#zhongli one shot

[tetsuskei]

lust for life - zhongli [nsfw]

synopsis: your first time with the geo archon leads to a riveting adventure that you never dreamed of, but also don’t regret

notes: this is the first time i’m writing for zhongli and genshin, so please be nice. i apologize for anything potentially ooc. i’m learning. :]

warnings: praise kink, dragon tendencies (?), unprotected sex, pet names, zhongli is called morax, lana del rey song title, body worship, liyue archon quest spoilers

word count: 2.4k

interactions and comments appreciated!

being in a relationship with zhongli is exhilarating. it is calm and a rush all at the same time. invigorating, perhaps.

liyue, the city of contracts, is always bustling with something new and exciting each day. the harbor specifically hails as a place that showcases the customs and traditions in the most beautiful ways.

the smell of freshly made grilled tiger-fish and chopped suey perfuming the air, and the shine of the beautifully crafted kites the nice old lady sells only make up a few traits the harbor carries. there’s also the bustle of the shops, selling different types of flowers and fruits and jewels ranging from jade to lapis.

as much as liyue is your home, there couldn’t be a better place of solace than in your boyfriend.

over the course of knowing him, he’s taught and shown you many things. and one of those things just happens to be the way of love. you have never been that involved before in a romantic relationship before he came along. but once he did, you could barely remember what life was like before him.

being that zhongli is now ‘mortal’, there are many things about him that still stand out from regular human beings. of course, this all makes sense when considering his reptilian nature at hand.

his eyes, a piercing aurelian color are a stark contrast to any other pair you’ve seen. they closely resemble two pieces of raw cor lapis.

the man is large—not necessarily very muscular, but lean and slender in all the right ways. he’s also a lot taller than the average person, having you crane your head up at times just to hold decent eye contact with him.

you often were bashful and easily embarrassed in front of zhongli, but he only ever has been very understanding and patient. a wise and well respected man with an eclectic taste for history and knowledge. there’s nothing about him that isn’t amazing.

“is this okay?”

zhongli’s voice breaks you from your thoughts. the gravel of it warms your tummy and sends shivers down your spine. his eyes seem to be looking through you in tantalizing yet understanding way.

“you seem conflicted over something. what’s troubling your mind, darling?” he inquires, tilting his head to the side. his obsidian locks, ends dipped in pure bronze, cascade down his back beautifully and you wonder if there’s ever anything this man does that could be deemed unattractive.

he asks these questions all while kneeling in front of your leaking cunt. like your nude body isn’t completely visible and vulnerable before him. but murmurs of your beauty and rarity cause you to relax and confess your thoughts.

“i just—“ you pause, apprehensive, “i’ve never done this before.”

there’s a look that flashes in his eyes, but only for a brief moment before changing to contemplation. “ah, i see.”

heart racing, you think that he’s about to pull out of the moment you two share. that he’d judge you for your lack of experience.

the feeling of a gloved hand on your cheek makes your heart skip a beat. “there’s nothing to be worried about. i will make extra sure to go at your pace. as long as you still trust me to lead, of course. i will make sure you’re comfortable, dearest.”

zhongli kisses the inside of your thigh, peering at you with subtle glee. to tell the truth, his mind can’t help but think of all the ways he’d tease and break you. but you don’t need to know that—at least not yet. when the time comes he’d explore that. for as long as he’s lived, waiting is something that doesn’t concern him. your wellbeing will always come first.

“okay…” you breathe, spreading your legs more for him at his request.

“always so precious and good for me, are you?” he hums with delight. your face blooms with heat but you nod meekly.

he continues, “you’ll tell me what you like, yes? while i eat this cunt out?”

your boyfriend’s blunt words strike your heart (and core) all at once.

zhongli squeezes your thighs in warning, “i need a verbal response, or i will stop.”

“yes, li.” you murmur, sending him a nervous grin.

“thank you, my love.” he smiles before moving over you. a ghostly sigh leaves you as his hands caress you hips, holding you in place with little effort.

his tongue, unusually long, sneaks out and swipes at your core. there’s a hum of satisfaction once your essence hits his buds. after tediously circling the outside of your leaking hole, it plunges forth within you.

even with it being the first time, you’re sure the wet muscle reaches places that no one besides him ever will, and you gasp, hands moving to grasp anything to ground yourself.

“z-zhongli—!” you stutter, words and lungs failing you all at once.

zhongli entwines your hands, squeezing gently to calm you. his free hand, however, only moves over your clit to rile you up further.

he hums again, satisfied with what you gift him when more of your juices evade his tongue.

“it’s been a long time since i’ve tasted something this sweet.” his lithe fingers continuing their motions as he attentively watches your reactions. “i think my tongue will always remember the way you taste.”

your hips have somehow found a way to ride his tongue and he assists by nearly having you fuck yourself on his face.

“i-i-!” you’re unable to warn zhongli of anything as you feel yourself succumbing to a realm of euphoric pleasure, seizing in place. your eyes roll back, and you find yourself facing a blinding light. you wonder if you’ve just died right now and then.

but as soothing hands caress your being and plant kisses on your cheeks, you realize you’re very much still on teyvat.

“ahh, so that’s what you look like cumming.” the archon’s eyes gleam and a hungry look flashes in them. “who knew how beautifully ravishing you’d look.”

not a moment passes before his fingers are on you again, and he slides in two digits.

“i’m sensitive, li! please!” you whine, hands grabbing his wrist.

“you’re doing so well though,” zhongli praises, his tone sweet like nectar. his normally stoic expression to no surprise, is nonexistent with you. the only visible look is love and adoration. “you can cum again, hmm? don’t you think you deserve it?”

tears slip down your face as you nod frantically, “yes!”

his eyes brighten at the way you squirm and try to conceal your whimpers. it’s only then does he realize he must toy with you even further.

the fingers that stilled themselves move again. the sound of lewd squelching filling the room. zhongli doesn’t know how much longer he can hold off before fucking you. the smell of your arousal is overwhelming, to say the least. and dark thoughts of wanting to breed you start to consume his mind.

regardless, you still needed to be prepared to take him. it would be no good if you were uncomfortable.

he works to bring you thus forth to another orgasm, his hand skilled and dexterous as it seeks to pleasure you.

“feels so good li! r-right there!” you gasp, arching up to follow his movements.

a hand soothes your hair and you feel his lips kiss your forehead. “relax dearest, you’re tightening up. just let go.”

it isn’t long before you’re cumming again. losing strength, you collapse fully on your back. you hear your boyfriend chuckle as he sucks the gloves of his fingers clean from your essence.

after giving you time to recover, zhongli gently runs his hands over you.

“darling, why don’t you help me undress. hmm?” he coaxes, moving back to begin to peel off his robes.

you sit up, wobbling as you kneel in front of him and he drags your hand up to his collar.

zhongli leans down, kissing you on the lips. he tastes of whatever tea he’s recently had. and of, well, you.

soon, your boyfriend is undressed, and archons (albeit, him himself) could only tell how it is possible for someone to be so beautiful and handsome, his figure lean and muscular in all the right ways.

it makes you feel weak in the knees how easy it is for zhongli to command attention and control. the way you’re pliant to his will because of how strong he is, allowing for him to hold your jaw in place as his tongue explores your mouth.

the feeling of something heavy and hard against your stomach makes your heart drop. there is no mistaking what it is.

as if sensing your distress, he pulls back from you. “what’s wrong, dear?” he grabs himself, stroking leisurely as he eyes you with quiet mischief.

you swallow, eyes having trouble leveling with his, “w-will it fit?”

you’re cute. too cute, for him. “of course darling,” he taps the head on your drenched clit, the tip catching easily onto your entrance.

“you were made to take me, after all.”

there isn’t anything else said once he sheathes himself fully inside of you.

shared moans fill the room as you both stare at each other for a moment. zhongli is hot and throbbing inside of you, and that alone has you cumming again.

“goodness,” he huffs, composing himself, “you are more sensitive than i thought.”

“ahh-sorry!”

“no need to apologize. it’s perfect. you’re perfect.” zhongli murmurs, kissing the corner of your mouth.

“i’m going to move now, love.” he warns, voice soft.

you nod solemnly, squeezing his hand as a sign of goodwill.

it’s all odd at first, with how full you are, but eventually the discomfort becomes more pleasure than anything else. the way his cock is stroking your walls, hitting every crevice with a kiss, soon has you keening.

grunts fill your ear as zhongli’s pace slowly picks up over time. you think you might be somewhere in the clouds above mt. tianheng.

your boyfriend’s frame cocoons your own. he fucks you like he’s yearned you for eternity. as if he’s been preparing for this moment. his hips move like flowing water, skilled all around.

zhongli’s sharp canines bite into your shoulder, a low growl leaving him as he marks you. he doesn’t mean to blemish your beautiful skin, but the primal part in him can’t help himself.

your moans are like a melody to him, and he thinks he may drown in them and the way that they sound. he starts to think that maybe you yourself are some deity or maybe a siren with the way you have him under your spell.

“li, please, go faster!” you beg, looking up at him with wet eyes, “i-i can take it, i promise!”

“are you sure that’s what you want? i won’t be able to fully hold back if you ask that of me.” he warns.

“yes, please!” you whine, “please, morax!”

before you know it, he’s kissing you again, the sweet taste of him elevating your focus away from the now ruthless snap of his hips.

he gifts you his fingers in your mouth once his lips move over your collarbones and breasts, tongue wrapping around the sensitive nub while his free hand twists the other.

“you must be a gift from celestial to feel this good.” zhongli moans. he’s holding you in his lap now, moving you up and down his shaft just how he likes.

“have you got one more for me, love?” he pants, “then i’ll take care of you and let you rest.”

you find yourself crying out for morax repeatedly, and it sendings an unknown exhilarating feeling down zhongli’s spine. maybe because it’s the thought that no other god could save you but him.

“m’cumming!” you cry, once again clamping down on the man with a vice like grip.

zhongli shudders, trying to keep his focus on you coming undone, “i don’t think i can hold back much longer myself. where—“

“inside. please cum inside me!” you wail, twisting your legs to lock around him.

“fuck,” he curses, not meaning the slip of his tongue. but that’s just what you do to him. “a-are you certain? do not say things based on what you think i wish—“

zhongli does not expect for you to pout up at him with big, wet eyes and say, “you don’t want to cum in me?”

frozen, he blinks slowly at you. then, there’s the sound of a dark chuckle, almost inhumane. “you don’t know, do you?”

“how i’ll give you anything you want? you can ask for the stars and they’re yours.” he groans, hips erratic again. he’s smothering you with his mouth again, moving everywhere to kiss every inch of you. your legs are folded up and placed over his shoulders, pressed tightly against yourself.

he swears, “i’ll cherish and love you till death. contract or not, i vow to never break that word.” even in the afterlife.”

“that being said, i’ll cum in you as many times as you want.”

you cum at his words, sobbing from the tsunami emotions and feelings that’s hit you.

it isn’t long before zhongli follows, an exceeding large warmth and throbbing as he spills himself into you.

he holds onto you tightly, refusing to move until he’s sure that his cum has settled within you.

slowly pulling out and putting your legs back down, he examines you fully. “are you alright?

the smile you give is hazy. “golden.”

“don’t leave.”

he frowns, tongue clicking, “darling, you must let me clean you up at least. i can’t bear to leave you—“

“just for a moment!” you pout, burying your face into his damp chest. “i promise.”

“a moment.” he repeats, chuckling. soothing your hair.

in all honesty, a part of you liked having him leak down your legs, and maybe he enjoyed it to. for him, in all the years of his life he’s never felt a love like this before. he just did his best to show appreciation.

if this is how he’d sing words into your ears, how his affection would wrap around, you would very well get used to this. to a routine.

but then again, a zhongli without surprises doesn’t seem fitting for you at all.

after all, ‘normal’ isn’t even as common as we think it is.

tagging my beloved @hwaitham. thank you for always supporting me and for being so loving and welcoming. <3

[genshinluvr]

Outdated Traditions

Pairings: Zhongli x fem!reader

Summary: The life of a socialite was fun and exciting, but it wasn't the type of lifestyle you would see yourself in as you grew older. You ended up quitting the socialite life and have decided to work as an assistant for the funeral consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Your wealthy parents end up breaking certain news to you, only to put you in a position that you cannot get out of.

Note: This is the longest fic I have typed out that isn't part of the Isekai'd!Reader series 💀 this story has been on my mind since March 2022, and it has finally been typed out and published! 😭 the amount of all-nighters I have pulled for this fic and the amount of plans I had for this story, in particular, is insane. For those who are new and those who are returning readers, I post on AO3 as well, so if you have an AO3 and see a work similar to this, it's me (Aaliah_exo on AO3). I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Sexual harassment, nonconsensual touching, misogyny, assault, I guess this counts as hurt/comfort, Zhongli is really bad with feelings, jealousy, Childe

Word Count: 18.7k

You’re a socialite from Liyue, and you come from a very well-off family. Your family was the wealthiest family in Liyue but is the second (perhaps third) most affluent family of all Teyvat and the most influential family of all Liyue. As a socialite, your job was to travel from region to region for a business trip—a fashion business trip. You meet up with the most prominent fashion designers and luxury brands across Teyvat, go to fashion shows, do interviews, and go to parties. Lots and lots of parties. It was fun at the beginning of it all, but now, you don’t see yourself being a socialite forever. You ended up quitting your career as a socialite to work for a funeral parlor that is tucked in the corner of Liyue. 

You have decided to be an assistant for the consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Mister Zhongli. Mister Zhongli has oh so graciously offered you to work as his assistant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor when you were in need of a new job, so you took up on his offer and passed his interview. The funeral director, Director Hu Tao, was ecstatic to have you working for the parlor as well, and that is how you befriended the director of the funeral parlor. You haven’t been working for Mister Zhongli for a long time; maybe less than a year is an excellent way to put it. However, you are approaching your one-year anniversary of working for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and you’re looking forward to spending many more years at the parlor, working as the assistant for Mister Zhongli.

“The flowers I want to be arranged for my daughter’s funeral will be silk flowers, glaze lilies, and Cecilia flowers.” The man says, giving you and your superior a sad smile. You nod your head while jotting down the flowers that the mourning father had listed. “They were her favorite flowers, but she can no longer admire them because she’s gone.” The man’s lips quivered; he quickly cleared his throat and looked away from you and your boss.

You looked up from your notes and at the grieving man in front of you, “Is there anything else we can do for you, Mister Wu?” You asked softly; the man sniffled and shook his head.

“I just want my daughter back; that’s all I want.” Mister Wu whimpers and a stray tear rolls down his cheeks.

You let out an audible gasp at Mister Wu’s response, unsure of how to respond to his comment. You feel your throat tighten, your heart dropping in your chest as you tighten your grip around your notepad and pen. You felt your boss place his hand on your shoulder, gently squeezing your shoulders to reassure you. 

“I believe that we can end this for today, Mister Wu. My assistant and I will make sure that the funeral is planned out just the way you wanted it to.” Zhongli says, giving the man a small smile. 

Mister Wu sniffles and nods his head before giving the two of you a weak smile before walking towards the entrance of the funeral parlor. Mister Wu grabs onto the door handle of the parlor but is quickly stopped by the director of the funeral parlor.

“I believe this will come in handy in the future, Mister Wu! Sorry for your loss!” Director Hu says, giving the man a bright smile. The man looks down at the slip of paper that Hu Tao has handed to him. His eyes widen slightly before looking up at the young director, both speechless and appalled. Mister Wu makes a face at Hu Tao before walking out of the parlor with the paper crushed in his tight grip.

“Wow, what a downer!” Director Hu says, her face pinching up as she walks back to the counter of the parlor with an exaggerated sigh.

“Director Hu, what did you give him exactly?” You ask nervously.

Hu Tao grins widely and hands the paper over to you. You placed your notepad and pen on the counter before reaching over to grab the paper that Hu Tao held out to you. You and Zhongli looked down at the paper in your hands, only to realize that it wasn’t a flyer but a coupon. A coupon for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

“Director Hu! You shouldn’t be handing out coupons to mourning customers like they’re candy!” You scolded the young director.

“I’m just promoting the business, [Y/N]! And you don’t have to call me Director Hu, just call me Hu Tao! After all, we are friends!” Hu Tao says, smiling at you brightly.

“Promoting business to a man who’s mourning over the loss of his daughter….” You trailed off, rubbing your temples with your right hand.

“[Y/N]’s right, Director Hu,” Zhongli speaks up, grabbing your and Hu Tao’s attention. 

The tall Liyuen man gives Hu Tao a disapproving look with his arms crossed over his chest. Seeing your boss this way woke something inside of you; you feel your face heat up before looking down at your notepad to distract yourself. For the last couple of months of working at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, you couldn’t help but notice that your feelings towards the consultant of the funeral parlor were changing into something less professional. As something Director Hu Tao would say, you have a fat crush on the funeral consultant. You internally scoffed to yourself; it was unprofessional and inappropriate to have a crush on someone that hired you to work for them.

“Aw! Come on, old man! I have an inkling feeling that Mister Wu will be using the coupon again in the future!” Director Hu says nonchalantly. You and Zhongli stared at Hu Tao in horror at what she might’ve been implying. “Hey! Funerals are expensive! I believe that a coupon can make the payment less expensive for him if he were to be our customer again in the future! Plus, we do need more customers, so maybe he can give that to a relative of his!” Hu Tao says.

“I don’t know how else to respond.” You let out a defeated sigh.

Zhongli turns to you, “Why don’t you go order some silk flowers, glaze lilies, and Cecilia flowers at the floral shop in Mondstadt and Liyue for the flower arrangements? I have everything else under control.” 

You blinked up at your boss, trying to come up with a way to respond to your boss’ sudden comment. “O-Of course, Mister Zhongli! But are you sure there’s nothing else I can help you with aside from placing an order at the floral shops? I can help you out with the other arrangements for the funeral as well if you’d like for me to assist you.” You said.

Zhongli gives you a smile and shakes his head, “As of now, I won’t be needing your assistance. If a problem were to arise, I would inform you of it.” You felt your cheeks grow warm when he smiles at you. You cleared your throat and slowly nodded your head.

“Alright, then I shall place the order immediately! Although depending on the florist, it can take some time to arrange the flowers and have them be delivered to the parlor.” You said, reaching over to grab your notepad and pen, but Zhongli beat you to it. Both your hands meet in the middle while trying to reach for the notepad. You and Zhongli stared at one another for a moment, hands overlapping above the notepad.

“I was reaching for the notepad to give it to you,” Zhongli stated the obvious, clearing his throat.

“And I was reaching to grab it.” You muttered, staring at your boss. You didn’t know how obvious it was, but you knew that your face was red. You slowly looked over at Hu Tao, who was wiggling her eyebrows at you with a cheeky smile on her face. You mentally cursed to yourself for reacting in such a way in front of your boss while internally swearing at Hu Tao for giving you that look because you could feel your face feeling much hotter. You cleared your throat before grabbing your pen and notepad from Zhongli’s hands while giving him an awkward smile.

“I should get going now! I don’t want to arrive too late to the floral shop, or else they’ll close before I even arrive.” You said, gracefully bowing to your boss and the director before walking to the funeral parlor’s door, grabbing the handle, tugging at it, and stepping out of the parlor. You closed the funeral parlor doors, pressed your back against it, and let out a slow exhale while slowly sliding down from it.

“Are you alright, Miss [Y/N]?” You jumped at the voice and turned your head, only to see Ferrylady standing there awkwardly while examining you closely.

“A-Ah, yes! I’m alright, Ferrylady! Today was quite an emotional rollercoaster for me, that’s all!” You said, getting away from the door while fixing your composure.

“Isn’t it emotional for you every day, Miss [Y/N]?” Ferrylady chuckles, causing you to sputter in response.

“Listen, you did not need to call me out like that!” You whined softly; Ferrylady snorts and pats the top of your head fondly.

Ferrylady hums softly while stroking the top of your head, “Well, you do have a soft heart, Miss [Y/N].”

“It’s a curse.” You sighed in defeat. “Anyway, I must be on my way now. I have to order some flowers at the floral shop for Mister Wu’s daughter.” You said, waving Ferrylady goodbye before setting off to the nearest floral shop in Liyue.

When the funeral parlor door closed, Zhongli didn’t take his eyes off the door until he was sure that you had walked away. But seeing that you were still at the entrance, Zhongli assumed that you were talking to someone at the door of the funeral parlor. After a few minutes, he saw you walk away while Ferrylady entered the parlor to start her duties as the undertaker. 

“Hm, that was odd,” Zhongli murmurs, looking over at Hu Tao, who immediately straightens up and clears her throat.

“So! Mister Zhongli, what are your thoughts on your cute assistant?” Hu Tao asks, leaning on the counter while giving Zhongli a devious smile.

“[Y/N] is an excellent assistant with a very soft and gentle heart. Each time she talks to the customers, I worry that she will end up crying with the grieving families.” Zhongli replies, and a faint smile appears on his face before chuckling to himself.

Hu Tao’s eyebrows shot to her hairline after hearing Zhongli’s response. Zhongli had such a soft look on his face that it was foreign to Hu Tao. Hu Tao has never seen Zhongli wear such an expression on his face, except only when he talks about fond memories of old friends. Hu Tao mentally cheers to herself; a giddy smile appears on her face. Oh, she cannot wait to tell you this!

“I agree! Although, I was quite surprised to see that you would hire an assistant like her.” Hu Tao says causally, glancing over at the funeral consultant from the corner of her eyes. Zhongli walked over to the stack of papers and began sorting through them. Zhongli hums to himself before looking at Hu Tao, his eyebrows furrowing.

Zhongli placed the paper down and crossed his arms over his chest, “And what do you mean by that, Director Hu? Are you implying that you believe that [Y/N] is incapable of working at the funeral parlor because of her status?” He cocks an eyebrow at the funeral director.

Hu Tao hesitates for a second, her mouth ajar while trying to find an explanation. “Yes and no.” was Hu Tao’s response. Zhongli tilts his head to the side, continuing to look at Hu Tao with an inquisitive look.

“What are you implying then, Miss Hu?” Zhongli sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Zhongli does not have time for Hu Tao’s foolishness. He has a funeral to plan and arrange; there’s no time for a casual chat, especially if the topic of the conversation is his assistant.

“I was shocked to see one of the richest and most notable figures of Liyue sending in her job application to be the funeral consultant’s assistant!” Hu Tao says, shrugging her shoulders. “You would think that a socialite from a very well-off family would enjoy a lavish life and career, but only to see her standing at the front of the funeral parlor, hoping to get her application sent in for the job position.” Hu Tao lets out a thoughtful hum while tapping on her cheeks.

“I don’t have time for chit-chats, Director Hu. I have a funeral to plan and put together.” Zhongli states, shaking his head before grabbing the stack of paper and disappearing into his office. Hu Tao lets out a long and dramatic sigh before collapsing in her seat and slumping down in the leather chair. So much for trying to get Zhongli to confess his feelings about you; maybe it’ll work next time. Zhongli just needs a little push.

“What a party pooper! I don’t get what [Y/N] sees in that old man.” Hu Tao mumbles, pouting to herself before getting off the chair to continue her duties as the funeral director. Bother Zhongli until he admits that he has feelings for you too.

You exited the floral shop in Liyue, checking off the list of flowers that Mister Wu wanted to be arranged for his daughter’s funeral. Silk flowers and glaze lilies are hard to organize, especially when the two tend to clash and the size of the flowers is drastically different. Not only that, but glaze lilies are much harder to get because of the legend that is told about the said lily. So, you had to pay a little extra out of your pockets for the flower arrangements to happen and be delivered before the viewing of the body. While you could use Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s money to pay for the entire thing, you would much rather pay for it yourself than have it put under the funeral parlor’s tabs.

“Miss [Y/N]!” A male runs up to you, stopping in front of where you stood while panting, clearly out of breath and out of shape: Yi, the loyal attendant of your family who has been serving your family for about five years.

“Yes, Yi? What can I do for you?” You ask, staring at the male curiously. He adjusts himself and fixes his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“Your mother and father request for you to come home immediately,” Yi says.

You blinked at Yi before saying, “Well, I can’t go home now, Yi! I’m still working, and if I were to skip out on my duties as the assistant to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s consultant, I could get into trouble! Or worse, fired!” You crossed your arms in front of you while frowning at your family’s attendant. The man doesn’t reply; all he did was stare at you in shock after hearing your response. Were you really that serious about your job at the funeral parlor? You’re wealthy and a socialite! You didn’t need to worry about money or about a stable career when all of the generational wealth is being passed down to you and only you. So why were you taking this so seriously? Surely, there has to be a good reason as to why you wanted to continue working at the funeral parlor and why you take your job position so seriously.

“Archons, [Y/N]!” Yi stares at you, flabbergasted, “You’re still working for that funeral parlor?! Do you know how much your parents disapprove of you working for a funeral parlor?!” Yi ran his hands through his hair; you could tell that the man was very nervous, and you didn’t really blame him. When you first informed your parents about your new job at the funeral parlor, your mother and father were horrified. Your mother nearly fainted when you said you were giving up the socialite life and wanted a stable career like any working-class people of Teyvat. The cherry on top was when you told them you were applying to be an assistant at a funeral parlor. A funeral parlor!

You let out a long sigh before pinching the bridge of your nose, “Yes, I know they disapprove of me working at the funeral parlor, but I like working at the funeral parlor! Mister Zhongli, Director Hu, and Ferrylady are very nice and welcoming!” You slowly fixed your posture before motioning Yi to follow you. “I need to inform Mister Zhongli about my sudden leave before he gets worried about me possibly not returning to the parlor.” You stated.

Yi follows after you towards Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, shoulders tensed and constantly checking his surroundings. Many people will say that Yi was acting strange and paranoid. Still, it was somewhat of a valid reaction because you come from a very wealthy family, and to see someone of high status approaching the funeral parlor so suddenly can spark up numerous speculations. You grabbed onto the door handle of the parlor and stepped into the building, with Yi following closely behind before sticking by the entrance.

“Mister Zhongli?” You called out, walking around the parlor while looking for the handsome funeral consultant who is also your boss. You hear footsteps approaching where you were and turn your head to see your boss walking into the room where you and Yi are at. Zhongli looks at you curiously before a faint smile appears on his face as he approaches you.

“I see that you’re back from the floral shop,” Zhongli states, stopping in front of you. “Were you able to order the silk flowers, Cecilias, and glaze lilies for Mister Wu’s daughter’s funeral?” He looks at you curiously. 

You nod your head happily, “Yes! I was able to place the orders for the flower arrangements for the funeral of Mister Wu’s daughter. Because the Cecilias are from Mondstadt, and the glaze lilies are hard to get, the shipping and delivery fees were a bit expensive.” You said, handing him the receipt. 

“Oh? Did you not put it under Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s tabs.” Zhongli raised an eyebrow at you.

You shook your head, “No, sir, I did not! I actually paid for it myself.” You said.

“Ah! Finally! A worker that doesn’t buy things under Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s name!” Hu Tao spoke up, popping up from behind the counter with her eyes sparkling. When Hu Tao’s eyes landed on your family’s attendant, her eyes lit up even more. “Oh! A customer?!” She gasps happily before grabbing a coupon and trotting over to the man cheerfully.

You turned to the young funeral director before speaking up, “Ah, Director Hu, he’s actually with me.” 

Director Hu Tao pauses in her steps before looking at Yi, then back over at you. Her mouth agape as she pointed at you and Yi, “Are you two in a relationship!?” Hu Tao gasps. Your and Yi’s eyes grew wide at Hu Tao’s question.

