Ok but, Meili reacting to being called “mom” because our tongue slipped or we got so scared of someone. (Zhongli, the punching bag of this AU)
skdjflddk THE PUNCHING BAG- rip zhongli. torn to shreds by dragon mama. i focus on zhongli so much bc he was close friends with meili!!! its why she's so angry with him due to his treatment of her little one. she feels pretty betrayed.
this is set sometime after meili's visits with the archons!! after they find out darling is actually the creator. zhongli,,, perhaps showing up unexpectedly to a young one who you've previously were hunting down to kill is not the best idea. look at them. they're traumatized. just send them a letter or something smh
unexpected visitor
"--Mom!"
The urgency in that voice, the fear, is what captures her attention much more than what she was called. Items clatter to the floor as she abandons them, rushing to the back garden with thundering footsteps. Bursting through the door with reckless abandon, the door creaks as it hangs crookedly, weakly, by the hinges. It doesn't matter. Items can be replaced. Her little gem cannot.
Meili senses him before she sees him and she knows right then that he was the cause of her little one's panic. Shaking off her building rage, she sprints through her yard. Her precious gem needs her. She'll deal with the trespasser later.
Her child is crumpled to the ground, cowering in fear at the sight of the ex-archon. Meili summons her catalyst, throwing sharp shards of geo into his side to interrupt whatever useless speech he was trying to give. She barrels him over, slamming full speed into his side so he falls and traps his limbs in geo constructs.
She doesn't waste another moment with the pest, turning to bring her little gem into her arms. "It's okay," she whispers to them. "Mama's here for you. I will always protect you, my little gem.." Meili cradles them, slowly rocking them in her embrace. She whispers reassurance into their ear and holds onto their shaking frame firmly.
Meili helps them to their feet, keeping her arms wrapped around them as she directs them back to their home. She eyes the door, barely hanging onto the hinges with a sheepish look. She softens at their soft giggles and then presses a kiss to their forehead.
"Go rest, little one," she hums. "I will deal with our guest."
