[ Most Characters and mentions in this story are not mine and are rightfully owned by Genshin impact and also most of the photo covers I use are may be made by other artists. Reminder: This is all for entertainment purposes. And an AU made from the imagination of the writer.]

~
Past Memory
~

A junior was skipping through the halls in search of a room with a notebook in hand. A wondrous mind they had. A passion ever so burning but was fading through the cold winter of expectations. Alas, they found the room and inhabited it for the past few weeks. Their creativity and freedom filling the room with their heart's content. Oh for fate to let them live on peacefully in that room forever would be a dream come true, but perhaps.. Too much to ask for. Sooner or later this music room will lose it's charm that it gave to them and be left with nothing but dust. "Just a few more years and I'll be able to do whatever I want!" The naive junior believed as she continues to chime her feelings into her songs. She would idly write any kind of song that would come into her mind, and right now she is going for a more fictional type of approach. "Writing a romantic song isn't really my thing, but it's not bad to at least try. Adding some angst might do the trick.." Young (Insert Name) usually rambled to herself like this. Living in a completely different world whenever she was alone. "The lyrics still look pretty rough.. Maybe I should ask Albedo for help.. He's good with words after all." (Insert Name) got up and went to search for an ending for this song.

A few weeks went by and the song finally had some solid lyrics and a nice rhythm thanks to a little someone. So today would be the time to try the lyrics with the rhythm that Albedo composed. (Insert Name) steadied her mic and began to sing. She made a few mistakes in her pitch here and there but she was already lost in the world of their mind that it didn't matter much to her. She would curse lightly whenever her voice cracked or having forgotten a lyric or two and even accidentally flinging the mic off it's stand. This cycle would continue for a couple more weeks until (Insert Name) was finally satisfied with the outcome. Although she didn't know why she was so committed to a song that she just made out of boredom. It's worth in their heart wouldn't lessen nonetheless. Or it was rather the feeling of learning something new and the refreshing satisfaction it would lead once they were ever going to accomplish it. Who would ever know? (Insert Name)'s head was already complicated as it is, so her thoughts came to a finish and concluded with an unfinished epilogue.

Now she was singing the song almost perfectly. Each melody would pass as she measured her pitch along the rhythm. For once in her life, she felt that all her stress would disappear. If she were to continue singing like this endlessly, it might as well even  comfort all her worries away. As soon as she started the chorus she was already immensely immersed in it that she didn't even hear the light footsteps approaching the door. Suddenly A knock on the door came and had disrupted her focus, so out of spite she immediately turned off the music. Then a deep but tender voice spoke: "Excuse me, may I come in? If you are busy occupying the room then I will come back later. There is no rush." The voice gave off such a patient yet strict demeanor that I hastily replied. "O-oh I'm not busy at all! You can come in!" With that tone in your voice they'll end up misunderstanding the situation-
Way to go (Insert Name)..!

The person entered the room had an appearance that caught you by surprise. A face youthful yet mature, golden caramel coated eyes, and unexpectedly long silky brunette hair tied down in a thin ponytail. Judging by how he looked it seemed like he was from a different department or either someone with high authority. Is he here to scold me for using the music room without permission? But regarding basic common sense, the rules didn't say it was necessary to ask for permission to occupy an unused club room.. Or did I miss that part? "Hello there, my name is Zhongli. I was sent here from the department of musical courses. I came here to fetch the instruments since I was told that this room was not in use anymore. Well if I presume you are not a club member, but I can't help but ask.. Were you playing a song earlier?" Ah, I'm dead aren't I..? You subconsciously start to fidget with your hands and tilt your head downwards. You were hesitant at first but felt obliged to reply anyways. "Well uh my name's (Insert Name), I'm not exactly a member of this club but I play here often whenever I have free time. The song that you heard was something I made with a friend of mine.." You've regained a bit of your composure once you finished explaining, but the anxiety that you were feeling was already too overwhelming to shake off. "May I also ask you a question?" He looked at you for a moment, then nodded courteously in reply. "Is this room getting renovated? Is that why you're getting the instruments?" You looked at him straight in the eyes for once, but he was a lot taller than you so it was more of you looking up actually.