“What?! No! He’s my family’s attendant!” You panicked, feeling your face becoming hot. While you were trying to explain to Hu Tao that Yi was your family’s loyal attendant, you completely missed out on Zhongli’s reaction. When Zhongli hear Hu Tao’s question, Zhongli felt his heart plummet into the pit of his stomach. But when you and Yi quickly denied it, Zhongli let out a silent sigh of relief. Even though you didn’t see the look of relief on Zhongli’s face or hear the sigh of relief, Hu Tao saw it all, and it confirmed her suspicion. You exhaled and rubbed your temples before turning back to your boss with an apologetic smile.

“I apologize, Mister Zhongli, but Yi has informed me that my mother and father need me to come home immediately for something that I have not been informed of yet.” You cross your arms over your chest with an apologetic smile. 

“Well, since it’s your family that is requesting your presence, I don’t have the power to be holding you back from doing so. It would be inappropriate of me to forbid you from doing so.” Zhongli explains.

“I promise I’ll help you with everything for Mister Wu’s daughter’s funeral arrangements tomorrow, Mister Zhongli.” You said, subconsciously grabbing his hands and lightly squeezing them while giving him a small smile. 

Yi and Director Hu’s eyebrows shot to their hairlines at the sight of you grabbing Zhongli’s (your boss) hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze. Zhongli smiles back down at you and squeezes your hand back in response. You reluctantly let go of Zhongli’s hands before turning towards the door of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. You gestured for Yi to follow you out of the parlor; he nodded his head and walked out of the funeral parlor with you following behind. 

After you had closed the door to the funeral parlor, you walked off with Yi walking beside you. Many questions begin to surface in your mind as the two of you walk towards the direction where your house is located. What did they want from you exactly? If they’re going to try to convince you to quit your job at the funeral parlor, then they’re going to be disappointed with the answer in the end.

“Yi.” You spoke up, continuing to face forward as the both of you gradually got closer and closer to where your family’s estate sat.

“Yes, Miss [Y/N]?” Yi looks at you curiously.

“Do you really not know what my parents are calling me in for?” You crossed your arms behind your back while walking up the cobblestone steps up to the entrance of the estate.

“I do, but I believe that it’s best for your parents to tell you instead of me.” Yi simply replies, walking ahead of you now. You gnawed on your bottom lip and stopped in your tracks. This must be really bad then. You took a deep breath before resuming walking behind your family’s most loyal attendant.

The servants at your estate immediately bowed when you approached the doors. They grabbed onto the gold handles of the estate before opening the large door. Red, gold, and whites decorate the interior of the mansion; in the middle of the entryway was a water fountain with a diamond, cor lapis, and noctilucous jade chandelier dangling at the center of the vaulted ceiling. The estate is quite large for a family of three. You looked around the empty house and sighed softly, taking your heels off at the entrance before putting on your house slippers.

You turn to look at Yi, arms over your chest while tapping your pointer finger on your bicep. “Alright, where’s my mother and father? They can’t expect me to come home to have a chat with them before disappearing elsewhere.”

Yi clears his throat, “Your mother and father are waiting for you in the common room.” You nod your head before walking ahead of Yi to search for your parents. The mansion has always been quiet because you were the only child in your family. It’s always lonely with just you and your parents; you hardly see them, and the only people that were to keep you occupied are the servants on the estate who are willing to keep you company. Other than that, you were alone most of the time, or you were at some lessons your parents paid for you to do so you wouldn’t be alone or not have any hobbies. Upon approaching the family room in the estate, you saw your parents conversing with one another. Your mother looked anxious, as per usual, while your father looked calm and rational. 

“Mother, father.” You said, approaching the white leather couch where they were sitting. Your mom and dad look up from their conversation to see you still in your work attire. Even though you work at a funeral parlor as an assistant, you still dress like the socialite that you are— well, former socialite, to be exact.

You stopped in front of them, “I was informed by Yi that you two wanted to talk to me about something.” You look over at the attendant before turning over to your parents, “He didn’t tell me what you two wanted to speak to me about, but I’m curious what it’s about.” 

“Darling, you’re approaching twenty-five.” Your father states; you cocked an eyebrow at his comment.

“Yes, but that’s a year away from now. I am turning twenty-four this year, actually.” You said slowly before sitting down beside your mother.

“And you don’t have a boyfriend or a child yet.” He mused; you blinked at your father, then glanced over at your mother. You can almost see the anxiousness that was radiating off her as she was fiddling with her hands in her lap. “In the Liyuen culture, it is customary to get married and have children before the age of twenty-five.” 

You stroked your chin while mumbling, “Well, that’s news to me….” You didn’t really prioritize marriage and family life as much as your parents. 

They got married relatively young and had you at a young age as well, but weren’t in your life as much as you grew up. They were busy with their jobs, or they were traveling to another region in Teyvat for a vacation while you were home alone with the servants. Perhaps the reason why your parents weren’t in your life as much was that they had you at a very young age and didn’t have much time together as a couple, so they took advantage of having many servants and glided off to other regions around Teyvat for a luxurious vacation.

“[Y/N], we expect for you to be married and have children before you turn twenty-five. If you don’t find anyone by the time you’re twenty-four, we will arrange a marriage for you.” Your mother speaks up. You stared at your mother in shock. Arranged marriage?

“An arranged marriage? Please tell me this is a joke of some sort.” You laughed in disbelief, your hands beginning to shake.

Your father scoffs and brushes off your comment, “Oh, arranged marriages are normal in wealthy families!” Your mother nods her head. “Besides, darling, it’s only an option if you’re not able to find anyone yourself before you approach twenty-five.” He adds.

“But I’m still twenty-three! I’m not close to being twenty-five yet! I still have time!” Your nails dig into the palm of your hands, feeling blood rush to your head when you suddenly stand up quickly.

“Now, now, darling, you’re turning twenty-four soon. Time is ticking for us humans, and you need to start having children before you’re unable to after you’re thirty.” Your father says, taking a sip from his teacup. “Besides, we are letting you find someone of your own choice to marry. If you’re unable to find someone yourself, then we’ll find someone for you.” He shrugs his shoulders.

You feel the world around you falling apart as you quickly bowed to your parents before excusing yourself to go to your bedroom. You closed the door quietly and sat on the small cushioned bench at your vanity, feeling your heart racing against your chest. Does that mean you’ll suddenly have to confess to Zhongli about your feelings for him? The real question is, though, would Zhongli, your boss, reciprocate your feelings?

You didn’t get much sleep that night; you lay in your bed, contemplating how you were going to confess your feelings to your boss. Oh, archons, now that you think about it, it was very inappropriate to harbor any kind of feelings towards your superior. Throughout the entire night, all you could do was roll around in your bed; your mind was plagued with so many unanswered questions. Before you knew it, the sun was beginning to rise, and it was time for you to get ready for the day at the funeral parlor.

The servants helped you pick out the clothes you were going to wear for the day while you sat on the cushioned bench of your bedroom. You felt exhausted and nervous; the servants knew that you were out of it today by the dark circles under your eyes. So, one of the head maids of the estate ordered the other maids to get you your coffee before you leave for work.

“Miss [Y/N]?” You looked up to see the head maid of the estate look down at you worriedly. “Are you alright?” You slowly nod your head with a shaky sigh.

“I’m alright, Yue. I have a lot on my mind right now; this thought, in particular, has kept me up all night, and I couldn’t sleep at all.” You said. Yue gives you a sympathetic smile before giving you a reassuring shoulder squeeze.

“Well, whatever this thought is, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Yue comments, the corner of her eyes crinkling. You give her a weak smile in response and reach up to grab her hand on your shoulders, giving her hand a light squeeze.

“Thank you, Yue.” You whisper, swallowing the forming lump in your throat. 

Today is the day when you will be telling Zhongli how you felt about him, and you’re really scared to see what his reaction to you suddenly confessing your feelings to him. You and Zhongli get along quite well, and there was never a dull moment between the two of you. You’re feeling a little bit optimistic about how Zhongli would react to your confession. Mayhaps he will return your feelings as well, and you won’t need to be forced into an arranged marriage!

Today’s the day when you confess your feelings to Zhongli, and you have this tiny spark of hope that everything will be okay. After getting dressed for the day and putting on light makeup, Yue and Fei styled your hair into a high ponytail while Jia handed you your warm cup of coffee. You thanked the three women before heading downstairs to put on your shoes. You grabbed the notepad and pen off the top of the mini table at the front door while slipping your shoes on your feet. You took a deep breath before stepping out of your house.

Each step you take to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, you feel your heart racing against your chest while the blood is pounding in your ears. It was almost deafening, and you could feel your hands becoming sweaty each time you got closer and closer to the building of your occupation. You grabbed the door handles and pulled the door open before stepping into the parlor. You glanced around the parlor, only to see Director Hu scribbling down something on the paper in front of her. So far, you haven’t seen Zhongli in the funeral parlor at all. Usually, you would hear him muttering to himself as he was filling out paperwork for the parlor, but it was silent.

Hu Tao looked up from her paper; Hu Tao perks up in her seat; her eyes lit up when she saw you, “Oh! [Y/N]! Good to see you today!” Hu Tao chirps as she hops off her seat and approaches you with a little perk in her step. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but you have a hunch that she was excited to tell you something. At least, that is what you’re assuming. Your boss’s boss can be a little bit unpredictable, but she is quite a spunky girl who loves doing her job as the funeral director!

“It’s good to see you too, Director Hu!” You smile at the young girl in front of you. Hu Tao pouts at you, crossing her arms over her chest dramatically before letting out a sassy huff of breath.

“You don’t have to call me Director Hu, [Y/N]! We are friends! Let’s drop the formalities!” Hu Tao whines, stomping her feet on the ground childishly. 

You snorted and rolled your eyes, “Alright, Hu Tao.” You said, patting the young girl’s head with a faint smile on your face. “Have you seen Mister Zhongli today, by the way?” You ask, gazing around the funeral parlor to look for the handsome funeral consultant.

“Hmmm, nope! I have not seen him today at all. I believe he will be arriving at the parlor soon!” Hu Tao replies.

“Oh, okay, I was just wondering.” You said, giving her a nervous smile. Hu Tao blinks at you and squints her eyes, looking at you closely. You stared back at Hu Tao; she leaned close to your face while her eyes scanned every part of your face, making you feel self-conscious.

“You look like you haven’t gotten any sleep last night!” Hu Tao backs up before leaning against the counter. “What’s been keeping you up?” She asks, tilting her head to the side while waiting for you to respond.

“I’m confessing my feelings to Zhongli today,” You breathed. Hu Tao looks at you with wide eyes, her jaw-dropping. “What? Should I not do it? I-I know that Zhongli is my boss and all, but I do have feelings for him.” You said, fumbling with the notepad in your hand.

“It’s also scandalous if you ask me! Ay ai ai, [Y/N]! As a high-class member of society, shouldn’t you understand that?” Hu Tao teases you, causing you to become flustered. “But worry not, Miss [Y/N]! I’m sure that the dusty old man likes you back too!” Hu Tao grins, poking you lightly.

Your eyes glimmered with hope, “You really think so?” 

Hu Tao smiles widely and nods her head excitedly. “Of course! I’ve seen the way he’s looked at you, and your little interaction is quite flirtatious!” She gives you a cheeky grin. 

You looked away from Hu Tao, feeling your face becoming hot each time she teased you about your and Zhongli’s interaction. Does Zhongli look at you a certain way? Surely, Hu Tao’s eyes could’ve been deceiving her, but Hu Tao seems really sure about it too! It looks like you’ll be saved from the arranged marriage after all. The door to the funeral parlor clicks, grabbing your and Hu Tao’s attention. Zhongli steps into the funeral parlor, and his eyes land on both you and Hu Tao, but his eyes remain on you.

“There you are, old man! [Y/N] here was looking for you!” Hu Tao says, pointing to you. You gave Hu Tao a look before looking back at Zhongli, who was now standing before you. You feel your breath getting caught in your throat at how close Zhongli was standing in front of you. 

Hu Tao looks at her wrist, pretending to check the time. “Oh! It looks like my service is elsewhere! I’ll leave you two alone!” Hu Tao says, patting your shoulders before running off somewhere in the parlor.

“Is there something you need, [Y/N]?” Zhongli asks, gazing down at you curiously. You feel your face becoming hot the more time goes by. This is it, now is the time for you to confess your feelings to Zhongli. Man, you didn’t expect this day to come by so fast.

“Zhongli, I’ve been working as your assistant for almost a year now, correct?” You said, looking up at the handsome man nervously. Zhongli hums in response, nodding his head at your statement.

“Yes, that is correct,” Zhongli says, gazing down at you curiously. You began to fumble with your notepad and pen anxiously. This was harder than you thought. Even though Hu Tao has told you that Zhongli most definitely feels the same way about you, you couldn’t help but feel uneasy and almost nauseous from the nerves you were feeling.

“Over the courses of working with you as your assistant, I ended up developing feelings for you, Mister Zhongli.” You said slowly, looking away nervously.

Zhongli raised an eyebrow, “You’ve developed feelings for me? Care to clarify what you mean by that, Miss [Y/N]?” He asks, looking at you skeptically. The look on Zhongli’s face did not reassure you at all; it made you even more nervous and more fearful of the worst outcome. Fuck it; you’re just going to come right out and say it! There’s no use in stalling it much longer.

“I like you, Zhongli. I really like you.” You breathed.

Zhongli frowns and looks away from you; his eyebrows narrow while he crosses his arms in front of him. You feel your heart drop at Zhongli’s reaction to your confession. You tighten your grip on the notepad in your hand. The longer Zhongli stays quiet, the more you feel your heart sink into the pit of your stomach.

Zhongli speaks up, “Miss [Y/N], you do realize that I’m your boss, correct?” You felt your throat tighten up, a lump beginning to form in your throat, your eyes becoming misty.

“Ah, yes, I do realize that, Mister Zhongli.” You whisper, your gaze falling to the wooden floor. Tears began to collect in your eyes as realization started to settle in. 

“Then you acknowledge that your feelings for me are very inappropriate and unprofessional. I’m sorry, Miss [Y/N], but I do not feel the same way.” Zhongli says. You nod your head, releasing a defeated sigh. It looks like your fate has been sealed; you’ll have to inform your parents about your situation regrettably. “Let’s keep this relationship between us professional.” Zhongli states.

“Yes, Mister Zhongli.” You said softly, bowing to Zhongli before walking to another room in the parlor. 

The more you walk, the more you feel your heart break into little pieces. Hu Tao claimed that Zhongli had feelings for you as well; if he did, then why did he reject you in such a way?

The entire day at the funeral parlor, the atmosphere between you and Zhongli was tense and cold. You could barely bring yourself to smile or act as if nothing had happened. 

Luckily, there weren’t any new customers, much to Hu Tao’s dismay. You didn’t have to be in Zhongli’s presence the entire day, and you resumed your duties from the previous day for Mister Wu’s late daughter. That aside, Hu Tao noticed that you were much gloomier, and there was a deep frown on your face, whereas Zhongli looked like nothing had happened between the two of you. When Zhongli went on his lunch break to the Liuli Pavilion with Childe, Hu Tao quickly pulled you to the side to question you.

“How did it go between you and Zhongli?” Hu Tao asks; her eyes grew wide at the sight of your trembling lips and tearful gaze. You ducked your head down and let out a few sniffles, tears finally cascading down your flushed cheeks.

“He doesn’t feel the same way as me, Hu Tao.” You croaked.

“What?! He rejected you!?” Hu Tao gasps in disbelief.

You nod your head, “He said that my feelings toward him are very unprofessional and very inappropriate.” You pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing your tears away, hoping that your makeup wasn’t smeared from the tears. 

“But I could’ve sworn that he likes you!” Hu Tao exclaims; she grabs you by the shoulders and gently shakes you. “[Y/N], I swear! Zhongli does have feelings for you! I don’t know what’s going on in that head of his, but he does harbor feelings for you!” Hu Tao panics, pulling you into a tight hug. The hug did nothing but make the floodgates open. 

You buried your face into Hu Tao’s shoulders and sobbed. It was official, you have been rejected by the man you’ve fallen for, and now you have nothing left to do but to let fate handle its course. You are getting married off to some stranger you don’t even know, and you can’t do anything else about it. Who knew that outdated traditions like this still existed in high-class families? It seems too cruel to be true. Oh, how you wish you could wake up from this nightmare.

“I’ll get Zhongli to confess the truth, [Y/N]! I promise!” Hu Tao says, you pulled away from the hug and shook your head, wiping your tears away with the gold handkerchief in your shaking hands.

“Don’t force Zhongli to confess the feelings that don’t exist, Hu Tao. My fate has been sealed already.” You said.

Hu Tao looks at you quizzically, “What do you mean by that exactly?” She whispers. You shrugged your shoulders and shook your head. Hu Tao doesn’t know what you’re implying, but she sure hopes that you were exaggerating because you were heartbroken.

“It’s something I can’t tell you right now, Hu Tao.” You murmured sadly, feeling your heart in your chest ache. This is it; this is your fate now, and you can’t do anything else about it. No matter how much you’ve tried to change its course, it’s entirely out of your own control. “When the day comes, I will let you know.” You added; Hu Tao nodded her head reluctantly. 

The entire day at the funeral parlor felt so excruciatingly slow. You just wanted the day to end so you could go home and inform your parents— actually, you didn’t want to inform them about it at all. Perhaps you can avoid getting forced into an arranged marriage if you never let them know about Zhongli not returning the same feelings as you. When the end of the day arrived, you clocked out of your job as Zhongli’s assistant and gave both Zhongli and Hu Tao a fake smile.

“I am heading home now, and I will see you two tomorrow morning!” You said, bowing to them before walking towards the entrance of the parlor.

“Bye, [Y/N]! Please get plenty of rest, and we’ll see you tomorrow!” Hu Tao waved you goodbye with a sympathetic smile on her face. After you had left and closed the parlor’s door behind you, Hu Tao turned to Zhongli with her hands on her hips, a deep frown appearing on her face. “Mister Zhongli, we need to talk about what happened between you and [Y/N]!” Zhongli raised an eyebrow at Hu Tao before sighing softly.

“What happened between me and Miss [Y/N] is none of your concern,” Zhongli states firmly; Hu Tao blinked at Zhongli in shock. 

Before Hu Tao could open her mouth to interject, Zhongli turned around and walked out of the parlor, not even bidding his boss goodbye. Hu Tao sighs dramatically after the door closes behind him; she collapses in her seat and slumps down in the chair, mentally cursing at Zhongli for being so him. If only Hu Tao could read Zhongli’s mind to know what was going on inside his head right when you were confessing your feelings to him. Who knew that this was going to be the outcome of the whole situation when Hu Tao could clearly see that Zhongli has feelings for you as well! Heck, even Ferrylady can see the almost sexual tension between you and the funeral consultant. Hu Tao couldn’t get the image of your face out of her head; you looked so heartbroken and almost terrified. Hu Tao gnawed on her bottom lip and crossed her legs while trying to put the pieces together, only to come up with nothing. Whatever you’re hiding, Hu Tao really hopes that you’ll let her know about it soon.

You stepped into the estate and took your heels off, sighing in relief when the pain and pressure on your feet stopped once your shoes were off. You slipped on your house slippers and looked around the mansion, hoping your parents weren’t home at all and had completely forgotten about the conversation the day before. Right when you put your right foot on the first step of the stairs, your mother emerges from the top of the stairs, making eye contact with you.

“Ah, there you are! Your father is waiting for you in his office.” She says, leaning against the railing of the staircase, waiting for you to walk up.

You huffed, “How did you know that I was home?” You walk up two flights of stairs, mentally cursing yourself for going home earlier than usual. You weren’t surprised that your mother and father would be waiting for you after having such conversations with you the day prior. 

Your mother crosses her arms over her stomach, “The servants had alerted us of your arrival. Besides, your father did instruct them to notify him of your arrival earlier today.” Of course, it was your father all along. Should you be surprised at this point?

You hum to yourself, walking towards the direction of where your father was currently waiting for your presence. Your mother follows after you, keeping a reasonable distance. You can feel the tension beginning to rise as the both of you get closer to your father’s office. You knocked on the wooden door and waited for him to give you the signal to enter. You hear a faint “enter” before grabbing ahold of the doorknob and twisting it before opening the door. You and your mother step into the office, only to see your father getting up from his seat. Your mother closes the door behind the two of you, and you approach the loveseat that sat in the middle of your father’s office.

“I heard that you wanted to see me, father.” You stated, sitting down on the loveseat when your father motioned for you to have a seat while Your mother and father stood in front of you.

“Have you been able to find someone that you wanted to marry? After all, we did allow you to find someone on your own before we’ve decided to choose for you.” He says.

“I did.” You breathed, nodding your head hesitantly.

Your father cocks an eyebrow at your unusual response. “I’m sensing a but after your response.” He trails off.

“But he had rejected me and told me that my feelings toward him were inappropriate and unprofessional.” You said, your shoulders slumping.

“Inappropriate and unprofessional, you say?” Your father mutters, his eyebrows knitted with confusion while stroking his chin. Your mother gasps out loud and looks down at you in horror. Ah, it seems like she has figured out who you had confessed your feelings to. Your father looks over at your mother in confusion as well before she points an accusing finger at you.

“You confessed to your boss!?” She exclaims in horror; your father’s eyes widen before turning to look at you with disbelief.

“The man that you wanted to marry is a lowly funeral consultant with no riches, nor did he come from a wealthy family?!” Your father exclaims. You winced at the volume of his voice, unsure of how to respond to his question. Like, of course, you confessed to your boss. Why did your father make a big deal over Zhongli being a funeral consultant and not coming from a well-off family? Did it really matter to him? He’s not the one that was being forced to be married before they turned twenty-five. It was you that was being forced into marriage, not him.

“Yes, I like my boss, and I confessed to him.” You rolled your eyes. “But you don’t have to worry about me getting married to a ‘lowly funeral consultant’ anymore.” You sighed, letting the fact sink in.

Your father nods his head, “Good because we already picked out the candidates for you to get married to.” You stood up abruptly, looking at them in disbelief.

“You what!?” You exclaimed; your mother placed her hands on your shoulders to calm you down, but you brushed her hands off you. “You already picked someone out for me!?” You ask, staring at your mother and father.

“Yes, and starting tomorrow, you will be going out with each of them to get to know them better. After that, you will choose who you want to get married to. See, you still have options.” Your father says nonchalantly. 

You feel your hands tremble with anger, frustration, and disbelief. You let out a scoff before saying, “Unfucking believable.”

“[Y/N]! Watch your language! That’s very unladylike!” Your mother hisses at you while shooting you a death glare while your father shakes his head in displeasure.

You didn’t say another word before turning around and storming out of your father’s office. It was official, you’re being forced into marriage with some men that your parents have “picked out” for you. You slammed your bedroom door shut with your back pressed against the door before you slid down to the ground. Tears build up in your eyes before spilling down your cheeks; you bury your face into your knees while your body shakes with sobs.

The very next day, you got dressed for this little meeting of yours with the first person that your parents have picked out for you to be married to. You wore a red and gold qipao; your hair was pulled up in a neat bun, your lips painted with red lipstick, while you wore light makeup for this said meet-up. You slipped on your diamond-encrusted high heels before stepping out of the estate. But first, before you could go to Third-Round Knockout (the man’s place of choice to meet up), you had to quickly stop by the funeral parlor to request a few days off of work for this meeting of yours. You stepped into the funeral parlor, and the first person you saw was your boss, and there was Hu Tao sitting at the counter, looking bored out of her mind. Her head perked up when she heard the door open, and her eyes widened.

“Wow, [Y/N]! You look hot! What’s the occasion, hot stuff?” Hu Tao teases you; you give her a small smile.

“Good morning to you too, Director Hu.” You bowed gracefully to the funeral director, making her pout at the formalities between you two. “I was actually here to request a few days off work because I do have family matters going on behind the scene.” You said, turning to Zhongli, who had been eyeing you the entire time.

“Family matters, you say?” He asks, gazing down at you curiously. 

You nod your head, “It’s a sudden socialite meeting that my parents had set up without my knowledge, and I was hoping if it’s okay with you that I take a few days off for this sudden meeting.” You said, looking away from the funeral consultant.

“I thought you quit the socialite life!” Hu Tao interjects, tilting her head to the side to take a peek at you from behind Zhongli. You sighed in defeat and nodded your head, pinching the bridge of your nose while letting out a slow exhale. Even though you want to speak up about the actual situation, you fear that both Zhongli and Hu Tao, mainly Hu Tao, would try to interfere and cause conflict between your family and the other upper-class families. It wouldn’t hurt to lie a bit; after all, you go out for breakfast and lunch with these mystery men does count as a meeting. 

You adjust your qipao and jewelry before responding, “I did quit that life, but my parents decided to bring me back into that occupation without my knowledge, and here I am, requesting a few days off before heading to the said meeting.” 

“Since the situation was sudden and planned without your knowledge, then you may have a few days off,” Zhongli says, nodding his head.

“Thank you, Mister Zhongli! Again, I do apologize for the sudden vacation time.” You give Zhongli a weak smile. 

Zhongli’s eyes briefly land on your lips before making eye contact with you. He gives you a small smile, “It’s alright, Miss [Y/N]. It was out of your control and sudden. You don’t need to apologize for anything.” You gave Zhongli a strained smile before bowing to him and bidding both him and Hu Tao goodbye. You closed the funeral parlor’s door behind you and took a deep breath before walking towards Third-Round Knockout to meet up with the first man that your parents have chosen for you.

You ignored the looks people were giving you as you walked by them. You didn’t know if they were looking at you because of how extravagant you dressed or if it was because you were part of the higher class. The closer you got to Third-Round Knockout, the more nervous you became. You saw an older gentleman standing in front of the tavern; he was looking around, searching for someone. The two of you made eye contact, and his eyes lit up, and he gestured for you to walk over. You hesitated for a moment before walking in his direction.

The older gentleman bows; you do the same in return. “Good morning, Miss [Y/N]. My name’s Zhang Jun. Your parents talk so much about you!” The man held his hand for you to shake. You smile at the man politely before shaking his hand back.

“It’s nice to meet you, Zhang Jun. Are you dropping your son off for our meeting?” You ask; the older man in front of you chuckles softly while shaking his head.

“Actually, you’re meeting me. I don’t have a son or children at all.” Zhang Jun says; you quickly covered up your surprise by nodding your head politely. “Anyway, care to start our date?” You gave Zhang Jun a fake smile when he called the meeting between the two of you a “date.”

“I believe we should start our meeting, Mister Zhang.” You said, walking towards the first available table at Third-Round Knockout.

Zhang Jun chuckles while walking after you. “Please, [Y/N], just call me Jun. After all, I am your potential husband.” Jun says; you let out a fake laugh before picking a seat that was closest to the stairs, hoping that Jun would sit across from you to keep the distance, but you were wrong. You wanted to sit across from Zhang Jun, but the man decided to sit down beside you instead. You cleared your throat before calling the waiter over to start ordering something to eat. Maybe the food will help distract you from the uncomfortable proximity between you and this older man.

