*ೃ༄ ɢᴇɴsʜɪɴ ɪᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛ ᴏɴᴇsʜᴏᴛs || discontinued !!

- zhongli || sorry

ೃ⁀➷ zhongli x gender neutral reader

continuation of try again

inspired by bubblegum by clairo

tw : mentions of gore, death, and lots of angst !!

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Pain spread throughout your body. Biting your lip harshly, you held back strangled sobs. You limped behind a boulder, blood pouring from your torso. "Damn it!" You whimpered, hurriedly ripping a piece of cloth from your cape and wrapping it around your wound. Tears welled up in your eyes as the left area of your chest went numb. You were an absolute idiot for not noticing the resting mitachurl near the sunsettia tree. Even more so when it caught you by surprise, plummeting into you with its splintered wooden shield. Tiny drops of blood bedazzled the grass wet from the rain. You coughed up the red liquid while unsheathing your sword. The pressure in your chest from the impact weakened you. As you attempted to regain your composure, the mitachurl lifted its blazing axe and struck you, slicing the side of your torso. Your eyes widened as the metallic-tasting liquid burst from your mouth. The blood loss was extreme, yet you couldn't accept the fact you were likely to die. You didn't want to go like this.

The sound of heavy footsteps faded into the sound of raindrops. Your breathing was slow. You could barely keep your eyes open from the exhaustion and pain. Aside from the raindrops, distant, humanlike footsteps became audible. It sped up as it came closer to you. 'Someone must have seen the blood trail.'  You thought, lifting the ripped cloth to reveal the deep wound. You chuckled bitterly, hand falling limp. "(Y/N)?" A familiar voice croaked. You weakly looked up to meet the glowing amber eyes of your former companion. A tiny grin formed on your face. "Zhongli." You greeted as he stared at your crippled form in horror. "What is the meaning of this?" He breathed out, kneeling to your level and hurriedly taking your hand. He slowly began comprehending the situation. Droplets of rain began to completely soak the both of you, masking the tears rolling down your cheeks. "Sorry about last time, I was-" You began before coughing out more blood. He whipped out a small cloth and quickly wiped the blood from your now cold lips. "I was acting childish." You sighed, clutching his overcoat. He shook his head.

"As was I, so please, tell me what happened," He said softly, starting to carry you bridal style. As he slowly lifted you from the stained ground, you giggled. "Ah, I ruined your clothes." You smiled, rubbing away the red from his overcoat. His lips trembled as he began brisk walking. "There was a stupid mitachurl behind me and I noticed it too late." You tiredly explained, eyes slowly fluttering closed. "I'm sorry." You whispered. He started walking faster. "(Y/N), stop apologizing." He mumbled, the distant light of the lanterns in Liyue coming into view. "I am so, so sorry for not being there for you." He whimpered, planting a small kiss on your forehead. You leaned into his warmth, feeling yourself slip in and out of consciousness. The sound of townsfolk was getting closer. "Please - please open your eyes, love, don't give up yet." He begged, growing tired from the journey on foot. You slowly shook your head. "I'm so tired, Zhongli." You whined, nuzzling into his chest, tears and rain dampening his clothes. "I know, love,"

People stared in shock as Zhongli shakily held you in his arms. The entrance was so close, but he dropped onto his knees from the hurt and fatigue. "I-I'm so close, why can't I move?" He whispered, trying to stand up to no avail. "Don't anymore, please." You mumbled, eyes half-closed. You were barely holding on, the loss of blood taking a great toll on your body. "Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone." He said, tears forming in his eyes. "Not again. Not like this." He sobbed into your neck, holding you close. You stroked his hair gently. "Sorry I didn't kiss you."

He lifted his head to kiss you with all the love and passion he could muster, the taste of your tears mixing into the kiss. Your once vibrant complexion had dulled. You could barely hold the smile Zhongli loved to see, the pink tinge on your cheeks faded. He wished he could hold you, talk to you and love you for longer. If only he never left, he never argued with you, this wouldn't have happened. The days of sitting together, sipping tea and the exchange of stories from travels were over. The small table he'd always reserve near the tea house would remain empty, as he only ever visited when you wanted to go. The pain was unbearable for him. Though this seemed like another lost friend, he saw you as more, and to lose you to such moronic reasons crushed him. "This is my fault." Zhongli cried, intertwining your cold fingers. He trembled, guilt eating away at his heart. People began to crowd around, millelith sprinting towards you. Zhongli spotted Ningguang trailing behind, Xiao appearing from the opposite direction. "Hey now, it's alright." You softly reassured him, kissing him again.

"I love you." He said, staring into your eyes which began to close. "I love you too, Zhongli." You smiled, relaxing into his embrace, feeling yourself drift away. And just like that, you were gone. He cradled your limp body in his arms, muttering sweet nothings and stroking your cheek.

"You will continue to shine like gold in my memories."

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ׂׂૢ word count : 906

the end :)) no part 3 for this, i hope i made it sad enough to be considered angst :))

thank you for reading ! please vote and comment if you'd like to see more ♥️