Chapter Text
The salty ocean breeze blows past him, eloping him in cold air as the sounds of the waves crashing against the boat are never ending. Childe pushes the stray hairs out of his face for the nth time since the boat departed from the Harbour an hour ago. Returning to Snezhnaya was a lengthy journey, taking a minimum of a week if they were lucky. He has fond memories of his homeland, usually staying in Morepesok for months at a time before returning to Liyue, but in recent years he barely stayed for three days.
Pierro had summoned him to the Zapolyarny Palace to speak to him about a mission the Tsaritsa assigned to him. The details are unknown to him, but from what he knows, he has to seduce an old bag in Fontaine who struck a wrong deal with the Fatui.
While Childe is prideful that he was the first they summon when in need of a young, sexy, piece of bait, but he has not been entirely honest with the Tsaritsa or his fellow Harbingers. Persistent on keeping their noses out of his personal business, he has not told them about his family back in Liyue, and if everything goes well, they will only find out when he’s on his deathbed.
The one keepsake that threatens his secret is hidden under the collar of his uniform attached to a thin silver chain around his neck. Feeling the ring bump against his skin so close to his heart keeps him grounded.
It always brings him back to that autumn night when Zhongli presented him with that thin silver band and they exchanged vows in low whispers, allowing the listening birds to hear and blush upon hearing. Mind unfocused, he reaches to touch the end of the chain and feels no weight at the end.
“Ah,” Childe looks down and doesn’t see the silver band. His ring was missing.
‘I could replace it, but Zhongli gave that to me.’ Childe thinks as he subtly scours the deck hoping to find a single glint of metal in the sunlight but none turns up. ‘If I try to replace it in Snezhnaya, the Fatui could catch wind of it.’
Entering the dark stowage area to check if it had fallen down there, Childe miraculously found his wedding ring sitting on the top of his luggage case. It glints as the minimal light through the door hits the thin band, wrapped with three stalks of small dark pink flowers.
Slipping the ring onto his finger for safekeeping, he picks up the flowers. The flowers were carefully plucked, each petal unbruised, keeping its delicate shape intact as he ran his thumb over the petal.
Sweet pea flowers, wishing for safety in travels.
“Do you like it? I picked it for you.” A voice calls through the darkness. Taken aback Childe takes a defensive stance, shoulders tighten and palms open to summon his twin daggers, but upon recognising the familiar face, his stance relaxes. It was his son, staring up at him with golden eyes through the darkness with wonder and some unsureness.
His son, Zihao–who is not a figment of sea sickness–is standing beside him as they ride the boat headed to Snezhnaya.
The world became quiet, the rushing sound of harsh winds and crashing waves turned silent as he stared into round golden eyes.
Putting on a smile feeling the corners of his lip twitch, Childe is soft as he pushes the stray hairs behind Zihao’s ear and stifles his quickly growing worry. “Honey, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you before you left, so I came to the Harbour all by myself!” Eyes sparkled and his little hands balled into fists, proud of going alone without the help of his father. “Auntie Ganyu said flowers have magic and you will have a safe journey if I give them to you, but were looked so busy at the Harbour, so I waited here!” Zihao’s tone turns quiet when he sees Childe’s eyebrows drawn together in worry. “Sorry mommy, did I do something wrong?”
Even if he was worried out of his mind, Childe didn’t have it in his heart to get mad at his kid for accidentally boarding the ship. Scooping his son into his arms, he loudly kisses Zihao’s chubby cheek, eliciting a laugh from the younger. “No, pumpkin, you didn’t do anything wrong. But the seas are a dangerous place, and you’re not old enough to be sneaking away on strange boats yet.”
“It’s okay, I’m an adeptus, I can handle it!”
Zhongli shouldn’t have taught him to say that. The power play that comes with being an adeptus weighs heavy in Liyue, but simply being does not result in guaranteed safety. After all Zihao is only six years old, how much power could he possibly harness?
Alongside hiding his marriage, keeping his Harbinger status from Zihao safe was another problem. He wasn’t going to find out that Childe was essentially someone who took care of loose ends for a living.
How was he going to safely bring Zihao to Snezhnaya without raising suspicion on a boat filled with dangerous and witty Fatui agents. An idea sparked. A boat filled with agents–what’s the harm in adding one more?
After a considerable amount of silence grew between them, Childe asked, devious in mind as blue eyes glint. The shadows that fall across his face give a look made for mischief. “Zihao, would you like to play a game with mommy?”
“A game?” Zihao, surprised to say the least, but not opposed to the idea to spend more time with Childe. “What kind of game?”
“I’ll explain, and if you win, I’ll buy you anything you want.”
