#lapis might not be tired but i sure am

[crystalgemsketchbook]

🌺 arent you tired? 💧

[scaredpigeons]

Deus Auri

Zhongli x reader (gn)

Word count: 1.04k (smol)

CW: sfw:) mild spoilers for Neuvillettes voice lines about Morax, he calls him Deus Auri, which is god of gold in Latin— might just be a title but any little tidbit of Morax we get I just gobble gobble up. Flirting, zhongli calls you my dear, darling, vixen. No pronouns or other gender specific language used. Some kisses and allusions of wanting more.

Enjoy!

“Deus Auri.��

You can nearly hear the crack of Zhongli’s neck as his gaze whips towards you, but you keep your gaze trained on your book as if you hadn’t seen its comical swivel in your peripherals. 

“I’m sorry my dear, could you repeat that?” He said, though there was an edge to his tone. 

“Deus Auri—God of Gold. What can you tell me about that name?” You said, index finger gliding down the edge of the book. You were no longer reading, but still kept your eyes trained on the pages to pretend like you weren’t vibrating with excitement at his reaction. 

Zhongli was naturally very stoic, a well maintained facade to those who weren’t interested in looking deeper. 

You had been plenty interested, taking one look at him and instantly knowing he was no ordinary man. 

Now the better part of half a year into your blossoming relationship, he still hadn’t outright told you, but he’d grown comfortable. 

You’d catch glimpses of his wrists, normally covered— deep onyx with veins of pure gold. Though this only happened in the safety of his home— there was a time he had to remove his gloves to help you in the kitchen, and his perfectly pale, human hands had distracted you the entire time. 

The glamor he kept up in public slipped a bit when he was more at ease. 

To the eye that was actually looking, zhongli really wasn’t subtle about who he was. 

“Well, why don’t we start with where you heard such a name?” He asked. 

“I was with the traveler last week, helping she and paimon with a commission in Fontaine.” 

You can see the minuscule wince he gives out of the corner of your eye. Just a twitch of the brows as he blinks, so graceful, but you catch it because you’re looking for it. 

“I overheard a conversation she had with a lovely gentleman over there, though I didn’t get to introduce myself. He mentioned the name when the traveler was asking him about Rex Lapis.”

You closed your book, finally turning to look at him, though you kept your gaze coyly through heavy lids, peaking demurely at him through your lashes. 

“And you know, I thought that was very strange, her asking him about Rex lapis, when she could learn anything and everything about him from our resident expert.” 

“The traveler has not visited liyue to see me in some time, darling. And I'm sure there are others who’ve studied the gods. I am not the only knowledgeable one in Teyvat.” 

“I know, I know.” You chewed on your lip a bit for effect, looking puzzled. “So who is this Deus Auri? Is it perhaps another one of Morax’s many names?” 

You looked at him expectantly, grinning as he grew more stiff in his seat beside you. A mere foot of space between you on the couch and he looked like he was ready for you to pounce on him. 

You wanted to, you have wanted to, but he so chivalrously insists upon taking it slow. 

Hand holding in the harbour. Chaste kisses good night. You wanted so badly to break through his barriers but you knew he was holding back.

“You are…” he let a puff of air through his nose. “Correct in the knowledge that Morax was known to have many different names. Unfortunately that is all I can say on the matter.” 

“So cryptic.” You squinted at him. He often shut you out when you pried like this, poking and prodding in places you know you shouldn’t be, but he was always kind and straightforward about it—so you usually dropped it as soon as he denied you. 

“Do you think he had a favourite name that he went by?” You pushed a bit more, hoping to get him to give you just one more crumb before you played your cards. It was time, you were getting tired of hiding it.

He smiled thoughtfully, relaxing into the couch once more. “I’d like to think that he enjoyed the name Rex Lapis, the name given to him by his people. I’m sure it brought him a great sense of pride.” 

You grinned, soaking in his expression and words. Knowing what you know— gods. He really was so cute sometimes. 

You open up your book, stilling your grin to prepare for what was next. 

“Really? I’d like to think Zhongli is his favourite. Retirement is a good look for him.” 

You expected denial, perhaps his neck snapping back to you like it did when you first mentioned the ancient name. 

What you didn’t expect was to be tackled to the floor, a gloved hand supporting your neck instinctively as you and your book tumbled along the floor with the blur of rich oranges and browns that took you down. 

When you finally settled, you were on your back with him looming over you, pining you to the ground. 

“You little vixen. How long have you known?” His eyes were wild, hair a mess, cheeks flushed and breathless. Disheveled.

He looked more beautiful now than you’d ever seen him before.  

“From the moment you opened your mouth.” 

He kissed his teeth in a quick tsk, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Nothing escapes you, does it? I knew I would be in trouble with you.”  

You cupped his face in your hands, pulling him back towards you. 

“And yet you kept me around regardless.” You smiled, giving him a quick, teasing peck on the lips. 

“How could I not? You have an inescapable magnetism that I am completely captured by. I’m afraid to say that you’re unraveling me even as we now speak.” 

You grinned at him, face feeling just as flush as his. 

“How much more unraveling do I need to do to get you to let down those walls you keep around you?” 

“They were gone the moment I saw that you knew the truth, my dear, you should have said something much sooner.” He tilted his head with a soft grin. 

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him ever closer. 

“Kiss me then, you old blockhead.” 

He gave a rumble in his chest that sounded very much like a growl, and it set your nerves on fire.  

“Behave.” He said sternly. 

“No promises,” you said as you kissed him. 

[berriblossom]

KUKI MY LAD!!!

ITS ME AGAIN! (v)

( Barely proof red im half awake ^^" )

I've been seeing some very good responces to the other ask i had done, and i've just had so many ideas! But i really didnt want to stress you out, do im leaving you with this mini ask ( please dont push yourself to start it, i dont want this to become a chore instead of a little side hobby)

This is another papa zhongli ask, with the beast swan little baby reader (i love them so much platonically ♡♡♡)

Are you able to do a uncle put down for me? (Its like putting a kid to bed) with xiao ? Or... mayhaps a auntie put down with like.. ninnguane or something!! (Idk how to spell her name off the top of my head, i also just see her as the rich aunt typa person)

Once again, please take your time and make sure to have fun! (Btw if its alright with you, i might start leaving little incouragemental askes every once in a while ^^)

Im so eepy TT

GOODNIGHT FRIEND !! (ITS 5 AM HELP ME !! )

- (v)

Ahh, more ask! Im totally fine with all the encouragements! These ask make my day! Headcanon time!

When evening comes, who will tuck you in and kiss you goodnight?

Featuring: Childe, Beidou, Ganyu, Ningguang, Shenhe, Xiao, and Papa Zhongli.

✄-----------------------------------------------

Say what you will about the Fatui harbinger. He may have tried to bring the fall of Liyue, destroy its economy, and somewhat helped in the brutal slaying of its archon before the people's own eyes.

Childe [Uncle TarTag]

But he will be the best uncle no matter what. No matter what.

So when it is time for you to go to bed, he will sometimes procrastinate when you plead with him. "One more game, Uncle Tartag! One more movie, Uncle Tartag! One more!" You bet any money he will watch your favorite movie or read your favorite stories with you before putting you down for a nap or for bedtime.

When he is tucking you in, he is a little rough, to say the least. When you're tucked in. You are tucked in. Like you can't move too much, his strength gets the better of him.

Your bedtime story will have some sort of fighting or violence, which Zhongli has lectured him about. You might be an illuminated beast, but you are still a child. He even got in trouble for telling you to say, "The Tsarita is better than Morax" in a story he told you, and Zhongli wanted to murder him.

Rating: 7/10, he is trying but needs some work in the story department.

You will never be sleeping on her ship. Nit at night, at least. Zhongli has a fear thar if you sleep on her ship, you'll be in another nation by dawn. So yeah, no sleeping on Aunty Beidou's ship. But you can take naps!

Beidou [Captain Aunty Beidou]

Beidou will tell you her stories at sea, how she defeated Haishan, and the stories of her crew. She will never sing any sea shanty's...for reasons. But she'll let Kazuha tell you haikuu's. You can run around the ship until. You're tired out and come lay on her lap for a little nap.

The ship and crew will try to be quiet under Beidou's watch and orders for your nap. She'll let you use her coat as a blankie and kiss your forehead to let you have a few minutes of nap time.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10, only because you can't spend the night but she is good!

Ganyu [Big sister Ganyu]

Now, Ganyu is the queen of naptime with you. Putting you to bed, a little different.

When she puts you down for sleep, she slowly falls asleep, too. She makes your bed extra confy when you're at Jueyun Karst, too comfy. When its bed time, shell read you a bedtime story about Rex Lapis, the Adepti like Aunty Cloudy [cloud retainer].

But slowly and quickly, she will fall asleep with you. She has a small Qilin night light for you, similar to her Cryo globe she makes. She'll have some cool warer near your little setup and some snacks.

By the time she is done reading, she'll be laying beside you, drifting off into sleep with you. She'll let you cuddle her and hold her is you get scared like a good big sister.

Rating: 8/10, she is just a little sleepy, but you're not complaining.

Ningguang [Aunty Ning-Ning]

The times Ganyu has accidently had late nights with you, Ningguang is more than honored to let you hang out with her. Your day is filled with shopping, museums, arts trips, and all the natural beauty of Liyue presented to you on a platter. All for her little swan. Zhongli was fine for you to stay in the Jade Chamber as long as you are respectful and polite.

Ningguang would set you up in a room not far from her desk area or place you on a couch near her office area. She'll get you blankets of the finest cotton, silk, or any fabric. She'll give you some nice cushions for comfort and a nice cup of tea to help you settle down for naps.

She will kiss your head, give you some delicate cuddles, and place you down on her lap if you asked her politely.

If she is in a meeting? Oh, put it on hold real quick, her little swan needs their nightly cuddles and she needs to get it done. Want some tea before bed? Oh, she has it done and will have you in some beautiful silk pajamas while she is at it.

Want to sleep in her expensive bed with her and your plushie, oh she will make some room and let your plushie have its own pillow too.

Ningguang can be really serious at times but if you need her to tuck you in before bed and ask her to tell a story, she will buy the best children's literature book ever written just to read it to you and kiss you goodnight. Yes, she will.

Rating: 7.5/10, your rich Aunty has you covered.

Shenhe [Big sister Shenhe]

She would be lost at first, she knows you aren't human so why sleep like one? But once Ganyu and Cloud Retainer gets it through to her that you are raised in the human world despite being an Adeptus, you act the way you do. Similar to your sleep.

So in some ways, your situation is the opposite but similar to hers.

In comes protective Shenhe mode.

Whatever you want for your nightly routine, she is going to find it, get it, or make Ganyu buy it. She'll learn from Zhongli and Cloud Retainer how to brew and make tea, just for you.

If you ever call her "big sister Shenhe" in your sleep, her yearning to keep you safe even in your dreams grows. Do you want her to kiss your duckie goodnight? She will and tuck it in too beside you. Similarly, with Childe, she can be a little harsh on tucking you in, but over time she learns how to reel it back in.

Do you like her cryo spirits that swirl around you? She'll use them to keep your room cool at night during warm nights.

Want her to tell you stories? She will spend time with the traveler just to come back and tell you about it.

Rating: 8/10, she's a little confused but goodness she has the spirit.

Need him to hold your hand when you get scared of the dark? He will ask Verr Godlet to borrow a night light for you. Or better yet, he will find or make one. He will also still hold your hand.

Xiao [Big Brother Xiao]

Now, this big brother, the conquerer of demons, is the only surviving Yakasha.

He will spoon-feed you almond tofu if you need it before bed. Hell, he will learn the recipe and make it for you. Want to sit on the terrace of the Wangshuu Inn and say hello to the moon? He will have you in his lap while you do it.

Need a little cool air because the room is stuffy or warm? he'll use his anemo vision to bring in a gentle breeze. He will have everything you like and don't like down on a list.

Too much noise? He will find the source and silence it.

Want a bath before bedtime? He will test the temperature himself, and make sure to get your rubber duckies in too.

Need some tea? What's the brew? What type? Hell, where is the leaf so he can pick it himself and make it?

Xiao would sleep beside you too even if he is tense and still as stone. But he will mellow out once hearing you have your big brother here to protect you. Yeah, he will be there to protect you.

Rating: 8.5/10, he will do it only for you. Only for his little sibling.

Zhongli is the standard setter of what bedtime should be like.

Zhongli [He needs no introduction]

Zhongli will not only have your bath ready for when bedtime comes, but also your favorite night-time tea is on the stove ready too. He will pull out your little dragon onesie, with the horns on the hood too. And a little tail, and will put your little yellow socks on too.

You can run around while he folds up your towel and clothes for the next day saying you're a dragon and he will play along, even teaching you about how real dragons act and fly. Zhongli will give you the tea in your special teacup with two pinches of sugar just for you.

Want a little snack? He will be making you little biscuits to enjoy with your tea like little cookies.

When it's really time to settle you in, he will have your nightlight on while reading you a bedtime story. He is the king of bedtime stories he can tell you a story you've heard 100 times like it's never been told before. Want a story about Rex Lapis and the Adepti? He has one, and wants one about the Stove God? he will tell it all.

He will tuck you in gently, making sure you are fully covered and secure. The window will be cracked slightly for some fresh air, and also the coolness.

Have a nightmare and need your Papa?

He will hold you close to his chest and will console you while you cry and talk about it. Assuring you, that your Papa will always come and save you, even from the dark.

He will kiss your forehead and cheeks goodnight, even your plushies too. Repeating how much he loves you, how happy he is to be your papa, and how lucky he is to have you, his little swan with him.

Got scared and want to sleep in his bed?

He will pull you beside him and let you talk to him until you go to sleep finally. He may be exhausted but he will listen to your rambles before bed like it is his morning news.

Rating: ∞/10. No questions, comments, or concerns here.

[postpunkpsychedelilah]

Saying Goodbye to my Brooklyn Kitchen

Saying Goodbye to my Brooklyn Kitchen

(First, a reminder that this is an exercise. I’d like to thank Androthony for the prompt)

In my kitchen in Brooklyn hangs a poster (stolen) from the land of Sunshine.

In a drunken misdeliberation, a miscarried migration; in the miscarried migration, a fragment of the poster stayed behind. A torn edge on a quadrilateral.

How shapes deform in my handwriting as I handwrite this phrase reminds me of the simplifications we make in our spoken language. All those scattered dialects might have come from a scattering of the shapes of the sounds that we scribble with our voices on the surface of time.

Somewhere. I stand in my kitchen. In this city. On the surface of time.

Somewhere. Dishes are scattered everywhere. I’ve spent countless hours here, but not as I had thought I would have. Or should have. If I count the countless moments, cooking would’ve ranked quite low on the list. Cleaning even lower.

I like to pretend I'm in a film, but this is an unhealthy habit. This life is longer than 90 minutes.

A plate sits on my stove top glazed with a layer of yesterday’s dinner. Across from it, I sit on the counter. Cigarette ash is floating on an unnameable liquid that has accumulated in a bowl that, for a number of days now, has found a home in the sink.

