"Zhongli never talks about Guizhong, so he didn't care much about her blah blah blah"
I don't know if you've noticed, but Zhongli has a bad habit of not talking about his deceased loved ones unless it's a matter of life and death. (See: Azhdaha and Zibai. I mean, Azhdaha was about to wreck havoc in Liyue, and as for Zibai, even Xianyun had no idea that all these years Moonchase had always been for her until the day Zibai almost died for good, and even then she had to figure that out for herself, it's not like Zhongli told her)
Zhongli's quiet mourning is honestly one of my favorite things about him.
(He visits Azhdaha's grave, he wears the clothes Menogias designed for him every day, Xianyun telling Shenhe not to bother him if she sees him sitting quietly by the table where he, Xianyun and Guizhong used to meet, the Moonchase ritual, and so on)
Even if he kinda brings this avoidance to the extreme imo, which isn't healthy. This is what happens when you believe your emotions are unimportant and push them down because you view yourself as the one whose duty is to take on your people's burdens, so your emotions shouldn't be a burden to others.
Anyway, it really bothers me when people dismiss Guizhong, just as much as I don't like when ppl delude themselves into thinking she was his only meaningful relationship.
GENDER: Fem
FANDOM: Genshin Impact
NOTE: I absolutely adore the Archon War Adepti. And though Zhongli lives rent free in my mind all day everyday, I also absolutely adore Guizhong and I feel like as a fandom we need to talk about her more. i NEED my playable Guizhong, i NEED to know what's in her dumbbell, i need my geo support gui. anyhoo these headcanons are mostly conceptual for a proper fic. also i was lwk debating doing this with all the adepti but im not sure if that's something that people would want so. Adepti in pt.2?
TAGS: Guizhong survives, nonconsensual touching/intimacy implications, Deity! Reader.
★ The Archon War was a time of great tragedy.
★ For scenario's sake, let's say that you are a deity caught within the fire of battle. You're not particularly strong, not particularly weak either. You also don't really care about winning the Geo Gnosis- No. You're just a goddess trying to protect your people, that's all you are, and you only dare to pick up your weapon when that goal is threatened.
★ Morax and his Adepti were the ruling victors, having killed god after god that dared to threaten their territory. You've seen them, maybe once or twice, when venturing past your own land. Had seen how they fight with human armies and mechanical wonders. You had locked eyes with some of them once.
★ You quickly learned to back off. Your people needed you alive.
★ Which is why it was so terrifying when you realised that you can no longer protect them on your own. You could no longer fend off other gods; you were losing ground bit by bit, day by day. So you make a final, desperate plea— You head to the Guili Assembly to prostrate yourself and ask for asylum for your people.
★ The two ruling deities of the assembly— Morax and Guizhong— are suprisingly willing to let you in.
★ Guizhong becomes a very prominent figure. She holds your hand and leads you into the mountains, chatting away about her machinery and engineering. A cheerful, yet competitive demeanour, she finds herself content with racing you to the other side of the valley and falling to her knees when she loses. She'll have to make an invention to beat you next time.
★ Morax, on the other hand, signed a contract with you to be under his command. With an unwavering, almost cold demeanour you don't talk to him often. But he's always there, cleaning off or sharpening his spear, or forging something new out the metals he makes. One day, you find a polished, clean-cut blade in your lodgings with no explanation.
★ When in battle, Morax is always nearby, always over your shoulder or by your side. When out of battle, Guizhong is always there to patch up your wounds or run her fingers through your hair to comfort you. It's suffocating. You can't escape either. When you try to bring it up, Morax reminds you of the contract and Guizhong completely dismisses your thoughts as unwarranted.
★ And when you appear like you're having second thoughts, your people suddenly get sick.
★ Gestures that could be passed as platonic are their favourite. Guizhong kisses you on your cheek, nearing the corner of your lips but not quite. And Morax rests a hand on your back during a sparring match, fingers ghosting down your spine, lower and lower. You knew that they were a thing, and it felt horrible.
★ But both were very much on the same page.
★ Guizhong's kisses and Morax's touches became more than platonic, and you found yourself wrapped up between the two. Often quite literally. Rough, gentle, coarse, delicate. Relief comes in many ways after the bloodshed of a war.
★ Both are easily jealous, they simply show it in different ways. You find no time to yourself, nor do you have time to visit your subjects when they're with you 24/7. You're either watching Guizhong tinker with her weapons of war or sitting on Morax's lap while he pens his armies strategy.
★ The other Adepti kept their heads down as you tried bringing this up. You look towards your people, and doubt if this was a good idea at all. You're enduring this for them. You want them to be happy, even if that's at the cost of your misery. But you're faltering.
★ Your contract stated that 'For as long as the seven seats remain empty, you will serve under my command as one of my Adepti.' It was finite, you realised as Guizhong laid her head on your lap, while Morax sat by, his eyes gleaming like topaz as they lingered between you two. Silently, you began to scheme.
