Um.. Hello! A Bit Ago I Requested A Pregnancy Thing With Razor. I Was Wondering If You Could Do One With

Um.. hello! A bit ago I requested a pregnancy thing with Razor. I was wondering if you could do one with Xiao too like that one..? Only if you feel up to it! Tysm! ^^

𝑨 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚

Xiao x Female!Reader - Pregnancy headcannons & scenarios. - Albedo, Razor, Xiao, Aether

Warnings: Angst, possibly the most out of all the others, hurt/comfort. Fluff.

This will be separated between Reaction/Gestation/Labor.

A/N: I'm almost becoming a pregnancy blog at this point, the difference is that i dont have nor do i want a child of my own alsnsksnsk. But truthfuly, i love making those asks, i just feel wiite ashamed of it since, even if many of you ask for it, i get too scared people won't see me writting anything else. So maybe, if my brainrot over a certain balladeer doesn't get over my whole body and turn me into a monster with the only objective of simping, this might be the last one.

Reader is in place of Aether! Lumine is still her sister.

↝ 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

Gosh, where do i even start with this man?

It's Xiao, he's an adeptus. Of course you'd be nervous!- in fact, nervous couldn't express even half of the fear you felt of having you and your unborn child rejected. It wasn't like you couldn't take care of a child by yourself, during your travels between the 7 nations in search of your loved sister, you had more money than you could count. Besides, the contacts you've made- hell, even Childe would help you if he knew you were pregnant.

What broke you the most, in fact, was the idea of him leaving you. Every since you looked at his golden eyes, you couldn't keep the warm blush on your cheeks. You admired him and his efforts for protecting the citizen of Liyue, and in fact, was the only one that understood Ningguang's decision after the battle with Osial. And you were more than happy when you finally got to be the one, maybe, the first lover he ever had on his long, incredibly long life. You both considered about marriage, wich Xiao hesitantly agreed, as long as you were happy with it of couse, but he seemed to rather avoid the topic of family, on which made you extra scared about it.

In truth, you never avoided him, no. You were afraid, surely, but to be Xiao's girlfriend, you couldn't beat arround the bush for long time, you knew him- and if you did it, the chances of him leaving you, not because he doesn't care about you or your child, but because he's afraid he's not good enough, would raise considerably.

But almost as if he knew, he made the job of avoiding you. You always got the time to go to Wanshu Inn, as he started showing to your own house less and less frequently. But finally, you got the time to speak with the man, that by worry and stress, had cleaned every hilichurl camp in Liyue. As he heard your footsteps coming up, he already knew it was you and he tried his best to leave to somewhere and hide. But you knew he was there, you heard him.

"You know, love..i think we need to talk about something very important."

You said, as he hoped you were dumb enough to leave from there and to take the silence as if you were mistaken. But you didn't stop calling out his name, and eventually- he have in. With a lot of effort from your part, in fact.

The conversation lasted for hours. Xiao tried to fake surprise at the revelation, but he's too bad of an actor. So he just told the truth straight away, by coming home early in the morning and finding a positive pregnancy test laying in the bathroom sink.

Brief explanation, i believe those pregnancy tests would be alchemy-based & using elements too. Don't ask me how, i just picture them being like this. And let's not question about it, shall we?

He felt happy, of course. But also hopeless. He wanted nothing more than to protect you and your unborn child, and even if he was always so near humanity to protect them, yet he was kilometers away when it came to their traditions, culture and lifestyle at all. Then suddently, he found himself asking questions about it to his familiars- The other adepti. But avoiding Zhongli like the plague, which didn't gave him much results, but the ones he had- were enough to confirm him how delicate & hard the situation was, especially for you... Yet, he felt the courage to go hell and back for you and your child build up on him as soon as he properly noticed how you didn't took long time to come after him to explain the situation.

You hugged him tight, all your worries washing away. He yelped at the sudden act of affection, and slightly hesitantly hugged you back, twirling your locks on his fingers and carefully caressing your hair while giving you a small kiss on the forhead. Little did you know, though, that this was far from over.

After that, he went off to explain to you his biggest fear- which to sum up, was Zhongli. His god.

He explained how Adepti are the guardians of Liyue, the part you aready knew. But most importantly, that due to this contract, they couldn't exactly have the time to actually have families or care for them properly, and only Morax could, maybe, free them and allow them to live their own lives, without it being bound by a single contract.

This sparkled a memory within you... One long forgotten, from where your journey with Paimon had just started, and the name of a pink-haired girl flashed into your head.

"Yanfei!" You said out loud, recieving a weird & confused look from your partner. The name also seemed familiar to him, yet he couldn't remember who she was.

You explained to him all you could remember, and eventually sat down, ordering two plates of almond tofu and tea. Even if the talk was serious, you'd still love to maintain light atmosphere. And what a better way than to make Xiao calm than with almond tofu?

You both set up a plan, discussing it's weak points and gathering the knowledge you both had for Zhongli. In the end of the day, it was rather simple, really. You just hopes that he wouldn't have to spend all of your time by talking about Liyue's culture & history.

Finally, the dah came. You both set up a small teaparty on the top of Mt. Aozang(with not only Cloud Retainer's approval, but help aswell), and sent him a letter, on which, if he came, "I'd gladly enjoy your presence, for nothing more than a friendly talk and a cup of tea."

You were nervous, of course. You were talking to Liyue's god himself, asking for permission if you could take one of, if not, his most important & loyal warrior for the fact you both were careless enough to let such thing happened.

You also tried looking for Yanfei, who tried her hardest at finding anything on the law that could make things at least slightly easier for you, but to no avail. And for the first time, while you were nothing more than a nervous and scared mess, your husband was, in fact- very positive that things would go well. You never saw this side of Xiao, but while you were preparing everything, and almost burning yourself with hot tea, he had grabbed the teapot, placing it on the table nearby the both of you and slowly hugging you. He was slightly hesitant at first, but the urge to care for you and calm you down spoke louder. He placed a hand on your stomach and kissed you on the forehead.

"Y/N.. I've been an adepti for such a long time, I myself lost track of the years, nor can I remember the day I first started this arduous job. I can barely remember the first time I encountered a demon.. And the memories of when I received something as important as my vision, also drifted away with the winds.." He chuckled lightly, stopping for a second to think better about his words, then continuing "I was one of the few of my kind to become a Yaksha, and I remained on my duty for so long, I've seen my fellow companions eventually fall... Maybe.." He cleaned his throat, determined, yet unsure to continue. You slowly placed your hand on the soft skin of his cheek. "Maybe I should do.. What your mortals call 'retiring'."

Needless to say, your mouth was agape. It took him a few "Y/N?"s for you to eventually come back from your state of shock.

You hugged him tightly, not even hesitating from locking your lips with his in a deep and passionate kiss, you were so, so proud of him.

So much that at the moment, you simply ignored the deadpanning Cloud Retainer, that a few moments before Xiao's confession, had asked for a more appropriate cup of tea.

Eventually, the awaited time came, both of you sat quietly in front of Zhongli, who drank his cup of tea. Neither of you knew how to start, so the latter took the matter to his hands.

"So.. This is surely a breathtaking scenery." Zhongli said. Commenting a little bit about how long he had last been there. "If it's not much of an inconvenience, mind telling me why'd you invite me to such a beautiful place?" He said, looking to the both of you.

