Archive of Our Own ^beta

Northland bank, a place Zhongli had frequented dozens, probably hundreds of times. Sure, his visits may have become sparser after the Osial incident; Childe, who had as of now been permanently stationed in Liyue, needed some time to come to terms with being used as he had, for which the Archon can understand to a degree, and thankfully now the harbinger seemed to be warming back up to him once more. 

Very little often changed at the bank, the same two members keeping guard out the front, the same tellers and workers milling about within. Today however, there was a change, a new face as he approaches the counter. A lovely young woman who smiles brightly at him and bows her head, elegant and graceful.

“Welcome to Northland bank sir! How may I assist today?” 

“Ah, a new face, how wonderful. I’m simply here to meet up with Master Childe, does he happen to be in?” 

She opens her mouth to answer but is quickly cut off by the man he’d been looking for, and Zhongli finds himself somewhat perturbed by it.

“Xiansheng! Great timing, sorry, got held up in paperwork hell for a bit there.” Childe chuckles as he descends the stairs from his office.

“Ah, Childe, it is no worry. I was simply saying hello to your newest face.” 

The ginger smiles brightly, slinging an arm over her shoulder, and once again, Zhongli feels a twinge of anger. 

“I see you’ve met my lovely cousin! Yep! Been shipped out here to Liyue all the way from our hometown!” 

“Oh, I did not realise you were both related, I see where all the beauty went, obviously.” He slides a glance to her and a sly smile, rather liking how quickly flustered she becomes, while Childe just laughs.

“This is Zhongli, by the way, he’s one of our regulars, so you’ll likely see his face often, he has a…special agreement with the bank so any and all financial requests from him come straight to me.” Childe quickly explains, she nods and makes a quick note. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. Zhongli sir.” She stammers with another quick bow. The consultant isn’t sure what it is about her, but it’s awakened something in him he thought long dead. 

It remains on his mind for the entire day, through his outing with Childe and persisting still as he lays down for the evening, the moment he shuts his eyes, he sees her face, so pure, so naive.

So innocent.

And something inside him, something possessive and jealous, wants that for himself, wants to take it and break it and taint it until she never looks at anyone else but him again.

As luck would have it, a few days later, Childe is summoned back to Shneznhaya, even he is unsure why, but that eliminated one obstacle, in his weakened state without his gnosis, Zhongli doubt’s he could go toe to toe with the harbinger for very long, and he would not put it past Tartaglia to be as protective over relatives as he was of his own siblings. 

The moment she smiles at him, he feels slightly more at ease.

“Oh Mr. Zhongli sir! Good day! I’m afraid Master Childe has been summoned back to the motherland by her majesty-”

“That’s quite alright my dear, I was actually here to check in on you.” He interjects smoothly, even her mentioning the harbingers name made his skin crawl more than he’d like to admit. Chidle was his friend, and her cousin sure, but that deep innate want for her to never speak another man’s name but his own, especially with the title of ‘Master’ was a strong beast.

“M-me? O-of course sir, what can I help you with today?” She quickly slips back into a more professional tone as she straightens up. 

“Well, you see I usually join Childe for lunch today but since he’s not present at current and our usual reservation still stands, I was perhaps wondering if you would be willing to join me? It’s quite a lovely teahouse.” 

Ah, he’d never get tired of the way her face turns such a beautiful shade of pink, or the adorable stammer as she processes his request. 

“I-I…are you sure you wish to invite…me along? I doubt I could keep you very entertained sir…” 

Hm, self esteem issues? No matter, Zhongli wouldn’t let those pesky thoughts linger around her for very long. 

“I insist, dear. You’re new to Liyue, yes? Allow me to take you to lunch and see some sights, the other teller’s know me well, I will guarantee that you will not encounter trouble for taking your break early today.”  

She still looks unsure, fiddling with the hem of her uniform for a moment before finally, blessedly nodding. Excellent.

Even the simple act of walking side by side with her is confirming all of Zhongli’s thoughts and feelings about her. Her hand slot’s so well into the crook of his arm, as if it belonged there; and while he does not test it, he’s sure he could completely encircle her waist with both of his hands.

She was perfect, made for him. He would have to send the Tsaritsa his thanks for sending such a lovely ‘thank you for your gnosis’ gift. 

He feels as if their little date goes quite well. He could tell she wasn’t quite as relaxed around him as he would like, but that was ok, things would take time. He notes that she enjoys listening to his stories, and has a preference for black tea, much like her cousin. 

However, after a week of inviting her out for lunch every other day, that same little wall remained, unchipped, almost as strong as his own jade shield. She was a tough little nut to crack it seems, still flustering and being unsure if she should accept his invites to begin with.

It’s a particularly lovely afternoon as he takes her for a stroll along one of the pavilions when he attempts to chip away at this wall again.

“You know, you’re often quite quiet about yourself on our little outings, darling.” He points out, ever friendly, ever approachable.

“O-oh me? Well there’s nothing really to say about me…” She shrugs quietly “I’m painfully average… especially compared to my cousin.” 

