Work Text:
Double espresso macchiato at three in the morning.
Zhongli prepares the drink dutifully, there’s very little in the way of customers in the shop at this hour, the perk of a twenty-four hour coffee shop, his graveyard shift is easy, and well paying, though he was never a man to do things by halves.
He expertly slides the drink across the counter to the customer, she takes it with a polite nod and shuffles away to the quietest corner of the shop, pulling out a laptop as she curls into the corner of the booth, heavy law textbook soon being added to the table. Zhongli is not one to make assumptions on a person based on appearance, but he cant help but notice her attire was certainly not what one would expect from law student, she looked more like an art student if he was being honest. The alternative fashion, smattered with paint and craft refuse a dead give, and yet here she was, sipping her coffee and dutifully taking notes.
She soon starts becoming a regular, yet only at strange hours, midnight here, four am there, always around or after midnight, always gone before dawn. Her order doesn't change and she always takes the same spot, doing the same thing, despite showing up in sometimes absolutely abhorrent conditions, like a can of rainbow spray paint had exploded on her person. She rarely speaks, save for her order and a thank you with a short bow, slipping her headphones off to speak and back on as soon as she’s said what she has to say. Zhongli knows the brand, superior for their noise cancelling properties, the one time she doesn't slip them on immediately, he notices the way she flinches as the milk frother screeches.
He also cannot help but notice the bags beneath her eyes are getting worse. One particular night about a month after she first appeared, as she shuffles in off the rainy street at three in the morning, she looks ready to collapse, there’s no one else in the store tonight.
Her order changes.
“Whatever has the most amount of caffeine you’re legally allowed to give me...please.” she sighs, sliding her headphones to her neck, he frowns at her.
“Forgive me for overstepping, but you come in at such strange hours, nearly daily, and you’re always exhausted… Are you alright?”
She blinks owlishly at him, as if she was surprised he’d even taken notice of her presence at all. Her hands fidgeting with the sleeves of her oversized coat. “Y-yeah I just… long day’s of classes at college, work, the dorm is always too loud to work and this place is always quiet...I-I can go if you’d prefer-”
“No, no not at all.” Zhongli cut’s in, preparing her drink, he’s hesitant because this is simply too much caffeine for a single person to be ingesting at once. “I’m simply worried… You come in with your laptop and your law books, but you look like you’ve been out vandalising the streets.”
This gets her to laugh, a small noise that Zhongli finds he would not mind hearing again.
“Can you keep a secret?” She asks, Zhongli nods “I’m not actually a law student...my dad thinks I am, he didn't know I was accepted to both Liyue academy of law and Liyue arts institute… Dad thinks I’m here in Liyue to study law and follow the family business in Inazuma…”
“But you instead chose to follow your dreams and study the arts instead. Admirable and scandalous in good measure.” Zhongli admits, rather impressed at her gusto as she takes her coffee, instead of sitting in her little corner booth, she chooses to sit on one of the stools by the counter, a small smile playing on her lips.
“It’s a dangerous game I’m playing… I got a job as soon as I could but dad’s money is what’s keeping me afloat mostly...the sooner I can wean off that, the sooner I can tell him the truth and I can stop sending him all these fake notes on thing’s I’ve ‘learnt’ in class.” she sighs, sipping on her drink, he watches a deep wave of satisfaction roll across her features, a little bit of light returning to her eyes.
“I take it your father does not accept the idea of you being anything but a lawyer?” he asks, the way her shoulders slump say it all.
“He doesn't really accept...well, anything about me to be honest...I’m the eldest of my siblings so I’m the example, the one who has to be perfect.” she sighs, her fingers plucking the headphones from her shoulders and resting them on the counter. “I’ve always had trouble with loud noises, he thought I was just being dramatic, but two weeks after being in Liyue, I saw a doctor and a psychiatrist and was eventually diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder. My dad would of never accepted that… but these headphones have actually helped me so much.”
Ah, that explained much about why she wasn't talkative and why she kept so much to herself, Zhongli can only nod in understanding as he busies himself cleaning.
“I always had to wear ‘proper’ clothing at home, so stuffy and so many layers I felt like I was suffocating with the expectations… but here is different… my art school friends are cool, and there’s a pretty darn good coffee shop open at weird hours.”
Zhongli chuckles, throwing a slice of chocolate cake into the microwave to warm it through as she chats, he finds himself somewhat invested in her story, albeit a little concerned with her busy work schedule.
She blinks at him when he places the warmed slice of cake before her. “I-I didn't order this.”
“On the house, you look like you need it.”
And thus, whenever she came in, no matter what strange hour, he would make her order, still concerned at how easily she could take in so much caffeine in one go, and if no one was in the shop, they’d chat while they both worked. The dorms were simply too loud for her, even with her headphones, too much light and sound and movement of excited art students to keep up with her added expectations. She worked at a convenience store about a block down, she could drive, but preferred to walk, enjoying the rain and the fresh air.
Some days, she’d come in an absolute wreck, barely awake on her feet, shambling like a zombie, sometimes work would run later than she’d like, but even when Zhongli scolds her and tells her she should of gone back to the dorms, she insists it’s nicer being here than there.
So, he shoots his shot, subtly of course.
“here, this is my number, text me your order ahead of time if work runs late, that way it’s ready when you come in.” He tells her, handing her a card with his number scrawled along it. She blinks at it a moment before he’s treated to her soft smile, pulling out her phone to add it into her contacts.
Midnight law-lady:
work is running behind again, stupid slushie machine is broken and I have to wait on the repairman… can I have my usual?
Hot coffee man:
Of course.
Midnight law-lady:
you’re a blessing.
It starts out like that, simple, small text messages that would send Zhongli’s hip-pocket abuzz. He would always include a pastry or a snack, on the house, his argument was it would have to be thrown out before his shift was over anyway and it was on the house, she always disliked him doing it, but she’d always eat it anyway, when she thinks he’s not watching, she prefers sweets, chocolate and strawberries.
----
He decides to pop into her store on his way to work one evening, even if it was not on his route, several hours before he knows she’s due into his own shop, she watches the store alone in the evenings, currently busy searching for a particular brand of cigarette for a customer, but as she sits back up and their eyes meet, the unmistakable smile that spreads across her face is all he needs to fuel his patience.
“Well, well, I never expected to see you here Zhongli.” she teases, leaning on her palm behind the protective plexi-glass. “can I help you with anything sir? Or are you just browsing?”
“Just thought I’d stop in honestly, it’s strange seeing you in uniform considering how you appear when you come in.” He retorts, truly it was strange, hair tied neatly up in a bun, uniform neat and tidy, though her preference for punk-rock boots seemed to remain the same as she exited the counter, brushing past him, he thinks intentionally as she tidies up a display.
“That’s sweet of you, what a lovely impromptu gift.” she murmurs as she straightens out various packs of chewing gum.
“Gift?”
“ah, right, it’s uh...my birthday today, I was meant to have the day off but my supervisor called in with the flu, so here I am.” She shrugs nonchalantly.
“My, Happy birthday, I’ll have to make sure to keep aside a piece of Xiangling’s mud slice for you before it’s gone this evening.” He responds, why does he feel angry that he hadn't known it was her birthday sooner? It’s not like they saw each other outside of her nightly visits to his shop.
