#zhongli x reader fluff

[tojivu]

one bed + morning after ⋆ genshin men

an. clearijg up drafts (that i like), expect more soon

cw. genshin men & one bed trope, includes zhongli diluc childe thoma. f!reader implied. sfw.

playing. nothing revealed / everything denied by the 1975

DILUC’s face is almost as red as his hair. he hoped to get this trip over and done with; considering how the friend group had just dragged him on this adventure when he had better things to do. however, he found the silver lining he didn’t expect; you.

he had always found you attractive, sometimes stealing glances at you when you’re talking to his friends or secretly hoping you would ask him to hang out (without your annoying friends tagging along, as they had always done)—so when he finds out he’s stuck with you for the night, he has mixed feelings. he sticks himself to the wall, feeling too awkward to even sit down, and you’re combing your hair in the mirror.

“i’m gonna go to bed soon. you gonna stand there all night, luc?”

god, the way you said his name. “no, i’ll be on the couch.”

“don’t be silly.” you put the comb down and turn off the bathroom lights, then getting on the bed to make yourself comfortable. you pat the empty space next to you to signal that it’s okay, that he could sleep next to you if he wanted. “don’t be scared. it’s not that big of a deal.”

of course it wasn’t, to you.

diluc reluctantly gets on the bed, and he’s as stiff as a wood plank. you turn and look at him, on your side, and he fights his urge to look back at you; he knows he’ll just make a fool of himself. “goodnight, luc.”

you expected diluc to be sleeping, facing the ceiling—as if he didn’t move from the night before. but your eyes flutter open and you see diluc facing you, his face only inches away; sleeping peacefully. the sunlight is seeping in through the curtain gaps, and the air is cold.

diluc wakes and he doesn’t jump in surprise, instead he opens his eyes and stares lazily at you—as if you were a sight he saw every morning; natural, like you were meant to be there with him. his morning voice is rough as he speaks, “good morning, y/n.”

your heart is merciless that morning, diluc swore he could hear your heartbeat pounding.

CHILDE doesn’t realise how troublesome it is to have such a tiny bed to two people. he had always slept alone, in a queen, his sleeping positions almost always bizarre as he had space to spare. your friend group didn’t think to consider whether making him sleep in a small hotel room with only one bed would trouble him— but as soon as he was told that he was sharing a room with you, his face lit up. childe didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, though, but it would be a lie if he said he didn’t want to be stuck with you for a whole 8 hours.

“did you hear?” he leans against the counter at the reception desk, on one arm, looking at you with a smirk on his face. you’re guessing what it could be—what prank he’d be pulling on you this time.

“we’re sharing a room?” you guess, voice monotone and bored; it was 12 in the morning and all you wanted to do was sleep—entertaining childe’s nonsense was not going to be a part of your nightly routine. you expect a big “no!” from him, but he keeps quiet instead.

after a few seconds of awkward silence, he reaches for the keycard in your hand and grabs hold of it. “i guess i’ll unpack first, then.”

there wasn’t any point in fighting the receptionist for your own room, since she told you they were packed for the week and reservations had already been made.

you’re on the far end of the bed while childe is comfortable. the pillows smell like his shampoo. you can’t sleep, and he notices that. childe snickers at how you’re trying so hard not to fall off the bed.

“c’mere.” he offers, “there’s space.”

“there isn’t.”

“trust me, i don’t like this either.” what a liar, he thought to himself.

you reluctantly shift closer to him, yet thankful he offered—you were close to moving anyway. “this is so stupid.”

when you wake, you find yourself facing the wall—childe’s arms are wrapped around your waist, his chest pressing against your back. he’s still asleep, his light snores being the only thing you can hear. you tell yourself this is not what you wished to wake up to, but the blush creeping up on your face says everything.

ZHONGLI finds it completely normal. he cannot take a hint. it was just a business trip, and he didn’t want you (his secretary) to sleep uncomfortably. you had much to do the morning after and a sore back would do you no good—he was just being a responsible boss. just that, nothing else. he doesn’t notice the blush on your cheeks when he tells you to get in bed with him, and when he tells you goodnight when his face is only inches away from yours. it seems like you don’t notice how he gets a little nervous when you move closer—or accidentally brush your hands against his under the sheets, either.

zhongli takes off his slippers, then throwing the towel on his neck onto the chair next to the nightstand. you’re already in bed, laying down like a mummy—afraid to make a bad impression.

“busy day tomorrow.” he says. “goodnight, y/n.”

you muster the courage to say it back, but the heartbeat pulsing in your ears make it hard. “goodnight.”

“why are you laying down like that?” he suddenly says, just moments after you close your eyes. you jolt awake, surprised he would ask.

“i don’t want to make you uncomfortable, mr. zhongli–“

“don’t be ridiculous. come.” this is not normal. superiors are not supposed to be in the same bed as their secretaries. you’re not supposed to be in the same bed as your superior. nevertheless, he’s your boss. if he wants you to come closer, who are you to disobey?

you move closer to him, letting out a sigh of relief because theres much more space on his side of the bed. you hope it won’t be awkward at tomorrow morning’s meeting, and you hope no one catches you leaving his hotel room as soon as the sun rises.

your eyes open and the sun is rising. the sky is a pink-orange colour—the air is warm, but not too warm. you turn your gaze to your side and see zhongli, sleeping peacefully, and it hits you that you’ve never seen your boss like this. you’d just assumed that he never slept; such a workaholic he is. with his position, who has time to get shuteye?

you don’t realise he’s awake until he says something. you’ve been staring at him for a few minutes now.

“take a picture, it’ll last longer, miss y/n.”

you’re too tired to feel embarrassed, but the red on your cheeks show it anyway. “good morning, mr zhongli.”

“first time i’ve slept so soundly,” he smiles, “we should do this more often.”

zhongli was always blunt and straightforward, though it never bothered you. in fact, you admired that about him—something about the morning air and your boss waking up next to you stirs something in your chest.

THOMA was the shy classmate you always wanted to befriend. he was often seen reading books in the corner of the classroom, his head down and his eyes scanning pages. you were the popular kid, always being approached by those who are interested in you—but thoma was the only one who could catch your attention. you end up making friends with him, and spontaneously invite him on a trip outside the city. a small hostel was all you two could find, and even then, the prices were… outrageous.

“i could pay for two rooms, if you’re not comfortable.” you offered him, but knowing thoma, he’d probably decline and say—

“no, that’s a lot of money.” he shakes his head, “we came all this way. we still need money to head home.” of course, thoma was too sweet to make you do such a thing for him.

when you enter the room, you’re surprised to see only one bed. you’d just sleep on the floor, you thought—you dragged thoma out here, it would only be polite to do such a thing for him.

“so you wanna face the wall or..”

“what?”

“oh, you’re not sleeping on the floor, are you?” he questions, and you think he must be going crazy. what kind of guy asks a question like that? “we walked a lot today.”

your confidence is nowhere to be found now—with thoma, it’s hard for you to find the right words to say because you’re always so nervous; it’s a curse, especially during times like these. you decide to just suck it up for the night. thoma was a deep sleeper; and you knew this because of the train ride here—he was snoring so loud the whole cabin could hear him, and your pokes and shoves did nothing to wake him. it wouldn’t be much of an issue to sleep next to him, you hope.

it’s surprisingly easy to fall asleep next to thoma, his body warms the bed up and you find yourself inching closer to him as the hours pass—it’s comfortable, regrettably, but you can’t help yourself. it’s 4 in the morning when your head is buried into thoma’s shoulder, warmth encapsulating you; and the air is quiet until he speaks.

“it’s so cold tonight,” he’s complaining, though his tone sounds awfully happy, and you feel him hold your hand under the covers. “this hostel is so shitty.”

“isn’t it?” you’re smiling so hard you swear your cheeks are going to fall off. thank the stars it’s pitch dark in the room.

you wake hours later, thoma’s arm under your neck and holding you close. it’s no longer cold, you realise. you hear snoring in your right ear, and you’re once again thankful he can’t see your expression—a bright red.

[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. 

[alhaith4ms]

you bought him a plush keychain of an animal that he offhandedly mentioned that reminds him of you, saying that he can use it so that he'll have something to keep him company on days he's busy or away at work. despite saying that it wasn't necessary to buy him such an item, he still accepted the plush keychain (you didn't dare mention to him how his cheeks were adorned with the prettiest blush).

the plush keychain was never seen or brought up by either of you again after that day — not until you heard him call out to you from the living room, asking if you've seen his keys anywhere as he's preparing to leave for work.

after a few minutes of searching, you found his keys in the pocket of his pants that were in the laundry basket. a smile made its way to your lips. "i found your keys!"

"really? where did —" he came to a stop when he saw you grinning as you held up his keys along with the little trinket you've gifted him, his cheeks flushed. "ah, t-thank you. i must have left it in my pocket yesterday."

"you're really using it." you spoke, still smiling, handing it over to him.

"of course, it's like you said — i get to have a piece of you with me even though we're apart."

— diluc, alhaitham, zhongli, ayato, cyno, tighnari, scaramouche/wanderer, albedo, dainsleif, xiao

[jubburb]

》 "-ARE YOU COLD, MY DEAR?"

• @jubburb

ask: none.

sypnosis: waking up with your husband one morning and going on a walk in the snow.

a/n: ive been procrastinating this foreva, ik its short but I just want this out of the drafts so I can start writing more fics😼

warnings: female reader in mind when writing, but I'm not sure if I put any fem pronouns, just cute fluffy fluffness 😺

notes: ooc zhongli? definitely? maybe? idk.. u tell me

When fall hits Liyue, it can get pretty chilly pretty fast. The degrees quickly drop to fifty degrees and lower, previously being in around the eighties or nineties.

It's quite a sudden change. But a pleasant one, especially for tourists who come around during the seasons.

-

One quiet morning, you and your husband, Zhongli, are lazing about in your shared king bed. Zhongli was reading a book, idly playing with your hair with one hand, while you were still trying to wake up, laying your head on his broad chest.

"Mm.." You groan sleepily, reaching a hand up to rub your eye.

"Are you finally awake, my dear?" Zhongli chuckles, halting his hand that was intertwined with the tresses of your hair.

You simply nod, yawning, and sit up against his chest, feeling his hand snake around your waist to hold you closer.

"Do you have work today?" You ask, blinking a couple of times to actually fully wake up, staring up at him and he nods with a hum.

"I am, in fact, off today. What do you suppose we do?" He asks, placing the book down to give you his full attention.