"W-Well Mo-... Zhongli. I'm aware your time as Liyue's Archon might be over. The harbor has proven that Liyue's citizen is more than ready to travel their own path, without the ruling of any gods... But.." Zhongli raised an eyebrow at Xiao's words, this was surely uncommon- he thought to himself. "I'm aware you trusted the people's safety, at the adepti's hands. And as the last Yaksha, I must follow the contract we had, millennia ago." You felt as if it was time for you to interfere. Even if Xiao was confident enough at the start, you could feel the fear in him, see it in his eyes, and how nervous he was. With all the care in the world, you placed a hand above his, intertwining your fingers with your partner's, realizing how shaky and sweaty they were.

"Recently.. We had very pleasant news, in fact, just a couple of weeks ago. I know it's selfish, and that Xiao is very important to the city, and his duty is something that should be taken seriously. I completely understand if you refuse our proposal, but me- as someone who truly never expected it to happen, and has little to no knowledge on the area- would be far too saddening & difficult to take care of our child all alone."

You closed your eyes, afraid of whatever reaction Zhongli may had have. And after seeing Zhongli's soft smile, it was your partner's time to reassure you, tightly holding your hand back, and slowly caressing the back of it.

"Xiao, Y/N.. I must congratulate both of you. This is a wonderful new. I had never imagined Xiao to finally have the strength to raise a family. Especially after all that has happened in his years as one of my warriors. If I'd have to be honest, I see Xiao as.. My son, myself." Zhongli admitted, while Xiao's eyes slightly widened. "Many times I had worried about his well-being. To me, I feel relieved that he finally got peace at your side.. And I'm very, very happy to finally give him the freedom he deserves so much, especially after all he did not only for me but for the citizen of Liyue as well... Though I'd be personally offended if I'm not named as the child's Godfather once they're born."

↝ 𝑮𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

Where do i start with this boy?

Xiao honestly has no idea what his future is going to be from now on. If you had asked him a week earlier, he'd answer something with protecting Liyue and conquering demons, but now that he was Xiao, not Conqueror of Demons nor Vigilant Yaksha any longer, he realized that he was so used & stuck to his daily routine that he never managed or had time to do anything of his own. But thankfully, you were there to guide him and try to make the new adjusting to this new life slightly easier.

Before we get to the point, I'd like to quickly go by he new hobbies he found during your gestation. You guys tried many things, from knitting to fishing to cooking, but Xiao wasn't any good on the latter, and when it came to fishing, he'd much rather just aim correctly and empale multiple fish at once than using the right method with a fishing rod. Though it made his mind at ease, and even if he wasn't an Adeptus any longer, he was still held by the karmic binds. So those little hobbies you found him, surely helped.

You found out he loved reading books, and it helped him to care for the small set of plants he collected himself and made a small garden in the backyard of your home. He also loved knitting and making small scarfs for you, but the small set of tiny accessories he made to his child wear once they were big enough, was something he'd rather hid it from any living being.

Back to the point, Xiao is very overprotective of you. Especially when your round belly was growing, quite more than you had expected, which made you aware of possibly having twins. You could see Xiao's eyes shine with interest and curiosity when you explained to him.

When it comes to the overprotective aspect, you can clearly see it. Even after all that happened, his personality still maintains, just how he'd much rather keep away from crowds and wouldn't mind living in his little house near Wangshu Inn. But you were pregnant, and he had to make of his teleportation skills to get something you highly desired for, and other times you'd use them to get the both of you to the Harbor if you felt like you wanted to take a walk.

That's when an incident happened. You both were just having a nice stroll, your belly already round and anyone could tell you were just a few months away from giving birth. Madame Ping always offered you a cup of tea and some muffins when you went to visit her. She offered you a chair too, as she knew how difficult it may be to stroll in such a big city as a pregnant woman. She also filled Xiao with morthely compliments, about how even stronger he looked and how she was proud of him.

You both were leaving after having a nice & long chat with Madame Ping, as you accidentally bumped into a man, much taller than both you and your partner. In fact, it wasn't really your fault. Xiao had seen him a mile away and took notice of how he did such a thing on purpose, and even he could tell he aimed for your round stomach, hitting it quite hard.

"A-Ack.. I-Im so-" before you could even finish apologizing, the man was already on the floor, with the sharp edge of Xiao's spear aimed at one of the man's eyes.

Xiao's golden eyes, now darker and burning with hatred, staring deeply into the man's soul, who swears he would've seen a pinch of red on them. "Do that again, and pray to the Archons to have mercy on you, because I surely won't." He said firmly, as he saw the man below him shake in despair. He scoffed at it. "Pathetic. If you want to harm such a beautiful lady in a moment of vulnerability, you should at least be a man to suffer the consequences. Though, I hardly doubt you would be, given only the worst type of pest would try to lay a finger on a pregnant woman."

For a moment, you couldn't really process what was going on, the pain of the bump was unbereable for a amount of time(whom thankfully wasn't hard enough to cause any major damages to the children), but as soon as you took notice od the situation, you held your partner's arm closely. "Love..im.. Im alright.. Let's just go back home.. I'm quite tired." Xiao hummed in response, giving the man a slightly deep cut on his cheek that wluld surely leave a scar, before his spear disappeared into Thin air. And the both of you walked away, leaving the man speechless and scared.

During your walks on the Harbor, you both found something that automatically held Xiao's interest: the Kamera. Where do i even start? This boy is naturally gifted at it, and almost every single picture of his is something gorgeous.

And whenever you both go back home, he loves "falling asleep" with his head on top of your belly. In fact, he still doesn't sleep. He's too excited, maybe while you sleep the babies could kick? He feels very bad whenever he misses it. Also, at night it's when he's most talkative. Since he can't sleep, he oftenly has talks with his children, even if they aren't even born yet! He reads them his favourite books and he can't exactly tell why he has this habit. He just likes it, but he'd rather die than admit he does all of those things.

↝ 𝑫𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓.

God, help him. I mean, even god is since Zhongli is there, but i don't think its working?-

It all happened when you were lazily at home, you had been feeling quite a lot of pain as of late, which indicated that the long awaited moment was getting more and more closer, until the contractions were unmistakable, and you quickly called out for your lover, explaining him what was happening.

This man... He called all the adepti, god himself and Verr Goldett. As if anyone but Verr was capable of doing anything. Thankfuly, we all know Verr is the benevolent ruler of Tevyat, and i headcannon she has many contacts with people all over Liyue, so it didn't took much longer for proper medical health to come.

Zhongli tried his best to calm down Xiao and reassuring him everything would be fine, but even if Xiao sat down, without moving a muscle, his mind was a mess, and the Karmic binds were different than usual. They were panicking, almost as if they actually cared about you. But in fact, instead of blaming it all on Xiao, the voices were much rather afraid. He listened to them, and how fearful they were if anything bad happened. But that wasn't the proper way to calm Xiao down, either, much the contrary and made him as paranoic and afraid as the voices themselves were. So much that he had broken a cup with his own sheer strength. And the warm blood from his hands dripping to the carpet was the reassurance he needed to have a time by himself.

I'd picture Xiao being just like Albedo and Razor when it came to the midwives. If he had been there when the screams of agony and pain came to their peak, he had surely burst out the door. Instead, he'd rather leave the house for some hours. And in the state he was in, it was more than enough for him to give any abyss servants a reason to leave and never came back, as he absolutely massacred them, not only on Liyue but on Mondstat too. He tried calming himself down after that. Which was working, and even he was surprised at that. It took him a few more hours, as he decided to drop his weapon and instead do one of the activities you suggested beforehand to help him calm himself down. Looking for fireflies and flowers, catching crystalflies and the rest goes on. By the time he finally got back home, it still wasn't over, but thanks to his now, much calmer stature, the midwives allowed him to finally see you, who even through the pain of birth, managed to give your loved one a reassuring smile. You were handling everything incredibly well, and he never felt happier by having such a strong woman at his side.

