Operation: Make Zhongli Smile Forever

Part 8 - Zhongli is bad at feelings (but we all know that already)

"Oy," Venti sighed, quickly opening the bottle in his hand and downing the whole lot in one go, "you're royally fucked." Zhongli dropped his head on the bar.

"Are you sure you're not just touch starved or something?" Venti continued, opening another bottle of wine, "are you sure you're in love?" The second bottle was taken slower as Venti contemplated his next words; he could see Zhongli's ears turning pink, accompanied by rosy cheeks once he decided to bring his head up.

"I want to..." Zhongli started, taking a deep breath before continuing, "hold his hand, and dance with him, and spend every waking, and not waking, moment with him. I want him by my side all the time." Venti rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"And you're attracted to him?" the bard asked again, finishing off the second bottle of wine and sliding it to the opposite end of the bar.

"I think so," Zhongli responded all while his head was dropped in the palms of his hands.

"Like a physical attraction or an emotional one?" Venti pestered on, poking Zhongli's head gently; he pondered for a little.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully, finally lifting his head up to meet Venti's gaze, "you know I am awful with feelings, Barbatos." Venti hopped up onto the counter, making the most of Diluc being away and sat cross legged on the surface.

"How would you describe your relationship with him now?" Venti pestered on; Zhongli groaned.

"Business partners, companions, friends- all three," Zhongli explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You seem really, really close. I can't say I've seen you be this close to someone, well, ever- and with a mortal, a Fatui , no less. How does he treat this... relationship, or whatever it is?" the bard continued, straining some of his words to accentuate the whole bizarreness of the situation; the consultant pondered for a while.

"Well, we have a contract, which states that he'll be by my side until I can have a family and feel truly human," Zhongli explained, recounting the events from a few nights prior, "but I'm afraid his contract entails a strictly platonic relationship between us."

"Okay, hold on. When did you start... feeling these things," Venti interrupted before Zhongli could continue speaking.

"Well, it was not until I gave up my gnosis that I truly realised their extent. I knew before that what I felt for Tartaglia extended past the realm of friendship- in fact, I," Zhongli started before trailing off, eliciting a strange look from Venti, "suggested a proposal of sorts." Venti almost fell off the bar in shock.

"What do you mean you proposed?! Did you really ask a man you were barely friends with to marry you ? Celestia above I knew you were an idiot but this is reaching new levels of idiocy," Venti exclaimed, earning a few strange and disgruntled looks from the tavern locals.

"Not directly... I gifted him chopsticks," Zhongli explained, "a pair with the patterns of a dragon and a phoenix, it's commonly used as a proposal gift, as rings would be here and Snezhnaya." Venti face palmed. Audibly.

"And as I assume, he doesn't know what it means," Venti sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Not at all- perhaps I should've been more direct," Zhongli mused, thinking deeply.

"That would do more harm than good, don't do that," the bard groaned, burying his head in his hands, "okay, so you're friends already... have you done anything well, you know, non-platonic?"