◦ stardr✧p ·°

“Here, this is for you.”

Zhongli carefully pours some white tea infused with a touch of bulle fruit and valberry into an ornate porcelain cup before gracefully setting it on the table in front of you. The aroma is sweet, but still earthly. The sun is casting its golden rays across the room you sit in, a modest space decorated with traditional Liyuen art and greenery, yet today there is an almost sacred aura to it. A warm feeling fills your body as you take in your surroundings. Everything is still feeling like a dream to you, like it was never meant to happen, but here you were, because of him.

You two waited so long to be together again, and when your eyes finally meet as he sits down across from you, you are overcome with admiration and gratitude for him. There is a softness in his gaze, and although no words are exchanged between the two of you in that instant, you both know there is so much you wish you could tell each other, even though words will never do it justice. You can only thank him with a smile, and he responds in kind.

You take a look at the cup that was handed to you before take a sip. It is absolutely breathtaking. Two golden dragons dancing together above a mountain. A reunion of two lovers, just like the two of you today.

“It’s beautiful.”

Zhongli lets out a quiet laugh. “I had them commissioned for us. I wanted to make sure today was as special as it could be, and I thought teacups would be a good way to keep it immortalized.”

You give him another smile before he proceeds to tell you about the artist who made them and how it was made, and everything that makes this particular set special. You listen intently to everything he says, at least for a while. He seems to know about everything, you have no idea how, but it always fascinates you. As you slowly enjoy the tea however, your mind starts to wander and instead you get lost in your own thoughts and start remembering everything that led you to this moment.

You only met Zhongli once before, during one of your trips back to Sumeru after trading and selling whatever you could find all across Teyvat. As you were heading towards Liyue, departing from Mondstadt a week before, you were caught in a thunderstorm and had to shelter in a cave near Mt. Tianheng. But unfortunately, when the night came, you were ambushed by a group of treasure hoarders and despite your best efforts to keep what little you had left on you, you lost everything and you were badly injured. Exhausted and cold from the humid air blowing through the cave, you collapsed, only hoping that you didn’t have much further to go before reaching Liyue when you would be awake again.

However, when you woke up the next morning you weren’t laying in grass anymore, but on a clean, comfy bed. Your vision was blurry but you could tell your clothes were not muddy, and to your confused surprise, there were bandages all over you. There was a smell in that room, you could not quite recall what it was, but it smelled like some sort of medicine, you thought. When you finally reached the conclusion that someone must have found you, you tried to move around and look around for clues as to where you were, but a sharp pain in your side caused you to let out a yelp and fall back into the bed. A few moments later you heard the then-unfamiliar voice.

“Is everything ok?”

Truth be told, you could barely make out the man’s figure in the doorframe, and when he noticed your distress, he understood.

“You don’t have to worry about anything, traveler. You are safe here.”

“Where am I?” You finally blurted out.

“Guards from the Millelith were patrolling the area last night after there had been reports of increased treasure hoarder activity as of late. One of them found you. You were in terrible shape. They brought you back here as soon as they could, and I volunteered to keep an eye on you while you were still unconscious. You are in Liyue. My name is Zhongli. I’m happy to know you are awake now.”

A sigh of relief left your lips. It was a miracle, you thought, a work of the Gods, the Archons surely.

Your wounds set you back a couple of weeks before you could venture on your own again, but before leaving you had grown quite fond of the man who took care of you while you were recovering. So, in an effort to keep contact with him, and as a way to thank him for everything he did, you exchanged letters. He told you about his work, you told him about yours, memories were penned down onto pieces of paper that slowly accumulated on top of your desk. Letters became more frequent, and eventually you found out that he had feelings for you too. Finally, after a few years, you decided it was time to leave your home land to settle in the Land of Contracts with the very same man you were now sitting across from, and drinking tea with.

“Is something the matter my love?”

You must have been staring at him for some time, or maybe he was done talking, whichever it was, because when you suddenly snap out of your daydream Zhongli looks a little puzzled, maybe a little concerned even, but you are quick to reassure him that everything is okay. The two of you end up walking around Liyue after washing and putting away your cups, exchanging memories with him, laughing, crying, leaning against his shoulder as he comforts you. As the day comes to an end and the two of you watch the sun set over the harbor from one of the many bridges scattered across the city, it finally hits you.

You don’t have to leave tonight. In fact, you don’t have to leave anymore, period. You are home. Finally. Forever.

And with that realization you turn to your lover, and let out the words that were trapped in your core since the day you left Liyue years ago.

“I love you Zhongli.”

He takes your hand in his own and softly settles it on his chest. His amber eyes glow in the light of the setting sun, and you swear you can feel his heart burning like molten lava. As he wraps his free arm around your waist and pulls you in a firm embrace, he returns the feeling tenfold, by placing his hand on your cheek before tenderly kissing you with everything he had kept in him. Only after what seems like forever does he break the kiss, pressing his forehead against yours, and he whispers back to you what you already know.

“I love you too. More than you could ever imagine.”

As the moon takes over the sky and casts its gentle, cooling veil over the now illuminated harbor, the two of you make your way inside, ready to settle for the night. Not one minute is spent apart from the other, both of you continuously showering each other with words of love and devotion to one another as you get dressed for the night and get under the bedsheets. The night might prove itself to be longer than you think, because when the two of you start sharing promises of your future together, bodies intertwined, between kisses and caresses, the burning desire only growing stronger as time passes, eventually the last thing on your minds is to fall asleep. Morning can wait.