"Sleep in?" You request with a chuckle, and Zhongli jokingly sighs, shaking his head no.

"Something productive, please, my dear." He says, playing with a strand of your hair once more.

"Sleeping is productive, Li." You retort, rolling your eyes, tempted to fall back into a deep slumber just to spite your husband.

There's silence for a moment as Zhongli thinks.

"-Oh, I know, what about a walk around the harbor? I'm sure nobody is awake during these early hours, so it'll be calm, quiet, and peaceful. Just the two of us." Zhongli smiles, cupping your cheek, his slightly calloused palm brushing against your soft skin.

"..Thats.." You start, ".. Not that bad of an idea."

"Knew it."

You only roll your eyes at his response, "Well, I guess we better get our lazy asses out of bed before it's too late and people start getting to work."

"You're the only lazy ass here." Zhongli chuckles with a whisper under his breath, getting out of bed before you could do anything about what he said.

"Oh you mother-"

-

As you two walk around the harbor, you did not expect it to start snowing..

The pretty white snowflakes started to dance across the sky before ultimately finding use on the ground, creating a soft blanket of snow covering the docks and pathways.

Aaaaand.. you forgot your mittens.. your hands were freezing, but if you told Zhongli, he would give you that: "i tOld yOu sO" bullshit.

Before you guys even left the house, Zhongli insisted you bring mittens, because, to quote him, "You don't even know how cold it is in the morning, love."

And of course, you just had to defy him, insisting that you'll be fine without mittens.

You really regret it now..

Even though you were clad in a comfy coat, your hands that were freezing seemed to freeze your entire body, and you were quivering every step you and your husband took as you walked around.

Zhongli looked through the shop windows, not really seeming to notice at first, but then he eventually heard your teeth starting to chatter together, and glanced back at you.

"..Are you cold, my dear?" Zhongli asks, staring at you with a concerned look.

"I-m f-ine.." You respond, your teeth clamming together continuously.

He glances down at your hands that were trembling the most, reaching his mitten covered hands hold them, and you immediately feel a sense of relief.

Zhongli smiles softly, chuckling a bit, and leaned forward to kiss your forehead, "I told you to wear the mittens."

"I kn-ow.." You chatter, before moving closer to cuddle into his chest, the two of you still holding hands, standing there for a while in the wintery streets.

Zhongli hums softly, his nose nuzzled into your hair as he smells your shampoo and conditioner, snow falling over his long brown hair and back.

You could fall asleep right there in the arms of your husband, but you'd rather get home before you get all lovey dovey, so you pull away, looking up at his handsome amber eyes.

"Let's head back, Li.." You say, and Zhongli nods, continuing to hold your hand.

He even not-so discreetly maneuvered it into the large pocket of his coat, so your hand could be even warmer as you two walked.

You smile softly, and lean your head on your husband's shoulder.

The two of you only left footsteps in your wake as you find comfort in eachother.

- signed by c♡

[suguru-getos]

— zhongli shenanigans on his birthday —

“RISE!” the pillar comes in with a shield on you and him as you two run across liyue for gathering the special ingredients for your calla lily soup, suddenly nearing monsters.

“why rise? that sounds so bad and so naughty.”

“i don’t understand how does that sound - oh!” zhongli interrupts, blushing a little. “well, i must say that i did not infer anything like that in my two thousand and—”

“maybe people didn’t notice or even if they did they were too scared to tell you — their god of geo.” you hum, grinning ear to ear. in your years together with him you’re one of the few lucky ones who know about his identity.

“you think they also think of me as…”

“happy birthday morax.” you chuckle, leaning in and kissing his cheek. now all his trail of thought is absolutely gone. <3

“it’s indeed a happy one, with you by my side, darling.”

[andraxicated]

Intimacy in all its forms pt.2

Pairings: cyno, xiao, tighnari, kazuha, zhongli x f! reader

tags: fluff | highschool au!

a/n: this will be 3 parts with other characs!

pt. 1 |

Cyno | The intimacy of just looking at someone and dissolving into laughter together

his jokes never land for other people and to you. the only thing that was laughable was the deafening silence that followed. yet somehow with a thing called eye contact in an especially serious time, you find your body stilling to hold back the laughter that threatens to spill out while you present a project in front of the class.

it's all cyno's fault. he's staring at you with that dead look in his eyes and arms crossed and he knows what he's doing. he's also holding back his laughter but the way your voice subtly cracks renders him shaking that his seatmate asks if he was okay.

you constantly coughed to hide slips and continued presenting, not wanting to look at cyno anymore. "so therefore this model—hff! ehem—tells us of the relationship between variable 1—...and 2......"

so when the presentation ends, you came back to your seat with a glare at cyno as he looks down at the table to avoid eye contact. he's sitting with a hand over his mouth, pretending to not notice you passing by his desk. and when break time comes, you approach cyno and slap him on the back, garnering a groan from the man who was caught unaware of your presence.

"what was that for?" he asks, rubbing the part that was slapped.

"what do you think? you keep looking at me with a funny face!" you cry out and cyno rebuts, "that's my normal face though. just say that whenever you see me you start laughing 'cause you're so in love with me." with how blunt he was in saying those words, you were reminded of the fact that he actually graduated from being your friend, to now being your boyfriend. he's always there to make your ears bleed with those awful jokes that you secretly love, it was like a trademark of his personality.

you smirk, looking right into his eyes, but before you could retort a comeback with your mouth hanging open. both of you suddenly dissolve into uncontrollable laughter for absolutely no reason. it was just the way it was with cyno.

Xiao | The intimacy of someone sharing the meaning behind their tattoos

you knew him back then in middle school, he was quiet and sat at the back of the class. he was in the middle percentile with his grades and never quite stood out among everyone else. xiao was just there and you never cared. you transferred to a different high school yet you never knew a familiar face would one day come walking into the classroom and being introduced as a new student.

there's a saying that goes whoever sits next to you on the first day will become your friend. and that's quite what happened to you and xiao; you get lunch together, form eye contact to partner up, share some snacks, and your seats are closer than the others, plus, you frequently come over to his house bringing his favorite almond tofu

in everyone's eyes, you two were already an item yet you still had a question lingering at the back of your mind.

"I gotta ask...why do you always have a jacket on? even if it's summer you somehow stand the heat" xiao gulps at your question, he could never lie to you especially when you look at him like that. he answers, "I have a tattoo"

"wha-? can I see it??" you raise your brow as xiao nods, slowly taking his jacket off, showing his milky white skin and a green tattoo that almost covered his arm. your eyes widened in surprise and you wanted to ask him if a highschooler can even have a tattoo as big as that. but the question that comes out of your mouth was a bit different. "what's the meaning of it?"

it was too complex and entrancing, making you want to run your fingers over and trace them.

"it's a mythical being—an illuminated beast. a guardian spirit that protects humans against pestilence and evil." he momentarily looked at your reaction, waiting for you to be weirded out but you stayed silent with a glimmer in your eyes. "I...feel like an evil spirit. everyone around me has left in an accident, bad luck follows me and clings to them. their lives are cut too short and I'm starting to think—"

"that's not going to happen." you cut him off as his voice started to waver. you held his hand, caressing it to let him feel the warmth he craved. "whatever you're thinking isn't true. accidents are accidents and it has nothing to do with you."

he kept beating himself up with the guilt like he's some kind of grim reaper to the people around him. yet all it took to kill the negativity in his mind was your words. all it took was a caress of your hand and xiao then thought that he'd be simply okay if he were to just cling onto you.

Tighnari | The intimacy of ordering food and “shall we share it?”

you feel like you can't get used to this. this has been normal since you were friends but after becoming his girlfriend, it's like every little thing had a whole new different meaning. such as tighnari saying "that's all you want?" while nodding to your choice of dish on the menu. he's too absorbed in looking at the list to properly look at your mouth slightly parted.

"how about you? i'll treat you this time." you collect yourself yet still nervously tapping your fingers against your uniform. you don't even know if he likes this place you've dragged him to. considering, he's taking his time with the menu while covering his face. little do you know he's doing it all to hide the flush in his cheeks. because like you, he can't get used to this dating thing either.

"didn't you tell your friend that your allowance ran out earlier?" he spoke and your eyes widened, not expecting him to catch on that sorry excuse to your friend. truthfully...

"I still have some. I lied to her because I wanted to spend the last of my money with you."

an awful silence followed your words as you prayed for the ground to swallow you whole. it was becoming unbearably quiet until a held-back laughter escaped from tighnari's lips. he put down the menu to finally let you see his face and reddened ears. your sweet boyfriend was just looking at the menu to balance out what's your favorite and what's easy on the wallet. he can't have you spending lots when you're treating him, especially when you have other stuff like online shopping on who knows what.

"when the food arrives, shall we share it?"

"what?"

"ah? you don't want to share?"

"no! I mean I want to share!—you're so annoying!" you say as you stumble upon your words as tighnari only laughs. the bickering never goes away even as a couple.

Kazuha | The intimacy of sharing secrets in the nighttime, because 3am will never tell

the call time read 1 hour and 6 minutes as the clock hit 3 am. what you talked about for the past hour was a blur as you yawn, waiting for kazuha to come back from his bathroom break. you wanted to end the call, not wanting to hear any more of his girl problems and save yourself from the heartbreak of hearing him talk about someone so affectionately.

yet you're hopelessly in love with him, inwardly groaning when his voice comes to come in. "are you still there?" you hate that his voice made your heart pound. "mhm, I'm here"

"so...what do you think about what I said earlier? should I confess?" he asked as you grip your favorite plushie, wanting to smack its smiley face staring at you before you throw your phone. maybe you could use that as an excuse to not answer him at all.

you think about it deeply, not caring about his concern about your silence—not that you know what he's feeling. "I think..." you wanted to be the evil girl bestfriend and ruin his chances but you think about the karma that's gonna bite you back in the ass so you chose again, rolling your eyes as you speak. "I think you should confess if you're feeling confident anyway. if you get your heart broken then move on. we're still in highschool anyway it's not gonna last."

you wanted to smack yourself at those last words, it's obvious kazuha's not gonna like what you said yet he only laughs, shaking his head on the other side. "well, I want her to last because I'm envisioning a future with her. and...what about you? do you like someone?"

he's making your ears bleed. "yeah I like someone. I'm quite close with him actually."

"really?" you raise a brow at his long pause. "who?"

"he's a nobody."

kazuha chuckles, making you pout on the other line. "that's quite mean to say to the guy you like."

