Chapter 2

The sound of a guitar being tuned let Yuuki know that Xinyan was amongst the guests that had come from the restaurant. Yuuki loved listening to Xinyan's music on the radio, but live performances were very fun with the rockstars talent and stage presence. She walked to the table to see what snacks were there, she was a bit hungry realizing she hadn't had dinner yet.

"Oh, hey! These snacks look delicious!"

She glanced to side but already knew who it was before looking. Childe was across the table eyeing the snacks before glancing up as well, a smile plastered on the gingers face.

"Oh, no work tonight, Childe?" He normally worked late, his, uh, job demanding late hours from the ginger.

"Nope! Asked for the night off because Zhongli invited me. For once they allowed me since work has been slow lately. Apparently, I handle my workload too fast." He seemed so proud of himself, and it made anxiety rise in Yuuki to see his smile.

Knowing what he did for work at that bank had her stomach tensing and suddenly she wasn't very hungry anymore. She excused herself with a polite smile trying to find her friend in the crowd that only threatened to become larger as the night went on. Xinyan was playing now, and the living room became a dance floor in seconds. Yuuki escaped to the kitchen, Risu was normally where the food was but after entering all she found was Zhongli.

"How are you liking the party so far?" He didn't turn to face her, his back to her as he made a few drinks and placed them on the tray next to him.

She wasn't really sure what to say, she had bumped into a few people and made idle small talk but other than that she was feeling a bit out of place. Maybe it was just late, and she was feeling tired from the social interaction she had to deal with at work, so she was burnt out. The kitchen was quieter, and Zhongli's ever calm presence had her feeling more at ease, but she still felt like she was missing out on something everyone else was feeling. Realizing she hadn't responded yet but also hadn't slipped out, Zhongli turned to face her.

"Is everything ok?" He looked at his friend, concern in his eyes.

"Um, yeah. I'm ok. I think I might just be a bit tired from work." She tried her best to put on a convincing smile, but he had known her for so long now that he saw right through it.

"If you'd like, you could head up to one of the guests' rooms or even Risu's room to lie down for a bit. Are you feeling alright?" His tone was serious but pricked with worry, ever observant as he always was.

She sighed, he always dotted on her like an older brother, even if she didn't know what it was like to have siblings. Sometimes it bugged her, but Risu always told her that's just how he is to the people he cares about. It was nice but it didn't really make her feel as special as she wanted to feel when around him, especially lately. She wasn't sure when her feelings went from close friends to whatever this was. She started to feel like her constant state of unease around him was pushing him away, he always seemed to look at her with some sort of concern. It was really starting to bug her that her new feelings were keeping her further and further from her once close friend.

"I'm ok, I might do that, but I think a drink would help out much more. What are you making? Cocktails?" She made her way across the kitchen to the island counter, settling on one of the bar stools.

"That I am, Diluc dropped off some seasonal apple cider and dandelion wine and I've when mixed they go very well together. I was just making a glass to test out, would you like to try as well?" He turned to make another glass before setting it down in front of Yuuki.

She nodded and eyed the drink, the liquid was light amber colored and fizzy, picking it up to smell it had the bubbles tickling her nose. The taste was the real selling point though, it was light and fruity with a floral aftertaste that didn't become bitter.

"Well, that seems like a dangerous drink." Yuuki joked.

"It really is very good; this would make a wonderful drink to go with a light desert." His eyes were still closed, it was a thing he did when trying anything new. As if cutting off his sight would help him taste food or drinks better, maybe it did, who knows.

Without meaning to, she took this moment to look at his face, his expression so calm it's as if he were sleeping while standing there in front of her. His eyes opened and looked directly into her own causing a heat to prick her face. She looked down into her drink and decided that it was too good to let go to waste and downed the glass. A low chuckle filled the silence.

"I guess you really do like it, would you like another? I can make you another but do be sure you drink water as well. I wouldn't want you feeling too terrible tomorrow."

There he goes worrying about her again, she wanted smile at him but for some reason she couldn't, something clawing inside her chest.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Was all she could manage but he didn't seem bothered.

After making her a second glass he set that and a glass of water down on the counter in front of her. Without a word he lifted the tray of drinks and left her alone in the kitchen. Did she say something wrong? Maybe she was just overthinking? Most likely, Risu always told her how she took things too serious sometimes; that had to be it. Abandoning the glass of water after one sip she took the wine with her to rejoin the party.

Yuuki gravitated to the dancefloor the more she drank, smiling and saying hi to friends and acquaintances as she passed them. She didn't exactly feel like dancing, but she swayed to the music anyways. Scanning the crowd as she took another sip, she spotted Risu with Childe talking, she floated next to him as he leaned against the wall. She couldn't help but feel jealous, they looked happy to be close to one another while she felt she couldn't even be within five feet of Zhongli without feeling like she was going to faint. Admittedly, Risu was a bit of an airhead and had no idea when she was being a bit inappropriate or when Childe would subtly hit on her. To Yuuki it was all too obvious they liked each other besides the fact that both had told her they liked each other. Risu told her outright while Childe danced around admitting it, but it was so obvious regardless. She continued her scan of the crowd, looking for the dark-haired man she was thinking about too much at the moment. She spotted him; he had a drink in his hand that he looked to be trying to give back to Venti. Venti looked like he was laughing at the other man, but his face suddenly turned a little serious as Zhongli leaned down to tell him something. The smirk came back to the shorter man's face as he nodded and Yuuki decided now was a good time to stop staring.