“You don't have to do that, Zhongli, really.” She insists, but his mind is made.
When she does eventually shamble in at two o’clock, he makes her coffee and lights a candle, no one else is in the store so he can sing happy birthday quietly to her, even if her face burns bright red and she presses her hands over her headphones, trying to block him out as she flusters.
----
One evening she doesn't appear, and Zhongli worries, he finds himself pacing the empty coffee shop as he sweeps, brow furrowed. Had she just been too tired and gone home? But she would always come in from down the street, he’d often catch her through the window before she pushed her way inside the shop, and she’d always exit and continue up the street towards the campus, he hadn't seen her tonight and his shift was nearly over.
Right as six am is about to hit, the door chimes and Zhongli looks up.
Gods she looks like shit, drenched in rain and bags beneath her eyes horribly heavy. Zhongli abandons the dish he was washing and moves around the counter as she approaches, her eyes were rimmed with red and wet.
“What happened?” He asks quietly, she breathes a shuddering sigh, all but collapsing into the chair he pulls out for her, taking a seat in the one across from her.
“My friends convinced me to go speed dating… what a horrible idea.” She sighs “Too many people...too much noise, I-I just- unghg…” it’s then he notices her lack of headphones, had she had to leave them at the dorm for this? The way she was shaking, she was so overwhelmed that even the sound’s of cars passing by with engines revving a little too loudly was making her tense and teary.
“Do you have class today?” He asks, she shakes her head, good. “Wait here.” she simply nods again, shutting her eyes and attempting to bury deep into her coat. Thankfully it’s not long until Xiangling arrives to take the morning shift and bake the pastries for the day. Greeting him warmly as he clocks out and hangs his apron up for the day, wishing his co-worker a good shift before returning, rousing her with a gentle touch to the shoulder.
It’s only as he’s led her to his car that she seems to come back to herself a little, looking between the car to Zhongli, realising the implications of climbing into his car.
“You. Need rest.” He states bluntly “You’re not getting it at the dorms, come, spend the morning at my apartment, my neighbours are elderly and quiet, you’ll be able to relax there.”
She looks like she wants to argue, but she’s simply too tired, slowly sliding into the passenger seat. Silent on the drive to his home, not all that far from the campus to begin with. Ms. Ping is out watering her flowers as he helps her from his car.
“My, My Zhongli, who is this lovely lady?” she calls with a smile.
“Just a friend who need’s some rest, Madam Ping” he calls back as he locks the car. The elderly woman gives a small, knowing chuckle and goes back to her gardening.
True to his word, his apartment is cool and quiet as he helps slip her coat from her shoulders, intending to take her to his spare bedroom, but watching instead as she shuffles her boots off with some effort, all those laces must be a burden sometimes and proceeds to shuffle onto his couch, curling up in the corner without much of a second thought.
Zhongli chuckles quietly, not caring to wake her if that’s where she chose, instead heading to the spare room and pulling the blanket from the bed, checking to feel the texture first, worried that if it was incorrect, it would only serve to make her more uncomfortable due to her processing issues, but upon gently throwing it over her sleeping form, she simply huddles tighter, that’s good, atleast she was sleeping.
He’s woken from his own sleep by her phone ringing and a groggy answer. He sits up, listening in, he knows he shouldn't, but the sudden shift in tone has him intrigued.
“-orry dad, I was just resting between classes...y-yes I know...Yes… yes dad I’m studying hard, I just- y-yes...ok… thank you..”
Well that sounded supremely one-sided. Zhongli pokes his head from his room, she’s sitting up, legs pulled to her chest with a hazy look in her eyes, but upon noticing his presence, she smiles tiredly.
“Thank you for letting me rest here...I..I don't even have the words.”
“Think nothing of it. I can only imagine the horrors of speed dating..” He chuckles, making for the kitchen to brew a much less caffeinated drink. “I’m sorry for prying but was that your father?”
She sighs “Yeah… I missed sending him my notes last night so he called to find out what happened, sounded like he woke me and got upset because I shouldn’t be sleeping during the day, I should be studying. Uuurgh.”
“The sooner you tell your father what you’re actually doing, the better things will get you know.” Zhongli points out.
“It’s not that simple…” She mutters “If I tell him, he’ll cut me off and then I wont be able to afford going to art school...I have the showcase coming up though...I-If I can make something good enough for that…”
This piques his interest, returning to the living room and placing a mug of green tea before her, she doesn't even question it, drinking gratefully.
“You mentioned a showcase?” he presses, in truth, he did not need to work such strange shifts at a coffee shop to pay his bills, after making an incredibly rare archaeological discovery a few years back, Zhongli had struck it so rich he scarcely knew what to do with the money, but he did enjoy collecting art, and if it gave her a chance to break away from her fathers grip…
“Yeah, it’s a big end of year thing. Our big project for the year… I’ve got mine well and truly underway but...I’m just worried it wont be good enough… if it is and it sells, I might be able to pay my own tuition and even pay dad back so he cant be too upset...who am I kidding he’ll still be upset...but atleast I could start making it on my own.”
“I don't think I’ve actually had the pleasure of seeing your art yet… what medium do you prefer?”
“a-ah...I’m a sculptor mostly, I started with wood carving… the piece I’m working on for the showcase is a hybrid sculpture using wood and clay.” She explains as she roots through her bag, producing a tiny, wooden dragon carving “This is my lucky charm, I made him when I was eight and I’ve carried him ever since.”
It’s impossibly endearing, rough around the edges, clear that she’s continued to whittle away at it to clean it up over the years. He’d never much believed in ‘lucky charms’ but if this tiny wooden dragon got her through her day, so be it.
“I think you’ll do just fine at this showcase of yours. But you cannot forget to rest, you wont make it to the showcase if you don't.”
After her visit to his apartment, her order changes again.
Mocha cappuccino, simple, sweet, he always dusts a little extra chocolate powder on top for her as she writes down her false work.
Occasionally, on days when she’s looking particularly tired, he’ll invite her back to his apartment for a nap, nothing ever goes on, just a quieter place to sleep. Zhongli remembers dormitory life, he can only imagine how much worse it is when everything is amplified by a processing issue.
One evening she strolls in just after midnight, looking uncomfortable and fine looking. Perfectly tailored suit clinging to her body in just the right places, he didn't recognise her at first, having been used to the familiar clumping footfalls of her favourite boots, now instead replaced with the professional click of dress shoes.
He raises an eyebrow as she approaches, her ears are red with embarrassment as she pulls her headphones from her head.
“Dad was in town on business today, wanted to see me. It’s no big deal.” She huffs.
“I daresay this is a big deal.” He retorts, turning to make her drink. He wonders if she’s yet to realise that he’s not been tapping her card whenever she hands it over to pay, in lieu of tapping his own, thankfully they were both with the same bank, so the cards looked near identical.
“I’m just glad he didn't want to come back to campus with me… that would have been difficult to explain.” She sighs happily sipping her coffee “or that I managed to call out of work with enough time to spare… I didn't have the time to meet him today but I’ll just have to work harder on my sculpture tomorrow after class…”
“I’m sure you’ll get it done in time. If anything, I know you’re a hard worker.” He reassures, she smiles around the lip of her drink.