After a couple more hours, finally, the screams ceased, being replaced by loud cries of two- newborn, little girls. You held them tightly in your arms, smiling as if God had given you the best gift of your life, which he had. Two, beautiful and healthy little girls, who barely had their first breath of life, yet your love for them knew no bounds.

After a couple of minutes, you could tell how similar they looked to you and your partner. First of all, both of them had the signature purple diamond on their forehead, and big puffy eyelashes, just like their father. You could tell one of them had got most of your facial features, while the other one looked like Xiao more than anything.

Eventually, the midwives left the new family by themselves.

You tried persuading Xiao onto holding one of them, but he hesitated- she was so fragile, so tiny. Almost like a small shining jewel, he was afraid he'd break it. But with more and more encouragement, he finally gave him and held one of his children for the first time.

By that time, she was deeply asleep, but he didn't mind. Slowly and carefully, he placed his forehead onto her's, and whispered.

"H-Hello...little one.." And almost, right after listening to her father's voice, she yawned, but then gave him a big smile in return, staring at him. And it was a shock for him when he saw it. Her left eye, a mesmerizing shade of gold, while the other was a wonderful shade of (e/c), remembering him the purest jade of highest quality, that no amount of mora could buy. She was gorgeous.

And finally.. After millennia.. Xiao allowed himself to cry.

SEASONS. (a youthful otome game with the genshin boys)

love blossoms in all seasons.

“an…otome game?”

a snort escapes your lips in disbelief, as you send a perplexed glare over to your chagrined friend. “oh, what are you looking at me for…you wanted a recommendation!”

“yeah. not this cheesy shit.” you cringed at the mere thought of it, begrudgingly inserting the video game’s dvd in the television’s slot. “i was expecting…i don’t know, something more interesting?”

the humdrum remark earns a playful slap on your shoulder from her, as you wince at the impact of her offended smack. “gods, just trust me already! it’s going to be life-changing.” she dreamily muses with a fanciful smile, however you’re not even the least bit convinced by her starry-eyed demeanor.

your eyes carefully scrutinize the displayed monitor, watching the game agonizingly load inside the box. dread crept up and sent chills down your spine as the screen slowly lit up, and your wandering eyes catch the sight of messily stuffed packages poorly concealed behind ajar closet doors. “actually you know what, i do have some unfinished monster hunter quests in the — ow! excuse me? what the hell was that for?!”

“come on y/n! you promised you’d play this time.” she childishly huffs in dismay, crossing her arms as she leans back on the edge of the bed in evident betrayal. “it won’t be that bad, i swear. let’s just finish one chapter today, and then i’ll let you decide after if we play a bit more…or you burn the damn game into smithereens.”

the latter option made quite the tempting offer, though you personally would have favored a third alternative where you could just burn the dvd now. “whatever.” you quietly grumble while snatching the plugged controller from the space on the wooden boards beside you. “fine, lets do it. but i’ll hold you to your word of that second choice.”

START.

SEASONS is a youthful otome game, where love blossoms in all seasons. Depending on the choices you make, you may encounter different characters, and unlock various special (and even secret) routes within certain chapters. There are a total of four major episodes — each contain storylines that require your decision on the choices you wish to make in pursuit of your love interest.

chapter one, spring. (when the flowers bloom.)

STATUS: NOT YET UNLOCKED.

route/s: ??

chapter two, summer. (the warmer half of the year.)

STATUS: NOT YET UNLOCKED.

route/s: ??

chapter three, autumn. (when the leaves fall from trees.)

STATUS: NOT YET UNLOCKED.

route/s: ??

chapter four, winter. (the colder half of the year.)

STATUS: NOT YET UNLOCKED.

route/s: ??

note: for the upcoming 600 milestone <3 this short series’ lovely concept is inspired by seasons of blossom. if you haven’t read the webtoon, please do because i legitimately swear ;-; genuinely the most beautiful story i’ve read,, not to mention the build-up — the fucking build up!! literally the top-tier kind of writing and talent i aspire to achieve in this lifetime >;(( i laughed, shed tears and blushed a whole lot from the plot :””> so im sincerely hoping my own rendition will do greatly deserved justice to it ٩(˘◡˘)۶

warning: will contain webtoon spoilers, so i’d suggest you avoid reading if you’re interested in seeing the original first!

status: masterlist’s style is a work in progress, and speculated characters may be subject to change.

Lovers’ Oath — soulmateau! Xiao x reader

soulmates au,,colours. only being able to see colours minutes after locking eyes with your soulmate.

soulmates. everyone has a soulmate, an everlasting cycle of returning to and meeting each other — no matter what. it’s a beautiful yet fragile concept, as fragile as human life

prologue , chapter one , chapter two

‘soulmates.

something everyone has but not everyone are fortunate enough to meet. tied together with an invisible bond,eternally returning and meeting —- no matter what lifetime or shape.

it’s a sensational feeling when you finally meet,a heart wrenching grief when you part,an insatiable curiosity to find them driven by a force you yourself do not know. you’re constantly searching for someone,the thought lingering at the back of your mind.when you finally come face to face with them,you think to yourself that it was all worth it.

the embodiment of fate’s divine choice itself,it’s a beautiful concept;

soulmates.’

it’s been awhile,so long that i no longer recall who said these words to me. the world was a blank canvas, the colours desaturated and dulled . i grew envious of those who could see the other version of it,the one full of life and colours.i’ve always wanted to see colours,hearing much about them from others.

no one knew why,or how they would suddenly be able to see the world’s hues.though,there have been ties to the miracle such as ‘maturity’ or the ‘right age’. the most speculated is ‘love’ ——— finding your own partner for life is said to be a wonderful, colourful experience.it can free you from your dark times,widen your understanding of the world. thus, being able to ‘see the true colours of the universe’.

how would i be able to achieve such a feat?

i want to remember,but i can’t. i want to know,but i don’t.

i want to meet you.

i’m always searching for someone,the feeling lurking in my mind since the beginning —— or as long as i knew. but,i’ve never managed to find out who.

i wonder,could someone like me have a soulmate too?

——

💋Single Dad Zhongli | A Beautiful Beginning

Warning: None (SFW)

Pairing: Single Dad!Zhongli X Fem!Reader

Mia's notes: wtf...I wrote 8,314 words for something. Like it took me weeks to write 10k words for a project I'm working on and I speed wrote this in 2 days fufufu. Anyways here is the first part of Single Dad Zhongli!! First part...I have to go through this a good 10 more times for the other characters...fuck. Anyways hope you enjoy reading this! Reblogs are appreciated! Love you guys!!

WC: 8.3k

When you get a look at him walking down the street in his turtleneck sweater and blazer, with his hair flowing in a perfect low ponytail, amber eyes practically glowing golden in the sunlight and that dashing smile on his lips, you’d think he was a god who had descended upon the earth to grace everyone with his presence.

He’s the ideal man; well mannered with his gentlemanly gesture, a silky deep voice that had you entrapped in his knowledgable talks of history and the sort, and how can we forget about his tall build and great looks? Really a one in a million kind of man.

Men and women admired how he carried himself during formal events, a wine glass in his hand and a warm smile on his face as he entertained the crowd, even though it wasn’t him hosting, most of the time.

During the day, he’s usually deep into his work, analysing various rock samples and writing down his reports, pushing the thin metal reading glasses up the bridge of his nose without his concentration flickering the slightest. Sometimes his eyes would flicker to the felt framed picture standing on his desk, him with two little kids in his arms, the three of them grinning widely.

