When a God falls for you [Zhongli x Reader]

Who Tao and Childe who?

Everything around you feels like death. You feel such pain, you don't want all of this.
How did this happened, Why is this happening? Why..

»NO!!!«
»Please... don't... leave.. me..«

Everything turns pitch black.

»?!??!« you wake up from your nightmare and flash up from your pillow. Drenched in sweat, you look around - The sun is about to rise. You're in the hostel room - Zhongli is sleeping next to you. There is nothing to worry about.
Everything is fine.

You slowly fall back onto your pillow in relief. »Just.. a nightmare..« you mumble to yourself.
After a few moments of relaxing a bit, you turn around to face Zhongli.
"Yessss, I'm gonna accompany you to work today!!" You think to yourself as you look at him, scrunching your nose in excitement.

You slowly move yourself closer and closer to him until you're laying right infront of his face.
"H-huuhh?!" You think to yourself, blushing, as you can smell his scent - he smells so good?!

You directly stare at him and probably hope for him to wake up - but well, he apparently sleeps like a stone.
You start to poke his cheek.

»How does he still not wake up??« you ask inpatient.

Now you're even grabbing his cheek, squishing it softly. "Man, what is with you.. well your vision fits to you, you stone"

You then also go for his hair. As you touch it, you notice how soft it is. You want to run your hand completely through it.
»Hehe if you don't wake up I'll-«
Suddenly Zhonglis hand grabs yours, which was about to go through his hair in full speed mode.

»E-ehhheh?!«

He glances at you with only one eye open.

»What are you doing«

a deep sleepy voice comes out of him.

»AHH, y-you didn't wake up!! W-what else was i supposed to do?!?«

He lets go of your hand, you sigh in relief, but then he pulls you by your waist even closer to him.

By now he has both of his eyes open, directly looking at yours.

»If you want to come with me today, be nice«

You're just completely frozen in your position, only able to nod really fast.

He let's go of your waist and starts to get up. He yawns a bit, then heads to the sink to get some water for a tea.

You still lay in the same position, watching him (still shook, I mean, who wouldn't be)

He looks back at you.

»Why are you still laying there?« he says, placing two tea cups on a tray.

You shoot up from where you are.
»Y-yes ehrm, when are we going?« you say with an awkward smile

»After drinking our tea« he answers and hands you one of the full tea cups.

You two drink it peacefully. The tea was really delicious.

You quickly go through your hair with a brush, fix your flowers and feathers in them and hush in the bathroom to get dressed.

Zhongli is already waiting for you.
»comin!!« You shout, as you take a last look in the mirror, put a confident face on and run out the bathroom to Zhongli.

»aaalright, let's go!« you say.

You two close the door behind you and get going.

———————————

As you two are standing infront of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, a girl comes up behind you two and tries to scare you two, but only managing to scare you. Zhongli still stands still, looking not really impressed.

Frightend, you cling to Zhongli's arm.

»Ehe?!?«

»Haha! I managed to scare you! And I know I scared you as well, at least a little bit, Zhong-Zhong!« the girl with brown hair and black clothes says laughing. She also has a vision: pyro.

»W-who are you??« you ask as you slowly let go of Zhongli's arm.

»I am Hu Tao. The 77th director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!!« she says, swinging her arm around you. »and who are you? Are you Zhongli's girlfriend?!?! Wow Zhongli I thought you we're ga-«

»Eh-ehrm« Zhongli clears his throat. »let go of her already. She only wanted to visit me at work today«

»A-and I'm not his girlfriend!!« you add

»Ahh okay, so just friends? She winks at you two.
»A temporary help is always good! Come in come in!«
She takes your hand and pulls you with her into the building - Zhongli following you two.

—————————
Timeskip - a workday full of weird rituals, meeting a ghost called "Big G" and curing people from their "curse", well, more or less, was coming to an end.
————————

»So that's what you do casually Zhongli?« you weirdly look at him.

»Oh no no« Hu Tao answers instead. »He just went with us today, normally he's doing the stuff with contracts for future customers or other things«

»Oh.. that doesn't sound that.. interesting« you say

»Whaaat?! It's the best to get new customers who want to sell their soul to us after they died!! What more could you want?« she tumbles around Zhongli and you as you all were on the way back to Liyue Harbor.

"Man, I thought I was the crazy one here??" You think to yourself, but still finding Hu Tao quite entertaining.

As you three reach the harbor, you and Zhongli say goodbye to her.
»Hope to see you tomorrow again!! You're much more interesting than that emotionless stone next to you!« she winks at you, then suddenly disappearing like a ghost.

»you have weird friends, "Zhong-Zhong"« you mock him.

»First, she's not my friend. Second, don't call me that«

»awwww come on! She's really entertaining, and that nickname is really cute!«

Zhongli blushes a little bit as his eyes widened.

»whatever... If you like her so much, you can be her friend« he says

»yess, so I will come to work with you tomorrow again?!?« you excitingly say

»...If you insist«

»Yayy!!« you gladly jump in the air.

But all of a sudden, a flash of water shoots around you two. You turn around to see what that was - and there was a red haired boy standing, approximately as tall as Zhongli.

»Huh, who do we have here?« The red haired-water-boy says, sounding really charming.

»W-who are you??!« you say, looking back at Zhongli

»Hello, Childe« Zhongli says. »is something the matter?«

»Yes, indeed. We have to talk«