Work Text:
Today is a day like any other.
The smell of the sea and the sounds of the city waking up invade the surroundings, The sun has been up for a few hours now, but Childe has no desire to get up and start the day.
Lying comfortably in his bed, surrounded by white scented sheets, he looks like a tiny caterpillar inside a cocoon ready to become a butterfly. The sun filters shyly through the cracks in the curtains, and the gentle sea breeze ruffles the omen's beautiful red hair, waking him from his rest.
After a few more minutes, our skillful omen is no longer able to ignore the start of the day. He moves slowly to turn around to a more comfortable position, then lazily opens one of his beautiful blue eyes, which by many accounts were rather disturbing since they reflected no light and seemed to be dead already, but to Childe this did not matter. Or at least he had convinced himself that it did.
The seagulls cawed merrily outside his apartment as the waves crashed on the shore lulling his still sleepy thoughts.
He would have liked to stay that way for the rest of the day. Somewhere warm, safe, and with no one to bother him. He had no energy to go to work. Just the thought of getting up and having to get ready for what had now become his daily routine made him dizzy.
It had now been 3 months since his life had taken this strange turn. It had been 3 months since the day he had released Osial. Everything seemed to be slow going, nothing he did fully satisfied him, he always felt tired but he did not know why.
Reluctantly Childe slowly got out of bed and began to stare at the wall in front of his eyes, he did not know exactly what he was looking at, but after a few seconds a thought crossed his mind.
"It's really too quiet here."
With that said, he stretched quietly, put on his slippers and robe, and headed for the kitchen. When he entered the living room adjacent to the kitchen he was not surprised by what he saw, a dozen dirty dishes that he knew he would have to fix sooner or later, piles of half-abandoned books, and all sorts of abandoned items on the floor.
The room was a mess, but as much as this annoyed him he could not really find a good reason to convince himself to clean up. Instead he walked over to one of the shelves where he kept various china plates and pulled out a small breakfast cup, poured a generous amount of milk and a teaspoon of a strange brownish powder into it.
"Hilarious" Thought the omen.
"I wonder what people would say if they found out that one of his majesty's harbingers, the Cryo Archon, prefers to drink hot chocolate every day instead of a simple and effective bitter coffee?...hahah...they probably wouldn't care."
After stirring carefully he picked up his cup and walked to the table. He sat down and began to sip it quietly as he admired the scenery outside the window and thought. He thought about what he could do today, what could keep him going this day as well.
The weather seemed to be nice, although the forecast had put rain. Maybe he could go for a walk before heading to the bank... Hmmm... or maybe not, given the hour he wouldn't make it in time. The quiet in the room continued to hover without interruption.
"It would be nice to have someone to talk to..." Thought the omen absentmindedly as he let a subtle sigh of resignation escape.
It was now past 10:00 a.m. He had to get ready or he would be late for work and Ekaterina would surely scold him, again, for his lack of seriousness about his duties as harbinger.
Ahh... the thought of such an unpleasant scenario made Childe want to leave the house even less. BUT.
"Those who don't work don't eat! So let's get to work." The harbinger said to himself forcefully, getting up vigorously and heading back to the bedroom to change clothes.
After about twenty minutes everything was ready, Childe took one last look in the mirror to make sure he had not forgotten anything and then hurried out the front door without a second thought. He was running late.
Outside the sun was shining high in the sky and the streets were as busy as ever, making the start of the day slightly more pleasant. Childe walked briskly through the large city streets headed toward the NorthBank, His gaze, however, was mostly turned toward the sea instead of being focused on what was in front of him.
He felt light as if he was still inside a dream and not in reality. He could feel the warmth around him but perceived nothing else, just him and the sea.
"It would be nice to go for a swim, maybe I could invite someone with me for a change ...."
Childe thought as he stumbled awkwardly over the edge of the sidewalk and ran straight into another person.
"Ha... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"YOU! Scum Fatui see to watch where you step!" He was abruptly interrupted by the man he had accidentally hit.
Childe was shocked by the reaction, closed his mouth and said no more. He quickly stood up to help the other man who instead of accepting his genuine gesture of courtesy slapped his hand and stood up himself muttering nonsensical sentences.
Understandable, Liyue's people still saw him as a menace and a troublemaker, he had to get used to it .Childe resumed his walk to the bank still deep in thought.
"Well...what can I say, the day seems to have started well" He thought wryly as he reached the flight of stairs that would lead him to the bank door. It was strange, he had walked down this street so many times that he did not even need to think about where he was going, his feet would always take him to the right place.
Childe took a big breath, calmed his mind, and a big mocking smile appeared on his face. He opened the doors of the bank wide and walked without hesitation to his office.
"Good morning, sir." Said some Fatui recruits.
"Hey there, all right folks ?" Replied the harbinger with a completely different attitude than he had until a few moments ago.
As a harbinger he had a duty to teach his troops respect and discipline, what would they have thought if they had seen him in that semi-depressed state or absorbed in his thoughts. Surely they would have mocked him and questioned his orders and authority. That was not to be; it was better to put on a false smile instead of explaining what he was thinking.
