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kae-karo · 2 years

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Self Love Retrospective

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2021. Tag as many creators as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

tagged by @epistemologys hello hi thank u love 🥺

i wrote quite a lot this past year (my 2021 fic roundup here - x) but i'm always glad for the chance to talk about my stories. here are some that i especially loved but haven't talked much about before:

a shattered heart of ice

kaeluc heartbreak and reconciliation

Would it not be better to freeze over entirely? Perhaps that is the true gift of his Vision. The gods saw his heart- his entire world falling apart, and they gave him the means to survive it. To stay in this heartless stasis for as long as he’d like, to remain frozen, but here, alive.

Kaeya fears that if he thaws, he might very well shatter.

With Diluc's disappearance, Kaeya is left to attend to all of Crepus' funeral arrangements himself. But Diluc will certainly return for his own father's funeral, won't he?

human enough

albedo x impostorbedo (or platonic, if you'd rather) during the shadows amidst snowstorms event

He hums - Albedo hums. He gave himself a name. How quaint. How indulgent. Are humans like that, all of them? Albedo was always the better human, after all.

Albedo comes to him with a sword in hand, prepared to defend those he holds dear. Is it human to love like that? Has he ever had any chance of being as human as Albedo?

lay down your weapon

zhongluc fake dating during diluc's fatui murder spree era

“Welcome to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor,” the man says in a low voice as smooth as honey.

In his rush to escape the Fatui currently pursuing him through the streets of Liyue Harbor, Diluc stumbles into a particular funeral parlor, and his visit suddenly takes an unusual - but unexpectedly pleasant - turn.

kings and gods and nonbelievers

evil crepus !!!! (with future kaeluc)

“Who was he?”

Behind her, Crepus hums, and she exhales a shallow breath of relief - he is not irritated by her question. If anything, he sounds amused.

“That was the very last dregs of a godless empire.”

If there is one thing that Adelinde has come to understand in her time working for the Ragnvindr family, it is that Master Crepus will do anything to earn the favor of the gods.

watch me as the ashes fall

chiluc enemies while lovers? sort of?

How very ironic that he should be seeking pleasure from the true cause of his pain. Or perhaps it’s a kind of reparations instead, that Childe owes him comfort today.

It's Diluc's birthday, a night he'll gladly do anything to forget. Fortunately, he knows exactly the kind of distraction he needs.

tagging @prince-liest @snack-thief-keith @natigail @ffluv @crowning-art @rainbowrider1290 @plot-hole-ventilation @ethydium and anyone else who sees this and cares to participate!!

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin fic #kaeluc #chiluc #albedo #zhongluc

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hiiro-writes · 3 years

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diluc/zhongli (zhongluc??) single dad au because yes

diluc. so he's the owner and manager of this cute little coffee shop but it's so fucking expensive

his employees consist of his good friend jean and her girlfriend lisa

along with his brother kaeya who never seems to shut the fuck up about diluc not getting laid

every day is the same. same customers. same drinks. same habits

at this point he just looks at people and observe what they usually do

one of his regulars, ningguang, orders oolong tea along with her wife who would...drink her protein shake

another one would be albedo who only drinks black coffee. how he's able to concentrate with his younger sister constantly bothering him is a mystery diluc would want to solve one day

there was mona who came in every day for the free wifi and complementary water. when it seemed like a rough day, jean always offered half of her lunch until lisa would pay for a sandwich instead

lastly there were the twins who constantly bicker back in forth over what drink or sweets they should try next. sometimes kaeya likes to place bets if they would just order their usual or get kicked out by diluc for making too much noise

but a not-so-consistent person in his life would be his son bennett who never fails to find himself in a troubling situation

no he doesn't fail his classes (but his grades could do better) but he mostly just find himself at the wrong place at the wrong time

he's really clumsy. if diluc turns his back one bennett comes home to the cafe, suddenly there are three glasses breaking and a plate of spaghetti on the floor

one time diluc got a call from the school nurse saying that bennett nearly tripped and broke his arm. it gave him a heart attack and had kaeya take over the shop for now

but every time diluc has a bad day, his son always cheers him up with a big smile on his face

he still really loves him no matter how much of a mess he makes

《 ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ 》

zhongli is the ceo of the company. he's proud of his achievements but nothing makes him prouder than his kids xiao and ganyu

xiao is the star of the class but doesn't interact much with others

ganyu on the other hand gets too busy with her extracurricular activities that she doesn't interact much with other people either