★ As soon as the war is over, you're gone. You'll round up your people and escape during the celebration. Away from the Guili Assembly, away from all this conflict. You'll find a realm where they can never follow, and your people will no longer worry.
★ Not thinking about how volatile their reaction could be.
★ Even thousands of years later, when the Guili Assembly has fallen into history and the harbour stands in it's place, your people thrive. You smile to yourself as you hear of Rex Lapis' passing, wandering through your realm.
★ And for the God of Reverie, you're too caught up in your own happenings to think otherwise.
summary: to spend an eternity with him, was something you could only hope fate was kind enough to grant you in your next life.
word count: 1.7k
a/n: i love archon zhongli smsm, im sorry to all the guizhong lovers for making her evil, but it's for plot purposes alr :( lwk ended up rewriting this like 3 times cus i didn't feel like it was good enough LMAO
when guizhong was there, morax barely spared a glance towards you. her beauty and skill easily outshone yours, rendering you a mere shadow in her presence. it made your heart ache with sadness. she was the sun, you were the moon, silently beautiful.
they were comfortable, guizhong laughing daintily at a joke morax made, hand placed on morax’s arm. she held his attention, like she always did.
“...what do you think, [name]?” the sudden question startled you from your thoughts as you blinked and smiled apologetically.
“sorry, i was lost in my thoughts.” your own voice sounded dull, not tinkling and pleasant on the ears like guizhong’s.
morax’s amber eyes swept over yours, picking up the dejection in your posture, how you seemed uncomfortable, every muscle tense, as though you were ready to flee at any moment.
“i was just considering some new activities we could introduce for the upcoming lantern rite.” guizhong piped up, cheerfulness lacing her tone.
morax nodded in agreement, “guizhong’s ideas were innovative, as expected from the goddess of dust.” he praised.
of course, guizhong would be praised for her brilliant ideas. she was the perfect goddess, flawless in every way. unlike you, whose body was adorned with imperfections, from battles with the enemies of war and your own inner demons.
standing next to her felt like standing next to the sun, bright and warm, while you were the moon, unnoticed, but trying your best. thinking back, you realised that it was a long time since morax glanced at you the same way he looked at guizhong.
to him, you were the reliable goddess of strategy, someone he could always trust to have his back. in his eyes, you were his world, the one who hung up the stars and kept the world turning.
like stone, his faith in you was immovable, he trusted your words and plans for the archon war, to train and teach xiao. but guizhong, she held a different type of beauty, her presence commanded attention, her creations and innovations new and intriguing. he found himself spending more time and attention on guizhong, pushing you aside.
like stone, he was dense. if he had known earlier, had accepted his own feelings and understood why, when he was lost in the sea of people at a festival, his eyes searched for you, how your touch sent sparks of electricity across his skin, then this, all this, could’ve been avoided.
poor cloud retainer. she pitied herself. how did she, the clever, unparalleled adepti, become chained down by two idiots for friends? it was clearer than day that the two of you harboured feelings for each other, but how did neither of you realise.
it was time for her to be the perfect wingwoman and start her matchmaking career earlier than anticipated, before she lost the chance.
the tea had been poisoned. from the faint curve of guizhong’s lips, her eyes, alert and watching as you downed the cup she had given you, it was so obvious a five-year old could guess.
but you were preoccupied, the slip of paper your messenger pigeon delivered sat on your desk, strewn about with papers on war strategies and your mind racing through all the reasons why he wrote that message.
‘come meet me at the pavilion balcony. xiao will come find you.’
xiao escorted you along the path, the two of you discussing his training, for morax had entrusted you, the goddess of strategy, to be his teacher.
the terrain to the pavilion was difficult, you found yourself panting for breath. halfway up the mountain, the path began to twist and turn under your feet, sweat beading on your forehead. you tripped, feet stumbling over the stones of the path, each step weighing down on your feet.
xiao reached out, brows furrowed in concern.
“is everything ok, shīfu?” xiao’s quiet voice cuts through the ringing in your ears.
you lean against the stone face, shaking your head.
“i must be too tired.” you assure him, though your voice was tight with pain. “you little rascal and morax, always keeping me on my toes, overloading my desk with work.” you jested, playfully poking xiao in the side. “let me rest for a bit and we can keep going.”
pausing, you take in several shaking breaths. xiao’s golden eyes remained fixed on you, concern reflecting in his amber eyes.
with an effort, you pushed yourself off the stone face, marching onwards. xiao crouched in front of you, offering to carry you on his back. you stubbornly disagreed.
“whoever heard of a disciple carrying their master?” you teased, though pain was etched in the lines of your forehead.
xiao hesitated, his eyes flickered between your pale face and the inclining path ahead, but he respected you. thus, he fell into step beside you, ever watchful.
shadows crawled into your vision, blurring the edges and twisting the view of the path. a sudden wave of lightheadedness forced you to your knees, the world spinning sideways. xiao’s quick reaction caught you, leaning you against his shoulder.
