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“Are you most certain you must leave us all so soon?” Iron Tongue Tian asked as the gentleman in the first table at his right rose from his seat.
“Past certain, my friend” - Zhonglis' polite, yet tempered tone replied as he gathered what few possessions he brough, that being a sweetly tied up box that fit into his palm. “I have an important person I must meet, and if I am any more late I'm afraid she will worry herself ill” - he excused himself, bidding farewell to the storyteller and any familiar faces that tuned in to listen to the tonight's tale of the mighty Rex Lapis, oblivious to the fact they were in the company of the same. He heard the others bid their goodbyes to him, and he responded to them accordingly before his body was swallowed by the distance and the crowd of the evening markets.
Having wandered these streets for a millenia too long, watching them be built, he was able to walk with his eyes closed without a worry he would slip or bump into anything. Zhongli walked under the towering iron-and-stone gate, taking note of the glaze lilies at the sides of the public gardens. Their gentle smell was ever present, and unmistakable, carrying the weight of many memories, old and fresh. In the past, he would have seen the horrible views of the Archon War, his mind plagued with grotesque images but now, all he sees is her.
One of the blue stems found its way between his gloved fingers, firm and bigger than other blooms, still waiting for night to fall to reveal its true beauty, yet none of it could be compared to the one's beloved. Zhongli arrived moments before she did, stripping off his long coat and heavy layers until was left in the simple plain shirt and pants he wore only around the house, relieving himself of modesty that covered his coal colored arms and the golden marks that spanned like veins.
Sooner rather than later, the house came alive once more as the long haired man waltzes about, putting the kettle onto the stove along with another pan for dinner he was planning to prepare. The wafting smell is what greets his beloved when she walks in, a mix between mildly sweet herbs and salt water that was boiling, the meat already half way done.
“Zhongli, I'm home!” - she called out, despite hearing his light footsteps nearing her position in the short hall; already having heard her entrance.
“Oh, my love-” - Zhongli greeted, taking hold of a grocery bag tucked beneath her arm and helping her up once she removed her shoes so he could gaze upon her face, tucking away the stray hairs the wind had swept from her hairstyle. To say he missed her was a big understatement, and no words he ever has known or possessed in his vocabulary is sufficient enough to say so. His lips greet hers in a fleeting kiss with a promise of more laced into it. “How was your day? I've already prepared us some tea and a quick meal to lighten our spirits, should you be tired out”
The conversation is swiftly lost amidst the exhaustion and the smells and his warm touches and words. It flew by too swiftly, like a mountain spring until it reached flat ground where it slowed its course. That being the moment when all tea cups have been emptied, the food eaten and her finding her place in his arms on their shared bed. Finding themselves covered by the thick veil of night, the two lovers intertwined, becoming a big mass of shadows while there was no light source in the room, only one, coming from the outside.
Little to no words are exchanged between them, her hands caressing his back while his rubbed soothing circles into her naked hips. “I've missed you..” - she breathed, meanwhile his lips found her hairline and pressed against it. The golden lined comb he had gifted her tonight lay on the nightstand.
“Not as much as I missed you '' - he responded gently, a tone carrying warmth only reserved for her and her alone. The glaze lilly he had placed in a little vase of water had spread its petals wide, bathing them in the silver waterfall cascading from the window. “You have too much effect on me, I should be ashamed to have fallen so hard. But I am not, and I never will be.." Zhongli added with a curl of his lips, pulling back to find her eyes in the dimmed setting. The color he remembers she possesses is drowned out, but her beauty prevails nonetheless. With the silver outline of her cheek, hairs and nose as her back was turned to the window, he couldn't help but go speechless.
His love playfully scoffs, rolling onto her back with one arm remaining around his shoulder. “All you do is flatter me, day in and day out.. You have no end.. Why do you never let me show you my affections too?” - (Y/n) teased softly, in no way offended with his non stop praise that effortlessly flew past his lips.
“Flattery? My words are no mere flattery, they are the truth I hold within my heart, and I intend to keep proving it to you until the time itself comes to an end” Zhongli promised with an airy, quiet laugh, dragging himself up to his elbow to hover above her. The long strands of his freely flowing hair cascade over his shoulders and tickle her exposed skin that gathered a pearly glow. Her heart has accepted him as he is, in his entirety and he can never repay that kindness enough, no matter how many times she told him there was no need, as this was no favor - this was love. Love they both mutually felt for each other.
“You, my dearest, have become my everything. I love you.. with my body and soul” - his face came near, stealing the air from her lungs with his lips brushing against her own as well as the tips of their noses. A cord is struck, or maybe it has been struck since the moment she stepped into the house, but its effects are showing now. A deep rooted feeling, walking the thin line between overwhelming love and a form of sadness deranged from the same happiness brought by this tenderness.
“I love you” - She whispered, so quietly he almost missed it. Her hand found his face and rested atop of it, thumbing at his soft cheek. That's when he finally gave in to the feeling of yearning, tilting his chin up and meeting her lips into a gentle kiss. The soft plush of her pressed against him is what will be the end of him, and he doesn't regret it, nor stop it. He accepts it with open arms and allows her to deepen the kiss as she pleases, following her pace as she sets it.
“I know- and I love you even more” - Zhongli told her between the dance of the kiss, their air supplies dwindling significantly, but neither pull away. (Y/n) chuckles lightly at his claim, cradling his face with both hands and pulling him on top of her, feeling how his warmth radiated off of him in tidal, gentle waves that caress the shore that was her. He was her love, her life, her support, and she would do anything to see him smile every day too - just like he would do everything for her to remain happy, and at his side.