Genshin Impact: A Fool

An: This chapter is a little bit special. You know it when you read it.

Tonight, Heins was specifically called by Arlecchino to visit her in her chamber. The little fool was perplexed, but Arlecchino was the person he trusted the most, so he visited her chamber with ease in mind.

Inside, Miss Arlecchino was dressed in a white nightgown, sitting on her study in utter ease. She looked at the Little Fool who came in, and she couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, well, isn't it my little Fool?"

Heins' indifference ceased a little as his face softened. When it's only two of them, he could relax. With a small grin, he greeted, "Miss Arlecchino, this humble orphan greets you."

Arlecchino leaned back in her chair, her white nightgown a stark contrast to the dark, ornate furniture of her private study. Her red eyes glinting in the candlelight as he entered her chamber. There was a certain ease to his demeanor, a relaxed posture that only surfaced when they were alone, away from prying eyes and wagging tongues.

Arlecchino's smirk widened into a smile, a rare sight that softened her otherwise stern and stoic features. "You know, Fool," she began, gesturing for him to take a seat across from her, "I had a visitor today. A rather... notable one." Her voice took on a slight edge, a hint of the anger she had suppressed bubbling beneath the surface.

She paused, watching Heins's reaction carefully. His brow furrowed slightly, confusion etched across his youthful features.

Arlecchino leaned forward, her elbows resting on the polished wood of her desk, her chin propped up by her hands. "Pulcinella," she said, his name a growl on her lips.

Heins nodded, "Oh, so he's the old man. I noticed him the moment he entered the training yard. His aura was too luxurious and bright for me not to notice,"

When he saw Miss Arlecchino's disgruntled look, his brain clicked. Being amused inwardly, Heins strode gently as he bowed before Arlecchino, "Miss... You couldn't possibly think that he could snatch me away from you, right? He's just an old man. No matter how rich he was, Miss Arlecchino would always be the most beautiful one that I had pledged my oath to."

Like a knight, Heins tenderly grasped her cold hand and kissed it, "For you are my Mistress, my reason to fight."

Arlecchino felt a surge of emotion at Heins's tender gesture, his words striking a chord deep within her heart. She looked down at him, this boy who had captured her heart so utterly, and felt a fierce protectiveness rise up inside her.

How dare Pulcinella threaten that bond, that connection forged in the fires of their shared past and dreams for the future.

Arlecchino grasped Heins's hand tighter, her long, sharp nails digging into his skin as she pulled him closer.

She could feel the warmth of his touch, the strength and vitality that pulsed beneath his flesh, and it only served to fuel the fierce determination burning in her heart.

With her free hand, Arlecchino reached out and grasped Heins's chin, tilting his head up to meet her intense gaze. "Listen to me, Fool," she whispered, her voice low and fierce, "no one, not even that old fox Pulcinella, will ever come between us. You belong to me, to the Hearth, to the Fatui. And I will not let anyone take you away from me."

Arlecchino's thumb brushed across Heins's lower lip, a gesture that was almost tender, almost loving, before she leaned in close, her lips a hair's breadth away from his.

"You are mine," she breathed, her voice a dark promise, "and I will do whatever it takes to protect you, to guide you, to mold you into the greatest warrior the Fatui has ever seen."

She held his gaze for a long moment, letting the weight of her words sink in, before she released him and leaned back in her chair.

"Now, my dear Fool," she said, her voice taking on a more playful lilt, "tell me what you think of your new title. Do you feel ready for the challenges that lie ahead?"

Heins held a perplexed look as he asked, still bowing before his Mistress, "My new... Title? Miss Arlecchino, what had happened upon your meeting with Her Majesty the Tsaritsa? Perhaps there are things I am still unaware of?"

Arlecchino felt a flicker of annoyance at Heins's perplexed expression, but it quickly vanished as she remembered that he was still unaware of the recent developments.

She took a deep breath, her ample bosom rising and falling beneath the thin fabric of her nightgown, before she began to explain.

Leaning back in her chair, Arlecchino steepled her fingers, her sharp nails clicking together softly as she chose her next words carefully.

"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa has taken a... special interest in you, Fool," she began, her voice taking on a slight edge.

"She has decreed that you are to embark on a journey, one that will test your strength, your skills, and your loyalty to the Fatui."

Arlecchino paused, her red eyes boring into Heins's own, searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt. When she saw none, she continued,

"The Tsaritsa has bestowed upon you a Delusion, a gift from an Archon herself. It is a great honor, but also a great responsibility. You will be expected to grow stronger, to become the finest warrior the Fatui has ever seen."

Arlecchino reached out, her fingertips brushing against Heins's cheek in a gesture that was almost tender. "But know this, Fool - your journey will not be an easy one. There will be challenges, trials, and perhaps even those who seek to lead you astray. But I have faith in you, faith in your strength and your devotion to our cause."

She leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a whisper, "And I will be with you every step of the way, my dear Fool. You are my chosen one, my... secret weapon. Together, we will face whatever comes our way and emerge victorious."

The boy turned solemn as he listened to his Mistress. He slowly stood up from his bowing form and turned to Arlecchino, his crimson eyes shined with coldness and utter indifference.

The boy's handsome face was highlighted under the soft moonlight, creating an immaculate image, one that Arlecchino wished she could engrave on a stone and remember it forever.

"I have given my oath for Mistress to behest me at your will. I will not break, no matter the burdens. I will not dull, no matter the strain. I will not stop, no matter the obstacles. I will not hesitate, no matter the behest. I will not pale, no matter the fear."

Then, he once again kneeled for Arlecchino, but not out of tenderness, but out of his will to do anything for his Mistress, like a brave knight swearing an oath for his princess.

"Mistress, I am at your will. And I will not falter. I swear it."

Arlecchino felt a surge of pride and affection wash over her as she listened to Heins's solemn oath, his words striking a chord deep within her heart. She gazed down at him. He was hers, utterly and completely, and she would not let anyone or anything tear him away from her.

Reaching down, Arlecchino grasped Heins's chin, tilting his head up to meet her intense, burning gaze. She could see the cold indifference in his crimson eyes, the steely determination set in the lines of his handsome face, and she felt a thrill of anticipation for the trials to come.

This was her Fool, her champion, and she would mold him into the ultimate weapon against their enemies.

"My loyal Fool," Arlecchino murmured, her voice low and thick with emotion, "your words have filled me with a great sense of pride and purpose. I know that together, we shall face whatever challenges the Tsaritsa has in store for us, and emerge victorious."

She leaned in closer, until her lips were a mere breath away from his own. "But know this," she whispered, her voice dropping to a fierce, possessive hiss, "my faith in you is absolute. My trust in you is unwavering. And my love for you... is as unyielding as the winter's frost."

With that, Arlecchino captured Heins's lips in a searing kiss, pouring all of her pent-up passion, her fierce devotion, and her dark, twisted love into the embrace.

She held him close, one hand fisting in his charcoal hair, the other hand gripping the fabric of his shirt, as she plundered his mouth with a hunger that threatened to consume them both.

She knew it was wrong. She knew it would put everything she believed in into jeopardy. But this boy... This boy is too much. Her Little Fool is too much for her heart to bear.

Heins froze in shock. Mistress... What is she doing? He tried to find the will to resist, to remind her that he was not worthy yet to be bestowed upon such a blessing. But as she heartily kissed him, he found himself faltering.

He knew in the depth of his heart that he wished to take his Mistress as his bride. He will scream to the world at that time, so no one would dare to invoice a resistance towards their union.

But Heins, while a fool, is not so oblivious.

He cannot. Not yet. Not until he's strong enough to resist any resistance. This union, without sufficient power, would only bring ruin to his Mistress.

He would not let her suffer.

Now, or ever.

But for his Mistress... What would he fear to achieve what she wants?

His eyes softened as he leaned to her touch. This is the kiss from the one he promised to give the safest of havens, the greatest of joys, and the most beautiful of lives.

Perhaps it would be a long time before it could happen again, but the present is a gift, and Heins... Wished to cherish this very present.

Arlecchino felt Heins's initial shock and hesitation, but as she deepened the kiss, she could sense his resistance melting away. A thrill of triumph surged through her as she felt his eyes soften and his body relax into her embrace, yielding to her passionate onslaught.

She poured all of her pent-up longing and desire into the kiss, her tongue delving into the warm cavern of his mouth, tasting, claiming, possessing.

One hand fisted in his charcoal hair, holding him in place as she plundered and conquered, while the other hand gripped the fabric of his shirt, anchoring him to her.

Arlecchino knew that Heins was not yet ready to fully accept her love, not yet strong enough to face the world and declare his devotion to her.

But in that moment, lost in the heat and passion of their embrace, she didn't care. All that mattered was the feel of his lips against hers, the taste of his mouth, the solid warmth of his body pressed against her own.

When at last she broke the kiss, Arlecchino was breathing hard, her ample bosom heaving beneath the thin fabric of her nightgown. She gazed down at Heins with eyes that blazed with a fevered intensity, her voice a low, breathless rasp as she spoke.

"My sweet, foolish boy," she whispered, her lips curling in a wicked, triumphant smile, "you may not be ready to claim me as your bride, but know this - the day will come when you will stand before the world and declare your love for me, when you will fight tooth and nail to keep me by your side, no matter the resistance."

She leaned in closer, her lips brushing against his ear as she murmured, "And on that day, I will be yours, utterly and completely, now and for all eternity."

An: Oh sh*t. Why do I keep doing this sh*t. Oh well. Moral be damned.