"he deserves it. because he's being mean to me." you reply and kazuha asks, "should I confront him? I'm quite good with a sword but I can't take it out of the house...maybe I could drag heizou with me since he's good at throwing punches—"

"yeah. knock yourself out. bye." you quickly end the call, screaming into your pillow as anxiety floods your brain if he ever caught onto what you said. you actually hope he doesn't. maybe if he asks about it you'll say that it means he should sleep, it's not about you liking him!

the dread of a message ping fills the air and you want to just sleep this in, worry about your pathetic advances in the morning. by burying your head in the pillow, you soon fall asleep to the sound of two other pings.

(y/n) I'm gonna tell you something tomorrow. for now, have a good sleep :)

Zhongli | The intimacy of stopping to wait when someone needs to tie their shoe

he's blabbering all about history like a broken record as you pass by his favorite landmark in the city—an old building that was architecturally majestic and had a lot of history. you take your eyes off it when you step on a shoelace come undone, letting out a small sigh as you kneel on the ground.

you tie it swiftly and rose your head to catch gazes with zhongli who's staring from a towering height. "why were you staring like that?" you stand up, dusting some dirt on your pants as you walk beside him in a sudden silence.

"I was waiting for you." he says and you smile, shaking your head as you interlock fingers with him.

"I thought you weren't gonna notice me. you do that sometimes you know? leaving me behind." "I don't know what you're talking about." zhongli deadpans as you exchange banter, you were giggling most of the time with your own jokes while zhongli can't do anything but watch you laugh. he suddenly looks down at your shoes and you soon feel it too. the other shoelace had come undone like earlier.

yet before you could squat down to fix it, zhongli did it first with his deft fingers between the laces, double tying to prevent it from loosening while you wait for him and beam down like a child. he stands up to his full height and doesn't question why you're smiling, instead, he holds out his hand for you to take, intertwining fingers as people see a highschool couple walk down the street too close to each other. zhongli eventually got used to the pda.

"thank you" you whisper as you wait for the stoplight. he then pulls your head closer to press a kiss, whispering back with a smile he fails to hide.

"don't mention it"

[knnichs]

𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄

— characters : zhongli . neuvillette . thoma . wanderer

— characters are in a relationship with reader, gn!reader, scaramouche is still working in the fatui

fluff. word count : 0.6k

𝐙𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐈 is just as affectionate as you are to him. Constantly providing you with gifts if he can, showering you with love, always being there by your side. He’s quite a chatty person, and there were plenty of times where you’ve caught him talking about you to a group of the same group of people that know him by the name Morax. Xiao has heard of your name multiple times and has unconsciously gained the habit of staying close by when he sees you; And if Ganyu isn’t busy burying herself in work–she’d take you to a fancy restaurant she knows you’ve been eyeing. 

The problem is: Zhongli has almost no chance against the Adepti if they’ve been spoiling you. So what does he do? He gets competitive. Incredibly competitive.

Instead of trying to work with Ganyu and Xiao to gain more of your affection; He instead chooses to try and focus on you more. Giving you more kisses in public, more gifts and more of his affectionate words. He never fails to make sure to show that in front of the two Adepti too. But they know he means well; The ex-archon is just happy to be yours.

Because of his high demanding job, you don’t often see 𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 back at home. He makes up for lost time with his charm and mora. Neuvillette loves to spoil you. Whether he brings you to a nice restaurant or buys you expensive items from luxury brands, he finds a way. 

One thing he will never do is take you along with him to a trial. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be seen with you, nor is it that he doesn’t trust you; It’s more of the fact that he doesn’t, and absolutely does NOT want you near dangerous people. Guilty or Innocent, he thinks bringing you with him is unnecessary and could cause more harm than good. Who knows? A future criminal could target you in the future seeing that you’re quite close to the Iudex. 

So, although he doesn’t bring you with him to work, he does let you in his office. It’s heavily guarded with Melusines and he’s sure that she wouldn’t slack off on her duty! 

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀 is a sweetheart. He never leaves your side and he’s always there when you need him.  He brings you along to run errands and is always on high alert if there are times when you’re walking around dangerous parts of Inazuma.

If, for whatever reason, you don’t tag along–He will make sure to bring gifts. Even if it was your choice that you weren’t joining, he’s still bringing you a bouquet of flowers and a few fun stories that happened during the few hours he was gone to try and woo you to be with him the next time Thoma invites you.

He’s heavy on physical contact. When you two are out, he’s constantly holding your hand–Giving you quick pecks on the cheeks from time to time. Thoma is an affectionate person, and he never fails to show that to you.

Despite his sharp words and demeanor, 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐄 is a huge fan of gift giving. During good days, you might even encounter a rather cuddly version of your partner.

Scaramouche is known to be stern and incredibly strict because of his rank in the Fatui. But either way, you’ve managed to wrap him around your finger; And he thinks that vulnerability is not a good thing. So what does he do? Push you away.

But don’t go, because he doesn’t want to be alone. Don’t go because he can still show you what it’s like being loved by someone like him. Don’t go because you’ll be finding bouquets and chocolates right at your nightstand when you wake up every morning.

characters belong to mihoyo. everything is written by staari - do not steal, reupload, translate, modify or feed my work to ai.

[haravath0t]

The Tale of the Lone Glaze Lily

A/N: hey guys!! Long time no see! After a whole year of not writing, I decided to go ahead and get back to it with a new fandom that I recently got into! It’s my first work for Genshin Impact, so I hope anyone reading this is satisfied! Thank you so much @honeystevie for being the best beta reader and for hearing me drone about this for god knows how long!

Summary: You, the goddess of song, decided to celebrate Morax’s birthday one day in Mt. Tianheng with a glaze lily. Who would have thought thousands of years later the memory was as clear as day, with a lone glaze lily yet to bloom standing in its place?

Pairing: Zhongli x god!fem!reader

Word Count: 2.4 K

Content/Content Warnings: angst, mentions of death (reader), fluff, a tiny deviation from the lord to fit the plot

“Morax!” You cheer gleefully, skipping towards his figure before cupping his cheeks with your warm hands. “I have something to show you tonight, if you’re willing to join me.” Morax couldn’t help the smile that graced his face at the sound of excitement that laces your voice. Guizhong couldn’t help but laugh at the two of you as she collects the now empty cups from him and Cloud Retainer, who had paid the two a short visit in honor of Morax’s birthday.

“I relieved him of his duties tonight, he’s all yours.” Guizhong says to you, before greeting Morax a happy birthday once more for the night.

“Lead the way,” he chuckles, his fingers laced with yours as you walk to Mount Tianheng begins. One that is filled with mindless conversation and laughter until you abruptly halt into a stop.

“I need you to close your eyes for me.” You say quickly, trying your best to cover his eyes with your own hands. He chuckles at this futile attempt.

“My dear,” he starts teasingly before closing his eyes. “You must think of much more clever ways to execute your plan.” A snicker cannot be held back by him as you hurl insults towards him as you guide him by the hand.

“Alright, Morax. Open your eyes for me.” And so he does, and the sight is one to behold: one that overlooks the unusually calm sea, with the stars of Teyvat and Liyue’s mountains providing a glamorous backdrop. “Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve been eyeing this place for ages, and I thought I could share it with you tonight on your birthday.” You say, nervously biting your lip as you analyze your lover’s handsome features as you sit yourselves down on the blanket you had laid out, never letting go of your hold on his hand.

Morax was speechless, for aside from the natural beauty surrounding you two, was a bottle of osmanthus wine alongside dishes that Marchosius had made. But one thing had caught his eye: a bud of a glaze lily. You chuckle nervously when you notice this, tightening your hold on his hand. You start to feel warm out of embarrassment, closing your eyes to ignore the gaze of your lover as your lips part to sing. Morax recognizes the song as the one you have always sang as you pranced through the flower fields alone, lips curving at the sound of the familiar melody as he looks at your embarrassed expression. His free hand could not help but gently cup your cheek. His smile widens seeing your eyes open wide in surprise as they meet his amber ones, shock being evident as your ears recognize his own deep voice singing the song alongside you.

Shock then turns into glee as you two sing the song together, feeling the rough pad of his thumb gently caress your cheek. It doesn’t take long until the familiar fragrance of the flower fills the air. The only time Morax felt you let go of his hand was to pluck the now bloomed flower and to tuck it into his hair. He sees you smile bashfully along with amusement, and the prime adeptus’ heart flutters. A once unfamiliar emotion now frequently visits the moment you are the center of his attention.

“You have sung this beautiful melody many times over, and have taught it to our people of the Guili Assembly. Is it wrong for me to want to sing it alongside you?” He asks curiously, watching as your eyes try to avoid him as you think of a response back.

“No, it’s just–” you start, letting your fingers entangle with his locks of hair. “Your voice, you singing my song is a gift to me, yet tonight was meant for me to be able to shower you with gratitude.” You giggle as he brings your body closer to his, your back against his chest as you overlook the sea below. The god is pensive as he nuzzles himself into your neck, his arms embracing you tightly as the coastal wind blows through you two.

“Y/N,” he calls affectionately, his soft and rich voice close to your ear. “This time has never been easy for the Guili Assembly, for the people that reside in it. It was not till Guizhong and I met that I began to see the vastness of this world. But more importantly, it was not until I met you in the field of glaze lilies that I began to see the world that you do.” He hears you giggle at his display of affection and feels your fingers gently trace the patterns that adorn his arms. “It’s true!” He huffs, “My ultimate point is, as long as I am still a reason to make you laugh, to make you smile, then my heart will constantly be full.”

You nibbled on your bottom lip, unable to process his words. Despite the intimate moments you two have shared, you still fail to acknowledge that Morax truly had only set his gaze upon you and willingly chose you and depended on you the way you had with him. Admitting that you were rendered speechless by his words, you opted to bring his hand to your lips, placing gentle kisses on each of his knuckles. “Morax. My Morax.” Joy is evident in your tone as you relax into his body, allowing the warmth to fully surround you.

Birthdays to Morax were a useless concept that humans adored. It definitely should not have to apply to beings like him, for his life span is so wide that generations of humans come and go in the snap of a finger. He used to scowl at the mere idea of joining humans, for it was as he argued, “was not part of the contract between him and humans”. However, seeing you actively celebrate with humans despite your age, and despite watching them come and go has made him think; maybe it was okay to commemorate the work done by him and the adepti, and be able to take a quick break. To step back and appreciate what has been done before he works again. He didn’t understand until this very moment as time stills in this intimate moment shared between the two of you. “Let’s stay like this,” he murmurs, rough fingers gently finding their way to your chin, allowing your eyes to meet as he repeats his request. “Let’s stay like this for a while.” His eyes marvel at your beauty as he notices the stars reflecting in your gentle and loving gaze. His gaze flickers between your eyes and your lips, unaware you were doing the same, wishing for this same request. You offer him a smile as your eyes close before you feel a gentle warmth on your lips.