You just want to eat some delicious food, listen to the storyteller, and get this meeting over with. Clearly, Zhang Jun is a bit of a tryhard. Yes, it sounds mean, and you shouldn’t have viewed Zhang Jun that way because you hardly know the man, but the way he tried really hard to impress you was making you bored and unimpressed. Zhang Jun talked about his family’s financial business, and quite frankly, you didn’t listen to a single word he said to you. Your only response to him was a lot of “hm’s,” “oh’s,” and “I see’s.” Does that make you somewhat of a stuck-up snob for acting in such a way? Yes, but did Zhang Jun notice it? He did not realize it at all because he was so caught up with trying to impress you that Zhang Jun didn’t even see that you weren’t interested in anything he was saying. Why did your parents choose Zhang Jun again? He looks like he could be in his late thirties to early forties, way older than you and Zhongli. 

While you were occupying yourself with food and Zhang Jun was rambling on, you didn’t realize how much time had passed. You were sitting straight, eating your food elegantly (your parents got you an instructor on dining etiquette), attempting to grasp onto the information Zhang Jun was telling you while also listening to the storyteller. You didn’t realize how comfortable Zhang Jun had gotten with you until you felt him place his right hand on your left thigh, almost causing you to drop your chopsticks and dumplings.

“Mister Zhang! I believe that putting your hands on a woman’s leg is not part of dining etiquette, nor is it appropriate to do it out in public.” You cleared your throat.

“Oh, dear [Y/N], I am your future husband. Is it not normal for a man to be showing his wife affection?” Zhang Jun asks, raising an eyebrow at you. You gave him a fake smile and crossed your legs over the other to stop him from touching you any further, but your attempt was futile. Zhang Jun ends up putting his hand on the upper part of your thigh, close to where your thigh and groin meet. 

It was finally lunch break for Zhongli, and Childe had requested for Zhongli to have lunch with him since Childe was also on his lunch break. Zhongli and Childe were walking through Liyue Harbor, having a casual conversation about the Fatui and what Wangsheng Funeral Parlor could do to strengthen their close allyship. 

“What place do you have in mind for lunch, Childe?” Zhongli asks, his eyes scanning his surroundings while the ginger-haired male beside him hums thoughtfully while tapping on his chin, deep in his thoughts.

“I was linking Liuli Pavilion, but I’m craving for some delicious cuisines at Third-Round Knockout,” Childe says, shrugging his shoulders.

The closer the two got to Third-Round Knockout, the more the two could smell the freshly cooked cuisines and hear the faint chatter of bystanders. Zhongli suddenly stops in his tracks, making Childe stop in his tracks as well. Childe looks at Zhongli in confusion, only to see that Zhongli is looking at something. Childe slowly turned his head to get a glimpse of what Zhongli was looking at; then, his eyes landed on where you and Zhang Jun were sitting. You looked visibly uncomfortable while trying to eat the food that was placed in front of you. Zhang Jun, on the other hand, looked painfully aroused. 

“Oh, is that your cute assistant? Is she on a date?” Childe asks, looking over at Zhongli, who had his eyes zeroed in on Zhang Jun’s hands. The placement was too close for comfort, and it was inching towards a very intimate part of your body.

“Miss [Y/N] has informed me that her parents had set up a sudden meeting for her and other business partners,” Zhongli states, looking at Childe from his peripheral vision. “She is not on a date but a business dinner,” Zhongli added. Childe cocks his eyebrows at Zhongli’s comment before making a face when he sees Zhang Jun squeezing the plush of your thighs. Childe points at Zhang Jun’s hands, turning to look at Zhongli.

“Mister Zhongli, I believe that business partners don’t grope each other like that. Well, especially if one person comes from a very wealthy background while the other is way below that.” Childe states. Childe could see Zhongli clenching his jaws. Childe knew that you’re Zhongli’s assistant and nothing else, but seeing how Zhongli subtly reacts to another man placing his hand on your legs was interesting. While Zhongli vehemently denies that he has feelings for you, his subtle reactions say another thing.

Childe takes a closer look at the man that sat beside you; his eyes widen slightly. “I don’t know if I’m correct, but this man, in particular, looks like he’s one of the Fatui’s higher-ups,” Childe says. Zhongli looks at Childe in shock, then back over at where you and the man sat. “He’s not part of the Harbingers per se, but he looks a little bit familiar.” Childe taps his chin.

“What you’re saying is that [Y/N] is unknowingly having a business meeting with one of the members of the Fatui,” Zhongli states, crossing his arms in front of him.

Childe scoffs, “Business meeting? It’s a marriage setup!” If Zhongli were to be drinking tea at the moment, he would’ve choked at the mention of marriage. “Her family has connections with the Fatui, Mister Zhongli. Though, it seems like [Y/N] is unaware of her family being involved with the Fatui.” Childe strokes his chin while analyzing the man sitting beside you.

“A marriage set up? [Y/N] has informed me that it was a business meeting!” Zhongli mutters, his eyes narrowing, staring holes into the strange man’s head.

“Maybe she didn’t know that it was a marriage set up, or she’s keeping it a secret.” Childe shrugs his shoulders. “As I was saying, both her family and the Fatui are hoping this marriage goes through. After all, her family is well-off, and this man is just as wealthy but not as rich as Pantalone. Pantalone has tried courting Miss [Y/N] in the past, but she turned down his advances.”

Zhongli frowns while letting out a soft exhale, “Why would [Y/N]’s parents try to get their daughter to be involved with the Fatui?” 

Childe scrunches his face, “I don’t know; I don’t have enough information about this situation. All I can do is assume that if the marriage is successful, the Fatui will have an easier way of doing things without the Qixing suspecting that it was Fatui business.”

Before Zhongli could open his mouth to retort, both Zhongli and Childe hear you let out a shaky sigh. The two quickly looked over, only to see you stare down at your plate and then look at the man beside you. You cleared your throat to hide your discomfort, “Mister Zhang! I believe that putting your hands on a woman’s leg is not part of dining etiquette, nor is it appropriate to do it out in public.”

“Mister Zhang? Oh! Well, never mind then! He’s not part of the Fatui. He’s just some creep that is desperate for a crumb of pussy.” Childe says, rolling his eyes. Zhongli disregarded Childe’s comment, glaring at the unsuspecting man.

The older man sitting beside you queried, “Oh, dear [Y/N], I am your future husband. Is it not normal for a man to be showing his wife affection?” 

The two men watched you cross your leg over the other, hoping that it’ll stop the man from touching you any further, but it was useless. Zhang Jun’s hands ended up placing his hand on your leg again, only much closer to your crotch. Zhongli immediately saw red, and without thinking, Zhongli started marching up to where you and the older man sat, completely forgetting about Childe. While you are his assistant and nothing more, Zhongli does not like how the man was making you uncomfortable. It was clear that you did not like what he was doing, yet the man disregarded your protests and polite rejections.

“Wait, Mister Zhongli!” Childe says, following after the fuming funeral consultant, too was too angry to focus on what he was doing.

“Mister Zhang, please kindly take your hands off of me or else—” You were cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

“Is there a problem here?” A voice interrupts you and Zhang Jun. Your head shot up, and you turned your head, only to see Zhongli and his ginger friend standing behind you two. You felt a wave of relief wash over you before standing up. You stepped away from the table and Zhang Jun before bowing to both Zhongli and the ginger male— whose name you didn’t get.

“Hello, Mister Zhongli and Mister Zhongli’s friend! What a pleasant surprise to see you two here!” You said, giving the two a fake smile.

“My name’s Tartaglia, but you can call me Childe, Miss [Y/N].” The ginger-haired male says, giving you a closed-eye smile. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Childe! My boss has spoken very highly about you, but he has never mentioned your name to me!” You said, earning a lighthearted chuckle from Childe. 

“Oh, Mister Zhongli! You flatter me!” Childe says, lightly patting the funeral consultant on his shoulders. Zhongli kept his eyes on Zhang Jun while not saying a word before looking over at you, who seemed very tense and on edge. 

“Miss [Y/N], care to tell me who this man is?” Zhongli asks, refusing to take his amber eyes off of the man that was still sitting at the table.

“Who?” You blurt out, earning a snort from Childe. “Oh! Right.”  You laughed nervously, scratching the back of your neck awkwardly.

Zhang Jun stood up from his seat before standing by your side with his left arm around your waist. It took immense power in you not to cringe away from the man’s grasp. You saw how Zhongli and Childe’s gaze fell onto the placement of Zhang Jun’s hand. You took a deep breath and cleared your throat, gesturing for the older man to introduce himself before brushing his hand off your waist. Zhang Jun cleared his throat before letting his hands fall to his side before he introduced himself to Childe and Zhongli.

“My name’s Zhang Jun, the fifteenth richest man in Liyue and the thirtieth richest man in all of Teyvat,” You made a face at Zhang Jun’s introduction before stepping to the side to leave some space between you and Zhang Jun. He was standing too close for your comfort, and you’re so glad that Zhongli and Childe made a sudden appearance. 

“Wow, and the lady standing beside you is the second wealthiest woman in Liyue and the fifth wealthiest woman in all of Teyvat,” Childe commented, the corner of his lips quirking lip in a mocking smirk.

Zhang Jun opens his mouth to interject, but you interrupt him. “I believe that the meeting should conclude here for today. I still have unfinished business at my place of occupation, and I promised my boss that I would be assisting him with matters at the parlor.” You said, looking at Zhang Jun from the corner of your eyes with your arms crossed over your stomach.

“B-But what about the date?!” Zhang Jun exclaims; you let out an irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. Not only did this man have trouble with keeping his disgusting paws off your legs and waist, but now he wanted to call it a date in front of the man that you have feelings for? How infuriating. You’re going to have a chat with your parents when the day ends because what made them choose this man in particular to be your future husband? 

“Our meeting is not a date, Mister Zhang. Nor was it ever a date in the first place.” You stated, shooting a sharp glare in the older man’s direction. “Mister Zhongli, Childe, let’s leave.” You said, turning around without a single glance in their direction before walking down the steps of Third-Round Knockout. Zhongli and Childe traded looks with one another before following after you, leaving Zhang Jun standing there, flabbergasted.

“That was undeniably hot.” Childe breathes, grunting in pain when Zhongli elbows him in the gut. “What? The authority she showed was very sexy! Man, I would love for her to dominate me.” Childe grumbles, glaring over at the dark-haired male.

“Childe.” Zhongli hissed at Childe. Childe pouts dramatically while following you with Zhongli by his side. You stopped in front of the funeral parlor and turned to the two men that had been not-so silently following you.

“I apologize that you two had to see me like that. Mister Zhang lacks manners when it comes to dining etiquette or etiquette in general.” You said, leaning against the red pillar outside of the funeral parlor. 

Zhongli wanted to speak up and ask you about the marriage setup, but he hesitated for a moment. Zhongli poked the inside of his cheeks with his tongue and decided not to bring up that topic; he wanted you to tell him about it, not ask you about the strange “businesses” with unknown people who were much older than you. Then again, he is also way older than the man that you were meeting up with at Third-Round Knockout.

“So, a financial businessman, huh,” Childe says, scanning you from head to toe. You hum softly and nod your head at Childe’s comment. Even though it hasn’t been long, you already felt drained from today’s interaction with Zhang Jun. The only thing you can do is pray to Rex Lapis that you’d never run into Zhang Jun again, at least until after you’re married to whoever it’ll be. You could use a nap or two to get your mind off the situation.

“There are a lot more businessmen I have to meet up with this week, and quite frankly, I’m not looking forward to any of it.” You said, reaching up to let your hair fall loose from the tight bun. Your hair falls and cascades down your back; you wince when you feel your scalp throb. “Three more men to deal with for this so-called business meeting my parents set up for me.” You grumbled.

“Is there a way for you to get out of this business?” Zhongli asks; you snorted in response, fixing your hair before putting your hair into a ponytail. There was a way, but it’s entirely out of the option now. You had your chance to get out of the arranged marriage situation, but it had completely backfired and blew up in your face.

“I did have a way out of the business meeting, but the option is all gone. Plus, even if I did have some kind of plan, my parents had already set up these meetings without my knowledge before coming clean to me about it when I got home from work.” You said. You rolled your eyes and leaned your head against the red pillar. “My only choice is to go home and rest up before the next meetings; I know I’m going to need a lot of rest before having to deal with more insufferable men that are twice my age.” You chuckled bitterly before letting out a defeated sigh, your shoulders slacking. 

Why must you be dragged into this situation? You’d be happier if you didn’t have riches. All of the mora your family has inherited from generations has brought you nothing but pain and suffering. Even before you had quit the socialite life, a load of mora has got you nothing but pain and discomfort. The friends that you’ve made with your previous career and lifestyle were nothing but toxic and two-faced. You couldn’t trust the people that came into your life, and you didn’t trust the people your parents introduced into your life.  No amount of mora could bring you the happiness that you desired; all of that mora made you suffer. All those years of being a socialite were torturous and exhausting. Throughout those many years of being a socialite, all it consisted of was you trying to convince yourself that you were happy and content.

“Would you like for me to walk you home?” Childe offers, holding his hand out for you to take. You gave Childe a tired smile and shook your head.

“How kind of you to offer to walk me to my home, Childe, but I’ll have to decline. I can sense my parents' rage from miles away, and I don’t want anyone to witness my parents’ ugly side.” You said. “I must go now. I think Zhang Jun had paid my parents a visit to complain to them about how the meeting was cut short.” You roll your eyes before you step away from the red pillar and bow to both Zhongli and Childe before walking away.

Zhongli and Childe watch you walk further and further away from the funeral parlor. The two didn’t say a single word to one another. The tension in the air was almost unbearable. You weren’t happy with your situation, and you wanted to get out of it, but you were stuck. Zhongli and Childe knew that you’re stuck in a situation that you can’t get out of. No matter how hard you try to get out of it, you are trapped. 

“And Miss [Y/N] is merely an assistant of yours, Mister Zhongli?” Chide cocks an eyebrow at Zhongli, who does nothing but stare at him blankly.

Zhongli nods his head slowly before answering, “Yes, Miss [Y/N] is merely my assistant at the funeral parlor. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Childe lets out a humorless laugh, shaking his head while muttering something to himself. Childe knew that Zhongli was a stubborn man, but he didn’t realize that Zhongli was that stubborn! It was almost painful for Childe to have to deal with; Childe could see the moment that Zhongli was about to snap. The look of jealousy was evident on the funeral consultant’s face when Zhang Jun was all over you. While Zhongli hasn’t lost his composure, Childe wonders what would be the last straw for the former archon to snap.

Over the next two days, it was nothing but torture for both you and Zhongli. You met up with the other two candidates that your parents have picked out for you to be betrothed to, and surprise, surprise, you did not like them at all. They were nothing but creepy towards you and had made you feel uncomfortable throughout the entire meeting. The second man you met up with was named Xi; he was a polite man, but with each passing moment, he gradually became creepy and was way more touchy than Zhang Jun. You don’t know what is up with your parents and them having the need to set you up with creepy men who are twice your age. Xi almost kissed you without your consent, and what happened after he tried to kiss you? Zhongli stepped in out of nowhere and threatened the man with Director Hu by his side the entire time.

You were pinned against the wall by Xi, his hands gripping both of your wrists together. His face was a couple of inches away from yours; you could feel his hot breath fanning against where your jaws and neck meet while you had your eyes closed, eyebrows narrowed, and head turned to the side. You try to shake him off, but Xi has tightened his grip around your wrists, causing you to let out small pained whimpers. 

“Just one kiss to end the date, then I’ll leave you be, Miss [Y/N].” Xi whispers against your jaws. You whimpered and shook your head. Archons! Men like Xi and Zhang Jun make you hate men even more! Especially the ones that are older than you, chosen by your parents, and are intentionally creepy!

“Please, just leave me alone! I don’t kiss after meeting someone for the first time!” You gritted your teeth together. Xi rolled his eyes and released your wrist with one hand before reaching up to grab your face with his free hand, forcing you to look at him, his hand gripping the bottom of your face tightly.

“You will do as I say because I am a man, and you must abide by my demands.” Xi growls. A hand suddenly appears on Xi’s shoulders, gripping his shoulder with a firm grasp before yanking Xi away from you. You pressed yourself against the wall, trembling in fear and shame. As much as you would like to defend yourself, you would get into deep trouble if you, a woman, were to put your hands on a man. No matter how much money you have, and no matter how wealthy your family is, a woman like yourself is still seen as lesser. No matter the status and how much mora you have under your name.

“Old men like you are disgusting.” Hu Tao says, making a face at Xi as she rushes to your side. You sink to the ground and wrap your arms around yourself, still trembling from what had happened. Hu Tao knelt down in front of you and began comforting you, shielding you away from what was about to happen. Zhongli drags Xi off to the side; Zhongli has such a firm grasp around the man’s wrist that Xi fears that his wrist might snap.

“Unhand me, you uncivilized fool! Do you know who I am!?” Xi growls, thrashing around in Zhongli’s grasp, his face turning red with anger.

“You are nothing but a vile monster for forcing a woman to kiss you against her will.” Zhongli glares at the man in front of him before shoving him against the cement walls of the harbor. Xi felt the wind get knocked right out of him, causing him to gasp and double over while trying to catch his breath. 

“Oh, I’m a monster for wanting a kiss?!” Xi spats, glaring daggers at the tall man in front of him. Zhongli chuckled and shook his head, grabbing Xi by the collar of his shirt and slamming him against the wall again.

“Yes, and you’re vile for forcing yourself upon a woman who isn’t interested in you!” Zhongli growls, his amber eyes glowing. Xi stares at Zhongli with wide eyes before frantically flailing around in Zhongli’s firm grasp.

“What the fuck are you, you freak!? Unhand me immediately unless you want the Millelith to apprehend you for physically assaulting a high-class citizen of Liyue!” Xi screams. Zhongli rolled his eyes and was about to forcibly shut Xi up if it weren’t for you and Hu Tao, who stopped him from causing any more scene.

“It’s not worth it, Mister Zhongli. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of someone like Xi.” You said, gripping his arms gently. Zhongli sighs in defeat before releasing Xi, causing the man to fall on his butt and scamper off. 

“Wow, old man! I’ve never seen you act this way before!” Hu Tao comments, resting both of her hands on her hips with an impressed look on her face. “Quite impressive!” Hu Tao nods her head in approval.

“Come, let’s get you cleaned up at the parlor,” Zhongli says gently, turning towards you and holding his hand out for you to take. You grabbed Zhongli’s hands and let him guide you to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, with Hu Tao skipping ahead of you and Zhongli while rambling on about getting potential new clients she’ll be seeing soon. You didn’t know what she was implying exactly, but you have a hunch on who these potential clients could be.

When the men that you had met up with for the business meetings (Zhang Jun and Xi) complained to your parents about strange men/a strange man appearing out of nowhere and ruining the session, your parents would always take their side, even if they were in the wrong. You wanted to be upset over the fact that your parents are siding with the men who were nothing but creeps towards you, but you technically weren’t surprised at all. You knew they would side with those men, much to your dismay. The third man didn’t really show up to the supposed business meeting, which made your parents very upset because he made a promise that he didn’t keep.

“A man that cannot commit? How pathetic.” Your mother scoffs.

“I will have a talk with Huang Chen about this. That bastard gave us a date for this meeting and yet cannot follow through with his own plan.” Your father groused, his hands balling up into tight fists. 

You shrugged your shoulders and walked back to your bedroom, feeling the urge to just go to sleep. You closed the door behind you and collapsed onto your bed, your eyelids threatening to shut the minute your head touched your pillow. Whoever Huang Chen is, you’re glad that he did not show up at all because it saved you from dealing with more creepy men and Zhongli potentially beating the crap out of those who got close to you or made you feel uncomfortable. 

“I got the job done, Mister Zhongli!” Childe says, strutting into the funeral parlor with a smug smile on his face. “I knew that poisoning people was easy, but Huang Chen made it way too easy for me to poison him.” He held up the empty glass vial with a devious smile on his face.

Zhongli nods his head in acknowledgment, “Good.” Zhongli steps out from behind the counter of the parlor and fixes his suit.

“Mister Zhongli! You hired someone to poison someone?” Hu Tao asks, leaning against the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Listen, Director Hu; he didn’t hire me! Mister Zhongli asked me to do a small favor for both him and [Y/N], and I delivered.” Childe says, pocketing the glass vial with a smug smirk on his face.

Hu Tao snorted and lightly smacked her head, “Ah! Of course, Mister Zhongli wouldn’t hire someone to poison them! He’s too cheap for that! Silly me.” Hu Tao giggles, ignoring the glare that was shot in her direction from the funeral consultant. “Speaking of [Y/N], the way you’ve been acting when [Y/N] goes on these ‘business dinners’ is very interesting.” Hu Tao says, pushing herself away from the door frame before walking to her seat behind the counter.

“Care to explain what you meant by that?” Zhongli inquires, arching an eyebrow at the young funeral director in front of him.

“Last time I checked, you rejected [Y/N]’s confession and said that her feelings toward you are unprofessional and inappropriate. But you would take every chance you have to interfere with these meetings that [Y/N] is forced to go to.” Hu Tao replies, tapping her chin with her pointer finger. “Tell me, Mister Zhongli, are you sure that you don’t have any feelings for [Y/N]? Because your actions speak louder than your words.” Hu Tao gives Zhongli a knowing smile. 

Zhongli rolls his eyes, “Miss Hu, am I not allowed to care about those around me?” Zhongli asks.

“If she’s just your assistant, then why do you care so much about who she goes out on a date with?” Childe asks, giving Zhongli a cheeky smile. “Oh, come on, Mister Zhongli! There’s no use in denying your feelings for Miss [Y/N] anymore.” Childe says, patting the older man on the shoulders.

Zhongli lets out a frustrated sigh while shaking his head. Before Zhongli could say anything, you burst through the funeral parlor, wearing an elegant cheongsam that stops at half of your calves. It was black and gold, your hair curled and pushed back from your face, and you wore black high heels to match your cheongsam. Childe whistles and eyes you from head to toe, licking his lips with a slight smirk on his face.

“You’re looking gorgeous today, Miss [Y/N]. Are you ready for our date?” Childe asks jokingly. Despite Childe saying that as a joke, Zhongli’s head snaps in his direction with a glare. Hu Tao shakes her head and buries her face into her hands, sighing in defeat. It was like Childe was asking to get his ass kicked by Zhongli.

“Date?” Zhongli hissed at Childe under his breath. Childe stifled his laughter behind his fist.

You rolled your eyes and snorted, “He’s just joking, Mister Zhongli.” You reassured the dark-haired man beside Childe. “Today’s the last business meeting I’ll be attending. After that, I will return to work as usual and hope for the best.” You said, adjusting your teardrop cor lapis earrings.

“We haven’t been getting much done around the funeral parlor without you, [Y/N].” Hu Tao says, hopping over the counter before walking over to you. “This parlor is boring and almost as dead as our customers with just me, Ferrylady, and this old man over here.” Hu Tao says, nudging the older man as she walks past him. 

“Hu Tao! Don’t speak of the dead like that!” You scolded the young girl before letting your hands fall to your side. “But I do feel the same way; I wanted to come into the parlor every day but had to stop myself because, well, I have these business meetings to go to.” You shrugged your shoulders.

“While you look beautiful as always, you look really drained today,” Childe says, giving you a sympathetic look.

“Oh, good to know that no amount of makeup can cover up how tired I am of this entire situation.” You snorted, shaking your head. “I was getting an earful from my parents last night about a gentleman from the funeral parlor interfering with the business meetings. Of course, I came to that gentleman’s defense, but I still got into trouble regardless.” You chuckled bitterly. You looked over at the clock on the wall before sighing dramatically.

“Is it time for you to go to the business meeting?” Hu Tao asks; you nod your head slowly.

You were tempted to rub your exhausted eyes, but you refrained yourself from doing so, or else it would smudge the makeup. You slowly walked to the funeral parlor’s door, tempted not to leave at all, but your parents would have your head on the silver platter if you were to bail out of this meeting. 

For some odd reason, your parents wanted you to go to the Pearl Galley to meet the last man that they had picked out for you. The Pearl Galley, where many scholars and elites would attend. However, you find this ship odd because it wasn’t just a luxurious ship; it’s a brothel, a casino, and a strip club, but on a boat—what a lovely way to meet the final man your parents have chosen.

“I am not looking forward to going to this interesting boat.” You rolled your eyes. “I’ll see you three whenever I’m back.” You said, waving at the three before walking out of the door. You didn’t know why the final meeting had to be at a brothel, casino, and strip club on a boat; you couldn’t have but feel wary. If Xi and Zhang Jun were so creepy and a bit aggressive when it came to you, you did not want to know what this mystery person would be like towards you.

Once you were able to get on board the Pearl Galley, you leaned against the railing of the boat. While people were gambling, mingling, drinking, and being entertained, you stirred the wine in your glass cup. You stared at the crimson liquid before taking a whiff of it, your face pinching up in disgust. The wine smells cheap; if this ship was so luxurious, then why did they provide such inexpensive wines at a place like this?

“Miss [Y/N]! Darling, it’s great to finally meet you!” An older gentleman says, approaching you with a broad smile on his face. You smile at the man politely as he scans you from head to toe before saying, “Your parents talk about you nonstop!” The man says. A lightbulb in your mind goes off when he mentions your parents.

“Are you…” You trailed off.

“My name is Yu Zheng. It’s nice to meet you, [Y/N]. After hearing all of their praises when it came to their smart and beautiful daughter, I just knew that I would want to meet you!” Yu Zheng smiles at you, bowing at you. You gave Yu Zheng a polite smile and bowed at him in return. Yu Zheng was tall and had black hair with a few gray streaks in his hair. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mister Zheng! Although my parents have not spoken to me about you personally, I bet they have spoken very highly about you as well, sir!” You said, smiling at the man in front of you.

“Shall we walk around the Pearl Galley to be familiar with the scenery?” Yu Zheng asks, holding his arm out for you to take. 

You nod your head, “We shall!” You said, linking your arms around his before letting him guide you around the Pearl Galley.

The night started off well; the conversation between you and Yu Zheng was mainly about your parents, childhood, who he is, and what he does for a career. What dawned on you was that Yu Zheng looked a little bit similar to Zhang Jun; only Yu Zheng was rich and had a sharp tongue, whereas Zhang Jun was desperate to impress you. You and Yu Zheng were conversing while walking next to one another, chuckling amongst one another, before you accidentally walked into someone.

“Oh! I’m so sorry….” You trailed off and looked at the person that you had bumped into, only to lock gazes with Zhongli.

“Oh! Mister Zhongli, what a lovely surprise to see you here!” Yu Zheng exclaims, smiling at Zhongli politely.

Zhongli returns the smile and nods his head, “Hello, Yu Zheng. I did not expect to run into you on this ship.” Zhongli says casually.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here? Not like I didn’t want to see you or anything; I was just surprised to see you here on the Pearl Galley.” Yu Zheng says, subtly placing his hand on your waist.

“Allow me to interject, but Mister Zhongli is a frequent visitor of the Pearl Galley.” Luo Feng says, appearing beside Zhongli with a smile on his face. You frowned at Luo Feng’s comment after hearing that your boss is a frequent customer and visitor of the Pearl Galley. Does that mean he goes here to gamble or for sexual pleasures? You swallowed the forming lump in your throat as you looked away from the three men, gently swirling the wine in the glass wine up you were held tightly onto. 

“A frequent visitor, you say?” You mused, poking the inside of your cheek with your tone. 

Luo Feng nods his head happily at your question. You let out a sharp exhale through your nostrils before taking a swig of the wine in your hands. Your face pinches up with disgust from the taste of cheap wine. Zhongli looks at you with amusement when he sees the way you react when you hear that he was a frequent visitor of the Pearl Galley. Were you perhaps jealous? Yu Zheng noticed the way you and Zhongli acted around each other and couldn’t help but feel jealous and possessive of you. After all, you’re going to be his bride by the end of the week, so why is another man ogling his soon-to-be bride? Yu Zheng tightens his grip around your hips, giving Zhongli and Luo Feng a tight smile.