The next day, she arrives with a couple of guests in tow, a petite, bespectacled young lady with mint-green hair, and a slightly taller blonde boy, he seems rather unassuming, but Zhongli doesn't miss the small, golden diamond tattooed upon his throat.
“Evening Zhongli.” She greets him happily as they approach the counter “Hope you don't mind I brought friends.”
“Of course not, new customers is always something to celebrate.” He smiles, grabbing for his pen to write the newcomers names upon their orders.
Sucrose and Albedo, huh? Judging by it, these two were an item, but as he watched the three interact in the corner booth, all seems happy and content, Zhongli cannot help but smile, seeing her with friends made him happier than it should, if perhaps a little jealous.
“You know this whole false law school thing is going to blow up in your face, right?” Albedo points out bluntly.
“A-albedo!” Sucrose stammers, nudging him with her elbow.
“it’s alright sucrose, he’s not wrong but...Just a little longer, if I can sell that sculpture at the showcase, it’ll all be worth it, I might be able to pay for my own scholarship, or atleast get a student loan going and use the funds to pay for my dorm room.” She chuckles, eyes on the textbook she always carried and fingers working deftly across her keyboard.
“I do understand why you always come back to the dorms so late now though...it is quieter here.”
“agreed.” Albedo nods, sipping at his tea as he sketches quietly.
Zhongli watches contently from the corner of his eye.
----
It was only occasional that she would bring her friends with her, she still preferred being by herself. ‘no one but you to judge my life choices’ she’d say to him, not that he was ever judging, he was simply concerned with her work load, she needed a break, but refused to take anything more than the several hours she spent in the shop, even then, she was still working in a way.
“When is your next day off work?” He asks one evening as she trudges in the door, Liyue had been seeing an intense amount of rain this season, as evident by the way she shakes off the excess water that hadn't already soaked into her coat before entering proper.
“Uh… lemme check..” She quickly fumbles her phone out of a pocket and swipes a few times, squinting at her schedule “Looks like I’m off… Saturday, why?”
“Excellent. I’m taking you out to lunch, you need a proper break.” He tells her with some finality, enjoying the rate at which her face burns red.
“Y-you don't need to do that! You work weekends too, you’ll be exhausted!”
“You’ve spent several mornings at my apartment, you know I run off little sleep.” He retorts, leaning on his palm, watching her fluster, every excuse she raises, he knocks down easily, yet she never outright says no.
“I’ll pick you up at the campus gate at noon.” He leaves no room for debate as he places her drink upon the counter, with a blueberry muffin for good measure.
He takes her to the waterfront, over the years Liyue’s waterfront had become a hub for young artists to socialise, collaborate, generally enjoy. There were some nice places to eat along the boardwalk as well, but mostly he’d chosen it for the sights, something to help inspire.
He doesn't particularly see it as a date, more like an outing with a friend, though by the way she’s all but hurled into his chest by Sucrose and Albedo when he arrives to pick her up that Saturday, seems they were very much under the impression, not that he minded one bit.
It was strange actually seeing her during the day, not in his apartment, curled on his couch, absolutely wrecked from work and school. Her eyes are bright as she looks around, snapping the occasional photo, a few of the other college age kids on the waterfront recognise her, though it’s not hard to tell which ones are the art children. Seems they all wore roughly the same style of alternate fashion.
He notices for the first time, she’s not relying on her headphones as much, opting to keep them around her neck as she explores with a renewed spring in her step and he feels as if his goal for the day is accomplished.
“I know twenty-four is rather late to be starting art school, but dad wanted to make sure he thought I was ready for law school… he had no idea I’d sent another application the same day.” She sighs as they take await their order, opting instead of a proper sit-down restaurant for a more casual take-away place.
“I don't think so, no. I mean, I started college roughly the same age, though it was because I wanted to do some travel first.” Zhongli admits.
“Oh? What major did you take?” She asks as she takes a sip from her drink.
“Oh, archaeology.” he responds casually, not thinking much of it, though her brow furrows.
“Wait but isn’t that like, a super long and intense course? How long ago did you graduate?”
“Six years ago.” He chuckles “To be frank I don't use my degree much these days, sometimes I’ll get calls from local museums to help identify new rocks and fossils they’ve brought in, but it was a chance discovering of a very rare vein of smaragdus jadeite, I’ve rarely needed to work, I took the graveyard shift at the coffee shop as a favour to the owner, but came to enjoy it, so I stayed.”
“wait… I know it’s rude but...Zhongli, how old are you?”
“hm? I turn thirty-two on new years day.” He has to restrain a chuckle as she chokes on her drink, their order number being called, he’s quick to fetch their food while she regains breath.
“Y-you’re like… nearly ten years older than me…” She sounds absolutely horrified “I thought you were like, maybe twenty-eight at the oldest.”
“Ah, I’m sorry to disappoint you so.” he chuckles as they continue walking “Though, please don't think that our gap in age makes me think any less of you.”
She huffs quietly, taking another sip of her soda as they continue down the boardwalk.
Midnight law-lady:
Hey, weird question, are you doing anything Friday afternoon?
Hot coffee man:
No plans have been made, no.
Midnight law-lady:
Did you uh
want to come to the campus? Our class is having a live demo evening from 2 till 5…
you totally don't have to tho!! they just said invite friends or family and since my dad is well… y’know, I thought I’d invite you instead.
Is that weird? Im sorry if it’s weird..
Hot coffee man:
I’d be delighted.
She does not mention the demo when he see’s her at one am that evening, she’s looking a little better, he can see the excitement in her eyes slowly mounting. The only time he hears more about this demo is Thursday night, when she happens to bring Albedo and Sucrose with her again, they spend the evening brainstorming in the corner booth about what exactly they had planned, she mentions something about needing to go to the hardware store in the morning. Only as they’re heading out for the morning does she stop and turn to him, fingers fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket again.
“U-uhm… If you still wanted to come tomorrow… it’s being held in the amphitheatre.” She mumbles quietly, the tips of her ears burning red.
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to finally see your artistic prowess in motion, even if the world was caving in.” He responds, only serving to make her redder as she nods, quickly wishing him a good evening before rushing out the door and into the rain, headphones pressed over her ears as usual.
Never in his life had anything screamed ‘art school’ quite like this live demonstration. Zhongli slowly makes his way through the crowd’s, watching with interest at all these students creating right in front of them, it’s all very casual, certainly not hoity-toity fine art, this was young, rebellious youth expressing themselves any which way, the music was thumpy and there were smiles and coos of awe all around.
He spots sucrose first, somehow he’s not surprised to see she uses live plants in her creations, currently weaving sweet flowers through an armature to create living sculptures. Albedo is more of a sketcher, perched up on a stool above the crowd, quickly sketching those he finds interesting. There’s little bits of everything here, sculptors, digital, more traditional.
It’s not until he hears the sound of a chainsaw starting that he feels like he might of finally found who he was looking for, poking his head around a corner, yep.
