While Zhongli sleeps, Lumine is transfixed. Inspired by liyuesumeru’s post here.
Established Lumine/Zhongli, slight spoilers for latest quest line. Oh, and hints at previous Guizhong/Zhongli. Because reasons.
Posted to AO3 here.
His Exuvia might have been cremated that morning in Liyue Harbor but its imprint was far from gone. The majesty of that beautiful form, the one she never got to see in all its glory that day at the Rite of Descension, was always present, even in their most intimate moments.
It wasn’t something he discussed much despite his passion for imparting knowledge. From what Lumine garnered, the method used to put ink into his skin was so old it had since been forgotten entirely. The ink never faded, remaining bright and vibrant, luminous even. On rare occasions, parts of it would glow ever so slightly, much like his hair.
She was honored with its full glory only once, although she saw glimpses of its full form in passing, as was expected when you shared a camp and sometimes a room with another.
Right now, the ink was partially covered by the soft silk sheets and light blanket. In the quiet of the early morning, with only the moon as her witness, Lumine didn’t need to see the entire piece to know that it went from thigh to shoulder, winding its way across his spine to do so.
The tail, with its swirling caudal fin, wrapped around his left thigh, moving ever so slightly with a simple flex of his muscle, with two claws near his lumbar, the claws rendered in such a way that if she stared too long, they might pierce the very flesh of their home. The airborne serpent undulated, twisting in on itself until its snout rested at the crest of his shoulder. The talons were a vibrant ochre, as were the fins, spine, elegant horns and singular eye, all of which glowed whenever he exerted his Geo power, even after handing over his Gnosis. A fiery man only added to its majesty, and she ached as she recalled the day she saw sunlight glint off of umber scales.
Lumine’s fingers hovered over his skin, never touching, but longing to brush against the warm ink. She didn’t want to wake him, not yet. He wasn’t used to the notion of sleep as humans knew it and he deserved a full night’s rest after their excursion back into Jueyun Karst.
Zhongli was careful, even among other companions, not to reveal the ink that decorated his skin. Not because tattoos were necessarily taboo but it wasn’t something proper or expected on someone of his status. And he wasn’t traveling with Lumine to be a spectacle.
He’d had six millennia of that as it was.
He would never be rid of his legacy as Rex Lapis. His very skin bore the reminder of who, of what, he used to be.
A deep part of her was envious that he knew of his past. Knew what happened to those he loved and lost. She lost 500 years somehow, she was certain of it, and it was all inky darkness and screaming.
But then again, perhaps he longed for what she had. From the way he spoke of the Glaze Lilies and the reverence and agony with which he looked at that stone cube he carried with him, the burden of knowledge was heavy. And it was one he clearly wasn’t ready to share, if he ever would be. Much like his eternal mark as Rex Lapis, as Morax.
One that only those closest and most important to him would ever see.
And she was honored to have that privilege.