Work Text:
A line of sunlight shines from the small crack in the curtains. It runs over the wine red covers, down Zhongli’s face, even onto the bed stand.
He can’t stress how immaculate it makes Diluc look. Soft canary highlights every red curl and strand. It captures the shape of his jaw, underlines every muscle and scar, makes the smile on Zhongli’s face grow more and more with every little detail he manages to notice.
When he moves his hand to the back of Diluc’s head, fingers drifting aimlessly in and out of untamed threads, he shuffles against him. Eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed in a small frown, Diluc moves half haphazardly, amusingly pressing closer to his body despite the lack of consciousness, though Zhongli supposes it’s because of the warmth.
He’s probably seen it a handful of times, dozens, even, but the look on Diluc’s face when he’s at rest will never get old. Not when they first slept in this bed together, and not now.
It’s peaceful. It bears none of the cold indifference he sports during the day and none of the exhaustion and burden he wears at night. What he sees now in the middle of this pleasant dawn is entirely Diluc, a version of him that’s exclusive to Zhongli and Zhongli alone.
Oh, he is so incredibly lucky.
He’s not quite sure how long he stayed like that, admiring his love in the comfort of a bed, looking at the marks on his nape that spoke the tale of last night; yet another reminder that he is Diluc’s as much as Diluc is his. Hours, maybe, he couldn’t be bothered to count. Time only meant so much when in the face of love, in the face of beauty. It’s nearly magical.
He can say the same for every little imperfection, every blemish and every wound that finds itself on Diluc’s flesh. Each puncture, every cut, self inflicted or not, is a part of him. It’s a part of him, so Zhongli loves it. It’s a part of him, so Zhongli will cherish it. It’s simple, really.
“Do you plan on staring at me all morning?”
“Ideally, yes. Why, do you dislike it?”
“No.”
So Zhongli continues, this time looking right into those maroon eyes that stare back at him. Beautiful, he thinks, not for the first time.
Inevitably though, the dawn ends. Time starts to mean something again. Responsibilities and duties fall into their place.
“You have work soon.”
“I know.”
Zhongli already knows what he has to say. “Five more minutes?”
The response he gets is a tired mumble, a nod, and the feeling of Diluc pulling the covers over the both of them.