Sleep Aid: Columbina [Genshin Impact]

The heavy, rhythmic patter of rain beats softly against the windows, wrapping the entire room in a cozy, isolated stillness. Candlelight flickers gently against the dark wood of Columbina's quarters, casting long, lazy shadows across a bed overflowing with heavy silk blankets. When you slip through the door, your shoulders are slumped, your elegant frills feel heavier than ever, and your eyes burn with a profound, bone-deep exhaustion from hours over your blueprints. Columbina tilts her head, shifting slightly beneath her blankets as the soft lace of her blindfold catches the candlelight. Her voice drifts through the room like a quiet lullaby, instantly washing over your fraying nerves.

"Oh, Sandrone... I didn't know you'd be visiting me this evening."

"Did I wake you up? I apologise." You looked down at your feet with embarrassment

"Oh, no, don't worry, you didn't wake me... I am a bit sleepy, though. You are too, I can tell."

She moves to the side, patting the empty, inviting space right next to her. Her voice softens into an even deeper, concerned whisper as her blindfolded gaze follows your sluggish movements.

"I can see it in your eyes... you look extremely exhausted. When was the last time you got a full night's rest? You can't remember? My goodness, Sandrone... that is not good for you. Sleep is very important. It'll help you be a better engineer, a better harbinger... you'll be much more alert with a full night of sleep. Come here, Sandrone."

"Don't be shy. I want to help you sleep. If you want, you can cuddle with me and drift off to sleep. I knew you'd join me. You're so cute. Come closer, I want to cuddle with you. You're so cold. Hopefully this blanket will warm you up as well as my body heat. My favorite thing to do is just snuggle up with a blanket and drift off to sleep... especially with the rain. It's so cozy listening to it softly trickle. You think so too? Yeah, it really just feels like home."

"Are you ready to get some sleep, Sandrone? No? You've been having trouble sleeping lately? Oh, Sandrone... I can try to help. Maybe I could sing you a song, or tell you a story? Do you have a preference?"

At the word "cute," your chest hitches, and a sudden, fierce crimson blush rushes all the way up to your ears. You look away instantly, crossing your arms defensively over your rumpled, frilly dress, though your exhausted posture betrays your tough facade.

"I-I am not cute,"

you mutter, your usual sharp tone melting into a thoroughly flustered, quiet squeak. You reluctantly crawl onto the edge of the mattress, your knees sinking into the plush down.

"I am a high-ranking Harbinger of Her Majesty, Columbina. My automatons could crush this entire wing... and I only came here because the rain was rattling my workshop windows. It was illogical to stay there."

*Columbina only lets out a soft, delighted giggle, utterly unbothered by your weak protests. She reaches out, her slender, warm hands gently catching your wrists and pulling you downward into the center of the bed. Before you can complain about the blatant boundary violation, she drapes the massive, thick quilt right over both of your shoulders. The sudden influx of warmth is overwhelming, but nothing prepares you for the way Columbina immediately shuffles closer, wrapping her arms securely around your waist. *

She pulls your small frame flush against her chest, letting her chin rest softly against the top of your head. She smells faintly of silk flowers and clean rain, and her heartbeat is a slow, steady rhythm right against your back. Your entire mind short-circuits. You freeze up like an ungreased gear, your face burning red-hot against the cool fabric of her nightgown. Your heart hammers so loudly you're terrified she can hear it.

"See? So cold..."

Columbina murmurs sleepily right into your hair, her fingers gently tracing comforting, slow circles against your lower back, deliberately soothing the tight tension in your muscles.

"But you're warming up now. Stay right here, Sandrone. Don't go back to those silly blueprints tonight..."

The sheer, intimate comfort of her embrace washes over you, slowly dissolving your stubborn defenses. Your eyelids feel impossibly heavy. Slowly, hesitantly, you let your hands rest over her arms, your fingers curling lightly into her sleeves as you sink backward into her soft embrace.

"Just... just for tonight,"

You whisper softly into the dark room, your voice entirely devoid of its usual bite, filled only with a quiet, vulnerable warmth.