A relieved sigh leaves Morax’s lips as his lips intertwined with yours, a selfish hold on you as he silently wishes for his eternity to consist of moments like this with you. “I love you, my songbird.” He murmurs affectionately, earning a hum from you in return before pulling away ever so slightly, breathless from the needy kiss.

“I love you too, Morax,” you breathe, “May your birthdays be filled with laughter and song. Just like tonight.”

That is now all but a memory he clenches so close to his chest, thousands of years later, in a new Liyue, without you. Each and every birthday he has experienced since your passing has caused him to reminisce of how things were before. This year has proven to be no different until the traveler and Paimon unknowingly snap him out of his reverie.

“Zhongli!” Paimon calls out, her arm waving as the man looks back at them with a kind smile. “It’s us! We wanted to see you for your special day! See? We even have your letter here!”

“Traveler, Paimon. What a surprise to see you too tonight,” He jokes with a small chuckle before motioning to the empty seats by the table. “Would you like to take a seat and have dinner beside me? My treat.”

“You know Paimon can never resist an offer for good food!” She squeals, feet kicking in the air as she takes her place beside the traveler.

It doesn’t take long for the three to squeeze in a short conversation after the orders are in, one that was, as always, leading to the retired archon to showcase his knowledge of Liyue’s rich history.

Iron Tongue Tian cuts their conversation short as he catches their attention as well as the other customers. “My dear customers, if it’s alright, I will now tell the tale of the Lone Glaze Lily.”

The crowd has completely hushed by the time he starts, even the traveler had looked upon the storyteller with such interest as he tells of yet another tale of Rex Lapis and Guizhong and the Guili Assembly, as well as how the goddess of dust had a particular liking to the now rare flower.

What the traveling pair had failed to see at first, was how the amber eyes of the former archon fell as the story went on.

By the time applause and cheers had arisen from the story’s conclusion, the traveler had looked at Zhongli and saw his seat now vacant. “Hey, where did Zhongli go?!” Paimon questions, worry evident in the floating companion’s voice as the food they ordered finally is set on the table. “He said it was his treat! Who has the Mora to pay for all this?!”

The traveler looks around and sees the ex-Archon take his usual leisurely stroll through Liyue Harbor, yet spots that it is as if he’s in a trance. The god strolled through Liyue Harbor, past Yujing Terrace, and up into Mt. Tianheng, where now sits a singular glaze lily. Planted by him, of course, in remembrance of you, yet it had not bloomed for ages. The hustle and bustle of Liyue Harbor is no longer present and is now replaced with the sound of birds and crickets as he sits down beside it, placing his offering of tea.

“Good evening, Y/N. My dear.”

Morax shuts his eyes tightly, desperately even, trying his hardest to remember you as if he just saw you yesterday. As if he had just met you singing to the glaze lilies. As if you had brought him up here for the first time. Anything to avoid the recurring painful memory he carries all too often. Taking a deep breath he opens his eyes and looks at the glaze lily before looking out at the harbor. “So much has happened this year,” he starts. “Everything I have thought about has been carried out. The era of the adepti has come to an end. But,” he halts, recalling how you willingly mingled with the people with such joy and little to no hesitation. “You must be looking down on this nation proudly. You probably even sensed it before I did, didn’t you?” As expected, silence is what he is met with, just as the millennia before and the millennia before.

“I see you almost everywhere, everyday.” The more he recognizes your songs still being sung by the various people in Liyue, the less he fights the tears that fall from his eyes. Only a tiny bitter laugh escapes his lips as he looks up to the skies of Teyvat, as if he’s searching for something. For someone. Hoping that they listen to his chatter.

“Today they told of the glaze lily you had planted for me here, dear. It’s quite evident the history of it had eroded and changed to the way it is told today,” he muses. “Thousands of years have passed, and yet the misconceptions that come with Guizhong and I as leaders of Liyue’s people continue on. Even our friend the traveler believes this to be true.”

He gazes on the flower, carefully observing it as it sways in the winter wind. “If only Liyue knew how much you offered to its people,” he sniffs, vision blurring as hot, salty tears stain his cheeks. “And what you have done for me.”

He no longer cares that these tears continue to fall, or if anyone watches them at all, for the sight of Liyue Harbor occupies his attention, and how you would adore the twinkling lights that flicker within all the buildings and shops. You would have loved people watching with him, seeing the Fishmongers drink together in joy or couples eyeing the waterfalls in Yujing Terrace. He’d even be willing to bet his last Mora that you would take him by the hand and take him back down to see if you can manage to be seated at the Pearl Galley and watch an opera. He would be willing to see you do this for millennia to come as long as he was beside you. He can only hope you would think that he did a good job. That he can finally call it a day and let the age of humans commence.

He can only hope that by having planted this glaze lily, that you have watched it all from here with a proud smile.

“Zhongli?” A voice calls softly, causing him to once again return to reality, turning his tear-stained face to see the traveler again.

“Ah, traveler,” Zhongli greets, wiping his cheeks with his gloved hands. “My apologies for my abrupt departure. I had to…think over some things.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you about. What’s wrong? Did something put you deep in thought?” The traveler questions, taking a seat next to Zhongli.

Zhongli could not help but look over to the bud beside him. A small faint smile graces his face upon the realization that you can still live on despite the age of humans commencing.

And it can start with what he does best.

“If you can indulge me on this “birthday” traveler, I would like to tell you the true story of how this lone glaze lily sitting here beside me came to be.”

And so the traveler sits and listens as the retired archon once again recollects his memories of you, telling of how you have crossed paths with him to the songs you have left behind for the people of Liyue to sing. The traveler can even argue that genuine smiles appeared on Zhongli’s face as he kept talking about you.

If the traveler had looked over Zhongli’s shoulder as he sang the song you two sang that one night, they might even see the lone glaze lily changing beside him.

Its blue petals had spread, opening itself to hear the familiar song once again.

Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! ❤️ | spin off found here!

[calqlate]

RE: LOVE & LIFE | FOUR

— WHERE THE LILY SLEEPS

SERIES MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER

PAIRING(S): zhongli x f! reader + diluc x f! wife! reader

SUMMARY: As the wife of the famous big shot in the wine industry, you have everything you could ever ask for — a beautiful mansion, endless wealth, servants at your beck and call... However, you lack the one thing you yearn for: love. With your beloved husband neglecting you and being stuck in a loveless marriage, you decide to end it all, only to be stopped by a man whom you have never met before, and who also coincidentally happens to be your soulmate. In addition, there just might seem to be more than what meets the eye in regards to your peculiar soulmate, and you just might have to find that out for yourself.

TAGLIST (italicised blogs are unable to be tagged, pls dm me with your updated username): @crescentmoonnn + @deeomi + @esthelily + @holaseniorahoe + @loving-august + @mshope16 + @needsleep3000 + @nerdiel-has-no-braincells + @saintbernardthethird + @seyboo + @thelonelyarchon

A/N: apologies for the wait, school has been a pain in the butt (and grad school applications have been insane). here's the new chapter!

Upon reaching the entrance of Wangshu Hotel, you turned to face Zhongli and bowed, “Thank you for accompanying me, Mr. Zhongli. I appreciate it.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Zhongli mirrored you and returned the bow, a small smile on his face.

There was a moment of comfortable silence as you made eye contact with Zhongli. With the way the sun was setting slightly in the distance, the sun’s rays were angled in such a manner whereby Zhongli was seemingly casted in a golden halo, making him seem ethereal. Otherworldly, even. Somehow, that particular moment looked immensely picturesque, yet hauntingly familiar.

“You have been staring at me for some time,” Zhongli’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts and you blinked, “Is there perhaps something on my face?”

“No, no, not at all!” you shook your head and smiled, “I just thought that you looked wonderful in the light.”

Zhongli stared at you, unblinking. Neither him nor you were speaking, and the weight of your earlier sentence settled over you. Oh, Archons, I just blurted whatever I had on my mind without thinking again, didn’t I?

Your face flushed bright red in embarrassment as you choked out, “I’m sorry! I have a tendency to speak freely sometimes.”

To your surprise, Zhongli chuckled as his eyes crinkled into little crescent moons, “There is no need to feel ashamed. It’s quite a refreshing habit you have.”

“That’s a really polite excuse,” you groaned as you smacked yourself inwardly. You really needed to stop being so loose-lipped. You nodded your head in the direction of the hotel as you spoke, “I should head back now.”

“I hope you rest well tonight,” Zhongli said as he clasped his hands behind his back with a nod.

“Goodbye, Mr. Zhongli,” you said as you raised your hand up for a wave before turning around to head back into the hotel.

Zhongli watched your figure retreat into the hotel. Only did he see you get past the double glass doors and were safely tucked into the premises then he finally made his own trip back to the funeral parlour.

(Knowing how nosy his boss could be, Celestia forbid her from badgering him for his whereabouts.)

While drying your hair with a towel, you sat down in front of the little dressing table and pulled the little trinket you had received earlier in the day out of its paper bag. It was a fazhan hairpin made out of jade, adorned with Glaze Lillies crafted from minerals on one end of it.

The moment you laid your eyes on the hairpin, something stirred in your heart. You furrowed your brows together as you picked it up gently, cradling it in your palms. This hairpin seemed... familiar, somehow, but you could not understand why. It was your first time laying eyes on it, and you had never chanced upon hairpins with a similar design before.

“Ma’am! I’ve found something!” you called Madam Ping over.

The old woman walked over and eyed the accessory in your hands before her eyes widened for a fragment of a second. Before you could ask her what was wrong, she smiled gently at you, “Wonderful choice, child.” A pause, then she asked, “Do you like it?”

“It is beautiful,” you said as you stared at the hairpin, a smile spreading across your lips. Waves of nostalgia surged in your veins, tinged with... sadness? Melancholy? You could not quite place a finger on the name of the emotion that was filling you.

“This hairpin has finally found its owner,” Madam Ping smiled, “I hope you will create beautiful memories with it this time.”

You nodded, taking her cryptic message as a passing remark, “I will.”