"You are correct. This room will be renovated into a staff room due to the amount of workers the school has been receiving as of late. I personally requested to pick up these instruments. Because selling them off would be much of a waste.. It would be better if it's stays where it belongs wether it is moving to another department or not." You sigh as soon as you heard those words. You knew this day would come. The day you'd be caught and lose your favorite place of comfort. Yet your heart aches by the sound of just giving it all up. It'd be too troublesome if you were to rebel so I guess you only have to cherish the little time you have here.. Well like you obviously haven't up until now. "But the deadline hasn't been decided yet." You look up with a newfound gleam in your eyes. "If you do me a small favor, I will help prolong the due date of the renovation." But of course there's always a catch to it.. Judging by the way he looks and acts it seems to verify that he has high authority. What's there lose now? It's either you give up your 'home' or you risk it for the biscuit. You could say it's more on the latter but temptation already decided for you. "Okay, I'll do anything that's in my field to comply." He grins by your reply which made you feel even more overwhelmed. "It's nothing big really. I just want to hear you play the song that I've heard earlier." "Huh?" You blurt out dumbfounded by his favor.

"Is that really it? You just want to hear my song and then you'll help me??" No matter how many times you thought about it. It always came by stupid to you. "Yes, it is as simple as that. But if it feels too much for you I'll give you some tips—." "N-no! It's alright really! That's a big enough favor as it is." You cut his sentence and said sheepishly. "If it is to your satisfaction then- if you may..?" He gestures to the mic and small speaker that was right next to you. You felt flattered by how eager he was and nodded happily in reply. You went back to your normal position while you straightened the mic. "Do me another favor... And don't laugh..?" You murmured to him- And he somehow heard. "I would never." He gave you a reassuring smile which was able to boost your self-esteem and make you play the song.

You both came by to this room every single day. You replayed the songs on multiple occasions and he would give some small criticism that helped improve the song drastically. And the day when the room was going to be renovated was coincidentally the day Zhongli was graduating high school. Just right before you both parted ways, you remember him telling you: "One day we will meet again. And I hope to see you playing this tune to me once more." To forget such a memorable moment was truly something you would do..

~
Back to Present
(Insert Name)'s Pov
~

"Does this bring you back?" Zhongli said musingly as he scans your reaction. "I remember it like it was yesterday." You replied in a trance. If you knew his last name back then it would've been easier to find him.. All this time you thought the DCKZ head was a doppelgänger.. Of course you'd overlook such a huge detail. But you were still impressed by how you were able to remember such a long memory with just a piece of paper. You'd question yourself like this all the time. "Is this Miss (Insert Name)'s handwriting?? It's so neat! The paper looks so old too!- You truly have such wonderful perks~." You were caught off guard by Venti for sooo many reasons but you instead overlooked it and thanked him. But seriously though.. Did he really have to add the miss?.. As soon as you've regained your senses you realized that everyone was looking at the paper with you now, well of course Zhongli and Childe were the exception. "Are we gonna hear you play this song then??" Aether poked his head out on top of your shoulder, turning in hopeful glances at you and Zhongli.

"Well that really depends on them if they wish to play for us." He's seriously pinning the responsibility on me now huh?! "I would love to hear what your singing voice sounds like as well." Kazuha inquires which caused a chain reaction. It made everyone start complementing everything about you. Yet Zhongli, Childe, and Diluc remained indifferent to the situation while Xiao looked rather troubled..? Well they did try to stop them but they ended up getting shunned whenever they interfere. But for some peculiar reason you felt more happy then overwhelmed. "Fine I'll do it." You said giving in to their plea. "Hooray! Truly a generous soul you are-!"  Venti for the second time inches closer to you for a hug but Xiao flicks his forehead in response. "You've bothered them enough already. Give it a break will you?" "Aughh the pain! Aether! Xiao is harassing me once more.!" Venti instead hugs Aether for consolation. "Why are you dragging me into this..?" Aether attempts to push him back but to no success did it work. "Ahem! We will be moving rooms now." Zhongli announces which made everyone turn their attention to him.

