Zhongli oneshots

"𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?" - Artist! Reader x Art critic! Zhongli

Modern AU: y/n being a new but promising painter is having first exhibition. And who would have thought, that this specific exhibition caught eye of one particular and famous Art critic. Slight nsfw mentioned

   


    "Okay, okay, breath y/n..." you repeated over and over again, while playing with the hem of your shirt. It was your big day. You were an artist, painter, to be specific. And on the start of your career! So it was understandable, you were nervous. Today was your first art exhibition and you were sure that the big names will surely attend. One of them being Mr. Zhongli, one of the most famous critics with exquisite taste. So you hoped that he'll like your art. If he could say just one, one good thing about your paintings, you were sure you could be famous over night.

     The start was all in a blur. Everyone was talking over each other, taking photos here and there just so they could catch a glimpse of the new, young, aspiring artist. It was hard, but you were almost euphoric. They liked it, they liked your art! And there is nothing more rewarding than someone appreciating your passion. But finally, after few hours you could finally catch a breath. Leaning on a wall with a glass of champagne, you softly smiled while watching everyone walking from left and right, right and left or who were just talking in small circles. From distance, you could also hear some shouting and betting. Ah, there could be nothing better than this. Well, maybe the bed that was waiting for you at home. 

"Enjoying your night?" 

    A deep voice startled you and you could swear that your heart jumped out of your chest. With a quick check over your dress (if you didn't spill any of the drink on yourself), you slowly lifted your gaze to the source of the sound. And oh god, did your heart do a spin. You expected everyone, everyone but the older man with a long, dark hair with coloured tips, yellow piercing eyes and the tight fitted suit and coat hanging over his shoulders. He could easily blend with the art pieces all around you, like the most beautiful sculpture. A nervous chuckle brought you back from your thoughts and you realised you must have been staring. Pink tinted your cheeks because well, this was embarassing. "I-I am sorry. I just didn't expect you here, sir. My name is y/n l/n. I am the artist and it's really nice to meet you. And to answer your question, yes I am. After all- this was my dream! After all these years of hard work, I can finally show the world what I am capable of and what I love. Oh I am sorry for the rambling." you nervously smiled and offered your hand for a handshake. He took your hand but instead of shaking it like you expected, he brought it to his lips and gave it a little kiss. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Zhongli, but I suppose you already know that by your reaction." he chuckled and lightly carresed your hand with his thumb, before letting it go and sipped from his drink. You had to chug the rest of the drink yourself, to keep yourself from melting into a puddle right here, right now. This handsome man, whose suit costed more than half of your paintings together was here, kissing your hand. Was this some kind of play to tease you? Who knows. "Well, do you like what you see?" you asked after a minute of silence, to try and continue the conversation. "I do." was his whole response. Really?! Couldn't he say atleast something more?! Well, you hoped he wasn't lying so you just nodded, seeing that it was useless to try and talk to him more. So you excused yourself, grabbing another glass on your way to try and score some buyers. 

     Time flew by rather quickly. And you couldn't ignore the stare that was on you the whole time. You thought you went crazy, that it was just your imagination playing tricks on you. Zhongli? THE Zhongli? Staring at you? Nah. Probably just your heart going mad. Untill on of your friends who attented mentioned "Hey- is everything okay? The old man is staring at your ass the whole time." Ah, how expected from Beidou. Always honest and frank. And you were quite sure she wasn't even fully sober. BUT atleast she confirmed that indeed, you caught his attention. And you just hoped that it'll result into some good review of this exhibition and your art in general. Now was not the time to focus on this gorgeous living Adonis. You had to focus on yourself and your career right now. So you said goodbye to your friend, ignored her shouting "GET THE D!" (and some horrified looks your and hers way) and smiled. And you must say, the whole day ended up in a succes. You sold a lot of things, you gained lots of new fans and some sponsors. So atleast your dream won't end today. 

       You huffed in exhaustion when your ass landed on a bar stool, immediately ordering your favourite drink with extra alcohol in it. You needed it to calm your nerves. Yes, it was awesome but still really exhausting. Beidou left you some time ago with some blonde, tall girl so you were left alone. Well, not for long. The stool next to you wasn't free anymore and there was a new drink served in front of you. You turned your head and wanted to say a polite no, but before you could say anything, he opened his mouth and introduced himself. "Name's Kaeya. But could be something else if your prefer it~" and added a wink to it. To be honest, it was cringe. But also charming. His long blue hair was in a low ponytail, black turtleneck with a golden blazer, fashion corset and tight leather jeans. Hm, interesting choice of outfit. What sparked your interest was his eyepatch. Who the hell wears eye patches in 21st century? Okay, he was hot. And maybe, a quick fuck would be nice today, so instead of saying no, you smiled and raised your new drink. "Y/n. But we'll see, if I'll call you Kaeya or something else." you gave him a smirk and drank, hoping it's not spiked. But there it was. The feeling that someone is watching you again. And by the change in Kaeya's faces, he noticed it too, saying something about having to visit a toilet. You groaned. You needed some dick after today and he wasn't even ugly! But before you could spit every curse word you knew, you felt a hand on your hip and was ordered a non alcoholic drink. Were you that hot, that everyone just wanted to buy you drinks today? "Thanks." you muttered under your breath, still slightly annoyed. "You're welcome." was the response and you freezed. "Zhongli?-" you dropped the honorifics, too tipsy to actually care about it. "Y/n. Nice to see you again." you snorted. "Again? I feel like you looked at me once and your eyes didn't leave my body." "Indeed." Surely, you expected really different answer, but the calmness in his voice told you, he wasn't joking. "I will take it as a compliment~" you sing songed, lightly touching his chest as he was still standing behind you. "Let's change seats, hm?" he offered and took your hand again, leading you to a more secluded lounge. Your skin was on fire, where his fingers were holding your wrist. Maybe this evening won't be so bad. Soon, you were seated next to each other, his hand on your thigh and rubbing small circles. "Tell me, why do you like looking at me so much?" you ask finally and slowly turning your head with a sly smirk to him. His face was emotionaless. But his tensed muscles answered your question. "You're different." he commented and squeezed your thigh a bit more. "I like you. The way you blushed when I caught you staring, how you smiled when you were talking about your art but also, how confident you seemed the whole time." he finally let his facade go when he leaned closer and with his free hand held your chin. "Your lips. Your lips are also so captivating. Your eyes. Your hips. I couldn't stop imagining running my hand over them. How I could kiss your lips and and then mark your pretty neck while hearing my name leaving your throat. What do you say, darling?" he finally finished, pulling you closer. You laughed a bit and stood up, suprising him. "I am sorry I thought I-" aw, how cute. The strong, calm critic could also be a stuttering mess? Before he could continue tho, you offered your hand with a smirk. 

"I live just a few blocks from here. Want to walk me there?" 

And if you're wondering, yes. You got a good review.