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The sun has already set over Liyue Harbor when Childe finally leaves the Northland Bank to wander through the lantern lit streets, exhausted to the bone.
It has been a long, boring day of endless paperwork and meetings, and the harbinger thought he’d die of boredom by the end of it. Give him a battle to the death everyday over this hellish work.
Childe would loathe and curse to hell and back having been assigned to oversee the bank until further notice after the Gnosis debacle if it wasn’t for the one good thing that awaited him in a quaint little house on a hill at the edge of the harbor.
Despite his exhaustion, a smile appears on Childe’s lips as he stops in front of the familiar door and fishes for his key in his coat’s pocket. He unlocks the door and enters the house, sighing with relief when he’s instantly met with the delicious scent of food cooking mixed with whatever incense Zhongli has chosen to use. Is it Violetgrass this time?
Childe discards his boots haphazardly by the front door, too tired to care about tidying them up even though he knows Zhongli will look at them disapprovingly. He’ll sort them out later, when he’s not about to keel over from fatigue.
The harbinger slowly traverses the living room, his gaze absentmindedly drawn to the open window letting the gentle spring breeze in. He can see the small garden in the backyard from here. Zhongli spends a considerable amount of time everyday taking care of his beloved plants, an eclectic assortment from every nation. Childe smiles fondly when he notices two new additions; a small, green cactus from the Sumeru desert and what looks to be a Lakelight Lily, though the flower is currently closed.
Zhongli went to the market again today, it seems. Childe will probably have another substantial dent in his bank account, but when it comes to Zhongli he can never bring himself to care.
Speaking of the man in question, Childe makes his way to the kitchen and stops in the doorway for a moment, admiring his beloved.
Zhongli is standing in front of the stove, busy stirring something cooking in a big pot. He has shed his formal work outfit, and is now draped in a flowy, silky hanfu. The beautiful, dark-brown fabric is decorated with golden accents that shimmer like dragon scales, and the belt around his waist accentuates Zhongli’s slim figure. The god’s hair is untied, cascading down his back in a river of spun gold. He looks gorgeous as always, and Childe is a weak, weak man when it comes to this foreign deity.
The harbinger’s socked feet pad through the kitchen, approaching Zhongli until his arms wrap around that slim waist and his chest presses against the god’s back. He sighs and kisses Zhongli’s cheek, which earns him a deep, soft chuckle that makes his heart flutter.
Ah, there is no better medicine for an exhausting day than his beloved Zhongli.
“Lyubimyy, I’m home. Sorry I’m late,” whispers Childe as he nuzzles Zhongli’s bare neck, making the god shiver.
Zhongli lays his free hand over Childe’s forearm, squeezing gently. “Welcome home, Ajax. How was your day?” inquires Zhongli warmly.
Childe groans. “Ugh, the worst. Endless paperwork and meetings. I had to hide from Katya at one point to have five minutes to myself,” he complains before trailing a line of soft kisses from Zhongli’s neck to his ear, causing the god to huff fondly.
Zhongli puts down the spatula and covers the pot before slowly turning around in the harbinger’s arms. He cradles Childe’s face between his elegant hands and leans in to steal a soft, sweet kiss from his lips.
Childe is more than happy to sink into the kiss, arms tightening around Zhongli to pull him closer.
This is what he lives for now. Coming back to Zhongli’s place - their place, he dares to say, as he’s all but unofficially moved in, not having spent a single night at his rented flat for over two months - and spending evenings wrapped in his beloved’s warm and loving embrace.
When Zhongli breaks their kiss, he presses their foreheads together, and his golden, beautiful eyes roam over Childe’s face.
“You look exhausted, baobei. How about I draw you a bath to help you relax? Let me take care of you tonight,” suggests Zhongli in a soft, fond voice.
The idea is very tempting, especially after such a grueling day. Tsaritsa, how he loves his Zhongli.
Childe’s thumbs draw mindless circles on Zhongli’s narrow waist, causing the god’s eyelids to flutter. “You don’t have to do this, Li,” says the harbinger, even though the idea is very tempting.
