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By the time the ship arrived in Liyue, night had already fallen and the harbour had long since fallen into a calm slumber.
Almost instantly, the feeling of finally being back hit Childe as he strolled through the empty streets and took in the familiar scent of silk flowers and glaze lilies that filled the air as he approached Yujing Terrace. It had been what, weeks? Or even months since he’d last met Zhongli before being assigned to search for Scaramouche who had run away with the Raiden Shogun’s gnosis after the whole mess which was what had happened in Inazuma. And with Signora dead… who else to assign to chase after the runaway harbinger than Tartaglia himself who had been stationed in nearby Liyue?
In the end, his search had turned out to be fruitless. By the time he’d reached Inazuma and caught onto the leads dangled in front of him, Scaramouche had long since escaped the locked land. Though at least he’d gotten an exciting round of battles from that unusual domain he’d been trapped in, the endless battle bringing back memories that hadn’t resurfaced in many years — some of which he’d honestly rather forget.
When he finally reached the front of Z̶h̶o̶n̶g̶l̶i̶'̶s̶— of their house — Archons, he still couldn’t believe Zhongli had decided to be with him of all people — Childe found himself pausing as he stared at the lit windows. Was Zhongli still awake? What was the man even doing being up and about at such a time— He couldn’t possibly have known about Childe’s return… the closed borders of Inazuma had sadly made such communication difficult. Well, best not to postpone their long-awaited reunion any longer.
“Xiansheng, I’m back!” Childe called out as he pushed open the door, yet all that greeted him was silence and an empty house. No Zhongli in sight. How strange…
The house clearly hadn’t been broken into and Zhongli clearly hadn’t stepped out, judging by the pair of shoes at the entrance, there was even a half-empty teapot and cup laid out on the dining table. So where was Zhongli?
“Zhongli?” He tried again, stepping out of the entrance hallway and into the living room.
“Ajax, is that you?” A messy head of brown hair popped up from behind the sofa and Childe has to blink a few times as he registers the sight of Zhongli, or rather his outfit actually...
Zhongli was wearing a sweater, pale white, very soft, and very very oversized — it was the one Childe had gotten him one day after a visit to chilly Snezhnaya led to Zhongli falling sick from the cold. But how surprisingly good Zhongli wearing an extremely big sweater that drowned him in the fabric and fitting pair of pants was beside the point. The main point was that… the sweater had Childe’s own face printed on it?!
When had... Oh. Now he remembered.
*
“Hey Zhongli, look what I got!” Childe had said one day as a joke, holding out a box towards the other man one day during lunch — one which would be their last one before he had to set off towards Inazuma for who knows how long on a sudden mission.
Zhongli opened the box, pulling out the sweater, “This is… a sweater? The material feels similar to the one you had bought during our visit to Snezhnaya. However, I do not remember this illustration being present?”
“I had it specially made, of course!” Childe grinned as he struck the same pose as the image on the sweater — throwing a wink for extra measure, “Since I’ll be gone for a while, allow me to be by your side and keep you warm at least like this? The cooler season is approaching, after all. And you could wear it whenever you miss me!”
“I see…”
*
In all honesty, Childe had meant it as a joke and absolutely had not expected Zhongli to actually go along with it. And now that Zhongli was standing right there in front of him, actually wearing the sweater he had commissioned as a joke, well… Childe couldn’t help himself from closing the distance between them and bringing the other into a hug.
“Ajax?” Zhongli asked, voice muffled from his face being pressed against the fabric of Childe’s shirt as the other held him close.
Reluctantly pulling away, Childe laughed as he brushed a stray strand away from Zhongli’s face, “I missed you, Zhongli.”
Zhongli smiled, “Mm… as have I, Ajax.”
“You’re wearing the sweater.” Childe pointed out, watching amusedly as Zhongli’s cheeks flushed. Ah, how could a former archon over 6,000 years old look so adorable?
“It was comfortable, yes. And you did request that I wear it whenever I missed your presence, did you not? Therefore I did just that… ” Zhongli coughed, suddenly finding the cold tea on the table across them far more interesting, “How was the mission?”