A chainsaw, she needed to go to the hardware store for a chainsaw. Though judging by the size of that portion of tree trunk, perhaps that was a smart idea. She already has something sketched out on it, a bird by the looks as she applies a dust mask and goggles, it’s only when someone else points it out does he notice her lack of usual stomping boots, in lieu of… were those heelies?
Yes, yes they were heelies, and she was using them to glide around as she began working. Part of Zhongli is screaming about how dangerous this was, but another part is totally and utterly pulled in by how easy she made such a thing look, the entire thing being a performance as she dips and twirls along with whatever music is playing through her usual headphones.
By the time the demonstration is over, three whole hours gone, just like that, a beautiful wooden owl statue stands where just a simple wooden tree trunk had once been, she’d switched out to smaller carving tools not long after the main shape had been carved away, but once finished, those supervising dropped the barrier forbidding people too close so they could approach and take a look, she simply bows and skates backwards a way, Zhongli can see the way her arms are shaking, she’s exhausted, but as she removes the goggles and mask she’s absolutely beside herself with joy and pride as she flops down into a waiting chair, grabbing for her water bottle and near crushing the entire thing into her waiting mouth.
“I must say I expected something great, but that was absolutely fantastic.” He praises as soon as the crowd disperses somewhat and he can approach. She smiles tiredly up at him, worn but pleased.
“M’glad you think so…. Professor said I passed so that’s always a good sign...probably should of broken in the skates first though.” She chuckles, kicking off the offending sneakers with a content sigh “I should probably try to nap for a bit, but the dorms are gonna be wild tonight with the success of the demo, I might just nap at the shop.”
“I have a better idea.”
----
“you sure it’s alright for me to stay the night while you’re out at work?” she questions as he opens the car door for her, having made a quick run back to the dorms to grab an overnight bag, she was correct, even without entering the building personally, he could hear the celebration going on within, some of the windows to the rooms were flickering with rainbow strobe lights, all in all, far too much for his tastes.
“It’s fine, trust me, after that performance, you deserve a rest and a decent night’s sleep. I’ll order us some dinner before I have to head to work, and I’ll bring your usual with me upon my return.”
“You’re a good friend y’know that?” she chuckles, giving in and slithering into his car with a content sigh, the dreamy look on her face is all the reward he ever needed, he was more than happy to allow this interesting human being lurk in his apartment all she liked.
He finally convinces her that the bed in the spare room would be far more comfortable than his couch for the night, they enjoy chatting and swapping stories over jade parcels and mora meat before Zhongli heads out for his shift, ruffling her hair as he heads for the door.
It’s strange not having her come in that night, the shop is quiet without her, even though she was a quiet person herself, but he took solace knowing that, unlike the last time she had not known up until dawn, and the first time he had taken her there; she was at his home, relaxing, catching up on things, sleeping properly.
Though, when he arrives home and finds her on the balcony, sketching into a book, somehow he isn’t surprised, though even from afar he can tell she’s well rested and a quick glance into the guest room confirms she slept atleast.
----
She receives her invitation to be part of the showcase a month later, only the top of the class for the first years are permitted to actually show their work there, Zhongli’s phone buzzes, the message containing a picture of said invite with a gif of an excited cat.
He has a slice of her favourite chocolate strawberry tart set aside when she comes in that evening, still abuzz with it excitement, he loves the way her eyes are alight with pride and excitement and hope.
Hope that she wont need to hide out here to pretend to be a law student much longer.
Though, he still manages to convince her to take a break every other weekend, both of them coming to look forward to their little Saturday outings. He tries to take her different places to help keep her inspiration stocks full.
He’s surprised she enjoyed the museum so much, especially the prehistoric exhibit.
“I love dinosaurs!” She cackles with glee, easily talking about the changes and steps forward humanity had made with figuring out just how they used to look, the debate on if dinosaurs were scaled or feathered, how spinosaurus had a tail more akin to an eel, midway through however she stops dead, face going a little red, quickly returning to her much quieter, demure state, fidgeting with her sleeves. “S-sorry, I got over excited didn't I…” It’s not a question so much as its a statement of fact.
“Why should you not be allowed to become excited over a topic of interest?” Zhongli asks as he takes a seat beside her.
“Dad always used to get upset when I ranted about useless things like dinosaurs… or sharks… or dragons...or art.” She sighs sadly, shoulders drooping, Zhongli frowns.
“Forgive my forwardness, but your father is a pompous ass.” He states plainly, happy to see her snort and smile just a little.
“Yeah, he is...hopefully soon he’ll be out of my hair and I can focus on school properly.”
“Agreed, though I do hope you’ll find the time to come see me still.” He comments serenely, resting a hand over hers, it’s a bold move, but she doesn't pull away, allowing her fingers to curl around his, her smile softening with affection.
“Oh, I think I can manage that.”
On their way out of the Museum, he cant help but purchase the silly little dinosaur beanie he had seen her eyeing off when they’d first come in, dropping it upon her head as she emerges from the bathroom. It’s garish and clashes horribly with all it’s colours and silly dinosaur face stitched to the front, but the absolute manic cackle and smile on her face is worth it.
He gets a whole, bone crushing hug as a thank you.
----
Her order changes, Hazelnut Iced Mocha, extra cream, he adds an extra pump of syrup and chocolate powder always; she was always wearing the beanie now.
Things are beginning to become hectic if her appearance is anything to go by, between work shifts and working on her piece, she begins coming in later and later; like tonight, with only an hour left on Zhongli’s shift, it’s a couple weeks until the showcase and he can understand why she’s so frazzled.
“Want to come rest?” he offers as he watches her head nodding from the sink, busying himself washing dishes.
“I’ll never say no.” she responds sleepily, smiling up at him. He nods, taking her home with him as soon as Xiangling arrives for the morning, she’d been questioning who the ‘cute girl’ he’d been fawning over had been, she doesn't pry when he insists she’s just a friend.
Though he was beginning to wonder if that’s all they were. She went out of her way to come see him daily, he went out of his way to make sure she was taken care of, they went out every few weekends on what most would consider a date, Zhongli doesn't recall anyone in his nearly thirty-two years of life that he’d done such things for.
She takes his offered hand as soon as he’s clocked out, intertwining his fingers with hers easily, like second nature as he scoops her bag from the floor and leads her to his car. She takes his hand again as soon as they’re at his apartment, leaning into his side; it’s nice, this is nice.
He can’t tell if it’s just because she’s tired, or something more when she opts to sit right beside him on the couch, still leaning, eyes shut in contemplation, her fingers occasionally loosening and tightening in his work shirt.
So, he makes another bold move, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, her eyes open and for a moment he thinks perhaps he’s just ruined whatever this was that they had together, until she looks up at him, shifting to press a kiss to his cheek.
Oh, Oh.
Subtlety be damned now.
He scoops her right up, and it feels right, pushes her back against his bed and relishes the gasp, and breathy whisper of his name, the way she doesn't give a damn that he reeks of coffee as they make out for what feels like hours.
They don't have sex, but he does help her get off, and she does the same, some sick combination of needy impatience and sweet intimacy that he hadn't experienced in a very long time, and, at her own admission, never.
