Welcome to my world // Genshin Impact x reader

oO Chapter 24 Oo

"Oh archons, are we out of coffee?" I groaned, slumping forward and leaning on the dining table, which was in the kitchen. The lodges had a kind of open air layout, where there were hardly any walls separating the living room and the kitchen, so a person could be in the kitchen, but also be a part of whatever was going on in the living room. I paused momentarily, noticing that I'd said 'archons' instead of 'gods'. I guess all the genshin characters are starting to rub off on me.

"I'm afraid so." Zhongli said, sitting right next to me. "I can offer you tea instead, if you'd like?"

"Mmm..." I contemplated his offer for a moment. "Alright. I'm not really a tea person, but I'm sure you'll make it taste amazing."

Zhongli smiled, getting up to get started on the tea. "How come you're awake so early? Normally you wake up last of all."

"Dunno." I yawned, resting my head on the table. "I just woke up and I couldn't go back to sleep. But, since we're both up, we should do something."

"What would you suggest?"

"Maybe after tea, we could go out for a walk or something." I said, sitting up properly as Zhongli started pouring the tea into two cups. "Thank you." I smiled, as he handed me my cup.

"Careful. It's hot." He said, settling down across the table from me. I nodded, blowing on the surface of the tea to cool it down quicker. We lapsed into silence, just enjoying the tea and each other's company. It was also very early in the morning, and my social battery hadn't charged up just yet.

"It's still dark outside." Zhongli noted, sipping his tea. "Are you sure you want to go out right now?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "There's this one hill or something around here somewhere that I went to when I was younger, and the sunset from there was super pretty, so I'm betting that the sunrise will be just as pretty from the other side of the hill. It takes a little bit of effort to get up there, but it'll be fun, I'm sure."

Zhongli chuckled, borderline teasing me. "What's gotten into you? You're actually volunteering for physical activity."

"I know, right?" I giggled. "So weird. Normally if it has more than ten percent physical effort, I don't wanna do it. Perhaps it's because I like spending time with you so much, that I don't mind the exertion." 

"You're nearly as bad as Childe." Zhongli sighed, though he smiled a little at the end.

 •❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

"You know what?" I panted, leaning against one of the large boulders along the steep pathway up the hill. "I regret this."

"What was that about not minding the exertion?"

"Ughhh..." I simply groaned in response, squeezing my eyes shut.

Zhongli chuckled. "We're near the top anyway. Just a little further."

 "This is it, Zhongli." I said, pushing off the boulder and trudging forward. "This is how I die. I'd like to formally apologise for all the climbing and running around I made you guys do in-game."

Thankfully, it only took a few more minutes to reach the summit of the hill, and I immediately picked out a large rock to sit down on. I was already dreading the trip back down.

"This sunrise better be worth it." I muttered, stretching out. I sat back up, yawning, and leaning on Zhongli. He seemed a little surprised at first, though he didn't protest.

"It's starting, (y/n)."

"Hm?" I perked up immediately, a smile tugging on the corners of my lips as the sky faded from midnight blue into a soft pink. I'm a complete sucker for sunrises and sunsets, and I know how cliche it is, but I really am. There's just some thing that's so calming and refreshing about them, and some thing even more special about sharing it with someone else.

"It's so pretty." I breathed, smiling softly.

"Indeed it is." Zhongli replied. I was focused on the sunrise, so I didn't see him, but his gaze was focused on me, rather than the sky.

The entire moment felt really tranquil and peaceful, until both our phones buzzed, snapping out of my almost trance like state. I sighed and picked up my phone, annoyed that someone was messaging us. Couldn't they have waited a few more moments?

My irritation quickly turned to amusement upon seeing that the person messaging us was Childe, and he was freaking out about the fact that neither of us were at home or responding to texts.

"Perhaps we should go back now." Zhongli said, switching off his phone and standing up. "Childe seems to be in quite a panic."

I chuckled and stood up as well, however much I wanted to keep sitting. "Yeah, we should probably go confirm that we're not dead or kidnapped."