Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

"No."

It took a total of ten seconds for Childe's expression to shift, his lips stretching into a tense smile. The glint in his eyes faded to their usual dullness and a snort escaped him as his fingers untangled from Zhongli's hair to drop limply at his side. 

"Should've known you're all talk."

Zhongli frowned, his lips twitching downwards as his grip tightened around the Harbinger's waist.

"I'm failing to understand your trail of reasoning here." Zhongli said, his now golden eyes searching Childe's and not letting him avoid his gaze.

"You said you love me."

"I do."

"Then prove it. Fight me."

Zhongli's frown deepened in a clear expression of concern and confusion, taking Childe's hand and placing it upon his chest, above his thundering heartbeat.

"You wish to spar with me, like that time in the kwoon? Admitedly, I always wondered why you suddenly lost interest but...I don't see how that correlates with me expressing my honest feelings for you." Zhongli was trying his best to choose his words well this time, his whole attention on Childe's expression and the minute shiftings of it. Celestia, he was so very beautiful with that constellation of freckles dancing along his cheeks, with his long auburn eyelashes framing his deep blue eyes. The way he bit at his lip, dragging it across his teeth, breaking the slightly chapped skin. It tempted Zhongli into wetting those lips with his own, to taste him once more and drown out any doubts he could still have. 

But Childe's stare remained so very serious and there was still a storm brewing underneath those depths, telling him that he still had his own peace to say.

"I've come to this land with a purpose, xiansheng. I didn't come here to indulge in foreign culture and its luxuries, I didn't come here to learn to speak your language and I certainly didn't come here to lay with my enemy." 

Zhongli tried not to grimace at being described as an enemy but in all fairness he knew it was more than reasonable for Childe to describe him as such, now that he knew the truth. For all accounts and purposes, Childe had commited war crimes against his nation, the very nation he had created, in his attempts to reach him. The last thing that should be expected was for him to hold the Harbinger in his arms and confess that he loves him, truly adores him, that he is the one he wishes to have by his side but he still does anyway, against all those expectations. 

Childe seems to share those views, even if he also shows that he desperately wants to believe in what Zhongli is telling him.

"I was fully ready to fight you, Morax." Childe breathed, his hands smoothing up Zhongli's lapels as if he was simply talking about the weather. His fingers then curled around the fabric and bunched it up in his grip, tearing a small gasp from the other as he was pulled against the Harbinger's body and made to meet his stare, his smile now stretching into a humorless grin. "You had your fun driving me mad chasing you...so now let me have mine."

The airs on his forearms stood and a full body shiver traveled across Zhongli's body. There was a certain bloodlust lacing Childe's tone, a serious threat in the way he gripped him.

And Zhongli couldn't hide how much it all excited him.

But he was also aware that giving in to something he didn't fully understand could be fickle and empty on his part. He could sense how much his answer would mean to Childe.

So it was time for compromise, again.

"I wish to treasure you."

Childe didn't seem to expect that, his dull blue eyes widening in surprise. Zhongli chose that moment of vulnerability to cup his cheek and drag his thumb under the skin beneath his eye, tracing the freckles there. He could hear

Childe's breath stuttering and the sound of his gasp sent his blood rushing with a thrill down his spine; a deeply seated and terribly ancient draconic desire to keep this beautiful man entirely to himself.

"I believe I still have not made it clear just how completely you own me. I would put myself at your mercy if that meant we could rekindle what we had not so very long ago. I am a hostage to the memory of your touch." And at the end of this sentence, Zhongli's hand trailed down towards Childe's lips, tugging at his bottom lip. Childe's eyelids fluttered, his gaze becoming heated as he unconsciously leaned towards his fingers. 
Zhongli drew in a shaky breath, his other hand  bunching at the lower back of Childe's jacket and a growl crawled its way up his sternum as he was made to revisit those same wonderful times he spent between Childe's thighs.

And he yearned.

"Make no mistake, I would do anything to have you." 

Childe's lips curved into a slight smile and something about his expression hinted at long awaited delight. 

"Then it should take no effort to grant me this one request."

Zhongli paused, taking in the edge of Childe's smile, the way his fingers gripped at him still, tightly, as if afraid to let him go despite seemingly conveying this stance of 'take it or leave it' to the consultant. He realized that it wasn't that easy for the Harbinger to be almost negotiating with him about this when in reality he probably just wanted to hold him and act out his desires, to pour out his heart and leave it bare and open once more for him to possibly carve it out. 

