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It’s with a sense of lightheartedness that Tartaglia, curious Snezhnayan foreigner, makes his way to the Wanmin Restaurant on a breezy Friday afternoon, cheerfully humming on his way to the establishment. There was no reason for him to be properly settled in Liyue (after all, his reputation was not the best), but after Zhongli traded the gnosis in exchange for Childe’s extended stay in Liyue, it was only the best option, as he didn’t want to waste what Zhongli had so graciously given to him. Even better- the Lantern Rite festival still happened to be going on.
(That being said, although it was obvious that Zhongli had some sort of romantic feeling for the Snezhnayan, Tartaglia had not figured that out yet. It was only fitting that he would realize after Zhongli gave up his literal godhood for Childe’s freedom of sorts, but supposedly that wasn’t how Tartaglia’s mind worked.)
They, Tartaglia and Zhongli, met at the Wanmin Restaurant every other day for lunch and even dinner on some occasions. It had become a date at this point to everyone in Liyue, save for the mentioned two. Xiangling thought so of course, sighing whenever she saw Zhongli’s softened looks at the younger.
So when Childe strolls through the main doors of the restaurant and sees two teenage boys sitting with Zhongli at a table- one of which sitting in Childe’s normal spot by Zhongli’s side- he’s certainly surprised, that’s for sure.
A boy with icy blue hair and an all-white getup is deep in conversation with the funeral consultant, bright blue eyes shining and widening with every statement that the consultant makes. His hands are folded in his lap, nodding his head curtly and listening with open ears to one of Zhongli’s endless lectures. How could there possibly exist someone who genuinely understood any of his speeches?
Additionally, the boy across from him, dark blue bangs shadowing his forehead and body dressed in a dark blue outfit with delicate sleeves, didn’t seem to share that feeling. He prodded at his noodles with a pair of chopsticks in hand, mouth pulled into a slight frown as he glances at the other teenager before looking back at his plate.
He’s most definitely seen them around Liyue. Despite its vastness, it was a small world after all.
Childe’s brows furrow and he takes a seat across from Zhongli, looking utterly confused and feeling even more irritated. The navy-haired teen looks up at Childe before nodding politely and offering a little side smile in what seemed to be relief. And to his own shock, Childe smiles back, for some reason.
“Ah, Childe, it seems as though you’ve arrived,” Zhongli peels his attention away from the conversation for a moment and looks at Childe up and down before nodding towards the two teens. “This is Chongyun-” a look towards the one beside him- “and Xingqiu, two of Liyue’s younger citizens. I have some business to attend to with Chongyun here, as he’s an exorcist in training. Xingqiu, would you like to accomp-”
“I’m going to have to decline,” Xingqiu says way too quickly, through gritted teeth that Chongyun and Zhongli seemed not to notice. “Although it would be simply delightful to be your- travel accomplice, I do have food to finish.”
Chongyun tilts his head curiously at his friend’s reply. “Weird. You were always interested in rites such as these. Why not come along with me and Zhongli-xiansheng?”
“I’m fine,” Xingqiu says much more firmly this time, and Childe could practically feel the sheer cold radiating off of the words of the boy.
Zhongli nods in false understanding and makes a point to stand up, Chongyun doing the same as they fold their napkins and place them on the table. There are still full dishes of food sitting on the wooden table, left untouched. “Then, we will be on our way. Childe, you do not mind keeping Xingqiu company, yes?” The funeral consultant smiles softly and Childe stops himself from combusting at just that sight.
“But our lunch-”
Zhongli and Chongyun are gone, leaving Childe and Xingqiu alone with the cold food. They didn’t even know each other in the slightest.
With a hint of tenseness, Childe takes Chongyun’s spot, sitting across from Xingqiu. He studies the expression of his companion. Clearly Xingqiu was busy doing something with Chongyun before they left, and right now, Xingqiu was busy staring at a book in his lap. Childe was a master at reading expressions and true intent, and the way Xingqiu looked absolutely devastated was starting to activate his older brother instinct. So, he leans his elbow on the table and rests his head in his hands.
