Across the Starry Plains

Saving Faults -Zhongli

Her bottom lip aches, having been wedged firmly between her teeth for the past hour. She takes a slow breath, watery eyes burning over her hand's work. Nimble fingertips flit over the vast expanse of the Geo Archon's chiseled chest, her soft skin like a caress of silk against his. In any other circumstance, she would marvel at how well-maintained the ancient man's body is under his usual attire. But tonight, her attention is focused on bringing the two marble-like pieces of flesh back together after being filleted open by a Fatui Agent.

She had gotten ambushed while trying to thwart one of the Fatui's plans, and had it not been for Zhongli's presence, she would be a Snezhnayan trophy right about now. And yet the two did not escape completely unscathed.

A moan bubbling from Zhongli's chest, cracking from the wooden armrest under the man's fingers, and the visible tightening of his muscles all bring her thoughts back to the present. She stops her movements and waits for the pain to subside, having just pierced the sharp end of the needle through one of the edges of his torn skin.

He lets his breath out through his nose, his head dropped against the chair cushion, and golden eyes screwed shut. She takes that as her cue to proceed, and with regretful movements she pierces his porcelain skin again, earning another pain-filled grunt from her companion. It makes her eyes sting and she has to bite her tongue to prevent a sob from escaping.

What makes it worse is that it didn't start like this- brow crinkled in pain and eyes closed to imagine something more pleasurable- it was much more composed and far less torturous. But the wound was remotely too long and deep for the former Archon to endure her merciless needle without losing his well-defined tranquility. Hence his growing displays of pain as the agonizing minutes ticked on.

She has followed the gruesome path of claret, carved in a thick delicate line from the sharp protrusion of his hip to the edge of his rounded shoulder. Pulling the angry red skin back together to prevent any more carmen liquid from oozing out. And it's deep. She wonders how it isn't gushing more blood, but eventually just chalks it up to him being a god. Nevertheless, she's been working from the bottom up and is nearly finished, her fingertips laboring with the skin between his chest and defined collarbone.

And yet despite everything- all of the gruesome details and pain it's causing- her heart has been hurting the worst. But she has kept her sorrow to herself the entire time, avoiding any conversation lest she completely crumbles in a heaping mass of sobs and regrets before her task is complete.

Her vision blurs and so she bends over, inching closer to her work while she ties the thread together. Finishing that stitch, she cuts the string and moves to the next spot. The air fills her lungs in a shaky pattern as she steals herself. Digging the sharp point into his flesh, Zhongli growls, head pitching forward.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, glancing at the man, bottom lip quivering now that it's been released from the prison of her teeth.

He gasps, wide chest heaving under her palms, forehead creased with multiple lines, and smooth skin glossy under the warm candlelight. He doesn't appear to hear her and so she moves to puncture the other side of his laceration.

She cringes at the sound he makes- garbled and full of agony. It dispatches a tiny diamond crystal from her eye, and more follow. The little droplets land on his pale skin, petite puddles of sorrow painting his chest.

And yet, she persists.

Feeling the splatter of tears against his flaming skin, Zhongli's amber orbs appear from under the curved ends of his dark lashes and they study every gentle motion her fingers make as they tie the stitch together. Shifting his gaze, his head tilts as he notices her sparkling orbs and his brows furrow at her downcast features.