Chapter Text
"On the rocks, just as you like it." Charles flashed a friendly smile as he slid you a chilled glass.
"Oh, great, now I'm a regular," you mumbled sardonically into your glass before tossing the liquid towards the back of your throat. It was at that moment you remembered how intolerant you were to shots, and proceeded to gag so hard that your diaphragm cramped.
A hard hand slapped your back and you coughed again. "Rough day, Godless?"
That stupid nickname. It was a mockery Kaeya oh-so-proudly came up with after you denounced your faith in the Archons; it might have sounded far-fetched, but Celestia and its ideals struck a wrong chord with you. Nihilism began to sound more and more enticing as each day passed; especially the days where Kaeya made himself known to you.
"I came here for some peace," you remarked. "So if you wouldn't mind, please share your laments with the brothel nun instead."
"So cold!" He spared no dramatics. "At least say hello before you cast me off to the side."
You had hoped to gather intel at the Angel's Share, but you weren't about to let the captain-of-no-cavalry know that. You heard a rumor about a stranger dressed in black that had come to town in search of commissions relating to the Abyss. It just so happened that you, too, wished to know more about the subject.
So far, you have had no luck finding him. Each corner of Mondstadt has been burned into the back of your eyelids and the mystery man had not been anywhere. It was as if he never existed at all.
"Don't you have a job to slack off at?"
"What do you think I'm doing now?" Kaeya said pointedly. "I jest. As much as I wish I could, I simply came because I wished to meet the subject of the guild's gossip."
You took another sip of the atrocity in your hand and raised a brow. You wanted to be on your way, but you couldn't help but feel inclined to quench your curiosity. "And whom might that be?"
You followed Kaeya's gesture towards the back of the bar. A spray of alcohol flew onto the front of his uniform when you realized who the "subject" was.
"No fucking way." You happened to miss Kaeya's displeased expression during your crisis. "Here of all places?"
"I presume you are no stranger to the rumors?"
"Oh, how could you tell?"
"Just a wild guess." His gaze flickered between you and the stranger you were so entranced with. "I suppose your matters are more impertinent. Come find me once you have talked to him."
You ordered another round as Kaeya made his exit. While Charles prepared the drink, you couldn't help but feel a little nervous. You hoped the next drink would settle you down enough to make you seem even slightly competent.
You tapped your fingers against the counter, eyes searching every crevice of the bar as a distraction. Even the bard strumming away a few seats to your side was no help. Eventually, you couldn't help but drink in the stranger's appearance from afar.
He had blond hair and striking blue eyes. The collar of his jacket managed to conceal the majority of his side-profile, but you could still see the mask that hid the right side of his face. He was... kind of attractive. Not kind of. Extremely.
Suddenly, he looked in your direction. A string of curses resonated in your mind as his gaze met yours.
May as well fess up to your actions.
"Is this seat taken?"
Not waiting for an answer, you pulled out the chair across from his and sat down without so much as a greeting. That seemed to be a common theme tonight.
"It is now," the attractive man murmured.
"You're the talk of the town as of late, mystery man," you said after a moment. "Whatever is your name?"
He scanned the room cautiously, weighing the impact of his words by deducing any ill-intent from your end. What? You're an empath. You just know these things.
"Dainsleif."
"Your name is rather unique. Which nation do you yield from?"
A grimace fell over Dainsleif's countenance for a brief moment, then returned to its previous frown. You took a slow drink and perceived his silence as he was not going to tell you. Your hands raised in the air.
Instead, you told him your name. "I do not come from anywhere in particular, either."
That piqued his curiosity. "Is that so?"
"I did not come into this world with any sort of celestial blessing, Dain. No, no, no." Your head felt a little fuzzy, perhaps due to the quick succession of alcohol intake, but you brushed it off. "I do not intend to gain any favor from the Gods because they abandoned me from the start."
You stopped before your vexation claimed you completely. Silencing yourself with another sip, you noticed the gentle curiosity that had claimed his expression. The blondie studied you and you felt embarrassment creep up on you.
"That gun over your shoulder," Dainsleif commented. "Is it of Fatui origin?"
