tw: possible Zhongli's possessive behaviour?? I'm not sure but still, bc he's just protective idk
“I promise, dad... I won’t be long, and I will be very careful!!” the small voice of the girl insisted to the man. What happened? The answer is simple. She just wanted to finally go down to people, to see Liyue.
Zhongli would have been glad to show her the city, even possibly send her to school, but he was too afraid that he would lose her. That she could be hurt there, in rotten society, he thought that she was too small. What if someone kidnaps her? Kills her? He was too afraid of that. After all, she, she was for him that ray of sunlight even on the gloomiest day.
But he could not restrict the child so much, because all she saw was the garden that is located on the territory of the palace, as well as a small forest where Zhongli took the girl once because of one story.
His eyes expressed obvious anxiety about his beloved daughter, but she asked so much... With a heavy sigh, he still made a decision.
“So be it, my dear. But just be careful. People may not be as kind to you as you think.” His huge hand ran through the soft locks of the girl, making her smile a little.
He took her by the hand and led her with him to the exit from the palace. As soon as they reached the end of the hill, Zhongli’s horns, as well as his tail, suddenly seemed to disappear. The girl, of course, noticed this, being greatly surprised.
“Dad, your horns and tail!! Why did they disappear??” Her voice was truly anxious, as if she was worried that he was sick with something. At her reaction, Zhongli only quietly laughed, squeezing the child’s hand in his a little tighter.
“I only took my human form, my child. And what, do you not like how I look now?” The man’s voice was soft, never had it sounded so carefree, so caring. Apparently, this child had created something impossible. And that was for the better.
“No... I like you both like this and like that, dad!!” Her smile reached from ear to ear, it was clear that it would not matter to her what race he was. She would still love her dad, him.
Zhongli said nothing, only smiling even wider.
And so, they reached Liyue. The girl’s eyes shone brightly, perhaps from joy, perhaps from impatience. Or maybe from everything at once. But one thing was clear: she was happy to go down to people. Of course, this worried Zhongli a little... Worried? What if at one moment she simply trades him for someone else, if someone from people offers something more worthwhile for his daughter? This weighed heavily on his soul, very strongly. But, trying not to clog his head with this, he led the girl closer to some secluded place where there would be fewer people.
So the two of them reached a huge tree near which there was a small bridge, it was somewhere on the outskirts of Liyue. Despite the fact that this was not the colorful center, the girl still liked it very much. They sat under the tree and talked about various topics. Played hide-and-seek and other games. But at some moment, Zhongli remembered that he needed to pick up something from one merchant. But he did not want to take his daughter with him, because he knew that it could end badly. So, after thinking well, he decided to leave the girl in the place where they had stopped. The place itself was, as said earlier, almost on the outskirts of the city, and therefore you rarely meet people here. And the raft of that merchant was not far away, so, having decided, he warned the girl and left. But still, having insured himself, he left on the back of the girl’s head, one might say, a geo “mark” that in case of danger would immediately transfer the bearer of the mark to its “owner”.
The girl happily sat under the tree, sometimes fooling around on some branches, sometimes playing with her toys. But she was distracted by the sound of some things falling. Thinking that Zhongli had returned, she immediately raised her head at the sound. But it was not him.
It was some woman, in her hands she had a basket with fruits and herbs. Deciding to help her, she immediately ran up to the stranger and, picking up all the fallen fruits, handed them to her with a soft smile.
“Thank you very much, girl...” The woman’s voice was soft, kind. The same as her gaze. But, raising her head at the girl, her pupils shrank from shock.
That smile... The memory of how she smiled when she was still a baby. It was her. Her daughter. Tears appeared in the eyes of the stranger and she sharply dropped the basket to the ground, and she herself hugged the child.
“My girl... Meyuri...” The trembling voice reached her ears while she stood in bewilderment as to why an unfamiliar woman was hugging her.
