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Zhongli steps out of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and is greeted by the sharp cold air. The sun is already low on the horizon, shrouding the city in its warm golden rays. The view is breathtaking, in a way even Celestia will always fail to be ; there is nothing like winter time in Liyue harbor.
Zhongli decides to indulge in a little walk. He has nothing much to do, after all, having fulfilled all his obligations for the day. He follows the marine breeze down to the docks, breathing in deeply the smells of the city mingling with the sea salt, here whiffs of cooking food, there a hint of delicate perfume. He's accompanied by the chatter of conversations, the music of a living, active, happy people.
The docks are no less busy. Fishermen are gone already, off to bed to prepare for an early rise before the sun, but merchants, buyers, and passersby are aplenty, calling to each other, negotiating goods from the whole of Teyvat. Zhongli's chest swells with pride, seeing so much prosperity.
He joins the families leisurely strolling and enjoying the last of the daylight, and his eye catches a familiar silhouette.
There, leaning on the wooden railing and looking uncharacteristically pensive, is Childe. Zhongli feels curious, and decides to go over and inquire as to his apparent melancholy.
"Hello, Childe. You look quite lost in thoughts."
Childe turns around to meet him, and regains some of his usual nonchalance, his eyes twinkling.
"If it isn't my favorite consultant! Are you done for the day?"
Zhongli nods, and comes to lean on the railing, searching the sea. Was Childe maybe looking at something specific? There isn't much for the eyes to settle on, just the glistening waves and the setting sun. While sunsets do make beautiful views, Childe isn't the type to stay still and contemplate. But isn't this direction..?
"You're not very talkative today," Childe sighs, his back turned on the view and eyes lost on the passing walkers. The sun behind him washes his hair in gold and plunges his face in darkness, turning his eyes a deep blue akin to the waters of a shallow mountain lake under the stars. Ahem. Back to what Childe is trying to deflect from.
"The journey to Snezhnaya is a long one, especially by boat."
This gets a small twitch of the fingers from Childe, which is encouraging enough for Zhongli to continue.
"It must have been a boring travel."
Childe shrugs, but turns back towards the open sea, and his shoulder brushes against Zhongli's.
"I guess. I don't really recall."
They stand in companionable silence, Zhongli enjoying his proximity and Childe brooding over whatever he refuses to share. Zhongli probably shouldn't pry, but he can't help feeling curious.
"It is quite normal for one to feel homesick when stationed for such a long time in a foreign land."
Childe physically recoils, and the spot where their bodies touched feels too cold to bear for a second.
"I don't!"
Zhongli doesn't move, as steady as a stone stele, and waits. Childe quickly deflates, unfurling his fists and slouching a bit.
"Fine, you got me."
Heavens be blessed, he comes back to the railing and his shoulder comes to rest against Zhongli's once again.
"This is a special time in Snezhnaya. The nights are twice as long as the days, and everything is buried under snow. To light the way for the sun and the spring, we hold a bunch of celebrations, we put up lights and decorations in every home and we spend a lot of time with our families. Today is children's day, when we celebrate children and cover them with gifts, sweets and cakes."
Zhongli is quite acquainted with these traditions, but there is no point in sharing that, so he stays silent and listens to Childe, who describes how his family would decorate their home and what kind of delicacies he misses most, eyes unfocused. There's a hint of sadness, of longing, of guilt even, in his voice that doesn't reconcile with the happy memories.
"It must be hard spending this time away from those you love."
Childe sighs.
"It's my first year missing children's day."
Again, the specific mention of children's day. Yet Childe himself is too old for this celebration. So this must mean…
A plan forms in Zhongli's mind. He decides that it's a good one.
"Would you like to share dinner with me?"
Childe smiles.
"Sure. Liuli pavilion?"
"I was thinking of going to Wanmin restaurant this time. Their Black-Back Perch Stew is the perfect dish to warm up as the night chill comes, and I know you like a good fish stew."
"Alright. Who's cooking tonight?"
Zhongli turns and starts the short walk to the restaurant, satisfied to see that Childe follows, his posture relaxed.
"Why, Xiangling of course!"
"Ah, her food is always super tasty, but so spicy", Childe sighs.
Snehznaya's cuisine is indeed much less spicy than Liyue's, and Xiangling has a special affection for Jueyun chilis. Childe always does his best to taste everything though, and even gradually warmed to local cuisine, taking quite a liking to some of the spicy dishes.
"We'll ask for a Snezhnayan special."
"Please don't, every time we do she feels encouraged to just go wilder with the heat. I think she understands this as if I were frozen and asking for something really spicy to get my blood pumping again."
Zhongli chuckles. It is true that the last time they dined there together, the dish was extremely hot. Childe had turned a very cute crimson, and fought his hardest not to cry. It had been a fine night indeed.