I should stop smoking in the kitchen. They might take my deposit away. Perhaps my lungs too should be a part of this consideration, but I shudder this thought away.

An idiolect refers to the particular speech habits of a person. I wonder if there’s a word for the kitchen habits of a person. idiocusinie? 

depression?

I guess this is just a distraction.

I guess I have to say goodbye to this kitchen. And to this pantry.

And to this time.

Most bottles of oil are mostly full even though I’ve had to replenish them more than once in my two years here. I mostly used just olive oil or ghee. I used to be very careful about choosing the right ingredients, but now I just cook whatever feels right.

Alas, lately nothing has really felt right.

I will have to dispose of this oil safely when I move out. This is such a hassle—there’s no way I will be able to finish it in two months, and I can’t just throw it down the drain. I think this hurts something. I am not sure what it hurts or how it hurts, but I know what it’s like to hurt, and I wouldn’t want to wish that upon anything.

When I first moved in, I decided to name my stovetop Kenji. I wondered what its name was before. I used to cook a lot, and I thought I’d keep doing that, but like any other tired Brooklynite, I ended up getting one of those subscription services for half my meals. A significant portion of the other half was spent between first-date dinners, meals with friends passing by the city, or DoorDash deliveries. I wonder if this hurt Kenji.

Growing up is not fun, I think to myself. I only see my friends when they’re passing by. If nothing else, at least I got memories out of my meals.

Fuck.

Would I have to figure out how to dispose of my memories too or could I just safely throw them down the drain?

I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye.

Not to my kitchen, not to my memories. So I put these memories on a shelf—cookbooks, liqueurs, and all the little gifts that remind me of all my lovers.

I must clarify that when I say all my lovers, I mean all of them.

On the shelves, a collection of emptied wine bottles with labels caught my eye. And on my mind:

a Sauvignon Blanc, 2021, Lapis Luna. A second date at home.

a Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah blend, 2019, Double Trouble. I saw an old friend.

a Pinot Noir, ????, Otto’s Constant Dream. I fell in love with a stranger.

I wish I could work towards a native fluency in your idiolect.

I will try to carry your sounds with me, even if I have to leave the kitchen behind.

I’ve tried to start cooking more again. I think this is an essential part of recovering, even though I don’t know what I’m recovering from.

I flip through a cookbook. Salt Fat Acid Heat. I’ve taken down notes. It takes a bit of mental processing to gather their meanings. The shapes of these words are known to me, but really, from what (linguistic) distance would they just be scribbles on a page? I’m certain this sort of written idiolect, put simply, my handwriting, requires a certain degree of familiarity and fluency to read.

I think I’m the only speaker of my idiolect, but sometimes even I cannot understand me.

Yesterday, I warmed up a frozen meal, which is its own achievement. My mother had packed it in January. I googled how long frozen cooked meat is safe to eat, and it seemed we’re cutting it a bit too close, but I feel fine today.

I feel fine today insofar as I am riding on 200 micrograms of orange sunshine.

I think I’m the only speaker of my idiolect, but sometimes even I cannot understand me. I find this to be a very strange sensation. Even stranger, perhaps, is that you can understand me. And even stranger how you can read even between the lines.

Between the lines, a plant leaves her leaves falling in the shape of a crescent moon. We all call her Chandramukhi (چندرمکھی). She scatters the sunlight onto the walls.

Against the walls, an assortment of drinkware appliances sits silently in its corner. I don’t know a better phrase for this collection. A dusty bartending kit from when I could still be called an alcoholic, a kettle half filled with water, a few kinds of tea and coffee—in all their forms—dried leaves, ground beans, concentrated, processed, rotting.

Time brings a rot. Chaos. A commotion.

Among the commotion on the surface of the kitchen counter, slept some half-forgotten dreams. Bookbinding tools, lino blocks, and Lila, the water lily, sitting by my synthesizer, all outlined by three glass box eighths of weed that help me cope with having half-forgotten myself.

Among the commotion in the structures of my memory, lived an unforgettable half-forgotten image. Years later, every lover every friend every time, every moment in this city still reminds me of you. Only you. On the surface of time. Only you. How could I even walk through these streets without hearing the sound of your voice echoing from the past?

I want you to know, if you ever read this, there was a time when I would rather have had you by my side than any one of these words. (Maggie Nelson)

I am running out of time, but this time will always stay with me. I am running out of space, but I know your heart would never run out. I am running out of breath, but I have to say goodbye. I am running out of words.

I hope you find comfort in this city. It is yours now.

[watatsumiis]

i really am on a roll tonight so here's some toootally not self indulgent headcanons about Morax!

Gender neutral reader (referred to as 'you'), some soft fluffy comfort stuff, probably more on the romantic side than platonic in this case! Deviating from canon stuff a bit maybe, just let me have this ok <3

half dragon!zhongli, a bit of a ramblier format than my previous posts, in a list format! kind of a pre-established relationship/friendship, i dunno, snuggles are involved <3

'Morax' is how i refer to Zhongli's half-exuviua form in this case.

He's several feet taller in this form (not even taking into account the horns), and has a tail similar to that of his exuvia - his nails are closer to claws, and he has dark patches of scales in his softer spots (tummy, neck, shoulders, etc.) and markings that match up with his exuvia

His general overall demanour depends heavily on 'who' he was last, with Zhongli skewing him more towards the gentle and patient side, and Rex Lapis pushing him into a more blunt and possibly aggressive state.

I have a whole headcanon thing about how Adepti are empaths and they use their horns/whatever is poking out of their head as kind of like receivers for the emotions of those around them, so Morax is definitely more in-tune with the feelings of others than Zhongli might be (whether he does anything productive with it is a whole other question though)

He's kind of ... shy about showing off this form in front of a mortal that already knows him as Zhongli so well - while he puts up a very stony (ha) facade, he can be kind of insecure about how he's seen sometimes, especially now he's trying so hard to assimilate himself with the mortals.

Because he'd be going from Zhongli to Morax, he'd definitely be a little.. softer around the edges, if that makes much sense? He's got a higher sense of empathy that isn't just from the brain waves he's now picking up

Morax is... not entirely sure how to feel about the way you marvel at his appearance - it's a different kind of admiration than he's used to, not quite the worshipping he's come to expect from mortals that see him, nor is it in the lane of fear he was worried it would be

His physical features are definitely a little more angular like this, so it's hard to take your eyes off of him as you drink in how someone who looks almost the same as before can be so, so entirely different.

He's afraid to be near you at first, afraid that he might accidentally hurt you, or do something to upset you or make you scared of him, and you're afraid of doing something that might make him not want to be in this form around you any more, so you're both a bit flighty

He probably won't go walking around Liyue Harbor like this, but perhaps a hike along a secluded mountain trail might work.

He's so tall

so. tall.

He takes like one step for every one of your three

and seems to keep forgetting his tail is there at all, it works to keep him balanced almost unconsciously

the urge to touch it is very, very strong. that fluff on the end of his tail looks so, so incredibly soft, surely he wouldn't notice if you were to just

oops

nope

he noticed

(he's totally endeared by it though)

He definitely eases up the more time you two spend together like this

if you begin to tire while you're walking together, he'll absolutely pick you up with ease and just. hold you like you weigh nothing. Zhongli could probably pick you up too, but this is different (and not just because you're several feet higher than you might usually be), he's sturdy and warm and he smells like a freshly tilled garden after a sun shower

he definitely wouldn't be opposed to finding somewhere sunny to sit and have a picnic - let's just hope you packed enough, because Morax's appetite is not something you want to underestimate

seriously he hungy, it takes a lot of effort to hold this half-and-half form, yknow

oh he definitely has fangs btw

like BIG fangies, sometimes after he first transforms he lisps a little as he gets used to them poking past his bottom lip and its kind of sweet how embarrassed he gets about it

im sorry i cant resist any longer

SNUGGLES

he gives SUCH good snuggles like this, he'll lean with his back up against a tree as he cradles you in his arms and it's so warm and safe and like nothing could ever ever hurt you here, especially when he coils his tail around you, that gorgeously fluffy tip draping over your shoulder so you can reach up to brush your fingers through it (he totally didn't do that on purpose)

you can just FEEL his voice rumbling in his chest as he speaks, in a slightly lower cadence than normal, it just vibrates through your whole body and soothes you in a way that not much else can as he rubs your back and just.. talks

its his usual inconsequential nattering (something about a small settlement that used to be up this way) - he doesn't expect you to pay full attention, he's just reveling in having someone to talk at

his hair is a bit longer and thicker like this too

if youre lucky he might let you braid it, or weave flowers into it!

I dunno i feel like though he'd be a little nervous at first, spending time with you like this quickly turns into one of his favourite pasttimes, he revels in the admiring way you look at him (and having some insight to your surface level thoughts and emotions thanks to his adeptal powers is a nice change of pace for him)

umm im not sure what else to add or how to wrap this up augh this was just a suuuuper self indulgent piece of rambling (that im lowkey a little shy/embarrassed about posting ngl alkfdlksg), i just love this silly dragon fella SO much you have no idea

please dont copy/repost/otherwise plagarise my work!

I'm always open to ideas and suggestions, or opening discussions regarding my posts!

[thedivinevera]

Favor(chapter 1)

Yan! Emperor zhongli x empress reader (x fem! concubine)

Pining, yandere, forced marriage, love triangle but both love one person(reader), sleeping in one bed, kissing, Chinese dynasty au but like not accurate

Mention of death, yandere, unhealthy obsession,

Concubine is not yandere

you are the empress of liyue, wife of the merciless emperor rex lapis and the tamer of the morax. Your husband zhongli also agree in does praise. People of liyue knows how devoted their emperor to you, they never thought that the emperor will going to get a concubine after all the poem he write and praise he sang, the concubine well she seems want to destroy your relationship with him but in the other way

Pls read this ↓

( I just got a hate for my bad writing I don't know what the au anon is taking about but for now a little reminder I been writing for at least 2 to 1 months now. I been in a process of learning how to write and my mother tongue is not english I am a filipino Still learning how to speak foreign language. So pls if you don't like my fanfics then you can freely block me or just stop reading my fanfics. I don't like hate comments in my inbox. Just like what the rules/pinned rule I am a sensitive person thank you - author )

Reblogs are appreciated. thank you

"my empress,my goddess. If you only know how much I love you..." you can not say anything you want to tell him that this is not love this is an obsession the unhealthy one but all the words just die in your throat just like how people die in his hand because of-.. you don't know the only thing you knew is that it has something connected to you. Oh how you wish to not met him if you only take the long walk than walking to that short cut you will not going to meet him and this will not going to happen no life will be loss because of you but the pass is pass and now you're in his lap his head is in your shoulder while his nose is inhaling your smell. You are adorned with jewelry and beautifully hand crafted silk and dress. all is embroidered with dragon reprsenting the symbol of the emperor. "shall we sleep now after all it will going to be a long day for you after all? Don't worry I will always going to love you. They will only going to be married to me because of political reason but she's only a mere mistress but you're my wife. So please don't be angry at me" he shift in his position and place you to his bed you look at him with a dead eyes "don't worry I couldn't careless. Marry as much woman you like until I escape in your hands" he simply smile and approach into your ears as he wispher "you can not leave my graps my empress you shall know that" he kisses your lips and lay in your side he hugs you with all of his might making sure you can not leave after he close his eyes and lose his consciousness, you look at the beautifully decorated walls until you fall as sleep

It's the day you will need to welcome the generals daughter. You expected a fearless woman who will going to look at you with envy and will going to say an oath about surpassing you or something with does line. You couldn't care less after all your marriage is just one sided so why you need to care at all. You already has an experience when it comes to this type of woman a lot of maid and daughters has always say does lines wanting to intimate you and gain the favor of the emperor but all of them just loss their head in the order of their lovely "future husband". But we'll seems like the Celestia has surprise you. You saw a woman perhaps 1 or a half older than you has drop out of the carriage she looks into your eyes and for a second you know what is happening. You recognize this eyes this eyes is the same eyes you saw when you and the emperor met but this is a lot more pure. If you think it's delusional the blush and the pathetic smile explain à lot. She look at you with admiration and crush, heh what a life- you face-palm your self gosh how tireful.

The concubine has start to speak but you shrug and dismissed your self. You want to just sleep this is already a tiring day and it's just 8 in the morning

[mrpenguinpants]

Xiao: First Kiss HCs

I’m so sorry it took me actually forever to reply to you. But I really hope you like this and it was somewhat worth the wait;; I tried really hard but ty for liking my Xiao content and yes! Let’s be absolute trash for Xiao. In this house we only believe in Xiao supremacy 💕💕

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Semi Part 1: Friendship

Semi Part 2: Falling in Love

Semi Part 3: Cuddles

Semi Part 4: Protective

Semi Part 5: Affection

Semi Part 6: Jealously

Semi Part 8: Opposites Attract

Semi Part 9:  String of Fate [Soulmate] HCs

Semi Part 10:  [ Fainting ]

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Childe Ver: First Kiss HCs

Venti & Kaeya: Mistletoe HCs

Venti, Xingqiu, and Razor: Kissing HCs

Considering how many more Xiao fics I need to write. This semi part link might not be a good idea lol. Also let’s ignore if I wrote in a kiss in a previous post haha.

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​​  @mikeysbike​​ @unionwitch​​ @musekala​​ @twistedsunnshiii​​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​​ @xoneaboveallx​​ @adoring-ghost​​ @asheseiler​​ @childelover​​@youaskedfurret​​ @snowy224

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Xiao: First Kiss HCs

When you and Xiao first got together. It was a slow and steady process of learning each other boundaries and what felt comfortable. Xiao knew he was a difficult partner but you loved him and even becoming his friend was a slow and worthwhile adventure. It started off small leading from small handholding, to cuddling, to showing each other affection. But the one area that you both weren’t familiar in was kisses. He was an isolated adepti and you were an adventurer. You didn’t have any experience in being kissed and Xiao sure as hell didn’t either. Plus it was a lot more intimate and nerve wracking compared to holding hands and that was an hard hill to tackle in itself.

You didn’t mind that he wasn’t comfortable with initiating affection or never went in or talked about kisses. You were just happy that he was by your side and that your love was reciprocated. That he was comfortable in your presence and seemed content in your arms. It still made you a bit giddy when you reflected on how far you both came and that was enough for you. Xiao, on the other hand, couldn’t exactly say the same. While he was happy and he was content, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe your relationship was too one-sided? He knew that you were comfortable and okay with waiting for him to work out his issues and figuring out how to love again but he also really wanted to do more. He just wasn’t sure how to start.

It suddenly dawned on him one day when he saw you off on your next journey, that he had never really kissed you. Even a small goodbye kiss. It was usually you initiating affection or giving words of love and you always told him that it didn’t matter if he said it or not. His actions said more which always made him flush a bit. But on slow and quiet days where you were off on another adventure and Liyue was calm, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to you. To your face, your bright eyes that would light up whenever you talked about the interesting sights you saw on your journey, the curve of your nose whenever he tapped it when you started to ramble on to much, your lips and how they would spread into a soft smile when it was just the two of you.