he has his secretary childe look after his kids when things get too busy for zhongli and for the times he would have a business trip for a few days or a few weeks

so when he comes home from this one business trip, he offers his children a date, just the three of them

ganyu offers to bring them to this cafe she discovered with the help of her friend lumine. they wanted to hangout for drinks and lumine brought her here

from the outside, zhongli was already interested since it seemed calm and cosy. a perfect place for the three of them

after the get inside and when xiao mutters "just get me anything" before finding a seat, he finds himself looking at a man who might be the manager

they stared for a solid. 3. 4. 5 seconds before ganyu asked him to order something for her

that seemed to wake up the barista who was in some sort of trance

after settling in their orders, zhongli take a good look at the place. it seemed perfect for a break room for his employees and the smell of coffee and tea was divine

the same man who got their orders served them as well and zhongli glanced at his name tag

"thank you diluc." he smiled. but diluc cleared his throat before replying and retreating back to his place by the cashier

after taking a sip from the coffee he order he was. struck. he never tasted coffee this good in his entire life

then it gave him an idea, he would ask the manager if he could sell his coffee and tea inside the office. besides, the cafe that sat there now were running out of customers. it was perfect

so after they had their drinks and laughed together with his kids, he asked for diluc

for someone reason, another barista whose name was kaeya kept laughing at himself when zhongli mentioned diluc's name

"i'd like for you to sell your coffee in my office" he proposes, in which he is met with surprise faces from diluc and kaeya

though diluc turned more serious and refused the offer. "for now, i have no plans in expanding, you see."

zhongli hums. "a shame, though i should come back here. your coffee was delicious and now, i will become one of your new regulars." he smiles and leaves the cafe with his kids, unknowingly leaving a blushing diluc

THIS ISNT THE END BTW SO CONSIDER THIS AS PART 1

hope yall enjoyed tho WSHKDSBD

EDIT:

here is part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

#genshin impact #zhongli #genshin diluc #single dad au #hiro writes #hiro.wips

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moracts-a · 2 years

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𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER ?

zhongli x liyue <3<3

jk but i don’t thiiiink i have one? like, i have pairings i ship, but none of them are really otp level?? but of the few that have the most of my focus atm, i guess zhongluc is up there? idk i just think they’re neat and tiktok gives me a lotta content, so-

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO WRITE WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING ?

almost everything. seriously, i’m here for all genres of ships, aside from like. the toxic kind. gimme gimme all the tropes, i’m so basic, just give me an awkward “ there’s only one bed ” situation or cute domestic moments or One Of Them Dies angsty scenarios or WHATEVER, i’m down

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE ?

if there’s more than a 5000 year age difference don’t even think about it smfh 😒😤

no i’m kidding lmao, obviously no underage muses, but otherwise? as long as it’s not made out to be kinda creepy or power imbalance-y, i don’t care

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED N.SFW ?

uhhh basically once the saucy stuff starts getting described in detail, because then it’s getting the nsfw tag and put under a read more, for the sake of the dash and what’s left of my dignity-

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING ?

not…really? i mean with muns, a little, just because i’m selective in general, but not with ships, i’ll accept all kinds of them 🤷

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS ?

once i have a ship and we’ve discussed it long enough, THEN i get really into it and won’t shut up, but i wouldn’t call it obsessed. it’s more like i just enjoy bugging people about ships

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH ?

the main few off the top of my head are diluc as i mentioned above, traveler, childe, and ningguang, but honestly i feel like there’s so many characters that could work with him so i’m open to anything-

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU ?

y .yes, i’d like to know what i’m shipping and with who, please just ask me and don’t forceship UJIEFJGNMV

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM ?

technically answered above^^

ARE YOU MULTISHIP ?

absolutely!! i might limit shipping to twoish different portrayals of the same muse so it doesn’t seem like i’m just collecting muses but yeah, definitely multiship

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU ?

literally just pop into my inbox or dms like “hey yknow who should kiss?” and we’ll go from there, as long as we’ve talked ooc then i’m down to try it out lmao

tagged by: no one it’s just been going around my dash-

tagging: yeah <3

#( ooc. )#( save. )#👉👈 hey

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raidenenthusiast · 3 years

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you already know I'm gonna ask for genshin<3