“Auntie, you probably confused me with someone. I am not Meyuri, dad gave me a completely different name.” Confusion wandered through all the behavior of the frightened girl.
“You call dad the monster who took you from me?! He definitely washed your brain... I am your real mother, and you have a real dad too...”
Confusion and fear more and more absorbed the girl’s body. But she was interrupted from reflections by a familiar voice.
“Woman, step away from my child.” His voice pierced to the very bones, which made goosebumps run over the woman’s skin. His voice was like an order that she could not disobey. As soon as she released the girl from her hands, she immediately ran towards the dragon, tightly hugging him.
“Dad, why did this aunt call you a monster? And why does she say that she is my mom? And that you are not my dad??...” Bewilderment and lostness were all that could be seen in the little girl. Her eyes slowly filled with tears.
“She is greatly mistaken. There is no need to cry because of her dirty lies, my child. You just need to... sleep a little...” His massive hand touched the little girl’s forehead, emitting a small amber light. And in a few seconds the girl was already peacefully dozing in Zhongli’s arms.
He approached the already familiar woman who was still standing on her knees, as if frozen.
“You lost your child a very long time ago. And the one you see now is my child.” His icy voice passed through the woman’s entire body, she would remember it for the rest of her life.
Zhongli left with a sweeping step to his palace, where his little daughter would no longer be disturbed by anyone. Where they would be happy.
The little figure darted around Zhongli, asking the same question over and over for several minutes, as he couldn’t answer due to being busy with his work. Besides, he didn’t particularly like anyone touching his head—which included both hair and horns. But she was asking so sweetly…
"If you’re just a little quieter, I’ll allow it, child." His monotone voice finally broke through as he sat at his desk, carefully writing something down.
The girl only nodded and quickly brought over a small but tall stool. Why did she need it? The answer was simple—Zhongli was… well… far too tall for her; even on tiptoe, she couldn’t reach.
Armed with her tools and standing on the stool, she reached her small hands toward his long, silky hair, starting to experiment with hairstyles. Despite her rather energetic movements, she didn’t bother him—in fact, she even calmed him with the motions of her hands.
After a while, she decided that a simple half-up hairstyle would be best. At last, her “difficult” work was done, and she went to step down from the stool—only to slip.
Hearing her soft cry, Zhongli reacted instantly. In the blink of an eye, the child’s small body was caught in the “embrace” of his large, heavy dragon tail, whose grip kept her from falling to the floor. She looked up at him, scared and guilty, to which he responded as calmly as ever:
"Next time, be more careful, please, child. I know better than anyone how fragile you are. All right?"
His amber eyes looked straight at the frightened child, waiting for her reply.
"I’m sorry, papa… I won’t do it again, I promise…" Little tears welled up in her eyes. Zhongli simply pulled her closer and hugged her tightly.
"I forgive you, my child. Just don’t cry." he said softly, looking at the girl—perhaps not his by blood, but deeply beloved all the same.
It was already past midnight. Zhongli sat at his desk, working diligently, giving all his attention to paperwork. The room was completely silent. The one thing he failed to notice was that his daughter was still awake.
A man dressed in a black kimono, his face veiled with something like gauze, entered the room.
"Lord Zhongli… I didn’t find your daughter in her bed… And…" His slightly nervous, fearful voice reached the dragon’s sharp ears.
Upon hearing this, Zhongli’s expression turned feral, realizing the girl could be in danger. He rose quickly and strode toward his beloved daughter’s chambers, his mind racing with worry.
The door burst open, revealing his tall figure in the doorway.
"Child…! My child, where are you?!"
Panic overtook him as he searched the room, looking in every corner. Then, hearing a faint sob, he realized where she was hiding—under the bed.
The small body sat huddled in the farthest corner, trembling quietly.
"My child, come to your papa… Tell me what happened…" He knelt, leaning low to catch a glimpse of her. Raising one hand, amber-colored light spilled from it, illuminating her hiding place. His hands—or perhaps claws—reached toward the trembling little figure to pull her out from under the massive bed.