Xiao quickly flipped himself up into a sitting position and groaned into his hands. What was happening to him? He needed to take a walk to clear his mind again. He’s been going out a lot since he met you. He had faced an army of demons and fought in a war and yet this felt like the hardest challenge of his entire thousand year long life. He could almost hear Guizhong’s laughter at his predicament and her words of wisdom saying to take whatever problem he had and face it head on. Just without his spear. The spear needs to stay home.

So the next time you visited Wangshu Inn he asked for you to close your eyes. You complied but you were surprised, sitting by the railing facing Liyue up on the balcony. Was he going to gift you something? This was the first time he asked you to close your eyes but you trusted him. You could almost feel the anxiety waving off Xiao so you kept quiet and patient and waited for him to be ready.

He was ready. He could do this. You weren’t even looking at him so what was there to be worried about? He slowly leaned in, just hovering above your lips. But then he leaned back a bit, flushing red. He nearly chewed his lip before stopping since you probably didn’t want to taste blood. It wasn’t that he wasn’t ready or he thought that you would hate it, he was just nervous in messing up. What if his accidently transformed? What if he accidently pushed you off the railing? Even worse, what if someone showed up and saw you both like this?

Turns out he didn’t need to worry. Somewhat. Zhongli, who Xiao knew now was actually Rex Lapis in disguise, made a sudden appearance behind him. The whiplash of suddenly seeing his Master, the nervous butterfly’s fluttering in his stomach, and pep talk Xiao was trying to pound into his mind made him suddenly lurch forward and kiss you deeply. A bit too deeply as his little fangs nipped at your bottom lip.

“Zhongli!?”

“Rex Lapis?!”

You both quickly broke apart as your eyes flew open when you heard the man but also surprise at the sudden but, not completely unpleasant, pain and pressure on your lips. You could almost see the soul leave Xiao’s body when he spun around to see the surprised Zhongli. It was silent for a moment, all three of you just staring at each other. You were still processing what the hell just happened, Xiao was trying to find a way to astral project, and Zhongli was computing the fact that yes, the ever grumpy and “don’t touch me” yaksha both had a lover and was in the middle of...courting.

“Oh. My apologies. I wasn’t aware you were both occupied. I shall take my leave and visit another day then.” Zhongli simply nodded and left before you or Xiao could say anything. You both stared at the empty figure of where Zhongli was before you started to burst into laughter at the situation. You really felt bad, you did honestly, but with all the overwhelming emotions you couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m...sorry. I didn’t know he was going to visit today,” Xiao muttered as he pressed his hand into his face and groaned at the embarrassing moment. You could see the tips of his ears were getting redder by the second which made you chuckle. For such a fearsome Yaksha he was really cute sometimes.

“It’s okay Xiao. I don’t mind. But are you alright?” you stifled the last of your giggles and reached out to pull him closer and remove his hand from his red face before cupping his cheek. He huffed but leaned into your hand. He really was sometimes like a cat.

“Are you hurt? Was I...too forward?” Xiao asked but he still wouldn’t look you in the eye. The floor was very interesting this afternoon. Wood was nice. Wood was good.

“No! It was...nice,” you answered, starting to go a bit pink yourself now before you felt a stinging pain in the corner of your lip, “Ah. I think you might accidently bit my lip though.”

“I see,” Xiao was now looking at you with his piercing eyes as he watched your small pink tongue brush over the corner of your bottom lip. His attention began to focus on that small part as the world seem to narrow down. Just the two of you. But unlike when you both would lie on top of the inn and watch the sun go down he felt hungry.

“Do you-”

Before you could ask anything Xiao suddenly pounced and pressed his lips against yours in a heated kiss. He took you by surprise but you quickly recovered as you gripped the purple ribbon on his back and yanked him forward as his hands slammed against the railing, trapping you. You felt his tongue press against your lips as you slowly opened them to let him in. It was overwhelming and you were sure if you hadn’t been grabbing onto the purple ribbon you would have fell over but then a sudden deep rumble snapped you out of your trance.

“Xiao? Are you...Are you purring?” you giggled when you got a tiny but of separation from the lack of air but he frowned at you, really it looked more like a pout, before leaning over once again.  Just barely brushing over your lips as he whispered

“Meow”

---

This isn’t even OOC anymore. I feel like I’m writing a fucking k-drama right now, what am I doing anymore? English? Huh? I do not compute.

I’ve just awakened something in me with Cat! Xiao and I am flying with it (and casually ignoring lore. Isn’t he a bird?). Heading straight for the stratosphere and you cannot stop me. Just gonna hide away in shame now don’t look at me.

Okay. Time to commit sleep for uh 2 hours lol. I’m really tired but I feel kinda proud of myself haha. Tomorrow’s fics are going to be Venti, Lisa and Diluc pairing, and Venti and Barbara pairing. Good night!

Oh, and yes there is a lot more Xiao content to come and uhh might continue this cat!xiao idea. Unless that’s too weird. I’m sorry don’t shame me pls 😰

my god tumble just work. i dont want to deal with you and your tags. 

[craptsukii]

genshin boys and terms of endearment they'd use

a/n: this is my first time writing headcanons and ngl i found them quite difficult to format :( i’m liking this style for now, but things might change later on teehee anyway, lemon cake update next week, i promise!

♡༚࿐ 🇩‌🇮‌🇱‌🇺‌🇨‌

let’s get something out of the way first

diluc is not a jerk

sure, he might have tsundere tendencies but he’s definitely not as cold as people make him seem

in my opinion anyway

i like to call him a classy, but also a very private, softie

i can totally see him as someone who’d use terms such as darling, love, doll

a major factor here is the time and place

in public, he tries to seem more indifferent and will most likely refer to you by your name

however, in a more private setting, he has no inhibitions and actually prefers using nicknames!

I feel like diluc would want to really reassure their partner he truly cares about them, but in a direct yet indirect way

and calling you sweet things seems to get the message across.

listen to this while reading!

If only time could pass faster. Who knew waiting could be such an agonising activity? Such a simple but repetitive thing. Waiting for your cake to finish baking, waiting for the morning to arrive and even waiting for your lover to come home turned out to be much more of a challenge. It wasn’t unusual for Diluc to spend hours on end at Angel’s Share, but it was rather odd of him to break his promises.

A sad smile took over your features, remembering last night. Remembering his words, so sweet and benign, promising to dedicate you all of him and his time. His crimson red eyes, full of love and admiration for the person he held so dearly to his heart. His voice, so demure and nothing but a soft whisper, as if raising it would ruin the moment. The moment he shared with you in a little dark corner of Mondstadt, away from curious eyes and sharp ears. The moment he so desperately wanted to hold onto. Yet, the darknight hero was nowhere to be found.

By the time he finally arrived, your eyes were already closing. It was a gloved hand that pulled you out of your somnolent state. Yet again those same red eyes were looking into yours with the same devotion, if not stronger than the night he made his promise.

“Forgive me, love,” he pleaded in a shushed tone, “Kaeya came in and started causing a commotion and I couldn’t just leave.” he continued, his thumb brushing over your cheek delicately.

Too tired to say anything, you placed your hand over his, silently asking him to join you in bed. You had all the time in the world to discuss tomorrow... Hopefully. After discarding his black coat on one of the chairs and taking off his shoes, Diluc plopped in your shared bed, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable. Soon his arms were around your waist, bringing you closer to his chest. His smell reminded you of grapes and it completely enveloped you as you nestled into him.

“If only I could turn back time…” Diluc murmured to himself, kissing the top of your head. “Nothing will come in between us and our time together tomorrow. I promise you, darling.”

Turns out that, in the end, he does keep his promises.

♡༚࿐ 🇽‌🇮‌🇦‌🇴‌

listen to this while reading!

my very polite baby

like sure, he’s straightforward

but he be treating everyone with respect

you might be wondering why that matters

well that's because i think xiao would see it as a little rude to not refer to someone important to him by their name

names play a major part in xiao’s past

with rex lapis re-naming him after taking him under his wing and such

so, in my opinion, xiao finds calling out your name way more meaningful than nicknames

although if he were to use one it would probably be dear

it’s short and he can still address you as “dear (name)”

it does sound quite formal at times though

Moments like this were rare. Usually, sleep doesn’t concern your lover in the slightest, as it rarely comes to him. Although you couldn’t help but admit how much you loved it when he did come and sleep. Cuddled up next to you was the vigilant yaksha, the well known protector of Liyue. And dare you say, it was truly a divine sight. In the wash of the morning light, his face took the appearance of an old photograph, so nostalgic, so at peace. Slowly, one of your hands brushed past his face, placing the few rebel aquamarine strands that were cascading down his cheek behind his ear. For a moment, you find yourself in perfect silence, Xiao’s soft breaths being the only sounds that could be discerned. Without realising, you started softly rubbing his back, your heart leaping at the content purr that followed shortly after.

It was almost impossible to put into words the joy this brought you. Although it was such a simple, mundane thing, seeing Xiao so at ease was by far your favourite memory with him. The more you studied his features the more your sight fell upon his lips. The sudden urge to kiss him overwhelmed you, wanting nothing more than to cherish and show your lover the affection he deserves.

If only the sudden chirping of birds didn’t scare you, barely a few inches away from his face.

Curse those birds and their awful timing! And so, you backed away, laughing to yourself in self-consciousness, thankful that no one was aware of your little mishap.

Or so you thought.

You felt your face get warmer the moment you saw Xiao looking at you, drowsiness still coating his eyes. Yet again, for another short moment, no sound could be heard.

“____ my dear” he said, his voice deep and hoarse, snaking his arms around you as he brought you closer to him, “if you won’t do it, I will.” it was then the flush across his cheeks became apparent to you. Shame you didn’t have time to savour it, his lips immediately finding yours in a sweet, dream like kiss.

Moments like this were truly worth treasuring.

♡༚࿐ 🇨‌🇭‌🇮‌🇱‌🇩‌🇪‌

in contrast with xiao, childe loves calling you cute nicknames

in fact, he barely uses your name!

sometimes he likes to tease you and pretend he forgot your actual name

of course that’s not true,he could never do such a thing

I can totally see him use pet names such as comrade, girlie, cutie, shawty, sweetness, princess/prince, baby

ok i know shawty is kind of random, but i think he’d use kind of ironically?

I think he’d also use big sister/brother just to tease you, even if you’re younger than him

he heard teucer refer to you as such one time and it honestly melted his heart a little bit

as a side note, seeing his siblings get along you makes him genuinely happy.

listen to this while reading!

Spring was such a beautiful time. Especially in Liyue. Especially on a date with the one and only Childe, eleventh of the Fatui harbingers. For someone with such a fearsome title and reputation, it wowed you to no end just how charming, just plain adorable, Tartaglia can be. Albeit, it was only your second date, it was expected of him to at least try to be nice.

And on time.

As you waited, under that beautiful sky, a hue so gentle between cloud and baby blue, you watched each bird upon wing. It was one of those spring days with a kiss of coldness that somehow heightened the warm rays of the sun. You paused to admire the flowers, to sense their aromas, to be in the moment with their transient beauty.

“Lovely, aren’t they?” asked Childe from behind you, a shy, perhaps slightly embarrassed, smile painted on his lips. “Sorry I’m late, I really overestimated my juniors’ capabilities and I had to step in.” he continued, gingerly taking hold of your hand, kissing the back of it.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at his gentlemanly antics, although you enjoyed them nonetheless. “Don’t worry about it, you’re here now.” you reassured him, as you took a hold of his hand, already leading him towards nowhere in particular.

Another thing you liked about him. Things were so casual, so easy-going. One might call this date nothing but a hangout, but not every date has to be a luxurious five star dinner or a fancy show. Sometimes just a simple walk along the Liyue port was enough. Enough for you to get to know Childe, enough for you to like him even more.

Suddenly, Tartaglia was in front of you, his hands lightly taking hold of your face.

“Hold on cutie, there’s something on your face,” he answered your silent question, seeing as you looked a little confused. The next thing you knew, his lips descended upon yours. It was a sudden but very much welcomed kiss. A kiss that unfortunately ended just as abruptly, “it was me.”

♡༚࿐ 🇿‌🇭‌🇴‌🇳‌🇬‌🇱‌🇮‌

favourite peepaw

also prefers using your name rather than nicknames

but he’s not completely against them

he finds them quite nice actually

and he actually enjoys being referred by one!

like imagine going for a stroll with him and all of a sudden you go "darling, look!"

he'd look so content oh my lord

in my opinion anyway

he’d usually call you honey, my beloved or even my one and only!

you could be doing the simplest of things like reading with him under a tree

and he'd go "you're my one and only love"

no, he isn’t aware of how cheesy it sounds.

listen to this while reading!

Who knew the God of contracts could be such a romantic? Usually, Zhongli wasn’t a big fan of fancy, elaborate dates. He’d usually say something along the lines that “spending time with you was enough for him to feel like the richest man in the world”, which he technically was even without your presence. But, quite frankly, it was because he lacked the funds to do so that he didn’t pamper you every moment of the day.

So when you found yourself face to face with an array of different foods, meticulously prepared and arranged on a soft picnic blanket, you couldn’t help but wonder —

“Why the sudden change?” you asked, sitting down on the plush cover, to which Zhongli only chuckled.

“Am I not allowed to change my mind?” he replied in a teasing tone, flopping next to you.

“Oh, you are more than welcome to do so,” you winked, pouring some tea for both of you. It smelled like chamomile, “I was just trying to say it’s a nice change.” you continued, taking a few sips of your tea.

Zhongli only hummed, content with your response. Sometimes, sitting in silence, all while eating delicious brunch foods and drinking sweet tea, was much more enjoyable than small talk.

And so, you spend the rest of the day with your lover, basking in the sunshine and each other’s company. In his embrace, there was something so right, something that felt right, smelt right. You let your body sag, your muscle become loose. In that embrace you felt your worries loose their keen sting and your optimism raise its head from the dirt.

“You’re so beautiful, my beloved,” he whispered, cupping your face and kissing you gently.

♡༚࿐ 🇰‌🇦‌🇪‌🇾‌🇦‌

avid user of nicknames

partially because he finds them cute

and partially because he loves teasing you

he’d use them in public and try to get a reaction out of you

like let’s say all of a sudden kaeya is back hugging you, pampering your neck with kisses

saying something like “what’s wrong, baby?”

he’d also use hot stuff, sweet cheeks, gorgeous, handsome, cutie pie, treasure

sometimes they’re really sweet, other times they’re really silly

side note, i feel like this one got a little out of hand sorry yall i lowkey can’t take kaeya seriously

listen to this while reading!

There was something so heavenly about a kiss in the rain, a tender moment that just wouldn’t wait. It was that burst of love that is expressed, not caring if the water soaked through to chill the skin. You felt yourself gasping for air as Kaeya’s lips left yours, doe like eyes searching for his. Behind that brilliant shade of blue sparkled a glacial attraction. So complex and mysterious, it was magnetic. It made you want him even more.

