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"Do you know the story of the God of Contract and Goddess of Dust? It was said that they were comrades that stood at each other's side during the Archon war."
"However, I heard they were lovers? And Rex Lapis was so devastated that he annihilated everyone on his path during the Archon war."
"I'm not aware of that, tell me more."
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Guizhong and Morax was actually more than comrades under a contract, more than their relationship as the "brawn" and the "brain." Guizhong was the sun in Zhongli's life, and Zhongli is the love Guizhong could ever wish for in her existence.
They were a pair meant for each other.
However, as Zhongli held the fading Guizhong on his arms, he felt strange— he felt his heart throbbing in pain and sorrow as he's looking down at her with tears on his eyes.
"Mo...rax... Take care of my people for me.." Guizhong softly whispered, gently wiping the tears on his cheeks. "Don't cry, Morax," she added in between her shaky breath.
"You can't leave me." Zhongli replied, trying to catch his breath. "You can't leave me, Guizhong. Please, I'm begging you."
His once bright amber eyes are now full of sorrow. "You're mine, Guizhong. You can't leave me like this." He added, his tone suddenly having the usual confidence and authority once again.
"Of course. I've always been yours, Morax..." She meekly answered, voice soft and weak.
And just like that, their second contract was made.
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The first time Childe saw Zhongli, he felt this weird pang on his chest. The feeling of longing, sorrow and pain. He doesn't understand why but he's always drowned on the lad's presence, craving for the soft and warm touches that he could only feel on him.
Everything made sense when he found out that Zhongli was Rex Lapis, when Signora told him that he doesn't need to go back to Snezhnaya and stay in Liyue as long as he wanted— that it was Tsaritsa's wish for him to stay in the place that he loves, where he truly belongs. It was when Zhongli gave him a boquet of Glaze Lilies that he finally remembered...
Memories flashed vividly through his eyes, that he was once Guizhong, the Goddes of Dust, the comrade of Rex Lapis and the lover of Morax.
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Childe was supposed to go back to his residence after eating dinner with Zhongli. But when the former Geo Archon suddenly hugged him, his world suddenly stopped.
"Stay." Zhongli spoke as he held Childe close.
The Archon needed him more than the ginger could ever think. In his embrace, he felt warmth. He felt love.
In his embrace, he felt peace.
He didn't want to let go of him. Not back then, not now and also not in the future.
"Stay in my abode for today. I want to be with you." He added, tightening his arms around the other.
"Fine. I'll stay with you tonight, love." Childe answered with a soft giggle, knowing fully well that he'll be gone in the next few days.
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Childe would be gone sooner or later.
Zhongli knows more than anyone that Childe will leave him once again; turning into dust and going back to nature where he originally belongs to.
He hates it. He hates it that he only found an alternative way to be with Childe again. Is there any more way to be with him? Something to prolong his life even more?
But loving Childe changed his life, the warmth and peace he gave him changed his life.
So when he saw the empty side of the bed right beside him, he felt panic. He was alarmed, he was succumbed in sorrow.
His usual cool demeanor was gone. He can't stand the feeling of losing his beloved sun, the love of his life. His Childe, his Ajax.
The Former Geo Archon quickly roamed the room, looking for any traces of Ajax. That's when the smell of cooking suddenly hits his nose. He hastily made his way into the kitchen and when he saw the fluffy ginger hair that he always loved, he hugged him and buried his face on the top of the other's head.
Knowing what's going through Zhongli's mind, Childe hugged him back and caressed his back. "I'm still here, Zhongli. I'm still here." He whispered bitterly, looking straight at the Archon's crying face.
"I'm not the type of person that suddenly leaves without saying goodbye, my love." The ginger added, wiping away the tears that keeps falling down from Zhongli's eyes.
The young Fatui hates seeing him like this. He hates seeing sorrow on his bright amber eyes— loathing the fact that he's hurting, that he's the source of his pain.
He already saw Zhongli cry once, going back thousand years ago. It was when he was dying as Guizhong. And Childe doesn't want to witness him hurting like this once again.
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Childe is extremely tired. Strangely enough, he feels light.
"It's getting cold outside, let's get in." Zhongli said, wrapping a soft blanket on Childe's shoulders. But instead of following the other, Ajax turned around and wrapped his arms around Zhongli's waist, engulfing him with his warmth.
"Zhongli..." The ginger uttered as he nuzzled on the other's chest, breathing his scent while his hand ran up and down on his back.
"My Morax..." He called again, stopping his hands and nuzzling further to Zhongli.
"My Rex Lapis..." He added and clenched the other's clothes.
"My love." And just like that, the latter closed his eyes. He could only feel his warmth, his embrace. He knew what was about to come.
Even so, he could not understand why Celestia wants the only thing he needed. Why does it need take away the one thing that he truly wants?
Before his thoughts could go deeper, he felt Childe pulling his hair softly and the former Archon looked at the other's deep azure eyes, the orbs that always makes him feel drown.