GOD BLESS ILY 💖💕 i should mention that i accidentally closed tumblr halfway through answering this, so i am literally retyping all of it. this new phone has a very like, slippery screen n i'm not used to it so i was like OH SHIT HAGDJANHDBSN

my favorite female character: SUCROSE!!! i only have very minor complaints about her design (really i just wish she was wearing some pants) n the parts of it i do like (her hair n her ears n the COLORS) are so pleasing to look at. i fly around with her bc the mondstadt wings match her really nicely n she looks so cute. her little ears.......i adore her. she has a voiceline about how she wants to use alchemy to create a fairytale utopia n it's SO sweet n i love her so much.

honorable mention hu tao, bc she's actually the only female design i personally don't complain about at all (the bar is so low though) n i LOVED her story quest. i'm also a really big fan of how she's voiced in english (bc i play in english) n also she's hilarious. i'm obsessed with her dynamic with zhongli too.

my favorite male character: strap in kids. this is gonna be a long ride. i have a top three, although it's technically more of a top four.

tied for first are childe n xiao bc i cannot choose between them. i had a really fun journey with childe; when i first started playing, my friend told me they thought he would 100% be my type n i looked at a photo of him n went "ehhhh" so i wasn't really sure at first. i also knew the um. "reputation" fans of him had within fan content n such so i was ALSO wary of that being a very frequent fandom-goer. fast forward a little bit n his banner roles around. i actually decided to pull for him for GAMEPLAY reasons initially, bc the idea of a ranged user being able to use a melee stance was literally a gamechanger for me who wasn't n still isn't very good at archers. i did start liking him reluctantly at that point, but i didn't really want to admit it (very funny looking back) n i used to make fun of him a lot bc i was in denial. NOW i have him in my party (my incredible dps my beloved) n i have finally met him in story which made me fall REALLY hard REALLY fast bc believe it or not, canon childe is NOTHING LIKE fanon childe. n that's a good thing mind u. n the rest is history, he now means everything to me. i am soft for him daily. i also rescind my previous "ehhhh" about his appearance bc he is very sexy. i am ALSO very much an advocate for how griffin voices him n i could talk about the golden house scene for literal hours; it is THE best scene in the game so far.

xiao was sort of similar, my (same) friend n i both knew i would like him bc he is VERY much my type. we were right. i was hyped up to meet him n as SOON as i did i fell so hard i fell off a cliff. it breaks my heart every day i don't have him as i wait patiently for him to rerun. playstyle wise i honestly think he's really fun, but i would probably be saving for him even if i hated how he played, bc i just love him that much. i'm also obsessed with yaksha lore in general n i think about him a lot. xiao my beloved. he also has one of my favorite (if not my favorite) designs.

diluc n zhongli are the last two, bc i can't really choose which one of them i like more, only bc they're both important for different reasons?

diluc was my FIRST favorite character. i took a single look at him n i KNEW. first character i loved, first character i really wanted, as well as the character i tried to (n failed to) REROLL FOR. over fifty times, n nothing. i have him now, but goddamn. i have a thing for characters associated with fire, n as soon as i heard about the whole darknight hero thing i was like oh my.....marriage. i was heartbroken when i played through the chunk of the story quest where they let u trial him before i had him bc i wanted him so bad. he's literally been on my team since day one. i go idle with him to hear him say nice things to me. i love him so much.

n as for zhongli, he's. also special. the definition of comfort character. "he's more than daddy to me. he's.....he's like GRANDPA" HQGDNANHD no but seriously, he walks on sceen n i just feel safe. part of it is keith being so very good at voicing him, but regardless i love him very much. he tugs at my heartstrings a lot n i think he's probably the character the causes me the most physical heartache bc i feel so bad for him.

honorable mention dain, bc who would i be if i didn't mention dain. mwah.

my favorite book/season/episode etc: i'm gonna go with quest for this one! n i think we all know what i'm gonna say; OF COURSE IT'S ZHONGLI'S STORY QUEST!! i complain a lot about how this game doesn't treat tension properly, but i have absolutely nothing to complain about in either of his quests. particularly part two really held its own for me against the entire main story, in my opinion. i know part two just came out, but i am ECSTATIC about the possibility of future parts. also the only story quest i've shed tears over (although i came pretty close on childe's n xiao's). i even THINK about a scene from that quest n my heart breaks into pieces. emotionally, zhongli owns me.

my favorite cast member: in terms of acting performance, probably keith. in general, yuri. he is one of my all time favorite voice actors n i inhale everything that he has done like fucking kirby. i'm really attached to a lot of the english cast though; laila, griffin, khoi, erika, etc.

