Chapter Text
vulnerableness wasn’t something zhongli was comfortable or experienced with. as he sat atop the mountain that sit in front of liyue, it kind of represented his life. he sat away from the world, leaving him and his burdens to himself. although he didn’t feel burdened most of the time until he was truly able to be alone. the realization of life itself would hit him and he would have to pull himself back to reality. he couldn’t bare the thought of sharing his feelings to someone and always decided to figure things out himself. it always had been like and most likely always would.
zhongli didn’t know that soon there would someone to break down those boundaries he had practically guarded himself with his whole life. how was he able to know? no one expects these kinds of things.
it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing though.
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zhongli lay down on the grass staring down at the water that form a bay around liyue harbor. he ran his hands along the dry strands of grass and basked in the sunlight that was soon to be lost in ten minutes or so. he was making more of an effort to sit and reflect on himself at least every other day. chaotic wasn’t enough to describe the current state of the harbor. liyue’s normal was already pretty hectic but this was a different level. there had been many attempts of sabotage of their annual lantern rite event. dealing with the fatui and treasure holders completely wore zhongli out. He couldn’t be too frustrated as he knew xiao was there to help sort things out. Xiao was his utmost loyal adepti that he owed a lot to. He couldn’t help but feel sorrow for his fellow adepti as he knew xiao carried the heaviest burden of all in Liyue.
Zhongli’s head began to hurt as he thought of his troubles. He brought one hand to his temple to try and ease the oncoming headache. This time of reflecting was really the only time he had to relax and he couldn’t bring himself to waste it by worrying about unnecessary things. a sudden coldness shifted in the air that made zhongli raise his head to realize the sun had already set. He sighed and got up with a grunt as his knees popped. He really should stretch more. fighting off hilichurlis was really taking years off his life span. He strided up to the top of the mountain and jumped to which his wings sprung out. He had recently acquired the Wings Of Golden Flight as he was finally able to save up enough mora. It would be assumed the prince of Kingdom Liyue would have an endless amount of mora stocked up day in and out in his pockets. That assumption was wrong. He felt more satisfied that he bought the wings with his own money. he was able to take in more pride of the aurous glint of them that made the gold specks of his ponytail and the amber and yellow of his eyes shine magnificently. He took in the fresh and cool air as he glided over the water. He smiled a little at the sight of citizens going about their night as they were all having gatherings. It eased his heart knowing that they at least felt safe.
As Zhongli neared the entrance of his kingdom, he was greeted by every person in sight. A sudden pang of guilt struck his heart as made eye contact with these citizens who absolutely adored him. how could he possibly complain of protecting his people when they repay him with endless loyalty and love ?
As soon as no one was in sight, Zhongli put his head on the wall and sighed. Thoughts overwhelmed him as he heard distant music and chatter. He wondered if just this one time it was okay to share his thoughts. The only person that came to mind was Xiao but he knew he couldn’t put any more pressure on the poor boy.
It seemed as though everyday was a routine of feeling utterly defeated at the end of the day and Zhongli was at a complete loss. He walked back to the red railing of the stairs that led up to the second floor of markets and rooms. He decided to go to The NortherLand Bank. He wanted to deposit some mora to try and up his mood by treating himself to his favorite meal which was the slow cooked bamboo shoot soup. Chef mao always insisted he give the food for free but zhongli convinced- basically forced- the chef to accept his payment for the delicious meal.
As Zhongli walked up the stairs he was harshly shoved to the side by someone who was hastily walking past him. He awkwardly stumbled and almost fell backwards but was caught by his left arm that was being gripped by the mysterious person. He was almost able to feel something he had never felt before. Safeness. It wasn’t the safeness of being in a secure place but rather a secure feeling in general and he was almost able to feel this from the person holding him. No. That feeling was there but wasn’t able to be processed correctly . Who was this person ?
The yellow pupils around the amber of Zhongli’s pupils widened as he met the dull and almost dead blue eyes of the stranger. The stranger laughed, “Are you okay? I apologize for my carelessness. I’m in quite the hurry.” Zhongli was able to pull himself back together and pull away from the stranger. He tried his best to ignore the heat rising on his face and assumed it wasn’t noticeable since it was dark.
Zhongli cleared his throat. “Ah, you’re fine. Please be careful as falling off the railings can lead into serious injury. If I may ask, where are you headed? Maybe I can assist the way.” He suggested. The stranger laughed again. The moonlight shone directly on the man’s face and finally zhongli was able to get a full look of him. Choppy orange hair covered his head followed with blue eyes and a striking beaded earring with a crystal on his left ear. He was almost… attractive ?? No, definitely not.
Zhongli suddenly became aware of his staring and looked away quickly.
“I’m headed to the Floating Palace. I’ve been hired as a servant of the Royal Family.” Zhongli’s ears perked in interest. A servant? Now that he thought about it, the palace did need a few more servants as most of the family members were out and about these days.
“I see. Well, luckily for you, I am prince Rex Lapis, or more commonly known as Zhongli. I shall insist on the way,” he informed. A sudden glint in the man's eyes shown that was almost playful.
“Well, Prince Zhongli, it looks like I’m going to be serving you for a while. Its what I was specifically hired for.” The man revealed. Huh? , Zhongli thought. Since when did he need a servant ? He decided to act casual.
“I see. I wasn’t informed of this, so this is a surprise,” He bit his lip, “I didn’t catch your name. What is it ?” Zhonglis questioned. A big grin rose to the mans face. What was with this guy?
“The name’s Childe,” The presumed Childe stated. “I’m excited to work and serve such a beautiful person.” Childe said almost too casually. Zhongli was taken aback. He was aware of his handsome features but beautiful?? That was new. This man was definitely something else.
His pure shock almost kept him from realizing how hot his face had gotten. It was actually hard to breathe. He had never experienced this before. Flustered was probably the word to describe Zhongli’s current state.
Childe was going to be interesting to work with Zhongli decided.