Upon seeing your dazed state Kaeya smiled, clearly enjoying the effect he had on you. His hands found yours. “Let’s get you of here before you catch a cold.” he said, leading you down the streets of Mondstadt. It was the middle of August, and you got caught in nothing more than a summer rain. You weren’t even cold, but alas you let it slide, enjoying seeing Kaeya worry about you, even if it wasn’t as serious as he made it seem.

There is something about a rain-washed pathway that invites playful feet, that says each new step will be rewarded with a splash. And soon, you found yourself splashing around, making the most out of this accidental rain shower.

The moment you finally reached your home, Kaeya wasted no time, his arms already wrapped around you in a tight embrace. Yet again, a gasp escaped your mouth, Kaeya’s cold lips leaving goosebumps behind each carefully placed kiss on your neck.

“You know what’s the best way to get warmed up, treasure?” he asked, his hands ghosting over your hips.

You shook your head softly, awaiting his answer.

“A good old dance party!” he exclaimed, spinning you around as he started humming a cheerful. “Nothing gets the blood going like a little movement!” it was obvious he found great pleasure in seeing your more than confused, if not disappointed, expression. Still, he paid you no mind and continued dancing with you all while singing a cheery melody.

It was quite save to assume there was never a boring moment with this man.

♡༚࿐ 🇦‌🇱‌🇧‌🇪‌🇩‌🇴‌

my favourite elevator boy

doesn’t love nicknames but doesn’t hate them either

i see him as an action speak louder than words guy

and although he’s aware that, as his partner, you know that

he still feels sorry for not being as vocal as other people when it comes to talking about his emotions??

so cute terms like these are a simple way he can show his appreciation for you

for some reason, i think he would really like using diminutives??

he’d call you things like little star

or baby or lovebug

i think it really matches his vibe ngl

listen to this while reading!

The breeze blew warm announcing the coming of summer's hottest days. The aroma of the tall grasses were an intoxicating perfume and the starry night above was a painting more sublime than any man could create. The clarity above became reflected in your mind.

Being with Albedo meant putting up with the unholy amount of hours he’d spend on whatever research he’d be conducting at the time. And luckily for you, his next big discovery involved the stars. On the black sky above you, there were a multitude of stars and there were lighter patches, clusters of faint and bold light, the constellations altered according to the time of year. These were the same stars that greeted the ancients, the same ones that would be there in millions of years.

As you enjoyed your little midnight snack, your gaze fell upon the chief alchemist. His eyes were fixated on the landscape above him, utterly fascinated by the world’s mystic beauty. Seeing him so consumed by his studies made your heart feel warm. It was adorable to see him like this.

Your sudden yawn made both you look at each other. Albedo’s gaze was filled with compassion, and perhaps a little remorse for making you come with him so late in the night just to stare blankly at the sky.

But you knew this wasn’t such a trivial thing.

You pet the spot next to you, silently asking him to sit down with you, to which he immediately obliged. As his head found its place on your shoulder a little sad smile made its appearance on his face.

“Sorry for making you come here with me, baby.” he said, his hand drawing patterns along your thigh. “I know this isn’t your idea of quality time.”

“Any time spent with you is quality time, silly.” you giggled, kissing the top of his head. “And besides, who doesn’t enjoy a little bit of stargazing?”

♡༚࿐ 🇻‌🇪‌🇳‌🇹‌🇮‌

ok now for venti

i feel like with him the tone he uses is very important??

i mean this also applies to the rest of the guys

but for venti even more so

he could simply refer to you by your name and it would still feel all special and bubbly

nonetheless, he loves using pet names!

i mean as a bard, he can come up with poems and such on a whim ( flashback to the signora moment :) )

so his nicknames for you always have a certain meaning or funny story behind them

oh, you love pumpkins or had an unfortunate accident involving one? now he calls you pumpkin all the time

he’d also call you things like sunshine because to him you bring so much joy and you warm his heart just like the sun.

with that being said, good luck to those pulling for him! <3

listen to this while reading!

“There you go! You’re really good at this!” Venti complimented you, observing in great detail the way your fingers touched the strings of his lyre.

Judging by the curious stares and even odd looks you’d get from time to time, that wasn’t really the case. What was supposed to be a simple walk around the city turned out to be a full concert. Although Venti couldn’t find it in his heart to tell you, who asked him so eagerly just a few moments ago if he could teach how to play a song, just how… Poor was your attempt.

A relieved sigh could be heard the moment your fingers left the strings, although Venti’s reassuring smile never left his face. “Don’t let a few strangers discourage you! Even the greatest geniuses had to start somewhere!”

“Are you saying I’m a genius?” you asked teasingly with a raised eyebrow, laughing at his flustered face.

“Let’s not go that far…” he murmured, winking cheekily.

“And here I was, thinking I could wow you with my insane musical skills…” you whined sarcastically, handing him his lyre as you continued your stroll. It was then Venti stopped in his tracks. Upon his face, shock was written all over, his expression soon turning sympathetic. For a moment, he left you alone, diving into the crowd of people, only to return to you with a single cecilia flower. Its fragrance was sweet and fresh and its color a perfect white. Shortly after, he gently placed it behind your ear, smiling to himself while looking at you.

“You don’t need fancy tricks to win over what you already have,” Venti said, kissing your cheek lightly. A cheerful tune could be heard across the street, Venti’s soft melody attracting a lot of attention, “I’m all yours, sunshine.” he said loud enough for more than a few people to hear.

He has such a way with words, doesn’t he?

[blzzrdstryr]

Battle of attrition. Yandere!Zhongli x gn!reader

Wordcount: 1417

CW: Sexual harassment, insomnia and yandere.

Adeptis can walk through dreams.

You see a mythical beast, a gorgeous yet terrifying mix of Qilin and Dragon before you. They’re a creature of a stark contrast between darkening brown scales and golden fur. You want to pray and worship them upon the sight, yet stop, holding onto your dignity.

They speak and their voice rattles you to the very core, urging you to kneel and cower. They speak and there’s nothing but lies and deceit in their speech. They speak and you shout in return, angered by the sacrilege coming out of their maw.

The serpentine body comes to life, coiling around you, like a snake around the mouse. Golden claws rip through your clothes, leaving you naked and shivering and vulnerable. They continue to confess their love to you, sullying your God’s name and it frustrates you so much: you scream and kick and bite at them, your fury doing nothing but evoking a deep rumbling laugh out of their throat.

Vibrations produced by it travel through your body, disturbing you further, and soon you can do nothing but shiver: there are claws and fur and scales travelling on your skin and you sense how they ignite a shameful fire in you, cheeks burning hot and eyes watering. A long tongue forces it’s way past your lips.

You wake up.

It's a twelfth time you emerge from the same nightmare tired and terrified, exhaustion and anxiety slowly eating away at your sanity. With a heartbeat booming and echoing in head and nightgown sticking to your body from all of the sweat, you finally make a decision - there’s no other way for your nightmares to stop.

After hurriedly dressing up and hoping that your appearance doesn’t betray the fact that you haven't had a decent sleep in over a month, you make your way to the familiar house located in the Feiyun Slope.

The trail feels both endlessly long and instantaneously short, the courtesy of your fatigued brain warping the reality around you. You are pretty sure you almost fell on your face a couple of times, but you can't be sure since your body is zoning out in a desperate attempt to rest.

Standing in front of the door, you reach out your hand, still hesitating to knock - an animalistic and primitive part of you wants to sleep, yet another, the one that remembers politeness and societal norms, screams against disturbing it’s owner in the middle of the night. You continue to stay like that for a while, unsure should you wake up the consultant or wait until the morning comes.

A door suddenly opens, solving your inner dilemma, the man in front you looking absolutely unsurprised to see you there: with a hastily put on outfit, deep eyebags and almost mad eyes surrounded by them you must be a sight to behold, like a Jiangshi who just arose after being denied a proper burial. The consultant, on the other hand, is as elegant and refined as ever, with his intricate outfit and no signs of drowsiness on his face, you suspect that his head didn’t touch the pillow at all.

"Ah, [First], I had an inkling you might come today" he says, a small smile appearing on his face and gestures for you to come in, before you even have the chance to apologize for possibly waking him “You shouldn’t worry about it" he adds, seemingly sensing a mild guilt you experience, "Funeral parlour business usually forces me to stay a bit later than most and I am always delighted to be in your company”

You still thank him for hospitality, taking a step into his abode. Despite the house being on the smaller size, it still steals a breath from you - it’s a masterfully decorated place, with high quality dark wood furniture embossed by subtle golden patterns and further embellished by various pieces of art, each produced in the style of different Liyue eras.

He heads for the kitchen, having to prepare a kettle of his special herbal tea, talking about the various plants used in it. You sit down on the offered armchair, it’s softness and the calming scent of incense making it harder to focus on Zhongli's speech. You think you zoned out again, as the consultant reappears in the room in one moment, carefully setting down the kettle and tea set on the table near you.

He still talks as he pours the boiling liquid into the cup and gives it to you, his hand accidentally brushing your fingers for a second. You find yourself unable to concentrate on his words, preferring to just look at Zhongli and nod in time.

You sense a bloom of something warm and fuzzy as you look at him - Zhongli is so handsome, intelligent and caring, and you catch yourself wondering how a man can be so perfect. You heard about him, prior to your acquaintance - he was adept at virtually every field there is, having an extensive knowledge even in the most obscure area, and your first meeting just proved it again, as he effortlessly found a cure for your insomnia, something that even Baizhu couldn’t do.

You asked for the tea’s recipe, not wanting to bother the man further, but no matter what you did it always failed - herbs were hard to come by and even harder to properly treat, you had to order them again and again, spending ridiculous amounts of Mora for a chance of decent sleep. Defeated, you asked Zhongli for help once more. You remember as he was making another dose of miraculous sleeping tea back then you wondered out loud how a man can be so talented at everything, at which he just laughed with his tranquil and pleasant voice and deflected your praise. Truly, there is not a single man or a woman in the entirety of Liyue as reliable as a humble consultant of Wangsheng parlour.

“[First]?”, he lightly touches your shoulder, stopping your incessant staring as you stutter out an apology for not listening, head hung low from embarrassment.

“No need to apologize, one of the effects of insomnia are issues with concentration. I suppose it’s hard for you to focus on the conversation in your condition, so you should probably drink it”. He nudges a cup in your hands to your lips, as you realize you haven’t even touched it, just nursing the cup the whole time.

Further ashamed by the previous realization you drink one big gulp, tea's effects rapidly appear, as you feel the improvement in the mental clarity and cognition. Seeing that you’re better now, Zhongli chats with you for a while, as you finish the rest.

“It may seem invasive, but can I ask what your nightmares are about?” He asks when there’s almost no tea left. You hum, contemplating what to say, bits of your nightmares flashing in your mind:

“I watched over you the moment you were born, I saw you bloom from a precocious and innocent child into competent and mature adult you are today, I heard your prayers full of grievances and wishes, there are no person who knows you better than me” the creature exclaims, it’s thunder-like voice both scaring and enraging you.

“Stop, my prayers weren’t for you” you squirm in it’s hold, trying to break free: “There’s no way Rex Lapis would do this. He is a fair, just god and you are anything but”. The creature laughs, vibrations shaking and rocking your frame. When they stop, they intently look at you with their piercing eyes: “It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not, as I will always win in the battle of attrition. You will come into my arms willingly, no matter how stubborn you are right now, and then we shall unite our fates with an eternal contract”.

You hate them more than anything.

“I am afraid I can’t”, you drink the last of his tea and stand up, intent on finally sleeping, as a wave of drowsiness hits you with a renewed strength. Your vision goes dark for a second and your knees buckle, but Zhongli catches you in time, saving you from a nasty fall.

“You should sleep there, you are too tired to go back to your house” he sounds genuinely worried, a detail that makes your heart skip a beat, as he helps you to go to the guest’s bedroom and prepares a bed for you.

How can a person be so kind, you think later as you fall asleep in his house, I think I am falling for him.

[honey-milk-depresso]

That Charm Shop In Liyue (Various Liyue Characters)

Fresh early morning in Liyue and someone has already entered your shop house. What type of charms do they wish for?

“Good morning!”

“Ah, good morning, Miss y/n,” a deep voice greeted you back.

Ah, so it’s Zhongli again.

He’s a regular customer, he comes here to see and perhaps buy one or two or all of your charms, pottery and other handmade trinkets you had made.

“Have you come here to see the charms? Have you thought of buying some?” you questioned. Most of the time, he didn’t bring the money, to which a certain someone would come in to his “financial rescue”.

“This charm,” he pointed to the brown and gold six flower knots that had a few auburn and burnish jade beads attached to the tassel, “what was the inspiration of this charm?”

“Ah that one. This charm was inspired by the Liyue god himself, Rex Lapis. It’s to bring about prosperous opportunities and benefits, find a trustworthy and loyal partner..” you spaced out.

Zhongli chuckled to which you snapped out of your own dreamy daze.

“Ah, well, that’s for mostly me and the other ladies who hope for a partner like that. Ahehehe..”

Zhongli simply gave you a small smile. “I’m sure you will.”

“Ah.”

He took a good look at the charm again. “Perhaps I shall hang this outside of the funeral parlour. So Hu Tao wouldn’t be constantly asking me how our profits are doing.”

You giggled at his remark. “Miss Hu Tao’s just worried about her company is all. I’m sure she meant no harm!”

“ Putting that aside, I would like to buy this charm.”

“Did you bring your wallet?”

“Let me-”

“No, he didn’t . Let me help you, Mr Zhongli.”

There comes Mr Zhongli’s walking wallet, Childe.

He’s the one who ends up buying the charms and other things Zhongli wanted to buy.

“Good morning, y/n! How are you this morning? Remembered to eat breakfast? If not I got some.” Childe placed a bento on the wooden counter in front of you.

“Did Xiangling made this?”

“Yeah. She said you should really eat up. She noticed how you were getting a lot more locked up in that little working studio of yours.”

“Is that so?” Lately, you’ve been getting more engrossed in your own charm making and crafts for your shop. You had so much inspiration for the past few weeks.

“ You have to remember to take care of yourself, y/n.”

“Yes, yes. Of course. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You better. Welp, me and Mr Zhongli gotta buzz. See you around, y/n!”

“Bye Childe and Zhongli!”

========================== “Ganyu?”

“Ah! Miss y/n. How is everything going so far?”

Ganyu is not a buyer, but she comes in to patrol. She seems to really enjoy being in your shop to just chat with you, and you of course didn’t mind having to talk to her. Who wouldn’t?

”Great and normal as per usual!” you chuckled stupidly.

Ganyu giggled. “Well that’s great to hear!”

“So are you still taking lessons from Xiao?”

“Yep, still am.”

“How are things going?”

She sighed. “Alright I guess. It’s just a tad bit tiring. But I can manage.”

“Well remember to take breaks every now and then. Don‘t overwork yourself.”

“Thank you, y/n. Take care!”

