Chapter Text
When he coughed and held a flower petal in his hand afterwards Childe thought it was a stupid coincidence. Either the wind blew the petal onto his palm in just the right moment or maybe those Dendro Slimes finally managed to land a hit on him during his training earlier. Either way, he didn’t pay attention to it. He crushed the blue petal in his hand and threw it to the ground. He was busy and he had work to do, he neither had the time nor need to bother with something insignificant like that.
Childe strolled through the streets of Liyue, they were busy as always, the incident from a few weeks ago already forgotten. Well, the people didn’t forget about it, he guessed, some still threw him wary looks. They didn’t know it was him who released Osial from his prison, but the news that the Fatui were involved in the incident spread like wildfire, and Childe didn’t make it a secret that he was a member of them. He assumed the people would rather kick him out of town than have him linger here, but none of them dared to even make eye contact with him. If the Fatui could release the prison created by Rex Lapis then what were the members capable of? Childe almost chuckled at the thought. Maybe he shouldn’t tell them he was one of the eleven Harbingers, far stronger than any regular member could dream of.
The Wanmin Restaurant buzzed with the joy and delight of people enjoying their lunch, even from afar Childe could see their smiling faces and as he got closer the smell of mint and chili filled his nose. Ah, delicious, he couldn’t wait. It wasn’t difficult to spot his company for this afternoon. Even as he sat at one of the tables, sipping on tea as the other guests, Zhongli drew attention to himself. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, maybe it was his looks or maybe everyone felt there was something about the man that demanded respect and attention, although they couldn’t put their finger on what it was. To them Zhongli was a gentleman, a kind man with a vast knowledge of everything concerning Liyue. Childe smiled. Fools… But then again, Zhongli fooled him just as he was still fooling everyone around him.
His smile turned into a grin and Childe slipped into the seat across from Zhongli. “Hey there.”
Zhongli put down his cup, a small smile made its way onto his lips. He neither seemed surprised nor put off by how Childe just invited himself to sit down, as if he expected Childe to do exactly that. He probably knew the Harbinger a bit too well at this point.
“Just on time. I took the liberty of ordering for us already. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Did you order any seafood?”
“No.” Zhongli hid the upwards twitch of his lips behind his tea cup. Childe rested his elbow on the table, his chin propped up on his palm, and grinned. He had no idea about the story behind it, but he figured out that Zhongli had a distaste for anything born in the sea. He once ate seafood tofu, but when Childe had ordered a shrimp dish the former Archon’s face visibly twisted in disdain at the sight. Childe would love to know the story behind it but so far Zhongli didn’t indulge him, and it didn’t surprise him. He didn’t trust him and they weren’t close enough for sharing private stories of their lives. Childe’s smile faded. Something Zhongli noticed, because of course he did.
“Something the matter?”
Childe blinked at him, his eyes stared into those deep amber pools and for a moment he got lost in the intensity of that glow. He shook his head before the smile returned, the happy demeanor back. This was not the time nor place for such grim thoughts, he was here to have fun, to enjoy his time in Liyue, regardless of Zhongli viewing this occasion as nothing but a business meeting.
“Just had a thought, sorry.”
Zhongli kept his gaze on him for a moment longer, studying Childe’s face but the Harbinger knew there was no indication in his expression or features that could give away how he truly felt or thought. Zhongli nodded and dropped the matter. Whether he believed Childe or not the young man didn’t know and it made him wonder why Zhongli was so casual around him in the first place.
Did he genuinely want him around just like before the incident? Or was he too wary of Childe and kept him around to have an eye on him? Neither option was what Childe truly wanted. But there was no point in hoping for anything else.
A young man from Snezhnaya could not possibly live up to the ancient gods who formed these lands.
He would laugh at any fool who dared to propose a romantic relationship to the Tsaritsa. It was ridiculous. And yet here he was, praying for a chance with the God of Contracts, the oldest of the Archons. Nevermind that he didn’t have his gnosis anymore, it didn’t change who he was and used to be.
They talked about basic stuff, Zhongli talked about business in Liyue while Childe gave him some information about the Fatui’s current missions. In the end, however, the Harbinger didn’t know whether he or Zhongli was more vague about giving away information. It reminded Childe once more that this was not a meeting between friends, just business acquaintances, if at all.
Still… given how Zhongli made a contract with the Tsaritsa herself… Childe supposed the guy knew much more about the Fatui and their mission than he let on.
It was when the food was finally served that their conversation came to a halt. Childe inhaled the smell of the delicious food deep into its lungs and he felt his mouth watering. Wanmin Restaurant truly was one of the best places in all of Liyue. He let his blue eyes slide over the various dishes. Zhongli ordered a menu for two again, plus an order on the side and he’d probably order something else if the chef recommended something specific too. No matter, Child would pay for it anyway and the former Archon knew that. Zhongli could probably propose to purchase the entire world and the Harbinger wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.