Oh, right. You laid the weapon onto the table so he could take a closer look at it. "Being visionless and all, I cannot afford to run amok weaponless. I made a few modifications to it myself."
"Impressive."
His lack of words throughout the entire conversation made the compliment feel a lot more flattering. His gloved fingers ran along the barrel in such a way that your face got a little warm.
"How did you manage to obtain such a device?" he asked.
"How else, other than to pry it from their hands myself?"
A small smile upturned the edges of his lips as he explored the weapon. He picked it up and turned it around, even going so far as to prop it against his shoulder and experiment by looking through the scope. You gulped and pushed the barrel away from your face.
"Careful there, edgelord, you might take me out with that thing."
"My apologies," he hummed thoughtfully and handed it back to you. You swung it over your shoulder and let it hang by the strap, focusing on analyzing his impeccable stature.
"You are looking to research the Abyss, are you not?"
"Perhaps. What might that mean to you, Godless?"
You almost missed the nickname he spoke under his breath. You swiped a hand down your face and slumped into the table.
He almost looked satisfied with himself.
"Do you have excellent hearing or something?"
"Not that," Dainsleif corrected. "That Knight of Favonius was not discreet, nor were you."
"So the mystery man has jokes. Fine, that's fine," you exasperated, standing to your feet. His gaze followed you as you adjusted your shirt. "If you wish to learn more, I suggest you come with me. I have something to show you."
You were actually rather surprised that Dainsleif obliged. You took him to your temporary lodging located above Marjorie's gift shop. He seemed slightly wary as he trailed a short distance behind you. He looked more like a stalker than someone who was acquainted with you.
You unlocked your door with the spare key and walked straight inside, allowing him to enter at his leisure. Once he had determined there was no threat, he came inside and closed the door behind him.
"Well, this is it." You motioned towards the wall of papers pinned by multi-colored tacks. Books were piled in stacks, their pages marked by small wedges of papers and various notes. It looked like a hurricane had rampaged through a library and left some haphazard mess.
"...What is it?" Dainsleif looked out of place as he stood stiffly in the center of the living room. You sat down at the table after stowing away the shotgun and crossed your arms.
"Take a closer look."
That he did. He took the time to skim over the various pages of notes scribbled at the edges of the texts, eyes widening at each new marking he read.
"This information... how did you manage to get your hands on these?" Dainsleif asked as he pressed his palms to the wall to get a closer look.
"Some I stole from the Favonius headquarters, others from Kaeya's personal belongings, some came from abandoned belongings I came across throughout Teyvat—"
"I don't understand. I have spent years searching and have only come across faint traces of anything useful, yet you have a wall of secrets dedicated purely to the Abyss." He approached your diligent form, effectively cornering you in your chair. "How?"
You distracted yourself from the intensity of his gaze by coughing into your palm. Then, you shrugged. "I have a knack for detective work."
He laughed in disbelief, and your stomach fluttered. Stop it. Now is not the time! you scolded yourself. "Feel free to stay here as long as you like. I doubt you will be able to look over everything in just one night."
Maybe it was a bad idea to invite a stranger into your home, but at least he was attractive. That did help his case a tiny bit.
Dainsleif shook his head, and his long blond strands gracefully fell out of place. "I will book a nearby motel."
"No need. You can stay here for free," you pressed. "Plus, motel rates here are unbelievable. Mondstadt may be the city of freedom but the taxation laws are imprisoning enough."
"Surely you are uncomfortable knowing a man is in your close quarters," he countered. It was a clever tactic, you had to admit, but you simply grinned.
"Come now, don't conform to creepy man standards. You are better than that."
He sighed in defeat. I win.
You let out a yawn and stretched your arms over your head, wasting no time in rising to your feet. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, you leaned close to his ear.
"What is mine, is yours, Dainsleif. Make yourself comfortable here." With that, you retired to your room in search of a good night of sleep. You only hoped he would remain when you awoke.
✧
He must have taken what you said to heart, because weeks later, he was basically a second tennant to the apartment. You were not used to having roommates, much less a handsome blondie at your disposal, but you weren't complaining. Kaeya wasted no time jumping on the tease train once he found out and you found yourself avoiding him more often than not.
