Wanderlust: Genshin Impact One-Shots

Toska: Thoma x Reader

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Tᴏsᴋᴀ (ɴ.) Aɴ ᴀᴄʜᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜʟ, ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ғᴏʀ

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A modern AU in which a university student feels the helplessness of life, and Thoma listens to how she feels.

You opened your eyes slowly, the white light of the TV blinding you in the process. You unfurled your legs from beneath you, stretching out the various knots in your muscles. The end credits of the movie you hadn't stayed awake to watch rolled up and up. Glancing to your right, Thoma, your boyfriend, lay fast asleep on the sofa with a blanket across his lap. You smiled a little to yourself, butterflies filling your stomach at the sight of him next to you.

But the butterflies turned to ash when you glanced at the time on your phone. 2:27 a.m. That meant it was Sunday. The last day of summer break before you returned to University.

You sighed, rubbing your eyes. It hadn't been your intention to stay so long at Thoma's apartment. You'd never spent the night there before, the mere thought of it making you feel slightly nauseous as well as giddy. But it was far too late--or early--to just up and leave then. You'd originally come over for a movie night upon Thoma's suggestion...though clearly, sleep had won out over you both.

Later that day you'd be leaving for University...
Your heart plummeted into your stomach at the thought. University. School. Again.
It would be your third year of it. That should've made you happy. Over halfway there, till the end, right? But your chest felt leaden like rocks were shoved between your lungs. You didn't want to go back. You didn't want to have to face the sleepless nights of studying, the constant stress of classes. You wanted...what? What did you want?

You got to your feet slowly and quietly so as to not wake Thoma. He didn't so much as stir. You tiptoed over to the sliding glass door leading out to the balcony, nearly tripping on Thoma's dog, Taroumaru in the process. Luckily, you avoided treading on his tail and successfully edged the door open. You slipped out, closing it behind you, letting out a deep breath.
The cool city air greeted your skin, and as you turned around, your breath was stolen from you as the skyline of the city rose on the horizon.

Beneath the inky night sky, towering buildings and skyscrapers lit up the metropolis with their neon lights. Far below you, the roadways were abustle with cars and taxis. Traffic lights, electric billboards, light-up signs...everything set the city aglow with life, truly reminding you that it never slept. It never tired.
You sat down on the balcony, peering through the barred railing at the nightlife below you as the wind tousled your hair. Thoma really did have the best view from his apartment.

As you watched, your thoughts drifted far, far away. Away to distant fantasies and dreams. Away from here. Away from living. Because try as you might, and for the last month you'd tried very hard, the prospect of going back to University filled you with dread no matter what you did.
As a kid, bemoaning the fact that school was about to start was normal. Everyone did it because everyone seemed to hate school.

But it seemed that once you'd reached university age, you were expected to get over it and get good grades while dumping money into college systems that didn't need it. All for what? A major that didn't interest you or wouldn't assist you in what you wanted? Just to eat up the last years of supposed "youth" before everyone expected you to be an adult?

What even qualified anyone to be an 'adult?' You'd once overheard one of your classmates, Albedo, say that an adult was just an overgrown child that everyone assumed no longer had needs, someone that everyone figured had every answer to life imaginable. The scathing sarcasm in his tone reflected much of what you felt. Not only that, but it felt so scary to be getting older.