Zhonglumi One-Shots

Teatime Crescendo

Summary: Before Lumine departs to Inazuma, Zhongli invites her for tea to get something off his chest.

A knock on the door had Zhongli straighten up from the tea kettle. The one who he waited for that evening had arrived. On such a gloomy, rainy evening, it would be a welcomed reprieve to speak to her. It might be his last chance to tell what laid on him so heavily. Feelings as turbulent as the storm rolling over the harbor preoccupied him to the point of being unable to taste his food or concentrate on whatever book he read. That night, they would finally be voiced.

Zhongli opened the door to see Lumine leaning against the doorframe, the light misting of rain having dampened down her hair as she hugged herself tightly, shivering. Her breath came out in small clouds from the chill as she panted. She must have sprinted through the dreary weather just to make it.

"I'm late...sorry..."

Zhongli smiled sympathetically. "You must be freezing. Come in, tea should be ready in a moment."

She followed him to the living room, vigorously rubbing her arms as she did. It was a humble apartment, certainly not anything one could get lost in. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor covered his living expenses, so he had no reason to complain. A couch, a chair, and a tea table made up the entirety of the room's furnishings, along with an assortment of intriguing knickknacks he picked up from markets around Liyue.

"Where's your companion?" said Zhongli, seating her on the couch.

"Oh, Paimon? She's still at Wanmin Restaurant. Xiangling had a new dish she wanted her to try, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. Sorry I'm so late..."

Zhongli swaddled the blanket over her before taking a seat next to her.

"It certainly seems you were making the most of your last day in Liyue," he said, handing her a cup of tea. "Not even the rain could stop you."

She took a sip. "The boat leaves in the morning, so I didn't have any time to waste. I'm...really going to miss it here."

It made his heart ache to see her face fall like that.

"You're welcome back anytime. I hope you never hesitate to come see me."

"I was surprised to get that letter from you. You know I would come say goodbye whether you wrote one or not, right?"

"Forgive me, but there was something I needed to tell you before your departure, traveler," he said quietly. "Something you deserve to know."

Her eyes widened with worry, like a deer surveying a strange meadow.

"Like what? Do you regret handing over the gnosis?"

"Nothing that dire, I assure you. It involves a different contract I made much more recently."

His heartbeat quickened. This was not a rehearsal in a mirror or a quiet musing under his breath while walking around the harbor like all the other times. It was a real, tangible moment he had envisioned since their time together.

"It's unique in that it's not written with ink and paper. No, instead, it has been etched into the very core of my being. A promise...to you."

He swallowed, mouth having suddenly gone very dry. The fluttering in his chest had grown more and more frantic with every word he spoke. Lumine remained silent, clinging to every bit of it, like she always had. Such a good listener she was, perhaps one of the many reasons why he was so drawn to her. He continued.

"When you walk this earth as long as I, you tend to disprove for yourself things such as 'love at first sight.' But you...you have very nearly achieved such a feat. Whether it was 'love at first flower gathering' or 'love at first Notilucous Jade evaluation,' I found myself utterly enraptured by you in what felt like the span of a single breath."