You rolled the hairpin back and forth between your fingers, the dim lighting of your hotel suite reflecting off the Glaze Lilly decorations in a sparkly manner. A part of you could not bear to wear it; you wanted to keep it in a glass box and immortalise it as a souvenir from your trip. However, an innate part of you was insisting that you should not do that, and instead wear it out as intended.

Carefully, you set it down on the dressing table, I’ll wear it out tomorrow.

You were standing in an expansive field full of Glaze Lillies. No matter how far you walked, it seemed like there was no end to this particular flower field. You walked leisurely, admiring the endless sea of flowers surrounding you.

You halted your footsteps, closed your eyes, and took a deep breath in. The air was fresh and the fragrant scent of the flowers permeated in the air.

You opened your eyes, drinking the scenery in. This entire place was picturesque, as if you had stepped right into a painting. If only your husband were here—

“There you are.”

You turned around at the sound of a voice, your eyes settling on the figure of a man approaching you. The man was dressed in a long, dark brown robe dotted with golden accents, his head partially blurred out due to the sunlight obstructing your view as well as the distance between the both of you. Despite not being able to discern his countenance properly, you could instinctively tell that this man was the one your heart was beating so ardently for: your husband.

However, as the distance between both of you grew smaller, the sunlight started framing his face in a better angle and his features grew all the more clearer: straight, dark hair with gold tips and a matching pair of eyes set on a handsome face, with skin so fair it could rival that of the colour of a Glaze Lily’s petals. It was not Diluc; it was the funeral parlour consultant, Zhongli.

While he was not who you were expecting, your lips curled upward into a smile as if it were second nature to you. You could feel the warmth in your chest overflow you and fill every vein in your body, with every cell in your body having an affectionate reaction to this man. You opened your mouth to call out his name, but not a single word came out: your mouth was indeed moving, but your voice was completely muted, as if someone had muted the audio function on a video.

“What were you thinking about so intently?” Zhongli asked as he stood next to you, hands clasped behind his back.

“The war,” you answered as your smile dropped considerably at the thought of the heavy topic, then averted your gaze to the side, “Just... I wish that it didn’t have to reach this point.”

Zhongli’s smile took a bittersweet edge to it, “There is no need to worry. Just think of this war as one to quell some... social unrest.”

You snorted, “That’s a really polite way of putting it. What would the other adepti think?”

“I am sure they would agree and give similar remarks of their own,” he responded. There was a brief pause as his gaze softened, “After this is all over, may I ask you to accompany me for some tea?”

You turned your head and met his gaze: it was warm, sincere, and full of affection — a look that would not be given to mere acquaintances. In addition, his tone of voice felt as though there was something he wanted to tell you. Something deeper and perhaps even more intimate. If it were up to you, you would have asked him to spill the beans there and then, but given the situation of the aforementioned war (which you had very little idea about), you concluded that you would wait. Once everything wad over, you would sit him down and ask him to confide in you and confess everything to you.

You could only smile and nod, “Of course. You know I’d never pass up tea from the one and only—”

You tried verbalising his name out loud again, but your voice was seemingly robbed from you once more. However, it seemed that he did hear you say his name: Zhongli’s response was a simple hum, and both of you turned to admire the sea of Glaze Lillies in comfortable silence.

When the morning came, you awoke with your eyes feeling heavier than ever, as if you had cried for a long time. You raised your hand to your cheeks, feeling damp skin beneath your fingertips. Your fingers glided higher towards the base of your eyes. With one quick swipe, you felt moisture on your skin. Was I crying in my sleep?

At that moment, your phone buzzed on the nightstand. You reached out and grabbed it, seeing a notification pop up, reading that a bank transfer had been made to your account. You unlocked your phone to check the deposit, which your bank app read, “Incoming bank transfer from Diluc Ragnvindr”, and below it was a string of numerical digits. A text message soon popped up from your husband, which read, “Have fun in Liyue”.

You frowned. You were rudely reminded of this particular trait of your husband which you detested: sending you money instead of checking in on you or spending time with you. You scoffed, Does he really believe that quality time can be bought with money?

Whatever the case may be, you refused to use his money. No, not when it was a cheap means to placate you. Husband be damned; you were going to spend your own money and have fun on your own in this foreign country.

You eyed the hairpin glittering from its spot on the dresser and grinned. The first thing on the agenda would be accomplished with the accessory.

[animekpopsimp]

Hands Off (Zhongli x reader)

To say you were well known in Liyue would be an understatement, a big understatement. You tried not to draw too much attention to yourself but it seems that despite your best effort to go unnoticed the citizens of the city always seemed drawn to you. Your beauty was the topic of many conversations even though you didn't put much effort into how you looked. It seems you had a natural beauty that drew people toward you, especially men. However, most of them were too afraid to approach you due to the fact that you were in a loving relationship with the local funeral consultant, Zhongli. Despite his usually calm deminer, he had something about him that tended to intimidate people even if they wanted to talk to you.

It was a peaceful day in Liyue and after walking around in the city for a bit you decided to sit down and relax. Usually, your boyfriend would accompany you on days like this but he was busy with work, so here you were left on your own. You found yourself spacing out, eyes glued to the ocean as you looked forward. You were so deep in thought that you almost didn't notice the figure approaching you, that is until you noticed a shadow blocking the sunlight. You looked up, your (E/C) eyes meeting a pair of blue ones. A man stood in front of you, a smirk resting on his face as he peered down at you. He had an air of arrogance surrounding him that made you want to roll your eyes. However, you remained polite, simply sending him a small smile.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing here all alone?" He asked, his voice was loud and his tone was full of confidence. You internally winced, hoping you could get yourself out of this situation without too much trouble.

"I'm waiting for my boyfriend" you responded, your response wasn't a total lie. However, this didn't seem to deter the male in front of you. A smile still resting on his face he promptly took a seat next to you, causing you to scoot further down the bench. Seeing this, the stranger only moved closer despite your discomfort. With no more room for you to move the stranger stretched out his arm, placing it around your shoulders. You shuddered at the physical contact you looked down at the ground, the feeling of discomfort only growing worse.

"What's wrong, there's no need to be shy. I can keep you company instead of your boyfriend" the man said, you felt him grab your face and your head was turned forcing you to face him. He once again opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off when he was forcefully pulled off of you by a very angry-looking Zhongli. Though he tried to remain as arrogant as he was before the arrival of your boyfriend, you could clearly see him shaking in Zhongli's presence.

"I suggest you stop bothering her" your boyfriend spoke. You had never seen him this angry before, then again no man had ever been brave enough to approach you in such a manner before.

"Oh yeah and what are yo-" the man's words were caught in his throat as he locked eyes with the male. Zhongli's deep, gold eyes shined with what could only be described as pure rage as he stared down at the male. Your boyfriend grabbed him by the collar and despite the rage in his eyes, his face remained calm.

"I would suggest you leave now" Zhongli spoke again, finally, the male's facade shattered as Zhongli dropped him to the ground, causing him to let out a startled gasp. The stranger quickly scrambled to his feet opening his mouth. He tried to form words but they all seemed to die in his throat. He sputtered for a short moment before turning on his heels and running in the opposite direction. Once he was out of sight Zhongli turned to you, a calm smile returning to his face as he held out a hand toward you.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his voice as smooth as honey. You nodded, a relieved smile on your face as you took his hand. He placed a kiss on your knuckles, causing a blush to appear on your face.

"Thank you," you said as Zhongli pulled you into a hug. The male wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you close as you rested your head against your boyfriend's chest. Being in your boyfriend's presence you felt calm as he kept an arm wrapped around you while leading you home.

[tojivu]

PICK YOU UP AT 8.

a/n hahah Hi

warnings/tags dates with genshin men. gn!reader. includes zhongli diluc childe xiao thoma. a little favouritism in childe LOL sorry. petname ‘baby’ used in childe’s. mentions of wearing a dress in xiao’s.

ZHONGLI never lets the romance die. you’ve been together for a while now, and he has never disappointed you in that time. candles, picking you up in his car, getting out of it and opening the door for you—dates with your boyfriend are truly the highlight of the week. due to his busy schedule at the funeral parlour, he often leaves you alone in the wee hours of the night; but he never lets you go a week without a date where it’s just the two of you. he values you greatly and it shows in the way he puts so much effort into these special nights, and he’d often ask you how you liked it afterwards (if there need be improvement, though rare).

“hello, dear. ready to go?” he’s walking you to his car, your arm around his—and you nod.

you wonder where he’s taking you this time, since it was his turn to pick this week; but you don’t really care. anywhere with zhongli is fine with you, even if it was a junkyard and you two spent the night eating chips & watching the stars.

he ends up taking you to a fancy restaurant in the city, in a high rise building—he pulls the chair back for you, and you’re speechless at the view. the city lights were bright, and you could see cars commuting multiple floors below. it overlooked many of the other buildings, but what caught your attention the most was the night sky.

“the view is so.. stunning, zhongli—how did you get a spot here?”

“anything for a beautiful view, y/n.”

you notice he’s not even looking outside, but instead staring right at you. you don’t know why, or maybe you do and you’re just shy: but something’s telling you that it’s not the city view he’s talking about.

DILUC never understood the appeal of date nights before you came along. he thought they were pointless, spending money to do something outside the comfort of your own home seemed like just that. it was only until you expressed your need for quality time that he finally gave it a try. having a busy schedule, he wasn’t sure when to take you out—but when he finally did find an opportunity, he found himself enjoying it much more than he thought he would. ever since then, he’s been picking you up from work at least once a week and taking you out to somewhere new; diluc’s never one to disappoint.

work ended late into the afternoon and you were starving. your coworkers waved you goodbye as they entered their taxis home, and you were just about to book a ride too—but a few seconds later, you see a familiar white car stop in front of you.

the window rolls down, and you see your boyfriend in the driver’s seat. what an extravagant entrance, you think, and you find yourself snickering at him.

“what’s so funny?” he asks, blank and deadpan expression worn.

“nothing. where are we going now?”

“you ask this every single time; you wouldn’t know.”

“i thought so.” you smile. it’s amazing, how someone could know so many places. at least now, you’ll have more places than just your shared apartment to make memories in.

you get in the car, and you both drive off.

