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He shivers a little as he closes the window of his bedroom and readjusts this robe over his pajamas. Outside, rain lashes down, droplets drumming against stone pavements and rooftops as winds howl ferociously. He catches a whiff of the thick scent of wet earth as he secures the bolts of the window, then he steps away and exits his bedroom.
Zhongli silently walks down the hallway of their home above the funeral parlor—which is understandably closed for today—and stops in front of the door to Director Hu's bedroom.
It's been hours since the small rainstorm, hours since morning, and yet she hasn't come out of her room to join him for her usual breakfast.
"She's probably sleeping in," Zhongli assumed. "It's rare for her to sleep in, so I'll just leave her be."
It is almost noon and he begins to worry about her. His jaw clenches as he stands outside her room, trying to listen for any signs that she might be awake.
But the rain is too loud for him to hear anything, let alone a snore—that is, if she does snore—so he knocks his fist hard against the wood and calls out to her, "Director Hu?" He does this twice then waits for a response.
He does not get a response.
He then debates whether to enter her room or try knocking again, and he opts for the latter option. He knocks his fist, harder this time, and calls out to her in a booming voice.
And again, Zhongli gets no response from inside the room.
Lightning flashes and a clap of thunder follows, accelerating the pace of his anxious heart. He takes a breath in, his face decisive, as he reaches for the door and opens it in urgency.
He sees the inside of her bedroom dimly lighted, his gold eyes immediately darting to her bed where he sees her sleeping form half-covered by a blanket. Zhongli walks inside, a wave of relief washing over him, as he stops and stands beside her bed.
There, right in front of him, the 77th director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor sleeps soundly on her stomach, her face facing right, tranquil. He watches the subtle movements of her body as she breathes, and he smiles knowing that she is only in a very deep sleep.
Then his gaze wanders. He sees skin, pale and smooth. He realizes that she is wearing a simple white dress with very loose shoulder straps, one of which he is itching to readjust.
She moves in her sleep and causes the other strap to slide off from her shoulder.
Zhongli swallows thickly and he feels a familiar heat building up inside him the longer he allows his gaze to linger on her body. A tiny voice inside his head tells him to leave and let her be. But he doesn't and tells himself to cover her up with her blanket so that she wouldn't feel cold.
He grabs the edges of her blanket covering her lower body and carefully pulls it over.
Then he stops and only covers half of her back, his eyes his lingering on the skin exposed by her nightwear. He is entranced at the mere sight of her skin that's often covered with a few layers of clothes. Zhongli then gives in to the urge and sits down beside her to adjust the straps of her dress, a poor excuse for him to touch her.
He feels the skin brush gently against his lifts as he tries to lift up her straps.
But he stops.
And his breath hitches.
He releases her straps and lowers them instead, leaving her shoulders totally bare.
Then he runs his finger down across her back, pulling her thin dress down, exposing more of her skin to him. He rests his large palm against her back before proceeding to rub her back. He starts soothingly at first then his movements become needy, greedy, and he wanders south until he touches the waistband of her underwear.
Lace, he presumes based on the texture.
He stops his hand there, tempted to trail further down underneath the lace in search of her heat.
"What am I doing?" he chastises himself internally as he removes his hand from her and fixes her dress and covers her with her blanket.
Zhongli leans down and presses a kiss to her shoulder before he pulls away, heading towards the door.
"Mmm, Zhongli?" he freezes between her bed and door and slowly turns his head to her bed.
Hu Tao sits up and rubs her eyes. She lets out a yawn. "What are you doing here?"
The winds stop churning outside and the rainstorm slowly subsides.
"I came to check up on you, Director," he answers her.
She cocks her head to the side, pretending that she didn't hear him.
And Zhongli approaches her bed and repeats himself, "I came to check up on—"
Zhongli lets out a sharp intake of breath as he is forcefully tugged towards the director's bed. He crashes face down beside her and she bursts into laughter as she removes her hand from his wrist.
Zhongli lifts his face from the mattress and shoots her a disapproving glare.
He immediately softens at the sound of her delight, mirth sweeping across her face, now spirited and radiant. He props himself up on his elbows and watches her until she stops laughing.
Scarlet eyes fall on him with fondness in them. Her lips maintain a smile as she reaches out to pat him on his head, a wordless invitation that Zhongli accepts as he moves to rest his head upon her lap and tucks his legs underneath her blanket with her legs.
"I was worried," he says then repositions himself so that he is slotted between her thighs with his face against her belly. He wraps his arms around her and Hu Tao reciprocates by hooking her legs around him, keeping him in place. She lets her hands stroke and comb his long brown locks.
"Awww," she coos appreciatively. "I'm sorry for making you worried about me, Zhongli. It's just—" a yawn uncontrollably escapes her— "so nice to sleep in during this weather." She looks down at him, her 6,000-something year old consultant, snuggling against her belly like a child. She almost chuckles at how adorable he is.