When Zhongli is in job mode, stopping him is almost an impossible feat since he’s always so engrossed in the rocks that lay on the table.

His job as a lead geologist, working at the Natural History Museum never felt like a job to him, since his passion was in understanding the mysteries and beauties of Earth. History had always interested him ever since he was a child.

He’d often been invited to various exhibitions with other well-known people, and whenever he opened his mouth to talk of the beauty of the cor lapis or the noctilucous jade, a crowd gathered around him.

His job was well paying, really well paying. He had an apartment in one of the richer parts of town and if anyone ever had the pleasure of being invited to one of the parties he hosted, they’d be in awe of the sleek interiors and various geodes that decorated the rooms.

Everyone loved him for who he was, loved him so much that they’d even offer to pay for his meal if he ever forgot his wallet at home, an event that occurred one too many times. Of course, he would send a gift basket to their homes as a form of thanks.

Out of all the people who loved him, there were two little angels whose love surpassed everyone else’s, and who he loved in equal -possibly greater- amounts. His daughter of 7, Ganyu and his younger son of 3, Xiao.

He tries his best to balance his job and kids, and it shows. He always tried to take out time for his two children, making sure to come home on time to eat dinner with them and tuck them in, reading them their favourite bedtime stories and kissing them goodnight.

If ever he couldn’t make it home due to reasons, his assistant and kind-of babysitter, Aether was always there to take care of the kids. He was practically their elder brother by now, with how often he was with the kids, having known them for over 2 years.

Xiao, his little son, was a very naughty boy. Always throwing a fit and making life harder for Zhongli, and Aether whenever the poor man was left to care for the child. He wants the same book read to him every night, he wants 3 kisses before he sleeps and he must have his dragon stuffed toy or else…

Zhongli made a note to start disciplining Xiao since he was to start going to daycare soon, and he would have to behave well over there. Maybe he needs a little motivation. Something sweet…

To stop Xiao from crying about how the green paint didn’t colour his hair green permanently or how his feet were Missing when he put on his shoes, simply pass him a bowl of sweet almond tofu. In an instant, his sobs would dissipate as he starts stuffing his tiny mouth with the dessert. Zhongli would find it so amusing at times, giggling while wiping the syrup off of Xiao’s little lips.

Ganyu, his elder child, was mature much beyond her age. She loved drawing, loved doodling flowers and deer, like sketches littering her art books. Zhongli was always filled with pride whenever she showcased some of her artworks to his guests, enjoying how they gushed over her skill.

She loved playing with her dolls and dressing them up, saying that when she grows up, she’s going to make pretty dresses for her dolls to wear. She even promised her papa that she would make him a pretty princess gown and Zhongli laughed heartily, patting her head and telling her that he’d be looking forward to that day.

Ganyu was a quiet child and didn’t really like going to school since there were so many kids everywhere. Zhongli was there to comfort her, dropping her off at school and telling her to have a great day. He would also personally ensure that her lunch is packed and her bag has her homework.

First grade went smoothly, she even made a friend, Keqing. Zhongli was happy for her, seeing her open up and enjoy school. On a random day during second grade, she went in all excited, brighter than the sun that morning. But when Zhongli came to pick her up in the afternoon, a little(much) later than usual, his heart broke to see her crying figure curled in the lap of some woman sitting on the stairs at the main gate of the school. A really…pretty woman.

With work and his children, the question of finding love again… never came up.

Well, he did get tricked into going on blind dates, all thanks to his stupid friend Childe. But it just never worked out. All the women he met were peculiar. Some of them very obviously wanted him for his wealth, some of them just wanted to have a good time, and then some who he thought were nice, they just couldn’t handle taking care of children so fresh into the relationship.

Maybe he just wasn’t meant to have a lover again. Well, he did think he needed one nor did he think he could add romantic relations to his tight schedule. He had his sweet angels, he had his work. That was his life.

The desire to find love had long flickered away, all being left was the smoke coming from a dying candle.

But something sparked in him when that pretty woman raised her head and made eye contact with him, her smile so warm and serene.

“Hello. Do you happen to be Ganyu’s father?” You softly smiled at the man as he approached you in long, hurried strides. The school grounds were empty and the sun was almost setting down the horizon. Zhongli was very, very late that day. He gave a quick nod and kneeled in front of you, reaching to touch the shoulders of his quivering daughter.

“Angel? What’s wrong?” He tried prying her off you but all she did was shake her head and dig her nose deeper into your neck, clutching the neckline of your lilac tee in her small fingers. Zhongli was taken aback. His daughter was refusing his embrace?

His eyes searched yours for an answer as you shushed the crying child and patted her hair. “She’s upset that you arrived…later than the other parents. She thought you forgot about her.” Your brows furrow when her crying increases at your words. Zhongli sighed, a small smile appearing on his lips a second later.

He mouthed a thank you while sitting beside you so that his daughter could get a better view of him. “Ganyu, my little angel. I’m sorry for coming late, I promise I’ll buy you some ice cream to make up. Don’t you want to go home now?” He whispered, dropping his head down for him to look into her eyes, something he couldn’t do because of how snuggly she had been wrapped in your arms, face hidden against your skin. When he reached to cradle her red cheeks, Ganyu swatted her father’s hand away and vigorously shook her head against your neck. “No! I don’t want to talk to papa ever again.” She spoke, cries muffled.

Zhongli was at a loss for words. He was really sorry for his mistake and forgetting to tell Aether to pick Ganyu from school. He wanted to express his apology but what was he supposed to do now? He’s never had to encounter a situation when his perfect daughter acted out.

Again he looked at you with a desperate expression, pleading for some help. You gave him a subtle nod and looked back at Ganyu who was huddled up in your lap. You brushed away her falling tears with your thumb before talking to her in a hushed tone. “Ganyu, can you look at Miss Y/N for a moment? Please?” Zhongli felt his heart skip a beat at your honey-like voice, his astonishment increasing further when Ganyu pulled away to look into your eyes, occasionally hiccuping and wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeves.

You looked at her with a gentle understanding gaze, pulling out a handkerchief from your pocket for her to blow her nose. “Are you angry at papa?” You ask her, puffing your cheeks in exaggerated crossness, rousing a little giggle from her.

“Yes…papa forgot about me.” She sniffled, messily wiping her face with the cotton cloth. You tilt your head to the side and look at her questioningly. “But if papa forgot you, then why is he here to pick you up?” Your question made the little girl dart her gaze to Zhongli, who still had an ashamed smile on his face.

“Papa didn’t forget about Ganyu! How could he forget about his sweet little angel!” You make reference of the pet name Zhongli used for her, quickly catching his expression to see for any discomfort. Thankfully all you got in return was a charming smile. You poke Ganyu in her tummy, the ticklish feeling causing her to fall into a fit of laughter.

Seeing his daughter much calmer now, Zhongli tried again to pull her into his arms and this time she let him do so. He picked her from your lap and brought her in his own, hugging her tightly like he had never before, giving her the warmth and fatherly reassurance she needed. “I am so sorry Ganyu. Papa will be careful from next time, promise.” He vowed, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

You couldn’t help but feel your heart melt at the father-daughter bonding the two of them shared. The way he held her like the most precious being in the universe, it made you smile. Feeling the weight of a gaze upon him, Zhongli glanced at you, your eyes meeting and holding contact for a second too long.

“Oh, I am extremely sorry for coming late today. I assure you this is the first and last time this is happening. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you to stay and look after her.” Zhongli stood up and bowed slightly, holding Ganyu on his hip. He felt really bad for having put you in a position where you had no choice but to care for his daughter. Being a teacher, you surely had lots of work and other things to do, and he really appreciated you looking after Ganyu in his absence.

