Stars fall, light dims.

anyway i drew n//sf//w zh0ngk4e last week but im posting it for this sinday since i couldnt last week. it's under the cut, and n//sf//w wri0luc will be on @emissaryoftheguilty

image & link to unc3ns0r3d img beneath cut

warning: nasty

DO NOT RB UNLESS YOU'RE EGGY PLS & THX!!!

The mere sound of the gasp that left Zhongli involuntarily made a shudder rip through Kaeya’s spine.

Amber eyes remain fixated upon Kaeya's every move from the very second his mouth is upon him: wide-eyed, curious, and glazed over with barely-contained lust.

"Hnn-- Kaeya."

His eyelids feel heavy, softly drooping to a close as he throws his head back and basks in the sensation completely enveloping his cock: a comforting slickness from base to tip, the squeeze of muscles working to slowly accommodate his length, inch by agonizing inch.

Ah, and that tongue. Celestia above, the things he imagined he could do with it...

A fist clenches itself deep into midnight locks when Kaeya pulls away for a breather -- demanding he look at him. A not-quite-subtle hint that he doesn't want him to move from where he is, as a low and needy groan rises from his chest. It took an inhuman amount of self-control not to push his hips any farther than the Captain had been ready for, and he's not sure he could be quite so patient were he to do it a second time.

"More."

To suddenly feel that familiar, comforting embrace envelop around him once more, it felt like every little trouble that had clung to Kaeya even long before this had been taken away with this one simple gesture. His shoulders sagged with pure relief as his own arms were quick to wrap around Zhongli in return, burying himself into the crook of his neck as he took in a shuddering breath. The last time they were here like this was when they had separated, and now they were brought back together once more.

It was certainly going to take some time to get back to where they were, if not some place similar before (hopefully) growing ever closer, but Kaeya found more resolve in himself than he had in a while. If it meant remaining by the older man’s side, and he his, then he was going to do his very best to keep it that way.

“I—… Admittedly, I was nearly about to accept that perhaps we would have been better off leaving things where they were. However, the thought of that hurt more than casting aside my fears and my pride just once, so I can try and reach you the way you’ve tried with me. It’s not right if you’re the only one fumbling in trying to be open and honest with your emotions,” he responded, a weak, wet laugh escaping him as he briefly pressed his head to the side of Zhongli’s.

Ah…

This is the way things should be.

As the Liyuen pulled back enough to inspect his attire, he smiled mirthfully as his eye shaped into a crescent and his dimples became ever-present. He leaned into Zhongli’s touch as the older man kindly brushed his hair out of his face, quietly chuckling upon his words and the timid reluctance with his actions.

“Thank you. At least one of us believes so.”

He knows damn well he looked like a total hot mess before he cleaned himself up to wear the hanfu.

“—Oh, right, I… Speaking of when you tried to reach to me before—I remembered the lilies you had brought me. Had I not…screamed at you, I’m sure they would have made a lovely bouquet despite everything else. However, since they couldn’t be, I wanted to return the gesture.” Bringing the glaze lily from behind Zhongli’s back, Kaeya lifted it between them a little sheepishly. “I couldn’t really get a whole bouquet, because I hadn’t realized just how prized glaze lilies were, but I did get one. I wanted to at least give you something to show my sincerity, even if things didn’t end up well.”

This was how things were meant to be, he was sure of it, for his arms felt a little less empty with Kaeya in them, a hand reaching out to link their fingers together. Handholding wasn't something that he had ever put much thought into -- but in the here and now, it felt intimate.

As Kaeya goes on to explain about the gift he had brought along with him, Zhongli watches in a quiet, stunned sort of silence. He looks upon the flower held between them, and his expression is... Soft. Fond, even.

And perhaps just a little bit tinged with sadness.

"What a thoughtful gift. These are indeed very difficult to find nowadays, since wild varieties no longer exist."

He accepts the glaze lily with a gentleness that he had not previously shown to the calla lilies he had picked for Kaeya, keenly aware of its rarity. To think that it had been plucked up and placed for sale did not particularly sit well with him, but some people were keen to make their money in one form or another, so long as others paid.

And whilst he did not often understand the monetary value of many items in the modern era, he knew that this must have come at a not-insignificant cost.

He could not expect Kaeya to understand the significance, however.

"Ha" He chucked in acknowledgement and reciprocated the smile, though it'd usually been for work. It was always his final goals that he thought of or the brief moments of chasing an unfathomable strength that came before his enjoyment of the land. Regardless of where he seemed to go; food was just food as good as it could be, places are just places as beautiful as they were, and people... most of then were just boring. Though when he found a person intriguing, that's when it all became so much more worth while.

He nudged the ex-archon back, keeping his balance, smilling still; a polite kind of smile that he was so used to pulling. As he spoke he looked out to the restaurant but at nothing in particular "Mondstadt I've not been to. Or that Su-mi-ru place either. Heard its worth a visit though." Childe thought for a moment, thought about these places he hadn't been too and the left over food in the bowl and his companion's question.

