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On a warm, mid-autumn night, the full moon shining down onto the earth, magic was in the air. A young boy, adept in the ways of magic, just about to step into adulthood, was preparing a special brew in the moonlight, one that would aid him in one of the toughest challenges of his life.
High school romance.
“Should I add the crushed rose petals now or later…?“ Childe mumbled, pacing around his family’s heirloom cauldron, bubbling with magenta liquid. “Momma always says to follow recipes to the letter, so I guess I add them now.”
He poured the rose petal pieces into the pot, which glowed a deep red. He looked into the book again, then threw in a tuft of fox’s fur. It was almost ready. Once it was complete, he would be able to get his crush to notice him!
Student Body President and idol of the school, Zhongli. He was beautiful, smart, kind, and loved by everyone. However, he was always single, or went on a single date with someone, only to turn them down. Rumors flew around the school. Was there a secret someone he was seeing? Who could it be?
Childe was a grade below Zhongli, and therefore didn’t see him many times besides lunch. He was too scared to talk to him, as there was always a crowd around his table. He joined Chess Club just to be in the same group as him, but the waiting list to play a game with him was weeks in advance. He joined student council as secretary, which he’d gotten after the previous secretary quit, taking a rejection from Zhongli particularly hard.
He was so close, but he couldn’t muster up the courage to talk to him.
So he was content to let his one-sided crush wither and fade away.
But it didn’t. It only grew stronger.
So in his family’s basement, he was concocting a potion of transformation. A drink that would make him brave enough to make that first step.
Finally, it was done. It glowed a mysterious red, and smelled like orange scented dish soap. Childe took a big sniff of his creation and nearly gagged. He had to drink this!?
For Zhongli, it seemed he’d do anything.
He gave a cheers to the moonlight streaming into the basement, pinched his nose, and gulped the entire drink down. It burned straight down his throat and sat in his stomach awkwardly.
He went back upstairs and straight to bed, hoping the potion would do its magic as he slept.
His mother ran in ti his bathroom to the sound of his screams.
“Ajax! What’s going on!? I heard you scream and…” she trailed off when she saw the source of her son’s despair. A pair of fluffy fox ears had appeared on his head. He sobbed loudly.
“How am I supposed to go to school like this!?” He cried.
His mother hugged him. “Oh baby…there comes a point in every young witch’s life where they mess up a big spell or potion. It’s better to learn now where I can help you.”
“I just wanted- to talk to my crush-“
“Which potion did you try? The love potion or the confidence potion?”
“C-confidence.”
“Good, because the love potion doesn’t actually work. I can work on a cure but it’s going to take a couple days. There is always the option of curing your ailment with confessing to your crush, or maybe it’s true love’s kiss, but-“
“Absolutely not! No no no no! Zhongli is too cool, I can’t get close to him!”
“Zhongli who lives down the road?”
“Huh? He- what?” Childe didn’t know he lived so close.
“You can go over there and confess this weekend!”
Childe, in a slight daze, prepared himself, ate some breakfast, and put on a beanie to hide his appendages. This was do or die. If he wasn’t able to confess, he’d never be able to do it again!
If he got rejected, he’d never be able to show his face at school again.
No pressure.
Zhongli’s home was the biggest, most elaborate house on the end of the street. It had three floors and a basement, along with a perfectly manicured garden. The whole thing screamed money, unlike his family’s own home.
He walked up to the door, his heart thudding in his chest, and rung the doorbell. The fox ears atop his head flattened in his nervousness. Would Zhongli really answer?
A voice shocked him out of his overthinking.
“Hello?” It was Zhongli, talking through a speaker near the doorbell.
“H-hi!” Childe said, his voice jumping up an octave. “It’s Childe! I-I’m the secretary in student council! And I’m in Chess Club! I- uh- I know we haven’t talked before- or at all- but uh- y’know- fuck-”
Childe’s cheeks felt red hot with embarrassment. He was stupid. How many people had tried this act, coming up to his door and begging to spend time with him? He wanted to disappear…
Suddenly, his jeans ripped at the back. A white-tipped fox tail whipped around out of the corner of his eye. He wished lightning would strike him down at that very moment. He could just leave, Zhongli wasn’t gonna see him anyway. He was no one.
