Zhongli's feet touched down on the grassy turf of Lumine's Adeptal Realm, and he took his bearings. Each time he visited, the scenery had changed in some way, and he found it quite endearing, the way that Lumine clearly enjoyed experimenting with the landscaping. On this occasion, he found himself at the center of what appeared to be a Liyue-themed townscape, familiar-looking buildings on each side of a wide thoroughfare. Street vendors, food carts – it would have been a bustling urban paradise, had there actually been people present. Accustomed to the liveliness of Liyue Harbor, Zhongli found it somewhat lonely to see it so empty. He could not fault the Traveler's artistry, though.

At the end of the thoroughfare was Lumine's private mansion, framed from behind by majestic mountain peaks interconnected by rickety, wooden bridges. The sight was reminiscent of Huaguang Stone Forest, and while the memories Zhongli harbored of that ancient battlefield were not always pleasant, there was no denying that the passage of time had transformed the region into one of Liyue's most picturesque locales.

"Welcome, master Zhongli!" a pleasant voice greeted him as he approached the front door of the mansion. The owner of the voice was an oversized, blue finch, nestled comfortably within a similarly oversized, floating teapot.

"Greetings, Tubby," he answered with a hand raised in greeting. When Lumine had first introduced him to the spirit maintaining her home, he'd nearly made the mistake of addressing her by her Adeptal name. Fortunately, he'd caught himself in time; "Rain Calmer" was not a name that should have been on the lips of a humble consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. It was not the first time that Zhongli had felt a twinge of regret in his decision to hide his new identity from his old comrades and friends.

"Lady Lumine awaits within," Tubby supplied helpfully. "She is expecting you!"

Zhongli nodded and began to climb the stairs to the mansion. As he did so, he noticed Tubby glowing brightly. "What are you doing?" he asked, curious.

"Lady Lumine has requested privacy. I have temporarily separated the Realm Within from the Realm Without." She glanced up at Zhongli, perhaps suddenly aware of how ominous those words could have sounded. "Please do not be alarmed. Rest assured that you are still free to leave the Realm at any time of your choosing!"

In truth, Zhongli wasn't alarmed at all. It would take more than something like this to trap him here, and he highly doubted that entrapment was Lumine's intent in the first place. Still, for the sake of appearances he nodded his understanding to the spirit, and entered the mansion.

The main hall had changed little since his last visit. He supposed that the Traveler was satisfied with the warm, cheery atmosphere it provided. Numerous bookshelves and comfortable sofas predominated, while a fire crackled in a hearth to one side.

Of Lumine, though, there was no sign. No sooner had Zhongli begun to wonder where he should search first, her voice called out to him. "Zhongli? I'm upstairs!"

Ascending the stairs, it quickly became obvious what room she was in, as only one was currently illuminated and the door was ajar. It was a spacious bedroom, decorated in a fashion that was humble, but also distinctly reminiscent of Liyue. Zhongli found it to be quite to his tastes, and the knowledge that Lumine knew him well enough to decorate it so gave him a pleasantly warm feeling.

The woman herself was kneeling before a low table, preparing tea. Interestingly, she was once again clad in the dusky grey hanfu she'd worn for their date in Dihua Marsh, though she'd forgone the traditional hairpins, this time, leaving her hair in its usual style. While she wore the clothing quite fetchingly, Zhongli wondered what the significance might be.

She looked up at him as he entered and smiled apologetically. "Sorry I wasn't downstairs to greet you! Getting this set up took longer than I expected."

"It was no trouble, I assure you."

"Please, have a seat."

Zhongli knelt as his place opposite Lumine, and accepted the hot beverage she offered him. As she labored, Zhongli could not help but notice an unmistakable uneasiness about her; the tenseness in her shoulders, the apprehension in her eyes. Something was clearly troubling her.

"Lumine, what's wrong? You are clearly not yourself, tonight."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Please, give me a moment."

Zhongli obediently waited while Lumine sipped her tea. The beverage seemed to calm her slightly, as she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Zhongli," she began at last, "When I proposed that we start dating, it was not my intention for you to fall in love with me. I am truly sorry for that, from the bottom of my heart."

"Lumine… Traveler… As I told you before, there is no need for apologies-" Zhongli began.

"Please, let me finish," Lumine interrupted. Obediently, Zhongli quieted and waited for her to continue. "To be honest, it never occurred to me that it might be a possible outcome. We come from quite literally different worlds. You're a thousands-year-old deity and I'm… not. The thought that you might fall in love with… well… ME never crossed my mind. It was wrong of me to try to stir up these feelings in you. Love is an unpredictable, chaotic thing, and it should never be played with."

"In spite of that, I have a request for you. A stupid, crazy request in light of what I've just said, but I'm making it anyway." She looked him square in the eye with a determined expression. "Zhongli, I want you to make love to me."

While it was clear that Lumine was finished and ready to hear Zhongli's response, he quietly processed her words for a few moments. It was an unexpected request, to be sure, and Lumine's bearing was certainly not the kind one would expect of a woman asking for such an act of intimacy. It was… troubling.