Once he had her, he sat her on his lap, gazing at her expectantly.
"I had a very bad dream… You left… You were so angry that I hid under the bed…" Her words came between sobs and sharp breaths.
"My dear, have I ever been angry with you?… It was only your imagination. Come, I’ll take you back to bed…" Zhongli’s voice was full of relief as he lifted her into his arms and began to walk toward her bed—but she resisted.
"No… I don’t want to sleep! You’ll be angry again and scold me…!" Her crying grew louder, and he couldn’t understand why she still feared the nightmare after his explanation. Perhaps he needed to try harder.
"Then would you like to sleep in my bed instead? I’ll guard your dreams all night to make sure no nightmares reach you… Is that all right, child?" Zhongli’s tone wasn’t overly enthusiastic—it was the first time he had “indulged” anyone in this way—but he tried his best not to frighten her further.
The girl only nodded, still sniffling, though no longer crying. Zhongli gave a barely visible smile and headed toward his own chambers. Entering, he placed her on the enormous bed, then sat beside her.
"Go to sleep, my child. I promise you—this time, no nightmares will disturb you."
His massive hand ran over her head, ruffling her hair slightly. She smiled faintly, and after a few seconds, lay down on the soft pillow, slowly closing her eyes.
Hello everyone!! You can call me Yui, it's first for me to post something of my writings, I really hope that you like it!
Word Count: 503
Tw: none i guess
"You can do whatever you want with her." Those words were written on a small piece of paper tied to the handle of a basket, in which lay an almost newborn baby. The child wasn’t crying or screaming, just quietly sleeping. Zhongli’s face was unshaken; gazing at this tiny being, he wandered in thought, wondering what to do with it. Without thinking for long, he lifted the basket and carried it deep into the palace where he lived. "Humans really have rotted this much… Just as I thought…", a velvet voice echoed through the room. "Don’t worry, little one… A filthy human hand will never touch you again." His pale hand touched the child’s warm forehead, gently stroking it. After a few minutes of such motions, the baby opened its eyes. A soft smile appeared on their face, and soon, there was laughter. Such pure… innocent laughter. Zhongli could hardly believe this tiny creature was truly human, for his opinion of that race was far from favorable. Unable to resist the child’s laughter, the man gave a faint smile, his amber eyes glimmering in the fading rays of the sun. Raising the child turned out to be far harder than Zhongli had expected. It was difficult for him—very. He didn’t understand why the child cried, what she wanted, and many other problems he faced while spending time with her. Perhaps his most foolish mistake was giving the girl regular food, not knowing she needed milk. Once he realized this, he began searching for a wet nurse. And finally, after several days, he found one. The young woman, though afraid of Zhongli, had no choice, for he threatened to kill her if she refused. Time passed, the girl grew, and with her, Zhongli’s attachment to her grew as well. In time, he accepted her as if she were his own child. It no longer mattered to him that she was human, and he—a dragon. "Pa… Pa…", came suddenly from the small lips of the girl as she smiled softly. Hearing this, Zhongli’s pupils widened slightly in shock. "Did you say something, child?.." Tilting his head to the side, he looked at the small, smiling figure. The girl giggled quietly, walking closer to him, looking up high to see his face. "Papa!!" she said again, sitting down on the floor, her voice joyful and soft. Hearing it once more, Zhongli froze in mild confusion, but after a few seconds, he returned to his senses, looking thoughtfully at the seated girl. "Papa, is it… If you like calling me that, I have no objection, child." His massive hands reached out to lift the girl onto his lap. She reacted positively—very positively—beaming so brightly that it made the man himself smile. His large, rough-looking hand reached for her hair, stroking it gently. "I love you, papa." Her childish, soft voice echoed in his ears, and his heart felt so calm that he wanted nothing more than to give his all, just to make this human child happy.
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