But today, he gets to wake up beside a beautiful girl who’d come in at some obscene time for a coffee nearly a year ago, he gets to wake her with a plate of bacon and eggs and a cup of green tea, something she only drank and enjoyed here, he got to kiss her on the forehead, on the cheek and then on the lips as she left for class that afternoon, sliding his spare key into her palm, a silent promise that she was always welcome, even if he wasn't home.
An offer that she doesn't refuse, appearing in his hallway a couple of days later, fidgeting with her sleeves, face red as she tries to make a decent excuse as to why she was there. Zhongli, who’d just woken for the day and was only clad in a pair of loose fitting pyjama bottoms, happily pulls her to the couch.
----
It’s Saturday and for once, she texts him first, with a location, a cafe at the waterfront, how odd. He doesn't question it. She’s sitting outside with another, older woman, she looks exhausted but happy, and it doesn't take any sort of genius to figure out her relationship.
He’s waved over as soon as he’s noticed, he doesn't stoop to kiss her immediately, hyper aware of this new woman.
“Zhongli, this is my mom, she’s in town for a friends birthday a-and I thought I should introduce you to her.”
She’d never mentioned much of her mother, just that she had left after her youngest sibling was born, nowhere near as successful or capable as their father, she’d never gotten custody despite being the kinder, more loving of the two. She knew about the art school shenanigans and was supportive of her daughters choice.
“It’s lovely to meet you ma'am, your daughter is a wonderful young lady and I’m very happy to of met her.” He bows his head respectfully, surprised when she takes one of his hands in both her own, holding it tightly as she smiles up at him.
“I’ve heard so much about you, young man… thank you for helping my devil child so much, lord knows she needs it.” She chuckles, Zhongli smiles, he understood almost immediately where the personality came from.
“You tell your mother about me, hm?” he questions after her alarm goes off, quickly kissing her daughter on the head and shuffling off for her birthday party.
“Hey if I can’t tell my dad about you, atleast let me tell ma.” She chuckles as they walk down the boardwalk “She’s just happy I’m doing something for myself.”
“I can see where you get your personality from at least… She’s nice, what does she do if she’s not in law?”
“Aged care...spends all her time looking after others, even after my dad was an ass and didn't look after her.” She responds, her grip on his hand tightening a little.
“Are you sure everything is going to go ok when you eventually tell your father about this? He is in law after all…” he didn't wish to stifle her, but it was something that had been at the back of his mind for some time now, but she grins at him.
“Ah, you see that’s where coming from a law family helps, he only ever made a verbal agreement with me that he would pay for my ‘college’ if I got in. He’s been sending me the money under ‘college’ and I’ve been paying it from there, there’s been no paper trail stating that it had to be law school.”
“Devious little devil you are.” He chuckles, still a little worried, but atleast that was some bases covered.
“By the way… I hope you know you’re invited to the showcase.” She mumbles, looking to the floor “I’d...Like it if you could come...Ma cant and there’s no way I’m inviting dad...b-but I want you to see what I made.”
He tugs her hand until she’s right up against him, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“I’ve already asked Xiangling for the evening off. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, darling.”
---
He notices she’s retreating into her headphones more and more in the days prior to this showcase, being jumpy and flighty at every little thing. He can understand it, stress is high, the workload is a lot, he doesn't push her, if that’s how she copes, that’s just how she copes.
The only time her ears or neck are free of the headphones are when she’s with him, in his home, in his bed. Cuddling, making out, being intimate to help relieve the stress, it works somewhat, in the hours they get in private together, she’s more herself, in her strange eclectic fashion sense, her sudden urges to sketch out an idea that’s popped into her mind; all the little quirks that draw him to her in the first place.
She spends that entire week before the Showcase at his apartment, the dorms simply being too loud to focus or sleep, she’d pop in after work at midnight for her coffee, kiss him and head to his apartment, kissing him again as he came home and she was on her way out if she had class early, if not, he got to curl up in a bed already warmed with her presence for a few blissful hours.
She’s absolutely on edge the day of the showcase, heading out early to the studio to make final touches to her sculpture to make sure things were perfect, arriving back just as Zhongli was waking for the day, immediately in the shower. He notices the lanyard hanging with her clothes on the chair, her student ID photo, just as chaotic as she was during the day, art students really were something.
He drops her off, needing to be there several hours before opening to be briefed and run through the evening. She’s fidgeting with her sleeves again, looking and most likely feeling very uncomfortable in that suit, the headphones and dinosaur beanie clashing horribly, and yet, it’s so very her. Zhongli leans over and presses a kiss to her cheek and then to her lips when she turns her head.
“I’ll see you at six, you’ll do great.” He murmurs against her lips, she just nods, having not said a word in the past several hours, anxiety had a tight hold that not even he could coax into releasing, but she smiles at him before slipping from the car and into the gallery once she see’s Sucrose and Albedo approaching. He waves at the duo before heading off for now, picking up some ingredients for dinner, getting the feeling that going out after such a socially draining event wouldn’t be the smartest, a nice, quiet night at home would be more her speed. Ok, so ingredients and few nicely scented candles to help her relax and set the mood, so what if he had a plan for tonight?
----
It’s raining again by the time he pull’s back up to the gallery, washed and changed into more appropriate attire. The greeter at the door quickly ushering him inside.
There were a few other students here he recognised from the demonstration, Sucrose and Albedo of course, they had opted for a joint piece, a beautiful painting of a woman, weaved beautifully with roses and plants acting as her hair and clothing, the whole piece being preserved with resin, quite lovely. A few more paintings and sculptures from students he recognised, much like the demo, while being held in a proper art gallery this time, it was still more relaxed, casual pop music playing softly through the speakers.
He’s yet to catch sight of who he was looking for, but as he enters the large statue wing of the gallery he realises why she’d been so frazzled as he joins the small crowd gathered there, wide eyed and slack jawed.
A giant, spiralling dragon takes up almost a third of the floor, twisting over and around itself, it’s made mostly of clay from what he can tell, but he can catch a few wood and resin details, it’s even had lights embedded into several places within the sculpture, making the eyes and horns glow a bright yellow. Each and every horn, scale and tuft of fur is meticulously carved and detailed, painted with rusty browns and coppers for the most part, golds and bright yellows adorning the fur and spines. It looked so very familiar to Zhongli, just like her little good luck charm, the first sculpture she’d ever carved, and there it is, caged by claw’s as it sits upon the dragons upturned palm, the sculpture seemingly staring at it like a valued treasure.
It’s stunning, breathtaking, the fact a single college student had crafted this in her first year, the murmurs in the crowd were all questioning if she was even a first year, but there she stands, proudly beside her piece; she’s shaking, earphones off for societal mannerisms, even if the beanie stuck out like a sore thumb, not like the other students weren't in similar states of fancy dress with a twist.
“I see now why you’ve been so run out.” He chuckles as he approaches, she smiles up at him.
“Its...nice to see it done.” she murmurs, ah, seems her voice had slowly returned. “Did you want to walk with me? I can explain some of the other’s works.”
“If you don't have to be here, I would love to.”
For someone who only had the two constant friends in her classes, she knew an awful lot about the other works on display tonight, apparently she was a constant watcher, most of the other students on display here were. He had seen a few signs around mentioning that a good portion of these works were going to be auctioned online, including her statue. Zhongli made a note of the date and time, a month from now, after these works time here in the gallery was up.