Average? Somehow, that word sparks an absolute wildfire inside him. Who had the gall to call her ‘Average’!? She was beautiful, kind, graceful and perfect, if he still had the rule to do so he would have taken her and placed her upon the throne of royalty like the empress she should rightfully be. 

“I beg to differ. I would say out of the both of you, you’re definitely far more level headed than your cousin. He thirsts for blood and battle, which can sometimes make lunch outings with him tiresome when all he wishes to do is battle me.” 

“Perhaps… but he has far more interesting stories to tell than I do… far more friends in high places… I’m just some lowly fatui administrator.” 

Oh no this wouldn’t do at all. Seems Zhongli had more work to do if he was to get her to see herself the way he does. 

“You have at least one, Dear.” He points out, she tilts her head at him, oh how adorable she was. “If ever you need anything, please do not hesitate to seek me out. You’ll find me most days at Wangsheng Funeral Parlour.” 

“Oh, but…I don't wish to be a bother, Sir.” 

“Never a bother, my darling.” He reassures “I am your friend, and I will do my utmost to aid where I can.”

—-

Zhongli truly realises there is a problem when he happens past the bank one fine afternoon, the sun was dipping below the mountains and bathing the harbour in a beautiful, dusky glow, when he spies her talking to another man, Vlad his name was if he remembered correctly. 

She was laughing, and smiling, and Zhongli’s blood seems to both boil with fury and run cold at the same time. 

Who was he? What could he possibly be saying to her that made her smile so? Whatever it was does not last long, as she waves farewell and continues on her way. It’s against his better judgement, but the fury he feels currently overshadows that, and he finds himself following from a distance, watching her. She stops in at the general store for some groceries and then makes her way to what he can only assume is her home, a small apartment on the outskirts of town. Did the Fatui really not provide better housing for their non-harbinger members? However, he makes a note that he now knew where she lived, wonderful, perfect!

He immediately pays a visit to the florist. 

—-

When he sees her the next day, he’s expecting a smile, a delighted shine in her eyes at the lovely bouquet she would have found on her doorstep that morning, but instead, she seems… frightened? 

“Good afternoon darling…you look somewhat distressed, is everything alright?” 

“O-oh Mr. Zhongli Sir, yes…everything is fine, just… the strangest thing happened this morning is all, nothing to be concerned about.” She chuckles weakly trying to wave it away.

“Oh? Seems like whatever it was, it’s shaken you somewhat…did you wish to talk about it?” 

She looks around nervously for a moment, before nodding, motioning for him to follow her upstairs into one of the disused offices, his innermost, darker thought’s run wild at the things he could do to her in here, but that was not the point of this; she was actually willing to tell him of her problems, that was great! That was a step in the right direction.

“S-so this morning I found…a bouquet of flowers at my door…” She admits after a moment of terse silence.

“That’s wonderful is it not? Perhaps you have a secret admirer?” He supplies, but this only makes her frown more.

“No I don't think that’s it… I’m barely noticed, here at the bank..a-and I’m fatui…most Liyueans don’t spare me a second glance… E-except for you of course Mr. Zhongli…”

“I see… you’re worried that perhaps it was a wrong address? You seem awfully put off by it.” 

“It just… doesn’t seem right… I haven’t given anyone my address either…” She sighs, hands wringing into her top nervously.

Definitely not the reaction Zhongli was expecting, yet…he could work with this too, all roads for her would eventually lead to his arms if he played his cards right. For now, he places a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“If it happens again, please, tell me. I’ll doubt there is anyone here in Liyue that wishes to do you harm, but I will keep an eye out for anything… unsavoury.” 

“Y-you will?” she sounds so hopeful, and that shine in her eyes is just so lovely, he could fall into her gaze forever and die a very happy man.

“Of course, darling.” He reassures, quickly digging a business card and a pen from his pocket, scribbling down his address and handing it to her. “Should you ever feel unsafe, know my home is open to you.” 

She takes it with a shaky hand and nods, tucking it away. “T-thank you… you’ve done so much for me sir…if there’s ever anything I could do in return…”

“I only have one request.” he chuckles softly, immediately her eyes are on him “we’re friend’s, please, just call me Zhongli?” 

She blinks at him like he’s just insulted her family line, but eventually sighs and nods.

“A-alright, but only when I’m not at work. I could get in trouble otherwise.”

He simply chuckles and tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I think I can live with that.”

—-

Zhongli ups his game. A bouquet of flowers is a lovely gesture, sure, but in the time he’d come to know his lovely little gem, he’d also come to know her preferences.

Perhaps flowers were too broad spectrum, if she wanted to know that these offerings were for her and her alone, then perhaps a gift of chocolate that he noticed she’d taken a liking to, and some of her favorite tea, specifically imported from her home country, would help sway her? 

There was also the case of Vlad…and Andrei for that matter. The other two men he’d seen her interacting with, smiling at…how dare they? If only they knew the kind of power they were toying with. Coming between a dragon and his chosen mate was…unwise. 