___
Senior member Viktor makes sure all the pre-existing and new recruits are added to the lineup on the deck. Everyone was buzzing with excitement to finally be back home after spending some time in Liyue, but before leaving the boat they needed to have a word with their boss.
The youngest Harbinger, Tartaglia, had been travelling with them for a week and before stopping at the port he will be meeting them. With a cheery smile on his face, he is the image of any young adult with a charming disposition, hiding the blood knight underneath the surface.
“As you know, we will be approaching the port in a few hours. I know you are all excited to be back and reunited with your families, but for formality's sake,” Childe stands still as he looks about. “As members of the Fatui, remember your primary objective is the Tsaritsa’s mission. I’m proud to say you have all done well.” Which brings about small smiles to some faces.
Their hearts and bodies have finally returned home after spending some time in strange unfamiliar lands. The sea breeze turned colder and colder, indicating that Snezhnaya was not a moment away.
“I will see you all again soon. Good work everyone. Dismissed.” Sharp blue eyes turn to the very end of the line-up where an agent stood. “Except for you, I need to have a word with you.”
As the other agents clear out, Viktor leans down to the agent standing rigid after being called by Childe. “Good luck,” he says under his breath.
Soon they were the only ones on the deck. Childe stands before the agent, his coat three sizes too big for him that the fur lined ends drag against the wooden flooring. The sleeves ridiculously bunched up to his elbows, thick from the excess fabric. On his face, the Fatui mask didn’t sit right, screwed and tilted from being too big, causing brown hair to stick out in various directions.
Childe leans down by the hips in a condescending manner, arms folded over his chest before squinting his eyes. With a low whisper, he says, “Did anyone suspect you today?” with a kind tone, eyes gleaming with mirth as their gazes meet. Both of them were equally excited to spend another day playing pretend.
The young boy shakes his head enthusiastically. The gold eyes hidden behind the mask are wide and bright. Lips curl into a small smile before replying with an eager, “Nope!”
Both the mother-son duo have been playing the same game for the past week. The goal of the game was to make sure Zihao played pretend as a Fatui agent for as long as he could. As long as no one discovered his name, Zihao will win.
Childe pats Zihao on the head in an affectionate manner, running his gloved fingers through brown hair, smoothing the tuffs of hair that spiked in several directions. “Good boy. We’re going to arrive at the port soon, so don’t get too excited and forget about our little game. I’ll be visiting my boss, but if happen to run into Rosalyne, you can play with her.”
The land begins to show as the boat continues forward. From a distance, the port was busy with locals–with the rare merchant ships docked, bustling with people trying to make their means through fishing. He cups the back of Zihao’s head with a hand, guiding the small boy closer to cuddle up against him knowing his son wasn’t fond of cold air.
“Mommy,” Childe looks down at Zihao. His gaze is straight ahead towards the shore with hard eyes, a complete change from his earlier behavior. Cold eyes are assessing the situation with arms crossed together across his chest as the cold settles on his skin. The sense of the unknown approaching makes him wary. “Is this where you were born?”
In a flash, the son’s demeanor was a splitting image of his father. Even Childe could tell the air between them had changed. “Not really, I was born in a little seaside town called Morepesok. Over there, children run around in the fields, and they grow up with love. Should we take a trip there if we chance?”
The previous rigidness in his stature melts away as Zihao looks up at him, eyes brimmed with adoration. Eyes full of reassurance, mouth parted slightly causing the cold air around to fog. “Okay,” he says quietly, shyly, under his breath and turns away. His son was cute when he pretended to be mature.
___
Zihao hears the bustling of the crowd clearer since they docked. Warily looking out at the people covered from head to toe in worn out leathers and furs, covered in dirt and sweat, the loud voices of people speaking ringing in his ears overwhelmed him. Being in a strange land, miles away from home, he has a gist of the dangers. But he wasn’t about to show this side of him to Childe. He’s not an immature kid.
He self-proclaims he is not one for childish antics, but he had enjoyed an entire week with his mother playing their game, hiding from people, sharing hushed whispers and secret smiles. Every second of their time spent together on the ship will be locked away in his heart for safekeeping. After all, it wasn’t everyday he got to have Childe’s attention for himself. Not when the presence of his father was always looming over him oozing jealousy.
Zihao hopped onto the dock, taking a look over his shoulder once he’s safely landed. Mommy was busy speaking to his colleagues, and later he was going to see his boss lady who is very nice, allowing him to take very long vacations so he can spend time with Zihao.
‘The people mommy work with must be really nice,’ nudging his mask up and over his hair, he takes in the colorful sights of the port. Various stalls smell strongly of fish and other seafoods. Another smell overcomes him from a stall selling fried fish on sticks as he began to walk over.