As they ascend through the city, the sun drowns behind the horizon and darkness quickly creeps up. Warm streetlights and busy shops keep it at bay, and the stairs up to the restaurant's street help them stay warm. Zhongli maintains an easy conversation, commenting on a new architectural trend regarding the carving of window frames. Childe seems reasonably interested in the subject and even asks a few questions about the paint used and the floral themes, and the easy banter holds right until they get to the restaurant.
"Please sit, I'll go order."
"Uh, alright?"
Childe sits down, a mildly confused look on his face. Zhongli quickly ducks into the kitchen where chef Mao welcomes him.
Xiangling is already busy preparing and cutting and frying and even flambéing ingredients, humming a foreign tune.
"Oh, Mister Zhongli! It's nice having you tonight!"
He gives her a fond smile. It's hard not to be proud, seeing the young lady work so hard, and with such a good spirit, to elevate the local cuisine. She certainly brought many new dishes and tastes to the tables of Liyue harbor since she started working in the family restaurant.
"Good evening, Xiangling. I have a special request."
"Oh? What can I do for you?"
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Childe has struck up a conversation with tourists while waiting for Zhongli to come back. Wanmin restaurant doesn't have an inside dining room, only long tables outside, where clients sit. In the winter, they light two large fires on each side of the tables to keep patrons warm as they eat, and coverlets are available in a woven basket. Of course, the "cold" doesn't bother Childe much, with him being accustomed to much lower temperatures and less forgiving climate, but the place has a nice, cozy vibe that he can appreciate. It's not as intimate as Liuli pavilion, for sure, and he's getting a few side eyes for being, well, Tartaglia, eleventh harbinger of the Fatui, but it's overall a pleasant experience.
His table mate is a foreigner from Mondstadt, and is avoiding eating his too spicy food by doing a dramatic retelling of a sighting of Stormterror, a powerful and aggressive dragon. Childe wonders if there's any truth to this tale, knowing that Mondstadt has a long tradition of embellishing stories to the point where little of the actual events remain, but it does pique his interest. He wouldn't be opposed to going head to head with a giant corrupted dragon himself, if the occasion arose. Ah, but that will have to wait until he is finished here, or the Tsaritsa will get his skin. Well, he will just have to take a little detour through Mondstadt on the way home, gnosis safely secured and Geo Archon's butt kicked all the way back to Celestia.
Which reminds him that he is no closer to finding Rex Lapis. The townsfolk all have a story of their archon visiting their shop or providing some trinket to a family member, here appearing as a golden scaled dragon, there as a flamboyant phoenix, or even as an old man clutching a cane made entirely of core lapis. The only thing Childe is certain of at this point is that he couldn't possibly miss the Geo archon if he saw him. What a formidable opponent he must be… Childe can barely contain himself thinking about the inevitable epic fight as he steals the archon's gnosis. Ah, if only he had already found the God of contacts' hideout… He could be back at home, spending children's day with Teucer and Tonia.
Well, at least Signora hasn't reported back with the anemo archon's gnosis yet. That would be the cherry on top, Signora smugly slithering back with the gnosis of a God who has been missing for centuries while Childe fails to locate Rex Lapis, arguably one of the most approachable archons.
His brooding is interrupted by Zhongli coming back to sit at the table, carrying a generous serving of Black-Back Perch Stew, two bowls of rice and a plate of Jueyun Chili Chicken. He artfully balances it, losing none of the grace or speed in his steps, and sets it down in front of Childe with ease. He then magically produces a full, steaming teapot and two ceramic glazed cups, and serves them.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Zhongli smiles a subtle smile, easy to miss. Just a tug on the corner of his mouth and a spark of his amber eyes, but enough to warm Childe from his very core all the way out to his cheekbones. His body's reaction is embarrassing, and Childe dives into his food, hoping that the consultant hasn't picked up on his blush before he can blame it on the spice.
Zhongli always takes his time with dinner, eating with as much purpose and grace as he does everything else. He never drops his chopsticks or food, never spills sauce or tea, and never forgets to check on Childe and offer refreshment, a helpful piece of advice on how to handle each type of food, or the gift of silence when Childe bites down on fresh chilis by accident. He never runs out of interesting trivia to share with his dinner mates, and knows how to talk to everyone. Childe has always considered himself to be charismatic, but Zhongli shines in any company like a rare refined diamond. He has a way of captivating his audience that seems to warp time, and Childe feels like only a moment has gone by when he realizes that his plate is gone, they have drunk three full teapots and all the other patrons have left. A quick gaze up at the moon indicates that nearly four hours have passed.
Xiangling comes to meet them, her step as bouncy and energetic as ever, completely ignorant of any fatigue, and sets a big basket on the table.