"For you to ask this of me… Does it have to do with Guizhong?" he replied, at last.

"It does," Lumine agreed. A guilty expression flashed briefly across her face, though it was clear that she was expecting him to make that connection.

"Lumine, Guizhong has long passed from this world," Zhongli reassured her. "I admire your desire to do right by her memory, but you have done enough. Guizhong would have been honored. Is this truly necessary?"

"Yes, I do think it is necessary," Lumine answered firmly.

"And you are making this request entirely of your own free will? You are not being influenced or controlled? By Guizhong's gift, or by any other force?"

"I promise you, my will is my own, and this is what I want," Lumine affirmed.

Zhongli closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, he spoke in a soft voice, "Lumine, you are dearer to me than any other. I trust you implicitly. You may err, as all mortals do, but I know you will always act with the best of intentions. If this is what you desire, I would be honored to become your lover."

Lumine released a breath she had been holding, relief clear in her demeanor.

"I must warn you, however," Zhongli added apologetically, "this is an act in which I have no prior experience."

Lumine was clearly surprised, "What? Never? In thousands of years?"

"When I came into being, I was already an Illuminated Beast. Pleasures of the flesh… they have never held any attraction for me."

"That's… honestly not something I considered." Lumine bit her lip. "Are you sure you're okay with it? Me, being your first? Even if we can't be together afterwards?"

"I stand by my words," he answered, his tone serious. "They were not made lightly. Lumine, it would be my honor."

For the first time since their meeting began, Lumine blushed, clearly moved by Zhongli's words. "Well, fortunately for us both, I do have some experience," she said confidently. "If this is going to be your first and maybe only time, ever, I'll do my best to make sure it's worthwhile!"

Lumine climbed to her feet, and brushed off the skirts of her outfit. There wasn't really any need; Rain Calmer kept the house spotlessly clean. Zhongli supposed the gesture was more reflexive or symbolic than anything. "Well, I suppose we should get started!" Lumine said. She held out a hand, and helped Zhongli to his feet, assistance he accepted with some amusement. Traditionally, it was the man's role to help the woman up, but Lumine was clearly taking charge, here.

"Now, take off your clothes, please!" Obediently, Zhongli disrobed, shedding first his jacket and shirt, and then his shoes, trousers, and underwear. As he did so, he watched Lumine's expression as she observed him. She was studying his body with great interest, a hint of color in her cheeks and breathing deeply.

Soon, he was standing completely nude before her. He did not feel any sense of shame; most of the non-human shapes he'd worn over the millennia did not require clothing, after all, and wearing them in his human form was simply in deference to humankind's own taboos and morals. Neither did he take pride in his appearance; while he was attractive by human standards, muscular and at the peak of health, he was only so because he'd chosen that shape, not because he'd earned it through exercise or grooming. Nonetheless, he was pleased to see that Lumine seemed quite taken with his form.

"Scars," Lumine said, fascination in her voice, reaching out with one finger to gently trace one that ran from his chest across his abdomen. "Why do you have scars?"

"In my lifetime, I have seen many battles," Zhongli answered. "Throughout those many battles, I have lost many that I considered to be friends and allies. As easily as I could be rid of them, I keep these scars to honor their memories, no matter what shape I take. This one in particular marks a conflict early in the Archon War, where the Archons together took a stand against Gremory, the Bearer of Thorns. She had been driven from Sumeru by the god who would by the end of the war become the Dendro Archon, and she hoped to stake her claim in Liyue, instead. Her venomous brambles were choking the land, consuming any unable to escape their advance. We were able to destroy her, but the cost was dear; Ganyu's mother, Star Chaser, lost her life that day, as did several others. Each of these scars has a story of that kind."

"I would love to hear them, someday," Lumine said.

"It would be my pleasure to share them, whenever you wish," Zhongli promised.

"I'll certainly take you up on that. But for now, back to business," Lumine continued, straightening. "Please take off my clothes."

Zhongli found it somewhat puzzling that she did not simply do so herself, but complied, nonetheless. Perhaps it was something she found enjoyable, to be disrobed by her lover. And, truth be told, he did not dislike the notion. As he removed the layers of clothing, he found the experience to be akin to unwrapping a gift.

Soon, Lumine, too, was bare. As surprised as she had been to see Zhongli's scars, he, too, was surprised to see that the Traveler's body was immaculate, not a blemish or old wound to be found. It was surprising, given that he knew she and danger were frequent comrades. It was nothing short of miraculous that none of her encounters had left her with a lasting reminder. The shape of her body could be considered nearly ideal, by the standards of human females, though her breasts were somewhat smaller than he expected, given her appearance in her normal clothing. Zhongli knew that some women wore accessories to enhance the appearance of their bust, but he was surprised to see such a streak of vanity in Lumine.

As he took in Lumine's appearance, he noticed a hint of displeasure creeping across her features. "What is the matter?" he asked.