“Yes! He is a frequent visitor! Mister Zhongli dines and enjoys the opera on the Pearl Galley while talking about the history of Liyue and Rex Lapis to other refined gentlemen, such as myself.” Luo Feng added, patting Zhongli’s shoulders.

“How interesting.” You hummed, looking down at the cheap wine in your glass cup. “I didn’t know that my boss likes to spend his free time on a boat that has many interesting activities.” You said, shooting a look at Zhongli from the corner of your eyes.

“Miss [Y/N]—” Zhongli was interrupted by Yu Zheng. 

“[Y/N], my beautiful wife, why don’t you grab me another glass cup of wine!” Yu Zheng says, his hands trailing down to your ass and lightly squeezing it. You almost choked on your wine at the sudden groping. Zhongli glares at Yu Zheng’s inappropriate behavior. You swallowed the wine in your mouth before looking at the cup in his hands that was not empty.

“Another glass of wine? I don’t think that you should be having another cup while on a business meeting.” You said. “And I am not your wife, Mister Yu Zheng. I’m merely a business partner, that is all.” You sighed. Luo Feng and Zhongli can see Yu Zheng’s face becoming flustered while he sputters in response. 

“Miss [Y/N] is correct. It is not recommended to be drinking heavily while on a business meeting, Mister Yu.” Zhongli says, giving the older man a look of disapproval. “It is distasteful and unprofessional,” Zhongli concludes, crossing his arms over his chest while shaking his head side to side.

“I don’t care. Just get me another drink!” Yu Zheng spats at Zhongli. You, Luo Feng, and Zhongli blinked at the angry man in front of you three.

You nodded your head slowly, “Alright, I will get you your drink.” You said. 

Right when you were about to walk off, Yu Zheng grabbed you by your biceps and pulled you back. You looked at Yu Zheng inquisitively before he pointed at his cheek, signaling for you to kiss his cheeks before you left to grab him another cup of wine. 

You blinked at Yu Zheng owlishly before slowly leaning in to press a kiss on his cheeks. Even though you didn’t want to do it, you didn’t wish Yu Zheng to cause any further commotion. Before your lips could meet his cheeks, Yu Zheng turns his head all of a sudden, both your lips meeting in the middle. You jumped back and pressed your fingers against your lips, eyes widening in shock and embarrassment. 

“That was distasteful, Mister Yu Zheng.” You stated, walking away from Yu Zheng, Zhongli, and Luo Feng. You felt your face heat up with shame and discomfort while walking over to the waiter that was hanging out drinks to patrons. You gave the waiter a fake smile and said a small “thank you” before accepting the glass from the waiter. You were about to turn around to walk back to where Yu Zheng stood, but someone stopped you in your tracks. You turned towards the person, only to see Yelan standing there with a slight smirk on her face.

“[Y/N], you have no idea how happy I am to see you again!” Yelan says as she begins to approach you with her arms over her chest, her bracelet glowing under the moonlight. “Long time no see, sugarplum!” Yelan pinches your cheeks.

“It’s good to see you too, Yelan! It’s been way too long since we’ve seen each other.” You said, giving the woman a small smile. 

“How are you doing, sugarplum? I saw how that Fatui diplomat treated you.” Yelan says, placing both of her hands on your shoulders as she shields you away from Yu Zheng, Zhongli, and Luo Feng’s eyes. Your eyes widened at Yelan’s comment; you peeked from her shoulder to find the Fatui diplomat but couldn’t find anyone in particular.

“Who’s a Fatui diplomat?!” You ask frantically; Yelan gives you a sympathetic look before giving both your shoulders a comforting squeeze.

“The man that was groping you in front of Zhongli and Luo Feng, the one that had forcibly kissed you, sugarplum.” Yelan answers. You stared at Yelan, slacked jaw, your hands beginning to shake. Your parents had arranged for you to be married to a Fatui diplomat!?

“Are you sure he’s a Fatui diplomat?! He’s Liyuen like us!” You whispered loudly, hands feeling weak before the glass cup falls and shatters on the ground. “My parents set me up with a Fatui diplomat. This can’t be!” You whispered, heart racing against your chest.

“What’s going on?” Zhongli asks. You were deep in your thought that you didn’t realize that Zhongli had run up to where you and Yelan stood when he heard the sound of glass shattering on the wooden floor of the ship.

“[Y/N] found out that she’s accompanying a Fatui diplomat at the Pearl Galley,” Yelan says, brushing strands of hair away from your face. “She’s not handling the news well at all.” Yelan sighs.

“My parents are forcing me to marry a Fatui diplomat.” You whisper to yourself. You squeezed your eyes shut before releasing a shaky sigh. “I need a moment for myself.” You said, giving Zhongli and Yelan a strained smile before pushing passed the two of them. You ended up at the area of the ship to collect your thoughts. Your heart was still racing against your chest after Yelan had revealed that Yu Zheng was a Fatui diplomat. A shadow casts over you; you looked up, only to see Yu Zheng standing there with his hands tucked in his pockets, visibly pissed that you had disappeared all of a sudden without his drink.

“Why are you here? You were supposed to be accompanying me!” Yu Zheng demanded, glaring down at you.

“I needed some alone time, Yu Zheng. Is that so bad?” You ask softly, swallowing the anxiety that was building up inside of you from the proximity between you two.

“I thought you ran off with that funeral consultant and decided to abandon ship.” Yu Zheng commented, standing much closer to you. You were backed up against the wall, hands trembling against your chest. “I heard that you’re a Fatui diplomat, Yu Zheng. Is that true?” You ask, looking away from the tall man in front of you.

“This isn’t how I wanted you to find out, sweetheart.” Yu Zheng sighs softly, reaching forward to caress your face in his hands. You recoiled away from his touch, looking up at the diplomat timidly. A flash of anger and confusion appeared on his face when you flinched away from his touch. How else were you supposed to react when you find out that the person that your parents had set you up with is part of the Fatui? Your parents practically sold you, their only child and only daughter, to the Fatui. But what was the reason, aside because of an outdated tradition.

“Just answer my question, Yu Zheng.” You whispered.

Yu Zheng sighs in defeat and nods his head, “Yes, it’s true. I am a Fatui diplomat, and your parents know that I’m a Fatui diplomat.” He stated. 

“I’m sorry to disappoint you and my parents, but I refuse to marry a Fatui diplomat.” You said, turning your head to the side to avoid eye contact with the man in front of you. Yu Zheng fumes with anger and grabs you by your wrist before tightening his hold. You let out a loud pained yelp, trying to pull your wrist out of his iron grasp, but only for him to tighten his grip around your wrist even more.

“I don’t care what you want, and your parents don’t care about what you want! You will marry me, whether you like it or not!” Yu Zheng spats as he leans his face close to yours, you try to look somewhere else, but he grabs you by the jaws and forces you to look at him. “Do. You. Under. Stand.” Yu Zheng snarls.

“Yes! Yes, I understand!” You sobbed; Yu Zheng’s grasp around your wrist was becoming very painful. “Please, let me go! You’re hurting me!” You hiccuped. Yu Zheng smirks with satisfaction before letting go of your jaws and your wrist. You hugged your wrist close to your chest, rubbing the area with your fingers.

“The wedding will be in two days; you can invite that insufferable funeral consultant and your other friends.” Yu Zheng huffs, walking away from you. 

You clutched your injured wrist against your chest, tears cascading down your flushed cheeks. This is it, this is your fate, and you can’t do anything about it. Even if your parents gave you candidates to be your husband, even if you were to choose anyone else, your parents would change that decision for you instead. You ended up not seeing Zhongli or Yelan for the rest of the night; you were forced to stay by Yu Zheng’s side until it was time for you to head home. Yu Zheng decided to escort you to your estate, and your parents were ecstatic when they learned that you had chosen Yu Zheng out of the other candidates they had picked out for you.

“The maids will make the wedding invitation, and you can hand them out to your close friends and coworkers, sweetheart!” Your mother chimes, bringing you into a very tight hug. 

You grunted in pain before gently pushing her off you. You gave her a fake smile before walking off to your bedroom. That night, you didn’t bother to change out of your clothes or take your makeup off. You were too numb and tired to do anything. This was it; you’ll be married to some Fatui diplomat all because of your parents, and your friends and coworkers will be witnessing the entire thing. As usual, you didn’t get a wink of sleep at all. 

You dressed in your everyday work attire and were about to leave the mansion when the maids stopped you from leaving the estate. You looked at them in confusion before the head maid of the estate hands you the wedding invitation. Your heart drops into the pits of your stomach when you see your name and Yu Zheng’s name on the intricate wedding invitation. You sucked in a breath before walking out of the estate with the wedding invitations in your hands. How are you going to invite your friends and coworkers to your wedding when you didn’t even want to get married yourself?

You stepped into the funeral parlor with the wedding invitations in your hands. You were sure that you got your handprints on it because you were sweating while holding onto the invites. It feels impossible for you to hand out these invitations to your coworkers and friends. The wedding was so sudden, and they knew you didn’t have a significant other, so why were you getting married almost right away? You walked up to Zhongli and Hu Tao with the envelope in your trembling hands. 

“Mister Zhongli, Director Hu.” You said. Both Zhongli and Hu Tao turn to you; one is looking at you curiously while the other has an exasperated expression on their face.

“[Y/N]! We’re friends; you don’t have to call me Director Hu!” Hu Tao whines. You gave her a weak smile, only for it to disappear afterward. This was nerve-wracking, and you didn’t like it at all.

“Here are my wedding invitations; I want you two to go to it. It’s tomorrow.” You said, handing Zhongli and Hu Tao the ivory white wedding invitation. Hu Tao looks at you with wide eyes, then down at the envelope in her hands. She tore the envelope open and began scanning her eyes through the piece of paper in her hands.

“You’re getting married!?” Hu Tao screeches, looking over at Zhongli with worry. Zhongli stares at the unopened wedding invitation in his hands, his eyebrows narrowed. Zhongli looks visibly upset, but you don’t know why. Other than the fact that it was with a Fatui diplomat.

“A wedding so soon?” Zhongli mutters, refusing to open the envelope in his hands.

You sighed in defeat and nodded your head. “I didn’t want to get married, but my parents told me it’s traditions and I have no choice. I have to get married before I’m twenty-five and have children.” You said. Zhongli had never felt so powerless before; even after giving up his gnosis, Zhongli didn’t think the day would come. “I did have an option to choose the person I wanted to get married to, but that option shot me down real quick.” You let out a weak laugh, not seeing the look Hu Tao gave Zhongli after elbowing his side.

“But this tradition is outdated!” Hu Tao exclaims, tossing the wedding invitation on the counter before turning to you with her bottom lip quivering.

“It’s very outdated, but in the upper-class families, it’s normal.” You said. “I can’t get out of it, no matter how hard I tried. Yu Zheng threatened me, and the wedding is tomorrow because he wants me to go to Snezhnaya with him immediately after the wedding.” You let out a shaky exhale.

“One cannot force others into a contract they do not want to sign,” Zhongli mutters, gripping the wedding invitation in his fist so that it crumbles under pressure. “A contract, especially a wedding contract, must be a mutual understanding and agreement,” Zhongli says.

“The contract hasn’t been signed yet, but it will be after the wedding.” You said. You rubbed the back of your neck. “Other than that, I hope you two can attend the wedding. You can let Childe tag along as well, and when you do, please give him the invitation.” You hand the extra wedding invitation to Zhongli, who takes the wedding invitation from your hands reluctantly. 

The entire day at the funeral was excruciatingly slow, which you were glad that it was because the next day was the wedding that you’re being forced into. While you were out running some errands for the funeral parlor, Zhongli sat at his desk, staring at the wedding invitation in front of him. Zhongli needs to stop the wedding; he has to. There must be a way for you to get out of the marriage with the diplomat.

“So, what’s the plan, old man? Are you finally coming to your senses that you’re in love with [Y/N] this entire time?” Hu Tao asks, leaning against Zhongli’s office door frame. Zhongli doesn’t say a single word, his eyes glued on the invitation in front of him. Zhongli needs to stop the wedding before it's too late.

You opened your eyes and realized that you were in your wedding dress with the veil over your head. You didn’t know why Yu Zheng didn’t want the wedding to be a traditional Liyuen wedding. You’ve always imagined your wedding to be customary, beautiful, and big enough for the people in your life. But this wedding was the complete opposite of what you have in mind, and you’re upset about it. What was the point of forcing you into a marriage, and you end up not getting a say on how the wedding should be?

You just wanted to get it over with and never have to see another wedding dress again. Even though you’ve handed out wedding invitations to your friends and coworkers, you weren’t so sure if they would show up to the wedding after knowing that you were being forced into it. You stood up from your seat and walked over to the wooden doors, and knocked on the door. 

Yue peeks her head into the room before asking, “Are you ready?” You bobbed your head in response, too nervous to be able to respond properly. Yue opens the door widely for you before escorting you to the main wedding venue, with the other maids following behind. 

You hear music playing behind closed doors; the wedding venue’s entrance was pulled open by the servants. Your eyes widened at the number of people that showed up to the last-minute wedding. You assumed that the majority of the guests were associated with the Fatui and other wealthy people of Liyue. Lady Ningguang wasn’t able to make it, and you were sort of relieved because you didn’t want to see your close friend witnessing your soon-to-be downfall. You began to walk down the aisle with a bouquet of glaze lilies and violetgrass in your hands. Yu Zheng smiles at you at the altar, wearing a black and purple tuxedo, and his hair is slicked back. You slowly came to a stop in the middle of the aisle, staring off into space. The guests began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering why the bride suddenly stopped in the middle of the aisle. Your parents looked both worried and furious when you made eye contact with them.

“I’m….”  You spoke up, swallowing your saliva. “I-I can’t do this, I’m sorry.” You shook your head, letting the bouquet fall to the ground before you ran out of the building. You grabbed the skirt of your wedding gown, hiked it up, and continued to run out of the building. You didn’t even check to see if Zhongli, Hu Tao, and Childe had made it to the wedding. You just wanted to get away from the arranged marriage.

You turned towards the corner of the building, only to crash into someone. You yelped and stumbled back from the force, but the person was quick to catch you before you could land on your ass. You looked up at the person that saved you from falling, only to lock gazes with amber eyes. Zhongli helps you up and steadies you; you grip onto Zhongli’s arms tightly, looking behind you to make sure no one has followed after you.

“Are you okay?” Zhongli asks, caressing your face in his hands while fixing your hair. 

“I don’t want to get married to Yu Zheng, Zhongli!” You cried. “Please, please don’t make me go back in there, please.” You pleaded, tears running down your face.

“I’m not going to make you go back there against your will, dearest,” Zhongli says softly, wiping your tears away with his gloved hands. Zhongli wraps his arms around your waist before lifting you up into his arms and briskly walks to the funeral parlor with you in his arms. Upon arriving at the funeral parlor, Zhongli sat you down on the stone bench outside of the parlor. Zhongli wipes your tears away before pressing his lips on your forehead. You continued to cling to him as if he was your lifeline. It physically pains Zhongli to see you cry. Zhongli knelt in front of you, continuing to wipe your tears away before caressing your face in his hands.

“I know that this is a bad time, but I wasn’t truthful to you a few days prior.” Zhongli murmurs; you look at him in confusion, tears gradually coming to a stop. “I have feelings for you too, but I denied it because I believed that I was too old for you.” Zhongli sighs, giving you a sad smile.

“You did?” You squeaked, clearing your throat softly.

Zhongli nods his head, “While I did say that having feelings for me, your boss, is inappropriate and unprofessional, it was hypocritical of me to say that when I feel the same way towards you.” He cups your face with both hands, “I love you so much, but it took me so long to finally come to my senses about it.” Zhongli pressed his forehead against yours.

“I love you too, Zhongli.” You whispered, bottom lips trembling. Zhongli presses his lips against yours, your arms wrapping around his neck while his arms snake around your waist, pressing you up against his chest. Zhongli slowly pulls away from the kiss, his thumb lightly brushing over your bottom lip. Something in the corner of your eyes caught your attention; you slowly pulled away from Zhongli and blinked at the green thing in Zhongli’s hand.

“What’s this?” You ask, pointing at it.

“I was going to get you some flowers, but they’re quite expensive in the market, so this was the last resort,” Zhongli says, his cheeks turning pink.

“Zhongli! You got me a bouquet of broccolis instead of flowers? You’re so cute, Zhongli!” You laughed, covering your mouth with your hand. Your body shakes with laughter; you fall forward into Zhongli’s arms.

Zhongli smiles down at you and brushes his thumb over the apples of your cheeks, “There’s that beautiful smile of yours. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.” Zhongli says. You stopped laughing before blushing under his gaze after hearing his comment. 

“Zhongli, stop! You’re going to make me fall for you even more!” You whined, burying your face into his chest while clutching onto the bouquet of broccolis in your hands.

“Wow, old man! I knew you were cheap, but not that cheap!” Hu Tao says, popping out from the bushes behind you and Zhongli. 

“You know, Mister Zhongli. I could pay for those flowers easily, you know? You didn’t have to give her the broccoli bouquet, you know?” Childe says, leaning up against the wall with his arms over his chest with an amused smile on his face.

“Flowers are nice, yes, but I like these broccolis instead. After all, my boyfriend did get them for me.” You said, looking up at Zhongli with a smile on your face. Zhongli smiles down at you before pressing his lips on your forehead.

Note: And it's finally published! It's about 3-4 hours later than usual. I think this is the only fic I'm willing to type out almost 20k words for because it's Zhongli. It's officially 3 AM, where I'm at, and I am exhausted. I don't know who ended up reading all 18.7k words of Zhongli hurt/comfort fic (ish), but I hope you all liked it either way! I had this idea on my mind since March 2022 and never got around to it. For those who are new or returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

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[hydrodragons]

furina imitating her fellow archons 💙

[naomeii]

Help I had a funny idea 💀

Imagine Childe wanting to spar with adeptus!reader and they accept, they win and Childe invites them to a treat for winning. Zhongli sees this and gets kinda jealous. When reader arrives to their shared teapot they see Zhongli in his dragon form huffing and puffing in his nest.

Just a jealous giant noodle 💀

Jealous Noodle!

—Pairings: Zhongli x Adeptus! Reader

Content : Slight jealousy, FLUFF (drabble)

After the treat, Y/n returned to their home, only to find Zhongli in his dragon form, huffing and puffing in what seemed like a self-made nest. Concern etched across their face, Y/n approached Zhongli.

"Rex Lapis, what happened? Why are you in this state?" Y/n asked, genuinely worried.

Zhongli sighed, a cloud of warm air escaping his dragon nostrils. "Oh, nothing of consequence. Just... observing."

Y/n raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to the story. "Observing what, exactly?"

Zhongli's eyes flickered, and he replied, "Perhaps you should ask Childe. He seems to have a way of attracting attention."

Y/n couldn't help but notice the undertone in Zhongli's voice. They leaned in closer, their eyes narrowing playfully. "Jealous, aren't you?" they teased.

Zhongli grunted in response, a huff escaping him. Y/n chuckled mischievously, gently stroking the scales on Zhongli's snout. "It's okay, you know. You're still my one and only dragon."

Zhongli remained stoic, but a hint of amusement glimmered in his eyes. Y/n continued to tease, "Is the great Geo Archon jealous of a little spar with Childe?"

With another huff, Zhongli admitted, "I am not jealous. I am merely... contemplative."

Y/n grinned, cuddling against Zhongli's warm dragon form. "Contemplative, huh? Well, I think someone might be a bit jealous, but that's alright. I'm only yours and no one can change that"

Zhongli let out a resigned grunt, realizing that, even as an archon, he couldn't escape the complexities of mortal emotions. As Y/n nestled against him, Zhongli couldn't help but find solace in the warmth of their affection, even if the night held a hint of playful jealousy.

[cheriecelestial]

I Am Going To Live With A God Who Has The Highest Likability..? (oneshot 18+)

好感度MAXな神様と 同棲することになりまして…?

[jhuzen]

a bath and a contract [m.reader]

just the inherent homoeroticism of discussing your contract with the god that presides over it while he watches you bathe

“Morax, it’s high time that we terminate this contract, do you not think so?”

Suddenly, the tea that Zhongli has been consuming felt relatively weak in taste as your words caught him off guard. His movements halted just as he was about to take a sip from the cup of tea that he nursed since your meeting.

Just like that, the night seemed colder and the moon that peered through the passing clouds became dimmer. He gripped the handle of his teacup at your sudden proposition, yet he refused to give into this damning suggestion of yours.

His golden eyes trained towards your form, unclothed, as you continued to float through the shallow waters of some random pond in the vast land that he ruled over. It was a place you often favored bathing in when Cloud Retainer opted shoo you away from her private sanctuary.

He watched as you gently caressed yourself after you cupped a water into your hand, his eyes never leaving the way the droplets of water ran from your chest down to your toned abdomen, joining back where it belonged as it dripped down to the rippling fresh waters. You were molded to your creator’s liking, as you said and you were simply breathtaking to him.

This became a frequent occurrence upon your descent. You were someone not of this world, you told him outright upon the moment he let you in his humble abode to also take a bath, as that was your preferred activity. But you expressed your love to be with the nature when you do so, resulting into this arrangement.

You would venture out until you find the perfect body of water to cater into your self-caring needs. You demanded the best and for some reason, the former archon bent and caved into your wishes in his years of reigning. Zhongli as Morax all those years ago felt compelled to join you in your little search. And at the present, every time you would dip yourself into these bodies of water, despite no longer being Morax himself, he could feel you here, in his land.

It felt like a gentle caress that went through the blood in his veins.

The search went on for a good while until you ended up in this favored spot. Somewhere entirely remote (save for the light hisses of monsters you could hear getting lost in the wind), and when he was not busy back when he was Liyue’s god and now as a mere consultant, Zhongli would join you.

At first, all those centuries ago, he merely was around to keep an eye on you — you were after all someone who’s akin to a stranger, not just to him, but to the entirety of his world. That, and Guizhong urged him to take part into your activities (she told him she loved spending time with you, and so desperately wanted to never come back into her responsibilities when you do so with her).

And then it became more than that. With a contract that you signed with your blood, you were bound to him until it is terminated by either of you.

“Morax,” you softly croon and he was quick to pull himself out of his stunned trance. “Did you hear what I said?”

Of course he did. He was only questioning how you were able to even gain the audacity to propose such a thing. It was a horrendous thought to entertain and while you were a man of many… incredulous suggestions that he so often took, this one, he cannot honor.

You were bound to him. You sealed a contract with your blood, something you said you did back in your homeland. You wounded yourself for him and asked nothing of return. He was the one to propose your arrangement and all he did was abide by your customs in honor of showing respect to your traditions.

The day he lost his many comrades, the day he lost his dear friend, the ever so benevolent Guizhong to that horrific war, you were there. You did not fight as this wasn’t your world to begin with, but you offered him comfort, enticing him day by day to make the choice and keep you by his side through his own terms as the god of contracts.

And you obliged with a smile, so carefree, like you also didn’t lose Guizhong and the many other gods you managed to befriend back then.

After all these years, with Liyue being in a much more prosperous era as the humanity he oversaw flourished, now that you and him rested easy, you wanted to break the contract?

Why?

He couldn’t control the way his eyebrows deeply furrowed as he chose his response carefully. Zhongli was perturbed, obviously, why would you even bring it up now? Was it… was it because of an outlander’s exploits?

The traveler that saved Liyue was not of this world too. Did perhaps, the traveler invoke feelings within you that prompted you to want to go home? Is that it? But you’ve been by his side for so long now and helped him rebuild Liyue into an even better nation with your own inputs. You’ve been around for so long that it didn’t feel as though you were an outlander.

Zhongli was even confident enough to say that he forgot you weren’t from Teyvat, that you weren’t some Liyue citizen that he happened to meet.

“Do you have any problems with our contract?” He asked, and he noticed it was barely audible. But you heard. You always do. You hear his quiet scoffs, you see his subtle jaw-clenching, you feel him just as much as he feels you.

“Hm? Not at all.” You walked nearer to where he sat, just a few meters away from the pond, sat in a blanket with all his teacups. You stopped as the water went to your waist, just enough to cover you from the waist down. You relished in his stare, suddenly meek and muted.

Both you and him knew how much he loved watching you bathe. It was something so intimate that you only had for yourself and he was mesmerized by the way you cared so much for yourself, it was a love so palpable, even he couldn’t help but envy the you that you cared so much for.

“Then why do you propose such an idea?”

You tilted your head as a huff of laughter escaped you, “Because I believe our contract all those centuries ago requires that I am to be with you until your dying days.”

The way your skin glistened against the moonlight was invigorating in Zhongli’s eyes.

“As far as I am concerned, Morax is no longer alive.”

Your words however, were not singing melodies in his ears.

“And yet you call me with the name of a dead archon,” your laughter echoed at Zhongli’s statement. He was always so genuine and serious that hearing him speak in such a coy tone is nothing short of amusing. “Though do tell, [Name]. Why do you insist on breaking the contract?”

Your smile didn’t waver as you ran your fingers through the clear water. Why did you even bother trying to cover yourself from the waist down when you already knew Zhongli could see all of you with just how clear the water is?

“I believe it has something to do with the relief I see in your face, Zhongli.” So now you refused to call him Morax… Zhongli could not be more disturbed. Does that mean you’re finally rejecting the version of him that you made a contract with?

“Would you care to elaborate?”

You looked up and met his golden eyes, shining with curiosity. “Much after my beloved fellow outlander’s achievements in Liyue, I’ve seen something I have not seen in your eyes before — the raw feelings of utter bliss and relief… you’ve always revered the people of your land, but even before you ‘passed’ I could see the uncertainty within you. But now, you are confident.”

Zhongli found himself tearing his eyes away from the gaze you held and maintained, “So now you wish to put unease within me by terminating the contract?”

The laugh you belted out could’ve woken any nearby living being, but Zhongli was much too overcome with negativity. Were you toying with him? Or were you truly hoping to pull away from him?

“Zhongli, my contract with Morax stipulates that I am to be by his side until the day he dies. More than that, other than his death, my contract is only then fulfilled when I see for myself that Morax no longer needs me.” Still with an intact smile, you presented your argument. “And I see it, clear as the skies, that you can finally be on your own. I believe I’ve realized that the day you died.”

He took offense to that — is that how you see it? That he can be on his own now?

Did you even consider that perhaps he wanted to be selfish for once and gave up his role as Liyue’s archon, so that he may live with you without the aching responsibilities of one? He wanted to spend his days like you do — merely enjoying the wonders of life, and he wanted to do it with you. To traverse the world without worrying so much about his people, like you didn’t worry about your troubles.

He wanted to live the life you were living with you and only you.

He placed his teacup down and heaved a sigh, brooding and low before raising his head to meet your eyes that never left him, “If that is what you wish… then I suppose terminating the contract won’t cause an offense that warrants divine punishment.”

Your chortle tells him a lot — that you know he doesn’t have the heart to do that to you either despite being the god of contracts himself.

A golden aura wafted through Zhongli’s fingers and soon appeared a rock, resistant through the weathering and erosion. You could see your blood into it, smeared and dried. It was not a contract of paper as that wasn’t exactly how you did things back in your homeland. The one to propose the contract is to provide an object of importance to them while the one to agree seals it with their blood.