“You too!”

========================== “Need help?”

You yelped in surprise as you almost toppled the box of charms you were carrying towards the trade boat.

Xiao would appear randomly out of nowhere in the evening to check up on you, for who knows what reason. It’s not that you don’t mind the adeptus’ company, it‘s just that he should really just stop startling you every 5 seconds.

”Oh! Xiao! Um, yeah! Thanks..”

He simply huffed and took the boxes from your hand, carrying it and loading it on the boat.

By that time, you scrambled back into your tiny shop house and took out a plate of his favorite dish; almond tofu.

“Thought you might have come back from your missions. Here as thanks for protecting Liyue and...er helping me carry boxes?” you chuckled awkwardly. He simply grunted. “It’s the job of an adept to protect Liyue. ” Yet he took that plate.

This softie.

You simply smiled and rolled your eyes a little. “Yeah, yeah, of course.”

“Hmph.”

Xiao glance back to the Inn Verr worked in.

“I should get going. And thank you for... the meal.”

”It’s no problem.”

He put on his mask and leaped onto your roof before jumping back to the inn.

You had to admit. He looked really cool doing that.

==========================

“Oh, Lady Ningguang?”

“Hello, dear y/n.” She smiled warmly.

Ningguang sometimes came here to buy your charms, or simply just browsed your items while having conversations with you. Sometimes, she gives you small gifts when she leaves. She wasn’t a regular customer like Zhongli, but she definitely wasn’t a rare sight to encounter, well, at night mostly.

“I actually have an invitation for you.”

”An- an invitation??”

Now that’s something new.

“Yes. I‘m inviting you over to Wangshu Funeral Parlor for some tea. I think you need a well deserved break.”

“Oh. Well, you’re very kind Lady Ninggaung, but I’m not quite sure.” Why that place though?

“Come on now. I insist.”

You sweat dropped. Ningguang sure is persistent.

”Well, I guessed it can’t be helped..”

She beamed.

”Wonderful! Be there at 7 in the evening. Here’s the invitation.”

She handed you a white paper that had words engraved in gold. “Thank you, Lady Ningguang. I’ll be sure to come!”

” Likewise.”

===========================

“Okay,” you mumbled to yourself. You had just set foot outside of your shop house, dressed nicely and presentably as can be for your chat with Ningguang.

“Y/n.”

”Ah! Xiao stop scaring me like that!”

He simply shrugged.

“Where are you going?”

“Wangshu Funeral to meet up with Lady Ningguang.”

Xiao’s eyes widened ever slightly. “Oh yes, it’s 5pm...”

“ What was that?”

“Nothing. Come, I shall help you go to the parlour.”

“You know you don’t have to, Xiao. I’ll be fine. It’s only the evening.”

“No, it’s unsafe during this hour. I’m following you regardless.”

==========================

“Huh?”

“Surprise!”

There stood not just Ningguang, but Zhongli, Ganyu, Childe, Hu Tao, and so many others. Even Keqing was there. And Qiqi and Xiangling!

“Wha- What is all this??”

“It’s to say thank you for always being out for us!” Yanfei exclaimed.

“Out for you..?”

“You’re shop has always brought a peace of mind to many of us, and we thank you for being a friend when we felt down, even if it was unintentional or indirect, we would still like to thank you for being there for us to be invited in your open arms, and for the hard work you have put in,” Zhongli stated as he bowed slightly and took your hand ever so gently, enough to make your cheeks dusted in pink over the charming gesture.

“O-oh, I, um, I never knew that...ahehehe...Well...I’m glad to hear that!”

“Mhm! This party is also for you to relax and hangout!” Ganyu smiled.

You glance at the table that’s filled with dishes of food.

“The food...”

“Don’t worry, y/n! There’s plenty of food to go around! You’ll get the lion’s share obviously!” Xiangling said.

“Yeah, we also bought you gifts! Or at least, I bought half of the gifts on that table over there,” Childe stated as he pointed to a table on the left just loaded with gifts, “not to make it look like you’re birthday, but, ehhhh, yeah.”

“Hmm?”

You looked at all the gifts, the food and everyone else who loved coming to your shop house. What did you do to deserve these wonderful people. You tear up a little, overwhelmed by emotions that couldn’t be explained through words.

“H-hey! I didn’t mean to make you cry!!”

“Way to go, Childe.”

“N-no,” everyone else looked at you worriedly. 

“I-I’m just really grateful for all this.... and you guys mostly. Thank you for also being there for me...” you smiled.

Xiao just smiled a little, but it was sincere.

Zhongli went up to you and gently cupped your face up, rubbing your tears away with his thumb. He smiled warmly at you.

“Likewise.”

[lightningliyue]

Definition:

Otome is a term in Japanese for games where girls can play as a Y/N (your name) character who's anonymous most of the time and date any other characters in the game.

Disclaimer// I just wanted to note that just in case anyone didn't know what an Otome was, you never know who might be interested 💫

_______________________________________________

You were so bored after your classes, studying for medical school was tiring. You decided to take a break and open in your laptop after you put away your school binder. You went on Netflix and started watching your favorite series. A few hours later a weird ad popped up, 'Liyue Dating Simulator'. You disregarded it at first but noticed a character that caught your eye. He looked so handsome and well put together, you couldn't help but click on the link despite the fact that it could have a virus. You couldn't resist the pull. After clicking the link, the apartment you were in turned black. You waited a moment then all of a sudden the lights came back on.

"Um, where am I?", All around you were beautifully crafted buildings. You could tell someone put a lot of time into making them, there were gardens scattered around as well.

"You're in Liyue.", said a husky voice from behind you. You turned around and say a man in a suit. To your surprise he looked just like the man in the ad you clicked on. "Now what are you doing outside of our palace looking so lost, have you forgotten the many years we have ruled together?." That was it this man, no matter how dreamy he looked, was delusional. I've never been here, you thought. Not knowing what to do you decided to try and slowly walk away. "Trying to sneak away, are we?." You felt a pair a soft but firm hands touch yours and start guiding you to a jewelry shop nearby.

"Huh? What are you doing, please let go of me.", You remarked feeling unsure of yourself but you couldn't let go of his hands for some reason. You felt at home in them. However, he let go of them just like you asked and you felt more lost then you did when you arrived to the town you learned was Liyue. He started talking to the shop keeper going on about looking for jade and cor lapis. While they were talking, you were trying to process everything that was going on. You were a medical student who wanted a break and decided to make a risky decision to click on an unknown link which brought you here somehow. Were you sucked into your computer, were you kidnapped by someone? You didn't know. Why did this man seem so familiar to you? While you were lost in your thoughts you heard him speak to you again suddenly. You turned your head.

"Which do you want, my silk flower?", He held up gorgeous necklaces made of expensive looking material. I was astonished and speechless. "This one?" He held up one that seemed to be giving off a slight gold glow and placed it around my neck before fixing it to make sure it was on right. I nodded giving into the treatment I wasn't used to receiving. I was a nurse but no one took the time to check on me, or to see how I was doing. I lived alone, all I knew were my classes and profession. This was a breath of fresh air. I couldn't help but give into his kind and secure atmosphere.

"Yes, this is perfect.", I smiled. I don't remember how long it's been since I smiled so earnestly. He told the shop keeper he'd take that one. A few minutes passed and we had the necklace, but I didn't see him give the store owner any money. Strange, I thought. I looked at him.

"I'm happy to see you look so pleased. I know things have been stressful for you.", He stopped walking and turned around to face me. "Who would have thought a human like you would stir up these feelings within me."

[fulltimemoaner]

Years after Childe left Liyue, Zhongli’s erosion led to the loss of his human form and intelligence, making him a -not quite- hostile beast. A timid half-qilin, half-dragon living in Jueyun Karst with the rest of the adepti.

Childe does not age, physically, his continuous descend into the abyss has left him with a youthful face and an aged soul. Long after his initial departure from the land of contracts, he returns, aching to see a familiar funeral consultant that he hadn’t heard from in years.

Childe’s warm hand run down the ebony scales that shone amber under the sun, a colour warmer than gold, a painful reminiscence of endless sparring in the Golden House. His fingertips brush over those soft horns that he still remembered from shy, quite intoxicated, nights of tale readings and confessions. If he closes his eyes, he can still feel the scent of wine. “Mr. Zhongli,” his voice quivered more than he had wished to. “We are both old and rotten.” A kind hearted laugh echoed through the golden trees and the gentle skies. A soft huff came through the adeptus’ nostrils, eyes soft, fixed to some unknown entity in the far distance. “Has it been like this since you last wrote to me?”

Ajax does not need to turn around to feel the chill of a cryo arrow pointed towards him. His gentle tone turns sour, his cheerful eyes ease into a glare. “If you’re the one meant to guard him, then I am sure he is constantly in grave danger, gentle adeptus.”

“What does a Snezhnayan have to do in Juyeun Karst?” Ganyu’s soft voice has turned sturdy, solid like Morax’s spears and the contracts that once bound Liyue.

“I’m here to see him.” The ginger responds, caressing down the dragon’s neck. “He remembers me.”

“He does not possess any memories anymore. Rex Lapis is no longer the human Zhongli.”

The bow is lowered, and Childe feels a retching sort of sympathy radiating off the adeptus. “Prove her wrong.” He whispers, closer to the beast’s ear. “We both know that she’s wrong.”

“Jueyun Karst is not safe for a human.” Ganyu’s voice is fuelled with worry. “Please, the adeptal energy here is too strong for your body to bare.”

“Leave us.” Ajax’s voice is tired, his eyes watching what he thought to be flitting anguish on his beloved’s face. He closed his eyes and concentrated, gentle waves of hydro rolling off his fingertips and into the adeptus’ body.

Ganyu watches from afar, bow hanging limply from her hand. The golden markings down the dragon’s body gleam, long since extinguished, and something makes her heart flutter painfully. There is a gentle grunt coming from what used to be Morax, a distressed wail and a tremble in the earth. “Enough. Your elemental powers are hurting him. Please.” The hurt in her voice was evident, the shake in her hands noticeable from afar. “I miss our God as well, but you should let him rest.”

“What do you know?” Ajax hisses, his chest aching like it was bursting from the inside. “You were nothing but another guardian.”

Ganyu falters, watches as Morax curls in on himself and groans, louder. She raises her bow again, pulling the string back. “He might not be sentient anymore, but I can’t watch you hurt him any longer.”

“He’s not in pain!” The Harbinger yells, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, but not even he believes in himself. “It’s me. It’s just me, I know you hear everything I say.”

The dragon’s one eye flickers pathetically, body half consumed by earth, covered in moss and rocks, ready to be claimed by its own element. The amber glow begins to spread throughout the adeptal body, lighting up the spaces between Morax’s dark scales like liquid gold. Then it spreads, all consuming, too bright for Ajax to look at.

He’s there. Melancholic, pale, sitting by the very same shade cast over by his favourite golden trees. His long hair looks unruly yet soft, and his eyes are wild, matching the flowery horns twisting out from the top of his scalp. He opens his mouth but nothing comes out, his brain whirring and confused. His hands are gentle when they inch for Ajax’s face, for his ginger locks, feeling up experimentally.

“It’s me.” Childe almost cries and bursts into a face splitting smile. “Ajax. It’s Ajax.” He places his hands on top of his lover’s. Zhongli mouths away at the name, trying to enunciate, only for an unintelligent sound to come out, but Ajax doesn’t care, he’s too happy. “You can’t speak anymore, my beloved.” He whispers, pulling the bare body against his, pressing his face into his favourite mop of hair. “We will pick it all up, slowly. Just you and me. I’ll take better care of you than they ever could.”

Ajax knows that Zhongli doesn’t understand, that he can’t comprehend human speech anymore, yet he feels it in the way his body relaxes against him that he knows he is safe. He keeps one hand curled around the ex archon’s and uses the other to wrestle his backpack off his body, where he has his clothes and some of the Qixing flowers that he knows his lover used to adore. He tangles one somewhere between his messy hair and his beautiful horns, and gives him one to smell. Zhongli inches in and kisses him hard, like a man left without water for too long, and Ajax is more than willing to be his oasis, his hands, tortured by the Snezhnayan winter, dipping into the sandy planes of his sides, warm and aching for the comfort of the dessert.

[yostresswritinggirl]

Do you do poly ships? :0 if not feel free to do these two characters separately lol May I get some hcs of Zhongli and Venti on a picnic date with the reader? Just a quiet day in the sun where the Archons can relax for a moment and watch the world go by :D (if you wanna insert some angst maybe they suddenly realize this moment is fleeting bc reader is mortal and won't be with them forever?? Up to you lol 👀) thank you in advance!!!

I actually don't :D kidding ahahah

What I meant to say was that I haven't wrote anything related to poly relationship before so this a cool, first experience for me! And like the dumbass that I am, I took on this request and butchered the heck outta it. Welcome to "A Day In The Life Loving Two Broke Gods"-

Rendezvous with the Gods

Picnic Scenario with Poly!Venti, Zhongli, and You

Background!

It's pretty WACK how you got two of the seven archons to be interested in you in a romantic level.

But I can imagine that the thing that attracted them the most to you is your sense of humanity. As ex-archons, what they needed now is a sense of normalcy and a grasp on reality, and with your knowledge and presence they've come to realize the ways of the mortals fairly easily.

But like, you got the two oldest archons in existence. Even the Traveler is in disbelief at this turn of events.

I think you somehow ended up in this situation when the two of them had a reunion after their retirement, and the conversation went like this: "Have you heard of the fair maiden, (Y/N)? Their existence greatly reminds me of Celestia!" "I had the honor of meeting them yes, how tantalizing they are, even the slightest sight of them invigorates me through the whole day."

They'd shower you with praises among one another, and you're forced to sneeze for an hour straight somewhere in Teyvat.

Preparation!

*wheeze*

First thing I thought was "How probable is it that Venti drinks Dandelion Wine at 4 in the afternoon?"

The answer is yes.

You three have planned this picnic days ahead, maybe even a week. As all of you have your own work and errands to deal with, probably not Venti tho, a gathering of this magnitude that requires you three to be present for hours are not as common as you'd think.

First order of business: location! The most obvious answer would have been Starsnatch Cliff, Windrise or even Dihua Marsh.

While thinking, Venti and Zhongli ended up sharing a look, and suddenly the location was settled.

No, you don't know where it is, and they tell you that they'll handle it.

You don't have to worry.

You are very worried.

Next, the food! Being in a relationship with two broke Gods made you the alpha in terms of Mora, and on this occasion, you're once again forced to put your foot down and provide.

With that in mind, both of them could only offer a guilty smile and a nervous laugh.

The outcome of your meal depends on your cooking skills really: if you're good or decent, what a heart-warming picnic that would be.

They must have tasted your cooking before so they would ask for requests on your delicious home cooking —

something light that goes with tea, said Zhongli.

something meaty and heavy to pair with wine, said Venti.

It's a wonder how you deal with these two together.

If you're absolutely terrible at cooking, like Suspicious Dish™ rating, you're gonna have to rely on your Mora to get takeout for this date.