"I… think I'm beginning to see another reason why Guizhong was never able to communicate her feelings properly," Lumine answered. "You said that you love me, correct?"

"With all my heart, yes," Zhongli affirmed.

"And yet, I stand before you, the woman you love, naked and ready for lovemaking… and nothing? No reaction at all?"

Zhongli said nothing, unsure of just what reaction Lumine was expecting.

"No signs of arousal," Lumine explained, gesturing toward his groin. "You weren't kidding when you said pleasures of the flesh weren't something you cared for. But don't you think it's a bit odd?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're quite taken with humans, aren't you? You patron their theaters, indulge in their cuisines, read their literature. I'm guessing you've taken part in just about every aspect of human culture. Why not this, as well? Sexuality is very much a part of human culture. Animals – they mate by instinct. But humans, more often than not, do it for the enjoyment of it. Why would you avoid this aspect of being human?"

Zhongli was at a loss for words. For as long as he could remember, he'd dismissed sexual activity as being irrelevant for Adepti and other immortals. It was a necessity for animals, of course – with their short lives, they'd soon cease to exist were they not to produce progeny. As humans were mortal as well, it was likewise necessary for them. However, one of the most beautiful things about humans was the way that they took the necessary and transformed it into an art form. Why simply eat, when one can prepare a sumptuous meal? Why simply squat in a cave, when one can build a beautiful mansion? Procreation – that, too, humans had transformed into a form of art. Zhongli himself had perused many works of literature on the topic, but that was as far as his interest had taken him. "I… don't know," Zhongli admitted, eventually.

Lumine smiled, comfortingly. "Please don't worry about it," she said. "While it IS a part of being human, it's not universal, even among humans. Some simply do not feel the need to indulge, and I'm guessing you're much the same. There is no shame in it." Then, with some concern, "That said, I have to ask you again: Do you want to continue? Even if the act has no meaning for you?"

"It does have meaning," Zhongli responded seriously. "It means something to you, and therefore it means something to me. Yes, I do wish to continue."

Lumine giggled. "I'm relieved to hear that. To be perfectly frank, to stop now would be extremely frustrating for me. Now, sit on the bed please."

Zhongli complied once again, and once he was seated Lumine climbed onto the bed and knelt, straddling his legs. She draped her arms over his shoulders. "I'm going to kiss you, now," she said softly, nose to nose with him, her breath warm against his face. "Deeply. More like I did when all this started. You'll cooperate, this time?"

The look in Lumine's eyes was hungry and intense, much as it had been during that incident. This time, though, Zhongli did not find it uncomfortable or alarming. "Of course," he answered, just as softly, wrapping his own arms around Lumine and pulling her close.

Once again, her lips devoured his, and as her tongue probed his mouth he welcomed her in, wrapping his own tongue around hers in return. It was a sensation unlike any he'd experienced before. His mind did drift briefly to compare it to the sensations he felt long ago when he'd been forced to deal with the Great Molluskoid Infestation during the Archon War, but thankfully the similarities were sparse. Lumine's loving warmth was nothing like the cold, disgusting, soft bodies of the creatures he'd had to deal with then.

Zhongli was startled, briefly, when he felt a sensation between his legs. Lumine had loosed an arm from around him and begun to stroke him there. The feeling was far from unpleasant, and was definitely triggering the reaction that his partner had hoped for earlier. It occurred to him that he should probably reciprocate, as well. He lowered his hands, trailing down Lumine's smooth back to cup her rear, causing her to hum happily into the kiss. Soon after, he began to stroke her, as well.

"Oh, Morax…" she sighed dreamily.

Wait… Morax?

The two of them instantly froze, eyes wide open, the kiss and all other activities instantly suspended. "Ah. Um… oops?" Lumine offered.


Author's Note:

I may have pushed the story's teen rating a bit with this chapter, but hopefully by keeping details vague (not to mention cutting the hanky panky short) I've avoided any pitfalls there.

I decided fairly early on in the story that I wanted to write Zhongli as asexual in orientation. Not aromantic, certainly, given that he formed powerful romantic bonds with both Guizhong and Lumine in this story, but with no interest in physical sexuality. It's something that he never realized himself, exactly, attributing his lack of interest as simply a natural consequence of the kind of creature he was. I'm not asexual myself, so I hope I did his character justice, in that regard.

It's uncertain just what happened to Ganyu's parent in canon. Her human father, of course, likely lived no longer than any mortal would. Something, though, must have happened to her Qilin mother, resulting in Ganyu being raised instead by Cloud Retainer. Death-by-Archon-War seems like a decently likely bet, and as it lasted for several thousand years there's plenty of time for Ganyu to have been born and grown to adulthood in time to participate in it before it ended.

On the topic of Lumine's small breasts: a while ago on Reddit, someone posted a hilariously exhaustive report on the characters' bust sizes, even going so far as to extract the character models from the game files and undress them to get an accurate result. This individual claimed that Lumine actually pads her chest, which amused me, so I decided to include it here.