Not to mention he was still pale and sickly and he swayed every now and then, his legs trembled and his heart was racing so rapidly that Zhongli could feel it through his very touch.

Childe let out a small sound of surprise when he was hoisted into a bridal carry, his arms wrapping instinctively around the consultant's neck so as not to fall and his head lolled against the other's chest, shivering as he secretly basked in his heat. 

He was always so warm...

He felt like home.

"You are as stubborn as ever." Zhongli grumbled, tucking him closer to his chest as he started to walk them out of the abandoned factory, his steps echoing across the empty eerie halls. He looked down once and his amber eyes met Childe's exhausted dull gaze yet his lips were now softened into a tender smile, something a bit more rare and familiar to the times when it was just the two of them. 

Zhongli felt as if his chest could burst.

"Let me prove my love for you from this very moment, with my every breath, with my very soul. Let me show you how deeply you have settled inside my thoughts. Surely one single battle shouldn't be enough for me to earn you." 

The very thought made him ache.

Childe deserved it all and more, beyond what Zhongli could ever give, beyond what he as a Harbinger could have. Yet they could try. Nobody ever said they couldn't try.

Childe's smile widened a fraction, looking up at him as if he was his whole world.

And perhaps he was.

"I really do love hearing you speak, xiansheng."

Zhongli returned his smile in kind, leaning his head down and brushing the tip of his nose against his, his hold on him tightening as he answered:

"And I love the way you listen, baobei."

"Mr. Zhongli."

The consultant sighed into the cold night air, his gaze settling on the shore right in front of him and the Snezhnayan travelling boat that had just docked inside the harbor. The wind was strong enough for the lanterns to sway tonight and promised a swift journey back. 

The Traveler's hand settled on his shoulder gently, requesting his attention and Zhongli regarded them with a tired gaze. After all he had put them through, he was comfortable enough to show a more genuine side of him to the

Traveler. He considered them and their floating companion as friends and it brought comfort that he could confess his troubles to someone so reliable. 

The Traveler gave him an understanding smile, his eyes relaying also a certain degree of weariness and Zhongli had no doubt of it. Both of their days had been rather eventful and the promise of a bed at the end of it was becoming increasingly more appealing. 

"Would you want me to be the one to tell them?"

Zhongli shook his head, adjusting his leather gloves. He bowed his head respectfully at the Traveler, who made sure to return it. There was something reverent in their gaze now, something that had certainly not been there before they knew who he really was. The amount of respect he still garnered was touching, to say the least.

"Why don't we go together? I'm certain young Teucer would like us to say our farewells too."

The Traveler smiled and they started to walk back to the Northland bank. Paimon appeared next to them in a sudden burst of magic and hovered next to the Traveler's blonde hair, humming and playing with a few longer strands.

"I wasn't able to get anymore time with Teucer ever since you returned with Childe. They spent the rest of the day just the two of them. Didn't have the heart to disrupt them, really."

Zhongli hummed, his lips curving into a tender smile. The Traveler's golden eyes had a curious glint in them and they kept on conversing, between ticklish giggles as Paimon continued fiddling with their disheveled hair.

"I'm actually surprised Childe still had so much energy left for all that after you both returned. I've never seen him so spent, even after all the fights we had."

They were almost at the stairs at the bank but Zhongli paused at that, his amber eyes settling on the Traveler's as he regarded them and their words.

"You have fought him several times?"

The Traveler nodded, stopping as well and raising a hand to their chin in a pensative stance.

"He approached me a few weeks ago, not very long after we fought at the Golden House. Complimented my fighting and invited me to spar when we both arranged the time." The Traveler sighed, a somewhat conflicted expression overtaking them as they looked towards the starred sky above them. "I admit, the guy freaks me out. There were way too many times where he was close to killing me and I think if it weren't out of sheer luck and Archon given blessings, I probably wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now."

Zhongli blinked , finding such an opinion to be surprising yet also fitting in regards to Childe. He knew he had always been dealing with a Harbinger and Childe wasn't one to be underestimated but to hear such a strong and courageous person like the Traveler speak like that about him was enough to spark his own curiosity.

"If you are so uncomfortable around him, why would you accept his invitations?" It was a reasonable enough question and it had the Traveler answer it with a helpless shrug, their lips curving into a small smile.

