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“You are fond of her.”
A polite cough, followed by sounds of someone choking.
Zhongli continued eating his noodles calmly as if he did not almost end his companion’s life right then and there. Childe, still gasping for breath, merely glared in return and vowed to never lend any Mora to the Geo Archon before him.
Once the coughing died down and Childe was sure he wasn’t going to hell any earlier than he should, he turned to look at his companion.
“What makes you say that?” He asked, calmly, because he was a grown man and he would not panic over such Baseless Accusations.
The Archon hummed, deciding not to impart any Divine Wisdom because he liked to see Childe suffer. He simply smiled, let out a polite chuckle, and continued on with his silence.
It was times like these that Childe really wished that he was the one to rip out the other’s Gnosis, contract be damned.
He stabbed the fishball using a single chopstick, pouring in the wrath of the Eleventh Harbinger of the Eleven Harbingers - not that it mattered in front of the stoic man who had once levelled Liyue in the Archon Wars 2000 years ago. Nevertheless, it was the intent that mattered. The principle of the thing.
Feeling a little bit satisfied at the way Zhongli paused his chewing for a bit, he continued eating. Or at least, he planned to until Zhongli opened his mouth once again.
“Do not be ashamed. She is a wonderful person. It is only natural for humans and adepti alike to have harboured romantic feelings for her.”
Really, was Zhongli still mad about the whole Gnosis thing? Is that why he’s so adamant on making sure that Childe choke on his food? He couldn’t have waited to open Pandora’s box after they’d finished their meal and downed a few drinks or so?
And wait. Rewind the tape. Did Zhongli just say adepti ?
“Just because you’ve got a crush on Lumine doesn’t mean that I do as well. Stop projecting, Archon,” Childe spat out, after successfully escaping death for the second time.
Zhongli smirked, emitting an aura as dangerous as his stone statue counterpart that was scattered all over Liyue. Childe took a moment to appreciate the fact that the man in front of him had retired from the Archon Industry and was no longer levelling nations for the hell of it or punishing mortals for breathing the wrong way.
“I never mentioned a name.”
It took him exactly three point five seconds to process what the other had meant.
Fuck.
The rest of their lunch passed by agonizingly slowly, with Zhongli lording over the fact that he had managed to play Childe like a damned fiddle yet again. It wasn’t explicitly said, no, but he could read between the lines. He was an accomplished Harbinger, after all.
What he could not solve, however, was the mystery identity of his love riv- adeptus. The adeptus. Right.
It wasn’t Zhongli, that’s for sure. That piece of information was the only thing the man had divulged with him the entire afternoon. It was equal parts a relief but also an annoyance.
He knew that the Archon had a hidden agenda when he uttered that cursed sentence a few hours ago. Another play he was keen on directing. A new game of chess where Childe would inevitably be just another pawn in.
The man may have left his wallet at home every single time and may have forgotten to establish a retirement fund once he stepped down from the role of The Archon, but his mind was as sharp as ever. He was the God of Contracts, after all. Everyone knew that He who Excelled at Commerce was as slippery as a snake.
With that being said, Childe was going to keep his guard up. He won’t let himself be fooled twice. Whatever plot Zhongli had constructed in his mind, he was going to destroy it Snezhnaya style.
That was the plan. However, it seemed as if the Archon had placed a curse on him because he could not for the life of him, get rid of the thoughts from their previous conversation.
“You are fond of her.”
Was he, really? It was true that he had been drawn to her from the first time they met. Hell, even before that. He had heard from his comrade that a traveler from Mondstadt would grace the lands of Liyue, and that she would be the key to his plan’s success.
The Honorary Knight of Favonius. The Hero of Mondstadt.
Only strong people were bestowed titles such as those. Childe found himself looking forward to their inevitable fight, if she was truly as strong as they claimed.
Then, as she fled from the Millelith, as ocean blue eyes met golden, he knew things were going to get complicated.
She had never trusted him from the start. He was aware of that. He just didn’t think it would hurt as much as it did, though.
It was strange, really. He didn’t know why he got attached in the first place. Naturally, they would be enemies. She, who befriended Archon and humans alike. He, who betrayed Archon and humans alike.
They would always be on opposite sides of the brewing war.
Was it the way conversation flowed freely between them despite everything? Was it the way she proved her strength time and time again, the tales told of her bravery not doing her justice? Was it the way he had finally found an equal in her, a worthy rival?
Perhaps, it was the way she concealed parts of herself when she thought no one was looking. The forced smiles, false bravados. As if she, too, was engaged in a never-ending battle with her demons.
