Chapter Text
At Wanmin Restaurant, two men were having a quiet evening together. One, a Harbinger (the eleventh no less) from Snezhnaya, and the other, a funeral consultant from Liyue. There were many customers residing at other tables and waiting for their food, while the pair discussed economics, the recent political upheaval, and other government related subjects. The atmosphere sat well with them. Sounds of dishes being set onto tables, food being cooked, murmurs in the background from other people, it felt calming. After Osial, both Zhongli and Childe had many issues to settle, not able to share a peaceful dinner together at their favorite restaurant. Now with the waters slowly settling, they ate their respective meals while occasionally speaking between gulps. A time of family and friends to gather together. And maybe for a proposal of sorts.
————————————————————————
Zhongli was more of a slow eater, savoring the flavor of the cuisine to throughly enjoy eating a dish, while Childe usually wolfed down his food without giving it a second thought. The other would lightly scold him, as he gave a long lecture about how food should be cherished bit by bit, but Childe would just space out and stare at his face. It's not that he didn't care, Zhongli is... too perfect to not stare at.
————————————————————————
The bright lights of the lanterns make his hair glow like amber fading into pure cor lapis. His beautiful eyes reflected the shine oh so perfectly that Childe often got lost in his gaze. He didn't have a hard time admitting to himself that he was in love with his friend. In fact, the moment he realized what kind of person Zhongli was, he immediately fell head over heels for the man. How could he not?! The consultant was gorgeous, kind, patient, wise- basically he was Childe's type. Even after Zhongli's betrayal, he still loved him.
They had agreed to meet up again at the harbor, where they first met. Childe was quite hesitant to arrive since he was still very hurt by the incident at the time, but as he slowly walked across the wooden planks that creaked under each step, he saw him. The moonlight casted a silver glow upon Zhongli's face, making him look ethereal. The wind gently brushed against his hair and making it flow around him like water. He truly was a god at that moment. Childe couldn't help but forget all his doubts about their meeting. Zhongli looked as beautiful as ever. His moment of grace was interrupted when the consultant turned to look around for Childe, waking him up from his daydreaming. Remembering why he had gone there in the first place, Childe forcefully relaxed his body and approached him.
"Ah, Ajax. I need to explain everything to you. I am truly sorry for what I did."
"It's fine, no need for an essay, but I just... I wish you could've told me sooner and not with the way that happened."
"Of course. I will never keep anything from you again."
————————————————————————
"Are you enjoying the meal, Tartaglia?" His soothing voice interrupted Childe's thoughts. He awkwardly put his fork down and laughed,
"Of course, Rex. It's delicious." Zhongli sighed at the nickname, nearly tired of the Snezhnayan's shenanigans. Childe often called him anything but "Zhongli" to tease the other for having so many names to go by, but he was technically no different. They finished the last bits of their dishes and left, tipping ten thousand mora on their way out (provided mainly by Childe). Xiangling waved them a warm goodbye, as they stepped out. Zhongli returns the favor, while Childe joked with her one last time before leaving.
————————————————————————
On the way back to Zhongli's home, Childe brought up another topic out of pure boredom. He truly didn't mean anything malicious. "Have you ever had a partner before me? Like, you never show interest in anyone, and when you confessed, you looked like you didn't mean it. I can't believe that you genuinely love someone, especially me." Zhongli was silent, as he considered the question.
"I never had a relationship before you. When we grew closer, I felt this warm feeling inside my chest. I did not recognize it at the time, and it was confusing until you explained what love is. It was such a shock." He paused. Childe reached down and gently held his hand. Zhongli glanced down at their intertwined fingers, before continuing.
"You see, during my many years of living, I have fought to learn every emotion a human could feel in search of what it is like to be among the population. I brought upon myself negative and positive emotions to understand, but I couldn't piece it together as I was still an Archon, so I transformed to mimic the mortals and observe their daily life. You appeared a few decades after I integrated into Liyue. When you arrived at the harbor, I didn't expect such an easygoing, lighthearted man to greet me." Zhongli stopped walking and placed his hand on Childe's cheek, gazing into pastel blue eyes with pure affection in his own golden ones. Childe returned the look with a glint of surprise shining through. "I fell in love, and despite it all, it was with a human." Childe blushed profusely, as he looked away. Although he seemed very opposed to such a direct intimate action, Tartaglia placed his gloved hand onto Zhongli's.
After a few minutes of silence, Childe pulled Zhongli's hand away, mumbling,
"We should be heading back now. It's late." The other simply smiled and walked alongside him. In a matter of minutes, they arrived at their destination. A tension filled air came between them. Childe didn't want to leave Zhongli, but it would be very awkward to ask for a random sleepover like a toddler. Childe shifted his weight between his legs, while Zhongli put his hand on the door handle, attempting to act like he didn't notice Childe's sudden change of demeanor. The change of atmosphere was too sudden for them to comprehend at the moment.
"Tartaglia, would you like to have a cup of tea?" Zhongli sputtered, his mind filled with empty thoughts. Childe mumbled in response,
"Sure. Um..."
"Please, come in." Zhongli finally opened the door and gestured to walk in. Childe quietly obeyed, going through the doorway. This was going to be a long night.
A long arrangement of embarrassment, drinking tea, stuttering, and dumb actions eventually led them to come to the conclusion of "You can stay at my house since it's late." Zhongli had lent Childe some night wear consisting of a robe decorated with golden patterns complimented with white and red highlights. The consultant definitely had a problem with buying expensive things for mundane tasks. They showered (separately) and headed down, back into the bedroom.
"My apologies. I forgot my bed can only hold one person. I will go sleep downstairs." Childe rolled his eyes, scoffing. His annoyance was bubbling under his skin ever since they arrived. Zhongli just refused to acknowledge the awkward interactions that seem too intimate to be friendly.
"Oh, really? We're going to be ignoring the problem until we both snap and confess to each other, right?" Zhongli stiffened, and his face heated up. He attempted to keep his composure, poorly dismissing the issue,
"No, I think it's time for us to sleep." Childe chuckled, sarcastically admitting,
"Yeah, yeah, fine. It's just the sleep getting to me-" In the blink of an eye, he was pressed up against the wall with Zhongli gently holding his wrists in one hand, kissing him. His nerves were fried, and he involuntarily shivered.
Childe felt vulnerable, a rare feeling for the man, before regaining his senses and scrambling for control. Zhongli didn't enforce much of his strength (being the caring person he is and not wanting to hurt Childe) so it was easy for him to harshly bite down on the consultant's lip and deepen the kiss further. Zhongli tensed up slightly, whispering against Childe's mouth, "I wanted to see how far I could push your patience." The Harbinger pulled away, as he looked at him with a hooded gaze,
"You know that I don't like to wait, Rex Lapis." Zhongli chuckled softly and dug his fingers into Childe's neck.
"That's not my name, Ajax. Speak of me properly." Childe scoffed and rolled his eyes. He tried to hide his arousal with a glare.
"If you really want me to say your name, then call me by my code name. I'll surely obey your command if you do that." Zhongli growled lowly, as his eyes sparked with geo energy.
"Alright, Childe." He grabbed the Harbinger's chin roughly and pressed their foreheads together, staring deeply into cerulean eyes. "You will do as I say without question. Do not disobey me again or I will leave you a sniveling mess on the sheets, tied up without anywhere to go. Do you understand, Childe?" The other smirked, as his sharp teeth glinted with the faint yellow light emitting from Zhongli.
"Do you think I will back out of any challenge?"