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Gazing upon the frozen plains of Snezhnaya always warmed Childe’s heart. Every time he returned to his homeland and got to admire it in all its icy glory, memories of his childhood, of long, carefree days spent fishing rose back to the surface of his mind. It also came with the promise of seeing his little siblings again. He just couldn’t wait to see their eager expressions as they unpacked the gifts he had bought them and begged him for stories of his travels. Although, in truth, he expected most of their attention to be focused toward his two guests this time around.
With a fond smile on his lips, he glanced down at the two tiny dragons snuggly curled up around his neck. His thick red scarf protected Zhongli and Neuvillette from the biting cold and gave them a comfortable shelter. However, that didn’t stop the consultant from keeping his scaly snout buried against the crook of Childe’s collarbone, seeking the heat that radiated from this body, with his soft fur coincidentally serving as an extra layer of warmth for the Harbinger.
Neuvillette, on the other hand, had his little head poking out of the Snezhanayan’s scarf so he could enjoy the landscape. From the excited swishing of his tail, Childe could tell that he was absolutely delighted, not that it was surprising. The Iudex liked to ramble about how snow was just another form of water, after all, and as Childe walked near a frozen waterfall, his enthusiasm only grew more apparent as he buzzed with joy.
The Harbinger could already tell that once he was back in human form, Neuvillette just wouldn’t shut up about it for days. Not that he minded, of course. He would happily spend days just listening to the tales and trivia his husbands loved to share with him. And to be honest, he couldn’t wait to be the one to tell them all about Snezhnaya and to show them around Morepesok and, later on, Zapolyarny Palace, when they would go visit the Tsaritsa to present their greetings.
They weren’t requesting an audience with Her Majesty just out of politeness, though. No, their true purpose was to negotiate a break in his Harbinger’s duties. Childe ached to start a family, and so did his wonderful husbands, to the point where the two dragons didn’t hesitate one second to brave the Snezhnayan cold, despite their natural distaste for it.
However, that didn’t mean they dealt well with the harsh weather. If anything, Zhongli’s behavior proved it well. Even while snuggly tucked into Childe’s scarf, he was still shivering a little, and in addition to having his whole body wrapped around the Harbinger’s neck, his small claws were also latching at the red fabric to prevent any risk of an unfortunate fall into the snow. This made Childe want to chuckle. In this form and with this attitude, no one would suspect him of being the great and revered Rex Lapis.
“Are you two comfy in there?” He asked, ready to readjust his scarf if needed, because while he found Zhongli’s predicament kind of endearing, the last thing he wanted was for him to be upset.
He was soon reassured by loud, enthusiastic purrs coming from both his mates, and Neuvillette even extended his long serpentine body to nuzzle his cheek lovingly, before hurriedly retreating into the warmth of his clothing. When he did, Zhongli wrapped himself around the Hydro Dragon to help him fight the cold away, even though he was the one struggling the most to handle it. Childe smiled once more at his loving reaction.
Archons, he just couldn’t wait to see Zhongli and Neuvillette be this caring with their future children.