So…perhaps he descends upon Vlad as he’s leaving the bank for the evening, perhaps he trips the stupid fool down the stairs using a geo construct, perhaps he makes the very pavement crack beneath his feet…perhaps…just perhaps, he corners the poor man in a dark alley, where his identity cannot be garnered, and breaks his nose? Calls him all sorts of horrifying liyuean slurs for the poor fatui sprawled out on the ground, clutching his nose.

Andrei does not escape totally unscathed either, perhaps he finds himself trapped against a wall as Zhongli presses the tip of his spear to the nape of his neck, threatening to end any and all fatui lives for what they did to Rex Lapis. He escapes in better condition than Vlad, after all, Zhongli needed someone to spread the message, to spread the fear, to plant the seed in his new prized gem.

It works a treat.

The next time he pays a visit to Northland bank, Vlad is nowhere to be found, Andrei is inside, nursing a black eye, everyone seems on edge, especially his little darling, head ducked low as she works diligently, nearly jumping out of her skin when he clears his throat.

“Oh- Mr. Zhongli sir! I-I am so very sorry to have kept you waiting! H-how can I help?” 

He furrows his brow, tilting his head at her.

“You seem more distressed than usual today, my dear. Would you like to accompany me for some fresh air?”

For once, she doesn’t hesitate, coming around the counter and joining his side instantly, excellent. She even takes his offered arm, looping her hand into the crook of it as he leads her from the gloomy atmosphere of the bank.

—-

“S-so Vlad’s currently on bedrest, nursing a broken nose, cracked ribs and a sprained ankle…Andrei apparently got off lighter but…now we aren’t so sure about everything, the Qixing apparently told everyone that Rex Lapis’ death wasn’t our fault but… I-I dunno…” 

“And you said you also got another delivery to your door? Hm…how odd.” He feigns thought, resting his chin on his hand as he contemplates everything she’d told him. Poor dear looks absolutely frazzled, on edge. “This might sound forward of me, but…would you like for me to spend the night in your home? I’m relatively nocturnal, and an early riser, I can keep watch for any suspicious activity while you get some rest?”

“O-oh no, no I couldn’t ask that of you.” She sighs, slowly sipping her tea. “I don't want to be a burden to you…’

“Not at all, I’m currently on leave as it is, so it’s really no trouble, plus, I don’t particularly like the idea of someone going around bringing harm to innocent bank workers. You might have rank in the Fatui, but you’re no harbinger, nor are you infantry, whomever this is must be sinking quite low to attack those who do not or cannot fight back.” he presses, she hesitates for the moment before her shoulders slump.

“Only if you’re sure you don't mind, M- I-I mean Zhongli.” she sighs sadly into her tea, he smiles. 

“It would be my pleasure, I’ll be waiting for you outside the bank when you finish this evening, that way you’re safe on the way home.”

Finally, he’s treated to a small, genuine smile and he’s sure he’s finally beginning to see a crack in the wall, a crack was all he needed. “Thank you.”

He’s waiting for her, as promised, bag of groceries looped over one arm, she raises an eyebrow at it and he simply smiles, offering his arm once more. “If I am to be staying with you for the eve, it’s only polite that I prepare dinner, it was sudden after all.”

“A-are you sure? Seems awfully rude of me to host you for the evening and then have you cook as well.”

“Please, allow me. You’re distressed and tired darling, you could use the time to relax.” 

Her little apartment is small, but cozy, sparsely decorated save for a few personal items. He immediately sends her off to run herself a bath while he brews some special calming tea.

She didn’t have to know that this was no ordinary tea… in fact this was a blend he’d kept personally for several hundred years, from sometime during the archon war when another goddess had attempted to ally with him, he could tell immediately that something about the tea she had presented him with had been off, and upon further examination, yes, a rather devious blend indeed. It worked slowly, but the more of the drink the victim consumed, the more…perceptive they became to whomever brewed it for them.

Like a weak love potion, one of his adepti had explained when they’d discovered the devious intent, the goddess soon lay dead upon the earth, and yet, he had never forgotten the blend. It smells sweet, he can of course, also smell the intent hidden within it, just as he had those hundreds of years ago, but to a mere mortal nose? She’d be none the wiser.

In fact, she seems to enjoy it, humming in satisfaction as she sips away at it, fresh out of the bathtub, wrapped in a cozy robe, dreamy smile spreading across her face. It would take more than one cup to have an affect, but it was a start. If he could slowly chip away at her defenses, hopefully a mixture of the tea and his mere proximity would do the rest..

Zhongli usually likes to say he’s a patient man, but he finds himself already on the edge of his line. Every smile, every satisfied sigh was doing something dreadful to him. He wanted her, and he wanted her now.

After dinner, he sends her right to bed. Perhaps he uses a little bit of his own remaining adeptal arts to lull her into a deeper sleep than usual, ensuring she would not wake as he calls for his most loyal adepti.

“Xiao.”

Immediately, the boy is by his side, down on one knee in reverence. “My lord?”

“I require a favor of you.” 

—-

As soon as dawn begins to break, he gently shakes her from her unending nightmares, she wakes with a gasp, jolting upright in a panic. Zhongli is quick to bring her back to the moment, gently rubbing her shoulder until she snaps back to reality.

