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Rain poured from the dark skies that hung above Liyue harbor. The release of Osial had caused a great storm, which had since calmed, but hadn't completely cleared. Rainwater mixed with the loose dirt that covered Zhongli's path up Mt. Tianheng, forming a thick layer of mud on the soles of his boots. The mud didn't slow him down, though. In fact, he was able to reach the top of the mountain much quicker than he had expected.
To his relief, a familiar figure sat on the stone edge as he arrived at the top.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay out in the rain like this for too long." Zhongli remarked as he slipped off his top coat.
"How did you know I was here?" Childe turned his head slightly to speak. His voice was hoarse and quiet. He sounded hurt.
Zhongli left his question unanswered for a moment as he draped his coat over the other's shoulders and sat beside him. Though he was reluctant at first, Childe eventually pulled the collar of the coat down farther and wrapped it around himself.
"This is where I've always found you when you're upset."
A deep sigh escaped Childe's lips as he opened them to reply. "I see."
Zhongli lifted his hand to brush a strand of Childe's hair out of his eyes. The other made no move to stop him. After a long pause, he spoke again.
"What I did was wrong, I know. I never intended to hurt you." He hesitated, but continued. "If I had known beforehand what kind of person you are, what kind of person I am when I'm with you, I don't believe I would've done the same."
The sun began to fade behind the mountains and clouds behind them, making it increasingly difficult to see the man across from him. Yet, he could still see his shoulders quickly rise and fall as he let out a weak chuckle.
"I'm not mad at you, Zhongli." He took another deep breath. "I don't think I ever could be, no matter how much I want to." He turned to face him, revealing his surprisingly red face and stuffy eyes. There was no doubt he had been crying.
For a moment, he seemed so vulnerable. Zhongli raised a hand to wipe the mixture of tears and rain from under Childe's eyes, brushing his thumb across his cheek.
"You were the only one who made me feel welcomed in the harbor, y'know. You, unlike everyone else, never seemed afraid. You made me meet new people, see new places, try new foods." A smile began to grow on his face as he spoke. "Though I doubt I'll be very welcome here for some time, I can't help but feel like this city is another home to me."
Zhongli smiled. "Though I've taken on a human form, and walk along the same streets as the rest of the people in the harbor day after day, I have no doubt you are what makes me feel most human. It seems as though my flaws are most prominent when I am with you, and I wouldn't trade that feeling for the world."
He chuckled awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair to brush back the bangs that fell into his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that I feel like myself around you. And though I don't think I'm quite used to that feeling yet, I do hope today isn't the last opportunity I have to experience it."
Zhongli hadn't realized the way Childe looked at him as he spoke. He seemed almost surprised.
Before he could analyze his expression any further, he was quickly pulled into a tight hug. He could feel Childe's hands grip tightly around the fabric of his shirt and his face bury into the crook of his neck.
It didn't take him long to notice him starting to shake in his arms. The most he could do in response was tighten his grip around him and press his lips to the side of his head.
"I won't ever lie to you like I have. Never again." Zhongli rubbed circles into his back and waited for him to slowly relax. Once he had finished crying some time later, Childe pulled away from him to look him directly in the eyes.
"Pinky promise?"
Zhongli laughed quietly, and Childe did too, though it was clear he was being serious. He soon lifted his hand to interlock their pinkies.
"You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice." Childe began. He sounded stuffy and tired, but continued to smile as he recited the rhyme.
Zhongli spoke before he could finish. "The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue off so you never lie again."
"How gruesome." Zhongli added with a chuckle, their fingers still tied together.
In an instant, he was pulled forward by Childe's spare hand grabbing his jaw. Their faces crashed together and their lips awkwardly met in the middle.
Though he hadn't expected it, Zhongli only took a second before melting into the other's lips. He brought a hand up to his neck and ran it along his shoulder and down his arm, all the way to his fingers, which he interlocked with his own.
Childe pushed them back into the wet grass and felt a smile grow on Zhongli's lips as he stumbled onto him. He tasted like rainwater.
He pulled away eventually to look him in the eyes. Their bright, golden color was muffled by the reflection of the gray above them, yet they still glowed through the thick night air.
Entranced by the gaze of the man beneath him, he hadn't noticed the sudden chill that swept through the air around them.
"We shouldn't stay in such undesirable weather." Zhongli murmured as he ran his fingers through the other's ruffled hair. He placed a gentle kiss on his lips as he sat up.
Neither had expected the rain to last this long, but there was no sign of it stopping, either.
"I might have some food back at my place, care to join me?" Childe suggested as they stood up and brushed as much mud from their clothes as they could.
Zhongli picked up his coat that had fallen some time ago and draped it over the other's shoulders once more, grabbing his hand in the process. "Sounds wonderful."
With a kiss and a quiet laugh, the two began their journey down the mountain once more.