"Your special order, mister Zhongli!"
"Thank you very much, Xiangling."
Zhongli lifts a corner of the tissue covering it, and hums appreciatively. Xiangling turns directly to Childe for payment, and he is happy enough to pay for both the meal and the mystery basket. Whatever is inside, if it pleases Zhongli, promises to be interesting enough to pay for. Besides, what's one more item on his tab? Being a fatui harbinger has its perks, such as access to virtually unlimited funds.
"Shall we get on our way now?"
Childe gets up, curious. Although they have made quite a habit of dining together, they usually go on their separate way afterwards. What could Zhongli want?
"It is a fine night to walk through the city. The stars are visible, and the frost has not yet covered the stones."
"Does that happen often?" Childe never noticed a thick coating of ice anywhere in Liyue harbor. Maybe up in the mountains, but not here.
"About every night in winter, although the delicate frost flowers blooming here may be unimpressive to you."
Ah, so he's speaking about the condensation that forms at night and glitters, melting in the first rays of sunrise. Teucer calls that "fairy dust" and spent an entire fall trying to collect it in a small bottle one year.
"Ah, I guess I didn't pay it much mind."
He looks up at the stars, shining faintly between the city lights. At home, they would be bright, they would be millions, and Teucer would insist on naming them all and fall asleep in his arms making up stories for each constellation. Childe's heart feels heavy tonight, and his throat uncomfortably tight. Words get stuck there and refuse to come out.
Zhongli leads him all the way through the city, right to the stairs leading to Bubu pharmacy. The most expensive shop in all of Liyue harbor in Childe's opinion, it somehow never closes, and even now, near midnight, the door is open and light comes from within.
"What are we doing here?" Childe asks, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.
Strolling through the city with Zhongli is nice but this is getting strange.
Zhongli turns to face him, expression as candid as ever, and lifts the basket.
"We are visiting someone."
Childe decides to trust him and ascend the stairs. Zhongli knows all sorts of people, but they are never uninteresting, and one never knows when these connections might prove valuable. Also, Childe has nothing better to do.
Zhongli leads the way, his long hair brushing on his vision stone with each step, and Childe tries to keep his eyes on the warm, shining stone and not on the magnificent butt right underneath. He fails. Damn, that thing is narrow and tight. It looks exquisitely squishable, and Childe shoves his hands in his pockets to avoid all temptation.
"Hello", Zhongli's deep voice calls as he steps inside the pharmacy.
"Hello, welcome to Bubu pharmacy" calls a very small voice in return.
Childe peers inside, curious as to where the voice is coming from. The pharmacy seems empty… And the voice sounds suspiciously childish.
Ah. There, behind the counter, stands a small girl with a strange hat and a prayer paper that gets right in her face.
"My friend here wanted to celebrate children's day. Would you agree to help us?"
Zhongli opens the basket as he speaks and shows the contents to Childe.
Xiangling did outstanding work.
There are chocolates and candies and cute cookies shaped like slimes and dragolizards and mora ferrets, frosted in colorful sugar.
"What would Qiqi have to do?" the girl asks.
Her tone is steady and emotionless. Her eyes are glassy. She doesn't look very healthy.
Childe bends over the counter to see her better.
"What's your name?" he asks.
"Qiqi is Qiqi."
There couldn't be a little girl more different from his rowdy, lively and loud siblings than this one, but a child is a child and today is children's day.
"Well Qiqi, the only thing I need you to do is accept a gift. Do you like cookies?"
Finally, her eyes light up a little, but she's careful in her answer. What a strange little girl.
"Qiqi likes sweets."
"That's very good. We have a lot right here and I would be super embarrassed if I couldn't share them! There are so many we could never eat them all, and we don't want them to go bad. Can you help?"
The little girl nods and climbs on the counter.
"Yes, Qiqi will help."
Childe gives her his brightest smile and starts emptying the basket in front of her, asking her what she wants to taste first.
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Zhongli watches fondly as Childe makes a mess of the pharmacy and scatters sweets and crumbs everywhere, improvising a puppet show with the cookies and getting a soft laugh out of Qiqi.
He is simply amazing with children, and his smile is so earnest, his posture so relaxed and light, for the first time tonight, that Zhongli can't help but feel warm and tingly. Certainly, this is the satisfaction of a good plan, well designed and perfectly executed, and nothing else. Certainly Zhongli feels proud that his idea could brighten the day of two people, and not proud of Childe for being so gentle, so kind and tactful. The urge Zhongli feels to kiss him is certainly spurred by the happiness he feels right now, by the warmth of the scene in front of him and not by more deep seated unaddressed feelings. Yes, that must be it. He is simply lost in the moment right now.
Certainly he won't feel the same tomorrow morning.
Certainly.