Work Text:
By the wooden table of the funeral parlor, Childe is tapping his foot on the floor, his eyes twitching as he sees Zhongli and Hu Tao discussing something with the traveler. Their discussion is nothing but murmuring and indistinctive chatter and nodding.
Childe doesn’t understand.
They’ve been like that for twenty goddamn minutes already and Childe doesn’t even know what they’re talking about. When he tried to pry in their conversation, they turned silent.
What the hell? Is the topic of the conversation exclusive to Childe?! What are they even talking about...?
Childe sighs. He shouldn’t have stopped by for today, after all, he had to collect the debt from a guy across the town. But he wanted to at least say hi to Zhongli before he proceeds to work. Maybe, he should get the debt already... It’s not that late in the afternoon.
Just as Childe was about to stand up to go somewhere else, the trio stops their murmuring to look at him. Childe locks eyes with the three who all have blank looks, except for Zhongli who looks a bit nervous if anything. It’s suspicious. “... Uh.”
Hu Tao pushes Zhongli towards Childe. “Come on.”
Aether does so, as well. “Do it. Do the thing,” he whispers.
Thing...?
Childe squints his eyes. “What are you guys on about? You’ve been acting weird ever since I’ve arrived.”
Zhongli clears his throat and he walks to Childe. “Do you want me to tell you something about your love life?”
“Love life...?” Childe furrows his brows. “Hey, Aether, what’s—” As he looked around, Hu Tao and Aether were already gone. “... Where did they go?”
“They told me they have more things to discuss,” Zhongli replies. Childe looks at Zhongli.
“Is it about the things you’ve been discussing all day?”
“Most likely,” Zhongli nods slowly. “So, do you want to know about it? I am quite good at fortune-telling.”
Fortune telling... What is this? Has Zhongli found a new pastime or was this just a new piece of information being revealed to Childe? And if this is a pastime, isn’t this a bit strange for someone like Zhongli?
“Oh...” Childe smiles. “Yeah, sure, but what do we do?”
“It’s simple.” Zhongli pulls out a chair from the table. “First, let’s sit down. Here.”
“Quite the gentleman.” Childe chuckles, taking his seat. “Thanks.”
Zhongli follows and he presents his hand. “Give me your hand.”
Ah, Childe is familiar with this kind of fortune-telling. He saw a man here in Liyue performing the exact same tricks, though Childe doesn’t really believe in fortune-telling if he’ll be frank about it. It’s just feeling someone’s hand. There is no way this would turn out real or would reveal mysterious things about his life.
But Zhongli is a god and gods can do a lot of things.
Childe gives Zhongli his hand, showing his palm, although now that he did, he almost hesitates since he realized that they’re technically holding hands.
“ Shǒuxiàng. It is the Liyuen term for palmistry. Other nations tend to have their own versions of fortune-telling but palmistry is a popular method. Even in Liyue, you will see a good number of fortune-tellers,” Zhongli says with a smile. “I can tell you who is currently interested in you. I am quite skilled at predicting the love lives of people.”
“O-Oh... Is that so?” Childe chuckles, nervously. He wasn’t really expecting that Zhongli, out of all people, will tell him about his love life. To think that Childe will be told about this by Zhongli is... weird. Considering that Zhongli is Childe’s crush.
“Yes.” Zhongli takes Childe’s hand and brings it to his face closer. His thumb brushes on Childe’s palm and it makes Childe jump.
“A-Ah... It tickles.”
“My apologies.” Zhongli laughs. “Then, shall we start?”
“Of course. You may, xiansheng.”
“Allow me.”
Zhongli hums and begins to trace the lines of Childe’s palm. Childe stares at their hands before he looks at Zhongli’s face, which is contemplative. If he’s thinking this hard, then he must be really reading Childe’s fortune on his love life.
From here, the sun shines directly upon his face; from the light that spills on the windows. His black hair is lit up, even his gold eyes are illuminated. Those eyes that are looking so closely crinkle.
Zhongli’s fingers move around, with precision. If it were to move from his palm to his wrist... would Zhongli feel just how fast Childe’s heartbeat is?
“I have read it,” Zhongli says.
Childe perks up. “What does it say?”
“Hm, well, to start. The one interested in you is a man.”
Childe grins. “I don’t have any problem with that.”
“Oh, really?” Zhongli seems strangely delighted to hear that. “You’re alright with having a male lover?”
“I’m not picky.” Childe shrugs.
“I... see. I shall continue, then,” Zhongli says. “That man is also years older than you.”
“Can you tell me how many years?”
“Er, that’s...” Zhongli pauses. “That’s out of my vision.”
Older men aren’t bad too. Besides, Zhongli is older than Childe by... centuries, though, hypothetically, if he were younger, it’ll be alright as well. As long as he is Zhongli. Childe isn’t really picky with age either, but he has to say that older men are better. “I’m okay with that. Mature men are my type.”
Zhongli’s grip on Childe’s hand tightens a bit. “That’s good to hear.” He proceeds. “Let’s see... about that man’s appearance, he is tall. A bit taller than you. He is often told that he has sharp eyes and is good-looking, so I believe he is handsome. He can be a good match for you.”
