I will have order

also points. old

"Yulia," how her name lays warm in his tone and sweet like honey, arms encasing around her to hold the little one to his chest.

(pointedly) old

   “ I was wondering what was keeping you so busy lately … ”  That being said,  however,  now that she finally had his attention again she certainly wasn’t going to let him go again that easy.  Chin soon propped against his chest,  gaze flicking over his features as a hand lifted to trace fingers along the former Archon’s cheek.

   “ It’s probably overstepping a bit ,  but if you ever need an extra set of hands over at the parlour ,  you can just tell me .  You don’t want to overwork yourself after all . ”  That,  and she had to admit …  She had missed him.

“I will most certainly keep that in mind,” Zhongli hummed, turning his head into the hand that traced across his cheek, bringing one hand up to catch her hand long enough for him to plant a kiss to her palm.

   “ … I want cuddles . ”  And just like that she almost immediately threw herself into his chest,  nuzzling against him in the process.  “ Much better … ~ ”

   Again  the meaning of her words were missed.  It was hard enough for her to know whether or not she should act on her desires,  but as always there he was,  assuring her that she never asked too much …  There was no need to hesitate.  Hand released his sleeve as his own moved along her back,  helping her body slowly relaxing into his touch despite the butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach.

   “ It …  Isn’t a matter of asking questions this time . ”  Both hands lifted to gently cup the former Archon’s cheeks,  guiding him down toward her until foreheads came to rest against one another.  Closeness was something that had slowly become common between the two,  but there was still that one line they had yet to fully cross.

   “ Zhongli …  I love you ,  more than anything .  I know in comparison to you ,  my life is barely longer than a blink …  But I want to give my everything to you . ”  Yulia paused,  taking a deep breath before,  at last,  murmuring barely loud enough for him to hear.  “ I - I want you to make love to me … ”

“M-make lo.. ah,” for a moment, the immortal appeared at a loss for words, clearing his throat quite suddenly, as a warm fluster found his face. He felt foolish, for having missed the meaning behind her words before, carelessly making her offers to come stay with him permanently, offering to answer her questions, saying such things without full understanding..

“M-My apologies,” Zhongli tried to quickly recollect himself, coughing into a closed fist, “You see.. Adepti such as myself do not.. ponder on such things. Unless of course we find a mate, and.. well, while I do have such interest with you, and I cherish you, I was not.. I did not plan for such a thing. Of course, that isn’t to say I am not interested, that could not be further from the truth -- I am in fact quite interested in you from a mating aspect, it is just..”

⤪ @tcrraformed​ ⊳ continued ♥ ⤨

   The thought of being able to live beside him was something that certainly brought her joy  -  it meant she could see him more often after all,  that they could have more time together  -  but it was hard to deny that part of her was almost frustrated that he hadn’t quite picked up on the true meaning of her words.

   Grip on his sleeve tightened,  gaze averting elsewhere for a moment as she pressed herself closer to hide her face against his chest in hopes of easing her own nervousness at least somewhat.

   “ I … I  do  want to move in with you … ”  Yulia began,  slowly lifting her head just enough to peer up toward him.  It was now or never.  “ But ,  what I meant was …  I want to spend the night getting  closer  to you … ”

“Closer to me? I’m afraid I don’t.. quite understand what you mean,” did she mean to hear more of his stories? To ask him more about his past? Where he had certainly shared quite a bit with her already, there was a moment where the older immortal needed to truly ponder the meaning of her words..

His hands moved, gently smoothing down her back, warm palms massaging into tense muscle as he gave her a sweet smile.

She was a tad hesitant at first, embarrassed just thinking about how to phrase things, but the desire just wouldn't leave her alone. Biting the inside of her cheek as she made her way over to her beloved a hand gently tugged at his sleeve to get his attention, cheeks only growing hotter as gaze turned toward her.

" U - Um ... Do you think we could ... Spend the night together ? " The question might have sounded innocent to some, but whether or not he'd understand what her true intentions were ... Well, she'd find out.

"Hm?" Attention was drawn as he felt the light tug of his sleeve, turning his attention to her with a warm smile. She was so sweet, he couldn't help but to smile the moment he laid eyes upon her.. but something in her question caused the immortal to tilt his head to one side, just a touch.

