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Set in Stone | Zhongli

(Inspired by our lord and saviour GreatDain)

"Master."

A resplendently dressed man in a three piece black suit and silk gloves that compliment his sculpted hands addresses you in such an elegant manner, you take a better look at his visage. You've been trying to find a good butler since the hints of gold painted the sky. Now, dusk graces the sky and the final light of day shines through your window and bleeds onto the marble floor of your parlour, and you have never seen a person with such an enigmatic presence nor perfect decorum. Other butlers looked you directly in the eye, others missed certain spots when cleaning or even swept dust under rugs when they thought you weren't looking. Some were rather able at cleaning and other household tasks, but they were simply socially incompetent and in their fit of nervousness they made a myriad of mistakes: speaking too fast, too slow, instead of a graceful kneeling position they slumped to the floor. But this young man carries himself with such a mystifying presence, that you are compelled to inspect him further. With your permission, he looks up at you, his eyes brimming with such brilliance it makes your vision swim in an amber haze. Even shielded by the lenses of his glasses, he makes it known with a simple blink of his eyes that he is perfectly competent and wise. He straightens up and stands at full height, strands of hair sliding off his shoulder and swinging by his waist.

"Your name?" You try to keep your composure, but he towers over you with such regality that you're not sure of your own noble status anymore. Some urge to kneel before him rushes over you, but you withstand it.

"Zhongli." His voice is baritone, tone perfect for reading some classic novels you stash underneath your bed. The sound of it makes the tip of your ears the same hue as the silk flowers displayed in many intricate vases. You look up at your head maid and nod, "You're hired. You're good enough to serve in this household. Miss Keqing here will show you your quarters and inform you of your working hours." You should see a look of content, but instead, you are met with a muted but smug gaze. You tilt your head very slightly as he walks to Keqing, the chain looped around one of the buttons on his suit vest that connects to the silver watch in his pocket jingles as he does so.

"Master." He cooes softly at you, as if you are a small child and he is a guardian. You should be infuriated with his insolence and bravery, but you find his elegant boldness quite intriguing. "It's time to wake up, I've brought you some herbal tea for your insomnia. It should clear up that lost expression in no time." As your vision begins to omit the bleariness of fatigue, crystalline eyes the shade of pure gold stare back at you in a rather affectionate manner. After a few months of working under your management and little to alter in his ability, Zhongli has become one of your most trusted servants. Keqing is your head maid, so of course, your secrets are trusted to her, and every time she is in the room you both share a lot of laughs. But Zhongli is a bit of a peculiar anomaly: instead of little jokes being common, minute exchanges of knowing stares and gentle touches are what your relationship consists of. A low chuckle vibrates against your lips as his gloved hand lifts the cup of tea to your mouth. You've never felt quite so intimidated yet so enraptured by someone before, especially not such a bizarre sense of intimidation that makes your stomach and heart buzz in such a manner. The adrenaline rush induced by the simple meaningful looks he gives you is enough to make you, a high ranking noble, freeze in your tracks.

"Goodness, Master, you ought to stop sleeping so late. Look, your nightgown is in disarray." He tuts and slips the fabric of your nightgown over your once exposed shoulder. Even through the silk of his gloves, you feel the firmness of his hands and knuckles. It makes you recall your dancing classes, where he once removed his gloves to hold your hand in a waltz. Not only does the vision of his droopy, sensual stare flicker across your mind, but the remnants of the feeling of his hands dances on your waist and right hand. "I think I may need to start massaging you to aid your slumber, if that is alright with you, Master?" He looks at you, patiently waiting for your answer. You stretch in a manner in which you suppose is completely unladylike, and hum in contemplation.

"Yes, I suppose that would soothe my back pains. I'm quite sure I have a few scented oils from Lady Ying'er that she gifted to me a few months ago. Perhaps Ganyu knows where it's stored."

"Then please be in bed by eleven, Master, so you may have time to read to sleep if you so wish. Or, I may read to you once your massage is done, if that would help?" He tilts his head and dip your hands in the rosewater in a bowl prepped for you to wash your face in and cover the scarlet blooming on your face. The excitement of his hands running across your body is definitely going to remain buzzing in the back of your head for the rest of the day, and Zhongli's voice is perfect to read out 'Pride and Prejudice' to you.

"Yes, I'll do my best to do so, Mr. Zhongli."

Truly, you are never free from his intense stare. It is exempt of any malicious nature, but the tension in the air is as thick as the cream on your strawberry cake for dessert, and it sends you reeling. This enchanting demeanour keeps you from sorting paperwork this afternoon, as he uses the rod you use to point out writing on your blackboard to trace up your spine to correct your posture. Zhongli insists that your pains are from being hunched over your work, and that his strictness stems from affection. But you're not so sure. The way he leans over your seated figure, both hands on leaning on the desk so that you are caged in between his arms makes your composure crumble like a rockfall. His voice tickles your ear as he reminds you to concentrate instead of staring into space. You are sure that your shy reactions are not overlooked by Zhongli's watchful gaze, but you hope that your clothes are thick enough to hide how your thighs clench together.

As dusk approaches and the sun dips below the vast horizon, Zhongli slips into your quarters with two vials: one is the hue of pink-red ruby roses, and the other looks like liquid gold. "Master, I believe I told you to remove all of your clothing."

You glare back at him and huff, "Yes, and I believe I told you that I will not be putting on my undergarments once more after we are finished as it would be too tiring. It'll put me out of my 'tired trance', as you call it, immediately."

Zhongli lets out a sigh, you have been testing him all day as well. You decided it would be humorous to tug at the waist cinch of his vest during dance practice, intentionally misplaced his glasses and blew a puff of warm air in his ear to get back at him. "Then why don't I dress you? I'm sure Master has exhausted themselves today." He removes his gloves and sets it on your bedside table, right next to your copy of 'Pride and Prejudice'. "In fact, I think you've been so excitable today, that you are simply lethargic, and are not in the state to remove your clothing. So, allow me, Master."

Even though he calls you "Master", his tone is commanding and you blush. As a noble, you're always in charge of large projects and as head of your family, you are entrusted with a lot of power. But whatever authority you own rises like the steam of hot tea and dissipates into nothing, and you are reminded that your roles are set in stone...