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The sun beamed down from the sky over Liyue, glistening light reflecting off the calm ocean.
The streets were bustling with people as per the usual.
Osial’s resurgence had barely been a drop in the sea of life of Liyue. The Qixing and Adepti had handled the crisis well.
Zhongli was feeling a bit nostalgic these days, oft visiting the Pearl Galley to reminisce about the past with historians and archaeologists. They had such interesting theories on Rex Lapis, a being Zhongli no longer equated with himself. All this nostalgia… it probably came with seeing that old enemy of his sealed away once more.
After that event, the Fatui continued to operate within Liyue, and Zhongli wasn’t too worried about that. He knew Childe’s character and understood him well enough to know he would make sure his subordinates operated within the bounds of their contracts. There was nothing in Liyue that would push them to go past their diplomatic boundaries anymore.
The Fatui had lost a lot of ground on the diplomatic battlefield. But he supposed their Tsaritsa would not mind. They already had what they most wanted most, after all.
Childe’s company had been quite pleasant, he realised as he thought back.
They no longer actively sought each other out, understandable considering the circumstances. But Liyue Harbour was only so big, and he was sure they would see each other sooner or later.
Zhongli sipped as his tea, tilting his head away from the sea breeze.
The scent of sea water was as heavy as always. Though he no longer disliked it, he had never gotten used to it.
After all, sense of smell was the most ancient, primal sense in the body. It was by far one of the hardest to trick, and linked directly with the emotions and instincts.
The aroma of tea, for example, was calming. It reminded him of the sound of turning pages and Guizhong’s excited chatter.
There were many memories and emotions that the sea breeze brought up, but Zhongli was quite adept at tuning them out.
“Zhongli-xiansheng, you have a client.”
Zhongli’s motions paused and he set down the teacup. “A client? Very well, I shall be there.”
Another day, another job. Down to the docks where the scent of the sea was strongest, across the ocean and to Guyun Stone Forest, the place of buried history.
Zhongli wondered when his memories of the past would fade, or if what he still remembered was still all that reliable, untwisted by time and the emotions of his own mind.
“Urgh…” Zhongli blinked blearily at the familiar ceiling before he frowned, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.
Dim sunlight filtered in from the windows… What time was it?
No, more importantly, what had he been doing last night to make him so tired? He was pretty sure it had been quite an ordinary day yesterday.
His head pounded something fierce, and it felt like he had a painful crick in his neck. He vaguely remembered that he had a dream last night… about Childe, he was sure, though he could not recall the details.
Zhongli closed his eyes again, feeling the cool breeze brush across his face. Had he left that window open last night? He couldn’t remember. He usually closed it, but his mind was feeling muddled, unable to recall the details of the night prior. Perhaps he had fallen ill…
The scent of saltwater on the breeze was surprisingly comforting, clearing his head up and soothing the ache. There was a sweet aroma under it… the scent of… glaze lilies?
Zhongli looked over to the window in confusion. On the windowsill, there was a small vase with a single glaze lily inside.
That hadn’t been there last night, of that he was certain. Perhaps one of the ferryladies picked it and placed it in his room while cleaning up. A rather fond smile spread across his face as he sat up on the bed. That was sweet of them, though really, he’d rather them stay untouched in the few areas they still grew.
Nonetheless, he made a note to take care of it.
Going through the motions of his morning ritual, Zhongli’s thoughts drifted back to Childe.
Zhongli had a feeling that Childe was rather angry at him.
Alright, it was more than a feeling. He knew Childe was rather angry at him. He had, after all, tricked the other like that…
He had not seen nor heard from Childe in many days.
Zhongli looked out of the window at the parchment coloured skies, at the storm clouds bearing down on Liyue Harbour like diluted ink running free across paper. The sun was up high behind the thick sea of clouds, he knew, though he couldn’t see it. The entire city looked like a traditional Liyue painting.
The last time he had witnessed such a sky had been with Childe.
Zhongli sighed.
All he had wanted was the best for Liyue. He knew that he was a bygone god and that if his people kept relying on him, he would only become an obstacle to their development. It hadn’t been too long ago that he had realised that the Liyue Qixing had ruled this land for many years without his aid, and that a formal pass on of his leadership was necessary.