my favorite ship: this is hard, actually. what's hilarious is that all my favorite pairings involve zhongli. i honestly, at this point, think it's a tie between zhongluc n rezhong. bc rezhong there is just so much there n so much to THINK about, but zhongluc is very comforting to me, personally, n the whole dragon n the phoenix imagery stuff sucked me in like a VACUUM. i also really like guili though; basically, if zhongli is in it, i will at least think about it (sort of, see later).

a character i'd die defending: childe no uhh. in terms of characters who NEED defending, kaeya. i am so SICK of u people not knowing how to interpret him. i'd like to add in eula here too, bc i REALLY like her, n i think some of u went a little bit haywire. in terms of characters who don't really need defending, xiao. i would die for him, actually.

a character i just can't sympathize with: ironically i don't genuinely hate any of the playable characters yet. dottore is pretty fucked up so i guess him, but also i still find him interesting hagdbanhdnan.

a character i grew to love: besides childe? ganyu! i didn't NOT like her by any means, but i was mostly indifferent, n while i WISH her story quest had a little more to it...i adore her very much.

my anti otp: besides the obvious ones, zhongchi.....LET ME EXPLAIN!! i don't HATE it, exactly. but i got so irreparably BITTER about it clogging up both childe n zhongli's individual tags, to the point where i couldn't find enough content without it, i completely lost interest. i will accept nice art of it, but i also have a massive problem with how A LOT of fans tend to over/hyperfeminize childe in relation to the ship, which feels very disingenuous to me bc childe.....isn't a feminine character, really. he's just, i dunno, skinny?? if anything, his whole fight happy shit feels more masculine to me, lmao. it just very much feels like a lot of u can't accept a pairing between two men unless u put one of them in the role of the "woman" n it very much bothers me. like, listen, i know childe is canonically a malewife n i love that about him, but it's about the intent. n i feel HORRIBLE vibes from a lot of u people. i know active fandom genshin fans have bad vibes in general, but u know what i mean. i have been to this rodeo before, n i hate it every time. also, i see a lot of very mischaracterized childe in relation to the pairing too, n to a much lesser extent zhongli, but it still exists. basically, i don't hate it, but i am bitter. n it very much feels like a lot of u are turning them into ur token fandomwide homos which NEVER ends well.

please all i ask is if ur gonna ship two men can u at least treat them both like some semblance of men i am tired

#genshin #mika.txt

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kae-karo · 3 years

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May I request Kaeya “well this is a predicament”

this did not in any way go the direction i was expecting but i hope u enjoy it lmaoooooo tysm as always bb 💜🐙💜

[send me a dialogue prompt from this list and a genshin character!]

tags: canon divergence, grompy diluc, a lil bit of zhongluc at the end there for funsies

----

“And I won’t do you the service of assuming you’re intelligent, so let me tell you about the lovely chains currently binding you!”

Diluc huffs out a breath of irritation - really, they get it, Dottore’s a mad genius and has some incredible plan that likely involves his and Kaeya’s untimely and rather gruesome deaths, probably at the behest of some scientific research or other.

“Oh, these? Do tell,” Kaeya prompts - an entirely unnecessary thing, but he seems to be having quite a lot of fun bantering with the doctor. Diluc squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, feels the full weight of the chains wrapped tight around his chest and waist, binding him back to back with Kaeya.

The chains wrap his wrists and ankles as well, and his hands are starting to ache from the angle and pressure.

“These incredible feats of engineering are infused with electro energy!” Dottore announces as though he expects a round of applause. Diluc turns to stare at him, impatient. “If either of you archons-blessed Vision-wielders happen to activate your wonderful powers, you’ll be-”

“Hit with the impacts of the elemental reaction, we understand,” Diluc deadpans, and the doctor’s wide grin falters for a moment. Drops into a dangerous sort of grimace that Diluc only quirks a brow at.

“Watch your tongue,” he hisses, “or I’ll cut it out myself.”

“Quite an impressive threat, and a rather impressive invention as well,” Kaeya says with honey in his tone. Diluc should probably be grateful for the way Kaeya attempts to smooth things over, but he did not ask Kaeya to follow him here. Did not ask for his help, and wouldn’t need it. He’d probably be out of these chains and halfway home by now if Kaeya hadn’t spent the past ten minutes egging Dottore on, keeping him around and chattering on about his fabricated plans.