"I'm not really sure either. There's something about him, you know? He's so passionate in some things and in others..." They trail off, their tone becoming more quiet and Zhongli's gaze was focused on the way they were worrying their hands, the conflict visible in their expression deepening. "He's screaming for help somehow..."

Zhongli frowned slightly and it was enough for the Traveler to start appeasing him with their hands, motioning in frantic movements as they continued.

"Ah, I'm just going off the rails here, Mr. Zhongli, there's not really much to it. I do admit he makes for entertaining practice and we both mutually benefit from the workout." The Traveler grins at that and Zhongli's lips twitched. 

"Plus," The Traveler starts climbing the steps, looking back at the consultant with a sudden sharp glint in their eyes. "I can keep an eye on him this way. His tongue gets much looser while in the middle of battle." 

Zhongli's steps faltered at that, blinking up at the Traveler with a certain kind of wonder, marvelling at their duality. 

Truly a most valuable ally.

As they reach the top of the stairs and are readying to knock on the bank's front doors, the Traveler stops with their hand midair and turned to the consultant, their smile now resembling more of a smirk.

"Has he challenged you too?"

Something in Zhongli's expression must have given it away because the Traveler didn't even wait for his answer, shaking their head and letting out an amused chuckle at it all.

"He's really something else."

And Zhongli could only agree with that.

The doors to the bank opened and they were held up by a slightly disgruntled Ekaterina.

"Only he goes in." She didn't waste time with pleasantries, nodding rather briskly at Zhongli. The remaining Fatui inside the bank were tense as they regarded the Traveler, their hands at the sheaths of their weapons and the consultant caught said Traveler rolling their eyes but nodding all the same.

"You guys have a lot of nerve acting like this when you were the ones plotting to sink a whole city under the waves." They still grumbled under their breath and Zhongli caught Ekaterina grumble in return as she started closing drawers from her desk with a little more force that necessary and slamming ink containers on top of it rather loudly. 

Such a charged environment.

He didn't miss the way Ekaterina's eyes followed him carefully, probably trying to figure out his intentions and he tried to portray himself as harmless as he could, even nodding at her out of respect before knocking gently on the door to Childe's office.

When nobody answered, he sent a quick glance to Ekaterina, who was already giving her attention to something else and decided to just go in. He turned the knob slowly so as not to make much noise and opened the door, letting it click shut behind him. 

He huffed softly through his nose at the sight in front of him and it particularly tugged at his chest the way both brothers clung to each other in their sleep. The youngest was curled against the other's chest, little nose resting on the junction of his neck and breathing softly through his open mouth. His hand gripped tightly at Childe's red scarf and Childe's arm wrapped securily around Teucer's smaller body in return, keeping him settled over one knee as he sat in his chair. In another hand, hanging precariously in a loose grip was a translated Liyuen book of traditional children's stories and Zhongli had to fight the fullness in his chest, finding the sight before him so very right at the moment.

Childe's expression seemed peaceful for once and a small smile was gracing his lips even. It almost pained him to have to disrupt it. 

"Ajax." Zhongli called softly, one gloved hand settling on the Harbinger's shoulder and gently shook him awake.

Childe's brows twitched in a frown, groaning as he fought to cling to the last remnants of sleep and Teucer started to stir as well, jostled by the sudden movements of his older brother.

"Just a few more minutes, xiansheng." Childe grumbled, his body turning slightly to curl a bit tighter around Teucer and the child nuzzled into the embrace in response.

Zhongli had to give himself a few seconds before he persisted.

"Ajax, the boat will not wait for much longer." He grimaced as he said it and saw Childe's eyes slowly open at that, the dullness in them becoming particularly deep. 

"Right." He breathed out and looked down at Teucer, putting the book in his hand on top of the desk and brushing his little brother's strands away from his eyes.

"Teucer, wakey wakey." He smiled fondly as Teucer stirred again, opening his eyes and yawning as he started to stretch his arms.

"Big brother?" He murmured, rubbing a fist over a sleepy eye.

"It's time to go." Childe attempted a smile but it trembled and he pursed his lips, focusing on the repetitive motions of brushing his little brother's unruly hair.

So very like his own.

"Oh." Teucer said, his own lips trembling as well before leaning into Childe's hand. He looked up, tears brimming at his eyes but he was doing an admirable job of keeping them in. "Do I really have to?"

Childe breathed in deeply through his nose, looking to the side for a bit and blinking rapidly before he started to help Teucer get up.

