A/N 2.7 Perilous Trail spoilers
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"Shh... don't be so loud..."
"Hu Tao, give me back my Kamera."
"Just give me a minute..."
Tartaglia winced at the noises, and opened his eyes slowly. He found himself staring at some beige fabric, and upon trailing his eyes upwards, he realized that Zhongli was still fast asleep, clutching him tightly. Even in his sleep, his beige blouse remained unwrinkled, his unbound hair spilling over his shoulder and over his pillow, looking as ethereal as a dragon.
The Harbinger whined, and pressed his cheek against Zhongli's shirt. He was so nice and comfortable, he had almost forgotten just why he had woken up.
"Ah, he's awake..."
Tartaglia blinked in confusion, before tilting his head.
Hu Tao had a Kamera in her hands, Aether was shaking his head while Chongyun tried to pull Xingqiu away, "Come on, it's rude."
Behind them, Ayato was drinking boba tea (where did he even get that?) along with Thoma, both of them observing the spectacle like it were a play.
"Wakey, wakey, lovey doveys." Hu Tao snickered, snapping a picture of his confused face.
"Wha..." Tartaglia tried to sit up without disturbing Zhongli, reaching out to snatch the Kamera, "Why, you little-"
"Nah uh uh. Bad Tarantula." Hu Tao waggled her finger at him, yanking the Kamera out of his grasp, "You already stole my consultant, you can't take this too."
"It doesn't even belong to you, give it back." Aether whined.
"That's not even my name. If you're so bad at speaking that you can't even pronounce my name right, I already gave you an easier name to call me by." Tartaglia mocked, "Or perhaps is "Childe" too difficult for you to pronounce?"
"You are childish, so..." Hu Tao shrugged, "You dug your own grave there, Master Tortilla."
"I will kill you, and stuff you in your own coffin. I hope you have one prepared for yourself. I'll even foot the bill for it." Tartaglia threatened, attempting to move Zhongli's arms away so he could throttle the younger girl, but a warning growl that came out of nowhere stopped him.
Before he could even reach, Zhongli yanked him back down, cuddling him against his chest like a dragon protecting his hoard of treasures, letting out a rumble from the back of his throat that sounded suspiciously like a purr as he fell back asleep.
Hu Tao's eyes gleamed, and she snapped another picture with Aether's Kamera.
"If Paimon starts grilling you about Mora because I have to buy more film, don't say I didn't warn you." Aether let out a tired sigh of resignation, before turning back to Tartaglia.
"Go back to sleep, most of the others are sleeping in. Can't say I blame them; Jean and Ayato are severely overworked, and being stuck here without being able to finish their backload of paperwork is probably weighing on them as well." Aether shook his head, "But I do suggest you get your Zhongli-Xiansheng up soon, lest you want more teasing courtesy of Guuji Yae."
"I'll try. He's sleeping like a rock." Tartaglia nudged Zhongli gently, not wanting to wake him up, while Aether chuckled at the joke.
It took some time before Chongyun and Aether managed to corral Hu Tao and Xingqiu away, on the pretext of pranking the "stuffy Winery owner Master Diluc", and Tartaglia heaved a sigh of relief at the silence.
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