He had almost reached his office door when a familiar voice called to him from behind his back.
"Sir, where have you been so far ?" Ekaterina asked sullenly.
"Hahaha...Katia...so sorry, you know I like to get some exercise in the morning before coming to work, I was just taking a walk. Why do you stress yourself so much? It's not like the paperwork can escape from my office."
At these words Ekaterina's expression darkened even more.
"Uh oh... I was wrong..." Hastily thought the omen.
"Ahem... Anyway how about to make it up to you today after work, I'll take you to a nice little place I found on the shore of the south coast, it's full of crabs and shells, we might even go catch some fish-"
"Sir!" Said Ekaterina dryly, calling Childe back to order.
"Does this seem like the time for your ramblings? We have a lot of work to do to clean up Osial's mess, and you know that better than anyone. Please stop fooling around and get to work."
Said the secretary turning around and heading back to the front desk.
Right-he was only joking. He wasn't serious at all, it was just a way of trying to lighten Ekaterina's rebuke, nothing more....
"Hahah you're right, sorry I'll get right to work so we can all go home early."
Said the omen without letting the smile leave his face. Then he turned the door knob and entered his office.
The door closed slowly with a small clack at the end. His false smile temporarily slipped away and another sigh left his lips. No way, this day was destined to get worse and worse.
He slowly turned around and saw that the pile of paperwork on his desk had increased since yesterday afternoon. This was not a good sign at all. Judging by the amount of paper folded neatly on his work table, it would have taken him all day to finish it.
"Let's not lose heart if I finish soon maybe I have a chance to go see the sea with someone."
With that said Childe sat down at his desk and began to work diligently with the sole goal of finishing quickly so he could go see that beautiful beach he was looking at this morning.
When the clock finally struck 6 o'clock Childe had finished all the day's paperwork, it was hard but he did it. With great enthusiasm he rushed out of the office and shouted aloud.
"Guys, we're done for the day, how about we all go celebrate by the sea with a few bottles of firewater ?!"
No one answered. Childe looked around in curiosity-where had everyone gone?
He descended the stairs leading to the ground floor and rushed to ask Ekaterina.
"Katia, Where did everyone go? Why aren't they here?" Asked the omen insistently.
"Sir don't you remember?" Ekaterina asked in amazement.
"Remember what?"
"Yesterday he gave specific orders, since today in Shnezanaya is a national holiday, we here would also celebrate it that's why everyone has already left."
Damn it was true. But why then had no one come to tell him anything? And why had Ekaterina stayed?
"What about you then? Why are you still here Katia?" The harbinger asked curiously.
"Because I can't leave without closing the bank." This was the answer he received, and although it did not seem like inside it lurked a small drop of discontent.
"I'm sorry but why didn't you say anything to me? If I had known I would have let you go home earlier," Childe justified himself.
At this point Ekaterina looked up from what she was doing and turned to Childe slightly annoyed
"I tried countless times to knock on your office door, but you were too lost in thought and didn't notice."
With that said, Katia got up from her seat, threw a set of keys in Childe's direction and walked toward the door.
"Close the front door on your way out." She said as she left.
"AH... Wait Katia would you like to come with me-"
"I apologize but I already have plans for the evening, I thank you for the offer but I am already late, now if you will excuse me.... See you tomorrow."
And with these last words Ekaterina also disappeared behind the massive wooden door.
The clangour of the door echoed inside the empty room along with the sound of a loud sigh of resignation.
There was too much silence again.
Childe laboriously dragged his feet out of the majestic building, closed the door, and walked down the stairs slowly. It's not as if he had anything to do. His gaze was down, there was no need to pretend anymore, there was no one to whom he could show that false smile and false personality he had created just for convenience.
That's right, there was no one-there was only him.
Wistfully he looked toward the sea and the beach that had caught his attention this morning. The sun had not yet set, there was still some time, maybe he could ask his friends....
But who are we kidding...Childe had only 2 friends in his whole life one was Eather who had left for Sumero more than a month ago and had not been in touch again. Maybe he was very busy...that's why he didn't write any letters to Childe, yes surely he was like that. And the other ... well. Childe is not even sure he can consider him a friend.... Zhongli was probably actually not his friend at all.
What Childe considered friendship had turned out to be a simple way of monitoring his actions so that he would not cause too much damage during the staging of the great Geo Arconte's plan. Proof of this was the fact that after that day in the Bank where Zhongli handed over his gnosis to the Lady, Zhongli never sought him out or even apologized.
It was as if they both forgot about him. That was probably really the case but admitting it was too painful.
Without realizing it while Childe was deep in thought his feet took him straight to the place he wanted to go from the beginning. He walked up and down the beach for a while collecting shells and admiring them, sometimes even making a few comments to try to fill the silence around him.
