[COMPLETE]Memories of Soothing Water

Chapter XI

Woah, we're so close to 1k reads it's insane how quickly this fanfic got somewhat popular haha
The reason why chapters might be taking a little long is because I am working on another fanfic!!
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Trigger warnings: s/////dal thoughts, implied s///de, close d///th interaction

Proceed with caution!

After Zhongli's significant lecture on how unique the scarf was, Hu Tao inquired if the man would like lunch.
"Zhongli, you've  been babbling on and on about the pretty red scarf, I think you might be hungry by now from all the chatter that's coming out of your mouth." Hu Tao stared at the brunette, looking as deadly serious as she could so Zhongli would put an end to his inaudible lecture.
"Very well, we shall have lunch."

The young girl set the plates on the pristine table, the steaming hot dishes sending a wonderful aroma into the room.
In the past, Hu Tao wasn't adept at cooking, meaning that every dish she made came out worse than Childes. (which means the dish could even kill a person.)
Fortunately, Zhongli had a mastery of dishes, and the food he made was up to par with Xianglings, which was quite a feat.-Zhongli, having been in this world for more than a decade, would know most of the dishes and cooking made in Liyue.
Zhongli entered the room where he and Hu Tao did work that wasn't associated with Wangsheng, cooking, painting-anything that didn't involve death was usually done in the neat room.
"I see today is.. Crab roe tofu?!"
Zhongli once again explained to the sly girl that he was never going to eat a piece of seafood, no matter if it had a mora tag in it or not.
"What..? You don't like it? Or are you too much of a coward to even try it?" Hu Tao snickered, she was determined to make Zhongli try seafood again.
Zhongli flinched, but agreed to her dreary challenge.
"I hope you didn't add anything else other than crab, young lady." he asserted.
Hu Tao smiled nervously, she knew what was coming after he took a bite.
"Y-yea, just crab~! Nothing else.."
~~~~
After the poor man ate his Crab Roe Tofu, he gave Hu Tao an earful.
"Hey! Whenever Childe did it you were fine, but when I do it you're suddenly nasty? Not fair!" She huffed.
Zhongli sighed and gave her a straight, dangerous stare.
"No more pranking."
Hu Tao grunted and fell in the spare chair in the room, closing her eyes forcefully and whining.
"Anyways, do you still have the buy-one-get-one-free deal?" he asked, his tone remarkably serious.
"The...What?" the girl took a moment to process the consultant's demands.
"Y-you mean the coffin deal that I came up with for fun?" She stuttered, unable to take in Zhongli's true intentions.
The man nodded silently, knowing all too well what the director was guessing in her mind.
"Have you lost your sanity?!" Hu Tao retorted, anger swelling up in her throat.
"This is all I ask." Zhongli calmly replied.
"And you know damn well I'm not fulfilling it!"
Her voice rang in the room, evident and clear.
Unfortunately, Zhongli was deaf to the sound.
"Everyone has a death day, don't they? So why not cut my sufferings short?" He remained his usual composure.
"You, you wish death upon yourself?! What type of person even are you?!" Hu Tao cried out, tears visible to the man opposite of her.
The girl didn't want to lose another person she loved dearly in her life, her grandfather and Childe were enough already.
She didn't want to lose anyone else.
And she didn't want to lose Zhongli.
The consultant sighed in defeat, knowing the argument would get them nowhere.
He got up from his chair and left the room.
A hand tugged at his sleeves.
"Don't.. Please Zhongli.."
"This is my fate, I cannot change it."
He gently took the hands off his suit and stepped out of the parlour.
"You damned man!"
—————
The breeze strolled around the mountains of Liyue, one of the country's most prized possession, a gift from the Geo Archon himself.
Zhongli hiked around the quiet and serene mountains of Mt. Hulao, its pleasant sight soothing his senses.
"Xiansheng, don't you think these mountains look pretty?"
"Of course, I built them myself."
"I would've guessed already, after all, pretty people make pretty things!"
He thought of all the places he could've taken Childe, all the sights the man could see, but sadly, he never got the chance to.
The cool and nightly wind engulfed his feelings, as he strode half-mindedly, nearing the edge of the tall and vast peak.
He didn't seem to mind going dangerously close to the rocky ending, you could say he quite craved for it.
"The only death not even Gods can avoid?"
"Well, if you really want to know then..It's dying by your own creation, your own pride and joy slaughtering you."
"Please never consider this, I'm only saying for you to prevent it."
The consultant smiled, fully aware of what was happening.
He wanted this.
Or did he?
Second guesses were starting to cover his mind, but he shoved them away as he prepared for his death, to meet Childe.
—————
"You actual idiot! What were you thinking, have you gone actually insane?" A snarl penetrated Zhongli's ear.
The man opened his eyes to be met with a short figure.
"Xiao...?" Zhongli coughed.
"I really want to smack you back to your stupid senses, but even electrotherapy cannot put you back in the right mind!" Xiao hissed at the brunette, letting out his hatred for what the man just did.
"Why did you come here to stop me..?"
He weakly got his words out, his body still in shock from the impact of falling down from a great height.
"D'you think I'd just watch you?! Like an emotionless puppet, like I have no feelings for you at all?!" Xiao was in a very awful mood.
"It's not like that I-" his words couldn't finish before the other man butted in.
"To hell with your words! You only care about yourself, you've never even thought of how I, Ganyu and Hu Tao would have felt? You think we would not end up like you!?" His words carried anger and detest, but also a faint amount of concern.
"Xiao it was never like that, I always loved you all, I would always put your needs above mine, that's how a father should treat their children."
He was unable to talk properly, his words weak, even a God could succumb to dust if they performed such a feat.
"Then why didn't you live? Why did you come here? To fall for a prank?! Do you think your death would have no impact on us?!"
Xiao argued back to Zhongli.
The brunette's body finally gave in, and Zhongli fell into a deep sleep.
"Zhongli...Zhongli answer me!"
Xiao's words were left unheard.

I'm done let's goooo more angst and even more angst!!! It's nice to let my feelings out and writing this has made me feel much better wooo 🥳
Poor Xiao lol you should've came home when I wished for you now suffer the wrath of my angst