You laugh and wave your hands in front of you, brushing off his worry. “That is alright sir. Ganyu is a student of mine, and she’s no less than a daughter to me. Taking care of her is second nature to me.” You walk closer and pinch the girl’s cheeks and give her a wide smile, pulling a similar one from her.

When you took in a breath, the subtle smell of pinewood filled your senses, the smell of Zhongli’s cologne. Your face tipped up to see how close you were standing to the male and to respect his personal space, you took a step back, blushing profoundly. Only, Zhongli didn’t mind you standing so close to him, he quite liked it. But it wasn’t appropriate for him to voice those thoughts so he stayed silent on the matter.

Zhongli sighed in short-lived relief. “Though I am going to have to scold you for being late. Ganyu how do people who come to class late apologise?” You cross your arms playfully. Ganyu’s eyes light up as she tugs the lapel’s of her father's jacket. “Papa you will have to write on a paper ‘I am sorry for coming late’! You have to write it 20 times!” She exclaimed.

“Of course angel, I’ll get right to it when we get home okay?” He promised, giving a little oomph when Ganyu hugged his neck out of the blue. When you giggled softly, Zhongli peeked at you. That laugh of yours pulled his heartstrings and he joined you, the two of you giggling together.

“If that is all, then I should be bidding you farewell, Mister…” You trailed off, wordlessly asking the male in front of you for his name. He coughed and extended his free hand for you to shake. “Zhongli. Please, just Zhongli is enough.” Your smaller hand wrapped around his and your fingers felt so soft, Zhongli wondered if you’d held the clouds in your hands at some point during the day.

“I am Y/N. It is a pleasure to meet you, Zhongli.” His name coming from your lips felt so perfect. Never before had he felt warmth blooming across his face when someone spoke his name. This feeling was so strange yet so right at the same time.

The beginning of something wonderful and memorable.

Zhongli gazed at you warmly, “The pleasure is all mine Y/N.”

Aether was the most surprised, seeing Zhongli return with Ganyu in his arms and a giddy grin on his lips. You could practically see the halo of pink hearts floating around his head. “You look like you’re in a good mood. What’s up?” Aether chuckled, setting little Xiao in his seat and walking to take Ganyu and give her supper.

Zhongli snapped back to his original self, trying to gather his composure while walking into his house. “Nothing much, just met Ganyu’s teacher today.” Aether didn’t think much of it, brushing it off as a parent-teacher meeting, but sweet angel Ganyu had to open her mouth.

“Aether, Miss Y/N is the best teacher ever! She is so pretty and she makes me laugh and she even made papa laugh today. If Y/N didn’t help papa then I would still be mad at him. Even papa thinks Miss Y/N is pretty, right papa?” She blurted out, then proceeded to stuff her face with mashed potatoes.

The younger male glanced at his superior, smiling in amusement at the scarlet red blush that covered his embarrassed face. “Oh, is that so Zhongli?” He teased, giving him a knowing look.

To ease a forming lump in his throat, Zhongli walked to the fridge to grab himself a glass of water. “Yes, she is quite…beautiful and sweet. She was really nice to Ganyu when she started crying and it was very kind of her to take care of Ganyu when I reached to pick her up late and…I’m not going to speak any further for I don’t wish to embarrass myself more.” Zhongli gulped down the liquid and averted Aether’s gaze, one filled with mock and tease.

Days later Zhongli was still thinking about the attractive, kind teacher he met. Did he say attractive? Well, you definitely were, since he did find himself get attracted to you. Your smile and gentle eyes peering at him had etched themselves into his daydreams. It was quite strange, he never felt this sort of tightness in his chest before whenever he met another woman. But you, oh dear you, you had stained every vacant thought of his ever since that afternoon.

A knock on his bedroom door snapped him out of his thoughts. “Ahem, come in!” He called out, expecting it to be Aether with some reports or something of the sort. Only to his surprise, his daughter walked in, a sheet of paper and a bright red crayon in her hands.

“Hello angel. What’s the matter.” Zhongli spun in his chair and leaned down to lift his daughter in his arms, seating her on his lap. She laid the paper on top of his work and handed him the red crayon. “Papa you still have to write the apology to Miss Y/N! You have to write ‘I am sorry for coming late’ 20 times! Papa you promised!” The little girl huffed.

Zhongli laughed, but upon seeing Ganyu’s serious expression, his jest died down. She really did want him to write the apology. “Of course angel, I’ll start right away.” Even when he said that she refused to move from his lap until he started writing.

For his comfort, he used his own pen, the ink gliding across the sheet in his calligraphic handwriting. Whenever he finished writing down one sentence, his daughter cheered and counted down, a method of motivation which she had learnt from her teacher, she informed. Zhongli smiled to himself. Beautiful and smart. This woman kept surprising her.

“Andddd done!” He announced, putting a full stop at the end of his 20th sentence. He had to admit, even though he writes pages worth of writing in a single sitting, this punishment felt very taxing.

“Yay! Congratulations papa! Now when you give it to Miss Y/N tomorrow, she will surely give you a gold star.” His eyes widened and his cheeks warmed. “You want me to come to give it to her?” He inquired, making sure he heard her right the first time. Ganyu rolled her eyes dramatically, “Of course papa. If I give it to her, then she will think that I wrote the apology.”

Her reasoning was very valid for a 7-year-old, so Zhongli shrugged and decided to go along with it. “Then I shall come with you tomorrow.” He smiled. What a perfect opportunity to get to meet you again.

The next day when Zhongli woke up to take Ganyu to school, he felt…more eager to do that daily task. While getting ready, he spritzed on his favourite cologne, one which he saved for special occasions, he wore one of his better coats and sweaters and he made sure his hair looked better than it usually did. He thought to himself, ‘why am I dressing up so much? What is going on with me?’

And all his questions were answered when he walked into the school grounds and saw your smile as you greeted the other children and parents. You were practically glowing, shining brighter than a diamond in the moonlight. You walked to the children who were reluctant to leave their parents and you encouraged them, gave them the confidence to join you in your classroom.

“Papa come! We need to meet Miss Y/N before you go!” Ganyu’s excited figure pulled Zhongli through the crowd of adults and kids until he found himself standing a few feet from you. He froze up when Ganyu left his hand and darted towards you, engulfing your leg in a bear hug. He should also greet you, it’s polite to do so.

“Good morning, Ganyu! How are you today?” You kneeled to her eye level and conversed with her, grinning at her enthusiastic replies. “I am very good! I was a big girl yesterday and I made papa write the sorry note for you. Please give him a gold star!”

Your E/C trailed up to the man who stood behind Ganyu, his lips turned in a lopsided grin. “Oh is that so?” You look at him with a playfulness in your tender gaze, he couldn’t stop his heart rate from increasing.

He pulled out the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to you, praying that when you take it from him, your hands would meet. He really wanted to feel your feather-soft touch once again. And thankfully the archons above heard his prayers for when you reached out to grab the paper, you lightly touched his warm hand, your touch sending waves of homeliness through him. Was it too soon to describe that feeling as homeliness? Maybe, but that word was just perfect to describe the sensation taking over him.

A delighted giggle escaped your lips as you unfolded the paper to find that he had indeed written the apology 20 times. You were amazed by his beautiful handwriting, almost finding it hard to believe that he wrote it and it wasn’t the product of a professional calligraphy artist.

“Ganyu, why don’t you go join your friends in class? I am sure Keqing is waiting for you.” You wink at her, seeing her bubble excitedly. She gave her father a quick hug and ran inside, leaving you and Zhongli standing in front of each other.