“My apologies, had I known you were having a nightmare, I would have woken you sooner.” He murmurs, she simply sniffles quietly, sighing. 

“N-no it’s ok…did you…did you see anything?” 

It’s Zhongli’s turn to sigh. “I..heard some movement outside in the early hours, but by the time I got out to take a look, they were gone…but…they left something..”

“Oh no…not again.” She whines, resting her head in her hands. “What is it this time?”

“Nothing good I’m afraid…” He admits, offering her a hand out of bed and leading her by said hand to the kitchen where a butcher's cleaver lies on the counter. 

“O-oh god… what the fuck…” The tears begin immediately “I-I can’t… do this…I-I need to write a letter to Master childe- I-I need to transfer out of here!”

Zhongli is quick to stop her before she rushes back into her room, pulling her into a hug. “It’s alright, you’re still safe for now… come on, pack a bag of your clothes and effects.”

“Huh?”

“Well, this stalker seems to know where you live, so for now, the easiest option would be to not be here for a while, would it not?”

“But…where would I go?” She sighs “I…I don't have anywhere else…”

“Well you’re coming to stay with me of course. I live in a very secure part of town, I doubt your stalker would know to look for you there, plus if they hang around the bank, they won't know you’ve moved today, it’s saturday, the bank is closed, it will take a while for a letter to reach Childe, you’ll be safer with me.”

“I-I… that’s… I don't want to impose.” She sniffles, Zhongli desperately wants to kiss her then and there, but  he still manages to grip onto the shreds of self control he has. 

“It’s certainly no imposition, darling. I don't think I could forgive myself if you were harmed, and I don't think Childe would forgive me either…now come, let’s not waste time.” 

He watches her retreat to her room with a smile, the night he spent watching her plagued with Xiao’s nightmares had given him time to think, to form a better plan, a plan to break her down and then build her up the way he wanted, the way she needed to truly be happy, and the first step was getting her used to his constant presence, more so than he already was a constant in her life these days.

He’s quick to escort her to his home, arriving just before the sun is fully up and showing her to his spare room while he brews her some more tea. Personally? He already feels more at ease with her in his home, like she’d always belonged here.

Soon, he would make such a darling wife of her.

As soon as she’s fed and watered, he sends her off to bed again. No nightmares to plague her here, only sweet dreams. It was unfortunate that Xiao’s specialty happens to be nightmares, but Zhongli? He wasn’t totally inept at walking in dreams either, but he wanted the dreams he personally gave her to be…desirable, further proof that she belonged here, with him.

He also sets about with the other part of his plan, transporting her to his own adeptal realm, one he had designed to keep her where she was, a little confusion thrown into the mix to aid in her belief that he was the right person to take care of her would never hurt.

His apartment looked exactly the same within this realm, the only difference? Should anyone within but himself attempt the front door, they would simply walk right back into the spare bedroom, her bedroom, at least for now. 

Perhaps he’d added a little bit of adeptal magic into her meal, just a little something to induce a light fever. He didn’t want to hurt his darling, just…confuse her a little.

Because now that she was well and truly in the dragon's den, he wasn’t about to let her leave anytime soon.

“mmmnh…Zhongli…?” Her quiet call immediately rouses him from his book, and he’s quick to meet her in the doorway to her room. Seems the fever had taken hold quite nicely, her darling face flushed the lightest of pink, eyes hazy as she sways.

“My dear, you are not looking well… Are you still having trouble sleeping?”

“Mmn…no I slept fine… but…I feel…woozy.”

“You look it too. Come, sit.” She goes easily as he guides her to his sofa, bundling into the corner without a second thought before he presses an ungloved hand to her forehead, he knew already but even still, he needed to play his role. “Indeed, perhaps this stress has caused you to fall ill…”

“M’sorry…” She mumbles, pulling her legs to her chest “I’m…just one problem after another.”

“Nonsense, darling.” He rebukes, “I would much rather you here where someone can look after you, at least until Childe returns.”

She blinks at him a moment, eyes clearing just a little. “Right…I need to write him…need to get a transfer started…”

“Take your time, you’re not well.” He presses, resting his hand on her cheek “I’ll continue to monitor the situation at the bank and with your strange stalker.”

—-

When he returns home from grocery shopping the a few days later, he finds his darling curled in the corner of the living room, crying, shaking like a leaf. He’s quick to place the aforementioned groceries on the counter before kneeling at her side. 

“Darling? Is everything alright? Did something happen while I was out?”

Slowly she looks up at him, seemingly trying to make sure he was real for a moment.

“I-i was…I was going to send this letter off to Childe but..I… the front door? Something’s wrong…I..” 

He gently hushes her, while he didn’t like the fact she’d managed to write this supposed letter to Childe, this was still something easily fixable. Slowly he helps her to her feet, steadying her at the shoulders. “What about the front door? Was there someone there? Did someone frighten you?”