And she savors this moment. It isn't often that Zhongli shows his sincere affections towards her, especially when they are out in public. They agreed to appear professional before their clients, friendly in front of their friends, and as lovers only in front of each other.
And although they both acknowledge that they are lovers, she sometimes wonders if they truly are lovers in the romantic sense.
Sure, they give each other kisses, exchange "I love you" at nights, spend as much time as they could together, but… a part of her wants more.
And when she woke to the feeling of Zhongli's hand rubbing her back, wandering downwards, Hu Tao wondered if desires her the way she desires him. She wanted to know. She wanted his hand to wander further down, to have his fingertip brush against her core.
But he stopped, to her dismay, and if she hadn't called his attention, Zhongli would have left her.
In the midst of her thoughts, Hu Tao inadvertently lets out a sigh which prompts her lover to lift his head from her warm belly and gaze concernedly at her.
"Something the matter, Hu Tao?" he asks her in a sotto voce tone that causes her cheeks to heat up. She revels in the sound of her name rolling smoothly off his tongue.
Zhongli catches the soft scarlet that dusts her cheeks, and he smiles softly. Adorable, he thinks, and he tightens his embrace around her, burying his face again into her clothed abdomen when she does not respond right away.
"Z-Zhongli," she utters breathily. His face feels so close… so close to where she wants him, where she needs him.
He doesn't miss that tinge of neediness in her tone. He wants her, too—ever since he laid eyes on her while she was sleeping minutes ago. Zhongli had never seen her… that way. He had never laid eyes on the pale skin of her shoulders and back like he did earlier. Although they have been living together for quite some time now, she never shows him that much skin, always wearing a robe to cover herself up in the early hours of the morning or at night, and most of the time she wears her usual work clothes.
Hu Tao cards his hair with her fingers, her nails gently brushing against his scalp. She lets out a shaky breath when he exhales against her, and her hands rest at the back of his head, keeping him there.
Zhongli wonders if she feels the same hunger that he does. He sharply inhales her scent; she smells like silk flowers. Her combined warmth and fragrance stirs him, causes his pajama pants tighten slightly. He could no longer deny this feeling building up inside of him.
He wants her.
Zhongli removes his arms around her to Hu Tao's surprise. She thinks he is about to get up and leave her, but Zhongli hikes up her dress and buries his head underneath its skirt.
"Zhongli!" she exclaims in surprise. "W-What are you—"
Her question morphs into a long moan as he presses his lips against her crotch concealed behind black lace.
She trembles as he exhales against her, his warm breath making her wet down there. He smirks as he catches a whiff of her sweet nectar slowly leaking. He licks his lips and adjusts his position so that his mouth is directly facing her clothed cunt.
Hu Tao grasps onto the sheets beneath her, bracing herself for whatever Zhongli intends to do, which she hopes is to give her the relief and please she has been so desperately craving. She wants him. And if he'd seen her eyes right now, he would know how badly she wants him.
"Relax," he says in a gruff voice as he places his large hands on her thighs, keeping them apart.
But before she tries to relax, her body trembles in pleasure when he licks her covered slit.
"Z-Zhong…li," she whimpers at the sensation.
Although he finds her lace panties sexy, he doesn't appreciate their texture against his tongue. He slids his fingers into the waistband and swiftly pulls her underwear down, taking them off urgently, and tossing them somewhere in her bedroom.
Zhongli hikes her dress up even higher and spreads her knees further apart to get a better view of her. His lips curl into a devilish smile as he sees her bare pussy, pink and glistening with her nectar.
Hu Tao blushes furiously at his searing gaze and she covers her face with her hands.
Zhongli leans forward and pries them off her face, forcing her to face him.
Fiery scarlet meets soft molten pools of gold. She expected him to stare at her with feral hunger, like a ravenous beast about to devour her. But here he is, inches away from her face, looking directly at her as if she is the most precious thing in the world to him.
And she is.
His lust subsides as love takes over and urges him to slowly capture her lips in a tender kiss that has her eyes fluttering close to focus on the softness and warmth of his lips against her. She moans softly and circles her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. His hands dip into her waist, fingers itching to explore every inch of her perfect skin.
She reciprocates his kiss and shyly slithers her tongue into his mouth, which he opens for her. Zhongli meets her tongue with his, tasting the insides of her wet cavern.
They moan into each other and Hu Tao wraps her legs around him, tugging him against her exposed core. Zhongli groans when he feels her warmth and wetness against his crotch.
He pulls himself away to catch his breath.
They gaze at each other with cloudy and lustful eyes. They both want the same thing.
And Zhongli promptly gets down between her thighs and proceeds to eat her out. Hu Tao cries out in ecstasy as his tongue licks her outer folds, as his mouth audibly sucks her juices, as his tongue plays with her clit. She stares at her ceiling with wide eyes, the most obscene sounds spilling from her lips, drowning the sound of the pouring rain and churning of winds just outside her window.