"Come on, buddy, we talked about this." Childe kneeled at Teucer's eye level and started to help him redress in his coat and put his wool cap back on his head, tucking a few auburn strands behind his ears. Teucer's lips wobbled at that but nodded, deciding to not whine anymore against his departure.

Childe didn't want it any more than he did but he was the older one and he had his own responsibilities. It was enough that he would probably get an earful from his mother once he finally did return home.

Yet he couldn't bear the miserable look in Teucer's eyes.

He took the red scarf that he usually wore around his neck and started to wrap it around Teucer, making sure it was snug and would warm him through the cold Liyuen night when he drifted off to sea.

"Here, you can have it. Something to remember me by."

Teucer tugged the fabric closer to his face and sniffled, only nodding in response.

Childe's trembly smile persisted and he tried to have Teucer look at him. "Hey, come on, little guy...you know you'll see me again."

Teucer nodded again but still didn't say anything, looking at the ground instead.

He suddenly gasped as a stuffed Mr. Cyclops toy started to appear in front of him. 

"I'm trusting this guy to look after you meanwhile, ok? Will you promise to always have it with you?"

"No way!!!" Teucer exclaimed, his little hand grabbing at the toy and jumping in excitement, looking up at Childe and wiping away his tears.

"There's that smile." Childe chuckled, ruffling at the boy's cap and Teucer giggled, readjusting it.

"How did you even get this? I couldn't find anything from Mr. Cyclops here!!" His blue eyes sparkled as he hugged the toy to his chest and beamed at Childe, who put up a single finger to his own lips.

"The world's greatest toy salesman, remember?"

Teucer's eyes shined brilliantly at that and he lunged at Childe's waist in a tight embrance, giggling. Childe patted down his head and glanced at Zhongli, giving the consultant a secretive pained smile between just the two of them. 

Zhongli sighed and approached them in time for Teucer to detach from Childe and surprisingly enough take the consultant's hand without any fuss.

"Mr. Zhongli," Teucer began, his eyes suddenly gaining a determined kind of glint that was slightly humorous on someone so young. Zhongli hummed, looking down at the child with a fond expression. 

Teucer looked back at his brother for a second before he inched closer to the consultant and Childe followed them out of the office with a curious tilt of his head.

"Will you make a pinkie promise with me?"

Zhongli blinked down at the child before he took the hint and their fingers shifted so that they were only holding by their pinkies as they continued to walk. 

"Of course, young Teucer." 

Teucer's eyes became even more sharp as he continued. "This is very important. You must keep this promise forever."

Zhongli's amber eyes flashed golden for the second they crinkled fondly as he smiled. "Of course, my child. You should know that I don't take promises lightly."

Behind them Childe tried to make out what they were being so secretive about but decided not to disrupt their conversation, if not for the way his heart was twisting and tugging at the familiar way Zhongli was so easily treating his little brother and wondered just how well the consultant mingled with those he cared about.

"Good." Teucer nodded, looking back once more at Childe. "Promise me you'll take care of big brother?"

Zhongli blinked, taken aback by such a request and the surprise in his face was enough for Teucer's to become slightly sheepish, stuttering as he continued. "B-Big brother takes care of everyone."

His eyes become just a little sad.

"But if he's taking care of everyone then who is taking care of him?"

They were nearing the docks by now and Zhongli felt a knot in his throat as he kept silent, Teucer's simple question resonating inside his being and deep enough to touch his ancient heart.

"Who, indeed." He murmured and Teucer tugged at his pinkie with a little more strength, not wanting to let go yet.

"S-So!" Teucer exclaimed, his voice raising and he went back to a hushed tone at Childe's suspicious frown. "He really likes you, Mr. Zhongli. D-Do you like him too?"

Zhongli didn't even hesitate this time as his smile widened. "I like your brother very much."

It was Zhongli's turn to look back at a distracted Childe, who was taking in the view of the calm sea that lapped at the docks, softly lit by the harbor's lanterns. It painted his face with the warmest of colors and made his dull cerulean eyes glisten with a certain melancholy that he was still able to turn beautiful. 

It seemed like instinct almost, how the words flowed out of his lips as his pinkie curled tighter around Teucer's.

"You must rest assured that for as long as I breathe, your brother will always have someone to care for him." His voice became raspy by the end from the depth of his emotions and he realized it had been a long time since he had found such a purpose for himself.