CHILDE plans the most obnoxious, extravagant dates. he knows that you think it’s cringe, but he loves seeing the embarrassment on your face when he appears at your doorstep in his finest suit with the most colourful flowers, a sign in his left hand saying “will you go on a date with me?”. you could say it’s not surprising, a man of his nature doing such things—yet it’s sweet, not more sweet than cringeworthy, but still sweet nontheless. you were the lowkey, stay at home with pizza and binge movies type: after all, that was what your ex boyfriends had given you—but it’s childe, so you can always expect something more.

it’s a rainy friday night and childe hasn’t texted you. you’re sure he’s up to one of his stupid antics again, but a part of you thinks he’s probably swamped with work and can’t text you. it disappoints you a little, but it can’t be helped anyway. there’s always next week.

just then, your doorbell tune plays. you get up from bed, excited, but then you remember you ordered food an hour ago. could be the delivery guy, childe wouldn’t just appear at your door during a thunderstorm without telling you he’ll be late, right?

but you open the door and see him, drenched from head to toe, holding a bouqet of flowers (that were also wet). “i’m so sorry baby, i got caught in the rain while buying these.” he explains, using his free hand to move the hair away from his face.

it’s safe to say you two didn’t have the expected date that night. but he’s here, in your home, snuggled up next to you—he’s warm from the shower you told him to take, so you don’t really care; a break from the glam once in a while isn’t a bad thing.

XIAO is never late. he plans down to the minute, every detail in his mind—it always goes according to his plans whenever you two are out. usually, it’s always him who handles the where, when and how. you were never the type to plan ahead, often throwing yourself out there and seeing where it took you—and always the one following others plans and agreeing with everything. it was a friday night and you’ve gotten sick of the restaurants; you’ve sworn that you visited one of them at least more than 5 times in a month already.

you’re tempted to ask xiao to change it up a little, but it’s last minute—you’re getting ready and he’s on the way. you’re sure he would get mad, who wouldn’t? he’s booked a reservation, he’s wearing his nicest suit and you’re in your prettiest dress, it’d be a bit rude; but you’re sick of the monotony, work has got your legs sore and there’s nothing you want more than to lay in bed with your boyfriend.

xiao shows up at your door, and you hesitantly speak up before he takes your hand. “can we just stay in tonight?”

“tired today?” he smiles, expression soft and understanding—and you’re immediately relieved.

the night definitely did not go as xiao envisioned, but it’s okay—he’s with you, still, and that’s all he needs to check off his list.

THOMA grimaces at the thought of sitting across his lover, eating and just talking. that is the most boring thing ever, he would say; and that’s not because he doesn’t enjoy conversation with you, it’s mostly because there isn’t an opportunity for him to see you laugh or smile until your cheeks hurt at a dinner table. you won’t see anything funny at a fancy restaurant that would make you burst out laughing—and thoma loves that most about you, how your voice jumps an octave when you’re laughing and smiling, how your eyes sparkle most in those moments, or how you clutch your stomach when it’s too much to bear. there’s no fun in it, he would tell you time and time again.

due to this, it was clear what he needed to do. rule number 1, no dinner dates at fancy 5 star restaurants (unless you’re really craving a good steak). the weekend arrives swiftly, and you know your boyfriend is going to surprise you with a new adventure. this time, it’s going hiking and ziplining.

“oh, but we’ll be going together!” he responds, all cheery when you tell him you’re not a big fan of heights.

“that doesn’t make it any better.”

“are you sure? we could hold hands—“ thoma adds on, clearly convinced this was the most romantic thing to do with your lover.

“we are going to a restaurant after this. and i’m going to talk the entire time.”

140323 — omg this was shpposed to go up 2 months ago but i got swept up in so much :,, anyways not proof read as always don’t comment anything mean or else it’s another hiatus ok bye

[archonsoflove]

His love language | part 1

featuring: alhaitham, zhongli, kaveh x gender neutral! reader

{words of affirmation}

Alhaitham is a quiet soul. Late nights are spent with parchment paper illuminated by warm candlelight. And in these quiet moments he finds himself writing letters to you. Your travels to Fontaine for research have left him noticing your absence, carving a space hollow in his heart until your return. 

I can never say it enough, but I adore you, and wish you the safest of travels. Come back to me in one piece. The letter he gave to you before your departure two days prior.

I find myself thinking of you more often once the sun sets. Busy days give way to night, and my mind is no longer filled with work, but of you, and wondering what sights you are seeing without me beside you. This is what he writes this particular evening.

He seals the letter with a wax seal, intricate lettering on the front addressed to the nation across the mountains. If he could write a million more poems, prose and letters, he would, knowing you would read every single one of them. 

•

{quality time}

Evenings with Zhongli are spent walking through the Harbour. Lanterns spill golden light onto your faces, and whenever he catches your eye, his breath hitches, words leaving him completely. 

After years of experiencing and feeling, he is certain you are the love he had been searching for all this time. 

He speaks of legends long gone, and old friends from decades past. And if you could, you would listen to him for as long as he is able to weave stories into being. 

Tea in the mornings is brewed to perfection. You wake to Zhongli puttering in the kitchen, the fresh smell of mint and honey in the air rousing you from sleep. Silk sheets brush against naked skin as you sit down – at his stubborn request – to try his tediously perfected blend. 

The sun leaking through a window leaves him entranced, and he can not help but kiss you tenderly, sweet tea on your lips and between tongues. Peaceful mornings like these, where you both have all the time in the world to bask in each other’s presence is what you love most.  

•

{giving gifts}

Kaveh is sincere and giving to a fault. Silver bracelets, spices and light novels brought home from international projects are the least of your worries now. Returning from a project in the desert with a small desert fox bundled up in Kaveh’s cloak tells you all you need to know. 

This time, his gift is very different and very much alive.

“I know you said we weren’t ready to adopt, but maybe, just maybe….” Kaveh steps cautiously into the living room, handing the bundle over to you tentatively. “Maybe we can keep this little one?”

“Oh, Kaveh…” you sigh in both awe and exasperation. The little bundle wriggles in your grasp and a small head pops out. Tan ears flop out first, before a pointy black nose is nuzzling against your hand. 

“A fox!” You couldn’t contain the smile fighting against your scowl. “Kaveh…how did you even catch this one?”

Kaveh gives you a relieved laugh, a light flush high on his cheekbones. “They followed me home from the desert. I think they lost their mother. I simply couldn’t leave them there!”

“They?” your eyes widen. “There are more?”

Later that evening, Alhaitham knocks on your door, a box in hand. Sure enough there are two more foxes. It seemed your family of two was now five, and you couldn’t help but think that it was just the perfect number.

-------- 》 Part 2

MASTERLIST

[alhaith4ms]

note: suggestive content, mentions of biting/marking, possessive!zhongli, mentions of zhongli's dragon instincts, zhongli is just in love with you <3 + hello! t as always this isn't proofread waa

i like to think that zhongli, despite having spent years as a mortal and having such good self-control, still has the baser instincts of his more primal identity. and that he has quite a hard time keeping it in check while in the early stages of your relationship, always wanting to leave his mark or scent on you.

you've never really noticed it since he's always (barely) kept it together when he's with you, always a breathtaking smile on zhongli's lips despite the death grip he has on little tea cup in his hand or a fleeting kiss on your lips because a second longer would have him taking you then and there for everyone to see since your scent is so delectable.

however, zhongli was feeling particularly possessive one evening while the both of you were out on a walk in the harbor — the way you were dressed so beautifully coupled with how other men were openly staring at you just had his more draconic instincts wanting to come to the surface.

he simply took a deep breath and looked at you in hopes to help quell his internal battle with himself only to be met with the sight of your nape all bare and his to bite should zhongli choose to so that people would take one look at you and know that you're his and only his.

a growl threatened to bubble past zhongli's lips as he opens his mouth to bare his fangs, slowly inching closer to your nape. he'd be quick about it, not wanting to cause his beloved any pain, nor would he like anyone to hear how sweet your moans were when —

"...don't you think, 'li?" came your voice, drawing his mind back to the present and breaking him free from his stupor. you were looking at some antiques a vendor was selling, hoping to buy something to commemorate this evening with him.

zhongli couldn't help but smile, chuckling softly before pressing a kiss on your exposed nape, cheekily laving his tongue on it as well before saying. "anything of your choosing would be perfect, darling."

[akiraruru]

Sleepy sleep... 💤

Included: Kazuha, itto, zhongli, gn reader

Summary: How would they sleep

Cw/s: not proofread, possibly ooc, short, many use of the word 'cuddle'

A/n: exams are near... Again ☹️ but it's the last one! So I might be inactive for a while after I post this. Also, guess who i enjoyed writing most.

Kazuha:

Peaceful, Kazuha is a good person to sleep with.

Sleeping beside him is comforting and peaceful.

He snores lightly and take soft shallow breaths, he moves in his sleep but not too much to wake you up or startle you.

He's a hugger 100%

While cuddling, he prefers spooning and being the big spoon, it makes him feel content—knowing that you're safe withing his embrace.

Of course, he also agrees on being the little spoon from time to time, it makes him feel safe as well.

Kazuha's cuddles are always warm, it makes you feel fuzzy in the inside.

Basically a human furnace, you're lucky whenever it's winter time.

He thinks that cuddling you during cold weather is the best thing ever.

Kazuha loves nuzzling his nose in the crook of your neck while he cuddles you to sleep.

I think he would also like having your head on his chest while cuddling, being able to play with your hair and massage you scalp, his actions makes you fall into deep slumber easily. Kazuha would also like it if you wanted to play with his hair.

Itto:

Sleeping with itto is okay, it's not so bad.

He snores pretty loudly but not too loud, get what I mean? But it's definitely loud enough to make a light sleeper stir in their sleep.

Hogs the blanket, he doesn't mean it, it just happens in his sleep. Would apologize about it in the morning.

Also a hugger. A huge one.

His arms are over your chest and his leg over you hip/waist, sometimes, Itto's hands even finds its way to your face. You would wake up in short of breath and slightly panicking just to find out your lover just has his hand over your nose and mouth, suffocating you lovingly as he sleeps

Despite these habits he has, he's super cuddly, he's like a giant teddy bear.

He's okay with you sleeping ontop of him. In fact, he'll love it.

You can hug him like a koala all you want and he'll still be fine with it.

Overall, he's pretty cuddly but some of these sleeping habits he has might disturb your sleep.

Zhongli:

Sleeps quietly. Zhongli doesn't really make noises in his sleep, the only time he does is when he's really tired from a long day.

He sleeps straight, he sleeps like this 🧍‍♀️except he's not standing up. He just sleeps on his his back with his hands on his hand and just prefers it that way.

So if you wanna cuddle with him while he's sleeping on his back, you could put an arm over him or put both a leg and an arm over him, you could also just sleep on top of him.