“That looks amazing,” Childe said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his dragon-and phoenix-patterned chopsticks, the gift Zhongli made him. Even if Childe technically bought them himself, though at this time he didn’t own anything of more value to him. He was aware of the meaning of this pattern, he did his research, but did it actually mean something? Something scratched in his chest and Childe coughed, he hid it behind his hand. There was nothing in his hand when he lowered it again, so that petal from earlier really had been a coincidence.
“Are you alright?”
He cleared his throat to get rid of the unpleasant scratching feeling in his throat before he met Zhongli’s gaze, a glance of worry flashed through his amber eyes.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He was. A scratching feeling in one’s throat could happen any day and anytime. It would probably fade once he got something to eat and drink. He picked up the chopsticks again.
“Have you been practicing?”
“You’ll see.” Childe grinned at the man who closed his eyes for a moment, long lashes falling against sharp cheekbones. Childe couldn’t look away. He forced himself to, however, when a smile tugged at the corners of Zhongli’s mouth and he opened his eyes again.
And he did practice. His fingers still shook a bit and sometimes his hand cramped(he didn’t know what he was doing wrong though) but he could eat with them without making a mess and an utter fool of himself.
They ate mostly in silence. Childe sometimes exclaimed how good something tasted, which led to Zhongli talking about how it was prepared or what special ingredients were used for it. And Childe listened. He tried to be casual about it, pretended to not memorize every word the former archon said and forced his eyes away from Zhongli’s lips. Though he couldn’t stop himself from stealing glances either when they went back to eating. He watched how Zhongli’s lips closed around the food, how he held back the longer strand of his hair to keep it from falling into the soup. It was something so mundane and yet Childe didn’t think he’s ever seen a more beautiful creature than this man in front of him right now.
He coughed again, but this time it hurt, left behind a burning sensation in his chest.
“You should have this checked if it continues,” Zhongli said. Childe furrowed his brows for a moment and resisted the urge to rub at his chest. Maybe he did catch something after all. Even so, a little cough wouldn’t bother him. One doesn’t grow up in a climate like Snezhnaya without knowing how to deal with a raspy throat and a common cold.
“I will.”
He wouldn’t. Zhongli knew that. A mere cough could not stop a Fatui Harbinger from doing his work.
“So tell me, how are matters in Snezhnaya? Is your family faring well?”
He wanted to believe that it meant something that Zhongli asked about his family. He wanted to believe that he cared. His chest clenched painfully at the thought.
“Oh they’re fine, thank you. My siblings are excited to meet you one day.”
Zhongli chuckled. The deep sound sent a shiver down Childe’s spine, more effective than any elemental reaction. He wondered if Zhongli could actually catch him off guard with that voice of his if they ever battled.
“I wonder what you have told them that they would have such high expectations of me,” Zhongli said. Childe grinned.
“Oh, not much, just that you’re the consultant for the Institute of Toy Research in Liyue. My little brother expects you to know everything there is to know about toys and he’s dying to ask you about them.”
“I suppose your siblings are not aware of your work for the Tsaritsa then?” It was a fact, he knew it, just phrased it as a question out of courtesy. Childe thought back to the time with the Traveler, when Teucer came for a surprise visit. Maybe he should’ve taken Teucer to meet Zhongli, but then again, it was hard to tell if Zhongli would’ve just played along without someone letting him in on it beforehand. He was certainly very particular using people and the city for a game of chess but the other way around? Childe wasn’t sure.
“The older kids know, just my little brother doesn’t. He’s still so young, I don’t want him to be aware of it just yet. To him I’m just a toy seller.”
“An honorable notion, no doubt. It has been a long time since I last stepped foot into Snezhnaya. It may be worth a journey once more.”
“It always is.” Childe grinned again. In the Tsaritsa’s name he would love the chance to show Zhongli around Snezhnaya. He would show him the palace, show him the beautiful mountains, take him ice fishing, introduce him to his home and family… He fought hard with himself to not let the smile fade from his face. Just a mere dream… That’s all it was. He shouldn’t even think about it. He should focus on his work, fulfill the Tsaritsa’s wishes and ignore Liyue and whatever else happened here.
Time passed quickly and before long the food and tea were gone. They parted ways for the time being after Childe paid for their lunch, because of course he did, but not without Childe promising to come visit again to catch up once work allowed him to. Until then he would keep Zhongli’s smile locked in his memory.
As Childe made his way out of town he coughed into his hand again, that same burning sensation creeping up inside of him just like before.
When he opened his hand a single blue petal lay in his palm.