Knock, knock. "Hello? Somebody there?" Patiently you wait at the front door of the Funeral Parlor for somebody to open it.
A short wait later the door finally opens and a pair of golden eyes looks down on you. "(Y/N), you came back. Please come in."
Since you don't want to seem impolite you simply follow him and decide to ask him about the item you lost later if you don't find it on your way inside. Even though Zhongli is as politely calm as always, your guts tell you that something is wrong. But you brush it aside as a side effect of the last private conversation you had with him.
Having arrived in his office the Archon closes the door behind him. "So, what brings you here that late?"
"Well, I might have lost my pouch in here. And also because I wanted to properly say thank you and goodbye if I'm already at it."
"...You want to say goodbye?"
"Not forever of course. But most likely I will be leaving soon. I know that I promised you that I would spend time with you after the conflicts here in Liyue have settled down but sadly my time is more limited than yours. If I don't maintain the pace then who knows what will happen. I don't want to be responsible for a catastrophy."
Any warmth that was in Zhonglis eyes has vanished by now. He nevertheless throws the pouch towards you and you successfully catch it. "So you are disrespecting our contract for the sake of a story you play no crucial part in and for the satisfaction of your curiosity?"
"The last part may be true but what do you mean with betraying our contract? I am not lying to you nor betraying you."
"Don't you believe that leaving a person for a longer period of time could potentially damage the bond which is between you and them – especially when that person would prefer you to stay? Isn't that act by itself a betrayal?"
You take a step backwards. "No, desperately clinging to something is rarely good. A break can even be beneficial."
"In the end there is no prove to either of our perceptions so we have to find a definition on which both of us can agree to."
"I'm all ears."
"You stay here, in Liyue. I will not force you to constantly stay at my side so you can do as you please inside the borders of Liyue as long as it doesn't endanger your life."
"That's supposed to be a... compromise? I don't want to imagine how he originally expected things to be like..." Nervously you play with the hem of your sleeves. "Is this your last offer?"
Zhongli nods. "It is."
"...Fine.", you give in under the pressure of the situation. "I can figure out later if I should take the risk and possibly get an Archon as an enemy. I will just avoid Liyue for the rest of my life in the worst case."
Hearing your words, Zhongli returns to his normal self again. "I am glad that we found an agreement. Oh, if I think about it now, I am always demanding so many things of you without taking your feelings into consideration. I am sorry for my disrespectful behavior - I will make up for it once I get a chance to. What a horrible partner I must appear to you...", to the end of his statement the worry and regret become visible on his face.
"P-partner..?" Your pulse that had only calmed down a few seconds ago is now back because of the reveal of another problem.
You take another step backwards but this time you slip on a piece of paper that was randomly laying on the ground. During your fall you pass the handle of a storing unit so closely that the cord that kept your stone around your neck gets caught on it. The sudden pressure around makes you wince in pain but luckily the cord quickly snaps, giving you the ability to breathe back.
Worried about your well-being, Zhongli rushes towards you. "(Y/N), can you breathe? Your larynx doesn't appear to be damaged, good..." Hearing your breath become more regular again, he calms down too. While he supports your shaken self, his eyes wander around the ground, looking for the item that was the cause of your close-to-suffocation experience. When his eyes land on your stone he stiffens noticeably. With his hands he makes you face him directly. "This stone, it is yours, isn't it? The reason why you were so interested in it from the very start was because it belonged to you..."
You can feel Rosa shake on your lap which doesn't help your nervousness. "I'm... I am s-sorry... It's just that I don't really know what it is and the way Venti reacted to it didn't give me the... best feeling about it. I am sorry for constantly lying to you..." Seeing the whirl of emotions in Zhongli's eyes makes you want to crawl away only to find that you are cornered.
"So you don't... It is fine. Everything is fine. Do not worry..." He hugs you tightly.
Confused by his unexpected reaction you try to wiggle out of his grip with no avail. "Ehm... Zhongli? You good?"
He doesn't move an inch. "Yes, I am simply happy... So happy..."
"Is there something... I should... know?"
"No."
"Sure..? I feel that-"
"It is better this way, (Y/N). And no matter how much you pester me about it, I won't give you the desired answer."
"...why-... Could you let go of me maybe? You're clinging a bit too tight."
Zhongli does as you say and gives you some more personal space, even if only the bare minimum.
"I don't really get what is going on right now but I still think that I should get going now..." You try your best not to show your discomfort. "...because I am absolutely not going to stay here when every fiber of my body is telling me to fúcking run."
"Could you maybe stay for a while? I could make us some tea and we could have some more relaxing time together. I am not going to lecture you again, do not worry."
The somewhat happy but at the same time fearful expression on the face of the man in front of you doesn't give you good vibes. "Nah, I pass. Another time maybe." You try to stand up but Zhongli has a firm grip on you.
"I know that you will break our contract if I let you go now. It is better for your own good if you just stay here with me, my beloved." Seeing you struggle so desperately makes the Archon visibly sad but he doesn't let go of you. "This means we have to do this the hard way..."
Before he can do anything, Rosa steps in and headbutts him, causing him to loosen his grip slightly. That being enough for you to break free, you make a run for it with all your belongings.
"(Y/N)! Stay! This won't get you anywhere!" Zhongli runs after you but loses you in the darkness of the night after a while. Frustrated and all alone he falls to the ground.
You on the other hand have hit the jackpot - Aether is walking down the street. Rushing towards him you grab his hands and drag him behind you. "No questions. We need to go."
Aether, who you took by surprise, follows you despite being extremely confused.
I hope you enjoyed reading and stay healthy!