“The Balladeer got away,” Childe shrugged, “But there were no further orders from there and I was instructed to return for now.”
At this, Zhongli’s expression immediately turned serious as he observed Childe, “And you have escaped unharmed?”
“Never got to meet him, I ended up getting locked up in some weird domain for a few days, or a week… or more than that? I’m not too sure anymore. Anyways it happened while I had been chasing a lead but no Scaramouche was found anywhere, just monsters, monsters, and more monsters. It was pretty cool though! There were enemies everywhere, and the place reshuffled itself each time I completed a level — made it pretty hard to find somewhere to rest and relax though, but a few days is nothing for me. Only complaint I’d have was that all there was in that place were carrots, radishes and potatoes! Oh right, and some wheat and meat here and there I think... at least they were fresh for whatever reason, probably something to do with the domain, and I—” Childe paused his rambling as he saw Zhongli’s face darken with each word he said, “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing, Ajax,” Zhongli shook his head, that strange look still in his eyes, “Go on and take a shower first, I shall prepare dinner in the meantime.”
“You wound me, Xiansheng ,” Childe huffed, “Do I really smell that bad? I promise I had taken a shower before boarding the ship...”
“No, it’s not that. Instead, I believe a nice bath would do well to wash your wounds,” Zhongli pointed out as he pressed a gentle hand into Childe’s side, causing the other to wince slightly. Caught.
“Ah, right, forgot about those,” Childe laughed, pressing a kiss to Zhongli’s forehead, “Be right back in a bit then! Don’t miss me too much~”
And with that, Childe quickly strode off to do just that, leaving Zhongli to his own thoughts in the living room.
The moment Childe left the room, disappearing down the hallway to the bathroom, Zhongli got to work.
Childe had spent days locked in a mysterious domain. Sure, he’d heard about it from the traveller, but that still had not managed to prepare him for the sight of Childe once he finally returned. Sure, he was in one piece and very much unharmed in comparison to what probably had been the poor hundreds of monsters which had populated the domain and gotten slain for days on end… but there was something off in the way he held himself, his movements a tad too stiff and his eyes a bit too empty. Maybe to others, it wouldn’t have been as noticeable — but Zhongli could tell. He couldn’t turn back time and do anything about what Childe had experienced, but the least he could do would at least be to provide a heartwarming meal… living on potatoes, carrots, and whatever dubiously raw and magically preserved ingredients found in wooden barrels located in a domain of bloodshed couldn’t have been nice. That, at least, was simple enough to directly tackle.
Thankfully, he’d already been planning on cooking slow-cooked bamboo shoot soup and therefore already had the ingredients on hand. All he had to do was place them in the pot to boil — ham, pork belly, ginger and spring onion all went into the broth as he prepared the bamboo shoots.
The only problem was the next part of his plan: to cook Childe’s special version of Calla Lily Seafood Soup. He’d managed to get the ingredients during the day in anticipation of Childe’s return, with some help of course. The crab, calla lily and mint had been easy enough to prepare and mix into the tomato soup base. The only obstacle which made the dish nigh impossible for Zhongli to make was the presence of a certain eight-legged cephalopod which Childe highly enjoyed including in his ‘improved’ version of the seafood concoction. The octopus hadn’t been the most pleasant to obtain, and Zhongli was sure it still squirmed with life within the place he had kept it in their kitchen… but he will do this.
Carefully, Zhongli pulled the oceanic beast out of its hiding place and, sure enough, it indeed was still living, breathing, and very much slimily moving about in its container. Letting out a shaky breath and calming his heart, he took plastic bags and covered his hands in preparation to confront the tentacled menace — and in one quick movement, he scooped the mucous coated monstrosity out of its storage, brought a cleaver down on it multiple times, and dropped it into the pot of boiling soup, slamming down the cover and holding it in place with everything in him until it didn’t feel like the creature was going to climb out of the pot at any moment.
I did it! Zhongli thought victoriously as he disposed of the plastic bags stained by the foul being’s touch and cleansed his hands very thoroughly, making sure not even a single hint of the fact that he'd handled the octopus remained. Hopefully he’d memorised the recipe well enough that it would appeal to Childe’s palate… The other had only made it once before and Zhongli had had to rely mostly on his conversations with Childe’s family over the weeks to figure out a vague recipe.