He wasn’t like Guizhong, intelligent, human, emotional. He couldn’t rule with the same empathy, but he was learning, having left his pedestal as he did.
So, he knew, he had really done Childe dirty.
He had honestly thought that their relationship was just of mutual exploitation. Or, rather, he had thought that was what they both intended it to be. Asymmetric information aside, he used Childe to test Liyue, and Childe used him to establish connections in Liyue and find the Gnosis.
It was only after everything had been revealed and Childe had ceased visiting that he had belated realised that this was not the case.
He, dare he say it, missed Childe’s presence. Or at least, that was how he interpreted the dull ache in his chest and the way his thoughts repeatedly drifted to the Snezhnaya diplomat.
Without his Gnosis, he was nowhere near as powerful as he had been. He was still an adepti… he had been an adepti long before he had become an archon, but the years of relying on his Gnosis had him slacking in his cultivation.
He didn’t have the same power as he did before. Oh, for sure, he was still far, far stronger than any human, but the problem was that this body he was inhabiting, the body he had crafted and named “Zhongli”, was very much mortal.
This all meant that he couldn’t tell if Childe was still in Liyue or not.
Zhongli sighed again.
Perhaps the other was actively avoiding him, or perhaps he had left Liyue altogether. The thought that either might be true sent a pang through his chest.
Alas, with or without Childe, life must go on.
… But when he next saw him, he’d make sure to apologise.
Zhongli didn’t sleep very well these days, but that was only a speck in the whirlwind of his mortal life.
To a six-thousand-year god who only occasionally walked among humans, even mundane pleasures were fascinating.
As a mortal, even the smell of sea water wasn’t even that bad anymore. He was pleasantly surprised to have gotten used to it after finding it almost irritating for so long.
Day after day, Zhongli watched and participated in human life, discovering more and more. He had already gotten used to having a mortal body, though without the Gnosis, it seemed to get hungry, tired and thirsty even quicker. Thankfully, he did not accidentally starve himself to death.
The days almost blurred together, not because they were boring, but that every day so much happened. Zhongli still hadn’t fully gotten used to the fast-paced lifestyle of humans.
“Zhongli-xiansheng!”
Zhongli looked up from where he was sitting at Wanmin Restaurant to see Aether and Paimon walking towards him, waving in greeting.
“Traveller, Paimon,” Zhongli nodded at the two, laying his chopsticks down across his bowl of rice and motioning for them to take a seat at his table, “I see you’re back from Mondstadt. How was your trip?”
Aether took the seat, and Paimon floated down next to him, staring and practically drooling at the food. “Thanks.” Aether face fell a little as he continued. “I got word that someone had seen Lumine but… it turned out it was a false report.”
“I am certain you will find her soon,” Zhongli tried to comfort him. Aether quirked a smile back, so Zhongli decided he’d considered that attempt a success.
“Oh, hi, Aether,” Xiangling’s bubbly voice cut in as she approached the table, setting down a platter. “I’ll grab you some tea. You want to order anything?”
“Hi, Xiangling, thanks! Um… Give me a moment... I haven’t had Liyue cuisine in a while.” Aether accepted the tea Xiangling passed him, taking a sip as he reacquainted himself with the menu.
“Hey, Zhongli-xiansheng, how come you don’t bring your boyfriend around, anymore?”
Aether choked, spluttering, and Zhongli blinked in surprise, his mind going blank momentarily.
“Boy… friend? Childe and I aren’t… boyfriends,” Zhongli responded calmly, if a bit hesitantly.
Xiangling shrugged. “Well, if you say so, but you ordered all the stuff you had when you came here with him the first time, and I wasn’t the one who brought up his name.” She darted away, presumably to the kitchen, leaving behind a coughing Aether and a rather speechless Zhongli. Paimon patted Aether on the back in worry.
He had… ordered everything he and Childe had ordered when they first ate here together?
“Oh, speaking of Childe,” Paimon suddenly said, bringing Zhongli back to the present. “We saw him on our way here, didn’t we, Aether?”
“Might I inquire exactly where you saw him?” Zhongli cut in as Aether nodded, recovering.
“Near Qingce Village,” Aether replied before he frowned, “He’s remained stationed in Liyue Habour all this time. Have you never bumped into him, Zhongli-xiansheng?”