Their pinkies started to acquire a golden glow to them and Teucer gasped in awe as he looked up at the consultant with stars in his eyes.

"You're so cool, Mr. Zhongli." He then nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied with his own choice and they remained silent for the rest of their walk.

They stood side by side over one of the stony railings, overlooking Teucer getting on the boat to Snezhnaya. Two Fatui agents were patiently waiting for the child to say his final farewells to the Traveler and Childe's fingers tapped at the stone anxiously, his gaze half lidded but still sharp as ever. They softened when Teucer waved at them one final time and they waved back until he finally disappeared under the stairs that led to the boat's guest quarters. Childe smirked as he saw Teucer starting to talk the Fatui agents' ears off.

He swallowed the lump stuck in his throat as the boat started to move, turning on their night lights and sailors started to shout instructions at each other. Some of them yawned and Childe waved a finger discreetly, his Hydro vision glowing for the barest moment as a small cat sized whale started to shimmer just below the surface of the water and began circling the boat, following in its trail as soon as it began to slowly detach from the docks.

"Keep him safe." Childe whispered and the cold wind made his teary eyes sting, having to blink rapidly to sooth them. 

There were a few minutes of silence where they just stood there overlooking the sea and the ever distancing boat, becoming smaller and smaller. Their shoulders brushed once in a while and the warmth Childe felt from that was a small comfort. 

When the boat was not visible anymore, the Traveler was long gone and the harbor had quieted to the calm of a sleeping city. The only steps that could be heard were those of a patrolling mililleth, now and then.

"Zhongli-xiansheng," Childe started, disrupting the silence. Zhongli regarded him with his full attention and straightened his posture from where he leaned against the railing. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Zhongli snorted and smiled, looking up at the sky as he pretended to think about it.

"I believe my schedule has just been cleared." 

Childe's eyes glinted with a certain hunger yet he hid it well with the relaxed shrug of his shoulders as he started walking ahead, tugging at Zhongli's tie in passing.

"I could go for some drinks right now." He looked back once Zhongli stayed rooted to his spot, his amber eyes seemingly focused on the way Childe was walking away from him and it sent a flutter to his heart; this feeling of not knowing what would happen next. "Your place?"

Zhongli's cheeks acquired a faint rosy tint for the few seconds it took him to answer, his breath audibly hitching and Childe felt the corners of his lips twitch as he supressed a sudden grin at that.

"You are always welcome there." Zhongli was by his side then and they started walking together, their fingers brushing at times and sending jolts of electricity from that barest touch. 

Childe snorted, inching the tiniest bit closer yet didn't make any move to touch the consultant. "There aren't many places here where I'm welcome anymore."

His tone was neutral and didn't hint at any sadness from that fact. Yet Zhongli couldn't help but feel it in his stead, especially because he knew Childe had been genuinely enjoying his stay in Liyue. 

Perhaps, with time, things would settle.

"I do miss our dinners at the pavilion and our lunches at Wanmin." Childe confessed.

"I'm sure I could get you some take out, now and then. Do you have a set time to leave yet?" Zhongli didn't know if he wished to know the answer. He knew Childe couldn't stay in Liyue forever and the Tsaritsa would call upon him anytime now. 

Childe shook his head and Zhongli's shoulders relaxed, not even realizing his posture had been so tense.

"I see." Zhongli murmured, not sure how to feel about that information. He didn't wish to waste a single second more when he could spend it with Childe.

They reached the door to his apartment and they shared a moment of recollection as he started to use his key, remembering the last time they were seen together in this same place and the tantalizing promises Childe whispered to his ears. 

Nothing about the mood hinted of the same outcome and Childe seemed almost nervous or anxious as he picked at the fabric of his gloves. He seemed restless and with too many thoughts inside his head.

Zhongli opened the door and stepped back, extending a hand for Childe to go in first.

Childe gave him a trembly smile and a soft 'excuse me' and then the door shut behind them, leaving them alone in the apartment's silence. 

Zhongli was quick to light up the lanterns and soon the space was well lit and cozy looking even if a bit messy with books and scrolls all over the place.

Childe was sure there were even more trinkets than the last time he had been here.

He took off his boots and jacket, stretching his arms above his head and watched Zhongli disappear into the kitchen. Childe grabbed a few scrolls that were occupying the couch and grimaced as some of them unfurled and rolled to the floor. He let out a hushed curse in Snezhnayan as he rushed to pick the flimsy paper back up and started rolling it back up hurriedly with a frown. 