“She never stops talking about you.” You beam at him starting a conversation as the other students started crowding into the main building. The pride that filled his amber eyes beckoned you to speak further, wanting to see more of his handsome expression.

“She admires and idolises you, Zhongli. She always tells all her friends bout how her papa knows everything about the earth and she even told us stories about how the Liyuan Canyon was formed as a result of years of erosion by the river. She had the whole class captivated, I’ve never seen the students so quiet and interested in history.” You giggle as he sheepishly laughs and rubs his neck.

“Thank you for your kind words. Though I must express, you are a role model for her as well. She always talks about the pretty teacher who pays attention to all the students’ needs and encourages her to perform her best” He complimented, only realising he called you pretty when he recalled his words after seeing you blush. “Oh dear, I am really sorry. That was not professional of me.” He spluttered. ‘What happened to the calm and composed Zhongli?’ He cursed himself.

“I don’t mind the compliment Zhongli. Thank you.” You looked to the side to avoid his eyes, but when you noticed the emptiness around you, you realised that you had a class to take care of. “I should probably get back to my students.” You patted your clothes out of instinct as you waved at him and turned to walk away.

Zhongli mistook your hurry as discomfort from calling you pretty. Just as he was about to scowl at himself, you looked over your shoulder and grabbed his attention. “And about your gold star, how about I give it to you when you come to pick Ganyu in the afternoon?” Your offer to hang out with him for a while longer did not go unnoticed.

He stood tall and fixed his blazer, mirroring your gentle smile. “I’ll be looking forward to my reward.”

That afternoon he was greeted with you waiting to put a gold star sticker on the breast pocket of his blazer, Ganyu getting excited at how her father got his first sticker. All day that day, he subconsciously ran his fingers over the smooth star-shaped sticker, smiling to himself.

From that day, your relation progressed from father and teacher to some sort of friends.

In the crowd, his face was the one you’d always be most eager to see and he yours.

The two of you would talk of trivial topics before the school bell rang and you had to leave for your respective job; and in the afternoons he would stay back a little longer, your conversations drawing him in as Ganyu played in the grounds.

Your nightingale like voice and childlike expression whenever you spoke of something that excited you made him sigh in happiness. His mind was all fuzzy and he felt like he could spend hours just hearing you talk and admiring your beautiful features.

Conversations with you were never dull, you always kept Zhongli on his toes with the tales you had to offer about your teaching experience and he entertained you with historical stories that had your interests piqued.

One day you told him that Ganyu mentioned during a presentation that she had a little brother and you were hoping to see a picture of him. Happy to fulfil your request, Zhongli pulled out his phone and swiped through the gallery, showing you various pictures of him, Ganyu and Xiao.

He laughed heartily when you snatched his device and gushed over his younger child, commenting about how much he resembles his father. You even requested to meet him someday and Zhongli was more than excited for you to meet Xiao.

The first time you met Xiao, Zhongli was slightly nervous, constantly reminding Xiao to be on his best behaviour. He knew it would be hard for a toddler to follow such strict instructions, but a man could dream.

To his surprise, Xiao was much more mannered when you walked over and greeted him in your baby voice. His eyes were wide and head tilted to get a better look at your face from his father’s arms.

Looking at Zhongli for perMission to hold him and receiving a nod in return, you opened your arms, getting ready to hold him. Zhongli expected his son to shrink back, but Xiao’s eagerness to jump into your arms startled him.

Picking up the 3-year-old on your hip, you asked him questions such as his name and age, cooing whenever he answered. Your praises embarrassed him and he hid himself in your hair, softly playing with your H/C ends.

“I’ve never seen him this quiet. Are you sure you’re not a divine being?” Zhongli’s eyes lidded as he exhaled deeply, a lovestruck expression drawn on his face. You blushed at his words and gave your much more accurate reply. “I guess I am just good with children. I like them and they like me, isn’t that true little Xiao.” You booped his nose and he snorted a laugh in return, proving your claim.

The 15 minutes he stayed back turned into an hour, the three of you walking to a nearby park and sitting on a bench while Ganyu tried catching butterflies in her little fingers.

Often Zhongli would buy you some coffee or tea from a local cafe, whatever is your preference. Many a time you told him that he had no need to, but he insisted, saying that it was a treat, from one friend to another.

In the chilly autumn afternoons, with the sun’s dim light shining between the withering leaves, Zhongli came to fall in love with you, staring at your features as you cradled Xiao in your lap, poking his nose and laughing with Ganyu whenever he sneezed cutely.

But, what was he to do with these feelings?

“Papa! Papa!” His little daughter burst into his room, with Aether and Xiao trailing behind her. Zhongli’s eyes darted up from his work and he took off his specs, jumping from his seat to kneel in front of his frantic daughter. “Ganyu? Is everything alright?” His eyes scanned her for any injuries, raising an eyebrow when he saw her with an ear to ear smile.

“Papa it is Miss Y/N’s birthday tomorrow! We have to specially meet her tomorrow! We have to make her a card and buy her a gift! We need to buy her a pretty diamond necklace.” Ganyu rambled on, various gift ideas pouring out her mind. Zhongli smiled and shook his head. “Yes, we do need to buy her a pretty gift. Why don’t you go put on some shoes and we’ll go shopping right now?” Ganyu squealed and ran out of the room.

“Ah is this the reason you declined day after tomorrow’s invitation to the Historian Meet?” Aether wiggled his eyebrows at Zhongli, causing him to roll his eyes at Aether’s childishness. “It’s nothing like that. Y/N invited us to her house for her birthday dinner and I thought it would be quite rude to decline her offer over something that happens every second month.” He tried justifying himself. A simpler reason would have been, ‘I like her and I want to spend more time with her.’

That year her birthday fell on a Saturday and she had invited Zhongli and his children for a celebration dinner on Sunday, just the 4 of them. When she asked him over the phone if he could make it, Zhongli nodded like an eager child and then slapped his forehead in realisation that she couldn’t see him.

In the afternoon, Zhongli and Aether took Ganyu and Xiao to the shopping complex, and the two children who would usually be so engrossed in buying for themselves, their only goal for today was to find the perfect gift go you.

“Papa should we buy her a dress? I want to pick a dress for her!” Ganyu whined and pulled the others into a boutique. “I’ll take care of Xiao while you help Ganyu select a gift.” Aether declared, leaving the father to fend for himself.

A good 20 minutes it took for the 7-year-old to select a dress, with the assistance of her father and a store clerk. Zhongli was in awe of the floor-length mermaid shaped silver dress that Ganyu tugged from the shelves, proclaiming that it was the perfect gift for Miss Y/N. He sure hoped that his estimate of her dress size was accurate enough to fit her.

This is a very good choice Angel. You really like Miss Y/N, don’t you?” Zhongli gave her a close eyed smile, paying for the dress at the check out counter. She nodded vigorously, “Yes! Miss Y/N is my favourite and I know she’s your favourite too!” Zhongli choked on air as the cashier subtly smirked, having overheard their conversation.

“Ganyu! You don’t speak like that in public!” Zhongli spoke sternly but didn’t deny her statement. “Sir, I know it’s not my place to say, but would you like to check out our selection of pendants? Maybe you could find something of your liking.” The cashier offered, gesturing to the display of necklaces and gems aplenty.

Zhongli hummed to himself. A pendant would be a nice gift, holding great emotion and even hints of intimacy. He felt a tug on his pants and his daughter was having thoughts that overlapped with his. Maybe a necklace would be a perfect gift along with the dress.

Finally, the night of the dinner came. You were getting restless, repeatedly smoothening your knee-length dress while checking your make up in the mirror. How this night would end, you had no knowledge. But you really wanted to try your best, hoping to woo the man you had been developing feelings for.