“Xingqiu, isn’t it?” Childe says, smiling openly to the younger, “I haven’t seen you around Liyue Harbor a bunch. What do your parents do? I’ve probably heard of them.”
Finally, Xingqiu focuses his attention onto Childe, golden eyes meeting those of blue, his head tilting slightly as his bangs shift. “Yes, my name is Xingqiu. I find that Chongyun and I visit multiple places in a day, so it’s presumed that we haven’t met.” He looks over to the window behind Childe. “I am the second heir of the Feiyun Commerce Guild- perhaps you’ve heard of my brother occasionally, sir.”
Sir? How formal, Childe thinks and refrains from laughing. “Please, call me Childe. And the Fatu- I’ve had some work done with the Commerce Guild in the past, so in a way, we’re similar.” Childe picks up his chopsticks and makes a move to pick up a fried piece of shrimp. “I spend more time here, at Xiangling’s restaurant, more than anywhere else- except for the Northland Bank, of course.”
Xingqiu listens, but his eyes trail down to Childe’s fumbling hand and he snickers a little. “Your- chopsticks-” He can barely mumble the word before outright laughing, hiding his smile behind his open book.
It seems as though Childe had gotten used to eating lunch with Zhongli, someone who wouldn’t point out his outlandish way of eating with chopsticks, and his face turns a bright pink.
“Alright, look here, kiddo, chopsticks are hard to use,” Childe mutters, opting for a fork instead of the other utensils. “You’ve grown up in Liyue, so you would naturally be more gifted at using these things, yeah?” Though he does grin a little at Xingqiu’s reaction- the boy seemed to be happier than he was a couple of minutes ago. Big brother Ajax is back in season.
“I’m sure you’ve never even flown a traditional Liyuen kite, Childe. A shame,” Xingqiu adds simply to rub salt in the wound. The mischievous smile on his face said it all, Xingqiu practically relished poking fun at others who were older than he was. Unsurprisingly, that only increased the amount of pure respect that Childe had for the heir.
Childe cracks a grin but his interest is piqued by the words of the younger. “Mmm. Is that so? Then, my friend, perhaps you should show me.” He sips his lotus tea thoughtfully and peers at Xingqiu over the rim of his cup.
“I would be delighted to do so, Childe. After this meal is done, of course.” And Xingqiu ends the conversation by whipping out his book and starting to read, leaving Childe to eat several dishes of cold food by himself.
-
Xingqiu does keep his promise after all. They stop by a toy stand to pick up two kites (a fish for Xingqiu, and a whale for Childe) before hiking to the top of Mt. Tianheng. Despite Xingqiu’s delicate build, he holds his own while traveling, and doesn’t even need Childe’s assistance.
They’re nearing the top of the mountain before Childe takes notice of the Hydro vision swinging near Xingqiu’s leg. “Xingqiu! I wasn’t aware that you were a Hydro user like I was!” he proclaims, somewhat excited. Childe had been waiting years to meet a younger Hydro beholder like him, and perhaps he could put his techniques to use and teach Xingqiu a few things.
Xingqiu pushes himself up to a ledge and dusts off his shoes before turning to Childe, who is still making his way up. “To be quite honest, you’re the only other Hydro user that I know personally.” He laughs a little and adjusts the sword on his back before making the final push to the top of the mountain. “Chongyun is a Cryo, and although that makes our Visions- compatible,” Childe can see Xingqiu’s face go pink for some reason, “we’re still two different Vision users.”
The Harbinger manages to reach the top before Xingqiu does and offers a hand, which the latter graciously accepts. It only takes a minute longer to find a suitable spot for kite flying.
“Hey, speaking of Chongyun,” Childe decides to say while testing the winds and unraveling the string of their kites, “how long have you two known each other? You seem close.” Xingqiu, who opted to sit down in the grass cross-legged and let Childe do all the work, looks up from his book.