She shakes her head, trying to form the correct sequence of words. “I-I tried to open the front door but…found myself back in your spare bedroom? S-so I tried again and again and it kept happening…a-am I going crazy!?”

Perfect, wonderful.

He gently takes her by the hand, dropping the adeptal realm entirely before opening the front door out into the liyuean sunshine.

He steps aside, letting his dear poke her head out and into the familiar street, looking around in confused awe.

“I…I don’t understand…” she mumbles as she retreats back indoors, good, excellent. All her reactions are exactly as he’d hoped, He follows her back inside, shutting the door, hopefully with this little bout of confusion, he would never have to use the adeptal realm again, unless she attempted to escape from him of course…

“You’re still unwell darling, allow me to take that letter to the post office and mail it off for you, hm? You need more rest, you’re still feverish.” 

“I-I…I’m sure I wasn’t…” 

“Fever can play strange tricks on the mind, darling. Come now.” It’s easy to herd her back into bed, she doesn’t fight against the lull of sleep either, this time not even caused by Zhongli’s own power (though perhaps the fresh cup of his special tea had something to do with it, she’d ingested enough of it to at the very least feel soothed by his presence), dropping off almost as soon as Zhongli assures her that her letter for Childe would be dealt with immediately.

Zhongli’s version of immediately was to tear the damned letter to pieces barely a moment after he’d stepped out of the house. Taking the shreds and dumping them into several different bins down the street. He was unsure how much longer Childe would be away from liyue, and that prospect worried him, should her dear cousin return too soon, his efforts may be ruined. He did not wish to harm Childe like he had harmed the other bank workers, but there was a desire, deep inside his heart, to hurt him in a different way.

Childe had called him many horrible things the day he’d given up his vision, and Zhongli had done his best to brush them off, but words still hurt, even to an Archon. Childe was his friend, but Zhongli had a point to prove.

Don’t call a god names and expect to get off without a scratch.

This was a battle Zhongli could win without even drawing his weapon.

—-

He steps up his own hold on her dreams as soon as the fever breaks, she’d been granted two weeks leave from the bank, yet had still not worked up the nerve to inspect her apartment (unbeknownst to her, Zhongli had, of course, gone and…roughed up the place just in case she did pluck up the courage). 

Now, Zhongli finds himself personally walking amongst her dreamscapes, he always did his best to make sure her sleep was excellent and her dreams lovely, but people were often far more honest in their dreams.

Seems her ideal place of comfort was the snowy valleys of her hometown of Morepesok, it’s exactly as Childe had once described it, a humble fishing village bathed in the ever-present whiteout of snow.

She’s laying, spread eagle amongst the freshly fallen ice, watching the clouds overhead. Such a simple dream, yet beautiful nonetheless. Though no scenery would ever be as beautiful as her and the serene smile on her face as he approaches.

“Zhongli? What are you doing here?” She asks as she sits up.

“Why, this is a dream, your dream. Meaning you must have thought to bring me here.” He responds, kneeling before her. “So I suppose I should be the one asking you why you’ve begun dreaming of me.” 

She blinks at him, though no sign of fluster or flush on her face, hm..

“I-I don't know, honestly. I was enjoying being home, surrounded by familiarity I guess… a-and I suppose you’ve become a rather familiar face these days.”

“So I bring you comfort then.” He states, leaning a little closer, delighted when she doesn’t lean away. 

“I suppose you do, yes… I’ve never had a friend treat me so kindly before, especially not one who knows about my…family.” 

“You are your own person, independent of familial ties.” He chuckles, resting his hand against her cheek, delighting in the soft warmth and flutter of his heart as she leans into the touch with no resistance. “You so desperately crave a kind touch… I can happily provide it if you'd allow me…”

He leans in closer again, poised atop her legs as he cups her face in both hands, reveling in the way she silently sighs her contentment. “Let me take away some of your stresses, my sweet.”

Finally being able to kiss her, even in her dreams, sets what Zhongli already knew in stone; she was his , his alone.

No one would dare attempt to take her from him. 

She falls easily back into the snow as he steals her very breath, she’s shy, and inexperienced, but that was ok, it only confirmed that Zhongli would be her first and only love. Her lips are soft and her mouth tastes as sweet as she was in personality, it’s almost addictive, he wants to smother her, to claim her and mark her as his forever. But this was only a dream, he wanted her to wake from this feeling confused and flustered and perceptive to his advances.

As perceptive as she was now, so pliant and open for him, desperate for his touch, his lips. Truly she was perfect, and he wastes no time kissing her silly, leaving her dizzy and gasping when he finally pulls back. 

She lays there, eyes shut, small smile plastered to her slightly swollen lips as her breath slowly evens out again. 

He leans down to kiss her again, nowhere near as rough or demanding, sweet and tender. “Sweet dreams, my love.” 

And he leaves it at that, waking in his own bed once again in the real world, a content smile spread across his face. When he rises to silently begin his day, he cannot help but poke his head into her room, even beneath the covers he can smell it, the overwhelming scent of arousal and desire, it leaves his mouth watering and his self control tested to it’s very limits.