“I’ll be right down. Just a second.” With that, the mic clicked off.
Childe froze. This wasn’t what he expected to happen. Zhongli wanted to see him? He thought he rejected everyone! What made him so special?
The door clicked, then opened. There stood Zhongli, wearing clothes very similar to his school uniform, but not exactly.
“Childe, it’s so nice of you to come…over…?” Zhongli’s gaze drifted to the rapidly moving tail behind Childe.
Childe covered his face. “There’s an explanation for all this, I swear.”
Zhongli dragged him into his house, closing the door behind him. Childe was so confused and embarrassed, he just went along with it.
“What happened?” Zhongli asked, completely serious.
“I…” Childe took off his beanie to reveal his cute fox ears. “I made a mistake. I dunno how it happened, but I’m like this now. My mother is working on a solution but…”
“Can I…touch the tail?”
Childe blinked. “I guess? Why not.”
Zhongli circled behind him and lightly touched the furry appendage. Childe yelped, feeling the touch. The fingers in his fur zapped right through his entire body. Zhongli was touching him! He thought he’d died and gone to heaven.
“It’s very soft,” Zhongli eventually said.
“Yes! It is!” Childe squealed out, trying to keep his composure.
“Now, why would you come to me if you already had a way to cure this?”
“Well…there’s a faster way.”
“That would be…?”
Childe’s heart thumped in his chest. It was do or die. Zhongli was so close! He just needed to take that step. Just! Say it!
“I…!” Childe squeaked out. “I have to confess to the person I like!”
Zhongli smiled. “Who would that be?”
Childe wanted to melt into a puddle of embarrassment. Zhongli was really gonna make him say it. But…if he was playing along like this, perhaps he had a chance.
He took a deep breath.
“I like you!”
The confession echoed through the halls of the house. He’d done it. He couldn’t take it back. He braced for the impact of Zhongli’s rejection.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Childe peaked up at Zhongli.
His face was all red, just as much as his probably was.
“Zhongli…?” Childe asked.
“I’m sorry, it’s just…I thought I’d be the one confessing first. This wasn’t what I was expecting to happen.”
Childe blinked. “You? Uh- you wanted to do what?”
“Confess.”
“To me?”
“Yes.”
“This isn’t a prank or anything?”
“No, I would never…”
“So…you like me?”
“Yes.”
“Is this where we kiss?”
“Do you want to?“
“Yes! I- I mean- if you wanna.”
Zhongli got closer, close enough where Childe could feel him breath. He puckered his lips comically, and Zhongli leaned in.
“I can’t do this if you keep making that face,” Zhongli whispered. “Don’t pucker. Do what feels natural.”
“S-sorry,” Childe relaxed his face, and Zhongli’s lips touched his.
At that moment, the magic that gave him his fox tail and ears broke, and the appendages disappeared. Zhongli continued to kiss him, and Childe was convinced he had actually died. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Zhongli liked him!!
The two of them separated, faces both flushed.
“Are we…a thing?” Childe asked.
“If you’d like,” Zhongli said, with a slight smile.
“But you’re so popular! I’m just a nobody.”
“I don’t really care what they think, but if it makes you uncomfortable…”
“No! No no no! I wanna be official with you.”
Zhongli smiled.
After some time spent exchanging numbers and getting to know each other a little better, Childe had to head home for dinner. They have each other a little goodbye kiss, and Childe walked out the door.
“Childe!” Zhongli called from the doorway.
“Yeah?” Childe said.
“Next time you want to make a confidence potion, let’s do it together, okay?”
“Okay!”
Childe took a few steps before realizing what Zhongli had said.
“Wait! You’re a witch too!?”