Zhongli’s frown was evident as he looked at the rock in his hand. It withstood every natural phenomenon and stayed as it is the day you and him made your contract. Only for several centuries to come for it to be crushed… much like these blooming feelings of his.

“Do you have any objections to this termination, [Name]?”

“It would be foolish of me to even have one.” You laughed, completely humored at the thought of being the one to object to your own proposal. “Do you?”

He desperately wanted to say yes, that it was not alright. But the terms of your contract were clear and concise. It ends when he dies, or when it becomes clear that you’re no longer needed by Morax’s side. And he needed you, but he was no longer Morax, he was just Zhongli from that point on. He couldn’t exactly violate it, and so he shook his head.

Easily with his strength, he crushed the rock in his hands, watching it crumble into nothing but smaller pieces and dust.

Zhongli couldn’t even fathom the nudging ache in his chest when he saw the way your eyes lit up in delight upon the termination. But he couldn’t look away when you finally rose from the water. Suddenly, this intimate moment dissipated into nothing but a sorrowful meeting.

He could no longer watch and enjoy the sight of you when you came up to him, completely lacking of any clothing.

And yet he easily caved when you pulled him up to stand. He looked at anywhere but you, opting to stare somewhere distant over your shoulder.

“Now that I am granted my freedom, under the guidance of the long gone god of contracts, I hope to form another contract with a man going by the name Zhongli.”

Zhongli blinked owlishly as he finally looked at you. Surprise overtook his features as his eyes raked into the cheeky grin plastered on your face, “How… do you mean?” Suddenly, he was breathless and he could hear the thumping of his heart.

“To this I offer nothing but my being to this apparent… mortal man. I, [Name], propose to this man an endless life of nothing but venture and care. ” He almost laughed when you looked up at the stars, “May the blessings of Rex Lapis reach us and hope that an agreement to this proposal will be reached. ” You said, as if you really were asking from the god of contracts.

The former archon didn’t even notice when he gave a wet laugh at your actions.

“Tears aren’t blood, dear, but I suppose to this, I can accept it as a way of sealing this contract.” You murmur softly before brushing away some of the tears that threatened to come out of his eyes. And by gods, he hasn’t cried in eons.

Zhongli’s mind was at peace. The moonlight obstructed by your form was much like the way these tender feelings of his overshadowed the grief he knew he was about to experience when you terminated the contract with him… or rather, Morax.

“Rex Lapis would frown upon you, weary outlander… making contracts without so much as dressing up for the occasion.”

“I should hope he overlooks this measly outlander’s mistake then.”

And he would, after all, how could he refuse the terms you’ve set upon this new contract?

[saintkunii]

All a ghost can do is haunt

Pairing. Zhongli x reader

Contents. arranged marriage, historical au, ex fiance childe mentioned, a simple life with your military general hubby zhongli.

Wc. 1.7k

It is with a heavy heart that you find yourself resigning to your fate, caressing a jade hairpin with grief. It’s smooth against your fingers. The intricate carvings give the illusion of a fluttering phoenix almost lifelike as if it’s about to soar to the skies. 

It’s the most exquisite thing in your possession and the only remnant you have of a certain diplomat’s son. 

With every stroke to the hairpin, you’re brought back to the day you received the item with so much fondness and excitement that you carried it with gentleness. afraid that if you put too much force, it would crumble under your touch. 

It was a rough hand that reached out to gift if to you that warmed up your soul. 

He said it was a promise of some sort. Of a lifetime and of his return. 

He said it was meant to symbolize your connection with him. Something physical. Something tangible. 

Something to remember him by.

You recall the soft breeze carrying ginko leaves off to the distance and the faraway clamor of a festive banquet in the background. 

His eyes back then were crystal clear, electric blue in hue stared at you with a tender grin, calloused fingers wrapped around your hand in a gentle hold. His thumb would rub around your knuckles in assurance as you were forbidden to meet in such a secluded part of the mansion. 

And he was rebellious in nature, always finding ways to get around and meet you in secret. When he enveloped you in his embrace, it’s as if it was meant to be, and you mold perfectly within his arms. 

It was perfect. 

His warmth soothed your racing nerves and the playfulness in his kiss filled you with nothing but glee. 

Everything went as it should. 

As the betrothal should have.

Ajax. You recall his name. What once filled you with joy and fondness has now turned into a bitter memory that makes you feel sick in your stomach. 

Your hold on the hairpin tightened and you let the item roll down your feet with a soft thud. 

It stings. Your chest feels constricted and your eyes warmed with tears. 

Oh you loved him so much, it hurts. 

Had you not decided to visit the marketplace with so much stubbornness, relentlessly pleading to your husband, you would not have met the sight of that man smiling and laughing with the woman he replaced you with. The ever so great foreign woman who attracted his curiousity. With hair as bright as gold, skin as pale as jade, and elegance as delicate as the calm winds that twists your heart with jealousy.

She was valiant. Aja- Childe would describe. Strong and courageous with a heart of gold, selflessly putting others above herself, and a woman of virtue. As you've been told.

You hated how soft his voice melted as he spoke those words. It was the same as how he used to speak to you in private. 

She was every bit that you're not. courageous and kind. 

It's a sight tainted with bitterness and such hollowness you can't help but resent the memory.

A servant at your side was alarmed at your reaction as she rushed up to you and supported you by your elbow. 

“Are you alright, madam?”

You choke a sob.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself and exhaled. 

There was no point dwelling over the past. 

Try as you might not to let said matters get to you, you realized that the long years of affection you harbored to Childe was not so easy to dispel as you had thought so. 

“I’m fine.”

Ling Ji picks up the hairpin and brushes away any dust that might have cling to it before returning it to you.

You take one glance at it. It’s magnificent and beautiful, appearing with great splendor that you've worn over the years. It carried all the memories you have of Childe. All the good and bad.

“Sell it away,” you order with a final conviction.

You decided to discard any remaining embers of feelings you have left for your previous fiance. 

This is for the best. 

You hope so. 

Parting was inevitable. 

“Madam? Are you sure?”

Ling Ji asks once more, afraid that she heard wrong but you only nodded your head to her. 

She knew how much you treasured the item.

“I do not want to repeat myself again. Just do it.” 

“As you wish.”

She excuses herself out of the room and disappears, leaving you all alone to gather your thoughts. 

It’s best you hold your head high now that you’re married to someone else and focus your energy on building a better relationship with your husband. After all, he saved you from the humiliation of being branded as a discarded woman not wanted by their betrothed. In exchange for an heir, he offers you all the wealth and luxuries, prestige and honor that are tied to being his wife, and freedom to do whatever you want to your heart’s content. 

–

Zhongli was a feared figure in the battlefield, a war god that ravishes the land with blood and carnage. Just a mention of his name was enough to evoke fear among the mass. They said he beheaded a man and skewered his head as a warning to the barbarians, they said he took a hundred men with his bare hands and tore through their flesh like it was nothing. 

It was always he said, she said. 

With a reputation as gruesome as the military general, stories were bound to blow out of proportion and thus you’ve always thought not to put too much attention to the rumors. 

When you first met him. He was nothing as they proclaimed him as. There was nothing like a fearmongering god in his visage. He was cordial when you talked to him. Ever so polite and patient when he offered you tea and shared a box of pastries over a casual talk. 

His rich knowledge of everything under the sun made you initially think he has semblance to the overly pompous and close minded noble sons that sees others beneath their stature, and yet not once had you seen him carry that arrogance that comes with the scholarly attributes. 

The humility in his approach is a little endearing as you would find yourself admitting.

“Did you enjoy your little trip to the market?” He asks, his hand careful in pouring tea. 

You watch his callous fingers wrapped around the handle of the teapot and as green liquid fills your cup, the earthy aroma wafts through your nose and soothes your nerves. 

That was supposed to be your job and yet you watch your husband serve you refreshments. Ever since you entered Zhongli's family registry as his wife, you always made sure to spend even a little bit of time with him.

“I did, my lord. But there was nothing that struck my fancy.”

You took the cup with gratitude and brought the rim to your lips. One sip and you place it back down with a soft thud. 

For some reason, Zhongli's presence always exudes such calm temperance that sways you into tranquil silence. The words exchanged between the two of you are never short and yet there's an unspoken trust that lets you cultivate in such an environment for such a short frame of time that you've been together. 

You consider him a friend at least. At this stage.

And you've been working hard to close the distance between you two.

“I see. Maybe next time I’ll bring you to Mingxing.” Zhongli empties his cup.

He sees your barely touched tea and regards you with curiosity.

“And have you adjusted well within the mansion?”

Whether he notices your plight or not, he doesn't comment on it and awaits until you're comfortable enough to spill it yourself. For that you are grateful. 

“Don’t you have Xiao to report back to you, my lord? I’m certain he already told you everything I’ve done.”

“That’s true but hearing it from you would be entirely different. I'd very much love to hear your personal opinion.”

You nod in understanding and recount anything of worth to tell. From the way you're adapting to your role as the mistress of the house and everything that involves managing the estate. 

You suppose you're doing well. Aside from your heartbreak. 

Everyday you spend time indulging in your hobbies. From reading to embroidering and painting, you've never felt more relaxed in your entire life. Comparing yourself with your life back in your paternal home, from the scheming of your father's concubines, to your sisters sabotaging each other, you've finally tasted a life free of worries. 

Zhongli did make a promise to let you live a comfortable life. Not only that but he had gone above and beyond as you noticed the lack of women in his inner court. As of now, all his attention was completely on you. 

"The progress for the renovation of the east wing is going well, my lord. It is estimated to finish before the arrival of this friend of yours."

You notice him crack a smile. 

“There is no point being so overly formal between the two of us, wife.”

You raise a brow at this, a little taken aback because of how you've been used to calling him. 

You didn't think it would matter to him much as he had always kept a respectful distance between the two of you. 

You humor him a little. You like this. 

You're thankful that he's meeting you halfway with your efforts.

He must have noticed as he's always been perceptive. 

“Very well. I’ll take it as an invitation to call you something else then.” For a while, you ponder for an endearment. “Zhongli.”

Zhongli chokes on his tea.

“You don’t like it?”

“No- That’s not it. It took me by surprise. That is all.”

“Oh? You don’t think it’s too intimate?”

“I, naturally, have nothing against it." Your husband regains his composure. "I suppose since we’re husband and wife then there’s nothing wrong with whatever way you wish to address me.”

You smile in response to this, letting the silence settle in the space between you and the warmth of what you can now call your family of your own. 

Maybe you're not quite there yet with love, but you're willing to try again once more, open your heart and trust with the companionship of your husband.

It's not all bad. You think so yourself. Zhongli is a great man as far as you can tell and you're ready to move on to the next chapter of your life with him.

[hvtqo]

🩷 headcanons —how they kiss you

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ characters ayato, thoma, zhongli, ajax, haitham ・❥・notes just some thoughts about them <33 reader is as gn as possible! reader is also kind of passive, btw. also this is so self indulgent im sorry •́⁠ ‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀ i have a thing for haitham so his is the longest. anyway, enjoy ! as always, reblogs and comments are highly appreciated ! ・❥・warning while not exactly nsfw, it does get suggestive, so proceed with caution.

↓ read under the cut ↓

❛ ayato ༉‧₊˚

ayato’s touch is dainty. he doesn’t rush his movements, no —he’s patient. the tip of his fingers begin delicately hovering over your skin, tantalizing, barely taking up the courage to touch your bristled dermis. he’s asking for permission, you see?

the other hand teases your waist, and it trails the path to your arm, your wrist; you get distracted in his eyes enough to notice that he’s opening your fingers, and his make their way in between yours. the tip of his lip is almost imperceptibly turned upwards, and you have to raise your head to cross eyes with him.

it’s becoming more and more difficult for you to hold his glance, even though you get lost in that pair of sky-colored eyes. you have to remind your breath to keep going. absentmindedly, you stand on your tiptoes, and his grasp tightens.

the hand caressing your cheek makes its way behind your neck, supporting you. he comes closer, and what begun as the slow brushing of the foam against the shore turns into voracious waves. his hands travel around your body —you get a sense that he wants to consume you. the lips of ayato are silky and smooth, but his movement is rough. now he doesn’t wait, no.

now he demands.

❛ thoma ༉‧₊˚

thoma lays a shy glance over you. it stays there until you notice, and then he lowers it, a single line drawing the tip of his lips upwards. you giggle as the thought of him being as timid as the first time crosses your mind. the sound travels to him, and he looks at you wondering.

“what is it, my love?” he asks, his voice soft.

you shake your head smiling, and thoma’s brow curves. it takes you by surprise how he holds your arms and pulls you toward him, gently colliding against his chest. the shyness that just a few moments ago characterized his demeanor has dissipated. mischief is left in replacement; his hand is positioned on your lower back, holding you close. your cheeks burn, but you hold the emotion within, biting your lower lip.

“aren’t you gonna share the joke with me?” he prompts.

you shake your head again, a hint of tease illuminating your eyes. his lips curl —he brushes away a strand of hair from your face, behind your ear.

“i guess i’ll have to do something about that” he says temptingly. you know what comes next; you’ve been waiting for it. but thoma is playful, and he will hold the expectation within you as much as he can.

in fact, he fools you so much, that you’re used to it. you can imagine he’s going to lean forward, indicating a kiss, and you will close your eyes, your lips ready. suddenly, he will pull away without a touch, and begin speaking, or forget about the topic altogether.

this won't happen again, you swear. you raise a hand and hold his cheek, trailing toward the back of his head, his hair twirling between your fingers. your smirk widens; you thrive in the confusion left on his eyes. you give in first, collapsing your lips against his. it takes thoma a bare moment to adjust. smoothly, coyly, the dominance turns. his hands grasp your waist strongly, your back arches a few centimeters.

he’s got the upper hand now. and you feel immensely safe.

❛ zhongli ༉‧₊˚

you always expected zhongli’s kisses to be respectful and modest. and the first few times they happened, they were. zhongli is not often the one to begin public displays of affection; not further from holding hands or a decorous hug. the more exquisite things happen in private, away from the voyeuristic judgements of the world, where he can let the façade fade and reveal himself to you.

the sun rests in the horizon, melting its honeyed rays over the freshly awakened city of liyue harbor. yanshang teahouse lays silent, filled only by the early voices of him and you. he’s telling a story about times old again, but you have never been one to wake up at sunrise, and his voice lulls you. along with the warmth of the tea, you struggle to keep your eyes open or your mind from drifting away.

zhongli side eyes you and notices this. you rest your cheek on your hand, your eyelids carefully falling over your eyes. you don't notice the gentle smile on his face; and, in fact, he continues speaking, as if he was distracted too.

you don't notice either how the tone of his voice lowers, and his breath becomes more apparent as he draws closer. your mind has already begun dreaming, and you smile absentmindedly when you feel the touch of his hand over your chin, lifting it up. his voice fades just when his lips caress yours, and your eyelids lift slowly. zhongli’s gloved fingers elegantly stroke your cheek, you feel an electrifying sensation bristling your skin.

the kiss is as modest as they tend to be. now that he’s awoken you, however, your senses effervesce; your heart drums and you want more. your tongue mindfully explores his cavity; this movement is enough to tell zhongli that he’s roused your hunger. it is you, not him, who gives the cue for something stronger. but he takes it briskly. he puts your hand away, holding your wrist, and brings you closer.

at first you have to guide him, tell him with your actions what you like; that he can do to you as he wishes. he learns, then, not to hold back.

he gives in fully.

❛ ajax ༉‧₊˚

you know how rough ajax is with everything he touches. his hands lack the delicate treatment with which you have taught yourself to approach the world. in a sense, this is what entices you about him —he accepts his nature as is, and he does not care to tame the beast. it’s taken time, but you have come to allow yourself to be as reckless as him when you’re together. now he’s become your safe space; the person that has seen your monsters without getting scared.

as raw as he is with everything; not with you. not in certain ways. his attitude has always consisted of patience and guidance, and he’s an avid protector. ajax knows when and where only to apply force with you, and it’s not even an intimidating type of force —it’s enticing, loving.

just like right now. he's behind you, one arm around your waist, the other holding your neck toward him. there is just the right amount of force here, enough to make your heart flutter and your cheeks blush. he keeps you like this, unmovable, and you let your eyes close. in his arms, there will never be danger. the tension that fills your muscles so usually now softens. you melt.

the coarse lips of ajax leave stains of his touch over your neck. they follow the path to the edge of your jaw, and travel toward your earlobe. he licks and bites, and you recoil, showing your fang in a smirk for a second. this sudden action makes his grasp firmer. he really doesn’t want you to move a tiny bit.

ajax kisses your cheek now, your hair curls around his fingers now. your neck is turned further toward him, and your eyes peek in a slight opening, enough to encounter his hungry irises gazing at your mouth.

he takes you then, biting. biting, but not harming. biting in just the perfect way. enough to make you gasp and take his chance to get in further.

❛ haitham ༉‧₊˚

you never know how he does it, but haitham always ends up getting what he wants when he wants it. his smooth way of executing his will not only surprises you, but sometimes even annoys you. although you have to admit, it’s enticing to be with a man that has everything under control, even if in ways that don’t get noticed easily.

you’re both laying over his couch. he rests an elbow over the furniture’s arm, laying his cheek on his hand boringly as he listens to your recitation of a book with careful ears. your feet over his lap, you rest your side against the back of the couch and try to keep focused with the words on the paragraph you’re reading, as he absentmindedly caresses the skin of your legs.

your voice, low and soothing yet clear, stops for a second when his hand creeps further on your leg. you rise your glance momentarily, a slight blush on your face, but he doesn’t notice. in fact, his eyes are closed. you decide to let it pass and continue reading, as eloquently as you were.

and your voice cracks when his fingers bury on your thigh. haitham gives you a sudden squish, and your eyes widen.

“hey” you call his attention, but he doesn’t give you the tiniest acknowledgement.

“hm?” is what he replies.

“i know what you're doing” you say; he lifts his hand from your thigh and draws it toward your ankle instead, the back of his fingers hovering over your skin.

haitham opens one eye and watches you from the side.

“oh, yes?” he teases. you nod, laying the book open on your lap. “mind to explain, then?”

you tweak your position and lean forward, grabbing his hand on your leg, stopping him, and rising your glance up with a tiny smirk. he follows your gaze firmly.

“careful not to damage the book” he indicates.

but you don’t care about that book, do you? not now that he’s distracted you from your task. however his eyes told you he was being serious, now his smirk defies that. a surge of emotion bashes your body. an unspoken type of communication going on between you and him —the air tenses in the space between your faces.

haitham’s hand reaches behind your neck, steady. but you put your hand on his chest, not allowing him to pull you closer. he rises his brows, as if saying “so that’s how we’re playing?” and you smile entertained.

it happens with a brash maneuver that you find yourself with your back against the sit, under him. haitham’s knee parts your legs, and his hands press your wrists over your head.

as i said earlier, haitham always finds a way to get what he wants when he wants it. you know the more you try to resist, the more he’ll push. now that he has completely disregarded the book, he leans closer to your neck. you turn your head, in fact, leaving him more space to delight himself in. and you giggle with the teasing of his lips on you, and his grasp tightens.

he stops. his eyes encounter yours.

“is this what you were implying, darling?” there’s nothing but a hint of faked curiosity on his visage.

you do not reply. before your lips can move, his are already sealing them.

© hvtqo —don't steal, plagiarize, sell or repost any of my content. translations are done under consent.

[galaxiadreams]

Say yes to Heaven.....(Zhongli x reader)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff, slight angst

Word Count: 923

Synopsis: In the age of Gods and Monsters, Rex Lapis and Y/n, Goddess of Spring are brought together by the strings of fate.

a/n: This is a little prequel to my other Zhongli imagine: The final Blessing. Please go read it if you would like to! I apologize in advance if there's any grammatical errors! This fic is inspired by "Say yes to Heaven" by the one and only Lana Del Rey! Enjoy!

The goddess of spring. One who brings life, peace, and abundance to all of Teyvat. Y/n was somewhat of a minor god, but no less important, and just as strong as the major archons. She’s strong willed, fierce, and determined to bring prosper to her people. Yet her voice was melodic, her heavenly laughter could melt the coldest of hearts. It was her compassion, love, bravery, and intelligence that captured the heart of the Geo Archon. 

“Morax, staring is rude you know. If you really like her that much, go and interact with her.” The cloud retainer teased, sipping her tea watching the man sitting beside her. Moarx quickly averted his gaze from your running figure in the meadow with Guizhong and stared disapprovingly at the adeptus, a faint red painted on his cheeks. 

Morax sighed, “I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to tell her my true feelings…” 

“Oh Celestia! You’re the Lord of Geo, God of contracts, why could you possibly be afraid of? Plus, I’ve the way y/n looks at you, I’m sure that girl is smitten too,” Cloud retainer reassured him before giving his shoulders a squeeze, “Go on, talk to her.” 

Morax stood up from the stone bench and wandered towards the meadow in front of him. The two women gave him a beaming wave as they noticed his approaching figure, your starry eyes gleaming in the sunlight. 

“Morax! Me and y/n are heading towards the lake to have a nice swim! Would you like to join us?” Guizhong asked. It’s true Rex Lapis once harbored feelings for the Goddess of Dust, but ever since the day he met you, his feelings for Guizhong melted away, the Archon’s soul was completed. Despite not knowing each other that long, the string of fate already entangled the two souls together completely, an unbreakable bond. Walking towards the two, Morax’s breath hitched when he felt your soft hands grasping his. Beaming at him, you dragged him towards the lake, he couldn’t help but admire your face as she sprinted towards Guizhong in front of them. Relishing simple mortal activities like this were difficult in an archon’s life, especially with hundreds of thousands of people to care for and lead. So Morax pays special attention to moments of enjoyment, memorizing every detail to reminiscence later on, peace never lasts forever. 

“Weeeeeeeeeee!” You let out shouts of glee as you jumped into the lake beside the waterfall, laughing as you resurfaced again. Morax jumped in after you, just to be tackled by the Goddess of spring. The two of you started to get handsy as both tried to win against the other fighting underwater. Laughter of joy and surprise echoed throughout the countryside. After a while, Morax relented and you won the battle. The two swimmed up to the surface and took a deep breath of fresh air. Morax couldn’t help but admire your beauty as water cascades down her face, the wet dress clung to your skin, and your eyes, ohhhhh those eyes. He has never seen a pair of eyes so mesmerizing and ethereal as your’s. Y/n’s eyes were the color of the galaxies, the reflection of the universe. Deep blues and purples balanced each other perfectly, with bursts of lighter shades dotted across your iris exactly like the stars in the night sky. 

“'Cause I've got my mind on you

I've got my mind on you”

Time stops. Both of you were entrenched by each other at this moment, unable to break from each other’s gaze of desire. You’re the half of his soul, and he was yours. Eyes are the windows to the soul, the poets say. And you spot nothing but love and admiration in those eyes of gold belonging to Morax. 

“Would you like to join me for tea later this afternoon? It’ll be a pleasure.” You blushed at the deep, rich tone of his voice. 

“Of course! I would love to!” Oh heavens, you’re in love.  

.............................................................

The little moments over the years brought the two of you together. His acts of chivalry and respect everytime made your heart ablaze. 

“If you dance I’ll dance.”

Falling in love with each other’s charms and flaws, it was a perfect match made by fate. Standing beneath the yellow ginkgo trees, the two of you signed the contract of your love and future. Saying yes to him was saying yes to heaven. Officially sealing the bond between the Goddess of spring and the Geo Archon. Husband and Wife, the two of you will lead your people to glory and prosperity, and nothing will change that.  

“If you go, I'll stay

You come back, I'll be right here

Like a barge at sea

In the storm, I stay clear"

No matter what will come in the following centuries, your heart and soul belong to him, and his belongs to you. No war or famine can separate the two of you. No matter what trials and tribulations blocked your way, he was your pillar of stone. No matter how much pain or anger he’s in, your voice will heal his soul. Your love for each other ran deeper than contracts, deeper than lovers. No matter what happens, the two of you will find each other. Be it in the afterlife or in the next life, the unbreakable string of fate will always tug the two souls together. 

“I've got my eye on you

I've got my eye on you

Say yes to Heaven

Say yes to me”

[mackjlee9]

Zhongli x Top!Male!Reader [Smut]

Warning; vanilla sex, riding, mirror sex.

Modern AU. Dirty Thoughts Songfic.

Masterlist.

Game; Genshin Impact

Requested by 1800-JJIN on Wattpad

  Despite how long it's been, Zhongli clearly still remembers the day they met. And then, there's that day, constantly replaying in his mind like a broken disk.

The day he fell in love with his best friend, (M/n).

It was during middle school, and most of their classmates were making fun of him for having long hair and having an eloquent speech, of course, those kids didn't know what that word was, but Zhongli knew what they were making fun of the way he used big and elegant words whenever he talked. And (M/n), who was walking by with a bunch of girls trailing behind him, heard what was happening.

With a subtle smile, he told the girls that there was something he had to take care of, and he turned around the corner, where a group of five boys were laughing at Zhongli, and calling him slurs like faggot, and homo.

Oh, did (M/n)'s blood boil at the sound of those fuckers calling his best friend that way.

Clearing his throat, the five boys turned around, flinching at the sight of their tallest classmate. (M/n) was one of those kids whose body changed quickly, so he was intimidating to the other boys and attractive to the girls.

With a sickenly sweet smile on his face, (M/n) towered over the group, and with a deep tone of voice, he spoke.

"If I see you near Zhongli again, I'm gonna beat the shit out of all of you," the smile was soon completely wiped off his face, and leaning down to be face-to-face with who was the "leader", " Leave before I lose my patience."

Letting out shrieks mixed with some "threats", the group quickly left and ran. Worried, (M/n) walked up to Zhongli, who had his eyes red from the tears that were still falling down his cheeks. Hugging him tightly, (M/n) played with Zhongli's hair, tilting his head up to dry his face and placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Is okay, they're not gonna bother you anymore," holding eye contact with Zhongli's golden eyes, (M/n) had to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart in his chest, "I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens."

Letting out a deep sigh, Zhongli's eyes opened, his heart racing at the memory that seemed like just happened, despite the many years that had passed since then. Reaching a hand up to take his glasses off, Zhongli stared at the almost finished book he was writing.

He saved the document and turned off the laptop, closing it and getting up to take a shower. Now being 28 years old, he wondered how he could still hold feelings for (M/n), he felt pathetic but... it's not like he could get over them. They saw each other every day back then, and now they work together. It was kind of hard to find a lover, especially at his age. He may not be young, but he wasn't that old, yet no one seemed to be interested in a long-term relationship with him.

Already under the warm water, he let out a satisfied sigh at the feeling of his shoulders and back muscles relaxing after being sat down for hours.

He glanced down, his black hair falling on either side of his head and he couldn't help but gently hold onto its ends. Zhongli let his hair grow a lot, trimming it only when it was necessary. Thinking about the reason why he let it grow so much makes him flustered, a dark red quickly showing on his face.

"Your hair is beautiful, Zhongli," the sound of (M/n)'s voice made a shiver run down the male's spine, "How are you so pretty?"  Zhongli felt his body trembling at the mere memory, it was so vivid that it felt like (M/n) was actually there, talking and complimenting him. "I would love to pull on it," now he was imagining things, remembering every single time (M/n) would hug him or touch him, the gentle grip around his body always made his heart race.