She was an enigma. Of course his interest would be piqued. It certainly had nothing to do with any romantic feelings whatsoever. Childe hoped Zhongli had stretched before he made that huge of a leap.
However, when his heart skipped a beat at the sound of a familiar voice, only to be disappointed that it was only the echoing winds playing a trick on him, he paid it no mind. He couldn’t afford to. Not when the implications would lead to a fate crueller than death.
Ignorance was bliss, after all.
Deciding to rid his head of his treacherous thoughts, Childe decided to leave his suffocating room and let his feet bring him to whatever destination they desired.
He had no particular place in mind. As long as the air was fresh and he was away from the hustle and bustle of Liyue Harbour. Away from the place he had first met her.
Ironically, his feet had brought him to the hill near the Golden Palace, where their battle took place. The battle that he thought he would be excited for, only for it to leave a bitter taste in his mouth once it ended. Bitter, but not because he lost. God, he would prefer it if it was because he lost.
Childe veered to the right and made the trek upwards instead, steadfastly ignoring the building that was bustling with Millelith.
He didn’t need a reminder of the day she looked at him not with hatred, but with sadness instead. As if she knew it was bound to happen but was still disappointed when it did eventually. As if she had trusted, maybe not him, but the fact that there could be some good left in him.
She was wrong, of course. All the good left him the moment he declared his unwavering loyalty to the Tsaritsa.
He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. He went out for a walk to clear his mind, not complicate it. Maybe he should have just slept the angst off instead. He wouldn’t be able to think about his problems if he wasn’t conscious.
Before long, Childe had reached the peak of the hill, overlooking Liyue Harbour. He watched as the lights turned on one by one, signaling the end of the day and the start of the night. The crowd was as busy as ever, if not even busier. The city never really sleeps in Liyue. A far cry from Snezhnaya who slept as soon as the Sun set.
From his position, the bustling crowd was no louder than white noise. Coupled with the night breeze blowing gently and the scent of wild sweet flowers filling the air, Childe found himself lulled into a state of relaxation. As he was in no hurry, he decided to sit down and savor the rare moment his conscience doesn’t attack him.
Was this what people with strong, righteous morals experienced on the daily? Maybe he should quit his life of war crimes and spend the rest of his life atoning for his sins.
If only it was that easy.
Chuckling to himself at the absurdity of his thoughts, he stretched out his legs and leaned back slightly, making himself comfortable. For some reason, he was really vibing with the atmosphere. It couldn’t hurt to prolong it a bit longer, right?
Wrong.
As if Fate had noticed that Childe’s life wasn’t shitty enough as it is, She just had to make sure the main source of his suffering - and no, surprisingly it wasn’t the Geo Archon - appeared in his line of vision, in a way that was impossible to ignore.
There, standing on the rooftop of a random building, was Lumine.
He could tell it was her even from the distance. Sappy, sentimental shit (that he was definitely not feeling) aside, there was literally no one else in Liyue who enjoyed skulking on the rooftop cryptically. It was simply logic. The process of elimination. It wasn’t because he recognised her silhouette or anything.
His initial reaction was to question what the other was up to. No sane person would climb a building, just to enjoy the night view at a high vantage point. A sane person would go to the nearest hill instead. But, going to the hill would mean a chance encounter between them and he was not ready for the inevitable confrontation.
It totally wasn’t because he was a coward or that he was avoiding her. Definitely not. Again, he was an accomplished Harbinger. He had stared Death in the eyes and lived to tell the tale.
Childe closed his eyes, silently praying to whatever Deity out there that may or may not still have their Gnosis, that she wouldn’t turn his way. She wouldn’t spot him, and she wouldn’t come close. Because if she did, he didn’t think he could find it in himself to run away.
Not after all the running away he’d been doing from his own feelings.
He opened his eyes again, relieved to see that her back was still towards him. He knew that he should leave before Fate decides to screw him over just for fun. He knew that, but he just couldn’t bring himself to. Not when Lumine was bathed in the moonlight, looking like a picture he had no right to look at, frozen in time.
He watched as she gazed forlornly at the moon, desperately wishing he could reach out and touch her, ask her what was going through her mind at that moment.
What could she have been through, to look as distraught as she did, to harbour the same demons he harboured? Were they the opposite sides of the same coin? More similar than what they had originally thought despite their different moral standings?
He would never get the answers now, would he? They did try to kill each other after all.
Feeling infinitely worse than he did before the walk and wishing he had listened to his gut instinct instead, Childe got up from where he was sitting. The walk did nothing but unravel all the emotions he’d been trying to repress ever since that fateful afternoon.
There was no use in pretending anymore.
“You are fond of her.”
No shit, Rex Lapis. Childe had long been aware of that.