Adventures of ZHONGLI [Genshin Impact]

First Date

"(Y/N), (Y/N)! Hurry up! I see him outside!" Hu Tao seemed more excited than you did about your date. She had been running around the day before, gathering the 'prettiest' dresses for you. Most of them were black or white, so naturally, you refused them.

"Geez, Hu Tao. You were the one who told me to look nicer. Not that he would care." Mumbling the last sentence, you finish with your eyes. The night before, Hu Tao had convinced you to match with Zhongli. He often had an orange line under his eyes and you, in turn, did a gold underline. You brushed out the creases in your new dress. It was a (F/C) hanfu with beautiful (Cloud/Flower) decorations.

"I know I know, but please." The brunette squealed as she rushed to your side and placed a few metal, flower hairpins in your hair. "Perfect. Now get out of here!"

"Hey- Hu Tao... wait!" Pushing you out of the house, Hu Tao giggles as you fall into someone's arms.

"Good morning, (Y/N)." Smiling down at you, Zhongli's eyes were warm. Quickly realizing your situation, you get off the man and scowl at the closed door you had come from. Sighing to yourself, you turn back to Zhongli and stare at the ground. Since the last time the two of you had spoken in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao had made the two of you meet up a few more times. As a result of the most recent, Zhongli had asked if you could spend a day with him in Liyue.

"Where are we going first?" You still couldn't bring yourself to look at Zhongli, so you opted for the colourful decorations around the street the two of you were on.

"(Y/N), you look beautiful." That had caught you off guard. Spinning to stare at the male, he was wearing a cute, white dress shirt with a light blue vest. It was topped with a dark blue ribbon fashioned into a bow. The gem in the center twinkled in the morning light. It seemed that Zhongli wasn't wearing his usual one-sided earring anymore. His hands were free of his black gloves and archer rings. Behind him, his vision shone dimly as he moved closer to you.

"(Y/N)? Are you feeling alright?" The times you had seen Zhongli recently, he had been more aware of how you were feeling. When you stared into space or looked uncomfortable, he'd ask if you were alright.

"Y-yea, I'm fine. J-just- never mind." You smiled softly as a pink tint made its way onto your cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Zhongli's eyebrows furrowed as he pondered what to do. "If you say so." Nudging his elbow in your direction, the man's kind smile had come back. Carefully, you placed your hands in the crook of Zhongli's elbow and the two of you started to walk.

"I heard there were some interesting merchants coming to Liyue today. I thought you'd like to see what they have." You could hear the fragility in his voice. Zhongli was really trying to go very slowly with you. Instead of replying to him, you simply nodded your head. "Shall we get something to eat before we go?"

"Wamin Restaurant?" Giving him a gentle smile, you tried your best to feel enthusiastic, but there was something in your heart you couldn't get past.

"If that's what the lady wants." The two of you entered Wamin Restaurant and were quickly seated in a private room. "What would you like to eat today?"

"What about (Favourite Liyue dish)? They were tasty at the Wangshu Inn." Zhongli nodded as a waiter came over to take his order. After speaking Yue to the waiter, Zhongli smiled at you. Looking away uncomfortably, you started to fiddle with your chopsticks, arranging and rearranging them.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" You couldn't take it much longer. All he did was stare at you, not a single word spoken. Quickly, Zhongli's eyes averted, but he couldn't hide the pink growing on his cheeks.

"...Cute." You couldn't hear the first part, but you definitely heard that last work. At this, your face grew hot as a waiter carrying a few plates rushed over to your table. The food smelled divine as you watched the steam roll off the neatly placed dish. There was a low laugh as Zhongli looked at you with a helpless expression.