Lowering his hand, Zhongli wrapped his slim fingers around his hardening shaft, slowly stroking it as he imagined it was (M/n)'s hand instead, teasing him as he whispered lewd things in his ear. Reaching behind him, he pressed his fingertips against his twitching entrance, slowly penetrating himself and moaning out (M/n)'s name, he released his dick and held himself up with the wall, the hot water sliding down his body, making his mind race as he fantasized about (M/n)'s body pressed against his back.

Thrusting his fingers deeper and quicker, Zhongli cried out as he came, his lewd noises echoing off the bathroom walls, and as he came down from his high, he wondered.

He wondered if (M/n) has ever masturbated thinking about him. He wondered if what he was doing was wrong. He couldn't help it. Whenever he wasn't writing and/or alone... his mind would just drift away, imagining hundreds of scenarios where he and (M/n) were happily dating, and more times than that, he would fantasize about all the lewd and erotic things he wanted to do with him.

Zhongli knew that was wrong, and at first, he would try to ignore them, erasing them from his mind, but he knew, somewhere there, in the depth of his consciousness, those fantasies were there, ready to come out when he least expected it.

And at some point in his life, he just accepted them, letting himself be driven crazy by everything, his fantasies were so realistic and convincing and because of that, there were times when he wasn't sure what was real anymore. He was truly going crazy, having all these dirty thoughts about his best friend.

He had tried and failed countless times, only for those thoughts to get stuck for longer in his mind, so he doesn't care anymore, he just lets it happen.

"I'm going insane," he muttered to himself before washing up properly as quickly as could, soon heading to bed.

//////

The next morning, Zhongli felt lazy and didn't want to do anything at all, but as always, (M/n) seemed to know exactly how he was feeling at all times. He came by his suite, and they sat there at the dining table, discussing little bits, ideas, and plots for his nearly finished novel.

After five years of his first book release, Zhongli was still widely known in the world of romance novels, captivating every reader that came across his book, even by accident. And, seemingly being a coincidence, (M/n) ended up being his editor, and he loved that because that meant still being together, even if it was as co-workers or friends.

And right now, staring at him as he read the last few chapters he wrote, Zhongli couldn't help but let his mind drift off to that time they kissed. He was done denying it, he wanted to date (M/n) and have sex with him. He had tried to flirt with him discreetly, and openly, but every advance he did seemed to be a futile attempt.

"This is amazing, Zhongli," hearing his name being called made him snap out of his thoughts, seeing (M/n) showing him a sweet smile, "It really makes me curious about the ending, would she get her feeling reciprocated? Or would she get rejected? I'm looking forward to the end."

Feeling his heart beating faster and his skin covered in goosebumps, Zhongli covered the lower half of his face as he glanced away from the (h/c) haired male.

"T... Thank you,"  (M/n) kept his eyes on him and chuckled softly, changing from his work attitude to just behaving like friends, talking about whatever interesting thing that happened in the last few days, or talking about the past and those school days that seemed so distant now.

He picked up and put the call on speaker, throwing the towel on the floor as he took the bedding off to wash it.

//////

Finishing the novel, editing it, and getting it approved for release took a little over a week, and just now, laying in bed with his breath heavy and uneven after masturbating because of a wet dream he had, Zhongli heard his phone going, groaning as he got up from his bed to wash his hands. Holding a hand towel as he walked back into his room, the call cut off before ringing again right after.

"Zhongli, I just got the first copy of your novel, and we have the next couple of weeks off, so why don't you stay over tonight?" (M/n)'s voice echoed off the wall of Zhongli's bedroom, and something about the raspy tone of his morning voice made the long-haired male hold back a moan.

He was so down bad it was pitiful.

"Alright, see you in an hour." (M/n) bit his lip before saying a quick and cheerful 'See you!' as he hung up.

Zhongli left the bedding in the laundry basket and decided to wash it the next day, and he took a shower as quickly as he could, ignoring all those damn thoughts and fantasies that just seemed to keep getting worse and more frequent. And by the time he was done showering, he had already wasted fifty minutes, so getting dressed as quickly as he could, he rushed out of his suite room and called a taxi to take him to (M/n)'s apartment.

On his way there, he realized he forgot to tie his hair, he was wondering why he felt so different, well, at least he took his phone and house keys with him.

Twenty minutes after, he had to text (M/n) to come down to pay the taxi fee because he forgot his wallet. The driver left with a wide smile on his face and then they were left alone to get into the building.

"You took too long in the shower? And you forgot your wallet in your rush to get here quick? God, Zhongli you never change," hearing (M/n) chuckling at him made a dark blush creep up his face, his hair covering his expression as he glanced away.

On their way up to (M/n)'s apartment, they were silent, enjoying each other's company in the wide, spaced elevator. But despite their well-put-together demeanor, both were struggling with their animalistic instincts to jump on each other.

(M/n) was just glad he was wearing an oversized hoodie that covered the bulge that became visible in his sweatpants. Seeing Zhongli with his hair down and in casual clothing made him relive his not-so-holy fantasies about his best friend. And the blush that he was able to see only made everything worse.

He just wanted to pin him against the elevator wall and make him his, but... that would've been a little too much.

So, in the peace and quiet of his apartment, (M/n) and Zhongli had fun watching movies and talking about whatever thing they could come up with. However, at some point, while they were finishing checking Zhongli's novel, they decided to drink up some beer since (M/n) had some cans in his fridge.

And now, with the book closed and on the coffee table, they were feeling a little tipsy from the few cans they drank, their flushed expression and the way they dragged the words slightly was a clear indication of, at least, light intoxication. Regardless of that, they were still pretty much conscious and aware of what they were doing and saying, but their actions were getting a little frisky.

Zhongli was practically clinging onto (M/n)'s arm, and the (h/c) haired male was getting very flirty, enjoying the sight of an embarrassed Zhongli.

He just looked so gorgeous that today, even more than usual, whether that was because of his hair down, the alcohol, or the rare chance of having days off, but (M/n) just knew that he wanted him. He's never wanted Zhongli as badly as he wanted him right now. And he used to be a very horny teenager back then.

"Y'know what? Fuck it," cupping Zhongli's face in his palm, (M/n) leaned in and joined their lips.

Letting out a muffled moan because of the sudden action, Zhongli ended up kissing (M/n) back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as a way to hold him close against him. As their kiss started to get heat and their tongues were touching and rubbing against each other, (M/n) couldn't help but frown at what he was doing, and he slowly broke their kiss.

Zhongli whined at the loss of contact, his golden eyes opening to stare at (M/n), a dazed look caused by the alcohol and arousal was what (M/n) saw. He let out a small sigh, and tried to push Zhongli away from him, quietly muttering, "Sorry, I shouldn't have-."

But with a frown and a groan, Zhongli held tighter onto (M/n), preventing him from backing away and he kissed him again, this time straddling his hips as his hands played with his (h/c) hair. (M/n) was a little hesitant about where he should place his hands, so he ended up gently placing them on top of Zhongli's thighs. Barely pulling away, Zhongli's golden eyes stared into (M/n)'s (e/c) ones with arousal, softly panting.

"I wanna keep going, so don't apologize~" when their lips joined again, (M/n) held tightly onto Zhongli's thighs and he stood up from the couch, making the long-haired male moan and wrap his long, slim legs around his hips.

"Let's take this to the bedroom, then," (M/n) muttered against Zhongli's lips before taking them to his room.

//////

Keeping his hands tightly pressed against his mouth, Zhongli felt his legs trembling as he felt (M/n)'s fingers stretching his insides, the wet squelching sound that reached his ears made his face flush a dark red, moans being muffled by his hands.

(M/n) was preparing him so gently and carefully that it was kinda frustrating Zhongli, the stimulation making his dick twitch as it leaked pre-cum. Just being touched by (M/n) made him feel like he was in a dream, and seeing as they were gonna have sex... Zhongli was just really impatient.

Gritting his teeth, he reached for (M/n)'s wrist, holding it tight and slowly forcing his fingers out, letting out a low whimper as he felt his long fingers getting out of his stretched entrance. With shaky thighs, Zhongli knelt on the bed, his trembling hands placed themselves on (M/n)'s shoulders, pushing him until he was sitting on the mattress.

Pulling down (M/n)'s underwear just enough for his dick to spring out, Zhongli straddled his hips like he did when they kissed, and swiftly yet precisely, he aligned his wet, stretched entrance with (M/n)'s erected cock.

"I've been waiting... too long for this," lowering his hips, Zhongli gasped out loud as every inch of (M/n)'s cock penetrated him. He stayed still, trying to ignore the quivering of his body.

(M/n) groaned next to his ear at the tight and warm feeling wrapping around his cock, he could barely handle it, his hands reaching to hold tightly onto Zhongli's ass, making the long-haired male whine as he slowly started raising his hips, taking it all almost out before sinking down again, steadily setting a faster rhythm that draws out louder moans and whines from him.

Helping him ride his cock, (M/n)'s eyes momentarily glanced to the side over Zhongli's shoulder, where he could the clear reflection of them in the mirror. He intensely stared at a spot in specific.

That spot showed how greedily Zhongli's stretched hole took him fully inside, and something about that image made him growl, digging his fingers further into the soft yet firm flesh of Zhongli's ass. He couldn't help but thrust up into him, making him gasp out loud, his head tilted back as his golden eyes widen before they rolled into the back of his head.

"Yes~" he whimpered, his nails leaving scratch marks on (M/n)'s shoulders, and the moment he looked down at the (h/c) haired male, he realized his gaze was locked onto something else, something that seemed to have a big portion of his attention. Slightly frowning, Zhongli looked over his shoulder, only to be greeted with a lewd and erotic sight that made him gasp with embarrassment.

(M/n) locked eyes with Zhongli through their reflection, a smirk showing on his face as he inched closer to the male's exposed neck, kissing it gently before dragging his tongue on his skin, causing shivers to run down Zhongli's spine.

"Look how good you take my cock, Zhongli," stopping his thrusts for a moment, (M/n) held Zhongli's cheeks spread apart, showing him how his red tip was barely inside him, "You're taking it all inside you~" with a low tone of voice, (M/n) lowered Zhongli's body slowly, making sure he saw and felt every inch of his cock going in inside of him.

"Fuck~" Zhongli moaned, closing his eyes for a second, feeling (M/n)'s cock throbbing inside him, making his muscle walls clench involuntarily.

Speeding up his thrusts, Zhongli couldn't stop moaning and whining as he watched (M/n)'s cock disappear inside him, crying out his name whenever his prostate was stimulated. Leaving scratches on (M/n)'s shoulders and upper back, Zhongli started moving his hips too, bouncing up and down at the same pace as (M/n)'s thrust.

His flushed cock leaked pre-cum, his long legs tightly wrapping around (M/n), hiding his face on the male's chest as an orgasm hit his body, making his body quiver.

Pulling out, (M/n) manhandled Zhongli's weak body, turning him around and spreading his legs apart, penetrating him again, making sure his glossy golden eyes stayed locked onto their reflection.

"Don't get tired, we're just getting started~"

//////

The next morning, Zhongli felt his entire body as heavy as a building. He could barely open his eyes to try and figure out where the fuck he was, but when he did, a blush quickly crept up his face. (M/n) was already awake, looking at him with a soft look in his eyes, his hands slowly going up and gently brushing his loose hair away from his face.

"Hello, sunshine, did you sleep well?" Feeling flustered, Zhongli glanced away, making (M/n) chuckle. "I'm sorry if I was too... rough last night," he felt how (M/n)'s hand slid down from his hair, all the way down his hips, caressing it sweetly with his thumb. "I'm taking care of you today so, what do you want for...?"

Taking a small pause to glance at the digital clock on his nightstand, (M/n) realized how late it was.

"Lunch, it's past twelve." He chuckled as he glanced back at Zhongli.

Something in the way his (e/c) eyes seemed to be shining while looking at him, made Zhongli feel a little shy and embarrassed, opting for simply hugging the male tightly, preventing him from seeing his flushed face.

(M/n)'s arms wrapped around him, his fingertips gracing the skin of his back, causing goosebumps to appear on his skin.

"Well, we can stay in bed for a while longer, I suppose."

[sarcastic-kai]

powerful secret

request: For the same men; I'd like to request reaction headcanons of Diluc, Kaeya, Childe and Zhongli with an s/o who appears weak and shy, but once on the battlefield or provoked in a fight shows to be quite powerful, power that may even rival an archon's 👀 

A/N: Hey lovely! Sorry it took so long to get out! Here it is my love. Hope it’s up to your standards <3

warnings: mentions of violence, mentions of sex (lemme know if I missed any)

characters: Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Zhongli

note: I am not responsible for what you consume, clicking “keep reading” is solid evidence of that. Wether or not you’re a minor, I am not responsible for you.

Diluc

He would be quite shocked to say the least. 

Though he would definitely try to maintain his cool composure, he wouldn’t be able to get it off his mind.

Seeing you, surrounded by fatui, effortlessly slaughtering one after another had been quite the unsuspected surprise.

He just stood there, awed as his shy, quiet s/o suddenly turned into a battle field monster.

He wouldn’t talk about it for a while, debating with himself if asking the question would create some sort of rift between you two.

Why hadn’t you told him? He thought he knew you, but Hiding something like that seemed almost like a lie. He’d never seen you as fierce, so where did this sudden overwhelming power come from? Would it be okay to ask?

He’d decide it’d be better to ask than leave it unsaid. 

He’d find a quiet, mundane time to ask you, like when you two lay in the bed together in the morning, trying to convince yourselves that you don’t have to get up just yet.

However you explain it to him, he will be kind, compassionate, nonjudgmental, and understanding.

After all, you are still his precious little s/o, even if you are a beast in battle 

Kaeya

would be amused. 

Well shocked and a bit… jealous??? But ofc he’d mask it with amusement.

Would lowkey be irritated that you’re better than him. He is THE Kaeya alberich, after all. He can’t just be shown up by his shy, meek little s/o.

Would make a joke out of it or something, opting to use that as the “safer” method of asking you directly. After all, what if he stirred up some bad feelings? 

It probably wouldn’t be out of the blue, he’d probably try to work you up to the subject.

“Well, darling, I couldn’t help but notice how… refined your skills are. Quite impressive, really. Maybe even had me a little bit jealous~” *insert Kaeya chuckle here*

After your answer, he would respond as kindly and empathetic as possible, while still maintaining his normal kaeya persona.

Would probably think about how strong your kids will be 

May even be relieved that you can hold your own, then he has to worry about you just a little bit less <3

In the end, he wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, he’d probably just take it as an opportunity to spar, place some bets, and even stir up a little fun ;)

Childe

this man would be… well, impressed, to say the least.

“And here I was, thinking that I had to protect my cute little s/o~”

Oh but he would be SO riled up by it. 

As we all know, this man gets off on violence, so seeing his s/o gracefully massacring an entire horde of enemies in a matter of seconds has him weak in the knees

Honestly, the little fuck would probably want you to dominate him, now that he knows you’re not so shy when you really don’t have to be

Y’all could be the new power couple <3

He probably wouldn’t ask any questions, unless you gave off any Indication of negative feelings regarding your actions.

He would ask you about it almost indirectly, giving you a charming smile when you answer a question he never “technically” asked.

Would reassure you that he doesn’t love you any less

If now, he loves you even more. Seeing someone he loves have that much power is just… such a turn on for this little perv

He would also secretly be reassured, glad to know that if you were to somehow get caught in the crossfire of his work as a harbringer, he wouldn’t have to worry about you being taken away from him so easily.

He would probably see this as an opportunity to show off to his colleagues, maybe even setting up a dirty little bet, saying that one of the harbringers would lose to you in a fight. Ofc they’d all take the bait, after all, who could be more powerful than them? Surely not childe’s s/o!

Whoever faced you would lose and childe would have a shit eating grin when his colleagues begrudgingly hand him a hefty amount of cash.

He’d probably victory fuck you <3

Zhongli

he would be… stunned. Truly, truly stunned.

How can you, his shy, meek s/o have power enough to rival his own? 

He would probably be in denial.

After all, would this sudden situation change the dynamic between you two?

He loves it when you rely on him. Loves it when you ask him to get things for you when they’re too high up (because he’s a fucking giant); when you snuggle against his chest like it’s the safest place in the world; when his hand engulfs yours as you stroll around Liyue, knowing that if trouble arises, he’d be right by your side to defeat it.

He would probably be very curious, but in a respectful manner, as classy as he is.

He would want to know where the power came from, how you handle it, what your abilities extend to, etc. Etc.

He’d probably never ask “why didn’t you tell me?”, because he’s such a gentleman, but the question would no doubt be swimming in those fiery orbs of his.

He would definitely reassure you that he loves you just as much as always, and that he isn’t upset that you didn’t bring the subject up earlier.

With your permission, he would love to take you out and watch you fight monsters. He’d find it very fascinating, gazing from afar as he memorized your movements, your technique.

He would probably be slightly happy about it. Because you two could be a power couple now, watching over Liyue and the rest of Teyvat with abilities that can silence any storm that comes to pass.

[hugs4zhongli]

Dragonli falls asleep on Ajax's chest

Zhongchili one shot. Words: 507

Posted on ao3

Normally, the former archon would've gone to bed after Ajax came home because still had to do paperwork, leaving his love alone. But recently Zhongli started transforming into his smaller exuvia form when he came home. The ginger found it absolutely adorable, letting the consultant rest in his lap or carried him around.

Read under the cut

Zhongli had never felt so relaxed before, a loud soft purr going through his small, long body as Ajax softly petted him. His tail happily wagged, the feeling of being content filled him. It had been a while since he was able to relax like this, his beloved petting and rubbing him.

He heard the ginger counting in Snezhnayan under his breath, combined with the sound of paper moving made him feel even more comfortable. His paws made kneading movement, short sharp nails digging into the pillow as he puffed up his mane of excitement. Unconsciously, he rubbed his snout against it. The pillow smelled like the fatuus.

Normally, the former archon would've gone to bed after Ajax came home because still had to do paperwork, leaving his love alone. But recently Zhongli started transforming into his smaller exuvia form when he came home. The ginger found it absolutely adorable, letting the consultant rest in his lap or carried him around.

It made it easier to regain his energy back and much more comfortable too, although it wasn’t necessary to do so.

He could easily do it through an eight hour meditation but how was that fun? Even though Ajax and him cuddled every night, something about laying on his beloved’s lap was much more relaxing. A bonus was getting pets.

The ginger shifted in his seat, grabbing the pillow with Zhongli on it, his hands moving to the small lizard body. With slow movements, he started massaging the former archon’s scaley back in between the horns while seemingly reading his paper.

Oh, that felt amazing.

Zhongli felt his thoughts melt away, his purr getting louder. He rubbed his snout against the pillow more and his tail began to wag slowly. Deep down he knew he shouldn’t distract Ajax but the caressing felt too good. With his paws and claws, he started kneading the pillow and begged for more attention. Obviously he got more as he felt the fatuus move him slightly, chuckling.

“Now don’t fall off.” Ajax’s raspy voice spoke and Zhongli felt his hands under his armpits getting pulled up to lay on the other’s chest. Within an instant, he buried his snout into the ginger’s neck and purred loudly, his claws digging into the fabric so he could press himself tightly against his beloved. The way Ajax’s fingers traced each scale on his tiny back made the dragon shiver in delight, his tail wagging even faster. He couldn’t help but want more pets and cuddles.

His tail kept wagging as he made himself more comfortable, knowing the fatuus, they would probably go to bed soon. Zhongli huffed slightly while trying to move the wildly ginger curls away to look at the clock, letting out a soft whine when Ajax slightly forced him to move again. “Zhongli, that tickles.” He whispered with a soft giggle, petting the fluffed up orange mane. “We’ll go to bed soon, just be patient for a moment for me.” With those words, the dragon felt a kiss on scales and shivered.

The caressing started to make him tired, his eyes fighting to stay open. He wanted to feel more of the pets and kissed his beloved gave him. It also didn’t help that Ajax was slowly rocking him, humming a childhood lullaby.

He let out his last purr and slowly, Zhongli drifted into a deep slumber, knowing he was safe with his beloved.

[genshinluvr]

A New Friend

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: You made a new friend, and you were so excited about it! But for some reason, your boyfriends don't approve of her (other than the four Harbingers), you beg for your boyfriends to give her a chance, but that ends up being your biggest mistake.

Note: So, this fanfic does have triggering content, and I highly recommend skipping out on this fanfic if angst isn't typically your cup of tea or if it triggers some bad memories for you. I apologize in advance if I end up using your name; I tried looking up German names and Emma happened to have popped up and I stuck with the name Emma for this fanfic (if your name is Emma, definitely change the new friend's name out with something else 🥲). To be honest, I (myself as the author of this fanfic) don't really consider this fanfic to be much of an angsty story, but there is triggering content. Definitely skip it out if any of these topics make you feel uncomfortable. To all of my new or returning readers, I post on AO3 as well, so if you have an AO3 and see a work similar to this, it's me (Aaliah_exo on AO3). I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Reader's new friend is a pick-me girl, nonconsensual touching, forced groping, physical assault, mentions of a breakup, blood, broken legs, injuries, violence in general.

Word Count: 10.6k

“Guys, guys, guys!” You burst into the abode, barreling towards your boyfriends, who were sitting on the couch in the living area while conversing with one another. Their conversation came to a halt when you flung yourself into Gorou’s arms with a big smile on your face. Dainsleif and Baizhu had to quickly steady both you and Gorou, or else the two of you would’ve toppled over to the floor.

“Oh, you’re in a good mood!” Dainsleif commented, reaching down to pinch your cheeks with a small smile on his face.

Baizhu smiles down at you while ruffling your hair playfully, “What’s got you in a good mood, huh?”

“I made a friend today….” You said softly against Gorou’s chest before burying your face into Gorou’s chest while giggling softly, tightening your grasp around Gorou’s waist.

“Can you repeat that for the others, sweetheart? I don’t think the others heard what you said.” Gorou smiles, tilting your face up to meet his gaze before cupping your face with both of his hands.

Childe frowns, “Why are you so cuddly with Gorou over there when you can be cuddly with me instead!” He crosses his arms over his chest with a sharp exhale, tapping his biceps with his index finger.

“Oh, relax, Childe! You tall men get [Y/N]’s attention all the time! It’s time for us short men to get [Y/N]’s love and attention as well!” Venti says, walking over to where you and Gorou stood. You released Gorou before clinging to Venti with a smile on your face.

Diluc clears his throat, “Care to repeat what you said to Gorou? Your voice was muffled against his chest when you answered Baizhu’s question.” Diluc says, looking at you curiously. You blinked at Diluc before pulling away from Venti, who pouted when you slowly let go of him. If only you continued to hold onto him for a little bit longer!

“I made a friend!” You said, bouncing on the balls of your feet, a big smile appearing on your face.

Xiao looks at you, baffled, “You made a friend?” He asks, gazing at you with wide eyes. 

“Why is it hard to believe?!” You whined softly, walking over to Xiao before latching yourself to his side with a dramatic frown on your face. “Am I unlikeable or something?!” You ask, looking over at your boyfriends with puppy dog eyes.

“No, no, dearest! You’re a delightful person!” Zhongli says, patting the top of your head while sipping on his tea. “I believe that Xiao is surprised because you don’t seem to be the type to seek out friendships from strangers. You would rather have people approach you than you approach them.” Zhongli added, leaning over to place his teacup on the wooden table in the living room.

“What’s the name of your new friend?” Kaeya asks, uncrossing his legs before leaning forward in his seat, gazing at your curiously.

You replied, “Her name is Emma! I met her while I was in Mondstadt, and she seems like a really sweet person!” 

“Oh? You made a female friend?” Thoma asks, his eyes widening in shock.

You frowned, “Hey! Why did you seem so shocked when I said her name? Do you want me to have male friends instead?” You crossed your arms before looking away from Thoma with a sigh.

“I would much rather have you be friends with women than men because what if your male friends end up developing feelings for you and try to steal you away from us?” Ayato asks, leaning in his seat next to Thoma.

“But have you thought about how women can also fall for [Y/N] too?” Aether asks, leaning on the cushion on his lap while brushing the ends of his blond braid.

Heizou hums to himself while stroking his chin, “You know, I have seen some women ogle [Y/N] while we were in Inazuma the other day! But who can blame them?” 

You felt your face turn hot at Heizou’s comment. There are women who ogle you? Since when did that ever happen? Then again, you don’t really pay attention to your surroundings as much, and you can be pretty oblivious at times. Especially when people are trying to flirt with you; unless those people are your boyfriends, then they’ll make it known that they’re flirting with you. Even the shyest and the quietest men in the harem make it evident that they are trying to flirt with you.

“Great, first we have to fight the men that aren’t involved with [Y/N], and now it’s the women that we have to fight with?” Scaramouche rolls his eyes.

“Hey! As long as it’s not Kujou Tengu that’s flirting with [Y/N], then I’m good. If I see her getting a little bit too close and personal with my onikabuto booboo bear, then I will not hesitate to fight her!” Itto exclaims, clenching his fist in front of him dramatically.

“I see where you’re coming from, Itto,” Kazuha says, twirling a pen in his hands before placing his small notepad on the table beside him.

“Did this Emma girl approach you first, or did you approach her first?” Albedo asks, looking at you curiously.

“Oh! She approached me first, saying something about how she liked my aura?” You said with a questioning tone, your eyebrows furrowing with confusion while tilting your head to the side. You have no idea what Emma meant by that, but it sounded like a good thing to you! Right?

Ayato lets out a breathy laugh, “Well, this Emma girl sounds like an interesting person.” He crosses his right leg over his left leg before taking a sip of his milk tea.

“I have no idea what Emma meant when she mentioned your aura.” Aether grumbles, scratching the back of his head with his eyes narrowed.

You shrugged your shoulders, “Neither do I, but I went along with it anyway.” You said, walking over to the love seat before plopping down on it. “But either way, I made a new friend, and I’m pretty happy about it!” You chirped, resting your head on the floral cushion.

“When are we going to be meeting this new friend of yours?” Dainsleif asks, moving your legs from the couch before pulling you onto his lap. You wrap your arms around his shoulders before burying your face into the nook of his neck.

“Mmmm, I don’t really know!” You said, resting your head on his shoulders before looking over at your other boyfriends, who are now demanding for you to get into their arms and give them some affection as well. “As much as I’m happy about having a new friend, something feels a bit off.” You said, tapping on your chin.

Diluc gives you a questioning look, “Oh? You seemed so excited about making a new friend. Why are you suddenly doubting your newly formed friendship with Emma?” Diluc asks.

“It’s not that I’m doubting my newly formed friendship with Emma, ‘Luc.” You shake your head. “What I find odd is that she knew about my relationships, and I didn’t even mention any of you to her at all.” You said. When Emma had first approached you, she was pretty chipper and friendly to you. When she brought up your relationship with your boyfriends, you were a bit weirded out because how could she know about your relationships before even knowing other information about you? It was a little bit unsettling, but you brushed it off to the side as if it was nothing and continued to talk to her as if that didn’t happen at all.

“I mean, Emma did say something about liking your aura. She’s probably an astrologist like Mona.” Aether commented, shrugging his shoulders.

“But Emma didn’t have a vision, nor does she talk like she knew anything about astrology. She only mentioned my aura and then my relationships.” You reply.

Childe makes a noise, “Do astrologers need a vision to have the title or job as an astrologist? Quite frankly, I think astrology is nothing but a load of boar shit.” Childe snorts, the corners of his lips quirking up. Aether reaches over to Childe and whacks him upside of his head, causing the ginger-haired male to scowl and glare over at the blond.

“Maybe you need to get to know her more. After all, the two of you just started becoming friends. You two still don’t know much about each other.” Baizhu says, giving your shoulders a comforting pat and squeeze.