“Zhongli?”
“Ah, Ajax,” Zhongli smiled as Childe returned, now out of his harbinger uniform and in comfortable house wear. “Wonderful timing, I’d just finished preparing the soup. They should be ready shortly.”
“Is that seafood soup?” Childe raised a brow as he approached the pots on the stove, catching sight of the very tip of a tentacle peeking out below the cover of one. “You even added the octopus…”
“It is how you enjoy preparing it, is it not?” Zhongli smiled, “Besides, I have made a separate dish as well, as you can see.”
“Gods, I love you so much,” Childe laughed as Zhongli pulled him in for another kiss, hand running through Childe’s still damp hair innocent enough but Childe knew the other was checking for any other unseen injuries he may have obtained. Ah, the ever detailed Zhongli-xiansheng…
“Hey, I’m alright, ok? Just got caught off-guard one time! Or maybe two,” Childe sighed as he took Zhongli’s hands in his own, “So, midnight dinner?”
“Midnight dinner,” Zhongli nodded as they turned off the fire and set up the table together, a simple act yet the familiarity of it provides comfort after having spent time not just away from each other but unable to even communicate through letters — their usual solution whenever Childe has to travel for Fatui-related matters. And as they finally settled down to eat, Zhongli watched as Childe took his first spoonful of soup, “How is it?”
“It tastes great! How you even cooked this so well without even tasting it is beyond me, xiansheng,” Childe hummed as he took a bite of the octopus, “You got tips from Tonia didn’t you?”
“That I did,” Zhongli admitted with a smile, “Your family was very helpful in assisting in figuring out the specifics of your ‘special recipe’.”
“This is about what I mentioned just now, isn’t it,” Childe said, “The raw potatoes and carrots and all.”
“Well… yes, it is. However, I am aware that it was an unconventional situation and you did the best you could under such circumstances. Furthermore, you are, after all, a Harbinger within the ranks of the Fatui. There is nothing to question about your skill and experience,” Zhongli replied, “You have returned well and alive, and that is enough. Allow me to indulge you like this, at least— Ah, is there something wrong? You seem to be turning an alarming red…”
“Zhongli, you—” The sound Childe let out sounded embarrassingly close to that of a whistling kettle, “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Many times, yes,” Zhongli chuckled.
Leaning across, Childe whispered into Zhongli’s ear, “And I’ll say it as many times as I need. I love you, Zhongli.”
“Love you too, Ajax,” Zhongli flicked Childe lightly on the forehead, suppressing a laugh as the other fell back into his seat with an exaggerated wince, “Now how about we finish the food before it gets cold.”
“Alright, alright. Can’t let your hard work go to waste!” Childe took the spoon and chopsticks back into his hands as he continued eating, allowing the meal to warm him from the inside.
Ah, how he’d missed the taste of a home-cooked meal…
That night, Childe dreamt of the Abyss.
He dreamt of darkness that extended far into the horizon, of dangers that populated every nook and cranny, of monsters that ambushed from all sides. He dreamt of endless hunger and debilitating fear, of being unsure whether he’d survive another day. He dreamt that he was that fourteen-year-old boy again, lost and helpless against the Abyss’s horrors.
Childe was not that boy anymore, and he knew that. He was harbinger Tartaglia — a weapon, carefully crafted and honed to perfection. He was made for battle. But that did not make him immune to the illusions conjured up by his traitorous mind.
It was so, so cold. And Childe found himself shivering despite himself.
“Ajax,”
That voice… Zhongli? Childe scanned the area for any sight of the other man, what was Zhongli doing in the Abyss— No… Zhongli couldn’t be here… Zhongli shouldn’t be here… Who knows what would happen, ex-archon or not—
“Ajax, come back to me,”
Suddenly, a light appears in the Abyss, bright and blinding against the eternal night. And Childe sees . Right there atop the jagged edge of a small rock a few steps away is Zhongli, his arms outstretched and a smile present on his lips.
