His eyes sparkle with interest whenever he speaks about knowledgeable topics. A faint smile will make its way across his lovely features.
His hair moves every so often from the gentle wind that passes through. You can recall the comforting feel of the locks between your fingers—silky and well-maintained.
His brows raise in interest as he regards you with firm nods, intently listening to your questions and comments. The curious gaze that focuses on you makes you warm and fuzzy.
"Damn..." you mutter with a frown. You're thinking about him again, and as much as you keep telling yourself to stop doing so, you just can't get him out of your mind.
All the small details about him that you never thought much of are now embedded in your mind, consuming your thoughts.
His parted lips taking a careful sip from his hot tea suddenly appear in your mind...
"Sorry about that. I had some business with Tea Master Liu Su. I hope you didn't wait long," a familiar voice says, interrupting your thoughts.
Zhongli sits across from you and pours himself some tea. He takes a sip, his lips parted slightly, before looking over at your dazed state.
"I believe you mentioned about a particular question you had in mind and needed advice for. Is that correct?" he asks.
You blink a few times, and shaking your head, you flicker your eyes to the side. "Well, this might be a kinda weird and random question..." you mumble.
"Oh?" He raises his brows as he sets the cup down. "I am intrigued."
"I don't know if you can answer it..."
"That may be so, but I will try to answer it to the best of my ability with the amount of knowledge that I currently possess."
The longer his stare is on you, the more you're starting to regret asking to meet up with him. Your decision was made on a whim late at night, the moment when you were confused about your jumbled thoughts. Now, you don't have the courage to ask him the daunting question.
"It appears you have some hesitance." He puts his folded, gloved hands on the table. "If it assures you at all, I receive plenty of—as you call them—'kinda weird and random' questions. There is no need to be afraid nor embarrassed."
Here goes nothing...
"H-How do you... confess to someone?" you manage to stammer out after some time of silence.
"Hmm. There are many ways to approach it. Personally, I believe a direct 'I have feelings for you' is sufficient enough, and it gets the message across."
Seemingly nonchalant about the situation, Zhongli continues drinking his tea. The expression on his face is inscrutable, which further stresses you out.
"H-Have you gotten a confession before?" You fumble with the cup in your hands.
He stops, the rim of the cup hovering near his parted mouth. A faint smile tugs at his lips. "Indeed."
"Do you, um, like... someone...?"
Zhongli puts the cup down once more and simply chuckles. "I do. I'm uncertain as to whether or not they share mutual feelings, though. I fear they do not."
You observe the new and different expression gracing his face. Your heart soars. He's smiling warmly at you, his head slightly tilted as if he's expecting something—waiting for something. Why is he looking at you like that?
The upcoming question answers your own:
"Care to confess to me, (Y/N)?"
-♡-
Dating Zhongli would result in babysitting duty whenever you go out with him just to make sure he doesn't recklessly agree to spend his mora (that he never brings along) on things.