“Uh, I think Emma knows more about [Y/N] than what [Y/N] knows about Emma.” Venti pipes up.

You shook your head, “You know what? I should just be happy that I made a new friend! Plus, I want to get to know her more before I can introduce my new friend to my boyfriends!” You smile widely when you feel Dainsleif rub your head affectionately, causing you to snuggle up against him even more.

The next few days went by fast, and you were out of the abode more often to hang out with your new friend, Emma. Every time you would come back to the estate, you would talk about how great Emma was and how she was a lovely person! That gave the men hope that you’ll have a lifelong friend while residing in Teyvat, someone that would keep you company while they were out doing their duties in Liyue, Mondstadt, and Inazuma. Sometimes while you’re out with Emma, the men would set a meet-up location after your hang out with Emma. One day, while walking to the site where you and your boyfriends have planned to meet up after your little hang-out with Emma, Emma appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh! So these are your boyfriends!” Emma says, walking around the men in a big circle while inspecting them from head to toe. “Well, [Y/N]! You have quite the diverse taste in men, might I say.” Emma chuckles, shaking her head with a smile.

“Who might you be?” Xiao asks, raising his eyebrows at the brunette.

“Well, Xiao, my name’s Emma! I’m [Y/N]’s best friend!” Emma says, throwing her arms around your shoulders with a big smile on her face.

“Uh, how do you know his name?” Itto asks, looking at Emma with wide eyes. Emma shrugs her shoulders innocently before pulling away from the hug.

Emma brushes her hair off her shoulders, “I know every single one of your names. [Y/N] talks about all of you with every chance they get.” She playfully rolls her eyes before smacking your biceps. You jumped at the sudden contact and looked over at Emma with wide eyes, then back at your boyfriends, who seemed to be just as surprised as you were.

“My, my, [Y/N]. I didn’t think we’d be meeting your new friend so soon.” Kaeya says, looking at Emma owlishly before glancing over at you, his eyebrow raised slightly. Oh no, it seems like Kaeya doesn’t really approve of Emma. And by the looks on the other men’s faces, it seems like they didn’t really approve of her either, even though they were happy that you made a new friend. You laughed nervously before grabbing onto Emma’s wrist, pulling her over to where you stood.

“Emma, I didn’t know that you were following me to where I was going.” You said.

Emma shrugs her shoulders, “I was curious as to where you would disappear off to after our little hang out! Now I know where you run off to.” She chuckles to herself while shaking her head. The sound of her chuckle almost sounded bitter and condescending. “Oh, [Y/N], you little slut.” She laughs softly.

You looked at her in confusion, slowly glancing over at your boyfriends. “Uh….” You let out an awkward laugh, unsure of how to react to her comment.

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” Emma snorts, elbowing you in the gut with a lighthearted laugh. “I mean, if you want to date more than one man, then it’s all up to you! Not everyone is adventurous like yourself!” She says, looking over at you with a closed-eye smile.

Thoma crossed his arms over his stomach, “Listen, Emma, even though you’re [Y/N]’s friend, that doesn’t give you the green pass to call them names and make unnecessary comments.” 

Emma rolls her eyes dramatically with an exasperated sigh, “Oh, come on! It was just a lighthearted joke made by a friend! It’s not like I’m some stranger with bad intentions!” 

Heizou leans over to Aether before whispering into his ears, “I have doubts about that.” 

“Right, [Y/N]?” Emma turns to you.

You blinked at Emma blankly, “Right about what?” You ask. 

Emma rolls her eyes before turning to look at your boyfriends with a sweet smile, “[Y/N] and I have been friends for less than a month! We still need to get to know each other more, that’s all! I’m sure once [Y/N] and I are used to each other’s personalities and humor, we’ll be even closer with one another!” She loops her arm around yours.

“I mean, Emma’s not wrong. When you make new friends, you have to adjust to new things about that person, and they’ll have to get used to new things about you.” You said, scratching your neck. “I think.” You muttered under your breath.

“See! [Y/N] gets it! Plus, none of you have ever had a female friend before. We always joke with each other like this when we’re with our friends!” Emma chirps, bouncing on her feet happily. Seeing the way how Emma interacted with your boyfriends and how they interacted with Emma made you feel strange. It wasn’t like you were jealous; something just felt weird to you. You can kind of sense that some of your boyfriends did not like Emma while others were reluctant about Emma but have decided not to make a comment about it. Even though the first impression between Emma and your boyfriends started off rocky, you really hoped that they’d get along with each other, especially when you’ll be hanging around with Emma more often.

That night, you cling to one of your boyfriends (Baizhu) while begging the others to try to get along with Emma and to give her a chance. How are you going to be able to hang out with your new friend if your boyfriend didn’t like her and if she didn’t like the fact that you were dating more than one man?

“Please try to get along with Emma! She’s my first non-vision-wielding friend in Teyvat!” You said, clinging tightly onto Baizhu.

“Why should we get along with someone like Emma? She called you a slut just for dating more than one person.” Scaramouche rolls his eyes, helping Thoma put the washed and dried dishes away. You opened your mouth to retort, but you ended up closing your mouth while continuing to hold onto Baizhu. Scaramouche wasn’t wrong about that. Why did Emma call you a slut so quickly without a second thought? Even though having multiple boyfriends isn’t as common, it still shouldn’t be one of the reasons for her to get physical with you. She did elbow you in the gut “lightheartedly,” but it was like she did it on purpose without a reasonable explanation.

Gorou lets out a nervous laugh, “I don’t know [Y/N]. I have a bad feeling about Emma.” He scratches his ears anxiously.

“Yeah, she seems to be the envious type of person. You wouldn’t want to have haters in your life pretending to be your friend.” Itto says, throwing his arms around your shoulders after getting you to unlatch yourself from Baizhu.

“But….”  You trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

“How about this, we’ll be nice to Emma, but we don’t want you to be around her too much. She doesn’t seem to be the best influence.” Kazhua says, stroking your hair with a small smile on his face.

“But how would you guys know that she doesn’t seem to be the best influence when you guys met her only once?” You ask, looking at Kazuha quizzically.

Albedo sighs, “Trust us. You wouldn’t want to be around someone like her. Even though we don’t know much about her, the things she has said to you and how she treated you so far says a lot already.”

“Oh? The little one made a new friend?” Pierro asks, strolling into the kitchen with the other harbingers following after him. “And it seems like you all don’t like [Y/N]’s little friend, mora for your thoughts?” Pierro crossed his arms over his chest while standing in front of you and the seventeen men.

Dottore chuckles to himself while shaking his head, “Oh, Pierro. Isn’t it obvious already? These childish men are just worried that [Y/N]’s little friend will snatch [Y/N] away from them.”

Pantalone lets out an amused huff of breath, “How childish of you seventeen to forbade [Y/N] from having a new friend just because it means that [Y/N] will be spending time away from the abode.” Pantalone adjusts the glasses on the bridge of his nose with a small smile. Pantalone turns to you, “Kitten, you can continue being friends with this Emma girl. After all, you are an adult and can make your own decisions. Don’t let these selfish men forbid you from making new friends.” He coos while stroking your hair with a smile on his face.

Capitano nods his head, “Yes, hang out with whoever you want to.” 

You sighed, “I’m only asking for them to try to be nice to Emma. I know the way she acted was off, and so were the things that she said, but I just want my new friend and boyfriends to get along with each other.” You said softly.

The men ended up giving in because of how sad you looked and because they couldn’t resist saying no to you, especially when it came to making a new friend and wanting them to get along with that new friend of yours. As much as they don’t like Emma, they continued to let you go out and meet up with Emma, with a few exceptions. The more you hung out with Emma while the men watched from afar, the more you and Emma became close. The both of you were attached at the hip, pretty much.

“Hey, Xiao and Dainsleif are pretty cute,” Emma says to you one day, finishing up her ice cream before tossing the little cup into the trash bin.

“Yeah! They are! They’re also very sweet despite their tough exterior. I would say the same about almost half of the other guys too.” You said, wiping your lips with the paper napkin before tossing them into the trash can. You started to notice that Emma was a bit too…. Flirty when your boyfriends are around you two while hanging out. Emma would bat her eyelashes at them, be giggly while twirling her brown hair around her index finger, and would stand a little bit too close to your boyfriends.

“Xiao, Xiao, Xiao!” Emma says, running up to the Yaksha with a shy smile on her face. Xiao looks over at Emma with a blank look on his face before looking away from the brunette. Emma pouts when she sees Xiao’s uninterested expression. “Have you noticed how short I am compared to you?” She asks cutely, tilting her head to the side while swaying in her spot.

“I didn’t even notice because, quite frankly, I don’t care,” Xiao says bluntly.

Emma leans on him, her head resting on his shoulders, “Oh, Xiao! Don’t be mean to a cute, short girl like me! I’m only 4’10,” and you’re so much taller than me!” She says, grabbing onto Xiao’s biceps with both of her hands while pressing herself up against him. With a disgusted scoff, Xiao disappears into a puff of smoke, causing the girl to gasp and stumble onto Dainsleif’s lap.

“Oh! Dainsleif! Thank you for catching a cute, short girl like myself! I could’ve gotten badly injured if you hadn’t caught me in your arms!” She snakes her arms around his shoulders with a coquettish smile on her face. “How shall I repay you for catching someone as cute and small as myself?” She asks, batting her eyelashes at the blond man in front of her.

Dainsleif sighs, pushing the brunette off of his lap before getting up from his seat, “There’s no need for repaying. Although I would much appreciate it if you didn’t stay on my lap for a long time, I have a lover, after all.” 

Emma pouts dramatically before storming off. You looked towards the direction of where Emma had stormed off before looking back at your boyfriends, who were looking at you with an unamused look on their faces. They did not look too pleased, especially Xiao and Dainsleif, the two of them had their arms over their chests.

“You’re okay with someone else touching your boyfriends while flirting with your boyfriends so shamelessly?” Diluc asks, tilting his head to the side with his eyebrows raised.

“I’m not! It’s just that… I don’t want to make her upset.” You said, fumbling with your hands while looking at the ground.

Childe scoffs loudly before walking over to where you stood. He towers over you and grabs you by your shoulders before shaking you while saying, “Why are you worried about her getting upset? You’re the one that should be getting upset because a stranger is flirting and touching your boyfriends while fully aware that they’re dating you!”

“I know you try not to let your jealousy show, but how would you feel if we flirted with Emma and treated her like a significant other?” Kaeya asks, raising his eyebrows at you. 

You frowned and looked away from Kaeya and the others. Obviously, you wouldn’t like it if your boyfriends flirted with Emma or treated her like she’s their girlfriend while dating you. Why are you letting Emma do all of these things to your boyfriends? It was evident that she makes them feel uncomfortable, so why are you allowing someone to make your boyfriends feel uncomfortable?

“Okay, okay, I’ll talk to her about it when I see her again.” You sighed. “Well, if I see her again.” You added. 

You couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming amount of guilt weighing on your shoulders. Emma made them feel uncomfortable, and yet you didn’t step in to say anything. As much as you wanted to do that, something was telling you not to do it because you feared the repercussions. But why should you be afraid of someone like Emma? She’s still a stranger to you and your boyfriends; it shouldn’t be that hard to cut someone, like Emma, out of your life. A few days later, when you told Emma about the situation and how you didn’t like how she got so close with your boyfriends and flirted with them, Emma got frustrated and lashed out at you.

“I wasn’t flirting with them! I was being nice to them!” Emma exclaims, throwing her hands in the air out of frustration. “Why do you care anyway?! You don’t like it when your boyfriends talk to someone that isn’t you or within your dating circle!?” Emma demands, glaring down at you.

“No, Emma, I don’t like it at all! Of course, I’m going to care! You’re shamelessly getting touchy and flirty with my boyfriends in front of my eyes! They’re my boyfriends, and if I see you, or anyone that isn’t me, flirting with them or touching them in any way, I will not hesitate to snap both of your arms.” You said, gritting your teeth.

“That’s not going to stop me at all.” Emma hissed, smirking down at you before walking off. 

You clenched your jaws before storming back to the abode. You stood in front of the mansion entrance and let out a slow exhale. Maybe it’s safe to say that your friendship with Emma had ended and that you wouldn’t have to deal with someone like Emma ever again. You walked into the abode and greeted your boyfriends with a weak smile. Thoma held his arms out wide open, and you headed straight into his arms, wrapping your arms around his waist. Thoma hugs you tightly and rubs your back while pressing a kiss on your head.

“I don’t know what happened between you and Emma, but I can sense that you needed a hug.” Thoma whispers, resting his cheek on your head.

“Well, your senses are correct, Thoma.” You hummed, burying your face into Thoma’s chest.

The strange thing was that Emma ended up apologizing to you about it not long after while you were in Mondstadt buying groceries. While you sort of appreciated that she had apologized, you knew that she wasn’t actually apologetic about her actions. And you were correct because she ended up doing the exact same thing to your other boyfriends. 

She intentionally spilled her scorching hot tea on her chest, Zhongli got up to hand her a napkin, but she grabbed Zhongli’s hand and forced him to touch her breasts. Zhongli immediately yanked his hands from her grasp before shooting a sharp glare in her direction before leaving without saying a word. Ayato shakes his head in disapproval before getting up to follow after Zhongli. 

Emma pulled on Itto’s horns and Gorou’s tail to see if they were real while making inappropriate comments about them, causing Itto and Gorou to almost lash out at the brunette. Itto is typically a calm guy, but seeing how Emma has upset many of the other men, he was about to throw Ushi at Emma. Not only did Emma flirt and touch your boyfriends, but she also broke some of their things. She broke Venti’s lyre, and it greatly upset the anemo archon, causing him to storm out of the abode while Zhongli, Dainsleif, Xiao, and Diluc had to follow after him to make sure he was okay. 

Emma got into Albedo’s lab and destroyed many of Albedo’s experiments and glass vials that contained his latest experiment. Emma’s excuse was that she was “just a cute girl who was curious about the questionable substances in the lab.” You have never seen Albedo glare at anyone with such hatred before, and it scared you. As usual, Emma did not care at all and continued her merry way to harass your other boyfriends. The only people that Emma had yet to mess with were the four Harbingers, who resided in their own mansion within the abode. The four men did not want to meet Emma, but they did feel delighted when they heard the chaos she was causing among the other men.

Scaramouche ended up pulling you to the side after Emma had left before asking, “Did you not talk to her about what we had talked about the other day?” Scaramouche frowns at you.

“I did! She lashed out at me when I talked to her about it, but then “apologized” to me about lashing out along many other things!” You said, letting out a huff of breath.

“You annoying friend lashed out at you?” Ayato asks, walking towards where you and Scaramouche stood with the others following after him.

Baizhu sighs, “That’s not a good sign at all.” He shakes his head, looking at you worriedly.

“We know that you were excited about having a new friend, but you do realize that the things that she’s doing could potentially end the relationship entirely,” Heizou says.

“I believe that it’s best you don’t hang out with Emma anymore. She has caused nothing but harm towards our relationship with you.” Zhongli says.

“But she’s….” You swallowed the lump in your throat before slowly nodding your head. Zhongli was right; it’s best that you stopped hanging out with Emma. You gave her a chance, but she decided to fuck it all up. Then again, she did tell you that she didn’t care and that your threat wasn’t going to stop her at all. “You’re right, I will stop contacting her, and I won’t hang out with her anymore.” You nod your head.

Albedo strokes your hair with a sad smile, “We know you were excited about having a new friend, but Emma isn’t the kind of friend that you need in your life.”

“Well, I was excited about having a new friend. But she’s done nothing but cause everyone pain and discomfort.” You said, your shoulders slumping before rubbing your face tiredly. This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t let Emma into your life so quickly. 

“I don’t think anyone deserves a friend like Emma. She will do nothing but try to destroy your relationships with those around you.” Kazuha commented, his eyebrows narrowing while massaging his aching temples.

“I didn’t like how she pulled on my ears and on Itto’s horns. Emma has issues with keeping her hands to herself.” Gorou says, covering his ears with a frown on his face.

“Itto, Gorou, I’m so so so so sorry that I couldn’t get her to stop. I told her that if she did anything like that ever again, I would’ve snapped her arms, but she didn’t care at all.” You said.

Itto gives you a soft smile before pulling you into his arms while ruffling your hair, “It’s not like you can control other people’s actions. You’ve tried your best to tell Emma not to do certain things, but she disregarded your warnings.” Itto says, kissing the top of your head.

You turn over to where Venti stood before walking over to him, “Venti?” You said softly. 

The bard looks up and gives you a small smile, “Yes, Windblume?” You gave Venti a sad smile and slowly reached out to grab his hands. Venti laced his fingers with yours before lifting your hand up and pressing a kiss on your knuckles.

“I’m sorry that Emma broke your lyre. I wish I could’ve stopped her before she could do it.” You let your hands fall from Venti’s grasp.

“It’s fine! It’s not like I’ve never fixed a broken lyre before!” Venti says, pulling you into his arms.

You pulled away from Venti’s hug before looking at him quizzically, “But wasn’t it an illusion to fool Barbara?”

“Oh shit, how’d you know about that?” Venti’s eyes widened. You looked at Venti in shock before bursting out into laughter. You covered your mouth and buried your face into Venti’s shoulders, your body shaking with laughter.

“Did he just….” Aether trails off, looking over at Albedo and Heizou with wide eyes. Albedo and Heizou stifled their laughter and nodded their heads.

Dottore nudges the other Harbingers around him before saying, “Who knew the anemo archon has such a potty mouth on him.” Dottore snorted, shaking his head.

You ended up cutting Emma out of your life after many incidents, and needless to say, she was not happy about it at all. Whenever you’re somewhere in Mondstadt, by yourself, Emma will appear out of nowhere. Instead of greeting you like an average person (when is she ever normal?), Emma would threaten you for cutting her out of your life. Even though you’ve tried to do many things not to run into her while visiting Mondstadt, she somehow knows where you will be.

“Why did you stop hanging out with me, huh? Are you scared that I would steal your little boy toys?” Emma seethes, digging her nails into your biceps while dragging you out of the city of Mondstadt.

“I….” You yank your arms out of her grasp, wincing when you feel her nails slice your skin. “.... Am cutting you out of my life because you’re not a good friend at all! You did nothing but inflict pain on my boyfriends and me! Especially my boyfriends!” You glared at the brunette in front of you before rubbing your arms.

Emma chortles, “Inflicting pain on your boyfriends? Honey, I’m just showing them what they’re missing and what they could have if they were to drop you for me.” She flicks her hair off her shoulders with a smirk on her face.

“I would call you a homewrecker, but you barely wrecked anything.” You chuckled bitterly. “You’re nothing but a try-hard and a pick-me girl.” You shook your head before walking away from where Emma stood. Emma fumes at your comment before running after you. Emma reaches out to grab onto your hair and yanks you backward, causing you to tumble back and fall to the ground. 

“You’re going to regret saying these things to me, you fucking whore.” Emma scowls, pulling your head back by your hair before punching you in the face.

This went on for the next few weeks: Emma harassing you, Emma taking her anger out on you because you told her to stay the fuck away from your boyfriends and because you have tried to cut her out of your life. Emma was pretty much your “stalker” now, except she would follow you everywhere you go in Mondstadt, but she wouldn’t dare to step foot in Liyue or Inazuma because of “reasons” she did not want to say. Yes, you could’ve hung out in other regions other than Mondstadt to escape Emma’s wrath, but with Emma constantly threatening you, you couldn’t do it. And you didn’t know how to say no unless many people convinced you to do so. You were terrified of saying no because of the things she had done.

The more you were forced to hang out with Emma, the more you came back to the abode with bruises and cuts on your body. You hid them from your boyfriends by wearing layers of clothing and a light amount of makeup. Heck, you don’t have many skills in makeup, but with the number of cuts and bruises Emma was putting on your face, you had to learn how to cover them up somehow other than wearing a mask.

“I’m done hanging out with you, Emma. I’m done. I just want to go home and rest from all the shit you’ve done to me.” You said, limping away from Emma.

“Awww! But I thought you were going to snap my arms as you said!” Emma mocks, walking up from behind you before kicking you in the back. You stumbled and landed on your left arm, a sharp pain shooting up from your wrist to your elbows. 

“I don’t have time for your bullshit, Emma. Unlike you, I have people waiting for me to return home.” You spat, getting up from the ground before dusting your clothes off. You turn to Emma and spat in her face before walking away. Emma growls and wipes your spit from her face while watching you walk away from where she stood.

What you were hoping to expect when you got home from your little “hang out” with Emma was a bunch of hugs and comfort, but what you got was the complete opposite of that. The minute you opened the door of the mansion and stepped inside, a large bucket of water came crashing down on you, soaking you from head to toe in freezing water, and the bucket also hit your head really hard. You almost blacked out from how hard the bucket had dropped on your head.

“Dear, archons!” Thoma gasps loudly when he sees the large metal bucket dropped on your head with full force, almost knocking you unconscious.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?!” Baizhu rushes up to you and steadies you while you sway in your spot, black dots spotting your vision. You held onto Baizhu tightly and buried your face into his chest, trying to block out the immense pain you were feeling at the moment.

“Man, it seems like Bennett’s luck is rubbing off on me, and I haven’t even met the kid yet.” You think to yourself, biting back your whimpers.

“Alright, who set this bucket up?” Diluc demanded, looking around the estate at each person with a heated glare.

Itto laughs nervously, “I did, but it wasn’t for [Y/N]! It was for Childe!” Itto exclaims.

Childe lets out a humorless laugh, “Wow, Itto! Not only are you bad at pranking me, but you’re also bad at ensuring that the bucket doesn’t injure the person you’re pranking!” Childe says, walking into the living area while shaking his head in disapproval.

“The bucket hit their head pretty hard; we need to make sure they didn’t get any concussion,” Albedo says, rushing up to where you and Baizhu stood.

Heizou pats your cheeks lightly, “Sweetheart, can you look up for us, please?” You groaned softly, head falling forward against Baizhu’s chest.

“I know the bucket hit their head hard, but how hard, though? The bang was so loud that I was afraid that it would’ve knocked [Y/N] unconscious.” Aether commented.

Baizhu lifts you up and carries you over to the couch, and lays you down before lightly patting your cheeks to keep you awake. You cracked your eyes open and winced when the light in the living room flashed in your eyes.

“The bucket must have hit [Y/N]’s head pretty hard with how they’re reacting,” Ayato murmurs, brushing your wet hair away from your face. 

Ayato’s hands froze before he slowly looked up at the others in the room; his face was almost as white as his suit. Gorou furrows his eyebrows before reaching up to your face and wiping at the foundation that was slowly dripping off your face. The more Gorou wipes the foundation away from your face, the more cuts and bruises are revealed. Scaramouche furrows his eyebrows before gently grabbing your arms and pulling the sleeve of your shirt up, revealing claw marks, more cuts, and more bruises decorating your arms. Some bruises looked new, while the others still looked new but were fading away compared to the others. Scaramouche’s actions resulted in Xiao coming up and pulling up other parts of your clothes to reveal more and more injuries that you had sustained. 

“[Y/N].... who did this to you!?” Gorou whispers, a lump forming in his throat as tears begin to blur his vision. Gorou had never seen you in this state before; in fact, none of the men had seen you covered in cuts and bruises before. This was the first time they’ve seen you this injured. Everyone couldn’t help but feel very angry and deeply upset. They were mad at whoever inflicted harm on you and deeply upset that you had gone to the extent of hiding your cuts and bruises from them.

“Emma.” Scaramouche and Xiao growl, both their eyes glowing with anger.

Kaeya kneels beside the couch and strokes your hair gently, “Keep your eyes open, sweet thing. We wouldn’t want you to lose your consciousness now, do we?” He tries to joke, his smile faltering as he takes in the sight of you in front of him.

“Everything hurts.” You whisper, cracking your eyes open. 

Kazuha grabs onto your hand and gently squeezes them, “Tell us who did it. Tell us who boldly put their hands on you, and we will deal with them for you.” Kazuha says, mentally praying to whichever archon was listening to his prayers that it wasn’t who he was suspecting.

You winced when you turned your head towards Kazuha’s direction before croaking out, “But if I tell you all who did it, all of you will hurt them.”

Dainsleif lets out an infuriated sigh before running his hands through his blond hair, “Why are you trying to protect this person, [Y/N]? This person injured you and could have killed you if they wanted to!” Dainsleif clenches his jaws.

You forced yourself up on the couch with a pained grunt, “I don’t want to say who it is because I want to beat their ass first.” You said, pouting at Dainsleif tiredly. Kaeya snorts while wiping the water away from your face with a cloth napkin while Baizhu and Albedo check up on your head and other bodily injuries that were inflicted upon you.

Zhongli sits down in front of you with a weak sigh, “Dearest, why did you continue to hang out with Emma even though you had told us that you weren’t going to see her again?” 

You pursed your lips before responding, “I didn’t want to continue to hang out with her. She wouldn’t let me cut her off, and she threatened me.” You said, flinching away from the light that Albedo was shining into your eyes to check on your pupils.

“Thankfully, [Y/N] doesn’t have a concussion. That’s good.” Albedo hums softly, lightly massaging your head with his fingers. You closed your eyes and leaned into Albedo’s touch, wanting to do nothing else but sleep and let your body rest.

Baizhu gets up from his spot before dusting his clothes off, “Even if [Y/N] doesn’t have any concussion, they will still need to take medication for their headache and body aches.” He turns around and walks to the kitchen to search for pain medication for you to take in the meantime. 

Capitano stood in front of you with his arms crossed over his chest, “You know that we know that your injuries are all Emma’s doing, correct?” Capitano asks. You could tell that Capitano raised his eyebrows at you underneath his helmet as he tapped on his biceps with his fingers.

You looked away from Capitano while grumbling, “I’m sure it’s obvious that it was only Emma that did this to me.” 

Pantalone sighs loudly, “I was delighted that my precious kitten made a new friend, but that friend was no good.” He laments, walking over to where you sat before lifting you off the couch. Pantalone sits on the couch before placing you on his lap, cradling you in his arms while pressing a kiss on the side of your head. You winced and rested your head on his shoulders, feeling yourself becoming drowsy. 

“Oh, please. If it weren’t for you, [Y/N] wouldn’t have gotten injured by their new friend.” Diluc rolls his eyes with disgust, tempted to yank you from Pantalone’s arms. If it weren’t for those four Harbingers encouraging you to become friends with someone like Emma, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt, nor would they have to deal with Emma’s atrocious behavior.

Itto nods his head rapidly before pointing an accusing finger at the four Harbingers in front of him, “Yeah! If you four hadn’t encouraged [Y/N] to be friends with that demon, [Y/N] wouldn’t have gotten injured!” 

Pierro shoots a heated glare in Itto’s direction, saying, “And if it weren’t for that childish prank you were trying to pull on Tartaglia, the metal bucket wouldn’t have hit [Y/N]’s head.” Itto glowers and glares back at the first Harbinger in front of him, his hands clenching into tight fists.

“How about Zhongli and I take you to your room!” Venti suggested as he walked over to where you and Pantalone sat before tugging you out from Pantalone’s lap with the help of Zhongli.

You leaned against Venti, both your arms wrapped around their waists as the two of them propped you up before guiding you up to your bedroom, away from the tension that was gradually getting worse.

“Doctor Baizhu will be bringing the medication up to your bedroom in a moment. You need to rest and let your injuries heal.” Zhongli murmurs into your ears.