“Oho, I’m lucky!” Childe smiles. “Hm... Well, how about his hair?”
“He has dark hair. A bit long.”
Sharp eyes and dark hair. The man could be from Liyue, given that sharp eyes are a common trait shared by the people here. Dark hair can be from other nations, though Liyue’s men have a wider range of dark colors like brown and black. So, sharp eyes, dark hair and from Liyue...
It sounds like a certain someone.
“Continue.”
“That man is skilled in fighting,” Zhongli says. “He is a veteran, actually, so that explains his unusual fighting abilities despite his appearance.”
“Perfect!” Childe exclaims. “We can go spar anytime. I’m glad that he can keep up with my thirst to fight.”
“Yes.”
“Are we close, though? Like did we meet already?”
Zhongli scans him up and down. “In terms of closeness, I can say that he is really close to you. Regarding proximity and relations.”
“Really? He’s just around here?”
“Yes.”
“How about his job?”
“His job is working as a consultant, though, he doesn’t own that much money.”
“Woah... So, just like you, xiansheng?”
“Yes...” Zhongli looks away, for some reason. “Like me.”
“That’s fine. I mean, I deal with you every day when it comes to money, so that wouldn’t be that much of a hurdle, I guess. Money isn’t a big issue.”
“That’s fine with you?”
“Mhm.” Childe nods. “Though I have to say, money mattered to me when I was younger, so when I did think about a partner, I wanted to be with someone who is financially stable.”
Zhongli flinches a bit, which Childe noticed but didn’t comment on it.
“But it’s okay to me now, if the person isn’t as wealthy as me. Money is trivial when it comes to love.”
Zhongli oddly smiles, as if he’s relieved. “You are a good person, Childe.”
Childe’s cheeks burn and he uses his other hand to cover it. He’s never gonna get used to being praised by Zhongli. “I wouldn’t say that, though...”
“This man. If he’s lucky enough to have your ‘yes’, I’m sure he’ll be the happiest man in this world.”
“Come on, you’re exaggerating, xiansheng. Knock it off already.”
“Oh, but I am only stating the truth.” Zhongli brings Childe’s hand to his cheek, which catches Childe off-guard.
“X-Xiansheng?”
“Childe, do you want to know the man’s name? The one interested in you...” Zhongli looks at Childe with intensity, which makes Childe unable to register what was really happening at this moment.
Though, he did get to answer Zhongli’s question with a weak nod.
Zhongli lets his face get cradled by Childe’s hand. His lips, dangerously close to Childe’s skin. “He has many names. He was once called Morax. He was sometimes referred to as Rex Lapis. The prime adeptus. God of Contracts.”
Childe gulps, digesting all the things Zhongli has been saying, and all of the realization’s weight hits him.
Dark hair. Sharp eyes. Taller. Older. A man. A consultant.
Someone close to him.
“He’s—” Childe mumbles as each word sinks in. “You’re—”
Zhongli takes Childe’s hand, and he presses an idle kiss, ceasing all thoughts altogether. “But the name you know him the most is Zhongli-xiansheng.”
“... You like me?” Childe asks, stupidly, as if it’s not obvious already. But he needed to double-check. He needed to know if all of these are just happening because he’s only imagining it.
“Indeed,” Zhongli says with all the mirth and warmth in the world and it reassures Childe that this is all true. “I love you, Childe. I have planned to confess in a different manner, but... Director Hu Tao and Aether told me that I should be more creative. Right, traveler and director?”
“Hell yeah!” Hu Tao and Aether burst inside, hopping from the nearby window. Childe almost jumps from his seat.
“Wha— You guys were listening the whole time?!” Childe whips his head to the two who was smiling smugly.
“You seem flustered, Tartaglia. I told you, it’s a great way to confess. Aren’t we creative?” Hu Tao proudly states. This girl, really... Always coming up with weird ideas but all of them are strangely effective.
“I thought we aren’t able to pull it, but as expected of a lovesick person.” Aether nods eagerly while crossing his arms.
“You, really...” Childe hides his face. “That was uncalled for.”
“So, what’s your answer?”
“Oh.” Childe returns to Zhongli. “Uh, well...” He dips his chin and he groans, slamming his fist on the table. “Ah, darn it!”
In a wild flurry of emotions, Childe cups Zhongli’s other cheek and pulls him, taking his lips. Zhongli’s lips are soft and slightly chapped. Childe closes his eyes and he hears the gasps coming from Aether and Hu Tao.
And he lets go. Their foreheads are pressed together. Childe looked at Zhongli who was left stunned.
“You’re unfair.” Childe squeezes Zhongli’s cheeks. “... But I love you too, xiansheng.”
Zhongli’s surprised eyes melts into something fond. It melts into a face belonging to the happiest man in the world. Childe's heart might burst. “I’m glad.” His hands go to Childe’s own, grabbing them as gentle as flowers. “I am quite fortunate.”
“Flirting success!” Hu Tao and Aether do a high-five while Childe and Zhongli laugh.