It’d be one thing if the man had said anything of value, but it has become painfully clear that he intends only to hold Kaeya and Diluc hostage, perhaps perform some arbitrary - if disturbing - experiments on them and their Visions. They will not die, at least not yet.

“Now, I simply must ask-” Kaeya starts again, and Diluc elbows him hard in the back of his ribs. To his credit, Kaeya only coughs out a heavy breath, then hums a sound like he’d simply paused to think. “I must ask what you intend to do once the Knights determine our whereabouts?”

Diluc rolls his eyes - perfect, keep the man talking and continue to prolong their opportunity to escape. If they do, in fact, escape this, Diluc might very well take these chains with him. Perhaps that would prevent Kaeya from finding a way to interfere in every one of his intentionally clandestine activities.

His hands clench tight in fists, and he relishes the ache it brings to his wrists - at least he still has feeling there, though he can’t determine how much longer that will last.

“The Knights of Favonius?” Dottore laughs, a sharp sound. “Oh, I have no concerns. The Knights’ ineptitude is rather well known.”

“On that, we can agree,” Diluc grumbles under his breath, but the doctor seems still acutely focused on Kaeya.

“Do you expect your dear heroes to save you? I can assure you, they will not find head nor tail of either of you,” he says with what Diluc can only describe as immense pleasure at the prospect. His own jaw ticks with barely-bridled rage.

His attention sharpens at the sound of footsteps, and he turns as far as he can manage. But the newcomer must be directly behind him - and directly in Kaeya’s line of sight - because he can’t turn quite far enough to see.

“Il Dottore, sir.” A low tone, deferent, so likely some underling of the doctor’s. “It seems some of our other...guests require your...attention. It’s rather urgent,” they add, and Diluc watches Dottore for any sign of what they might be referring to.

A wicked grin curls his lips, though, as he watches this newcomer.

“Of course, of course.” His eyes flash when he turns back to Kaeya and Diluc. “And with that, my dear friends,” Diluc flinches at the word, “I must depart. Please, remain here,” he says with a manic sort of laugh, then rushes off beyond Diluc’s field of vision.

Diluc exhales slowly at the sound of a door closing, then squeezes his eyes shut. Considers their options.

“Well,” Kaeya starts, tone infuriatingly light. “This is a predicament.”

“Is it,” Diluc deadpans, glares at the wall across from him because he cannot turn to glare at Kaeya properly. “And do tell, what on Teyvat was the purpose in delaying Dottore like that?” His tone takes on an edge, both from his increasing discomfort and latent irritation at Kaeya’s unrequested company.

Unrequested interference.

“No reason really,” Kaeya says, and Diluc growls low in the back of his throat. “Oh, don’t get so worked up. I’m sure we’ll figure a way out before he returns.”

“I assume you expect me to figure a way out, is that it?” Gods, he can’t imagine how Kaeya’s kept any ranking with the Knights with this attitude. Once upon a time, he cared fiercely for ensuring his - and Diluc’s - success. Would do anything under the sun to make it happen, no matter the cost. And yet, he leans back into Diluc’s shoulders with a contented sort of sigh, like he’s relaxed on a beach somewhere.

Like he’s just waiting to be rescued instead of making an effort to rescue himself.

“When did you become so insufferable,” Diluc grits out, mostly to himself as he tests the strength and tightness of the chains around his ankles. They pull the second he shifts, and he can feel a prickle of something dancing through the metal. It seems Dottore was quite serious about the elemental infusion, then, and Diluc is not stupid enough to risk testing his fire against it.

“I’ve always been insufferable,” Kaeya says easily, clearly amused. “When did you stop putting up with it?”

Diluc bites his tongue - they both know the answer to that. A heavy sort of silence falls around them, then, and Diluc shifts his focus pointedly to the chains binding his wrists.

“I do not intend to make you do all the work of finding a way out of this predicament,” Kaeya says, tone unexpectedly flat. Resigned, almost, and Diluc frowns down at the chains.

“Excellent. You have an idea?” Better not to get caught up in it, whatever Kaeya’s thinking. Planning, manipulating. Why else have that tone of voice?

“Don’t need one.”

Diluc blows out an exasperated breath. Why does he even bother? He should know better than to get his hopes up with Kaeya.

And yet, at every opportunity, he can feel that tiny spark - maybe this time will be different, maybe Kaeya will prove himself trustworthy, maybe he’ll return to acting like he used to, maybe-

Maybe Diluc is only deluding himself, but try as he might, he’s yet to quash that tiny spark, and disappointment awaits him every time. Disappointment in himself, too - it’s his own fault for expecting Kaeya to act differently.