Zhongli smiles and kisses Childe softly before grabbing his hand. “I want to. Come, Ajax.”
With these words, Zhongli begins to pull Childe towards the bathroom. Childe, being ever so weak to Zhongli’s requests, gives up easily. “You spoil me as always, lyubimyy.”
Soon, the bath is filled with warm water and Violetgrass scented oil, and after Zhongli insists on helping Childe undress, the harbinger sinks into the water with a long sigh of pure bliss. He closes his eyes for a moment, resting his head against the edge of the tub.
Only when he hears the rustling of clothes does Childe blearily open his eyes halfway, just in time to see Zhongli kneel next to the bathtub, the wide sleeves of his hanfu secured at his elbows.
It becomes clear what Zhongli has in mind when he grabs the bucket lying by the bathtub and fills it with water.
“Lean forward for me, baobei. Let me wash your hair,” requests Zhongli with an amorous smile on his lips.
“As if I could ever say no to that. You spoil me too much, Li,” says Childe as he moves forward to let Zhongli gently soak his hair.
Having Zhongli, a god, kneeling next to him, a mere mortal, taking care of him in this manner feels almost blasphemous. It would be, if Childe didn’t enjoy taking care of Zhongli in turn just as much. Neither of them are beneath the other; they are equals, a fact that frankly baffles Childe to this very day, since he had expected at first that an old god like Zhongli, the all-powerful Morax, would think himself superior to mortals.
How wrong he has been.
Soon, Zhongli presses Childe to lean back again with a gentle hand, just before he begins massaging his favorite Silk Flower shampoo into the fiery strands of hair.
Childe groans in gentle pleasure at the wonderful sensation of his beloved’s elegant fingers massaging his scalp. It isn’t long before he’s putty in Zhongli’s hands, tilting his head to have more of Zhongli’s reverent touches.
Zhongli chuckles softly and obliges, taking more time than necessary to finish washing Childe’s hair. By the time he’s rinsed the suds out, the harbinger is almost asleep in the bath.
Zhongli lays a tender kiss on his forehead. “Finish up here and join me on the balcony, baobei. I have to finish making dinner,” he says warmly before preparing to leave.
Childe catches Zhongli’s hand and pulls it to his lips to sweetly kiss the god’s knuckles. “Thank you, lyubimyy. I won’t be long.”
Zhongli’s golden gaze is so adoring as he looks at Childe that it causes the younger man’s heart to flutter in his chest.
He releases Zhongli and watches him go before finishing his bath with slightly sluggish movements. The warm water has relaxed his muscles, and paired with his exhaustion, it made him sleepy. Zhongli always knows the best ways to relax him.
When he finally leaves the bath, Childe puts on a fresh pair of underwear and one of Zhongli’s fluffy bathrobes before going in search of Zhongli. He finds his beloved in the midst of plating two generous helpings of Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shout Soup.
Childe joins him and kisses his temple, drawing a soft smile from Zhongli, before grabbing the bowls of soup from him.
“I got these,” says Childe with a wink before making his way towards the balcony, Zhongli on his heels holding a bottle of Osmanthus wine.
It’s dark outside, and Zhongli has already lit up candles on the small balcony table. Paired with the stars visible in the night sky and the lights from the city streets below, it makes for a very romantic atmosphere.
They sit at the table facing each other, and dinner is a simple affair. Childe is too exhausted to have an extended conversation, and he’s more than satisfied with admiring his beloved as Zhongli tells him about one of his many tales of old. Childe always loves listening to Zhongli. He looks gorgeous when he talks about subjects that hold his interest, even when speaking about the most mundane things most people would find boring; his golden eyes brim with life, almost glowing, and his deep and rich voice takes an inflexion that is fascinating to hear.
Childe could listen to him talk for hours on end, honestly, and never get tired. Even when he’s about to keel over with exhaustion like he does now.
The harbinger doesn’t realize he’s been spacing out before Zhongli’s warm hand cups his cheek, pulling him back to the present.
“Ajax, let’s get you to bed. You are dead on your feet already,” says Zhongli with a soft, amused smile.