Though, Zhongli is more than willing to change his sleeping position in order to cuddle with you properly.

Sleeping on top of him is most preferred way.

His hand pressing your head on his chest and his chin on top of head, your ear against the part of his chest where his heart is so you could hear his steady heartbeat making you fall asleep on top of him.

After a long, tiring day, all he wants to do was to sleep and cuddle you. While he's asleep, you can hear him snoring lightly like Kazuha but a tad bit louder. Caressing his hair lovingly as he nuzzles his face onto your chest. Sleeping peacefully in your arms.

Likes, reblogs, follows, and any kind of feedback is appreciated!

[silentmoths]

Breakroom Spaghetti

Christmas drabble for @dustofthedailylife's winter wonderland event!

I chose Zhongli, obviously.

With the prompts of: "I think the power just went out.” & “I guess we’re stuck here until the snowstorm dies down.”

Zhongli x AFAB Reader.

SFW, Fluff, Office AU because yes please and thank you.

Not proofread, 2.3K words, weird title is weird.

Curse your inability to just leave things alone.

You were meant to go home an hour ago- wait no, a quick glance at the clock tells you that you were meant to clock out two hours ago, but the sooner you got these reports done, the happier your boss would be. 

The sun had long-since set, the bright white-out of snow slowly drifting into a dark flurry outside your office window. You’d been so focused on getting this done, you hadn’t even bothered to turn on the lights once daylight had faded, likely doing some choice damage to your eyes as you continue to stare at the brightly-lit computer screen in otherwise darkness.

That is until the screen flickers and then dies, along with the rest of the power in the building.

Your work? Gone. 

The groan? Loud.

What a time, what a goddamn time for the power to go out on you. You’re sure you spit every slur, swear and insult at that damn computer screen, offensively dark and lacking of your documents as you push yourself out of your chair, feeling several vertebrae in your back crackle and pop after hours of sitting in one spot.

Welp, if the power was out, now might as well be a good a time as any to head home, frustrating, but what could you do? 

You just needed to pop down the hall to the front desk; likely no longer manned, your receptionist having gone home at four, always like clockwork she was - to sign your timesheet.

You barely make it two steps out of your office before you collide with someone else, only just managing to hold in your horrified scream.

“Miss l/n? What are you still doing here at this hour?” Now that was a voice you knew well. 

“S-sir?!” you splutter, thankful that your boss was, despite his graceful, handsome, upper-class appearance, very casual with his workers. 

Zhongli chuckles, you hear a rustling before his handsome face is illuminated by the light of his phone’s torch. “I do believe I asked first.” He retorts with a cheeky almost-grin.

You huff, crossing your arms at him. “Well, I was just about finished with those reports you asked me to complete…I figured I’d stay behind to finish them but then…well.” you motion at the darkness engulfing his office building.

“Ah, I see….you know you did not have to push yourself to have them done immediately, they’re not due until next week.” He points out, motioning with his head for you to follow him down the hall towards the front desk. 

“Yes but…with the holidays approaching I figured you could use the break, the sooner things get done for the year…the sooner you can relax.” 

Your boss hums, you’d always been rather taken with him…smart, funny, understanding…really you couldn't have asked for a better boss. He was always looking out for his workers, and that’s what made everyone want to work hard for him, they all knew he would look after them in turn.

Case in point when you’d broken your ankle not three weeks into being hired as a fresh-faced administrator. You had attempted to force yourself to come into work, despite your need for public transport (driving was scary, even without the damn moon-boot.) and the pain.

The moment Zhongli’s golden gaze had landed upon it, he had called a cab and sent you home, despite your protests that you really needed to work, honestly you thought you sounded pathetic, but instead of just telling you to rest, he told you he’d handle it. Sure enough, by the time you arrived home in your pre-paid cab, an E-mail was waiting for you, with a list of tasks he wanted you to complete from home, whilst also reminding you that your benefits included medical care and leave.

Even now, he simply smiles at you as he leans over the desk to sign your timesheet for you, adding in the two extra hours you had worked, and another for good measure, before signing it himself, ignoring your flustering.

“I know you, Miss l/n, you wouldn’t have charged your overtime.” He chides, and while yes, he was absolutely right, how dare he. 

The rattling of the large window in the break room catches your attention.

“Huh…when’d the snow get so heavy?” you ask, Zhongli’s gaze follows your own and he quirks an eyebrow, quickly checking his phone before both brows furrow.

“We had best get out of here, The snowstorm is only likely going to get worse… come, I’ll drive you home.” 

“O-oh no sir I couldn’t possibly-” You’re quick to try and politely decline, but he quickly shushes you with a single, serious look.

“I will not have one of my best employee’s attempting to brave the outside world to wait for a bus that has likely already been cancelled. Come on.” He urges, leading you towards the stairs (goddamn power outage meant the elevators were a no-go.) with a gentle, guiding hand on your back. 

However, you both come to a stark realization when you reach the underground carpark, more specifically, Zhongli’s shiny black way-too-expensive-for-you-to-be-sitting-in car.

The garage doors were shut…and couldn’t be opened without…power.

For the first time in your years working here, you hear Zhongli curse. 

Plan B was to catch a cab, first to your home, and then your boss would take it back to his; but another problem swiftly arises as you both emerge from the staircase and into the main foyer of the building.

The snow had already built up several feet against the doors…

You get to hear Zhongli say fuck a second time. 

You sigh quietly, pulling your own phone from your pocket to check the forecast yourself…yep, that certainly wasn’t looking good… curse you and your inability to just leave things alone.

But if you had…then Zhongli would have been here, all alone…and that somehow doesn't sit right with you either.

“Guess it can’t be helped.” you concede as you put your phone away, wanting to conserve what little battery it had left. “Looks like we might be stuck here until morning..”

Zhongli grumbles, but eventually sighs, you only just make out his shoulders slumping in defeat. 

“You’re right…come on.” He coaxes, leading you back towards the staircase to ascend, you don't question where he’s taking you this time, he knew the building better…he owned it.

However you’re not exactly surprised when you both end up in his office. A comfortable space, large and furnished with a few couches and comfortable chairs for anyone visiting or in personal meetings. 

“Make yourself comfortable, we might be here a while.” He tells you as he fiddles with his phone “I’ve let the security agency know we’re stuck in here, but I wouldn’t count on them being able to help in this climate.

—

The night draws on, and you find yourself settling into a strange comfortability, Zhongli had asked you to help him shift one of the couches to face the window, so you both could watch the city below as the snowstorm rages. 

You both talk, he talks of his days in college, working at his father’s firm first, before he branched out and opened his own, you talk about your own college days; living off nothing but ramen noodles and eggs, taking more than a little amusement in the look of horror on your boss’ face.

You both raid the breakroom like gremlins, the food in the fridge needed to be eaten after all, it was just a shame all of it had to be cold. You felt a little bad, but Zhongli simply waves it away, and tells you he’ll send out an email when the power returns…and buy everyone lunch the next day.

However, you’re taken off guard as you sit, munching away at what you can only assume is spaghetti,it was difficult to tell in the dark, when Zhongli opens his arm.

“You’re shivering, come here.” It doesn't sound like an order or a demand, but you were getting a little chilly; so scoot closer you do, glad for the shroud of darkness covering your flustery face as he pulls you into his side, removing his jacket to use as a makeshift blanket for you both.

“So…what were you doing here so late, sir?” you eventually work up the gall to ask, glad you didn’t have to look him in the eye. It feels…nice…when he hums as he thinks on his response.

“I was organising everyone's christmas bonus.” he eventually admits; ah, the yearly bonus…Zhongli was a strange one for that, asides from a nice amount of money, he also had a tendency to give a physical gift to his employees as well, last year you’d gotten a set of the loveliest tea…it had taken you months to finally open and try it because it just looked so fancy and nice…but you were glad you had because wow, what flavor!

“Oh really? Don't suppose I can sneak a hint at what my bonus is this year, can I?” you giggle up at him, only just making out his amber eyes in the darkness.

“Usually I would give you a hint, but it’s you that’s causing me the biggest problem this year.” He retorts, and you feel your stomach twist.

“O-oh..y-you don’t actually have to get me anything sir! Really, put it out of your mind I’ll be fine-” your flustered, anxious stammering is quickly shushed by a finger pressing to your lips.

“Absolutely not.” He states with such determination that it kind of spooks you “You are one of my finest, hardest working employees, and I want that reflected in my gift to you.”

Goddamn him.

“It’s fine sir…really.” You press “I’m still working my way through that expensive tea you got me last year.” “Oh? Are you enjoying it?” His sudden shift from absolute seriousness to what you could only describe as…curiosity is somewhat alarming, but not unwelcome as you nod.

“It’s lovely…I try to only drink it on special occasions but it’s so nice…where did you get it?” 

You feel your boss’ chest rumble for a moment, almost like a purr as he hums. “It’s one of my favourites…It’s from a small-batch family business in Qingce…I’m glad you enjoy it.”

“I…wouldn’t be opposed to more of it as my-”

“Not a chance.”

Damnit.

You both once again lapse into a comfortable silence, his warmth, presence and scent all mingling so wonderfully, that you find yourself nodding off, trying to remain awake, atleast until a hand gently rests your cheek against his chest, stroking down your back and lulling you further into the realm of sleep.

“Rest…” His warm baritone is the last thing you hear before your eyes flutter shut.

–

You both wake with a start when the power suddenly flicks back on, every light, computer and thermostat blaring to life at once.

You’re saved from jumping out of your skin and likely falling to the floor by Zhongli’s firm hand on your waist, as you both rub sleep out of your eyes.

“Wh-whatimehissit?” you mumble, trying to hide away back into the warm darkness of your boss’ chest as he flicks his wrist, finally able to read his watch.

“S’two in the morning…” he mumbles back, just as sleep-drunk as you were.

At least with the return of power, came the return of the heater, a wave of fresh warmth washing over you both, only serving to make you sigh contently, nuzzling back into the crook of Zhongli’s neck with a quiet huff. Tomorrow you would definitely scream internally, but you and sleep had a precarious relationship, and you felt like you could still settle back into it like this.

“Bare with me for a moment.” Zhongli’s voice is softer now, and you vaguely feel his arms wrap around your body as he shifts and lifts you into his arms, his jacket still draped across your sleepy frame as he shuffles towards the office door, just to hit the lights and return back to the couch.

“S’not like we’ll be getting rescued until the morning anyway.” he mumbles, deigning to kick off his shoes before settling back down with you “n’ this is comfortable.”