“I still need to change out of my wet clothes and maybe take a shower or something.” You said, letting yourself flop on your bed. 

Childe pops his head into your bedroom with a smile on his face, “I can help you change your clothes if you need some assistance, snookums.” 

Zhongli lets out a disgruntled grunt, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Childe, now is not the time to make such comments.” 

Childe lets out a scoff of disbelief, “What? I was only offering my assistance to help [Y/N] change into clean and dried clothes! There’s no innuendos or anything!” He grumbles, glaring over at the former archon.

You rolled over on your bed, and a strained groan gets caught in your throat before you interject, “Please don’t argue right now. I’m starting to get a headache.” You said, your face pinching up from the pounding headache you are currently experiencing. 

“Come on, let’s get you changed into new clothes,” Thoma says, nudging you lightly. You cracked your eyes open, only to see the other men piling into your bedroom.

You grumbled, “Wow, you all showed up in my bedroom to watch me change? Perverts.” You snorted to yourself, earning chuckles from your boyfriends while Aether and Heizou helped you sit up on your bed as Ayato walked over to you with your change of clothes in his hands.

Aether speaks up, “So! When are you going to beat Emma’s ass?” Looking away as Thoma and Ayato helped you change out of your drenched clothes.

“Seriously, when are you going to do that? The longer you put it off, the more it’ll make us want to do it for you instead.” Heizou says, tilting his head to the side while looking elsewhere, trying to keep himself distracted.

You let out a long sigh before responding, “Soon, I hope.” You take your shirt off and toss it over to your laundry basket. You hear choked gasps coming from your boyfriends and a small chorus of “oh dear archons!” from a few of them. You blinked at them before looking down at your body and examining every inch of your skin. Cuts and bruises littered your torso and back, along with your bare legs. It was like Emma had used you as a punching bag to let all of her anger out on you. Well, she technically did unleash her anger out on you by physically assaulting you.

“Be honest with us; how long have you been hiding these injuries from everyone?” Ayato asks while he gently grabs you by your shoulders before rotating you around to examine every inch of your exposed skin.

Gorou shakes his head, “Looking at these cuts and bruises, it looks like [Y/N] has been enduring Emma’s abuse for quite a while.” Gorou reaches forward, letting his fingers trace the bruised skin of your back.

Scaramouche claps his hands, “I have come to the conclusion that you will not be beating Emma’s ass. I will be doing it myself.” Scaramouche stated.

You shook your head, “I would rather be the one to get into trouble than all of you.” You said while slipping on a new shirt and shorts and fixing your hair after. “Plus, she touched my boyfriends and flirted with my boyfriends. Therefore, I should be the one beating her ass, not you guys.” You added. Baizhu walks over to your bed with a glass cup of water and painkillers in his hands; you grabbed the painkillers from Baizhu’s hands and popped them into your mouth before taking the cup of water from his grasp and downing the water.

“Oh? You don’t like it when people touch or flirt with us?” Kazuha teases you, sitting down beside you with a smile on his face.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, “I told Emma that if she were to pull that stunt again, I would snap both of her arms. It’s a promise and a threat.” You said, placing the glass cup of water on your nightstand.

Kaeya chuckled and knelt on your bed before grabbing you by your chin to tilt your head up, gazing into your eyes, “My, my, that is the most attractive thing you’ve ever said.” Xiao grumbles and slowly removes Kaeya’s hands from your face, making sure that he didn’t do it roughly, fearing that he might hurt you.

“I didn’t like how close she got to me and how she kept mentioning how short she is compared to me. I think she was mocking me.” Xiao grumbles. You cracked a smile and gestured for him to come forward; Xiao walked over to you and stood beside your bed. You slowly reached up and wrapped your arms around his waist, burying your face into his torso.

“You’re too cute, Xiao.” Your voice muffled against his stomach. “I didn’t like how Emma got close and touchy with any of you,” You release Xiao, laying down on your bed. 

“She wasn’t just touchy and flirty,” Dainsleif added.

“I promise, I will snap both of her arms for all of you and for the things that she has done to me.” You said, hugging a Seelie plush that was gifted to you from Venti. “What she did was unacceptable, and yet I tried not to get off on the wrong foot with her.” You smacked yourself in the forehead.

“Don’t hurt yourself!” Gorou panics, rushing over to you before checking on your forehead, lightly massaging it.

“I asked you all to give her a chance, I tried being nice to her and have you all get along, and this was the outcome.” You said, hugging the plush tightly against your chest. “I deserved all of those beatings from Emma because it’s my karma for letting an awful person into my life and stay for some time.” A rueful smile tugged at the corners of your lips. Now that you think of it, the things that Emma has done to you were justified. After all, you did let her stay in your life despite her mistreating your boyfriends, flirting with them, and making them uncomfortable. You deserved every cut and bruise that she has left on your body. 

Xiao growls, “It’s not your fault! Stop blaming yourself!” You ignored Xiao’s response.

Kazuha frowns, “Don’t blame yourself, dove. You were trying to see the best in others; it’s not your fault that you were trying to give her a chance to redeem herself.” 

Kaeya lays on your bed and wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you to his chest while resting his chin on your head. “Besides, I think it’d be a nice sight to see you beat someone to a pulp.” A teasing smile appears on his face before he presses a kiss on your cheeks.

“Oh, I will definitely beat Emma to a bloody pulp.” You deadpanned, snuggling up against Kaeya with a pout on your face. “I hate her for touching my boyfriends, shamelessly flirting with my boyfriends, breaking their things, forcing them to do things they didn’t intend on doing, and many more.” You grumbled.

The men can see the steam coming from your ears while you ranted under your breath about the things Emma had done to you and them. The more you grumbled about Emma; the more steam continued to come out of your ears from anger. You let out an angry sigh and shoved your face into Kaeya’s chest, catching him off guard. Kaeya laughs and kisses the top of your head while lightly scratching your head, his fingers lacing into your hair while doing so.

Pierro hums, “I believe that it’s best we let [Y/N] rest. After all, they have been through so much and will need some time to recuperate.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Pantalone hums thoughtfully, his head tilts to the side, “What if I want my adorable kitten to snuggle up against me while they’re sleeping?” A tiny pout forms on his lips as he watches you press yourself up against Kaeya while on the verge of falling asleep.

Diluc huffs, “Well, too bad because they’re currently snuggling with someone else right now. It’s best to leave them alone and let them rest.” 

The corners of Pantalone’s lips quirked up, he licked his lips and shook his head while debating on retorting or not, but he chose not to say anything. Maybe one day he’ll snatch you up for himself and be selfish for once, but for now, today won’t be that day. After not hearing a single response from Pantalone, a slight smirk appeared on Diluc’s face.

For the next few days, the men did not let you leave your bedroom because they wanted you to rest, and they wanted your wounds to heal. And, of course, since you’re not from Teyvat or their universe, it took a bit for you to properly heal with the amount of medication you were given for the wounds and with the help of the healers throughout Teyvat. You were pampered by your boyfriends, even though you told them there was no need for them to spoil you. Your comment went in one ear and out the other for them, and your boyfriends gladly spoiled you with attention and affection. As much as you loved the attention from your boyfriends, you wanted them to give you some space and privacy— mainly because you wanted to track Emma down and return the favor from all the things she has done to you and your boyfriends.

Everything suddenly became a blur to you, and you had felt nothing but fury for the last few weeks now (maybe even a month. It’s a bit hard for you to narrow down the date in Teyvat when you hardly kept track of it) all because of Emma and the things that she has done. You didn’t remember leaving the abode; you didn’t remember arriving at Mondstadt, and you certainly did not remember grabbing Emma by her ponytail and pulling her to a secluded area of Mondstadt.

“Oh, it looks like you’re healing nicely!” Emma commented, her eyes scanning your body from head to toe. “Did you come back for more?” She smirks at you, her head tilting to the side while she waits for you to answer her.

“No, not really. But I did come back to return the favor.” You said, giving her a fake smile while your hands were clenched into tight fists. “Although I am trying to be a reasonable person. So I will not inflict any harm on you if you apologize for your past actions and promise never to do it again.” You said, crossing your arms over your stomach.

Emma lets out an audible snort, “Me? Apologize? For what exactly?” Emma inquires, cocking an eyebrow at you with a look of amusement on her face. “Listen, I believe that I did nothing wrong at all, and if you have a problem with that, you can go cry and bitch elsewhere.” Emma lets out a sassy huff, her arms over her chest, before turning around with her back facing your direction. You smirked and tapped her shoulders; Emma hummed, her eyebrows raised before she slowly looked in your direction.

She rolls her eyes before letting out a disgusted scoff, “What do you want, you annoying little—” You cut Emma off by punching her in the mouth, causing her to gasp and stumble back. She had her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were red with anger. She smacks her lips together before scowling at you, her gums and lips bleeding. “You little bitch!” Emma lunges at you and tackles you to the ground, the two of you rolling down a steep hill.

The men were all having lunch in the dining room when Venti barges into the dining room, panting and trying to catch his breath. Everyone looked at Venti quizzically, waiting for Venti to catch his breath before questioning why he suddenly burst into the dining room like that.

“Barbatos, care to explain what’s got you in a hurry?” Zhongli asks, sipping on his afternoon tea with Ayato and Dainsleif by his side.

“It’s [Y/N].” Venti chokes out. Before Venti could add to what he had said, everyone got up from their seats and rushed to the entrance of the abode without a second thought. 

Venti lets out a defeated sigh, “Great, more running.” 

It was a bit complicated to track you down at first, but the sounds of screaming and profanities being thrown around guided the men to where they are now. They all come to a halt when they see you on top of Emma, with a handful of her brown hair in your left hand while you were punching Emma in the face, on the head, and in the throat repeatedly. Emma was thrashing beneath you, trying to get you off of her, but you had her pinned to the dirt ground.

“Why are you crying now, huh!?” You screamed, your knuckles shining each time you raised your fist in the air. You were wearing platinum rings on your fingers. Emma screeches and tosses you off; you land beside her before immediately getting up from the ground.

Emma’s eyes land on the men behind you before pointing at you, “Look what your stupid lover did to me! I did nothing to them, and they decided to attack a cute, short, innocent girl like me!” She screeches, crocodile tears rolling down her bruised and bloodied cheeks.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t see anything,” Aether says, looking away from Emma with his nose pointing in the air.

Heizou looks at the other men, “Was that the sound of a dying boar in the distance?”

You let out a burst of loud laughter; your head was thrown back, your body shaking with laughter. You look at Emma with a smile on your face. You slowly walked towards Emma, cracking your knuckles and your neck.

“Oh, Emma, Emma. I’m not done with you just yet.” You cooed, caressing her face in your hands, a big smile slowly forming on your face. Emma looks at you in disgust and slaps your hands away from her face. “If you think you can get away from me so easily, then it looks like I’ll have to snap both of your legs to prevent you from running.” You whisper.

Emma growls and punches you in the nose; blood immediately starts spraying down your nose. You glared at her and threw a punch right back at her. You tackled Emma to the ground and continued where you had left off.

“Should we stop [Y/N]?” Dainsleif asks.

“I’ll be getting the first aid ready for [Y/N]’s injuries,” Baizhu says, running back to the abode.

Thoma chuckles, “From what I’m seeing so far, it’s Emma that’ll be needing the first aid, not [Y/N].” 

Albedo blinks at Thoma, “That’s someone else’s problem. We’ll only administer first aid on [Y/N].” Albedo states, crossing his arms.

Kazuha opens his mouth to say something, but the loud snapping sound cuts him off. The men went silent when Emma let out a blood-curdling scream that was almost deafening.

“My legs! My legs!” Emma screams. “You broke my fucking legs!” Emma sobs, trying to reach behind her to swipe at you, but you pinned her arms down and sat on her back with a dark chuckle.

“I did say that if you, or anyone that isn’t me, flirt with my boyfriends and touch my boyfriends, I wouldn’t hesitate to snap your arms.” You said, hitting her in the head. “But since you were trying to run away from the consequences, I had to break those cute, short legs of yours to stop you from running.” You squealed, reaching down to pinch her cheeks with your bloodied hands.

“Holy fuck.” Childe whispers, covering the lower part of his face.

Ayato’s eyes widen, and his eyebrows shot to his hairline at Childe’s reaction. “Are you blushing?!” Ayato hissed at Childe.

Thoma made the mistake of looking down, his eyes almost as wide as saucers before covering his face. There’s no way Childe is like this right now while you’re beating someone to a pulp and snapping their legs like twigs.

“Childe, are you serious right now!?” Thoma hissed at Childe. 

“I can’t help it! [Y/N] is so hot!” Childe whispers loudly to the men around him, covering his red face with both of his hands.

Scaramouche made a disgusted face at Childe before pointing his finger at the ginger-haired male, “Why the fuck do you have a boner!? You horny motherfucker!” Scaramouche punches Childe in the gut. Childe grunts and punches Scaramouche back.

“Listen, [Y/N] beating the shit out of something is very attractive, so I don’t blame him!” Itto says. Just when you were about to land another punch on Emma’s face with your ring-clad fingers, Capitano and Dottore walked over to you and grabbed you by your biceps before lifting you off of Emma.

“As much as we would love to see you beat Emma into a bloody pulp, I think that’s enough,” Capitano says gruffly, escorting you to where the other men stood.

Dottore snorts, smirking widely, “As if she wasn’t a bloody pulp already.” Dottore pats you on your head. You grumbled and wiped Emma’s blood off your face with your already bloodied hands, smearing more blood on your cheeks.

Kazuha runs up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist, “You’re not injured anywhere, are you?” He eyes you worriedly, his eyes scanning you from head to toe. You gave Kazuha a small smile and shook your head.

“Other than a bloody nose and some scratches here and there, I’m fine.” You said. 

Dottore points down at your bloodied clothes, “Is that all Emma’s blood?” You smiled widely and nodded your head happily.

“That is correct! It’s all her blood.” You raised your arm and wiped the blood from your nose and scrunched your face when you felt dull throbbing pain from your nose. 

Childe jogs up to you and grabs you by your shoulders, “Marry me, marry me right now. We can live off on a farm somewhere in Snezhnaya and have fourteen kids. Just you and me.” He knelt to the ground in front of you, holding onto your hands firmly.

“Uh, get in line, buddy! We all want to marry [Y/N].” Itto interjects, pulling Childe away from you.

Scaramouche whispers loudly, “You also have a little problem to fix.” 

Childe glares at Scaramouche, “A little!? I’ll have you know. I’m huge, okay?! [Y/N] can vouch for me.”

Aether and Heizou shook their heads, “We did not need to know that.” Aether says, making a face at Childe.

Zhongli sighs, “Let’s go back to the abode now, shall we? I believe that you should clean up, and doctor Baizhu will dress any of your wounds.” Zhongli says, draping his arms around your shoulders before walking you back to the abode with the others following after you. Childe latches himself against you, his face burying into your neck while pressing up against you.

“Childe, why the fuck do you have a boner!?” You whined, feeling your face becoming hot at the contact.

“You know why.” Childe’s voice was muffled against your neck; he rubbed his face against your neck, his arms wrapped around your waist. Zhongli lets out an annoyed sigh, giving Childe an annoyed look.

Ayato concludes, “We need to get him neutered.”

Dottore snorts, “As if that’ll work.” He mutters, following after you and twenty other men back to the abode where Baizhu is waiting for you with the first aid kit, ready to patch up any wounds you have on you.

Note: So... I did not expect this fic to be 10k words long or longer than 10k words. But um, I hope you all enjoyed it? I, personally, liked the parts where it's close to the ending of the story because I know Childe is the type to get turned on by the sight of his lover beating the absolute shit out of someone. I just can't believe that I managed to post two different fanfics this week :o Also, this is very late, but thank you for over 2k followers! I have almost 2.6k followers now, but I kept forgetting to say thank you because it always slips my mind 🥲 thank you for all of your love and support when it came to my stories; I really appreciate it! ❤️ For those who are new or returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for "Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader" and my overall taglist: @xxkatsusjinsux, @huboi, @plumpkie, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @patata52, @honeybedo, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @bakuhve, @yukima, @chaosinanutshell, @emperatris-rinaka, @neilify, @ksjjkthpjm, @jaisithebird, @mouchie, @emerald-smile, @jixlem, @the-blob-fish, @jiminscarmex, @bananazzzen, @thelost-in-time, @kryloxen, @ayolk, @tomansimp, @lordbugs, @c-camellias, @chihawari, @lilliansstuff, @zhongloml, @sweethcnvy, @wolf-chan2134, @simp4-fictional-men, @dai-tsukki-desu, @trash-queen-af, @tamayakii, @spo0k-mxchii, @hispasian-otaku, @stygianoir, @crispynutduck, @rnd0m-snnxr (if you have not been tagged, it's because you have your settings turned off for people to tag you in posts)

Read more of my works on my Masterlist | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^

[komorim]

when the earth bleeds masterlist

-> a collection of one shots

[ synopsis. ] being immortal isn’t easy. having those around you age and soon wither away as you stay unchanging, with the only thing that’s different being the growth of loneliness that grows as the years pass. what’s even worse is the lack of those you loved.

[ content warnings. ] character death. angst.

[ author’s note. ] i know i said i’d cut back on the character death, but i was in a writer’s block and didn’t know what to write about. so when i finally had an idea, i took my opportunity and ran with it. plus, i feel like i’ve been writing a bit too much fluff recently :3

to explain very briefly, i’ll be having two collections of one shots, one being when the sky weeps, and the other being when the earth bleeds. as you can probably guess from the name, these will be angst collections!

these two collections are sister collections that kind of go hand in hand with the design and this will be a pair of genshin collections.

after i’m through with maybe two or three of these planned one shots, i might start writing alternate endings in which we can have a happy ending (hurt with comfort) instead of the sad endings (just hurt).

anyways, i hope you stay tuned for these!

[ status. ] tba

when the sky weeps: collection of six angst stories in which the reader is immortal and their lover is mortal

[ currently ] when the earth bleeds: collection of six angst stories in which the reader is mortal and their lover is immortal

[ 001. zhongli ]

[ 002. arataki itto ]

[ 003. albedo ]

[ 004. scaramouche/kunikuzushi ]

[ 005. xiao ]

[ 006. dainsleif ]

all works mentioned above belong to @komorim. do not translate, copy, or repost any works on this platform or any other.

[kiriiqt]

Hello, Aether! :D

I read your Tighnari x reader fanfiction where the reader couldn't sleep. It was really cute and I'm going to read it when I have trouble sleeping during sad days! (Why didn't I see it sooner when I had this problem three days ago? :'))

But I usually can't sleep because I'm too fixated on something (playing a video game, drawing, writing, doing homework, just anything) and I have trouble wrapping things up. Hence my sleep schedule is wonky, I purposefully wake up much earlier than I should to not let people down when we have plans together.

Can you make a father figure! Zhongli x reader where he tries to softly tuck the reader into bed, but the reader still fidgets inside the sheets because too many stories are in her/his head? Zhongli reads/tells a bed time story to the reader with his soothing voice and that's when the reader falls into slumber?

You can make this story gender neutural!

from the listener, to the storyteller

- in the vast expanse of your mind, sleep doesn't seem to find you easily.

characters: zhongli & reader (platonic) a/n: i’m so happy you found the fic comforting, the general feedback i’ve gotten on it made my day lol. i’m also in the same boat with getting fixated on things (genshin until 4 am gang wya…), along with generally just struggling to fall asleep so i get it :) i hope you manage to get enough sleep at least every once in a while though, its super important for your health. I really hope I got the father figure dynamic right on this one, since it’s not something I usually write. hope you enjoy it, and I'd love feedback if you have any. warnings: accidental neglect of health, zhongli is a father figure, use of dear and love as a nickname.

Silence didn’t find you easily.

A vast expanse of imagination was what made up your mind; a universe, much greater than that of Teyvat itself, Zhongli was sure. Similarly, you had a foot in all camps when it came to day-to-day life. Whether it was running errands for people in Liyue Harbor, training with Chongyun, attending Xinyan’s concerts and accompanying her while she practiced, or engaging in your own hobbies…the break of dawn marked the start of your day, and you didn’t mind that.

It made Zhongli happy, really, but one thing always weighed on his mind.

Sleep didn’t find you easily.

It became apparent in your appearance; the dullness of your eyes, with dark circles often accompanying it. Your smile never lit up your face the way it usually would. It became apparent in your behavior; how you’d occasionally get up to stretch or do jumping jacks to stave off the exhaustion, and how you’d steal Chongyun’s vision to press the cold crystal against your face, hoping that the brief shock would keep you alert. At first Zhongli let you do your own thing - but as he noticed that the late nights were more common than not and how the faint glow of your lamp would spill out from under your door almost each and every night, his worry grew.

You had been busy taking notes on a talisman that Chongyun had given you, when a soft knock on your door snapped you out of your focus. You blinked, your eyes heavy, and straightened up in your chair as a yawn forced its way through.

“Doors open!” Zhongli quickly made his way in, inspecting your room; books and papers were spread out on your desk, the talisman in question hanging from a makeshift jewelry stand. Your lamp cast a faint glow across the entire room, and he noticed that your bed was still fully made from that morning.

“You should get some rest; it's quite late.”

You shot a glance to the clock next to you, and your eyes widened slightly. Surely it wasn’t half past one already? Last you had checked it was only eleven. Though, this happened quite often.

“Right…I’ll just wrap this up. Chongyun lended me this talisman because he thought it might help with inspiration for my next story, so I just want to take a few more notes so I don't forget… It would be quite useful to advance the plot since the main character…” You trailed off as Zhongli made his way over and inspected your work; scattered papers detailing timelines, a study of the talisman, odd thoughts that would become relevant later… and it didn’t even make up half of all the things at the forefront of your mind.

Inspecting your face, he bit back a sigh at how exhausted you seemed.

“You agreed to train with Chongyun in the morning, did you not? You need to get adequate rest before then.” The comment made a sheepish smile cross your face, and Zhongli could tell that you hadn’t exactly factored that into your schedule. He sent you a pointed glare, his voice taking on a more stern tone before he left the room;

“I’ll be back in ten minutes or so - finish your notes and get changed, alright?”

When he returned with a cup of tea in hand, it was as if you hadn’t moved; the pen was still frantically moving across the pages, drawing lines to connect your scattered thoughts. You did change into sleepwear though.

A hand on yours halted your movements, and Zhongli gently nudged the pen out of your grip, before his hand settled on your shoulder to rub gentle circles.

“Fine…” You sighed, albeit a bit dramatic, and made your way to your bed as he followed, pulling a chair with him. The covers were pulled aside, and an extra pillow was added behind your head as he tucked you in. You took slow sips of the tea as he sat down.

“Tomorrow before work, I’ll let Chongyun know that you can’t make it-” you opened your mouth to object, but Zhongli gave you a sharp look. “- He’ll understand, don’t worry. I believe he would rather have you get enough rest for once, even if it means missing training.”

Knowing he was right, you didn’t protest this time; It wasn’t uncommon for Chongyun to (gently) scold you for not getting enough rest, and he’d undoubtedly do the same whenever you apologized for missing out on training.

“You’ll have plenty of time to write tomorrow. I’m sure Hu tao wouldn’t mind you dropping by to take a look in her library either…” It was as if a flicker went off in your eyes; the promise of new inspiration brought more ideas with it, onto the ever-expanding drawing board that was your brain.

“...But first, sleep.”

Darn. Forgot it was the middle of the night.

Chuckling, Zhongli settled for looking out the window, at the Harbor that had gone to sleep hours ago; the streets were empty, save for the patrolling Millelith, and the occasional odd shadow in the alleyways.

“I’m not tired, though.”

Another stern look was cast your way, though a playful glint accompanied it.

“Well, from now on, consider it a house rule then; you sleep before twelve. And…” he briefly glanced at your alarm clock, eyes widening for comedic effect, before focusing on you again with a smug grin threatening to break out on his face.

“...it seems that you have surpassed that time by nearly two hours.”

The only response he got was a roll of your eyes, and he let out somewhat of a laugh before continuing.

“The youth these days...such bright futures ahead, yet so incredibly spoiled and disrespectful-” You interrupted him with a wheeze, and he shook his head in feigned disappointment.

“Come on, now you really sound like an angry grandpa. Did Hu Tao put you up to this? Granny would be disappointed.”

“Assuming you are referring to Madame Ping, I can tell you that she would have sent you to bed long ago”

“Ugh”

You plopped back down in defeat, ignoring Zhongli’s laugh, and tried to get comfortable instead. A part of you hoped that the extra pillows would just swallow you up, take you to dreamland, and then back again in time to accompany Chongyun; but a million different thoughts filled your head, and focusing on your plans for the next day was doing you no favors. Zhongli could tell; you were resisting the urge to toss and turn, and your muscles seemed way too stiff as you fidgeted.

“You really cannot sleep, can you?”

You shook your head, avoiding his gaze as he leaned over in his chair, sighing a bit; 

“Is there a specific reason you cannot sleep? Is anything - or anyone - bothering you?” The concern laced in his voice caught your attention, and you glanced back up at him, eyes widening slightly.

“No, not at all, I just…” you trailed off, and he seemed unconvinced, but waited for you to continue.

“I just lose track of time - it’s like my brain just refuses to get tired, or something, and I have so many ideas and things I want to do…” Zhongli let out a hum and nodded as some of the concern dissipated, and gestured for you to lay back down. He seemed lost in thought for a while.

“Hm, how about I tell you a story then?”

“...Sure”

Lost in thought again, he looked away briefly, and his hand moved to gently rub your shoulder.

“Alright, close your eyes and try to breathe deeply.”

You did as asked; suddenly hyper aware of just how tired you were. It still seemed as if your mind failed to recognise it, but your body was overtaken by exhaustion.

Zhongli began to tell one of his many stories - this one lighter than most. It was about a time long past, when he would regularly spend time in Juyeun Karst with his fellow Adepti. Meanwhile, he continued to rub your shoulder, before moving to your hair, combing his hands through it gently. Occasionally, you’d ask questions; your voice getting more and more meek as time went on. Zhongli wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but he didn’t mind; it was worrisome that you couldn’t sleep, so of course he wished that he wouldn’t have to, but he didn’t mind at all. To his pleasant surprise, it seemed to work; you finally relaxed, and your words became more and more slurred with sleep.

“What about Xiao? Cloud Retainer always tells me funny stories about Ganyu, so what about Xiao?”

Zhongli chuckled; he was sure the Yaksha would curse you to the depths of the Chasm and back if he heard you ask such a question - though, he also knew that Xiao was quite fond of you so maybe, just maybe, he’d even tell you stories himself…

“I do have some, but they will have to wait…if i’m not mistaken, you’re getting quite tired.”

Your reply was muffled, but you didn’t seem to protest. Zhongli continued to comb through your hair, waiting for you to fall asleep.

“Just rest, I’ll wake you up tomorrow. Don’t worry about anything, dear.”

He began to hum absentmindedly, one of the many lullabies he had learned during his many years of life, and a few minutes later, you were finally asleep. He quietly got up, planting a small kiss on your forehead, and as he was leaving he turned off your alarm clock, and the small lamp on your desk.

“Sleep well, love.”

You’ve now gotten me hooked on the possibility of the reader knowing the wildest shit about Ganyu and Xiao (and even Shenhe) because of Cloud Retainer and Zhongli...and all three of them being too soft for the reader to do anything about it, so they just scream internally instead lol.

[narzissenkreuz-ordo]

i love you triple crowned wrio killing everything in abyss <3

(we do not talk abt floor 12. fuck the pma & thunder manifestation)