Childe holds Zhongli’s wrist in place so he can nuzzle his palm with his nose. It earns him a fond huff.
“I’m fine,” protests Childe, which earns him a skeptical look from his beloved. He sighs in defeat. “I’ll do the dishes first at least,” mutters Childe before he reluctantly lets go of Zhongli’s wrist to pull himself to his feet.
Zhongli follows suit, and together they bring the dirty dishes inside to set them into the sink to soak. But when Childe tries to begin washing them like he said he would, a hand closes around his own and he’s being pulled away from the kitchen and herded towards the bedroom.
Before he can protest, Zhongli is looking at him over his shoulder and speaking softly; “Forget about the dishes. Master Hu has given me tomorrow off work, so I will take care of them later. Come, baobei.”
Childe sighs and shakes his head fondly. “Alright, alright.” He surrenders to Zhongli’s whim, knowing that nothing would make the old god change his mind once he’s set it on a goal.
The goal being to make Childe relax and rest, apparently.
When they get to the bedroom, Zhongli leads Childe directly to the side of the bed. “Sit here, my dear,” instructs Zhongli.
Childe, intrigued, does as told, and soon Zhongli is kneeling behind him on the bed, his warm hands sliding the bathrobe down to expose Childe’s scarred shoulders. Those same hands are soon touching his bare skin, and Zhongli whispers against his ear; “Just relax.”
It’s not hard for the harbinger to follow that instruction when Zhongli’s hands begin to reverently massage his shoulders, the heavenly sensation taking away the last of the stress from his hellish day.
He bites back a groan of relief when Zhongli’s fingers undo a knot at the top of his spine.
“What did I do to deserve all of that?” says Childe as he closes his eyes and lets himself melt under his beloved’s skilled hands.
The chuckle against his ear makes him shiver.
“You are the owner of my heart. It is merely natural for me to want to care for you in return. It brings me much joy to do so,” whispers Zhongli, followed by a tender kiss against the shell of Childe’s ear.
Those affectionate words fill Childe’s heart with so much love he feels like it will burst out of his chest. He feels the same way. Zhongli completes him, fills an emptiness inside him he wasn’t aware existed before the god walked into his life during that fateful first meeting at the Liuli Pavilion.
These thoughts lead to a question that Childe has been dying to ask Zhongli but has been too scared to do so for weeks now.
Zhongli’s hands still, soon followed by his voice asking in concern; “Ajax? You are very tense all of a sudden. Is something the matter?”
Ah, busted. Childe’s hand comes up to run through his hair in a nervous gesture and he chuckles under his breath. Zhongli waits very patiently for Childe to speak up. He takes that time to lay a trail of butterfly kisses from Childe’s shoulder and up his neck, the gentle touches making the harbinger shiver and distracting him all at once.
Childe pivots until he can glimpse at his beloved’s concerned expression.
“You know I love you, right?” he begins nervously, reaching over to lace their fingers together.
Zhongli frowns, looking confused. “Of course. As I do you.”
“You mean so much to me. I want you to be part of my future. That’s why… I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while,” says Childe steadily, trying to ignore the racing of his heart.
Zhongli’s eyes soften, and he squeezes Childe’s hand. “I’m listening.”
Childe takes a deep breath before taking the plunge. “I was thinking of visiting my family soon, and I would love it if you’d accompany me. I want you to meet them.”
Zhongli knows how important Childe’s family is for him, so surely he understands the implications of asking the god to meet them.
Apparently, he does, if the widening of his golden eyes is any indication. “Ajax…” Zhongli breathes out softly.
Childe keeps talking nervously; “And we could go during summer! It’ll be a lot less cold in Snezhnaya then, so even a lizard like you could endure the cold more easily,” he teases with a nervous chuckle.
His comment makes Zhongli huff in fond exasperation, but he stays quiet, seemingly pondering over Childe’s request.
“So… what do you say?” Childe asks once he can’t deal with the silence anymore.
He sees a beautiful smile bloom on Zhongli’s gorgeous face, and soon the god is wrapping a hand behind his nape and pulling him into a sweet kiss that melts Childe’s anxiety away.