No… Zhongli hadn’t seen Childe, not even once, despite Childe still apparently being stationed in Liyue Harbour. Liyue harbour wasn't that big, and Zhongli travelled around it quite often. Childe must really be upset to be avoiding him like this.
Paimon and Aether exchanged a look.
“You know, Zhongli-xiansheng, if you really want to go and see Childe, you can always go to Northland Bank and wait for him there,” Paimon suggested.
Zhongli looked up and stared at the other two blankly for a moment. “... You’re correct. I… I confess I did not consider that option. However… what if he doesn’t want to see me?” His frown returned, his tone seemed worried.
“Well, I’d say you’ll know if he wants to see you or not by if he decides to show up. Still, you did trick him pretty bad the last time, so you should be responsible for taking initiative.”
“Very well, your words are wise indeed. I shall follow your suggestion,” Zhongli nodded to himself.
“Aether, you decided what you want yet?” Xiangling had returned.
“Ah yeah…”
The rest of the meal passed normally, and Zhongli politely waited for Aether to finish before they parted ways.
“Is it just me, or is Zhongli-xiansheng kinda… different?” Aether mused aloud, walking down the familiar streets of Liyue.
“Ah yeah!” Paimon smacked her small fist against her palm. “You’re right! Paimon thought so, too! Zhongli-xiansheng got lost in thought a lot and showed his emotions way more freely than usual.”
“Yeah, that’s true! He seems more… human? Emotional? I suppose. Before, even though he was quite friendly and approachable, he just sort of had that distant feeling, you know?”
“Yeah yeah! Kinda like… a bystander to the world… or something. Well, Paimon is happy for him. He seems to be really settling into human society.”
“I agree. Though it is quite a sudden change for such a short time.”
It took Zhongli two more days to go to Northland Bank.
It wasn’t because he was busy, but there was just this feeling. Like… his stomach would flutter, soft like the wings of a butterfly, and he would shy away from his goal uncontrollably.
Nervousness, Zhongli realised.
“The divine are compassionate, yet heartless,” he sighed to himself. So removed had he been from the world, for that was how he had believed an Adepti should act. Even walking the world in his other forms, he had never truly felt like a part of it. He had forgotten his heart was just as susceptible.
Standing at the doors to the bank, the building in front of him was almost daunting. The guard at the front was starting to give him strange looks.
With another sigh, Zhongli steeled himself and pushed open the doors, heading inwards to the reception.
“Hello, how may I help you?” The lady there asked.
“Good afternoon,” Zhongli greeted in kind, “I was wondering if you could tell whether or not Childe is present at the moment?”
“Sorry,” the receptionist frowned, “You are…?”
“Zhongli-xiansheng!?”
Zhongli had been about to reply when he was interrupted by the sound of his name. His breath hitched as he realised he recognised it. His fingers clenched subconsciously as he turned to greet the other, “Childe.”
Childe was frowning at him. Was he unhappy? Zhongli supposed he would be. “You came to see me, Zhongli-xiansheng?”
“Indeed. Could we perhaps… talk somewhere private?” Zhongli looked over at some of the Fatui employees who were clearly curious.
“Yeah, sure, come with me.” With a curt nod, Childe headed upstairs with Zhongli in tow.
Childe led him into a rather sparsely furnished, but cluttered room, with a large bed and all sorts of different knick knacks. There was a strange, rather smoky aroma of sea salt thick in the air, with an undertone of something rather sweet that he couldn’t fully distinguish. Some kind of incense? As Childe closed the door behind them, Zhongli belatedly realised that this was Childe’s bedroom.
Or, at least, the room he resided in while at Liyue. There were pictures of Childe here, standing beside people Zhongli guessed were his family. It was very… homely. Surprisingly so for a temporary residence.
“You know, Zhongli-xiansheng, I really don’t appreciate being tricked, so you had better be here for something good,” Childe began, his face and voice devoid of his characteristic smile.
“Yes, about that…” Zhongli trailed off, only to force the words when Childe raised an eyebrow. “I… came here because I wanted to apologise about that, Childe.”
Childe blinked, expression going blank.