They’d meandered their way back to her sculpture when she freezes in place, eyes fixed on a man by her statue. He turns and catches her eye, his own gaze narrowing dangerously, he beckons her forward with a single motion and, like a robot, she steps forward, eyes glued to the floor, Zhongli has a very bad feeling about this.
“Explain. Now.” His voice is harsh and authoritative, the rest of the crowd has fallen silent and still, watching in morbid interest.
“D-dad I-” She stutters, fidgeting with her sleeves, Immediately a hand slaps her fingers and they fall to her side’s uselessly.
“You know what I think about the fidgeting and the stuttering, it’s unbecoming! I. Said. Explain.” He seethes, Zhongli’s blood is boiling, how dare he smack her like that? He wants to step in, but his wrist is grabbed, he looks over his shoulder to find Sucrose, eyes wide with fear, she shakes her head, a silent warning that getting involved now would make things worse.
“I...I did not go to law school.” She breathes quietly.
“Louder, I do not condone mumbling.” gods was this man any harder to please?
“I said, I didn't go to law school!” She repeats, her hands balling into fists.
“And why is that? Why did you never bother to tell me that you threw away your dream!?”
“It wasn't my dream, I never wanted to be a lawyer! That was all you dad!”
“Nonsense! Your mother must have had something to do with this… you were always so obedient at home, so if this is what you’re doing with yourself out in the real world then I guess it’s back home with you!” He shouts, she flinches, Zhongli’s fist tightens.
“Dad this was what I wanted to do! You just never listened because you didn't like it! I’ve been doing great here! I’ve been getting the help I need-”
“Garbage! Garbage the lot of it!” He interjects, yanking the beanie from her head and tossing it to the floor, she wrenches back at the angry touch, but he grips the lapels of her coat angrily. “All this bullshit about ‘sensory disorders’ pah! They don't exist! You’re just trying to be dramatic for attention! Well I’ll tell you this missy, it. Wont. Work.” With that he grabs her headphones and sends them careening to the floor as well.
“you want to be an artist so bad? What will the people say when your artwork is destroyed?” His voice lowers to eerily calm as he lets go of her, his hand resting on the snout of her statue.
“dad… DAD NO-”
By the time Zhongli pushes his way through the crowd gathered, it’s too late, he gives the snout a mighty shove, knocking the entire piece off balance, it careens to the floor with a mighty crash, smashing to smithereens atop her headphones.
The silence in the room is palpable, broken only by her quiet sniffle, hands pressed over her mouth in horror as she looks down at all her hard work, broken and on the floor. Her father isn’t done yet, he picks up the little carving, the one she’d had since she was a child and tosses it at her feet, it too is broken, the weight of the rest of the statue all but crushing the small thing.
“Now, enough of this nonsense, you’ve had your fun, and obviously need to come home and start at the law firm as a lowly intern so I can keep you in check-”
Finally the fucking security tackle him to the floor.
The crowd erupts, jeering and shouting obscenities at her father, Zhongli’s head snaps up to the sound of familiar rubber boots squeaking on the tile as she bolts from the guard trying to offer her comfort, near knocking the emergency exit door off it’s hinges.
He tries to follow, calling for her, but he doubts she can hear in the heavy rain, throwing herself over the back fence and into the din of the night.
“Zhongli!” He turns at his name, Sucrose and Albedo running towards him “Go! We’ll clean up this mess…” The blonde assures as Sucrose breaks away to speak to the shocked gallery owner.
----
She doesn't pick up her phone, He’s tried multiple times, hitting the redial button on his steering wheel as he drives, first trying to follow the path he’d last seen her take, but it just leads to a dead end. He drives back to the campus, passing the art gallery he feels a sense of satisfaction watching her father be loaded, kicking and screaming into a police car.
The attendant at the dorms has not seen her since this morning when she left to walk to his place, so that’s his next stop, also finding it empty as he paces around in his living room, trying to think of where she could have gone-
His phone buzzes once.
Quickly pulling it from his pocket, it’s Xiangling, a single photo sent to him. Pulling it up, he feels relief wash over him at the covertly taken photo.
She’d gone to the coffee shop, curled in the corner booth, dripping wet and staring blankly at her drink.
Xiangling:
Isn’t this yours? She looks really out of it.
Zhongli:
Yes, thank you, it’s a long story, I’m on my way, don't let her leave, give her a slice of chocolate tart, I’ll pay when I get there.
Xiangling:
Yeah right like I’m going to charge you, dork.
The drive to the shop isn’t a long one, but he seems to catch every red light in existence, the short drive feeling like it’s taking an eternity until he finally wrenches the damn car into his usual parking space out the back.
He’s not expecting to find her in the break room, curled into a tight sobbing huddle as Xiangling tries to comfort her. Zhongli reminds himself to buy her something extra special for Christmas as he nods to her, she nods and returns to her duties.
Zhongli kneels before her. She’s covering her ears tightly, fingers curled harshly in her hair as she rocks in place. It’s such an upsetting sight, he’d seen her overwhelmed before but this… this was a whole new level.
She flinches at his initial touch, eyes shooting open in a panic, but as soon as she recognises that it’s him, she collapses, crumbles into his arms with a despondent wail, it was too much, everything was too much. Hell to dinner and his plans, he needed to get her home and safe.
----
Woody:
Hello. This is Zhongli. I found her, she’s with me.
Ro-Rose:
Oh thank goodness! If she’s up to it, the police asked if she could come to the station tomorrow for a statement. It’s all on security footage but they’d like to hear it from her too.
Woody:
I will take her if she’s up to it by then.
Ro-Rose:
Thank you very much for taking such good care of her. I’ll let the RA know.
Zhongli feels dirty using her phone, but he needed to tell someone from the college she was alright. Alright might not be the optimal word, doing a little better might suffice? As of now she was sitting on his couch, wrapped in every soft blanket he could conceivably find within his apartment, some soft lo-fi beat playing across his TV, going off of the article he could pull up on his phone on how to calm those with a processing disorder during a breakdown.
She was a wreck, he couldn’t blame her, all that hard work, gone in a flash. He wanted to do such terrible, horrible, unspeakable things to her father. That was one of the top Lawyers in Inazuma? Perhaps their law system should take a look inwards first.
He’s in the kitchen, brewing some green tea when he hears a shifting sound, looking over his shoulder, he finds her in the doorway, more akin to a moving pile of blankets than a human, but she moved and that’s a start. He offers a smile and a hand, which the takes, shuffling closer, into his side, free hand moving to grip his shirt.
“It’s alright darling, you’re safe here...I let Sucrose know you were with me, so you don't need to go back to campus tonight.” He’s talking mainly just to talk, give her something to listen to as he brews.
It’s another hour until she actually speaks again, curled against his chest in bed as he reads, it’s very uncommon for him to have the night off, so he’s not particularly tired, but that’s fine, he didn't want to sleep while she was still upset like this.
“Do I… have to go back to inazuma?” it’s such a quiet question, he looks to her, her gaze down turned, resting on her fingers, curled into fists on his chest.
“Not if you don't want to. You’re an adult woman, you don't have to live under your father’s rule if you don't wish to.”