"Dain, are you hungry? Good Hunter had a sale today so I brought you something." You nudged the door closed with your heel as you attempted to balance the bags in your arms.
Hs dropped the book he was studying to rush over and take half of your load. "I had forgotten to eat today," Dainsleif mumbled distractedly.
You used your arm to clear half of the table in order to make room to set up the dishes. The amount of papers had grown tenfold since he started staying here and it all hardly fit in the small space. You feared you would have to get a bigger place to accommodate everything.
"I believe I have discovered a hideout not far from us," he told you between bites. "I went out this morning and found elemental traces near Brightcrown Canyon where it shifts into Stormterror's Lair."
You couldn't help but observe him as he described his findings in depth. He had been reserved when you first met, but you soon found out that once he had the opportunity to share his knowledge, he became quite talkative.
He even removed that flamboyant cape after you bugged him about how uncomfortable it must be to sleep in. Dainsleif was down to his undershirt and black pants, but curiously, he never removed his mask or his gloves. Not once in the few weeks he had resided there.
"Is something the matter?" Dainsleif's diamond pupils locked onto yours. You failed to realize he had finished updating you on everything already.
"No." You picked at your food and looked away from his scrutinizing gaze.
"You lie," he said after a pause.
"Do you..." You didn't know how to phrase your question. "Do you have a skin condition?"
Dainsleif looked surprised at the question. He set down his silverware and sighed.
"My apologies, I shouldn't have pried."
"That's alright," he reassured. To your surprise, he got up from his seat and moved to your side of the table. You couldn't help but shy away as he kneeled down in front of your chair.
"What are you doing?" you stammered.
"Since you have shared so many secrets with me, I believe it is only fair that I share something with you," Dainsleif took your hand and gently pressed it to his mask. "I have never showed this to anybody, and I intend to keep it a secret from everyone aside from you."
You were beginning to get a little nervous. However, as he looked up at you with bright azure eyes, you admittedly felt a little touched. Whatever it was, he finally trusted you enough to expose himself. You weren't about to pass up this opportunity.
"What is it, Dain?"
"Go ahead. I will not stop you."
You had to assume he wanted you to remove the mask from his face. You did just that.
A strange charcoal-colored pigment stretched across the length of his cheek; it reminded you of the galaxy that stretched across the night sky. It could have looked like any old scar had it not been the array of color it was. He gauged your reaction with an unreadable emotion painted on his face. It was as if he expected you to fear what you had seen.
Silently, you reached for his hand, and he did not pull away. You removed his glove to find that the entirety of his hand looked the exact same, except the pigment covered every inch of his pale skin. It disappeared into the opening on his sleeve, and you surmised that it went all the way up his arm.
While it may have been abnormal, it was not enough to scare you away. You felt emboldened enough to cup the side of his cheek with a feathered touch.
"Dainsleif, I knew you were no ordinary man." A small smile overtook your lips. "Is this meant to surprise me?"
His hand came to rest on your thigh, and even though it was probably subconscious, goosebumps rose on your arms regardless.
"Are you not?"
"I mean, it's not what I was expecting. I figured you had some sort of scar that you were scared to show me, but..." You stopped to turn his face slightly with your thumb. "It is as if the galaxy imprinted its mark on you. You truly are special."
The distance between you became shorter as you marvelled at the sight of him. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips, and it was safe to say you were swept off your metaphorical feet.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I look this way?" Dainsleif susurrated. You pretended to think.
"No, I do not think so." You experimentally brushed against his galactic scar. "If you choose to tell me of your own free will, then so be it. I will not press you to spill your secrets. Then you would no longer be mysterious, and what's the fun in that?"
You felt the tickle of his whisper as you leaned to meet him halfway. "I appreciate your discretion, Godless."
You didn't pull away when his lips met yours. Dainsleif was gentle. His hand traveled from your thigh to your waist, slowly but surely, as your fingers ran through his soft blond locks. Neither of you had intentions of separating anytime soon.
Just wait until Kaeya finds out about this one.