Yet, he finds it in him to turn away, she would wake soon, and she’d likely be thirsty, a fresh cup of tea should do the trick.

She’s definitely a little more flustered than usual when she finally shuffles from her room some time later, greeting Zhongli with a quiet noise.

“Did you sleep well, My dear?”

“Y-yeah..”

“You sound perturbed, bad dream?”

“Not at all, no. just…strange.” 

Zhongli humms, he doubted she’d elaborate, not this quickly. “I may have accidentally made it a little strong this morning, my apologies if it does not taste the same.” He sighs as he hands her the usual teacup, making it strong had been no accident. 

—-

A week later, Childe returns, much to Zhongli’s horror. 

He only spies the harbinger in passing, but that shock of auburn hair is…unmistakable. Usually, the consultant would be over the moon to have his friend back in town, but his presence forces his inner dragon to rear its ugly, jealous head. Childe was the one person who could ruin everything, Childe was the one person who could take his precious treasure away, and she would go willingly. 

He didn’t want to use the adeptal realm again so soon, but should Childe come searching for his cousin…

He immediately turns and makes for home, but not before stopping off in a dark alley to…intentionally muss himself up. Pulling his hair from it’s tie and giving that a good ruffle, punching at the brick wall to intentionally tear up his gloves, little things that have him leaving the alley looking like he’d barely escaped a fight, going far enough to hit himself with a small geo construct to cause a nosebleed. A small price to pay if it got the desired results.

When he finally rushes into his apartment and locks the door quickly behind him, the look he’s met with from his darling is shock and horror.

“Z-Zhongli!? What happened!?” Her concern is heartwarming as she immediately rushes over from the couch “You’re bleeding! C-come on.” He allows himself to be tugged down the hall and to the couch while she fetches a tissue. 

“I…may have had a run in with your…stalker.” He admits “but… I was ill prepared and he got the best of me…cornered me in an alley.” He slowly leans his head into her palm as she perches beside him to dab at his bloodied nose. “I thought I saw someone suspicious leave the bank, tailed him back to your apartment, but he vanished…seems he knew I’d followed him.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re alright..” She sighs, Zhongli hums quietly, slowly resting his hands upon her hips and pulling her into his lap, watching her face turn that lovely shade of pink again. “Z-zhongli?”

“Forgive me… I’m just…I’m glad it was me and not you… I don’t think I could have lived with myself had it been you attacked instead.” He murmurs, leaning forward to press his forehead to hers. “You’re so warm and gentle and kind… I want to wrap you up and keep you safe forever…” 

He can see the minute way she nibbles her lip, the slight, shaky inhale; she was used to this kind of closeness in dreams, but reality? 

“I could never ask that of you Zhongli… You have a life of your own, it would be unfair of me to force myself into it.” she mumbles, averting her eyes from him. 

“And what if I wanted you in it? I make more than enough to keep us both afloat, if you decided you never wanted to leave this apartment again, to quit your job and take up any hobby you could ever want? I’d be delighted to assist you.” 

“But…but why? I’m nothing special Zhongli…” She seems so honestly confused that it’s endearing. He brings his hands up from her hips to her face and, just like in her dreams, she melts into the kind touch immediately.

“To me you are.” He tells her simply as he leans in to finally steal a real kiss from her, she makes a tiny noise but otherwise doesn’t pull away or resist, good.  “I would make you mine in a heartbeat.” he murmurs against her lips, noting the small shudder that passes through her body. “I would fight the most unholy of man and monster alike to keep you at my side.”

“Z-zhongli… I…” He’s quick to shush her again with his lips, was he moving a bit faster now that he knew Childe had returned to the harbour? Yes. Was he enacting his backup plan to make sure she remained his pliant little treasure? Also yes.

Between his little tea’s that she had even begun requesting (‘I just can’t seem to brew it right!’ she once huffed, but that was ok, Zhongli very much enjoyed watching her drink his special blend), and a few other adepti arts, he was sure he could slowly whittle away her resolve until he was certain she would chose him over her cousin should he attempt to remove her…even if it meant putting the adeptal realm into play, somewhere safe for her to reside, to keep her away from prying hands.

But for starters, he needs to put those adepti arts into play, most of which revolve around the very thing he’s been dying to do to her. One hand spreads easily across her back, supporting her as he goes in for another kiss, easily working his way into her mouth. Just a little longer of keeping this act up and finally, finally she would be his.

As always, she goes easily when he rises from the couch, holding her firmly to his chest, barely giving her a free moment to breathe, let alone think about what’s going on as he presses her into the silken sheets of his own bed, trailing hands and mouth along every patch of skin he can find, easily shaking the damaged gloves from his fingers. 

“Z-zhongli..? I-I’m… This is…” 

“Shhh, it’s alright my darling. Allow me to relieve all your stress.”

One day, he’d love to have her completely lucid and falling into his arms without prompt, one day he’d love to wake up with her grinding against his thigh in need, but today? Well today he finally gets his wish, he gets to mark her skin with his teeth and tongue, strip her bare and vulnerable, kiss her silly as he opens her up with his fingers.