Seeing that the other seemed receptive, Zhongli decided to hammer the metal while it was hot. “I had believed that… our relationship was one of mutual exploitation at first. I am truly… not very adept with the ins and outs of human relationships. However, I now see that my actions must have been hurtful. You treated me as a true friend, and I did not mean to make it seem as if you were… expendable or a pawn in any way. I…”
“Pfft…”
Zhongli’s voice died his throat as Childe suddenly began to chuckle. He could hear his own heart pound. Thud thud thud …
“Zhongli-xiansheng,” Childe began as his chuckles subsided. His characteristic easygoing grin had returned to his face. “I really didn’t expect you to come and apologise. I was quite hurt, yeah, but, well…” He scratched the back of his head. “I mean, we had fun together, didn’t we? I do miss hanging out and all. Since you’re here just to apologise, I guess I can forgive you…”
Zhongli felt his tensed body relax, like a sudden pressure had been taken off his chest.
“On one condition.”
His breath of relief caught in his throat.
“I want you to try my specialty dish.”
“Oh,” Zhongli said, surprised. “Of course, I… Thank you.” With all the tension rushing out of him, Zhongli could feel the drowsiness that came from relief. His lack of proper sleep over the past few days was hitting him hard.
“Don’t agree so readily, Zhongli-xiansheng,” Childe turned, approaching the desk in the corner and pulling out the drawer. “You don’t even know what my specialty dish is. I heard you don’t like seafood so...”
“Nonetheless, I am glad you’re willing to forgive me.”
“What a coincidence though, huh?” Childe mused aloud, rummaging through the drawer. “You caught me just as I came back from a rather annoying mission.”
“Yes… quite. I’m… glad I managed to catch you...”
“That was pretty lucky, I-”
There was a soft, muted thud behind him that caused Childe to pause, looking back. Zhongli had toppled over on the bed, on Childe’s bed, fast asleep.
A soft, fond smile stretched over Childe’s face as he sighed, taking a small vial of liquid out from the drawer and pocketing it. He slowly headed over to Zhongli’s side. Childe reached out and shifted Zhongli until the ex-archon was properly lying on the bed. His deft fingers found their way to the buttons of Zhongli’s outfit and began to slowly undress the former archon.
The outer coat came undone, allowing Childe to lift Zhongli’s arms and slide them from his clothing. First one, then the other, then Childe removed it entirely, leaving Zhongli in only his undershirt and trousers.
Childe’s hands find themselves on Zhongli’s slim waist before they slowly slid to Zhongli’s wider hips, tugging down the fabric of the other’s trousers as they went. Zhongli was so deeply asleep, he didn’t even twitch as his legs were exposed to the cool air.
Finally, Childe took off the ex-archon’s tie and undid his collar, folding the clothes up carefully and setting them on the bedside table in a neat pile. The Fatui Harbinger shifted Zhongli so that he could pull the covers of the bed up and tuck the other under them.
Now lying in bed - in Childe’s bed - properly m, Zhongli gave a soft, satisfied sigh in his sleep. Childe couldn’t help but reach out. Slender fingers ghosted over Zhongli’s closed eyes, then down his cheeks to his soft lips. He could feel Zhongli’s even breaths against his finger; the ex-archon’s face looked so very peaceful in sleep.
Beautiful… ethereal…
The back of Childe’s fingers brushed across Zhongli’s ear, finding their way into the other’s soft hair and under Zhongli’s collar. They stopped at the base of Zhongli’s neck, gently caressing the skin there.
“Xiansheng…” Childe breathed out, the words ever so soft, “You should know, there’s no such thing as coincidence.”
The tips of his fingers burned like ice.
Zhongli woke up feeling refreshed.
Long eyelashes fluttered as Zhongli opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room. This was… Childe’s room? One cursory glance around him confirmed his guess.
Yawning, Zhongli sat up, a little surprised when he realised that his legs were bare under the silken covers. Childe must’ve helped him get properly into bed. If he recalled correctly, he had fallen asleep mid conversation. To be honest, he felt a little embarrassed at that. He was grateful to Childe for helping him into bed properly and letting him sleep here.
He spotted his clothes on the bedside table. Childe had folded them neatly… really neatly…
Zhongli took a moment to marvel at the neatness.
There was a click and the door opened, drawing Zhongli’s attention away from the clothes.
“Oh hey, xiansheng, you’re awake,” Childe greeted with his characteristic cheer.