Everything else you've pretty much wrapped up quickly, all you have to do now is wait.

Picnic Time!

Venti was the one to pick you up from your housing to guide you to the location, greeting you with a chaste kiss on the cheek before aiming for the picnic basket hanging by your elbow.

You don't let him; he might eat it on the way there honestly

Cute boy is practically shaking with excitement as he hauls you up over a cliff face and carefully nyoom! over the sea

Where is he taking you?

You didn't dwell much longer when you saw a small island in the distance, a rock formation by the edge and most notably, you're tall lover standing next to an elegant patterned brown and gold blanket placed over the sea of flora.

Welcome to Heart Island!

Very cheesy

The Geo archon greets you with a kiss on the hand before being tackled to the ground by a buzzing Venti.

How that was physically possible was beyond you-

You set up and laid down all the food you got for today's picnic: Fresh apples, 'Breakfast' Sandwich, Chicken and Mushroom Skewers!

You've also noticed a picnic basket to the side that wasn't yours. Noticing your stare, Zhongli pulled out his contributions: Mora Meat, a pitcher of Iced Tea, and a bowl of Mushroom Stew.

Out of nowhere, Venti manifests his own offerings to the table: Apples, Dandelion Wine and Mondstadt Hash Browns.

You have no idea how these two managed to prepare or afford such meals but you appreciate it nonetheless.

They had the whole week to save up Mora just for this picnic, how cute aww

The first to take a bite is Venti, defo. You and Zhongli would be prepping the utensils while the Anemo boy sneaks some food into his mouth, even if you smack his hand multiple times, he's not gonna relent.

A lot of catching up happens in this picnic: your wild commissions, Venti's recent performances, Zhongli's uh consultant stuff.

These are the rare moments where Zhongli isn't the one filling up the conversation more, satisfied with hearing the voices of his lovers and listening to their joys or woes.

The whole picnic is accompanied by Venti's lyre, strumming softly, unrelenting, to make sure all of you are enjoying the serenity of the island.

You and Zhongli take turns spoon feeding him cuz he just won't stop PLAYING

Zhongli made the Iced Tea

Zhongli made the Iced Tea

Very refreshing, right amount of sweet, would honestly be a good alternative for Venti's alcoholism

Speaking of, he's tipsy now

He's on a full-blown performance now, serenading and urging you two into a dance after eating "to digest the food faster"

Not really believable but you danced anyways.

Zhongli would decline first as he starts cleaning up

But give him a little more nudge, pull on his hand, he'll crave eventually

Rex Lapis is actually a pretty decent dancer

HAVE YOU SEEN HOW GRACEFUL HE DROP KICKS HIS SPEAR

Such a relaxing day off the three of you deserve

By the time the sun already dipped the horizon and you guys still had time to spare, you and Venti would be dozing off on the blanket while leaving the few remaining clean up to Zhongli. It was a tiring yet enjoyable day that's deserving of a nice and dreamy nap.

"Morax..." He'd hear an uncharacteristically somber voice as he makes his way over to where you both lay. Your back resting on the Anemo archon's chest as he spoons you. His teal eyes stare unmoving at your open palm of which the Geo archon takes into his as he sits down.

Little cuts litter your rough hands, from your adventures, some fresh from today to prepare your dishes. How frail and sensitive mortal hands are.

"I'll miss them, so so much." Venti confessed as his grip around you tightens, free-flowing tears erupt from his eyes that are unfocused, as if he was years away with that thousand yards stare that the other God had familiarized himself with.

For the second time in his whole lifetime, Rex Lapis found himself at a loss for words.

------

"Ohhh, a luxurious chest! What's it doing so far out here?" The Traveler lets the floating companion ramble as they pull the chest open, excited for the new artifacts they'll come by.

A teal goblet with gold accents worn out through the years from disuse as parts of its paint are chipped off as gray splotches, laid perfectly in the middle of a brown wool blanket with intricate gold and silver geometric patterns. On each side lays an Anemoculus and Geoculus, softly glowing yet dimming in pulses.

They pick it up with utmost care for safe-keeping, to ask for their archon friends in the future. Who knows, it might be the closure they needed.

This took some time and a lot of pondering wow! This is even more chaotic than the Albedo one ahahah I've made myself sad just thinking about this— anyways thank you so much for requesting and your lovely support! Please let our archon bbs be happy ywy

[opalesense]

the last appointment

zhongli & gn!reader

3.4k words • ~25 min. read

summary: as a studious and credible fortune teller in liyue, you discover something about your last client of the week that completely derails your outlook on life.

warnings: liyue arc spoilers, little bit of existential dread, slight mention of family member’s death

notes: might make more parts to this idk?  just kinda wanted to dip my toes into genshin writing for the first time!!

LIFE IN LIYUE HARBOUR seemed to be repetitive and mundane.  For the past few years, you would wake up, open your fortune telling shop, analyze the futures of your clients using your geomancy, possibly take a stroll around Liyue when you needed to run errands, and then call it a day.  You performed the same routine constantly, sometimes travelling beyond the harbor to collect crystals and magical supplies for your shop, but rarely did anything truly change in your routine.  If something was off in the slightest, it was never too exciting to note.

   As anyone would have suspected, you were tired of your state of limbo in life.  Other vision holders seemed to be going on adventures, travelling with companions and exploring the vast mountains and valleys of Teyvat.  Other vision holders seemed to be fighting against evil, helping citizens, and saving the world from imminent dangers.  You could even recall a recent event where the Qixing had evacuated the harbor to defeat a terrifying sea monster.  The Jade Chamber had been sacrificed for the safety of the people of Liyue, and yet here you were, playing with a bunch of rocks for a living.  Despite being able to grasp the glowing Geo vision that held your coat together, you could not grasp why you felt doomed to tend to this shop for the rest of your days.

   You didn’t know where or how to “start” your life.  The small, inherited establishment from your late aunt was located in the small alley of Chihu Rock, practically out of sight from most of the foot traffic in the harbor.  Not many people came to visit, though your name was still decently known.  In fact, most of your appointments were simply previous clients from your aunt, regulars that relied on her readings for years and believed you were the next best thing after she passed.  Especially considering you were the first vision holder in your family, it made your credibility even stronger.

   You still remember how you got your vision.  The morning after your aunt had passed, the elemental gift somehow made its way into your hand as if the timing was meant to be perfect.  You didn’t celebrate such a special and momentous occasion with pride or joy.  Your face stiff with tears, you instead reflected on why you received your vision at that moment in the first place.  With the shop doors closed upstairs, you gripped your vision and did what you felt needed to be done.  With your family’s legacy and tradition on the line, adventuring like other vision wielders was not a priority at the time.

   But after years alone of research, a social life consisting only of interacting with customers, and a constant state of grieving the experiences you could’ve had in your youth, you were now in your late twenties and closing the shop for the day.  Your last appointment was either extremely late or not showing up at all and you were tired of working today, just like every other day. Regret gripped you tightly as you wondered how you managed to get yourself in such a boring, slow burning loop.

   That is until the shop door opened, eliciting a gasp from you at the sudden noise, shattering the previous thought.  You accidentally dropped the basket of cor lapis you were refilling and immediately knelt down to pick up the precious pieces that thankfully hadn’t cracked on the way down.

   “Hello, [Y/N],” the tall figure practically glided through the doorway, “My deepest apologies for being late.”

   He closed the door behind him, “...and for startling you, it seems.”

   You sighed, checking for any scratches on the gems and sighed again with relief based on the good results.  You grinned to hide the fact you had just been in deep thought.  “It’s quite alright, Mr. Zhongli.  It’s kind of you to stop by at the very least, even if you’re late.”

   Mr. Zhongli was one of your aunt’s longtime clients.  Since you were a child, your aunt had always described Mr. Zhongli as a complex yet thoughtful man that had always shown kindness to your family for many years.  When Mr. Zhongli learned of your aunt’s death and began to receive readings from you instead, you quickly realized what your aunt meant by calling him complex.  Mr. Zhongli was truly a tough nut to crack in every single reading, his sessions taking longer than most other cases.  That is why Mr. Zhongli would always offer to take the last spot of the day at the end of every week as to not trouble any of your other clients.

   As you took a few of the best cor lapis from the basket, you could see Mr. Zhongli’s acts of kindness and thoughtfulness unfold in front of you.  He seemed to carry what was now clearly a gift basket at closer inspection.

   “This gift is for you,” Mr. Zhongli took a few steps forward to set the basket on a countertop.  “I brought you your favorites.  Slow cooked bamboo shoot soup, qingxin, glaze lilies, and all the crystals I could find…  needless to say, let this be a token of my appreciation for your patience and hard work from our last few sessions.  I know I am not the easiest to read, but you truly have a talent.”

   You were speechless at the gesture as your eyes sunk into the intricate detail of the handwoven basket and decorated items inside.  No one had ever done something so kind for you in so long.  It was astonishing enough that he remembered your favorite soup that you mentioned only once a few months ago, let alone your favorite flowers and crystals as well.  “Thank you so much, Mr. Zhongli!   I’m at a loss for words – this is so thoughtful of you!”

   “I even brought you that Rex Incognito series you had mentioned, although, I am not sure why you would need to read the series when I am fully capable of educating you on the history of Rex Lapis myself,” he flaunted, taking his seat on the cushioned chair in front of the reading table.

   “Now, Mr. Zhongli...” you picked out some prithiva topaz from another basket, following the usual protocol you had with such a personalized, frequent client like him. The required materials for his readings were imprinted into your memory like carvings in stone. “You know I don’t want to burden you with my curiosity.  And with such an intriguing topic like Rex Lapis... once I start asking questions I’m afraid I will not stop.”

   “I have all the time in the world,” he got comfortable in his seat as you sat yourself across from him, “I truly think it would benefit you to discuss the history of Rex Lapis with a learned scholar such as myself.  We can even have some tea as we discuss.”

   You chuckled at his eagerness.  He seemed more forward than usual. “You are too kind, Mr. Zhongli.  Perhaps I’ll take that offer someday, but at least let me put those books to good use first. Maybe I won’t need to bombard you with questions if I’m already well briefed on the subject.”

   He sighed happily.  “You make a good point. And you will enjoy them, I’m sure.”

   You settled into your seat as you arranged the crystals between the two of you.  “The usual for tonight?”

   “Yes, please.”

   Your hands meticulously placed the last crystal in its spot on the surface.  You closed your eyes and hovered your hands above the rocks, clearing your mind to make way for the usual reading: a reflection on the past, any significant events of the present to focus on, and some insight into the future.  You held this hand gesture for awhile, letting the energy from the rocks lift into the air and envelop your gloved palms.  When you felt there was enough energy to work with, you opened your eyes to reveal the manifestation of his thoughts in front of you, able to take its physical form using the powers from your glowing vision.

   No one had ever taught your this skill, not even your aunt.  If you had to bloat your own ego, one could say you invented this Geo fortune telling process yourself. The process indeed came to you naturally, a true display of pure talent.

   You slowly lifted your hands to allow the visual manifestation to settle on the table among the gems so Mr. Zhongli could watch his reading unfold in front of him as well.

   “Let us analyze the past first,” he spoke, already knowing the routine without you needing to ask him where to start.  You slowly waved your hands as if you were digging a hole in sand on a beach, the manifestation displaying ambiguous patterns that wouldn’t make sense to any commoner’s eyes but could be interpreted easily by yours.

   Two pairs of focused eyes fixated on the picture as you spoke your mind out loud.  “You have recently given up something extremely important to you, it seems.  I see you handing over something…  small, physically, yet unbelievably significant and personal.  I can’t tell what it is exactly, only that it glows like the sun with its energy.  But you have handed this important object over to a very... evil... figure?” you cocked your eyebrow, confused.  “You seem to be brooding over the fact that its aura is dark with malicious intentions.”  You hesitated, “Well, that can’t be right, can it?”

   He sighed.  “Unfortunately, that is indeed what happened recently.  But it had to be done.”

   “Didn’t we talk about a similar situation in a previous reading?  If I remember correctly, I thought I had advised you to not give up whatever that object was.”

   “I am aware of the consequences that will follow.  Especially with your future guidance, I’m sure the events following this one questionable decision will unfold in a better way soon enough.”

   “I will always be here to help you, Mr. Zhongli.  But please be careful in the future with these decisions.  The importance of this object seems to be off the charts.”

   He nodded.  “It is as you say.  Please, have faith in me now. I cannot change what happened in the past, after all.”

   You hovered over this image of the sacrifice.  You couldn’t make out what this object was, no matter how close you tried to inspect it.  It had the likings of a chess piece, but surely this wasn’t simply a chess piece, was it?

   “Let us move on, if that is alright with you,” his low voice cut the silence.

   You wiped the image from your mind and waved your hands again, as if you were slowly putting the sand back into the hole you dug before.  If the last image wasn’t enough bad news, this new one that formed was even more painful to witness.

   “You have been grieving your losses very recently,” you said gently.  “Your mind is currently weighed down by your past.  I see you looking out at the sea in deep thought.  There are flashes of…”

   You stopped as you inspected the graphic images that suddenly appeared beyond your hands.  You gasped at the terrifying horrors.

   “What is it?” the low voice tried to search for understanding of what you were seeing.  Even though the image was clearly laid out in front of him, it was still too ambiguous to tell when he lacked your years of experience.

   “There are flashes of war,” your breath stifled as you watched his thoughts splayed out in images of lifeless bodies and destruction.  “Very graphic details of war and death.  Mr. Zhongli, I believe this image of suffering has been weighing over your mind like an anchor in the sea.”

   He paused to process your comparison.  “That is... a very good way to put it.”

   “Though, I believe that despite the sorrow that emanates in this image, you are in a state of relief and tranquility.  It seems you are grieving, but you are simultaneously at peace,” you hesitated again, “Yet I wonder what these graphic images of war are meant to represent.  Surely we are not in an actual war, are we? Perhaps you are at war with your past, wanting to move on but haunted by your memories?”

  Mr. Zhongli unfortunately knew the images you were seeing were, in fact, real events he had experienced in his life time and the truth was that lately he had been reminiscing on these events.  Mortal life is kind to humans for them to be blissfully unaware and carefree of these harsh realities, he internally commented.

  He still put your analysis into thought, though.

  “I am haunted, indeed.  I have been attempting to come to terms with my troubled past, just as you advised me only a few weeks ago.  I have tried to follow your guidance, and although they resurface what I have been trying to repress, I believe I am coming to peace with what happened.”

  You grinned.  “That is very good to hear, Mr. Zhongli.  I believe you are currently making good progress when it comes to moving on.  Just remember that it is okay to remember your sorrow.  Let your emotions pass through you instead of repressing them or rushing to move on.  It is okay to take your time and let the thoughts bubble inside of you for awhile.”