He’s a little too impatient even for his own liking, something about seeing Childe had shaken him to his core, he would have loved to spend the entire day pleasing her, making her beg for more, but he needed to mark her on both the inside and out. She winces when he finally shoves his cock deep inside, swallowing her cry of discomfort with his lips, it’s not long until one of his adepti arts finally falls into place, her whimpers fading off into quiet, breathy sounds as the haze of pleasure and a little bit of mind-numbing takes hold. 

“That’s it… so good for me…” He purrs, sitting back to watch as the rest of his power over her takes hold, the slump in her shoulders and the dazed smile that spreads across her lips as he takes what is rightfully his. She looks absolutely perfect, writhing beneath him as he each thrust meets with her most sensitive spots, and when he finally does spill his seed into her for the first of undoubtedly many times, it comes with a seal, that lovely little mark of geo that appears below her naval. To those not privy, it simply seems like an elemental mark upon her skin, a lingering hint of his own elemental powers residing within her, but to those who know exactly what he’d just done, the intentions are much more perverse. Almost like an animal going into heat, that little mark will make her crave him, and only him, so even if Childe was to say, remove her from his home? She’d come right back to him, because only he could satisfy her.

Her body and mind react so wonderfully to him, she really must have been desperate for someone, anyone to treat her with such kindness, and Zhongli was more than happy to deliver. His final step in the plan? By far the riskiest to those less cunning than he, but he knew he could pull it off. As she rests, curled in his bed, surrounded by his scent and his warmth, he uses one of his lesser known adepti arts.

—-

“Darling are you still going to hand that letter of resignation to the bank today?”

She looks up from her spot on the couch, brow furrowed in confusion. “Huh?”

Zhongli stops his lunch preparations and cocks his head at her “Do you not recall? You wrote it only yesterday.” He accentuates the point by pushing the letter sitting on the counter towards her as she approaches. “Did my coming home worse for ware spook you that badly, my love?” 

She slowly picks up the letter, her handwriting addressing it to Northland Bank’s HR manager neatly written across the top before she unfolds it and reads. Zhongli had had six thousand years to perfect forging handwriting and signatures, after all, his own had changed many times over the millenia, so forging a believable copy was no issue.

“Huh…I guess I did…”

“Did you want me to walk you to the bank?”

“Oh, no I’ll be alright I think.” She tucks the letter into her pocket and pulls on a coat he’d purchased her, more Liyuean style so it wasn’t so obvious she was Shneznhayan. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Hm, very well. Hopefully you’ll be back before lunch is ready.” He kisses her on the forehead and then again on the lips. “Be safe.” 

Seems the memory alterations hadn’t quite worked as expected, he had attempted to alter her memories into already thinking she’d written the letter, but no matter, even if she was still a little confused, all it took was a little nudge in the right direction from him and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place without much issue, as they should. 

It’s as the soup is nearly done that he hears a commotion outside, a familiar, masculine voice. 

Childe.

His blood boils, but he takes a deep breath, of course he should have expected childe to put up a fuss. Silently making his way down the hall, he listens in for a moment.

“What do you mean there’s a stalker!?”

“I-I don't know what to tell you ‘Jax, some creep was leaving things at my door, a-and then Vlad and Andrei were attacked! Mr. Zhongli has been very gracious and welcoming a-and I don’t want to get lynched for being a member of the Fatui!”

“You wouldn’t though! Why would anyone wanna hurt you?”

“I don't know! But I’m not like you Ajax! I don’t wake up to a knife at my door and just go on with my day! I can’t! I-I just…feel safer this way…”

Finally, Zhongli opens the door, blinking with confusion before smiling. “Ah! Childe! Welcome back! I didn’t realise you’d returned from Shneznhaya, otherwise I would have come to fill you in on the situation personally.”

Childe looks like he’s on the verge of a confused breakdown as he looks between his cousin and his friend.

“X-xiansheng is what she’s been saying true?”

“I’m afraid so. I may have snooped a little too closely and been taken by surprise just yesterday in fact. It was your lovely cousin who patched me up, whomever this stalker is…they are not weak…” He takes a moment to look up and down the street before stepping aside. “Would you like to come in? Lunch is almost ready.” 

Zhongli can immediately tell that Childe is…wary of him, but his darling happily hooking onto his arm quickly quells the bubble of anxiety, even if Childe raises an eyebrow.

“Would you like some tea, Childe?”

“Uh…sure?” 

“And you, darling?”

“Yes please! Can it be that nice, sweet one?”

“Of course.” He would never, ever deny her request for that specific tea, it had come to a point where he kept a stash of teabags filled with the blend nearby the rest of them. 

“So…you’ve just…been living here with Xiansheng the entire time I’ve been gone?” Childe still sounds very unsure of the situation “You know where the spare key to my place is…you could have crashed there, heck you still can-”

“I like it here!” Zhongli’s chest swells with pride at her interjection. “Mr. Zhongli has been very kind and…I feel safer here…everyone respects him so even if I look like a member of the fatui…no one says anything and I don't get dirty looks when I go out to the market with him anymore.”