Zhongli felt blood rise to his cheeks in a slight, and rather uncharacteristic, blush. “Yes, thank you for… well, taking care of me. I apologise to have fallen asleep like that in the middle of our conversation. I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently and… and I’m not sure why, but this was the best I’ve slept in a while.”
“Huh, well, it was no big deal, xiansheng, as for why you’re well rested…” Childe took out the small vial he had taken from his drawer before. “It’s probably because of this. It’s incense I got from a friend, meant to help with nightmares and the like. I usually have a bottle of it in my room and keep the lid half open, letting it defuse.”
A look of understanding crossed Zhongli’s face. “Interesting… I suppose that’s the source of the strange smoky yet sweet seawater scent I detected earlier.”
Childe seemed surprised, blinking for a moment before he replied, “Wow, Zhongli-xiansheng, you sure do have a sharp nose. Here, I’ll give this to you. If it works, you can always ask me for more, I have plenty.”
“Thank you, Childe.” Zhongli accepted the proffered vial, setting it carefully on the bedside table to take with him later. “Ah, I should probably get dressed and get going, I have imposed on you for long enough.”
“What? Oh no, it’s fine. Plus, you haven’t held up your end of the deal yet. Speaking of… Stay right there, don’t move an inch, I’ll be right back.”
“Childe-” Before Zhongli could stop the other, Childe had disappeared behind the door again.
Zhongli made to follow, pulling back the covers and shifting to get off the bed, but then he remembered what Childe had said. Stay right there. Don’t move an inch. The memory made him hesitate before he shifted back under the covers.
Childe was going to come back, and there was no way Zhongli could go out without putting on his clothes first. By the time he did that, Childe would be long gone, and he wouldn’t know where to find him anyways.
The room was silent but for the soft tick tick tick of the clock. He could hear the muted bustle of the streets outside and the twittering birdsong. It was darker now than it had been when he had fallen asleep. How long had he even slept for?
Zhongli felt oddly restless and fidgety as he waited. It was that same kind of discomfort that plagued him at night recently, he noticed. His amber gaze fell onto the vial that Childe had given him.
Would it work…? Curiously, Zhongli picked up the vial and unscrewed the lid just by a bit. At first he didn’t smell anything, but when he brought it up to his face and took a cautious sniff, he was immediately struck with the smoky yet sweet seawater scent and his entire body went still almost instantly.
The scent was overpowering, but not in a way that made Zhongli uncomfortable, instead it was calming, like tea, but more. It made his mind drowsy, just a little, and it was so much easier to chase out all those unwanted thoughts and emotions. It felt like he was drifting, warm, relaxed…
Zhongli sunk back into the pillows of the bed. They felt so soft and fluffy…
He carefully screwed the vial tight and set it back on the bed stand before he looked down at himself curiously.
This concoction was rather potent, he noted, but it didn’t really seem to impair him in anyway. Apart from making him feel relaxed and a little drowsy, it also cleared his mind quite well. Nonetheless, he thought as he examined his hands for any sign of trembling, he would have to be careful with it. His mind was still sharp, but he could almost feel the way the potion pulled down his guard. It would’ve made him feel vulnerable if it weren’t for how relaxed and natural it felt.
It was quite the interesting potion.
As his thoughts wandered, he didn’t really notice the passing of time. The scent had cleared up quite a bit by the time the door was pushed open and Childe returned.
With the first step Childe took into the room, he knew what Zhongli had done. For some reason, Zhongli felt a twinge of guilt at the look Childe gave him.
With a slightly exasperated huff, Childe came to the bedside with a bowl of… of… tentacles???
Zhongli’s mouth went dry. “What… is this?”
Immediately, Childe responded with a wide grin. “It’s what you promised to eat to gain my forgiveness.”
“I… see…” This time, it was Zhongli’s turn to give Childe a look of exasperation, recognising the glee in his eyes. “You know I don’t like seafood.”
“You’re not going back on your word, are you?” Childe raised an eyebrow, “Oh great God of Contracts?”
“Please, just Zhongli.” It felt really strange to be addressed that way by Childe. “And of course not. Though we did not sign a formal contract, a promise is a promise.”
Zhongli accepted the pair of chopsticks Childe handed him - dragon and phoenix, it was the pair Zhongli had gifted Childe… bought with Childe’s own money. He carefully picked up a tentacle and examined it.