The chair stopped swaying with all 4 feet on the floor, he brought his line of sight to his company, his cold blue eyes to those deep amber hues. "Yes." Thinking in part of a life he couldnt have. It wasnt something he particularly liked to indulge in too often. Day dreaming was for children.

Thinking about it, he had taught Childe much about the customs of Liyue, hadn't he? Now, it seemed, he would find himself teaching him of the rest of the world, too. Ha. Was he so deprived of companionship that he needed to become one man's personal tour guide?

"Well-- I would be willing to take you anywhere you wanted to go, so long as we have the funds."

Though, the choice was up to him alone...? No. Wasn't this to be a journey shared? This would require some pondering, for it suddenly occurred to him that no matter the time they had spent in one another's company, he had spent so much of it doing the talking.

He didn't actually know much of what Childe actually wanted to do with his life, nor his motivations. He merely provided the means and the mors for them to come together like this, and for an old man to ramble into the ether.

Zhongli had felt it a suitable arrangement, but now he only felt terrible.

Even now, the other left the choice of where to go up to him, yet was this not meant to be for his benefit?

Briefly, the consultant's thoughts drifted to whether this was simply the way Childe lived his life -- going through the motions, wherever life took him, with little in the way of his own input.

Interest was an understatement for Lumine, in fact she had always been extremely fascinated by languages and sounds in each world she had visited with her brother. Calligraphy itself was an art, part of a culture and history, a way for someone to express their talent and personality even.

She did not think Zhongli was as bad as he claimed, she had been observing each stroke and movement for some time now, her breath barely leaving her lips as she focused on his task, almost as if her presence itself could disrupt his work. He always seemed to downplay anything he did, if it was modesty or something else Lumine could not tell. Every Archon she had encountered hid more secrets than any other she had met so far.

"You might define this as serviceable, to my eyes this looks like pure art though." it was her honest response to his words. Each stroke was an action well practiced, the same way she had learnt to make of her sword an extension of her arm, she didn't see any difference the way Zhongli's fingers held the brush to create elegant symbols she barely recognised. The ink on the scroll was as elegant as his persona, there was a peaceful atmosphere just by watching him complete the first sentences.

Humble as ever, Zhongli bows his head and hums thoughtfully.

His smile is gentle as he observes the Traveler every bit as much as she does him -- fascinated by the curiosity that fueled her. It seemed as though her interest in the arts and language of Liyue was one deeply vested, and he wondered if it was a hobby shared with her sibling, or just a personal interest.

Rarely did she seem quite so enthralled by anything else.

"Aha. I would not worry about trying to read it; this script is vastly outdated and ancient by today's standards -- one of the earliest forms of our written language."

A thought comes to mind: one that is admittedly rather impulsive, as Zhongli sets aside the paper on a whim. With his work only half-way done, he puts it on the floor beside him and replaces it with fresh parchment, offering up the brush in hand.

"Say, why don't you try?"

An empty canvas was an intimidating thing indeed, and so he offers up a suggestion in earnest:

𝓣𝓞 𝓦𝓘𝓢𝓗 𝓤𝓟𝓞𝓝 𝓐 𝓢𝓣𝓐𝓡. . .

#𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒, an indenpendent, semi-selective multimuse blog for Genshin Impact characters. Roster includes: the Fontaine siblings, Xiao, the Wanderer, and Layla.

Privately, Venti would admit there was amusement in offering the other's 'Prim and Proper Funeral Consultant' persona just a spot on the ground.

"You'll have to forgive my lack of glasses, I wasn't expecting company~!" As if there would be any place to house them anyway.

"What brings you here, anyway? Is this just a social visit, or should I be worried?" Hm, no corkscrew either. That was a bit more of a problem than no glasses, but luckily, he's had practice over the years. Carefully he scrapes at the cork just enough to peel back to show the spongy inside before pressing air through it and into the bottle, before- pop!

And so he allows himself time to think as he sits upon those same stone steps, sweeping his coat-tails beneath his legs so as not to unnecessarily crumple or scuff his clothing on the way down.

Particular as ever, Zhongli selected a spot that looked smooth, free of extra dust and pebbles, even if it meant creating a strange distance between the unlikely pair. He had, after all, taken such great and diligent care of the fine outfits Menogias had left him. Today would be no different.

He watches as the cork bounces to the floor, a hand outstretched to receive the wine. Though he is more partial to tea these days, he takes a sip and savors the familiar, sweet flavor.

So long as they are alone, there is no need to keep up appearances. It does not matter to Zhongli that they must share from the same bottle when there is already much that they have done together in their time.

"Well, you could consider it a bit of both."

The wine is handed back, and he spares a look to the lush, green expanse before them.