Everyone gradually exit the room with Zhongli as the lead. You were awkwardly walking with Xiao as the others bickered at the front. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this." Xiao says out of the blue. "Huh? What's with the apology all of a sudden?" He gave you a sigh as he continued to watch his footsteps. "It's just that.. Just everything that has happened recently. My stupidity might've put you to harms way if I screwed up a little more. This must all come so burdensome to you hasn't it?" You stare at him blankly for a moment, then proceed to bump your elbow onto his arm like what you would always do to Noelle. He rubs his arm and looks at you transfixed as you give him a warm smile. "You're being so sappy- has my influence really rubbed off on you now?" He remains silent but gazes at you curiously while you went ahead of him and put your arms behind your head. " I admit that it's been quite hectic since that day, but I've never initially thought of it as a bad thing. Either way we'd still end up being aquatinted even if you hadn't given me your number. I do work for places that are frequently visited by idols after all. So try not to think about it too much and rub some of the blame on me too." You've already gotten over those worries a long time ago anyways. "You're taking this a lot better than I am.. I guess that's a good thing." "I was wondering why you've been staring at me an awful lot-." "I was??" And with that, you both started your own round of bickering until you've settled in the room.

The mic was already prepared in front of you and the lyrics plastered in your mind ready to be sung, so all that's left is... "I haven't properly introduced myself to you, but you already know my name is Childe so it doesn't matter. I'll be your duet partner this evening girlie." "Pardon?" him. You deadpanned as you see him setting up his own mic stand. "My apologies for the inconvenience (Insert Name). He said he was curious about you, but I wasn't expecting him to going this far." Well at least now you know the reason why he had a copy of your song. "He never backs down from his ideas, so you are welcome to refer to him as background noise." Diluc scoffs at Childe, understandably for being a nuisance. The others also had a similar reaction, but Xiao in particular looked like he was about to strangle Childe to the ground. Even as everyone was shooting glares at him, he himself remained unfazed and instead leaned closer to you for a request. "Hey comrade- is it alright if I take these parts? Oh and how about we synchronize this part?" He points at a bunch of lyrics while giving suggestions. If you were to be honest. the idea of doing a duet didn't seem so bad. You're able to pinpoint the pitch and lyrics easily since you still remembered the song clearly anyways. "Okay, I'll try to adjust." He gives you a delighted grin in reply. The others also calmed down after seeing you agree to the duet, while as always, Xiao and Zhongli remained stern. And now with everything set, you wait for the music to cue as you drift back into your other world once more.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

>Original song/video by Sarah Barrios ft. Eric Nam.<
[I only chose this one lyric video for aesthetic purposes, so please go check out the original.]
(Oh and btw- I won't be mimicking the lyrics but instead narrating the reactions/actions of the characters because my knowledge for music can only go as far as to being awed by it hahaaah..)

The words escaped your mouth the same way that it always did, but this time it somehow felt different. You wouldn't know how to describe it- Just that it felt warm and free. You adjusted just as Childe asked and you were astonished by his voice. Although you've heard him sing in you headphones, it's obviously more legitimately amazing when it's the real deal. You should really attend their concerts more often.. And just like that, you both successfully have done a duet. What bothered you throughout it was his 'charming' voice. It really defines that you're an amateur- But it was still somewhat fun.

