After a while, Xiao went out, and Zhongli could hear his sharp reprimanding, even though it wasn't their laughing that had made him anxious. It was how uncomfortable Y/N had been after she had walked in on him, he realized. Zhongli looked down, considering his options on how to handle this situation further. He decided what he needed to do was to tell Y/N openly about what he'd felt on that day, and clear up any misunderstandings they may have had.
He stood up, took a deep breath, and opened the door. As he did, a group of eyes turned to him, almost expectantly, but he just nodded and headed for the back door. He opened it and called out, "Y/N? I'd like to have a word, if you don't mind." "Hm? Oh, of course, Zhongli." She followed him inside and into her room, where she stood by the door. "You wanted to talk to me, Zhongli?" "Yeah, uhm..." he coughed, clearing his throat as a blush threatened to break and overtake him. "I just want to clear up some things about what happened that day, when you walked in on me..."
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Not at all, it was never my intention, and it never will be. At that time, I thought it was normal, the way I reacted, but I realize now that it was precisely what may have made you uneasy." Zhongli raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck, sighing and turning away in an attempt to hide his blush. Y/N grabbed his hand gently, and reassured him silently. He smiled back softly, then took another deep breath. "And I need to apologize. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, and I hope we can move past this misunderstanding and focus on what the future holds." "Oh no, Zhongli, it's alright, I'm at fault here too, I should have brought myself back to reality before you spoke," Y/N quickly explained, taking his hands and facing him.
"I'm your guys' host for now, and my first reaction to seeing one of said guests in the shower was to freeze up and stare," Y/N looked down, a blush heating up her face, not of attraction, but of shame. "That's not how someone of respectable status would act, and I shouldn't have investigated further after I heard the shower running, I should have just left you alone, then we wouldn't be here." She dropped her hands, but she forced herself to look up at him again.
"So, I'm sorry too." Y/N smiled. The two smiled at each other for a beat, but then that warm silence quickly turned awkward, as each felt they should say more to the other, but they didn't know what to say. Y/N lowered her head a bit and turned away, trying to attempt to hide the blush prickling in her cheeks, but Zhongli instinctively reached up with a hand and tilted her head back to look at him. Their eyes met, and in that moment, Zhongli leaned in and whispered, "Please forgive me..."
And their lips met.