When the bell rang, your heart pumped faster in your chest as you darted across your small apartment to open the door. There on the other side was Zhongli, Xiao on his hip and Ganyu standing beside him, clinging to his pants. Behind them was a blonde man you’ve never seen before, who you assumed to be Aether by the description Zhongli had given you in the past.

“Good evening Y/N. Wishing you the happiest birthday.” Zhongli leaned forward and pressed an air kiss to either of your cheeks in greeting. Seeing the way his father kissed your cheeks, Xiao reached forward and wrapped his hands around your neck, the suddenness of his action making you jolt forward to catch him and Zhongli scrambling to catch you with his free hand, in case you fall. Xiao cutely pressed a big kiss to your right cheek and then your left, mumbling a small hello.

Your face turned ruby red. But not at the child’s kiss. Zhongli’s hand was firmly gripping your waist as he held Xiao, the boy leaning on you in a very awkward position. The tension was thick, your eyes stayed fixed on Zhongli’s bright eyes as even he found it hard to tear away from his gaze from yours.

Thankfully, a deliberate cough from Aether helped snap you back to reality. “Let me hold him. And please! Do come in.” You took Xiao from Zhongli’s arms and opened the door wider, letting the 3 of them in. “I hope you don’t mind me calling Aether along, I required some assistance with the children.” He apologised.

“Nonsense! I am so happy to finally put a face to the name. It is great to finally meet you Aether. Zhongli doesn’t stop talking about how helpful you are, be it with his kids or in general.” You extend your free hand to shake his, getting a cheeky smile from him in return. “It is wonderful to finally see the Y/N that has Mr Zhongli daydreaming and-.”

“Oh by the way, here is your present. Ganyu selected it herself.” Zhongli grinned and took a well-wrapped box from Aether, preventing him from talking any further. You giggled at his obviousness and walked to the couch, sitting down and pouring some drinks for everyone, handing the kids a carton of fruit juice each.

“Come on Miss Y/N! Open your present!” Ganyu bounced on the couch in excitement, pushing the box further up your lap. Zhongli was ready to tell her off for misbehaving, but you quickly puller her to your side and together started ripping off the nicely done wrapping paper. Zhongli hissed internally at how messy the two of you were being, but seeing to smile at Ganyu’s elated figure, he guessed that you did that for her happiness.

“I hope you like it Miss Y/N!” Ganyu played with her fingers as you lifted the lid of the box. Even Zhongli sat on the edge of his seat, waiting to see your reaction. He was more than pleased when you gasped and squealed, pulling out the sequinned fabric of the dress. You stood up and pressed the clothing to your chest, the dress draping in front of you. Zhongli imagined you in that dress, looking absolutely stunning with your current makeup and hairdo. He could hear the drumming of his heart in his ears, but that wasn’t able to drown out the sounds of you thanking him for buying you such a wonderful present.

“Please, I wanted to treat you. A wonderful person such as yourself only deserves the best.” He beamed as you folded the dress and carefully put it back in the box, ready to store it to be worn on a special occasion.

After a little more talking and laughing, the children started complaining about feeling hungry. Seeing the clock, you clapped your hands and announced that it was indeed time for dinner.

Once you seated everyone at the dining table and disappeared into the kitchen to bring dinner, Aether kicked Zhongli from under the table. Aether’s wide eyes and curled lips along with his head tilting towards the kitchen struck Zhongli as an instruction to go help Y/N. Not only out of politeness but also for some alone time.

He left the table and walked into the kitchen to see you gathering plates and bowls for everyone. He offered to help and even after you denying, he was resilient. Finally, you gave up and let him lend a hand, setting the plates and cutlery on the table.

He helped you carry all the dishes you prepared by hand. He wasn’t very happy that you went through the pain of cooking everything, especially since it was your birthday celebration, but the flavourful smell wafting through the air made him look forward to the meal.

At one point during the set up, the two of you reached for the same pot of curry sitting atop the counter, your fingers making contact. Like lovestruck teenagers, you stared at each other and started blushing, both offering to take it out instead. Using your ‘my house, my rules’ ability, you went and placed the final serving bowl on the table, with Zhongli trailing behind you only a breath away, bumping into you when you suddenly turned.

“Dig in!” You announced and everyone started eating. Moans of satisfaction and exclamations of ‘so yummy!’ filled the dining room, making you bashful.

Zhongli praised your cooking, telling you how he’s never tasted such delicious home cooked food and if he had a choice, he would eat such food for the rest of his life. Only when he was drinking water did he realise the implied meaning of his words. When he looked at you, he was relieved to see you smiling at him, in a way that showed that you accepted that hidden meaning. Could it be…

Dinner went by as smooth as it could. Yes, Xiao did start crying about how he did not want to eat his vegetable because they were yucky. Aether and Zhongli tried their best to convince him to eat, using methods such as the aeroplane and the chop chop train, but all in vain. Thankfully you stepped in to save the day.

Only when you did the aeroplane did Xiao agree to eat! He was happily eating the beans from your fork as if that was his plan all along, to be fed by you. You laughed at how Zhongli’s mouth was hung open. His own son had betrayed him, he wasn’t going to forget that ever.

Zhongli seemed to find more and more things about you to admire, from the way you were able to keep his children well behaved and still joyous with your humorous anecdotes to how you gelled well with Aether, laughing with him about Zhongli’s embarrassing parenting moments.

Eventually, dinner came to an end. Xiao very conveniently crawled into his father’s lap during dinner and fell asleep against his shoulder and Ganyu’s head was lolling around as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Aether announced that it was time for him to take the children home since it was much past their bedtime and they had school the next day. As you went to shake Ganyu awake, she grabbed your hand and pulled your face down so that she could whisper in your ear.

“Papa has a special gift for you. I hope you like it.” And she was out like a light bulb.

You smiled to yourself and carried her downstairs, not wanting to bother the father or his friend with the task. Aether was quite thankful and once you were walking down the stairs, he caught Zhongli’s eye and winked at him teasingly, enjoying the reawakening blush on his face.

You and Zhongli set his kids in the backseat and buckled them up snuggly. Aether and Zhongli spoke a while and you not wanting to pry in their conversation continued to make the kids feel comfortable in their seats. A smile graced your face and their sleepy figures as you closed the door.

Aether stepped into the car and waved at you and Zhongli, the male finding his spot beside you.

“Are you staying a little longer?” You asked, hoping that he wasn’t going to head off for some last minute meeting or anything. Zhongli turned around to face your apartment building, lifting his arm and sticking out his elbow for you to grab. “I’ll stay if you want me to.”

You beamed at his offer and grabbed his forearm, walking with him back to your house. “Ah, I completely forgot about the cake!” You walked to the kitchen with Zhongli trailing behind you. From the fridge, you pulled out a small chocolate cake with Happy Birthday frosted on in royal red icing. “My cousin is a baker and she sent it for me. I was really hoping to share it with you and your kids.” You chuckle nervously, placing the cake on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“Well, maybe you can cut it in my presence and bring it over tomorrow to my place. We can have it along with a nice cup of coffee if you’ll accept my invitation.” He spoke while lighting up the birthday candles, both of you sitting side by side on the couch, your bodies almost touching. All either of you needed was a little encouraging push.

You nodded at him and picked up the knife. “Well, time to blow out the candles and make a wish!” You exclaim, closing your eyes and leaning forward. You were silent for a second, making your wish and once you opened your eyes, you blew the candles. Zhongli clapped as you cut a slice and before you could pick it up, he beat you to it, lifting the confectionary to your lips. “Birthday girl gets the first bite.”