"Z… Zhongli!" she gasps his name as his tongue plunges inside her. He devours her like a starved man. "I'm—ahhh—c-close…"
She doesn't hear her warning, only her loud cries as she cums into his mouth
She looks at his face, his lips and chin coated in her slick, causing her blush to deepen.
He smiles at her.
"Beautiful," he says softly but clearly, and she turns even redder at the compliment.
Zhongli proceeds to take off his clothes—all of it—his entire body beginning to sweat in excitement at what they (or mostly he) is about to do that will rock both of their worlds.
Hu Tao shyly peeps at his exposed body, her eyes eagerly scanning him. She didn't expect him to be so… damn fine underneath his clothes. In all honesty, she thinks he looks a little bit skinny in his usual layered suit. Then again, she recalls the several statues of him scattered all over Liyue, where he sits on a stone throne with his abs exposed.
But those statues did not do him justice, she now thinks as he moves closer to her, her eyes still roaming all over the front of his body, taking in those muscles. She thoughtlessly sits up and reaches out her hand to feel him. He's hard.
Zhongli smiles before grabbing her wrist and pinning her down against the mattress. He smashes his lips into hers and they make out again while he rips her dress from her body. Hu Tao squeaks in surprise and gets over it when she feels his hardness on her crotch.
They pull apart from their kiss, a thin silver thread connecting their lips as they gaze into each other.
Zhongli leans forward until the tips of their noses touch to say—
"I love you, Hu Tao."
She smiles widely, her heart fluttering inside her chest.
She has heard him say those words to her repeatedly before, but right now, they sound more affectionate, more intimate, more loving. She knows it's not because of their mutual lust for one another.
Zhongli holds her face in both his hands. His gaze is as soft as his smile as he repeats—
"I love you."
She cups his cheeks with her smaller hands and responds—
"I love you, too, Zhongli."
And she captures his lips with hers.
He then pulls away to address their desires. He grabs his length and Hu Tao spreads her legs for him. Zhongli lines his cock against her wet entrance, he feels her folds twitch slightly, eager to take him in.
He looks at her one last time, silently asking if she wants this too.
And she sends him an affirmative smile and slight nod.
Zhongli begins to enter her, pressing his tip past her folds.
Hu Tao bites her lower lip as he slowly penetrates her. She feels pain, her eyes turning misty as her insides are stretched to accommodate his dick.
Zhongli stops when he is almost fully inside her. He looks at her expression and asks, "Are you hurt?" He brings a hand to her cheek.
"I-I'm… fine, Zhongli," she answers with a weak smile. "P-Please…ahh… m-move."
He obliges her and starts at a slow and gentle pace while gauging her reactions.
Pain gradually dissolves into pleasure as she adjusts to his massive size. She grabs onto his shoulders for support, nails digging into his skin, and Zhongli takes it as a sign to pick up the pace.
He adds a little more force into his thrusts, eliciting a lewd moan from her, music to his ears.
He thrusts into her again and draws out an audible gasp.
And he repeats again and again, forcing out more and more saccharine and obscene sounds from her lips. She sounds absolutely divine as he messes up her insides.
They chant each others' name as they near the cusp of pleasure.
She feels so warm, so tight. He feels like he's going to snap.
He presses her legs against her chest, folding her in half, and sinks deeper inside her. Hu Tao moans loudly when she feels his tip kiss her cervix and hit all her other sweet spots that she didn't know she has.
"I'm… hnnggghh… close," Zhongli warns her. "Where do you—"
"Inside," she commands him.
Hu Tao lets out a long cry as she climaxes first, a shockwave coursing throughout her body as her vision turns white.
Zhongli rams into her a few more times before joining her in orgasm, spilling his seed inside her with a guttural groan. He keeps himself sheathed inside her until the very last drop.
She feels so full and warm inside. She didn't know sex is this pleasurable. She relaxes, trying to catch her breath.
Zhongli pulls out of her, eliciting a whimper, and crashes down beside her, breathless and sweaty. He turns to his side, facing her, and watched her chest rise and fall with every breath.
He smiles and tugs her against him so that her head is resting on top of his chest.
Hu Tao looks up to him with, eyes twinkling as her lips curve into a smile.
Zhongli lowers his face to kiss her but—
Hu Tao's stomach snarled angrily, reminding her that she hasn't had breakfast yet.
Zhongli breaks out into laughter while she blushes in embarrassment.
"Stop that!" she hisses as she sits up in bed.
He stops laughing but his mouth is still grinning in amusement.
Zhongli sits up, too, and kisses her head before getting out of bed and leaves the room with his robe on.
Hu Tao stays, recovering from her embarrassment while realizing that her legs feel jelly.
Minutes later, Zhongli returns with a tray of food and gingerly places it on bed in front of Hu Tao.
She almost drools at the sight of food, but she turns to him with a smile, saying, "Thank you, Zhongli," before scarfing down her breakfast.
Zhongli climbs into bed with her and patiently waits for her to finish breakfast.
Once she finishes, she lay down against the silk sheets, covered in her blanket and gradually falling asleep to the sound of rain.