🩵┊Yanqing Oneshots [ Honkai Star Rail ] .ೃ࿔ ༘·°

[ GN!Reader ] ➜ Rescuing Blade

                                            ︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

                            - An unexpected ambush takes Blade by surprise, reminding him of something that had happened long ago. Luckily, you and Yanqing are there before it can escalate.
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                                    ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
                                    ┊ ┊ ┊ ✫
                                    ┊ ┊ ︎✧
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                                    ┊ . ˚ ˚✩

There is no escape.

The sword is chipped. Everything is consumed in fiery agony, blood filling the sides of a shattered man's mouth. As the crimson liquid leaked down his chin, dripping off of his jawline, he inhaled sharply. In an instant, he withdrew his blade towards his chest. "No.. no, please, stay together." He pleaded, though it was fruitless. After receiving a final blow, the sword shattered into hundreds of shards upon the ground. The entire Xianzhou seemed to fall silent, even the Abominations of Abundance had halted all attacks.
The black-haired Stellaron Hunter sunk to the cement ground, struggling to grasp the pieces of the last thing he had to remember his mentor with. After her death, he was never the same person as before. He could fix this. He needed to fix this.
The tank hosting a juvenile Starskiff illuminated a dim, blue hue upon Blade as his ruby-colored eyes stared in defeat at his hands. Blood filled his palms, covering the shards of sword and seeping through his fingers, dripping upon the ground like a light drizzle. One of the Mara staggered forth, hoisting its spear high above its head, prepared to deliver the fatal blow—

"Hands off!"

An angered voice shrieked, followed by the unexpected appearance of a blond swordsman. Blade lifted his chin. He was completely stunned by the sight of his adoptive son— oh, and his son's partner. In an instant, you smacked one of the Mara with your metal bat. Its skull exploded in a shower of rough flesh, petals of yellow ginkgo leaves fluttering in the breeze with the remains of the monsters. The other stood absolutely no chance against Yanqing's furious swipes. Since there were only two, you hurried to Blade's side. "Oh, for fucks sake." You hissed upon seeing the shattered sword in his hands. Not only had this evidently upset Blade— it would absolutely destroy Jing Yuan.
Yanqing's pristine ponytail swished as he swerved on his heels, rushing towards Blade and yourself. He dropped into a crouch before the villain. An expression of understanding melted upon Yanqing's features, his soft, perfect skin practically glittering beneath the nearby medium of light. "Are you alright, Father?" Questioned the boy with worry in his tone.
Blade could do naught but gaze into his son's pools of muted-gold, his own expression entirely unreadable. From what you could see, he was distraught. Sorrow crept over his features, his entire complexion relaxing as he hung his head. His hands released the shards of sword, allowing the blood to spill from his palms and onto his lap. As the swords tumbled to the ground in puddles of crimson, metallic clangs followed each piece.

For the first time, you witnessed something that nearly stopped your heart.

Blade's chin wrinkled, his lower lip slightly quivering as his eyebrows knitted. Through squinted eyes, he gazed down at his mentor's shattered legacy. Streams of tears formed down the sides of his face, blue light reflecting off of both his face and the tears. He covered the lower half of his face with his wrist, closing his hand into a tight fist. Yanqing's expression shocked with surprise, afterwards knitting with empathy. "Father, this is the first time I've ever seen you do this. Why are you crying?"
"Dammit, Yanqing—" Blade huffed audibly, "I am not crying." He then grumbled.
You instantly dropped into a crouch beside him, swiping your finger along his under eye. Lifting your forefinger, the nearby lights revealed wetness upon your skin. "What's this, then?"

Without another sound, Yanqing hurried to throw himself against Blade. His arms coiled around the man's torso, his cheek smushed into his abdomen. "Please don't cry," said Yanqing, "You're not in pain, are you?" His innocent tone brought a gentle grin to your lips. He seemed oblivious to the sentiment behind that sword.
"No." Said Blade, sudden rage in his tone. In an instant, you rushed towards Yanqing, restraining him from approaching Blade.
"Would you prefer some space?" You asked desperately. When there came no response, your expression sunk. You hoisted Yanqing to his feet, though he was clearly not happy about that. He wrestled and flailed against you in futile attempts to reach Blade. Your teeth gritted with strain as you forced Yanqing against your chest, grunting as you seized his wrists in your hands.

"Unhand my son," Blade's voice growled, "Now." He then extended his arms forth to accept Yanqing into his arms.
You released Yanqing from your arms, though still uneasy in Blade's presence. After all, he has tried to kill you since the day you two crossed paths. However, you allowed yourself to sit on the ground and observe in silence. The young lieutenant placed his ear upon his father's collarbone. Blade's arms caged Yanqing to himself, placing his chin atop the boy's head. Since there were far too many sharp fragments, Blade had hoisted his son into his lap to resume embracing him. The man's hand cradled the back of Yanqing's head. The blond boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck, sentences that you could not pick up being whispered. After the swordsman ceased speaking, Blade gave a feeble nod of his head. He lowered his face into the collar of his son's attire with the softest; "You're a good kid." you ever heard following.
Yanqing tightened his embrace on Blade, "It's okay, Father," he placed his cheek upon the villain's head. "I still love you, with or without your sword!"
A soft whine was Blade's only response.

You hoisted yourself to your feet, using spare cloth from your bag to collect the shattered fragments upon the ground. "It'll be expensive, but I can fix it," you grinned broadly at Blade, "I know a woman. She'll fix it like new." Your words seemed to relax him.
He shook his head a tad, "I—I'd rather not have anyone modify it." Said he.
"I meant she'd put the pieces together and mend it," you told him whilst Yanqing repeatedly pat his father's head. "Pffft— so, I'll take this to her tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Damn you! That lousy general was right, you kids are the cutest things.."

At least this could be fixed. As for Blade's shattered character, you doubted that even Yanqing could redeem such a broken man.

It was adorable witnessing Blade carry his son on his back, indulging in reassuring conversation with you along the trek to the Palace of Astrum. Something about witnessing that felt therapeutic— like a lesson. Maybe something along the lines of "it's okay to cry", but that felt ever-so-slightly wrong. But, you did learn something that day. Like a memory waiting to be unlocked when the time is right.