“I finally caught you,” Zihao’s mouth was covered by a gloved hand as his entire body was pulled back by a hard grip around his forearm. Panicked, he feels his heart rate pick up, face burning red with anger and embarrassment that someone was kidnapping him.
Biting the finger between his teeth, the hand releases him just enough for him to yell at the top of his lungs, hoping someone could hear him through all the noise. With urgency and panic, he shouts a single word.
“Mommy!”
Other people at the port don’t bat an eye, as if it were a normal occurrence. The Fatui agents turn to the sound as Childe was speaking, but they make no move as long as their Harbinger is standing before them.
In the split second they turned away, Childe hauls himself off the side of the boat, landing on the dock. As soon as his feet hit the wooden planks, he’s running off in the direction of the shout. It doesn’t take him long to find Zihao in someone’s arms, vigorously kicking in attempt to get away from the man.
Childe pulls out a dagger from the inside of his boot, eyes dark with killing intention, before holding it up to the taller man’s neck, “Drop the kid if you know what’s good for you,” Blue eyes widen in surprise upon sight of the familiar stature. His heart skips a beat as eyebrows draw together in confusion.
“Zhongli?”
Upon hearing his father’s name, Zihao stops struggling to look up at the man, his mouth agape upon seeing his father’s face. Handsome features were tinted red from the cold as the addition of a dark coat weighed heavy on his shoulders.
“Hello, darling. I am sincerely sorry to have disturbed you on your trip home. I know that you would need your full concentration when you arrive in Snezhnaya,” Zhongli lowers his head to nuzzle along his son’s jaw, Zihao openly receives his affections. “But thank you for taking care of Zihao. One evening I returned home and he had disappeared.”
Childe sighs and lowers his weapon, quickly hiding it behind his back, knowing it was too late and Zihao had seen it. “You don’t have to thank me for taking care of our own kid. But,” He is not exactly angry at Zhongli, but he needed to reprimand the man for his behavior. “I’ll have a word with both of you when I get back. And how did you get here so quickly?”
This time, Zhongli purposefully avoids his gaze as Childe moves around trying to meet his eyes. Every time Childe moves, Zhongli would turn his face away. “Did you use your adeptus form in public?” The silence between them is all he needed to hear. “Zhongli!”
Childe lets his face fall into his hands as he shakes his head, ashamed how he seems to be the only one who cares about Zhongli keeping his appearances. Seeing his wife upset, Zhongli moves towards Childe and pulls the Harbinger into a loving embrace. A heavy hand rests on the small of his back, pulling him closer to Zhongli’s warm body as Zihao wraps his arms around Childe’s neck.
Being surrounded by the high temperature warmth of his loves, Childe sighs and puts his forehead onto Zhongli’s shoulder, relaxing into his husband’s hold.
“I’ll see you at home, my love. Stay safe, I love you.” Zhongli’s voice is right against the shell of his ear, moving his lips to press a chaste kiss upon reddening tips of his ears. The older begins to move away, but they couldn’t separate far.
Zihao refused to let go of his mother’s neck, binding his upper half to Childe’s body as Zhongli held onto him. The small boy started wailing, big beads of tears well up in his eyes as he opens his mouth to begin hiccupping, sobbing into his mother’s neck.
“I don’t want to go!” Zihao cries as Zhongli’s hands gently pry the chubby fists from Childe’s clothes. “I wanna be with mommy!”
Childe looks around, worried who is watching this spectacle, but he sighs. His kid is sad, and crying loudly, and he’s anything if not a sucker for his son. Taking Zihao into his arms, the bundle starts clinging tighter. He can feel the wetness of tears and possibly saliva on the side of his neck.
“Mommy will be back home soon. I won’t be too long this time.” He’s quiet as he speaks against Zihao’s forehead, moving the hair back to press a kiss. After a moment of standing there, allowing his kid to cry into his shoulder, Zihao finally calms down. Taking in heavy breaths of the cold air, shuddering out his exhales after a heavy wailing session, Zhongli takes him back into his arms.
Zihao grabs onto Childe’s scarf, sniffling with big golden eyes, glassy from the remnants of tears. “You promise you won’t be long?”
“I promise. I’ll finish my job and we’ll play together when we’re back home.” Childe’s tone is firm, yet gentle and reassuring. Zihao stares at him for a moment before nodding.
Giving a final kiss onto his mom’s cheek, he willingly goes along with his father through a series of winding back alleys. The far image of Childe’s shadowy standing in the streets, waving goodbye to him fresh in his mind.