“I-I see…Still…you just..resigned! Doesn’t that mean you’re going to go back to Shneznhaya?”

“Nope!”

“Wh..huh!?”

“Oh Ajax, there’s nothing left for me in Shneznhaya, besides if I went back and told ma and da that I resigned, I might as well be cast out of the family entirely! There’s never been anything said in the employee manual that foreign deployment resignations must return to the motherland…so I think I might stay here a while…t-that is of course if Mr. Zhongli is still willing to have me here…” She looks to Zhongli shyly, realising too late that she’d overstepped her bounds, but Zhongli simply smiles and places down their tea. 

“I would be honoured to have you, my dear.” 

Through the entire ordeal of having Childe for lunch, the harbinger’s gaze flicks between Zhongli, and his cousin, brow furrowed in thought.

—-

By the time Childe realises something is definitely amiss. It’s too late. Far too late. He was suspicious about Zhongli’s sudden and rather prominent appearance in his cousins’ life to be sure, but he’d never expected…this.

Members of the bank were still being attacked..namely male workers… the ladies and Childe himself had all, so far, been left alone. He had decided to tail one of his subordinates one evening as he left the bank and happened to catch sight of a gloved hand yanking him into a dark alley, he knew that glove anywhere, the detailing and the ring on the thumb… Immediately Childe had left his underling to his fate, blasting through the streets of Liyue to Zhongli’s apartment, near scaring his cousin out of her skin as he blew through the door.

“Ajax!?”

“We have to go, now! ” He’d have to explain later, he wraps his hand around her wrist and tugs her from the couch and towards the door; how could he have been so stupid? Why did he ignore his gut feeling the first day he’d found out this is where she’d been living!?

“A-ajax! You’re hurting me!” She whimpers, pushing at his hand as she digs her feet into the hardwood “What’s going on!?” 

“I don't have time to explain but you’re in danger-”

“Oh? Danger you say? By whom?” Childe feels the cold winds of home sweep up his back at the familiar voice, Zhongli’s tone is low, and dangerous, threatening as he blocks the doorway, looking as immaculate as ever, like he hadn’t just attacked some poor fucker from work.

“I-I saw you, Xiansheng…” Childe states, letting go of his cousin to block her from view “What’re you playing at here?”

“Saw me? Why, I only just left the funeral parlour, Childe…” 

“Don't bullshit me! I saw you attack Ivan! I don’t know what your game is…but we’re leaving!” He goes to reach for his cousin’s wrist again, but he finds nothing, turning to see where she’s gone off to, he finally actually takes a decent look at her.

She’s…cowering from him, rubbing at the wrist he’d grabbed so roughly before, but more than that…he takes in what she’s wearing…or what she’s not. Clad only in underwear and one of Zhongli’s dress shirts, buttoned only at the chest, the geo symbol emblazoned on her belly makes his blood run cold as the Tsaritsa’s own blizzards.

“Childe…I’m an adult! You may be a harbinger but I’m not a member of the Fatui anymore! You can’t just boss me around as you see fit…” She whimpers “I don’t know who you saw…but it wasn’t Zhongli… I’m staying here with him.” 

“But I…h-he-” What the hell was he meant to say? What the hell was he meant to do? The darker presence behind him brushes past, their shoulders brushing just slightly and it makes Childe shrink just minutely as Zhongli examines her wrist, his dark, golden gaze slipping from her to the harbinger.

“Childe, I am unsure what you’ve seen… but family or not, I do not appreciate you scaring and harming my darling.” 

His…darling? Oh gods…oh good gods… just what horrible trap had his cousin fallen into?

He watches, frozen in horror as she smiles up at the ex-archon, and he stoops easily to lift her, holding her easily with one arm and pressing a kiss to her cheek as she buries her face into the crook of his neck, in the same instance, Childe watches as Zhongli’s eyes pulse with golden light for just a moment, and her body falls limp in his arms.

“What did you just- GAUGH-!” His sentence is cut as Zhongli immediately whirls upon him, hand to his throat pressing the harbinger against the wall in a death-grip, He knew what Zhongli was doing, with his cousin in the way, unconscious and unaware, Childe couldn’t possibly attack. 

“Listen. And Listen well, Tartaglia.” Zhongli growls at him, eyes dark and predatory “I do not intend to keep your family from you, but know now that this one, is mine.” He accentuates his point by pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “Nothing you say or do will change the course of her fate now… But no need to fear, remain civil and thing’s can easily go back to normal.” 

“You’re a monster…a monster Zhongli!” He spits, gripping onto the enormous hand that encapsulates his throat as Zhongli lifts him a little higher.

“I am, yes. I never stated that I wasn’t. Now if you’ll excuse me. I would very much like to tend to my darling, attempt to remove her again, and I will not be so kind, to you, nor your subordinates.” 

And with that, Childe is tossed out of the consultant's apartment and he’s left standing there in the street, shocked, confused, horrified.

He looks back at the closed apartment door and blinks… 

Just what on earth kind of monster had his cousin tangled herself with?