.
Your tongue is reckless. It will get you killed someday. He said that proudly, like an uncle or elder brother. I recall that he was adept at feigning kindness. His cruelty was done in secret. He never wronged me, but I have come to learn that was for his own benefit.
Not much of a tyrant.
Consider this, young hawkfish. Which tiger will kill you: the one you see, or the one you do not see?
Archon War AU where corrupted Guizhong is the archon of Liyue, sending Xiao as her attack dog to hunt down and kill the traitor Morax.
Smut scenes start in Chapter 3
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"Life isn't a storybook, Durin."
"Ours could be," Durin said quietly. He put his cheek on Scara's shoulder again. And now he held onto Scara's upper arm, hugging Scara's elbow to his chest.
"No," Scara said, pulling his arm free. "It can't."
Later that night, Scara lay alone, tracing his stare over the patterned ceiling of his Akademiya room, telling himself that it was better this way. Better to give Durin a small, manageable wound and teach him not to be so vulnerable, so open-hearted, before the world gave him the kind of wound that never heals.
Scara pressed his palm to that empty place in his chest. He never understood how the absence of a heart hurt him more than its presence.
A series of interconnected one-shots, set during the summer that Durin spent with Scaramouche in Sumeru.
Scara volunteers to look after Durin for the summer. But he didn't anticipate just how hard and how quickly he would fall in love -- or how terrifying it would be, to allow himself to trust another person.
Smut starts in Chapter 3
Series
- Part 1 of A Summer Together, A Summer Apart
Recent series
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A Summer Together, A Summer Apart by howthestarsdidfall
Fandom 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
10 Jun 2026
Summary
Part 1: That Summer in Sumeru
Scaramouche spends a summer trying to teach Durin how to be human. But in the process, Scara realizes just how little he knows about being human.
Tone: soft fluffy summer love, with a tinge of angst and smut.
Minor Characters: Albedo, Nahida, Tighnari, Sethos
Part 2: I Know What You Did in Mondstat Last Summer
Durin returns to Mondstat and has an unexpected summer fling with Razor. Scara spends all that time working up the nerve to be honest about his feelings. And when Scara reunites with Durin in Nod-Krai, he's heartbroken and pissed. Mostly pissed.
Tone: sweet and sad, faint angst, lots of smut (vanilla with Razor, CNC with Scara)
Minor Characters: Albedo, Flins
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