   “ I always thought those lamps were just …  Big lumps of salt .  Was I wrong ? ”  Well,  it didn’t really matter now,  did it ?  Eyes widened at first as he so easily crafted one right before her,  a hand soon reaching out to lightly run fingers over the vividly coloured mineral curiously.

   “ Wow …  I mean ,  I know you were the Geo Archon and all ,  but  seeing  you do that is something else … ”

“It is but a simple task to create something so small.. I could also carve it into an intricate design, if you so desired it.. like so,” his hands cupped around the lamp, pulling chunks of it as though they were simply made of paper, carving the stone down into a beautiful flower design, and holding it out again.

   “ Y - Yes ,  Zhongli … ? ”  Oh no.

“How about I craft you a lamp that.. won’t run the risk of causing you bodily harm with ingesting toxins?” In cupped hands, the Lord of Geo crafted one exactly as he said; a brilliant pink in colour that sparkled.

   She couldn’t help wondering if she was taking things too quickly,  letting such thoughts take hold so easily just from seeing him naked for the first time,  but if he wasn’t going to push her away …  Was it really alright ?  She didn’t want to assume,  especially with something like this.  It was something they could never go back on,  after all.

   Eventually Yulia pulled herself back,  biting her bottom lip before finally lifting her gaze to meet his own,  hands rising to cup Zhongli’s cheeks.  She still wanted to hide in embarrassment,  to tell him to simply ignore her stupid ramblings …

   “ Y - You speak as if I have any experience in this either … ”  She mumbled,  trying to push up a smile even with the drumming of her heart.  “ Zhongli ,  all I could ever want is you …  I want to find some way to show you how much I love you ,  how grateful I am for everything … ”  Thumbs slowly stroked his cheeks,  lips pursing for a moment.  

   “ E - Even if you say I don’t need to offer anything more …  I want to give you every last part of myself . ”

Her words drew a deep chuckle out of the older man, as he hummed for a moment in thought, unable to hide a warm smile.

“Yulia.. You do not need to show me such things. I accept all of you, my sweet treasure,” the immortal hummed, leaning closer into the hands that rested upon his cheeks, “But if this is something you desire.. I will not turn you away, I wish to give you everything your heart yearns for.”

After all, in his mind, her needs and wishes far outweighed his own -- even he was just as invested in her, as she was with him.

   This kind of situation really was unfair.  The fact that he was so unfazed by it all seemed almost surreal in a way,  that he didn’t mind letting  her  see him …  Even for someone as inexperienced as she was,  there was no ignoring the countless thoughts running through her mind.  She …  Wanted to do more than just admire him,  but would he even entertain the idea ?

   “ It - It isn’t that it offends or bothers me !  Um ,  quite the opposite ,  actually … ”  Archons,  how was she supposed to explain things ?  It was the first time she’d ever found herself thinking about such things,  but the longer he stood there,  the harder it was for her to keep from letting her gaze wander further down.  With a small gulp to calm herself at least somewhat it was then arms came to wrap around the former Archon’s waist  -  pulling him closer to hide her face against his chest.

   “ D - Do you  really  not see just how  attractive  you are ?  I  love  you ,  I - I want to find some way to be closer to you ,  to give you  everything  possible … ”  Arms squeezed around him slightly.  “ T - To give you …  All of  me  …  And s - seeing you like this makes me want that even more … ”

“..Ah.”

It wasn’t until Yulia pulled him closer, that Zhongli paused, catching on to the real reason behind her flustered face. Truly, such things had never occurred to him before, especially not with a human mortal before.. Adepti and other such beings did not put so much thought into such trivial matters.. Was this modesty something only humans had?

“Attractive.. Well, I.. created this vessel with my own hands..” His admission caused his own embarrassment to rise to his cheeks.

His hands moved, shyly resting upon her arms as she hid against his chest, uncertain where he should go at that point. Zhongli was skilled in many ways, proficient and capable of great deeds.. Yet when it came to such complexity involved with romantic relations.. He found himself struggling.