“But… I can’t afford college without his money a-and he destroyed-”
“Darling.” He interjects firmly, but with a soft tone, lord knows she’d had enough being yelled at today “If you wish to continue going to college, I will help you. You’re already welcome to live here, I can have the spare room converted to a studio if you’d like. You can move out of the dormitories, off campus, stay here with me where it’s quiet and you can focus.”
She shakes her head, eyes welling with tears. “N-no that’s too much, it’s too much Zhongli I can’t.”
“why? Why can’t you?” he questions softly, brushing a thumb across her cheek, swiping away tears “because your father said no?”
“Because I’m not worth it..” She mumbles, leaning into his hand.
“Here I thought what your father was spouting was nonsense, darling, to me you are worth more than mora could buy. You’ve made my life infinitely more interesting in just under a year. I would be honoured for you to stay here with me. But, that’s a topic for another day, you need to sleep, rest, we have a big day tomorrow.”
He was going to continue his spiel, he really was, but he could see the way her eyes were beginning to droop, slowly he shifts to lay her down, tucking the blankets up around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead and then her lips. She mumbles something incoherent but drops off near immediately.
He simply sits and watches for a while, watching the rise and fall of her chest before he checks his phone, tomorrow was not going to be fun, he had already explained via obscenely long text message to Xiangling what had happened and she’d all but forced him into a week of leave to help deal with it, there wasn't much he could do at this hour, but he had one thing he needed to get, one pivotal thing that would make tomorrow easier on her. Once he’s absolutely sure she’s asleep and out for a good long while, he writes a note, just in case she does happen to wake before slipping out and to the closest twenty-four hour mega store.
When she wakes in the morning to a wrapped box sitting on the bedside table with her name on it, she looks to him confused as he enters with fresh pancakes laid out on a tray.
“Go on, I went and got them last night… I thought you would appreciate them.”
So what if he had splurged a little on the newest model of her old headphones? So what if he’d got the ones with golden diamond geometric patterns on it? The look on her face was worth every damned mora on the planet as far as he was concerned. She cant even form a word as she holds the box in shaky hands. Zhongli sets the tray of food on the bedside table and perches on the edge of the bed beside her, being all but tackled in a hug as she sobs into his chest, all he can do is murmur soothing words and reassurances into her ear. “you should probably charge them soon, we have a big day.”
----
She has to watch the security footage of last night, Zhongli is allowed in as an emotional support after she provides the letter from her Psychiatrist of her diagnosis. He was looking at quite a few charges; Harassment, Reckless Endangerment, Destruction of property and Vandalism to name a few.
“Do you wish to press these charges miss?” The officer asks, still wincing as he watches her father shove the statue over once again, Zhongli really wishes he’d take the hint of her averted gaze and turn it off.
“Yes…” she says quietly, after several minutes of hesitation “Will I have to attend a court hearing for this?”
“No, we have all the proof we need, several eye witnesses, and your statement matches with the security footage. He has no leg to stand on.”
“I-In that case!” She’s quick to cut in, reaching into her bag and producing a stack of hand-written documents “I-I know this is a long shot but… I’ve spent the better part of four years recording all his misdeeds, His treatment and harassment of my mother, myself and my younger siblings, shady business dealings with his law firm...e-everything I could get my hands on, but I couldn’t turn it over to the inazuman police b-because they work so closely with his firm… I didn't know who to trust.”
Zhongli stares at the substantial stack, watches as the officer takes it with interest, thumbing through the documents, some are photo’s taken of shady dealings, some are scans of documents, some are just first hand statements from people. For someone who did not wish to study law, she certainly knew her way around it.
“This is… a lot of evidence that could have him put away for a long time… It will take some time to get this sorted but thank you for bringing it to our attention… this is absolute liquid gold you’ve brought us.”
“Gold… hm…”
She seems distracted as they are finally set free of the station, it’s not until they’re back in the car that she looks up.
“Did...did my sculpture get saved by chance?”
“yes actually, Sucrose and Albedo made sure to secure what remained...why?”
“I need to go to the campus!”
He blinks, she’d not sounded so energised all day, but there was a spark in her eye that simply made him smile and nod. He’s pleasantly surprised when she all but drags him into the dormitories to find Albedo and Sucrose, who are equally as happy to see her.
“Where’s the sculpture?” She asks, totally ignoring their questions, but they just smile wider.
“Your studio of course.” Albedo responds, she nods and ducks into the room beside theirs, Zhongli assumes it’s her own dorm.
“She’s focused on something… that’s good. She gets a little… ignorey when she’s that hyperfocused on something.” Sucrose giggles as she emerges, book in hand, grabbing Zhongli with the other and dragging him back down the hall as the two wave farewell.
He’s actually struggling to keep up as she b-lines towards a set of buildings, ignoring those who call out her name, a woman on a mission. Throwing open the doors to studio number five, Zhongli is greeted with total and utter chaos; wood and tools strewn eveywhere save for a single path to the centre, where several trash bags now sat.
Carefully, as if handling a newborn, she places her new headphones upon a wooden skull on a table nearby, flipping a whiteboard over to reveal what must have been the original sketch for her statue.
“Tell me… Did you think people like it?” she asks as she looks at the sketch a moment longer before moving to the bags in the centre, slowly and carefully dumping them out onto the floor, arranging them as best she can to get an idea of what she’s working with.
“Definitely, I saw multiple people writing down the number for it’s auction and I’m almost certain if the police had not rescued him, your father would have been mobbed.”
She nods with a small ‘mmh’ Zhongli can only watch with immense interest as she gets to work, roughly assembling the statue upon the floor, scribbling madly into that notebook like a woman possessed; it would be almost scary if it wasn't for the fact Zhongli was just relieved to see she was doing something, anything except crying. Her vigor was matching that of the day she’d carved the owl while roller skating- speaking of said owl, there it was, in the corner, watching intently.
Once the entire thing is laid out, she takes a step back, looking it over, what was she planning? He could hardly tell as she counts at something on her fingers, writing intently in the book again before turning to the whiteboard, grabbing a red marker and smearing off the original date written on it, writing a new one in it’s place.
A month from today.
“I need to see the head of department, If I can get approval she can order what I need.”
and just like that, Zhongli is dragged from the studio once more.
Kintsugi, an ancient inazuman art of repairing broken objects using gold, or in her case, gold resin. Professor Ningguang was nearly shocked out of her skin when she comes striding into her office, notebook in hand with exactly what she needed and how much of each component.
To her credit, the head of department only smiles joyously, thrilled that even after such a disaster, she was going to attempt a repair.
“Put him back up for auction when he was meant to, he’s my big ticket.” She grins madly at her, receiving a nod and an approval form in return.
----
Their routine goes roughly back to normal after that, Zhongli would return home as she was heading out to class, after she would hole up in her studio, music blaring through speakers instead of her headset, Zhongli would swing in before work to make sure she’d eaten, how she could bare the smell of all that epoxy and resin was beyond him, but every day more and more pieces were coming together in segments, some snout here, a leg there. The first piece to be successfully joined was her lucky charm, three lines of golden joining piecing the small dragon back together, to sit upon her mixing counter. He would see her next when she finished work for the evening, swinging in for a kiss and a coffee before heading back to the apartment where he’d always left dinner waiting for her in the microwave. It was by no means an efficient schedule, but that’s just how she liked it to be done, and who was he to intervene.