Just right after that performance, Childe wraps an arm around your shoulders which caught you off guard for a second or two. "Xiansheng really taught you well huh comrade? But I should really give most of the credit to you! You did amazing!" He bombards you with complements as you try to process all the others reactions as well. Kazuha was the second to approach you and to suddenly hold your hand. "The way you crafted your lyrics was truly awe striking! Is it alright if I ask for a session for tips?" "Ah dear Kazuha- We should give them a share of some fun first before going back to work already." "Kaeya's right! Such a joyous occasion and we can't let all this fine wine go to waste!" The two drunkards contradicted as Venti points at Diluc and Aether bringing out some new refreshments. Then another hand was placed on your shoulder and to no surprise it was Zhongli. "Now now what did I say about crowding (Insert Name)? You're clearly making her uncomfortable." But the others still carried on with their requests. You couldn't help but chuckle by such a happy atmosphere. You really wanted to continue enjoying this moment but a message notification from Noelle buzzes on your phone which reverts your mind back to reality.

"I really would love to stay but I have to go now. I promise I'll make some time for all of you! Thank you for inviting me and I hope everyone has a wonderful evening!" You said awkwardly, knowing that you didn't have any contact information for any of them. You heard their reluctant goodbyes as you shut the door behind you. You frantically began to rush back to the main lobby as you scroll through your missed messages and calls from Noelle. How could you forget to tell Noelle on where you ran off to??

Workaholic🌙🌹 (Insert Name)💐💫

Hello (Insert Name) ! I've

Are you busy? It's alright
if you wanna stay longer
just tell me where you
are and I'll come get
you when you're ready
to leave!
Sent at 8:50 pm

>2 Missed calls at 9:30 pm<

Come find me at our table
once you're leaving! Very
sorry for the amount of

Noelle! I'm so sorry for
replying so late! I
reunited with some old
friends so I was distracted ..
I'm Omw rn!
[❤️]
Seen

I don't mind really! I'm actually
being accompanied by Amber
so I'm alright! I'll also see you then!
[❤️]
Sent at 11:20 pm

She must've been so worried! I should've checked my phone earlier- Gosh how am I gonna explain myself to her later? As you were about to think about your future consequences, you hear a familiar voice call out from behind you. "Xiao?" You said perplexed at the man approaching you. "I was about to bid my goodbye to you but I saw that you went the wrong way, so I'll help you on the way back instead." Damn now that's just embarrassing- certainly a way to make an exit.. "Archons you shouldn't have.. But thank you." You were on the verge of burying yourself to be honest. The walk on the way was just silence other than the bustling rooms that were still having ongoing parties. Well not until you saw the way that he was walking.

Did he run all the way? There wasn't a single sweat on his face though.. Wait a minute. "Did you walk all the way here in high heeled boots?" "How did you know..?" You then proceed to grab a pair of black flat shoes from your bag. "Here- I usually wear these when my heels start to hurt too much. The size is kind of big so it might be able to fit you." "What kind of reaction is that?" "What do you mean?" He gave you quite the transfixed look. "It's just that it's so out of character of you to not find this as an opportunity to talk sht about me—." "Do you want me to?" "No." He deadpanned as he snatched your shoes from your hands. You were already aware of his height due to fan rumors, but you didn't expect him to actually go this far to cover it up.

"It's a lot better right?" "Well comfortably yes, but it could use some more designs." He's so picky gosh. "At least it'd help you walk bette— OAhh.." He was now standing face to face in front of you. Like how tall were those heels? "When should I return these to you?" "You can keep them. I have spares.." You back up a bit from the sudden close up. "Makes sense- it's too shabby to keep anyways." "If they're soo shabby then give them back—." "No." "What do you want then?" "Your number." "How cute." You both bickered cheekily. "But seriously- I wanna hear you sing some more. You also can't just continue safekeeping my number forever.." Xiao pouts as he scratches the back of his head. "Of course.! When you start getting taller than me—!" "Never mind." "I'm kidding I'm kidding!!" We walked and bickered like that for the next couple of