You couldn’t deny the tension in the air when you wrapped your fingers around his wrist to guide the cake to your mouth. He couldn’t deny the feelings bubbling in his heart when you laughed with a face full of chocolate. Both of you could read the others eyes when he leaned forward to swipe some frosting off your lips.

“I…I umm brought you a gift. Apart from the dress.” He blushed and reached into his blazer pocket, pulling out a long velvet box. He sat up in front of you and opened the box to reveal a pendant- a gorgeous pearl-shaped one, the gem of a soft pink shade sparkling in the lighting of your house.

“Zhongli…this is so beautiful.” You hesitated to touch the gift, not knowing its monetary worth, but with his encouragement, you reach forward to brush your fingers against the silver chain and the glistening gem. You looked away from the necklace and saw his gentle eyes on you, taking in your fascinated expression. “Zhongli…can you help me put it on?”

He was taken aback by your request. Asking him to help you with your necklace, it was a direct request to be touched, for him to brush his fingers in butterfly soft motions over your skin. A request for intimacy.

He gulped and nodded, carefully picking the necklace out of its case while you turned around and lifted your hair, exposing your neck. The sweet smell of your perfume hit his nose and it was a lucky coincidence that you were unable to see his shaking fingering and red ears.

“This gem, it’s a rose quartz. And it does have some…meaning, if you wish to put it that way.” You shivered when the cold metal touched your collarbone, it sliding up your skin as Zhongli tried to clasp it behind your neck. You could feel his breath fan over the nape of your neck. “What’s its significance.” You whispered, the tone of the rooming dimming down.

“It…It’s a symbol of unconditional love. Of the purest and sincerest of emotions, from one person to another.” The click of metal signalled that the necklace was locked around your neck. You looked down to admire it in your fingers, giving great attention to how Zhongli’s hands dropped down to your waist. He shuffled closer, closer enough for your back to hit his chest and his chin rest on your shoulder, his burning cheek right up against yours.

You allowed his faint embrace, leaning back to rest your weight against him. He hummed in your ear softly. You could feel his Adam’s apple bob nervously as if he was itching to speak. A moment later, he found the courage to pour out his feelings.

“Y/N...I have a confession to make.” He pulled from you, causing you to shift in your seat and face him. You smile at his gentle smiling, feeling his hand reach up to cradle your cheek. Relaxing against his warmth, a satisfied breath escaped your lips as you slowly nodded your head, giving him to go to speak on.

“The reason I chose this gem was…as a confession of my growing feelings for you. I don’t know how or when it happened, but now when I look into your eyes, I…there’s no way around this.” He blushed bashfully and looked to the side, unable to collect his thoughts and convert them into words.

“Zhongli…just tell me what you’re feeling. Who knows, maybe I’ll reciprocate your feelings…” You lift your other hand to cover your pink cheeks. He chuckled lightly at slanted in your direction, till you could see the golden threads of his irises.

“Well then if I may be so bold to confess…Y/N, I have developed romantic feelings for you. My confession is in no means a way for you to feel obligated to feel for me back-“ He was going to ramble out a long apology after his small confession.

Your smile grew and you threw yourself into Zhongli’s arms, rubbing your nose against his neck. The overwhelming feeling of happiness was intoxicating as you giggled into his shoulder. “I like you too Zhongli. Like a lot.” Your confession, so simple yet filled with so many emotions, Zhongli laughed in relief hearing your words.

“I am so happy you feel that way.” His arms tightened around your waist, squeezing you in a bear hug. You squeal in his hold and pull your face away to see his soft happy smile. His smile faltered when he noticed how close your lips were to his, he could feel your warm breath on his lips, the sensation quite ticklish.

“May I…may I kiss you Y/N?” He gulped. Your lips brushed over his when you nodded and a wild part of him came to life.

His hands flew up to cup your cheeks as he pulled you in, placing his lips on top of yours with such gentleness, it made your head feel dizzy. His soft lips danced with yours in harmony, parting and meeting yours again and again. He delicately brushed his thumbs over your cheekbones, drawing you deeper into the kiss. Your hands dropped to his sweater, clutching the wool in your fingers. His kisses had you feeling drunk, and with every breath and gasp for air, you pulled him in for more.

You shifted closer to him till your thighs touched, every contact had electricity zooming through your nerves. Your fingers found the ends of his well-kept hair and shamelessly you tangled your digits in his soft chocolate locks, bringing him even closer if possible. His hands trailed down to your lower back, arching you closer to his body, till the warmth of your chest pressed against his. Your warmth… radiated that home like feeling again, and Zhongli welcomed that with open arms, holding you like the most precious being in the world.

Thoughts ran crazy in Zhongli’s head. He knew that if he ever had the opportunity to kiss you, your lips would feel so smooth against his, but he never expected it to feel so…perfect. As if his lips were made to kiss yours, fitting together like puzzle pieces. Butterflies flew crazily in his stomach, a sensation he’d completely forgotten about before he met you. You entered his life and gave him the love he didn’t know he missed and now that he had a little taste, he craved more and more of you.

Separating for real this time, you panted, feelings his heavy breath against you. You lifted your head and bite your lip, stopping that huge grin from appearing on your face. Zhongli didn’t want to hold back his happiness. He laughed and hugged you tight, peppering kisses on your cheeks.

“I am so happy you’ve agreed to accept my feelings Y/N. So very happy.” He cheered, words trailing off as his eyes fell upon you again. He pecked your lips, once then twice, making sure the events that just happened weren’t a dream.

“So what does this mean for us? Do you think Ganyu and Xiao will be fine with you having a lover?” You hesitated with your words, trying to voice out your concerns. He understood your worries and grabbed your hands, bringing them up for him to place gentle kisses on your knuckles. “I think they’d be quite welcoming. They love you already and having you join our little family would bring them great happiness. That is, if you’re ready to?” Zhongli whispered softly, knowing the responsibility you would be agreeing to if you accept.

You think for a minute, then flip your hands to place Zhongli’s on top, giving butterfly kisses to his nervous hands. “I don’t know if I can think that far ahead. But what I know is that at this moment, I want to be with you, I want to be with Ganyu and Xiao. I want to see your face, first thing when I wake up and I want to kiss the children before they sleep. If you’ll have me, the way I am?”

Zhongli didn’t even need to give it a second thought, he was already nodding his head and pulling you against his chest, kissing you all over again. Hearing your angelic giggles and feeling your electrifying touch, Zhongli knew that for the first time in a long time, he was ready to love again.

halo-halo dreams

this is a belated bday gift for my beloved Tall Best Friend @starrymaidensthings !! she likes xiao and she likes halo-halo so naturally i was like mm yes let’s combine those two MUHAHAHA HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILY

notes: halo-halo is a dessert served here in the Philippines!! its name literally means ‘mix-mix’. i wrote this bc i realised that hey halo-halo has leche flan in it and leche flan looks kinda like almond tofu,, what if we mixed the two,,,, anyways i don’t really eat halo-halo often but if someone ever actually does mix almond tofu and halo-halo I’m willing to try it!!!

It was no secret that the Vigilant Yaksha did not care for mortal food— his opinion was always the same if he was asked about it. ‘I have no interest in mortal food. Cooking is tedious and the wait is long. The one thing I can manage to stomach is Almond Tofu.’

So when Xiao came to Verr Goldet asking for permission to use the kitchen of Wangshu Inn for a few days, she stared at him as if he’d grown a third eye.

“By all means, you may, but…”

Keep reading

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Genshin Impact :

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Chapter 2: I love you (part 2) (EN)

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