“Don’t look so skeptical…” Childe complained jokingly, “I’m a good cook, it’s all edible.”
Zhongli glanced at him before he put the tentacle in his mouth. Chewy… slimy… the texture was just what he abhorred. The taste, however, was surprisingly good. It didn’t have that strong fishy taste common to most seafood. He could tell that Childe had purified that characteristic taste with ginger and cooking wine, and he could also detect a dash of spring onion and a few other herbs he recognised as Snezhnayan. There was also an almost imperceptible bitterness that he couldn’t recognize, hidden under the freshness of mint.
“Well, what do you think?” Childe asked.
“It’s… really good.” Zhongli was honestly surprised at how good it was. “While I don’t recognise the… tentacles… I can tell this is a fusion of Liyue and Snezhnaya cuisine. You used Liyue methods to get rid of the strong taste in seafood that overpowers the finer flavours. It brought out the hidden flavours in the meat and allowed an aromatic fusion of tastes.” He took a sip of the thick, creamy broth. It was hot as it slid down his throat and into his stomach, warming his body.
“Great!” Childe seemed to perk up at the praise before he suddenly realised something and deflated a little. “Well… I guess this punishment didn’t turn out to be much of a punishment after all… but since you like it… you had better finish all of it.”
“Of course,” Zhongli agreed, slowly eating another… tentacle.
…
Zhongli took another sip of the thick broth, resisting the urge to glance at Childe.
……
Did Childe really just… intend to stare at him while he ate? Zhongli wondered, trying to ignore the gaze burning into him.
The entire time, Childe’s gaze never left Zhongli’s face. It was almost unnerving, and a little embarrassing.
By the time he finished the last of the broth, his cheeks were a little red. That dish had been just a little too much. His stomach felt a little bloated. Zhongli pressed a hand against his full belly.
When he looked up to speak, the words died in his mouth. Childe’s gaze had shifted from looking at his face to looking at the hand he had on his stomach. His expression was as open and cheerful as ever, but his gaze made Zhongli feel self conscious.
He removed his hand, and Childe’s gaze shifted back upwards.
His gaze glinted with that hint of madness Zhongli knew to be present, yet had not personally witnessed.
Zhongli’s breath hitched as Childe leaned in close. Childe’s expression was no different, but his eyes seemed to shine. It was eerie in a way Zhongli had difficulty vocalising.
“Zhongli-xiansheng,” Childe’s tone was conversational, but something about it just made Zhongli feel… off. “I really want to fight you.”
They set their battle at Luhua pool. Zhongli didn’t know why Childe had chosen such a place, but he didn’t argue. Luhua pool was truly stunning, not really a place one would think of as appropriate for a friendly spar, though.
The air was filled with a sweet, floral aroma.
Childe had requested Zhongli not hold back, but Zhongli was a little uncertain. Weakened as he may be, he was still an Adepti. Childe was powerful, beyond that of any normal human, but that didn’t necessarily mean he could take an all out attack from a six thousand year old god who could literally throw mountains.
He was a little worried.
That’s why he didn’t expect his spiritual energy to fizzle out, unresponsive, as he tugged it to the surface to use the full extent of his current power.
He was too surprised to react as a hydro attack slammed into his stomach, knocking him to the ground with a whimper of pain.
He felt cold fingers against his stomach and the gentle touch of a blade near his neck as Childe pinned him to the ground.
“... Childe-“ Zhongli’s voice broke off with a gasp as those fingers found their way between the tears in his clothing and against the smooth skin of his toned stomach, pressing down. “Ah… urgh… Ch-Childe…”
It hurt… his belly was still full from finishing the food Childe had cooked for him, and now there was a bruise there too. He kind of wanted to throw up… it was nauseating… painful… His vision began to flicker.
Childe slowly let off the pressure, smiling up at Zhongli as the other blinked, trying to gather the scraps of his consciousness together. “I think I won, Zhongli-xiansheng.”
That was the last thing Zhongli heard before his sight went black.
“Zhongli-xiansheng?”
Zhongli had a dream.
He didn’t have dreams very often, but when he did, they were usually quite soft, quite serene, quite nostalgic. He’d dream of old friends and foes and the times they had shared.
Rarely did he dream of blood.