  He closed his eyes as you continued, letting your advice seep in.  You continued. “Imagine the stillness of the sea.  Many creatures and lost remnants take their place in the depths of the waters, but on the surface we see constantly moving yet serene waves wash over what is hidden below.  Your memories are there to stay, Mr. Zhongli.  But your present self, the surface of the water, can peacefully coexist with whatever is hiding deep within.  Let these thoughts weigh you down momentarily, but rest assured, you will find balance and acceptance in due time.”

  His eyes fluttered open as he reflected over your words.  You always seemed to know what to say.  “Your words have truly resonated with me, [Y/N].  And you are absolutely correct.  I have been fighting these memories to avoid the pain, but it had not dawned on me that sorrow is... what I am meant to feel, not push away.  I suppose your advice has put my mind at a bit more ease, and I suppose I am focusing too much on when I will be able to move on rather than allowing my thoughts to coexist for a moment.”

  “Now you’re getting it,” you grinned with the relief that washed over his face.

  “Shall we move on?” he offered.

  You got to work on the last segment of the reading.  If manifesting the other images didn’t take long enough, reading one’s future always took the longest.  Interpreting an event that hasn’t happened yet always made you a bit nervous with your words.  You never wanted to let a client down with an inaccurate reading.

  On the contrary, this reading, despite taking quite awhile to appear on the surface on the table, was very clear.

  “That is undoubtedly an image of me,” your eyes glazed over the facial features of the person in the manifestation.  “I apologize for the delay, Mr. Zhongli, I must have accidentally let my thoughts seep into yours–“

  “Do not fret, I believe this is accurate,” he interrupted.  “Keep going.”

  Your perplexed expression remained as you continued the reading.  “I am admittedly stumped.  There is nothing left in this image.  I suppose it is simply me standing in what looks like some ruins.  I am holding a staff, or some kind of long object.”  You paused to think out loud.  “Why am I in your reading?  What could this possibly mean?”

  Mr. Zhongli chuckled as you thought out loud.  “Perhaps this is a good time to tell you why you are in my thoughts.”

  “I’d love to hear it, I have never appeared in someone’s reading in my last decade and a half of experience.  This is quite unique.”

  He folded his hands in his lap, “For some reason, I have had this strange vision of training you.  I’m not sure why, since you don’t seem like the fighting type, but there is some voice inside me that is telling me you are destined for something great and i need to take some part in it.  What do you think, now that you see this vision as well?”

  Your eyebrows rose in shock.  “Training me?  I guess this does relate to something I have been pondering as of late.  I do not want to lay out my troubles on you though, my job is to interpret your life, not mine.”

  “Our lives have clearly intertwined in this vision,” he insisted, “Please do not hold back for my sake. I have the time.”

  You thought for a moment.  How could you form the words without seeming too selfish? How could you maintain professionalism by talking about your personal problems?

  “I am not the fighting type, Mr. Zhongli.  Though, lately I have been quite depressed about the fact that I am not doing as much with my vision as other vision holders are.  My life is uninteresting.  The truth is that I am a simple fortune teller that plays with rocks.  I hope you can understand why I am failing to interpret this reading,” you apologized. “It’s because this doesn’t seem characteristic of me at all.  And with all due respect, after giving you readings for years, I would have never guessed you were versed in combat to train me!”

  He chuckled.  “I respectfully disagree.  To tell you the truth, your talents surpass the abilities of many other vision holders.  Not everyone can read thoughts or tell the future.  Now that I mention it, I know of one talented astrologist in Mondstadt, but think about that.  You are one in hundreds of thousands in Teyvat,” he reassured.  “You did not receive your vision for no reason and I truly believe you are destined for something big.  I regret not being able to realize this before.”

  “How are you so sure of this?  I would love to believe you, but I’m afraid I am not destined for much, really.  Again, I am simply a fortune teller.  What could I possibly do for Liyue other than read some rocks?”

  He sighed and connected his palms with yours, interrupting the reading and wiping the manifestation off the table.  The hovering crystals dropped onto the surface, making you gasp at the sudden sound.

  “I am not who you think I am,” his amber eyes finally met yours for the first time this evening, which sent a chill down your spine.  “Promise me you will not fret, for what I am about to show you may shock you.”

  “What do you mean?  What are you doing, Mr. Zhongli?” you slightly panicked as he firmly grasped your hands.

  Suddenly, the room was engulfed in golden light that emitted from the seat across from you.  Scattered, distorted images of a mystical dragon, a devastating war, and seven seats in Celestia flashed across your eyes as you stared at the beams of light.  Death seemed to swallow you, but not take you.  The baskets of crystals around the room shook with the surge of energy.  The world seemed to destroy itself then remake itself over and over again within fleeting moments.  These thousands of years of memories made your body tremble.  It all happened within fleeting moments, and after a few seconds of your senses being overwhelmed, you finally pulled yourself together and connected the dots.

  His expanded knowledge of Liyue’s history.  The sudden gift of your vision immediately after your aunt passed.  Grieving his losses and having flooded thoughts of war and death.  Offering combat training.  Remembering your favorites the same way he would remember Liyue’s customs and traditions.  His glowing amber eyes alone.

  Mr. Zhongli was the God of Contracts and overseer of Liyue.  Rex Lapis, a being that lived for millennia, sat in the seat across from you. He had been posing as a mere mortal for years, taking readings as if he were any normal customer. The realization shook you to your core as you sat there bewildered, grateful, and horrified at the same time.

  He let go of your hands after seeing that the information successfully processed in your mind.  He saw something in you that was yet to be awakened, where the sky was the limit under your own expectations.  This daydream of his was no simple vision – it was a calling.  Internally, whether you agreed to it or not, he vowed that he would not leave your life until your true destiny was fulfilled.

  He would see this vow fulfilled by offering you a contract that would change the course of your life forever.

[aminiatureworld]

A Little Rest II

Characters: Xiao, Zhongli, gn!reader

Word Count: 2,104 

Warnings: Swearing

Premise: Sometimes life is just unbearably tiring. And a comforting shoulder can be the perfect substitute pillow. In which the reader falls asleep on their partner.

Author’s Note: Second part!!! I realize the first didn’t get a ton of traction, unfortunately, but hopefully, this’ll still be welcomed. I realize since most of these are basically pseudo fics, would you guys prefer it to be bullet-pointed or paragraphed? I’m just wondering if one format is easier or more pleasant to read than the other. 

Also, adepti’s rules and personal needs are kinda nebulous to me so I sort of made them up myself. Watches also weren’t a thing until the 1800s, and specifically didn’t really become a thing in China until the mid-20th century. But this is fantasy so I do what I want.

Xiao

You loved Xiao more than you could say. Every little moment spent with him made your heart flutter, every habit of his that you’d noticed, every little way he revealed his soul to you.

It seemed so improbable to you sometimes, than an adeptus, someone so very disconnected from the world of humans, should choose to love you. Although Xiao would never let you think you were any lesser than him, would never let his nature put you down, you were still somewhat in awe of the whole setup, and little reminders of his adepti status often brought you back to when you two had first begun to fall in love, when Xiao had explained that he didn’t quite understand the human way of life.

And one of those things that he didn’t understand appeared to be the concept of sleep itself.

It wasn’t that Xiao didn’t know what sleep was. Nor was he unable to sleep, he once told you. Theoretically he could sit down and take a nap much like any normal human. It was more that he didn’t need to sleep, and didn’t see the need to do something that took up so much time and left one so vulnerable.

Not that he didn’t pay attention to your needs; he wasn’t about to disrupt your sleep schedule on purpose, in fact you often joked that Xiao cared more about your rest than you did. It was only that, after spending so many years simply not thinking about things like sleep, it became hard for him to suddenly remember that he had a partner who needed said sleep every day. And a day was oh so short in Xiao’s mind.

It was a beautiful evening at the Wangshu Inn. The air was warm without being stifling and a breeze blew, light and cool. You were on the roof with Xiao, the place that had become your normal meeting spot. For as much as Xiao adored you with every fiber of his soul, he was still an adeptus, and his comfort level around most humans was that of an anxious cat – always ready to bolt.

Besides, the roof of the Inn was such a lovely place to relax. You gazed at Xiao’s profile as he looked up at the stars, noticing the way that the wind ruffled his hair slightly, the way his posture seemed so relaxed, so comfortable. One of his hands was clasping yours, fingers linked together, his palm nice and warm; the other pointed out constellations to you, each bearing a story, some which had long been forgotten by the residents of Liyue.

It wasn’t often that Xiao was so talkative, so open. Although he still barely mentioned his past – keeping that part of himself shut away with only the occasional crack through which you might learn of his sorrows – he’d become much more willing to disclose his everyday thoughts to you, as well as share stories that he knew. The latter was something you always loved to listen to, not just because the stories he told were always interesting and so full of life, but also because they gave you the sense of knowing him better, something that always made you happy.

Unfortunately, tonight was one night where, though you were more than happy to listen to Xiao talk about the stars, you were kind of dying of fatigue. A headache slipped in and out of your consciousness, and you found it more and more difficult to concentrate on Xiao’s words, finding they were all melting together into some semi-coherent monologue.

Your fatigue must’ve been very apparent, for when Xiao glanced over at you his whole demeanor changed; the carefree look on his face was gone, replaced with one of slight confusion and definitive worry. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” You shook your head. “Just a bit tired, that’s all.”

“Then you should rest.” Xiao squeezed your hand slightly before moving to stand up. However, as tired as you were, you cared more about spending time with him, and weren’t about to cut said time short.

“Wait!” You exclaimed, causing Xiao to pause, looking at you in a puzzled way. You smiled, slightly sheepish, but pressed forward. “I’ll be fine. If you don’t mind though, may I, uh, may I lay my head on your shoulder.” You gazed up at him, but inside you were struck with the urge to suddenly look away. Xiao was still a bit reticent with affection, not that it bothered you. He’d told you that he was simply unused to it, not averse to it. You weren’t about to pressure him into anything though, no matter the cause, and thus you waited for his response, hoping your expression conveyed that it’d be perfectly fine if he declined.

Your worries proved to be without ground however, for Xiao’s expression grew only fonder. Lying back down he gestured towards you. You gladly scooted closer to him, laying your head on his shoulder, hand once more in his. “You were saying about the boar constellation.” You murmured.

Xiao smiled, kissing the top of your head, before once more going on speaking about the stars. You smiled too, allowing his stories to carry you off to sleep, your head already swirling with half formed dreams about creatures who walked among the stars.

Xiao listened to your breathing even out, still talking a little after it seemed you’d dozed off, making sure that the sudden stop of his voice didn’t wake you up.

Gazing down at your peaceful face he pondered for a moment how much his life had changed so quickly. Even a month ago the idea that he would become friends with a human seemed impossible, much less that he would fall in love with one.

When he’d first met you it was as if something that had been frozen inside him for a long time began to thaw. He was terrified at first, terrified of you, terrified of himself, terrified of the unknown that loomed before him like a vast chasm. It had taken every ounce of courage to hold your hand at first, and every ounce of courage for every step after that.

But he would do it again if he had to, for being with you was the best part of his long, often cruel life. And he would do anything to protect you, anything to make sure you were comfortable and happy and healthy.

“Goodnight.” He spoke softly. Up above the stars kept silent vigil along with him. Tomorrow would be a bright new day, but for now he was simply going to enjoy the moment he’d been given with you.

 Zhongli

For someone who’d lived thousands of years, you’d think Zhongli would remember that tea had to be decaffeinated sometimes.

Not that you could really blame him for forgetting. After all it’s not like he needed to pay attention to whether or not his tea was caffeinated. To one of the Seven sleep was something more akin to a perk than a necessity. Sure, it was nice to sleep. But it’s not like Zhongli was going to feel regret if he accidentally downed five cups of tea right before midnight and spent the rest of night starting at the ceiling, wondering where he went wrong.

Unfortunately, you were definitively not a god, and did, in fact, need sleep. So, when you found yourself staring out the window at 5 am, having long come to the conclusion that sleep was just not going to happen, the emotion going through your mind was something more akin to: “Oh. Fuck.”

This turned into an “Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me” when you saw the list of your daily commissions. Yeah, someone had to go to Jueyun Karst and Qingyun Peak to collect Cor Lapis, and considering your relationship with Zhongli and the adepti it should’ve been unsurprising that you were going to be the one to do it. But your sleep addled brain was having a difficult time processing things logically, and all you saw when you looked at the list Katheryne gave you was the fact that today was going to hurt.

Your prediction turned out to be only too true. No adepti came to ask why you were mining outside their front doors – honestly what would you even respond to something like that – but the amount of treasure hunters that ran into you began to feel less like a likely coincidence, considering the location, and more like a targeted attack. Thankfully there was nothing you couldn’t handle, but by the end of your expedition you were more than ready to go home and take a nap.

Hurrying through the rest of your day, barely responding to the people you interacted with, by the time you’d finally finished up with your adventuring duties you felt like the most irritated person on the planet.

Arriving home, throwing your pack haphazardly onto the floor you almost tripped and fell flat on your face in your hurry to get to the bedroom. Not bothering to take off your adventuring gear you threw yourself onto the bed and quickly found yourself lost in long overdue sleep.

Zhongli glanced at his watch, frowning as he saw the lateness of the hour. The sun was already beginning to set, and though he’d walked as fast as possible, he still found himself feeling vaguely guilty about being so late. You two hadn’t spoken much in the morning, you’d seemed a bit restless and hurried out right after breakfast, so Zhongli was anxious to spend as much time with you after work as possible.

“Darling?” He called out, walking into the home you two shared. He glanced around uncertainly, surprised that you hadn’t greeted him at the door. The sight of your pack sprawled about the hallway only made him more confused, and vaguely alarmed, and he hurried down the hall, checking each room to see if you were there.

His worry immediately faded upon seeing you, curled up above the covers, evidently fast asleep. Unsure as to whether or not to wake you up he instead headed towards the kitchen, thinking you might like something when you got up.

You woke up in the dark, something that surprised you. You’d been out for a long time. Seeing that the door had been opened you shuffled down the hall, still a bit groggy from the extended nap you’d just taken.

Zhongli smiled as you entered the kitchen. “Did you have a good nap my darling?” He asked, kissing you on the forehead. You nodded sleepily, propping yourself up by your elbows on the counter. Zhongli chuckled. “Here, something to warm you up.”

Yours eyes widened as the cup of tea was placed in front of you. For a moment there was silence, then you glanced back at him.

“Zhongli?”

“Yes?”

“Uhm, is this tea, well, does it by any chance have caffeine in it?”

The look on Zhongli’s face was enough to make you burst into giggles. Perplexion melted into realization, which evidently caused some sort of embarrassment, for the former god blushed a bright shade of red before bringing his hand to cover his mouth.

“Ah, I see. That’s why you were so tired this morning.”

“It’s alright.” You finally replied, the initial fit of giggles having passed. “I know that you don’t have to think about these sorts of things normally. Only me making the same mistake two times in a row would be a bit hilarious, wouldn’t you think” You placed a kiss on Zhongli’s cheek, finally causing him to calm down a bit.

“I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry. Next time I promise to pay more attention.”

“Thank you.” You smiled, fatigue coming back after the initial burst of energy. Leaning into Zhongli’s neck you sighed slightly.