"I'll be gone." Childe said and he felt Zhongli tremble by his words. "But... I'll be back again." The ginger smiled at him warmly and Zhongli's eyes widened in shock.
How? He may be an Archon and Childe is the reincarnation of Guizhong, and with their powers combined, they could only handle one reincarnation. So, how?
"I'll be gone but I'll definitely come back. Will you wait for me?" Childe asked as cracks started to form on his once soft and warm skin.
"I'll wait for you. I will always wait for you, my love." Zhongli answered as he watched Childe turned into dust once again with a soft smile on his face.
"I love you, Zhongli..."
Those were the last words Zhongli heard from Childe as he was, once again, crumbled into dust.
"I love you too, Ajax."
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A woman with silver hair and bright blue eyes showed up once on Childe's dream when Zhongli asked him to sleep with him.
On the dream, the woman and him were standing in a spacious white room. It was silent, with just the two of them occupying the emptiness.
"I think he's very lonely." She started, looking at him with that familiar warm smile. "Lonelier than he lets on, or even lonelier than he could realize." She added, walking towards him.
Childe was aware that he should move and run away from the woman, yet, she's giving this weird familiarity and warmth that he couldn't remember. "Lonelier than you could imagine." She ended, touching his cheeks softly, staring directly at his blue eyes.
They share the same oceanic orbs that the amber-eyed individual have always loved.
"I know." Childe answered softly. When he met Zhongli for the first time, a thousand of years ago, he thought he was a man with many allies. However, their relationship with him were nothing but a contract. He was lonely, lonely until he met Guizhong who made him feel the warmth and peace, shedding the loneliness that he thought he could never escape from.
Because he has Guizhong, he has Childe with him.
Zhongli is a man of history and tradition, living through thousands of years, and along those years where thousands of memories are collected, he got through all of it because of him. He knows that Guizhong would be back for him. But, what would happen once Childe is gone? He won't be able to come back. They only have one chance. No one can escape death.
The woman chuckled and asked him.
"What is your desire?"
"I want to stay. I want to stay in Teyvat with him, alive. I want to stay by his side forever."
That's his desire, his greed and his only wish. The ginger wants to stay to wrap his arms around Zhongli without a care in the world, to feel his warmth even longer.
"Your wish is my command, my dearest." She answered as she held Childe's hand into hers, staring at his eyes once again.
"Who... Who are you..?" He asked as the woman with the silver hair leaned back away from him.
"I'm not allowed to reveal my identity, but I am here by the orders of Celestia. To pay up a debt." She answered with a wide smile that strangely gave him comfort. "D... Debt? I can't remember—" Words were cut off of him as the woman suddenly disappeared, leaving him alone in the room.
"You'll know soon. Now, child, I think you should wake up."
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How long has it been? Half a year?
It's been half a year since he gave up his gnosis, half a year since Childe was gone.
If he's being honest, it was hard. It was hard to explain to Tsaritsa that Childe was gone, hard to explain to his family that he was gone. Seeing their pained expression saddened him, but it was bearable.
He's lonely but it's bearable. He knows that Childe would be back, he would feel his warmth once again. He'll wait and he'll bare it.
It was weird and unfair that every simple things reminds him of Childe. It was hard to wait for something that might never happened but it's even harder to give up when it's something you ever wanted in your entire life. So, he could simply wait.
He waits for his love.
It's only been half a year, yet it was barely bearable. When they made their second contract, he was sure that Guizhong/Childe would come back, for he could feel their seal. That is the reason why he managed to endure all those years without him by his side.
However, this was different. He doesn't have any idea on when will his love, Childe, would come back. He doesn't know if he'll ever come back. Despite such thoughts, he decided to hold on. Hold on to Childe's words. All he wanted was to feel his warmth once again, to be with his love again.
He was never ready for Childe's absence.
"Excuse me? Do you perhaps know where Zhongli Xiansheng is? He's not in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
It was a familiar voice.
It was familiar enough to make his chest throb painfully. He turned around and as he expected, it's Childe with the same ginger hair and the deep azure eyes. The guard shook his head and Ajax heaved a sigh, turning in a different direction to somehow look for him.
Zhongli walked... No. He chased after Childe and hugged his back.
"What took you so long?" He asked, his lips shaking, tears attempting to fall.
Childe chuckled and turned around with a soft smile on his lips. "I didn't know that the former Geo Archon is such a big crybaby." He answered.
Instead of saying anything, Zhongli tightened his hold and buried his face on the crook of Childe's neck. Ajax released a sigh and wrapped his arms around the other's waist.
"It took a while for Celestia to finally let me go." He answered, making Zhongli to pull away from him. "But, before that... We have a lot of explanation to do on my family in Snezhnaya. You won't mind coming with me, right? My dear future husband?" Childe asked him, giving him a piece of paper. Zhongli looked down on the said paper and it was a marriage contract.
Their third and last contract.
A marriage contract.
"Of course, my love."