But this dream was one filled with the scent of iron, and sickeningly sweet death.
The blue of the glaze lilies were stained with red, the water lapped at his shoes with diluted blood. His sight, crimson, as the world twisted around him and-
Bodies… corpses… one after the other of friend and foe alike.
Faceless… he knew them… but who were they?
Did… did he… was he the one… who did this?
Cold steel burned against his palm as he raised his arm to look at the weapon in his hand.
It dripped with blood.
He could hear it roaring in his head like crashing waves as his hands shook. His fingers… so clear… was this even a dream?
The ground under him seemed to rock, unstable, as the bodies were taken away one by one by the incoming tide.
Until finally, he could no longer smell the blood. All he could taste was salt in the air, all he could see was blue.
Blue skies… blue seas…
It smelled like the sea.
The first thing Zhongli heard when he came to was Childe’s voice.
“Zhongli-xiansheng, are you alright? Thank Celestia you’re awake.”
Zhongli blinked the memory of blood out of his eyes. “Wh-what… happened?” His throat felt hoarse, like he had been yelling.
“You suddenly fainted while we were sparring,” He could see Childe’s worried expression above him, feel soft sheets under him. “I carried you back.”
Turning his head to the side, he took in his surroundings, realising that he was back in Childe’s room. He looked back at Childe as he noticed movement and saw a glass of water in the other’s hand. “Here, can you sit up?”
Zhongli struggled to push himself up on weak arms as Childe used his free hand to prop up the pillows behind him, allowing him to lean back against them.
“Thank you.” Zhongli accepted the proffered glass of water, taking a few sips to rehydrate his sore throat.
The feeling of cool water seemed to nourish him, and it made him feel a lot better and a lot more awake as well. As he finished the glass, he turned to Childe, only to notice the intense way the Fatui Harbinger stared back at him. It had heat rising to Zhongli’s cheeks.
Then, to Zhongli’s shock, Childe leaned forwards and pressed his lips against Zhongli’s own.
Zhongli’s entire body froze at the gentle contact between them, at the soft flesh pressing against his lips. His eyes were wide with surprise, completely motionless as Childe pulled away with a smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the words. His brain had ground to a halt at the unexpected development, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“What’s wrong?” Childe asked, his smile turning playful as he cupped Zhongli’s cheek, his thumb gently brushing against the corner of Zhongli’s lips. “You don’t like it…?”
Zhongli’s lashes fluttered at the gentle touch, so warm and soothing against his skin, and his heart began to calm. “No… I just… wasn’t expecting it…” His mind felt muddled, lost, yet despite his surprise, he didn’t feel any dislike or disgust.
It felt like water flowing under a bridge, trickling into streams without any objection.
“Heh, that’s good then,” Childe laughed, taking the glass still in Zhongli’s hand and turning around to set it down on the bedside table. He picked up something else before he turned back to Zhongli.
It was a blue flower. Zhongli was surprised. He hadn’t scented anything floral before, and even now, he couldn’t smell its aroma. A scentless flower? How curious.
It looked familiar, but Zhongli couldn’t figure out what it was. He was a little surprised to see a flower he didn’t recognise to be honest.
“What’s this? I’ve never seen it before,” he asked Childe, reaching out to brush his fingers against the petals.
Childe pressed the flower into his hand. “It’s a glaze lily, xiansheng, for you. Isn’t it beautiful? Do you like it?”
A smile spread across the ex-archon’s face. “It is. I love it, Childe.” But then his smile wavered, giving away to a slight uncertainty. There was a thought in the back of his mind that he couldn’t quite grasp.
It felt like he had forgotten something....
Childe leaned down, pressing their lips together again, and the feeling vanished. It must’ve not been too important if he couldn’t remember.
Zhongli sunk into the feeling of human warmth, the chaste and fulfilling contact, the faint taste of seasalt between their tongues. He felt calloused fingers against the base of his neck, the soft touch making him shiver.
“I love you, xiansheng…”
The confession was like a whisper on the wind, quiet and tender.
It made Zhongli smile.
It made him feel wanted.
Yes, this was right.
“And now, you’re mine and mine alone."
Riptide glowed blue under his calloused fingers, a beautiful mark of possession at the base of that fragile neck.
"... Zhongli-xiansheng..."