Yuuki went back to looking into her drink and swaying to the music just outside the actual crowd dancing to the upbeat song. Suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder, and she froze before she heard Risu giggle in her ear.

"Did Zhongli make that for you? Smells different then what's on the table. His drink smells the same."

Yuuki groaned inwardly, forgetting her best friend had a crazy good sense of smell. That's a Yaksha for you.

"Yes, he did. He said Diluc told him about it when he came to drop off some of his wine for the party and offered to make me a glass too." She had to raise her voice a little to be heard over the music.

"Oh, I see, couldn't turn down his offer~" She teased her best friend seeing it was working as Yuuki's cheeks became red.

Just as you were about to turn away from Risu's teasing Venti comes bounding up to the two of you, a fresh breeze following him.

"Ehe, hi Yuuki and Risu! You guys having fun?" He asked while eyeing Yuuki's more than half finished drink in her hands.

Yuuki nods while Risu smiles wide asking how he's liking the party and engaging in small talk with him while Yuuki just starts to feel more comfortable with moving with the beat.

"Hey, Yuuki, a certain someone asked you to go join him in the kitchen, maybe he needs your help with something." Venti says way too enthusiastically with a wink to punctuate the "join him" part of his sentence.

A sigh, maybe he saw the full glass of water she left nearly untouched, being a brother to her once again. The twist of her stomach hinted at another possibility, but she pushed that out of her mind as she nodded and began heading to the kitchen. Risu and Venti resumed their conversation as she left them on the dancefloor.

She downed what was left of her second drink of the night as she entered the kitchen. Taking her seat back on the same stool she placed the empty glass on the counter.

"Venti told me you wanted me." Fuck! That is not how she wanted that sentence to come out. Maybe she didn't need another drink but asked for another anyways.

Zhongli was setting up a plate of snacks to be brought out to the living room and seemed rather caught up but that didn't stop him from responding to her without turning around.

"You should really drink some water Yuuki, did you eat yet tonight?" Even without seeing his face she could hear the worry in his voice. It just annoyed her now.

"If I do drink the water, can you make me another drink?" The headache that came with just barely being tipsy was annoying and drinking more would help it go away.

He turned suddenly, setting a glass of water down while looking her directly in the eyes, his gaze intense.

"Only if you finish this glass may you have another drink and please have some food. I can make you something if the snacks I have prepared aren't suitable." He must have seen something in her face that he didn't like because he squinted at her; worry giving way to upset.

She normally wasn't this reckless with drinking but the more she drank the less the knot in her stomach wound. She began to feel her body relax and the anxiety leave her making her feel more playful and happier. She drank the glass of water, eyes still fixed on the molten gold eyes of the man across the counter from her. He hummed, satisfied she was listening and turned back to preparing food.

The silence stretched on with only the sounds of Zhongli cutting and placing food on the tray next to him. Without a word he made a plate for Yuuki and placed it in front of her as she drank the last of her water. She raised her eyebrows at him while she finished as he held out his hand to take the empty glass from her. He turned away to finish his work while Yuuki bore holes into his back, annoyed he wasn't making her another drink.

"So…" She started before being cut off by a sigh from the man.

"Eat a little first and then I will make your drink, deal?" He didn't sound upset, but he didn't sound happy, and this only made Yuuki become grumpy.

"You called me in here because I didn't drink the water huh?" The words spilled out, a little more forceful than you meant them to.

"Yes, you're going to make yourself sick if you keep drinking alcohol and nothing else." Now he sounded annoyed, so you stopped the thoughts in your head from spilling out, worried you'd ruin any chance of speaking to him again tonight.

As if sensing the downward turn in her mood he finally turned around to look at her. She didn't look up from the food in front of her, instead opting to eat some. Maybe he would stop seeming so upset at her if she showed she was trying to be responsible. The first taste proved to her how hungry she actually was, and she began to chew with renewed vigor, as if she hadn't had food the whole day. If she admitted to herself, she really hadn't eaten all day but some fruit this morning for breakfast. No wonder two drinks had been feeling like the world had begun swimming around her. She felt his eyes on her and tried to sneak a glance at him only to find softness in his eyes which had her blushing immediately.

"Have you not eaten at all today? I wish you'd take better care of yourself." His voice was soft, full of concern, but she could feel the defensiveness build in her.

She shook her head to keep from saying something she didn't truly feel, while she had eaten a bit it wasn't enough to call a meal anyways. Looking back down at the food she decided to continue eating instead. A few moments later he placed the bubbly alcoholic drink down next to the plate in front of her.

"I'd say this should be your last one for the night but I'm not here to limit you or control you. All I wish is that you know your own limits and stick to them." His voice soft and low, twisting the knot deep in Yuuki she long thought had disappeared.

She kept her attention on the plate as she heard him lift the tray and once again leave her alone in the kitchen. She caught a smell of something good as he passed her, not a food smell, but like, cologne? Zhongli always smelled good, but she didn't know him as one to wear cologne of all things. Putting the thought out of her mind, she finished her plate and once again joined the party, drink in hand.