Well, at least you weren’t alone on that front.

Rescue comes just after dawn, Zhongli’s phone ringing rather loudly, and shocking you both awake. 

Thankfully there is enough time between his phone alerting him that security had finally gained entrance to the building after shovelling several feet of snow out of the garage door, and them actually arriving in his office for you both to look presentable. 

Your boss gives you the day off, and makes good on his offer to drive you home. The car ride is a little awkward at first, not knowing how to bring up last night, was this something you were meant to talk about? Or was it something you just…forgot happened?

Zhongli answers that for you when he pulls up to the curb by your apartment building, turning to regard you with a fond look.

“I think I know exactly what to give you for your bonus this year, miss l/n. He tells you, a small smile tugging at his lips when you tilt your head. “Shut your eyes for a moment?”

“Really? What’re you gonna do, pull a puppy from the back seat?” you tease, giggling at the look you recieve.

“Humor me.” 

“Oh, just for you.” You sigh, shutting your eyes. 

You expect something to be placed in your hands, but instead a pair of lips press to yours for just a moment and you can almost hear the gears in your mind scream to a halt.

You almost don't believe it, and you don’t dare open your eyes until that pair of lips pulls away, and when you do, you’re met with the most charming smile from your boss.

“That and…would you like to join me for dinner tonight? Something warmer than breakroom spaghetti?”

Taglist: @stygianoir @meimeimeirin @ainescribe @dustofthefailylife @theheartshaker @rjssierjrie Want to be added to the list? shoot me an ask~

[yuezhong]

Cottagecore

a/n: can you believe this has been sitting in my drafts since last year. Anyway, without further ado I present to you my own take on the cottagecore aesthetic featuring Eula,Albedo,Kaeya,Zhongli and Kazuha!! 

Addendum: Dedicating Kaeya,Albedo and Kazuha's parts to my dearest friends <3. Starfell, my dear/p thank you so much for helping me manage my genshin account during my period of absence (due to finals). We have known each other for quite a while now and I have come to treasure our friendship a lot, thank you for everything you've done for me up until now. It's my turn to return the favour <3. 

Rei, I have come to know you for quite some time now as well, thank you for being a good friend and joining in on me and Starfell's shenanigans in our server haha.

Almond gege!! Though it's been a while since we last talked via dms it's still a lot of fun when I get to talk to you!! I adore your writing style and enjoy interacting with you in general :3 I genuinely cherish you as a friend and am hoping for the best for our friendship!! 

And now I'm done expressing my gratitude and platonic lovemail, happy reading!!

warnings: none

notes:© all rights belong to yuezhong. Eula Lawrence, Albedo Kreideprinz, Kaeya Alberich, Zhongli and Kaedehara Kazuha belong to Hoyoverse. Please do not plagiarize or copy any of my works and upload them anywhere. Reblog if you enjoyed! It helps a lot <3. Taglist form is still closed as of now.

☆ EULA LAWRENCE

Born into a life of wealth and luxury, EULA never had to worry about the woes of being in poverty nor fret over being unable to place food on her plate. 

Despite indulging in the multitudinal privileges of a silver spoon, she longs for freedom. She yearns to dance shoeless amongst large, open prairies beyond her comfortable, but stuffy abode. She yearns to run through the village streets, arms linked with friends while laughing heartily without a care in the world.

Because surely, she was meant for more than just practised smiles, business negotiations, and the inevitable arranged marriage with another influential industrial partner to expand her family’s power? 

Yearning leads to wanting, wanting leads to acting on one’s desires. Eula embodies this by her recent absences in her lessons; opting to go on introspective strolls in the nearby woodland to recollect her thoughts. 

When tutors came knocking on the door of Lord and Lady Lawrence to file yet another complaint of their eldest’s disappearance, the owners of the manor could only release twin huffs of exhausted exasperation; for they knew there was nothing they could do about their daughter’s one-track mind on her quests for freedom, though they were transient. 

The unpredictability of what life had to offer was daunting, yet oh-so wondrous at the same time. Chancing upon you was one of the latter. 

It was just one step of absent-mindedness, an innocent meeting of eyes.

Your congregation with her was fairytale-esque, whimsical with a touch of something reminiscent of a past love story. Perhaps you two were soulmates of a crueller past?; Bound once more by fate’s merciful hand. 

Whatever the circumstances that led to the two of you currently curling into the other’s embrace could not change one thing though: Her family would never approve of the blooming feelings between you two. This you know well. 

After all, why would they give their blessings entailing their daughter’s happiness to an outcast like you? Much less a witch. You are branded a sinner for your practices in sorcery, a cesspool of evil (or that was what most thought).

But in Eula’s eyes, she saw none of that sort. 

You are her safe haven, the fields of elysium where she can frolic blissfully all day long. And to secure the safety of it, she will brave every snowstorm, cut through biting frost thrown against both of you by the rest of the world. 

☆ALBEDO KREIDEPRINZ

As the sole medical practitioner in his village, ALBEDO is exalted for his role.

He takes pride in his line of work; but never exudes hubris for his achievements. Ever the humble worker, he tends to all with kindness: welcoming them with open arms entwined with generosity. 

Other than his amicable presence, his intellect is another one of the driving forces that gravitates people towards him. 

Scholars and members of academia alike sing praises for his sincere manner of speech, his efficacy in carrying out tasks. Cordial words bring the gist of topics in his medical presentations to life; holding candle light to Minerva’s clever hand in weaving embroidered tales. Yet his diligence keeps him on the right path, never straying from his destination. Patients recount his gentleness in treating their ailments, not once uttering words of ill-intent about their pains or the lengthy periods of time needed to guide them to full-recovery. 

Not born a social butterfly, Albedo instead opts to sit in the shade of his veranda⎯⎯ a structure of respite within the large expanse of the garden surrounding his cottage. He’d sit cross-legged with a book in hand on one of the chairs⎯⎯wrought carefully of fine mahogany as he savoured his favourite blend of tea languidly. 

It is only when he hears your voice does his ears perk up (figuratively). Carefully, he slots his bookmark between the pages to mark the passage he stopped on prior to your arrival. 

“Albedo!” 

He could feel the corners of his lips quirk up faintly at the sound of your voice as you jog towards him. Ah, what a lovely day to spend it outside.  

☆ KAEYA ALBERICH

“The word trouble and KAEYA go hand in hand.” These are the whispers of superficial neighbours that often reach your ears.

As his playmate who has seen him through thick and thin since young, you dismiss their hollow words easily. There is certainly more depth to Kaeya than it meets the eye; the many layered undertones of his character and complex past are two of the few clandestine things he entrusts you with. 

As the son of your village’s chief, it is not uncommon to find him out and about. This could be the direct link to the so-called “trouble” he causes, which is in reality just people’s misinterpretations of his intentions; and on top of that he somehow always manages to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

His unintentional penchant for attracting misfortune has left even his close ones baffled. And so, you take it upon yourself to rectify or at least mitigate this inborn unfortunate trait of his. 

“Kaeya!” 

A few soft taps against the glass window of the wooden hut where he shares residence with his father snaps him out of the dazed trance he somehow managed to fall into. Kaeya shifts his gaze to the source of your suppressed cry, grey eye glinting with a fondness only reserved for you and you alone. 

Gingerly, he presses both palms onto the cool, flat surface of both panes. Then after he has made sure you backed away completely from the window, he exerts a little more pressure onto the panes. 

“Hi.” His familiar, half-crescent smile greets you. 

“Hi.” Reciprocating with a grin, you rummage through the burlap sack, sifting through the various items stored away inside which were not visible to Kaeya’s wandering eye. 

“It’s an amulet, to keep you out of trouble.” You smile, cupping the said object in your hand with practised caution before placing it into his. 

Cooing a flirtatious “thank you, darling~ I will be sure to return the favour.” directly into your ear, Kaeya leans forward to press a kiss onto your cheek. He only chuckled at your attempts to hide your flustered state as he slipped off into the sableness of the night, guided by Luna's mellow rays. 

☆ZHONGLI

Toiling away at his crops diligently, ZHONGLI pauses to wipe the sweat away from his brows with the back of his hand. 

“Ah,hello.” He smiles warmly, tipping his straw hat in jest at you. Chuckling at the sound of your laugh at his little gesticulation, he beckons you into his cottage with a courteous hand.

 What awaits you inside are two earthen cups (moulded by his clever hand on his potter’s wheel) of lukewarm tea 𑁋 lavender, he informs. Ever the gentleman, Zhongli pulls your chair out for you as you set your things down by the door. 

An hour of idle chit-chat and degusting his wonderful tea later, he noticed your furrowed brows were directed at something outside one of the windows. Following your line of sight, he instantly knew why as soon as he set his eyes on a cluster of cumulonimbus clouds gathering in the sky.

“Would you like to stay over?” He proffered. 

A timid “yes please, apologies for the intrusion.” draws the smile you love so much from his lips. 

☆ KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

As a wanderer, KAZUHA has acclimated to the various perks and quirks of life on the-go. Whether it be finding lodgings in peculiar places or the capricious storms Inazuma brings.

Occasionally though, he would take a break from his nomadic lifestyle and settle down in small villages or suburban towns bustling with life for as long as he feels like it. 

That was how he was going to spend the rest of his life 𑁋 as a drifter, free as the winds captured by the sails of his raft he always relied upon to take him to new places; or so he thought.

A fond smile replaces his once neutral countenance as Kazuha gazes at the band of his ring resting snugly around his fourth finger. It has been a year since he became wedded to you and settled down for good. Yet, it still feels like a dream to him.

Kazuha’s mind couldn’t help but navigate its way back to the day before his promise of devoting himself to you as his bandaged fingers traced over the ring’s cool surface. You and him met by mere happenstance, it was as if fate had woven this indeterminate path for him and you were the one who lifted the mist that veiled it. 

Your magnanimity is something he will be eternally grateful for. Had you not offered to share your cottage with him when it was peak tourist season, he would have been homeless. 

Ah, your profession of your feelings to him is another one of the memories he holds dear in his repertoire. 

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” If you had been any softer, the words that slipped from your lips would have been whisked away by the tranquil night breeze.

His eyes fluttered shut in content. Kazuha nodded in assent.

“Indeed. I would be delighted to watch it together with you for as long as we shall live.”

You are half his soul, his north star and his inspiration for the poetry he waxes.

➵❁Taglist: @almond-adeptus @scribs-dibs @s4egusas @lilikags @thesapphirecake