Zhongli answers warmly; “I would love to meet your family, baobei. As long as you promise to keep me warm.”
Childe’s face breaks into a wide grin. “You don’t even have to ask! I’ll buy the warmest coat you can think of before we leave, imported straight from Snezhnaya!” he exclaims, excited about their upcoming trip.
He has the funds for it, so he will spare no expenses to make sure Zhongli is as warm as possible. Oh, he can’t wait for him to meet his family! He’s sure they will love him. At least, he hopes so. The prospect of having Zhongli, an ex-archon and the love of his life in his childhood home feels so surreal, but right.
Childe brings Zhongli’s hand to his lips, and he lays reverent kisses on his knuckles and his palm, before letting his lips slide to the inside of his beloved’s wrist, where he knows Zhongli is very sensitive.
He feels the shiver under his lips, and hears the following chuckle. “I’ll be looking forward to it, then,” says Zhongli.
Childe can’t help himself and kisses Zhongli again. One kiss turns into many, all slow, soft and unhurried, with only the goal to show Zhongli how much he loves him. The god melts into the attention, surrendering to the harbinger’s whims wholeheartedly.
Childe could kiss Zhongli all night, but his exhaustion ends up catching up to him eventually to his chagrin.
It results with him laying on his side in bed with his head pillowed on Zhongli’s thigh while the god reads a book. With his free hand, the consultant gently caresses through the ginger hair, lulling Childe into a state of relaxation until he’s dozing off.
He wants to fight sleep for as long as he can, enjoying the feeling of his beloved’s fingers in his hair, but it’s a battle he can’t win.
He manages to mutter a slurred ‘good night, lyubimyy’ before he succumbs to sleep, enveloped in warmth, safety and love.
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Childe groans in displeasure at the rays of sunshine hitting his face, disturbing his sleep. He blearily opens his eyes, and notices that the other side of the bed is empty. Zhongli is already up, which isn’t surprising given he’s an early riser, and one look at the clock tells Childe it’s just past nine in the morning.
Damn, he’s going to be late for work.
He can’t bring himself to care. Katya will scold him, but what’s new?
Childe doesn’t feel like hurrying this morning. His limbs feel loose, relaxed, and he knows it’s all thanks to Zhongli’s wonderful pampering from the night prior, with the bath and the massage.
Just reminiscing about last night brings a dopey smile to his face.
He’ll swing by the market today and find a nice gift for Zhongli to thank him.
In the meantime, Childe decides to go in search of his beloved, already missing his presence by his side. He slides out of bed and pulls on a soft pair of pants over his underwear before venturing out of the bedroom.
He finds him in the garden, tending to his plants, watering them gently. Zhongli’s wearing another hanfu, looking gorgeous as ever. Childe slips through the door leading to the garden. The sound of Childe’s feet approaching has the god looking back towards him, and Zhongli only has time to put down his watering can and stand up before he’s engulfed in a tight hug and pulled into a sweet, loving kiss.
Zhongli smiles against Childe’s lips and wraps his arms loosely around the harbinger’s neck as he kisses him back slowly.
Once they eventually pull apart, their foreheads come together and Childe tenderly tucks a strand of Zhongli’s hair behind his ear. He looks deep into his beloved’s beautiful golden eyes and whispers; “Thank you for yesterday, lyubimyy. I feel much more refreshed today.”
Zhongli smiles fondly. “I am delighted to hear this, Ajax. And there is no need to thank me for wanting to take care of my beloved partner,” he says in return.
Childe’s heart melts in the face of such words, and he can’t resist pulling Zhongli into another kiss. And another. And another, until Zhongli is chuckling and smiling against the barrage of sweet kisses.
Childe will be incredibly late. Katya will be furious. He doesn’t care.
He doesn’t care about anything else but the love of his life tucked in his arms, and how he wants this moment to last forever.
Behind Zhongli, bearing witness to the happy couple, a beautiful red flower has grown on the cactus and the Lakelight Lily is in full bloom.