His eyebrows visibly raise, most likely in interest. “I assume the amount of time you and Zhongli-xiansheng have known each other.”
Childe smiles. “We’ve known each other for half a year now.”
“You’ve only known each other for half a year?!”
The redhead examines the shape of his whale kite, gloved hands delicately running over the thin material. “Uh, yeah? Why’s it a big thing?” he asks curiously, blue eyes glancing over to look at the younger boy with intrigue before going back to observing the kite. “Is it really that important with how long I’ve known Zhongli?”
“Well,” Xingqiu starts to say as his cheeks flush a little red, “I assumed that you… were dating him-? And you refer to him as Zhongli instead of Zhongli-xiansheng… though that’s not my place to say, apologies.”
“Um.” Childe chokes on air and pounds his chest with his fist before taking a moment to recollect. “And- ah. Why’s that?”
“Er.. Zhongli-xiansheng.. wasn’t the most secretive with his emotions...” Xingqiu’s face grows a deeper shade of red, hands anxiously pulling at the bottom of his formal blouse. Clearly this wasn’t a comfortable conversation on both sides. “I take it you already know about his love for you?”
“His what for me-?”
Xingqiu doesn’t bother answering, instead opting to stare with dead eyes at the older man before coughing and going back to his book. Childe shoots a glare back and plays with the twine of the fish kite, leaving it on the grass next to Xingqiu. It’s silent for a little longer, and Tartaglia is left with the quiet of his thoughts. He finds it unnerving every time he’s forced to do this, and the presence of Xingqiu a few paces away doesn’t help at all.
Though, he does have an idea.
“Xingqiu,” Childe starts to say, sitting down on the grass near him and peeking over his shoulder to look at his book, “how do you feel about Chongyun?”
Xingqiu shuts his book almost immediately and turns to glance at Childe. Tartaglia was well-aware of the teenagers in Liyue and their odd views on love- he’s met a few of the teenagers, after all. Not one of them had ever considered a romantic relationship at all during their teen years, and even Xiangling had stated that she would be fine alone for the rest of her life. It was different in presumably Mondstadt, where teenagers and young adults would find themselves excited with the idea of love. “He is my closest companion. What more would I think of him?” Xingqiu answers.
“That’s not what I meant,” Childe frowns and clears his throat, trying to word his statement in the best possible manner. “Do you care about him? Love him, maybe?”
“Mr. Childe, that seems like a particularly odd question to be asking someone several years younger than you are,” Xingqiu deadpans and Childe can’t help but snicker at his expression. Of course, it had taken him the entirety of their trip up the mountain to realize, but Tartaglia had a feeling- no, he was certain that Xingqiu had a small crush on the exorcist.
How did he know? Well, he felt the same exact way for the stupid funeral consultant slash archon slash ex-enemy that had managed to take his heart and possess it as his own. It had taken him a month to confirm it, but the way his chest pounded at Zhongli’s rare smiles, the way he seemed to forget his words when Zhongli placed his hand on top of Childe’s- it seemed almost obvious that love came to be.
Xingqiu was in the same spot that Tartaglia was in only a week ago. He was obviously confused with his own feelings and was too busy to even care about them, anyway. So if Childe couldn’t teach Xingqiu in the ways of Hydro usage… he could certainly mentor him in the ways of love, right?
“Well~ I’m just saying that- maybe you like him. Y’know. Like him,” Childe puts on an innocent smile and nudges Xingqiu with his elbow. Xingqiu suddenly seems very busy trying to scoot away from Childe. “Hey, don’t ignore me! I’m trying to help you out here.”
“How could you feel so certain about that?” Xingqiu inquires, before blushing once more and shaking his head frantically. “Actually. Do not answer.”
Childe grins in almost a maniacal manner and answers anyway. “You seemed to blush at the mention of him, you hang around our Chongyun all the time, y-”
Xingqiu promptly takes his book and slaps the side of Childe’s face with it, with Childe instinctively pulling out his water blades. The Harbinger jumps back, holding his cheek in a battle-ready stance while Xingqiu summons his usual swords to his side. “Childe, sir, I do not wish to hear you speak.”