“shīfu,” his tone filled with a rare edge of worry and fear. “you’re in no condition to continue.”
you shook your head. “i can do it, it’s going to be fine.” you didn’t know if this was to reassure yourself or xiao, but the sentence repeated itself like a mantra in your head.
the sun slowly set, painting the surrounding mountains with stunning shades of orange and gold, before the deep velvet of night overtook it, stars twinkling in the sky, the moon a watchful guardian.
with xiao supporting your weight, you stumbled up the last few paces up to the pavilion, not noticing the tall figure already present.
your heartbeat raced in your chest at an uncomfortable pace. the hollow thuds rang in your ears, mixing into a clashing melody with the piercing ringing. it made you feel nauseous, bile rising in your throat. you clawed at your chest, hoping it would slow down.
with a heave and a wretch, you threw up, the scarlet liquid splattering on the pristine stone tiles underfoot.
startled by the noise, morax spun around, amber eyes falling upon your trembling figure. xiao’s golden gaze, usually so calm and steady, now radiated desperation a silent plea for help.
for a heartbeat, morax stood frozen with shock. then, without a second thought, his posture of elegance thrown to the wind, morax races towards you.
he dropped to his knees, sinking to the floor, gently cradling you in his arms, gloved fingers gently tapping against your cheek, desperate to keep you awake. his voice trembled as he chanted your name, praying to the stars you would stay with him.
“[name],” he murmured urgently. “wake up, look at me.”
through the fog of pain and exhaustion, you felt the warmth of his embrace radiating, a familiar voice cutting through the pain. his scent–earth, osmanthus and tea…no, the scent of home–wrapped around you like a hug. you squinted up at him, your body feeling impossibly heavy, darkness threatening to bring you under.
“morax,” you breathed, chest heaving as you fought for breath. “i came…to see you, as you asked.”
morax looked at you in confusion. “wasn’t it you who asked to see me?” he questioned.
confusion surfaced on your face, until you realised who the mastermind behind this meeting could’ve been. you chuckled, clear and bright, gave way to violent coughing, which left you gasping for air.
“it must’ve been cloud retainer then.” you wheezed, breath struggling. “sly crane,” you teased, voice devoid of malice or hate. “this is her way of meddling.” you manage a wry smile.
you don’t give morax a chance to reply before you’re speaking again, holding a finger to his lips as words gushed from yours like a fountain.
“you know, i’ve liked you for a long time,” you confessed, your words carrying the weight of years of longing. “so long. i’d always hoped that you would look at me the same way, but you never did. seeing you with guizhong all the time breaks my heart.”
your chest tightened painfully, each breath a battle, but you fought on. “you mean everything to me, but i dont mean anything to you. i see the way you look at her, i hope she brings you joy.”
you open your mouth to speak again, but cold droplets that land on your face interrupt you from speaking. with an effort, you tilt your head up, watching the tears cascade down morax’s face.
with a trembling hand, you reach up to wipe his tears. morax’s hand envelops yours, his warm hand contrasting against your cold, clammy skin.
morax’s breath hitched, as his amber eyes searched yours. you open your mouth to say something more, but morax interrupts you.
“no,” he breathed. “i do love you too, i think,,” he pleaded, “ if you give me some time, let me work this out slowly.”
“i want to,” you breathed out. “but i dont know if i have time left. i’m cold.” you snuggled deeper into morax’s embrace, uncertainty weighted in your heart. you could feel your life slipping away, the edges of darkness creeping closer.
“im tired.” you mumble, your voice barely a whisper. “i’ll just…sleep a little while…”
“shīfu,” xiao’s trembling voice broke through the silent night, “please, don’t leave me yet.”
you peel your eyes open, turning your head in xiao’s direction, motioning him to come closer. obediently, xiao approaches, tears streaming down his face like a waterfall.
“shǎháizi,” you breathed, voice light with teasing. “listen well to morax, he will be your new master from now on.” you instructed, hand reaching out to pet his head. “smile for me?” you mustered a weak smile that xiao reflected, his own sorrow mingled with hope.
a final bought of violent coughing tore through your body, each one sending pain sparking through your body. blood spilling from your lips. the metallic taste filled your mouth, mixing with the bitter taste of fear as darkness overtook you.
your eyes fluttered shut as the life left your body. in the distance, a star fell out of the sky, its tail trailing like a sorrowful goodbye.
“[name]?” morax whispered, voice raw with regret. “open your eyes, look at me.” his plea fell on deaf eyes. “you never heard my response, you can’t leave me yet.”
“i think…no, i know, that i do love you.”
fate was cruel, you had found your forever, but at the wrong time. someday, perhaps fate would grant us a second chance.
footnotes:
1. shīfu (师傅) — meaning master or teacher, this word is often used in chinese to express respect to someone who is skilled in a particular area or field.
2. shǎháizi (傻孩子) — "shǎ" meaning foolish (傻) and "háizi" meaning child (孩子), this word can be used as a term of endearment, meaning foolish child