Was it yet another cruel trick from the Abyss? Showing what he loved only to tear it away from him yet again.
“I’m here, my love,”
Even if it was, Childe couldn’t care less. Perhaps that was the right choice, for when ‘Zhongli’ steps forward and takes him into his arms, Childe allows the warmth to envelop him, ignoring the way the Abyss falls apart into nothingness around him and focusing solely on the touch of Zhongli against his skin, of the soft whispers of ‘ I’m here’ into his ears, of the faint scent of perfume Zhongli likes to apply which lingered on his skin.
“Back with me, Ajax?” He hears Zhongli say, feels the gentle hand in his hair, and sees the familiar sight of his own face staring at him from its place on Zhongli’s sweater — ah, the other had put it back on. Right. He was back home with Zhongli, no battles, no monsters, no hunger.
With Zhongli, Childe could relax. Childe could put down the mask of Tartaglia, and just… be. With Zhongli, he was safe.
“Mm,” Childe hummed, pushing himself upright on slightly unsteady arms as he met Zhongli’s caring gaze.
“You are no longer in that place. You are here in our home, in our bed.” Zhongli repeated, leaning into the hand Childe had raised to caress his cheek, tracing the lines of his cheekbone and eyes before softly swiping at his lips. “And I’m here with you, Ajax. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
After a few moments, Childe asks, “What time is it?”
“The sun has barely even risen, I’m sure we can spend a few moments relaxing in bed.”
“Well that’s new to hear from you,” Childe laughed, taking in the way the faint light from outside the window streamed in through the curtains and cast its soft light on the edges of Zhongli’s face. Beautiful.
“A bad habit I’ve picked up from you, it seems.”
“Well, you should sleep more, still! And don’t come at me with that ‘Adepti don’t need much sleep’ stuff, Zhongli. I’ve seen you fall asleep at your desk one too many times.”
“You speak as if Ekaterina had not called me multiple times before, asking to bring you home from the Northland Bank.”
“Well… Ah, you’ve got me.” Well… Childe couldn’t exactly have anything to say against that… darn Zhongli and his smart mouth. And so he did the first thing his mind could think of: kiss Zhongli.
It started with peppering soft pecks along where the light hit Zhongli’s face, from his cheeks, to his forehead, and finally landed on his lips. Somewhere along the way, Childe found himself deciding to suck lightly on Zhongli’s bottom lip, satisfied at the way the other’s lips parted for him at the action with a soft gasp.
“Ajax, your injury—” Zhongli muttered, parting only just enough to speak that their lips still brushed the slightest bit as he spoke.
“Will barely affect anything at all,” Childe whispers as he shifts, gently guiding Zhongli until the other is spread out on the sheets beneath him. Of course, the first thing he does is to remove Zhongli’s sweater and toss it to the ground, not so much because it was in the way but rather that he would prefer not to stare at his own winking expression which looked fresh out of one of those light novel covers at Yae Publishing House while having sweet ‘reunion’ time with his dear boyfriend — why have the replica when the real version was right in front of him? “We have a lot to catch up on, xiansheng. I hope you don’t have anything scheduled today because I don’t think I’ll be leaving you anytime soon either.”
“I will look forward to it,” A soft peck is placed on Childe’s cheek, and Zhongli is pulling the other back down towards him on the bed, “But first, sleep. Perhaps two more hours?”
Childe laughed, allowing himself to be maneuvered below the blankets once more and into Zhongli's embrace, “Alright.”
After all, they had all the time in the world — for now.
Despite reports of his return the previous night, none in Liyue caught sight of the newly returned Fatui Harbinger. Even more curiously, the esteemed Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour seemed to have taken leave as well — a rare case for the man who kept to his schedules like clockwork.
Over the next few days, the people of Liyue recounted experiencing various unexplained tremors throughout the harbour — quite the unusual thing indeed. With the amount of attention the situation had gathered, it was no wonder that the Liyue Qixing had responded promptly:
“Do not be alarmed by the recent tremors in the earth. The abnormal occurrence has been assessed to be temporary, and the situation should return to normal within a week.”