Tartaglia, in all of his glory and wholeness, does not hold back as he battles a teenager several years younger than he was without a single regret or sign of hesitation.
-
They decide to fly their kites after a prolonged era of silence, once Childe mutters an apology for what it seemed to be the hundredth time.
-
“See? I didn’t do too bad with the kite flying!” Tartaglia cheerfully boasts as they stroll among the citizens of Liyue, lanterns hanging over the streets. Xingqiu nods to a fellow guild member before he sighs at the older’s confident words. That was a lie, actually. Childe had done horribly and managed to knock three or four birds out of the sky. It was even more horrible when Childe offered to cook up said birds and make them into homemade skewers.
“Childe, you did not do well at all.” Xingqiu huffs something distasteful and whips out his book again, ignoring Childe’s obvious glare of disdain. They continue to leisurely make their way around Liyue Harbor, with Childe even buying chop suey for them to snack on while traveling.
Jeez, do you Liyuens even respect your superiors.. Childe thinks, not even bothering to comment on Xingqiu’s remark. And yet he still walks alongside the heir, because honestly? Tartaglia had taken quite a liking towards him. Perhaps, next time, he would have to teach him how to murder a camp of Hilich-
A push and a shove, and Chongyun emerges from between them, pulling onto Xingqiu’s arm, stopping them from moving forward. His eyes are wide, chest heaving as he crouches down to catch his breath.
“Chongyun..?” Xingqiu murmurs for a second, eyes wide and panicking, and before he knows it, Chongyun pulls him into a hug. The heir’s face goes red with fluster, while Childe crosses his arms and shoots him a knowing smile.
“The- funeral we oversaw-” Chongyun attempts to say, “-god, there were so many spirits. More than I could usually handle..” And he rambles and rambles on until Xingqiu hesitantly hugs him back, arms wrapped around his shoulders as a hand runs through the light blue of Chongyun’s locks. Childe can only watch as Xingqiu rests his head on Chongyun’s shoulder and calms him down, little by little; the Harbinger smiles out of warmth, grinning as he bites the inside of his cheek.
A gloved hand finds its way down to Tartaglia’s waist, lightly pushing him forward, urging him to walk away. The redhead turns to see none other then Zhongli glancing at him from the corner of his eye. “Childe, we’d best get going now, right? It seems as though Xingqiu and Chongyun have settled their business." So Xiansheng noticed Xingqiu’s foul mood earlier too, hm, Childe hums. His cheeks grow red as he remembers Zhongli’s firm grip on his waist and he nods quickly. “Yeah. Let’s- make our way back.”
-
They sit down at the Wanmin Restaurant for supper, Childe hastily fumbling with his chopsticks per usual. He recalls Xingqiu’s teasing and frowns, deciding to place his chopsticks down and sip some of his tea. Peering over at Zhongli from the top of his cup, Tartaglia can only hope that his next statement wouldn’t- well, completely ruin whatever he and Zhongli had prior to the conversation.
He plasters on a grin and leans on his arm, directing his attention towards the consultant. “Ah, so, Zhongli~! Y’know, little Xingqiu from earlier told me that you- ah. Loved me..?” Childe winces a bit at how nervous he sounded and smiles hopefully.
“Yes, that’s correct.” Zhongli is unfazed.
“... what?”
Zhongli raises an eyebrow and picks up his chopsticks again, taking a moment to eat more stir fry. The minutes felt like hours. Tartaglia’s heart was pounding, and suddenly, he was starting to feel a little lightheaded as well. Oh boy. “I assumed you knew, Childe. I also proposed to you.”
“And you’re saying that I accepted your proposal.”
“Yes.”
Tartaglia, Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers and curious Snezhnayan foreigner, faints onto his full plate of squirrel fish.