The incident ends up on the news, Her student ID plastered in the top corner as the security footage of her fathers rampage within the gallery rolls. She declines an interview, but her department head does not, singing her praises for her students gusto after such hardship, revealing that she was intending on repairing the statue for auction at the initial time given.
Her father’s appeal is totally tossed out, with all the eye-witness statements and security footage, he’s faced with almost a year jail time, and when he thinks that’s the worst over, the stack of documents about his other misdeeds come to light, launching an entire investigation into both his law firm. His other children’s custody is awarded to their mother, as well as a hefty sum of money that he had owed from their divorce.
Most of the pieces had been repaired, but the entire thing had yet to be joined last time Zhongli had poked his head into her studio, so when he approaches the studio’s and hears no telltale thump of energetic music, he begins to worry.
“Dear?” he calls as he opens the door.
He’s met with such a stunning sight that he’s left speechless. There it was again, That wonderful, amazing statue longer than three of him combined, one and a half of him high, the gold made it almost look as if it had been struck by lightning, she’d even managed to get in and repair the electronic component, making the eyes and horns glow brightly, only serving to aid in the gold resin’s shimmer.
And there she is, on the floor, knees pulled to her chest, resting her chin on them, dreamy smile spread across her face as her head bops quietly to the music streaming through her headset. It takes her a moment to notice him, smiling brightly.
“He’s done!” She calls, as if he hadn't already seen it.
“he’s missing his good luck charm.” He’s quick to point out, looking over at the tiny dragon sitting on the counter.
“mmmh...I don't know if I want to part with him though… he’s my good luck charm.” She states as she stands, scooping the little wooden carving up into her hand, regarding it fondly.
“We’ll find something to replace it with then.” He reassures, pulling her into a kiss.
He finds that perfect thing a day before it’s set to be auctioned: a chunk of Cor Lapis, a very rare stone indeed, but it’s glinting orange shine was just too perfect, so he places it carefully within the dragons clawed grip when he swings in to visit her for lunch.
“Oh...wow that’s pretty.” She comments, shuffling around it to take some photo’s “It’s perfect! Zhongli you’ve finished my statue!” this time it’s her who reaches up on her tip toes to kiss him, he responds before really thinking, wrapping his arms around her waist and hoisting her up further, at first she blinks owlishly, her own arms around his shoulders for security, but after a moment, they both happily go back to kissing.
She didn't have work today, class was done, and Zhongli didn't have work for nearly six more hours and now that the statue was done, he figures it’s finally time for a bit of a decompress.
So that’s how he ends up somehow making it home when both of them are hornier than a pair of randy teenagers, how he all but carries her up the flight of stairs and how he compresses her into the sheets, mouths barely leaving each other as he pulls her clothes from her, alternating a piece from her to a piece from him, allowing his mouth to traverse her body, pulling moans and excited little jolts as he slowly swirls a single finger between her already wet lower lips, this kind of thing they’d done before, but something felt different this time, a little more...desperate and impatient as things progress.
Soon he has her right as he wants her, a breathy, mewling mess beneath him as he’s three fingers deep inside her slick hole. Her hands tremble as they grip his sheets, back arching deliciously off the sheets as he brings about her second orgasm of the night. She looks totally fucked-out, mouth open and panting, brow sweaty and absolutely writhing in need, the petulant whine she drops when he pulls his fingers from her only serves to make his dick throb.
“Are you sure? You want to-” He’s trying his best to be a gentleman here, even when his impossibly hard cock is rutting against her slick opening, hands gripping her knees for any semblance of self control
“Please Zhongli...p-please, please fuck me I-I don't want to be a twenty-four year old virgin anymore.” She whines and begs, pushing her hips up as he ruts, adding to the friction. He’s quickly losing composure, she had this way of pushing all his buttons in just the wrong way to make him want to lose control, but this was her first time, It wouldn’t do to fuck into her like a damn animal, much as he wanted to.
“Tell me if it hurts.” He pants, shifting his position slightly, catching her rutting hips and slowly sheathing himself inside, acutely aware of her slightly pained whimper and the way her eyes screw shut after a moment, Zhongli does not stop, not until he’s fully seated; fuck she was tight and warm and slick and everything he’d ever forgotten he’d missed about sex.
Atleast after the initial stretch she seemed to mellow out just as quickly, though still a bit tense as he thrusts in, earning a lovely moan.
“Relax darling, you’re so tight this might end too soon.” He pants, spreading a hand across her belly, rubbing soothing circles as he sets a steady rhythm, angling his hip just a smidge more to- ah, there it is, that small spot hidden inside that had her head thrown back, abandoning any attempts to quell her own sounds, he feels her body relax a little more, legs falling slack as he grips her hips and takes total control of her pleasure, giving as much as he can without ending things too quickly, wanting to savour this moment for a lifetime.
She reaches up for him, face covered with pleasured tears as she grabs for him, he stoops low, wrapping his arms around and pulling her up and into his lap, sinking ever so slightly deeper as she moans right into his ear. He can feel the fresh wave of slick as he’d pulled her up, apparently she enjoyed being held, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Zhongli considering how most of her affection was touch-based.
And so he holds her like that, giving everything he has to her until they’re both spent and Zhongli has to consider calling out for the evening as they both lay there, panting and sated, she curls into his side, still a little teary and emotional, but in a good way, the best kind of overstimulated you could be.
----
Zhongli is quickly outbid at the auction. Her dragon had been set at 100,000 Mora, he’d bet half a million, but now as they both watched the price rise on his TV screen, it had already made it into the millions, apparently after hearing the story on the news, several keen art collectors had wanted the repaired sculpture, and after seeing how good a job she’d done with the gold reparations, several more had thrown their hats in.
“No, No stooop!” she screeches, hiding beneath her blanket as the number continues to rise into the two-million mora range. “what am I meant to do with all that!?”
Zhongli says nothing, simply watching in awe as the final bid lands on Two million five hundred and thirty thousand mora. More than enough to pay her college tuition and more, she’s in tears again looking at the screen, somewhere between shame and joy, her phone is about vibrating across the table with messages from friends about the auction.
She ends up paying for her tuition with the money her father owed her for the destruction of the statue initially, opting to give half of the earnings to her mother to help her care for her siblings, the other half went into a savings account to access when another brilliant idea hit, not like she’d need it; those who had lost the auction soon began reaching out independently, wanting to commission a custom piece.
----
Her order changes again.
She keeps strange hours like him these days, appearing within the coffee shop for her drink and a snack, in the wee hours of the morning, kissing Zhongli on the lips and then the cheek before heading home, having moved completely out of the dorms at the start of her second year; most of her summer break had been making sure her siblings had settled in with their mother, all of them were doing better, she certainly had an...interesting little brood of siblings, but Zhongli could never not like any of them.
Three am is when she strolls in out of the blustery wind, brushing excess dead leaves off her coat and pulling her headphones away from her ears as she smiles across the counter at her boyfriend.
“And what can I get you tonight miss?”
“Hmmm… A green tea latte sounds good.”