When he was finally tired of pretending that everything was fine, he sat down near the shore and looked at the horizon. In the distance he could hear the sound of traditional Liyuan music enlivening people's spirits, "That's not bad," thought Childe...maybe he could enjoy this moment a little longer.
Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours...the sun was beginning to disappear and the air was getting colder and colder. Childe shivered at the cold evening breeze but for some reason did not want to leave yet. There alone on a beach with no one watching him he felt safe, protected, but at the same time ... so alone.
Big tears began to fill his eyes. God how he missed the old days, missed hanging out with the traveler, dinners with Zhongli, parties with his fellow soldiers. Why was it all gone!!! he felt like he was back to the time after the abyss, they all treated him as if he were a monster and kept him at arm's length, just the thought of it made the tears run down his face even faster.
He did not want to, he had worked so hard to make sure that situation would not happen again, he had even created a new personality so friendly that no one could reject him. Yet it had all been in vain.
Childe could not stop the tears and sobs he had now held back for too long. Perhaps he really was destined to be alone for the rest of his life.
"Childe? Are you crying?"
This voice...Childe knew this voice, he quickly rubbed his eyes and stood up sharply to face the person who had appeared behind him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked the omen without turning around, not wanting to show this vulnerable side of him to Zhongli.
"I was taking a walk." Replied the counselor as he approached.
A-right Zhongli likes to take a walk in the evening, it was silly to think that he had come for him.
"A I see-so if you'll excuse me I should now-"
Childe did not have time to complete the sentence that a pair of stone-solid arms wrapped around him from behind and dragged him to the sand with them. When had Zhongli come so close?
"W-What are you doing?!!!" Asked the embarrassed harbinger.
"I am comforting-isn't that what friends do when the other is sad?"
Replied the other as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
At this point Childe could not help but have a small wistful laugh leave his throat.
"Friends?!.... What friends? You are the Geo archon and I am a monster of the abyss in the service of another nation. How can you say we are friends."
Said the omen as he tried to hold back his emotions. He did not want to say it, but the truth was inevitable. They were like light and darkness, there was no way they could get along.
"What are you saying? What we are does not change our relationship. I consider you a dear friend, I don't care what you are or what political affiliation you belong to. And as your friend it is my duty to stand by you in difficult times."
These words really hurt. Childe really couldn't take it anymore the tears of loneliness turned into frustration and anger.
"Then why since that day at the bank all you have done is avoid me! Do you have any idea how I've felt these past few months! No, of course you don't because you weren't there! You didn't care. No one cares if I'm lonely or not, as long as I don't cause too much trouble!!!"
He blurted out the omen partially freeing himself from Zhongli's grip, tears streaked his face but at this point he didn't care anymore.
He was tired, he was really tired. Things were only getting worse, his days all seemed to be made to end the exact same way as the others, he had nothing to lose so it was best to set the record straight once and for all.
Zhongli for his part looked at the omen in a bewildered way, he did not know how to react, everything Childe had said was indisputably true. There was only one thing he could do now.
"I apologize."
Childe's anger subsided in a single instant, and his eyes widened at hearing those words.
"I beg your pardon?" Perhaps he had heard wrongly.
"I apologize," Zhongli repeated.
"I apologize for leaving you alone, for letting you think I don't care about you, for making you cry. I know this may sound like a mere apology but I am still inexperienced in human emotions and thought that maybe giving you some space to think would make you more willing to reconcile with me. But apparently I made a mistake, so please forgive my ignorance."
Leaving aside the solemn way Zhongli had addressed him, those words did not seem to be true. Childe could not believe it.
Still not seeing him convinced Zhongli continued.
"Childe... Now I know how you feel. Let me make you a promise."
Their eyes met, Their breaths intertwined forming a single cloud of smoke, Their noses touched and with all the love a person can put into a single sentence Zhongli uttered these words.
"I promise that I will never leave you alone again."
At this point Childe abandoned all inhibitions and let his emotions take over. Tears of joy flowed from his eyes and his lips moved naturally to Zhongli's, uniting them in a chaste kiss.
At last. "At last." Thought the harbinger.
He had waited all his life to hear these words and finally someone had spoken them.
Perhaps it was all a lie, perhaps it was a dream, but the sincerity with which the counselor had communicated them left no room for further doubt. When they finally parted the kiss. Childe saw that Zhongli's usually stoic face was slightly flushed.
"How cute," the harbinger thought unconsciously.
Then he realized what he had done, and embarrassment hit him hard, turning him as red as a tomato.
Zhongli laughed thunderously at this. Then he approached Childe's face again and placed an innocent kiss on his forehead. Childe raised his eyes to look at him but what he knew next was that he was held in a loving embrace by the person who had just sworn to him that he would never let him go again.
"Thank you Zhongli." Said the omen as he snuggled deeper into the other's embrace.
"No, thank you Childe...thank you for still being my friend."
"Hahah...I don't know if we can call ourselves friends anymore after this, but that talk is for another time."
The sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon and so did Our two protagonists holding hands as they walked home together.
Today was supposed to be a day like any other, but it was not at all.