“Still tired?” Zhongli asked, voice soft and caring.

“Yeah, a bit.” You admitted. Zhongli nodded, before scooping you up.

Carrying you over to the couch you both settled in a bit. Zhongli began humming a sort of lullaby, and you smiled despite yourself. “You’re too good for me.” You mumbled.

“Nonsense.” Came Zhongli’s reply, just as full of love and affection. “You’re too good for me. And I won’t hear otherwise.”

“If you say so.” You replied, too tired to really fire back, already drifting off.

“I do. It’s only the truth.” And with that he began to hum again. As you fell asleep one last thought lingered in your mind.

If such contentment comes from staying up too late, then I’d be glad to do it again.

[luna-paradoxz]

How to take care of a tired Qilin.

Summary - When Ganyu is super tired she turns into a small, fluffy and super cute qilin and obviously it is up to Xiao to take care of her. 

A/N - You can ready it on FF.net and Ao3. You can support me on Ko-fi or commission me.

Ganyu normally is stable, she can easily control and regulate her forms but there are times when she can't. Today she was tired, very tired, work after the rite of parting had taken a toll on her and when she had finally decided to take rest her body had decided she needs proper rest.

Xiao finds a sleeping qilin under the canopy of trees in Jeyuen Krast where he had come to take care of some work. The small size, the beautiful cold blue fur had given up who the qilin was. He sighed as he shook his head, she had worked herself up to half-death again.

Xiao jumped up to the cliffs and collected the Qingxin flowers that had bloomed there. It took him only 20 mins before he jumped back to where she was and made way to her sleeping form. It has been ages since he has last seen her transform. He sits beside her and carefully starts stroking her very soft fur. She moves then snuggles under his hand and goes back to sleep. For an hour they stay like that, in peace as he enjoys slowly stroking her head and listening to her make small sounds of approval in her sleep.

An hour later her clear pink eyes open and she yawned cutely. She tried to stretch but that was when she noticed a weird thing, her hands were well, not where she expected and felt too small. She blinked her eyes, looked down in surprise, the ground was far too close, her skin was too hot and when she moved her hands she could feel the fur. She took a deep breath and when she looked up, Xiao - who had stopped stroking her fur - stared back at her. His golden eyes met hers and she noticed how big he looked to her right now. She looked down and asked the question she already knew the answer to.

"I turned into my illuminated beast form didn't I?" She sighs as she asks.

He nodded, "You were already changed when I came here." He then crosses his hands, "You should have been careful, you know considering how vulnerable you can be in this form?"

She tries to pout but her mouth is small so it doesn't quite come out the same way still he gets it as he watches her huff cutely "I didn't think I would turn here so suddenly or I would not have come to forests today." She says while looking away and he silently agrees with the voice that says, she is super cute.

He sighs though and instead states "Well today there is some disturbance here, I have cleared it for now but you should go back to the harbour." Ganyu nods, close her eyes and utters the words to change back but when she opens her eyes she is still in her qilin form. With puppy eyes, she looks up to Xiao who shakes his head.

"I have told you when the mind is troubled or tired your body will reflect that." He is scolding her but his voice is kind. She looks down, her little form shaking as she looked like she was going to cry. He looks away feeling a little guilty so he sighs, puts away the issue for now and instead gently picks her up and puts her on his shoulder but that surprises her and she desperately clings to his clothes as she sighs in relief and turns to him pouting.

He explains, "Come on, I will take you to Cloud Retainer, you can take proper rest there." She smiles as she thanks him, he nods at her and asks her to hold him properly. He crunches down and jumps while keeping a gentle hand on her so she doesn't fall off. They jump through the cliffs as he finally reaches the Adeptus abode and stops in front of the long-forgotten stone table. He puts her down on the table where once three sat and took up to call the Adeptus out but no answer was given back to him. He calls out again and then sighs, Ganyu's face falls.

"Looks like she is out." He states the obvious and turns to her while crossing his hands, "What do you want to do now?"

She lets out another cute sigh and takes the forests in, near abode most monsters won't come but who knows how long it will take for Cloud Retainer to come back, at times she would just disappear to try her hand on her new inventions and with no sense of time, she would return days or months later. Surely, she will eventually come back but still, she might as well starve here with no food. She looks up to him, and gives him puppy eyes as she says,

"I can't go back to the harbour, can we head back to your place?" The 'no' was screaming in him but Xiao was not the kind of person who would just leave her here to starve, so, with great conflict (not really), he gave a conflicted sigh and picked her up again and put her on his shoulder. He makes sure she is stable before he moves again. It takes a bit longer but he jumps them down and finally reaches the Washung inn. He heads straight into his room and puts her down on his bed.

She smiles at him, "I am sorry Xiao for the trouble and thank you for helping me."

He silently rolled his eyes and says "I am not going to leave you alone in the wild while you are so weak." She winces but thanks him nonetheless, he sits down near her.

"What do you want to do now?" She looks around to his almost dark room, only lit by a single candle, it was filled with basic furniture and his weapons, nothing more.

She knew that was Xiao's style, she looks up to him and says "I have no work with me so I really have nothing to do right now." He looks down and puts a hand on her head and pushes her gently into the bed.

"Go to sleep, you need that." She looks panicked, not used to resting so much but Xiao glares at her as he lifts his hand and all but commands, "This all happened because you didn't rest, you need to take rest while you can." She whimpers as she nods and with that curls around and lays down, she still stares at him with an eye open and he sighs. He forcefully ignores the screams in his mind about how cute she is and says "I have more work to do so I am leaving, don't leave the room until I am back." He pats her once before he gets up and makes sure the door is closed and goes out and heads to Guili plains to slay more demons. She falls into sleep soon after he leaves as the salty smell of Dihua Marsh fills the room and the chirps of birds just outside. She feels nostalgic for the old centuries and falls into sleep.

He comes back silently as he walks in with airy steps and looks into the darkness to see the qilin sleeping soundly. She was breathing lightly, her mouth open with small snores that he did find cute even if he will never say it out loud. Just like before she was sound asleep so he decided to leave her and headed upstairs to the roof. He sat there below the tree as he looked over Dihua Marsh and took in the wind, he closes his eyes and rests against the bark, slowly examining his wounds today. They were not bad, just a few scratches and bruises so he was sure they will heal up in no time. He watches the clouds drift apart, the silence and the time passing doesn't matter to him. As an Adeptus, he was used to having time pass by him and it did until he came to attention when a certain qilin entered the roof. She looked up to the moon before she looked around trying to find him, it was late in the night so no humans had yet encountered her. As he got up to jump down, a certain manager came in. Ver Goldet came up to the roof, obviously surprised as she took the little Adeptus in, she crouched down and Xiao jumped down in front of them. She looked up and imminently bowed.

"Oh, Xiao-sama I was just checking what was this little animal was doing." She explained, she knew he didn't like it when they encroached on his space.

He turns to the qilin and says "It is ok don't worry she is with me."

The manager was surprised and bowed to the Qilin, she obviously still didn't recognize the secretary and says "Oh, my apologies enlightened Adeptus I didn't mean any rudeness." Ganyu tried to smile as she nods and shakes her head.

"It is quite ok Ver Goldet, and can you get the dinner sent to us in my room?" She nods and takes their order before taking her leave. He turns to her and asks her what she is doing here.

"I noticed you were back so I wanted to check in on you." She looks all over his body, "Are you ok Xiao?" She didn't note any wounds on him. He shakes his head and then turns to the roof and looks at her with an eyebrow raise asking her if she wants to stay here. She nods and he helps her get up the tree barks and they both isolate themselves and get comfortable against the branches. She rubs against the tree and smiles peacefully, the tree feels so alive and healthy.

She then turns out to the marsh and smiled, how beautiful the scene was. Xiao waited for her to fall asleep again, but she had slept quite a lot so she stayed up and stared at the marsh. The past came in flashes as she remembered the past 6 centuries, the war and the people they lost over the years. She remembered the gentle goddess and the Yakshas that lost their lives in a horrible but prideful way. She remembered the adepti that gave their life away for Rex lapis and his building region and the worst thing she remembered was every single day the blood that was spilled by her hands, the blood that still covered her. She turned to Xiao who still suffered because of the war and yet he always seems to take pride in his duties. She wonders how he forgets the blood, the nightmares filled with screams of their victims, she wondered how he forgave his past.

She bites her inner cheek gently as she shakes her head to forget such thoughts. Xiao has lost many people, everyone he got close to has left him, the karma binds him and makes him suffer to this day, she truly can't believe her suffering is more than his. She has it far easier than him she knew. She must stay strong though after all she too was Rex lapis's Adeptus, one of the guardians of Liyue.

She apologises to him silently to think lower of his sufferings before she too let her thoughts go in the wind, they watch the clouds pass until they are called for dinner by the inn lady. She jumps down gracefully and walks alongside him as they walk back to his room and thank her for the dinner. They settle on his simple table as she takes in the small bowl that looks like a cat dish, she pouts as he smirks. She looks up to him and huffs as he chuckles slightly.

"You are the same size as Wei."

She pouts cutely, using all her face muscles and says "You know better than anybody how big Qilins are."

He smirks remembering her illuminated form better than anybody "Well this is the treatment you get when one doesn't take care of oneself."

She whimpers as she agrees with his words. His scolding though was a small jab and he chuckled as he saw her whimpering, Ganyu was far too accepting when people criticized or scolded her, "I have learned my lesson, Xiao." She says as she pouts at him and he gives her a nod while looking away, she was far too cute for her own good.

He eats his almond tofu as she finished her vegetarian albone and he does note it is quite a small portion from what she eats normally, so he lets her finish and then calls out to her and pats a spot on his lap, she jumps and settles down and looks up to him as he half-smiles and scoops little of his almond tofu and offers to her. She looks surprised as she confirms if it's ok, he nods and she slowly nibbles on it. He makes her eat more before he gives her a pat and finishes his own meal.

"You feel better now?" She nods.

She smiles at him, "Thank you for sharing your food, Xiao." He nods and she jumps down as he gets up and puts their plates out as she decides to walk around his room and take it all in. It's the first time she has been inside, after all, it will also probably be the last time too. Everyone knows well Xiao doesn't like anyone in his personal space. She can smell better in this form so she takes in his musky smell, and blushes bright red not that anyone will notice considering her fluffy fur. As she jumps on his storages, he comes back and folds his hands and stares at her with flat eyes.

"What are you investigating Ganyu?" She huffs as she glares at him.

"I was just looking around a bit. I was not poking my nose anywhere."

He gives her another look before he sits down on his bed and picks up his lance and starts cleaning it. She comes near him and settles beside him, as she watches his practised elegant moves as he cleans up his jade lance, they sit there peacefully until he turns and says, "Did you bring your bow?" She nods but since she can't turn back she can't call it out right now. He sighs and instead continues with his lances. The process is calming and she nestles herself on his side as she continues watching his hands. They are quite skilled she notes and blushes when her imagination goes a bit far. She shakes her head in the silence and gets back to watching him. As the calm envelopes her she slowly drifts to slumber without even realising.

He looks down as he finishes his jade lance and sighs, she was asleep again, he wonders truly how long it has been since she has last gotten decent sleep. He slowly pats her head and she unconscious snuggles into it and it makes him slightly blush, his heart once again acting up. It was truly weird feelings, these human emotions that didn't belong to him. He takes away his hand and continues his work, as usual, the Yaksha doesn't sleep but his body does relax as she sleeps at his side. It feels natural, he muses as he works for his hands, it feels so natural to have her on his side. It has been so long since he has spent a whole day with her. It all felt so natural and relaxing and his head has been calm and his pain subdued. This is not the first time he has realised the effect she has on him, they have been fighting by each other side for centuries but this is the first he can fully bathe in that peaceful feeling without having to worry about anything else. He acknowledges the fact that Ganyu was special to him whether he liked it or not she had made herself special to him and now all he can do is to choose whether to act upon the fact or not. He looks down at her, the choice is easy but really hard to make at the same time. He is not a being that deserves happiness and yet it seems destiny doesn't want to play fair to him. Still, he smiles a little, they have time, they always had time so he can make his own choice. He hopes she will wait for him.

The hours pass and as the clock turns 5, a body suddenly appears beside him, snuggling against his shoulder. He does blush as Ganyu, now in her human form decides to still keep snuggling, her hands wound up holding the edges of his shirt as her head naturally fits in the creek of his neck and her body snuggles right up to his shoulder. He takes a deep breath and banishes all the evil thoughts, it was wrong of him to think of Ganyu like that but just like voices they just make themselves heard, his voices laughing maniacally and calling him a beast. He knows that and he should probably detach her, but she looks too comfortable for him to do that and he rationalises she will probably return to work once she is up so he should let her take her rest as much as she can. She already works so hard and as her mentor, the least he can do is make sure she is taking proper rest. So we that reasoning, he lets her nap while taking stolen glances at her and then chiding at himself to act so immorally. It was unbecoming of an Adeptus to act on such basic human desires but he can't hide the heat filling inside him as she keeps snoring on his arm.

His happy times (he will refuse that vehemently) ends when half an hour later Ganyu wakes up and jumps two feet back when she realises the situation. He sighs and schools himself back to his blank look as she blushes wildly and starts apologising. It makes him hurt that she thinks he is some kind of short-fused man, he won't get mad at her for nodding off on him. He doesn't say that as he puts a heavy hand on her head and makes her look up, their eyes meet and all he says.

"Stop apologising."

She nods and he lets her go. He gets up, stretches his muscles, putting away his lances he turns towards her, she definitely looks well-rested. Her skin colour has returned and her muscles don't seem as tense as before. He nods at her and asks her when she is leaving.

"I will probably get breakfast and then head back to the harbour." She bows when he gets up, "Thank you Xiao for letting me stay and rest. I probably would have gotten more tired if I stayed out there."

He sighs and crosses his hands, "Just remember to take rest Ganyu. You work too hard." She sighs in defeat as she nods, "Those humans won't fall apart if you take rest for one day." She nods, as usual he is brash when giving advice, well she is someone who likes that part of him so she can't really say anything. She smiles at him, thanks him and takes her leave. He won't ever admit that he will miss her for the next week while working.

She walks into the Liyue harbour, well-rested and well-fed. The sea breeze greets her morning as the merchants start the day and ships start docking for the day, some greet her and others are too focused to do so. She greets them back and as she walks to Liyue harbour, she stops near the dock area and looks out at the sea, the sea hasn't changed but the city has changed quite a lot. A lot of things have changed in these centuries but some things do remain unchanged she muses as she remembers Xiao, he has remained the same and yet she knows he has changed too, he after all smiled again. She can remember the last time he smiled, it was in the field of glaze lilies beside the gods and Yakshas, their little family back then. Now, she knows he doesn't smile any more but yesterday he had and she hopes she had played a little part in it. She knows these feelings will remain unchanged no matter the centuries and one day she will act upon them, change will come and she can choose to embrace it.

Well, not now though, she knows they can take their time. They have always had plenty of time.