A hinge creaks, then, and Diluc straightens up, clears his head of pointless thoughts and focuses on what he’s able to learn from the sound of footsteps approaching. They’re quiet, not loud, and he suspects that it is not Dottore that visits them.

“Ah, right on schedule,” Kaeya says with a smirk that Diluc can hear even if he’s unable to see it. Unease twists through his stomach - an ally of Kaeya’s, perhaps? That’d explain his disinterest in trying to escape, though how he’d planned this, Diluc remains uncertain.

“Naturally. Ah, what an interesting invention.” Diluc doesn’t recognize the voice, and the person remains somewhere behind him and out of sight. Irritation flickers through his head - could Kaeya not have simply mentioned that he had someone coming to find them? That’d certainly have saved Diluc the irritation and concern, at least partly.

“You can take them with you, if you want,” Kaeya says disinterestedly. “Just neutralize the electro energy-” An abrupt snap, most certainly metallic in nature, and Kaeya hums an impressed sort of sound. “Or that.”

As he speaks, the chains tying Diluc to Kaeya loosen and pool in his lap, and Diluc pulls away from Kaeya the moment he’s able. Kaeya falls back into him, but only for a moment before he rights himself, and Diluc extracts himself from the loose chains to find-

A very tall man staring down at him, and not at all bearing the appearance of one of Kaeya’s usual acquaintances. This man is refined and dignified, undoubtedly - nothing short of regal - and he extends a hand as though he means to help Diluc to his feet.

When Diluc reaches for it, though, the man instead grabs for the chain still binding Diluc’s wrists. It takes a very concerted effort to remain in control of his surprise when the man pulls at the chains, rips them apart like they’re little more than paper.

“Your legs?”

Diluc’s lips part at the question, and he bites back a dumbfounded ‘what about my legs?’ Naturally, the man intends to remove the chains binding him there as well. He crouches down to Diluc’s level, though Diluc notes that he remains nearly a head taller, even like this.

The man tips his head, then, and Diluc rushes to swing his legs around. Again, the metallic snap, and the chains fall from his sore ankles. He rolls them experimentally, pleased to find them mostly unharmed, and the man straightens up. Behind him, Kaeya wanders the room, and Diluc might care a little about what he’s doing - or planning - except that this unknown man continues to stare down at him.

Extends a hand, and Diluc takes it this time. Why he’s surprised at the ease with which the man pulls him to his feet, he can’t quite say. Can’t say much at all, when he’s all but frozen chest-to-chest with the man, and Diluc tips his head back.

Gold eyes stare unabashedly into his, warm and bright, and Diluc stumbles a step back. Clears his throat.

“We’re leaving?” He doesn’t mean it as a question, but uncertainty slips into his tone. Neither Kaeya nor this...acquaintance? Friend? Whoever he is, though Diluc intends to do some research once they’ve returned to safety. In any event, neither of them seems in any particular rush, though Kaeya hums what might be an agreement at Diluc’s words.

“Oh, ah, by the way,” Kaeya adds as he returns to where Diluc and their mysterious rescuer stand in the center of the room. “Diluc, please meet my dear friend and ally, Zhongli. Zhongli, Diluc.”

“I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Diluc.” Oh. His voice is quite...smooth. Pleasing to listen to. Diluc blinks a few times, attempts to focus.

“I’ll admit, I’ve heard nothing at all about you.” This, for some unknown reason, makes Zhongli’s lip tick up at the corner - almost a smile, and Diluc finds himself unexpectedly warmed by it.

“You can continue flirting another time, Zhongli. I believe we have places to be?” Kaeya’s tone drips with teasing, and Diluc swallows, feels heat flood his veins and rush to his cheeks. If Zhongli is bothered by this assertion, he does not give any indication. Gods, he doesn’t even deny it.

Was he, then? Flirting? With Diluc?

“Namely, not here?”

Zhongli’s smile widens just a fraction at Kaeya’s words before he turns, and Diluc stares for a frankly inordinate amount of time before Zhongli’s - and Kaeya’s - disappearance through the door startles him forward.

Right, they need to worry about getting out of here first. Diluc can concern himself with Zhongli’s...maybe-flirting another time.

#genshin #genshin impact #zhongluc #diluc #kaeya #revyourriley #ask

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