"Who knew Archons were this messy?" He grumbled under his breath.

And then the realization hit him.

It seemed silly how long it was taking for it to settle. That Zhongli had been an Archon, the oldest Archon in recorded Teyvat history, a deity in his own right even without a gnosis to represent it in the eyes of Celestia. He had so many titles that Childe had read them listed in two whole pages of a book he had borrowed once.

He still struggled to separate the man he knew from the myth he had learned. And then, another question kept stubbornly nagging him: why should he separate them? 

"Should I brew some tea or are we indulging purely on alcoholic beverages tonight?" Zhongli's voice called out.

Childe was finally able to gather all the scrolls, now neatly closed, into his arms and put them aside. He settled on the couch with a weary sigh, brushing a few auburn strands away from his temple.

"I just need something that burns right now." He answered and didn't miss the way Zhongli appeared back into the living room, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

Childe suddenly straightened in his seat, looking back at the consultant almost pouting. 

"Wait, do you even have alcohol here? Last time I checked you can't even get drunk." Childe crossed his arms and huffed. "Fooled me well back then."

Zhongli sighed and made his way to a wooden cabinet right in front of the couch, opening it. Childe heard the sound of glasses clacking together and tried not to stare at Zhongli's broad shoulders and his tiny waist or the way those tailored pants hugged the sinful curves of his ass and thighs so snuggly. He could feel his fingers twitch unconsciously and he cleared his throat loudly when the consultant turned to face him and set a bottle and glasses on the wooden coffeetable. 

He chose to ignore the way his cheeks were burning to whistle at the fancy looking bottle, looking up at Zhongli as the other settled on the couch beside him and started pouring them both a glass. The liquid was of a strong golden color and it had a pleasant floral smell, somewhat of a mix between the strongness of alcohol and the soothing warmth of tea.

It certainly seemed like something Zhongli would drink for pleasure.

"What is it?" Childe asked, sniffing at his glass curiously. 

Zhongli took a sip first and hummed, seemingly savoring the taste before swallowing. "Osmanthus wine. A departing gift from my adepti."

Childe took a sip as well and the taste that hit his tongue couldn't be described as either sweet or sour but a balanced combination of both and soon he was downing the rest of his glass in good old Snezhnayan fashion. 

As Zhongli poured him another glass, Childe leaned closer to him with a smirk on his lips.

"Opening the fancy bottles for me, xiansheng?" At Zhongli's returning smile, he continued, clinking his glass to the consultant's in a mock of a toast. "What are we celebrating?"

Zhongli took another sip but had inched his body closer as well and their shoulders now brushed, their warmth now seeping into each other. 

"There's much to celebrate but as of right now I am simply enjoying your company."  

Childe's smirk melted into a sweet but reserved private smile. He put his glass on the table and rested his head on Zhongli's shoulder, looking down at the other's free hand on his lap and tracing those long fingers. 

His own twitched again yet he couldn't will his body to move, as if afraid that this reality would shatter at any given moment. 

"I missed you a lot." He managed to confess and let the words hang over them for a moment.

Zhongli put his own glass down and intertwined their fingers, squeezing his hand in reassurance.

"I have a lot to atone for, baobei. Please believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt you like this." 

Childe's felt a pang in his chest and continued staring down.

"Then why didn't you just tell me that back then?" He thought bitterly.

"I lied, you know?" He heard Zhongli's breathing stutter at that so he hurried to continue, lest the other start jumping to conclusions. "About you being a waste of my time. I think part of the reason I was so mad to start with was because...I had never felt so happy before."

When Zhongli didn't say anything to that, Childe continued, the words now spilling from his lips freely and as easily as it were to breathe. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he realized that these were things that needed to be said, that had to be said, no matter the outcome of this conversation.

"When I found out you were Rex Lapis and I was never meant to fight you, that you had been under my nose this whole time and after that whole fiasco at the bank I...I thought the worst, really. I thought that all that happiness I had felt was undeserved...that I could never have it because you were the only one I had felt it with." He swallowed. "When you told me of your plan and the contract we made...it made me feel like I was nothing."

His voice wavered at the end and he cleared his throat to diguise it. He felt Zhongli's body shift beside him and gasped as he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. His arms wrapped around Zhongli and he allowed himself to press his face against the consultant's chest, breathing in that intoxicating scent that he had come to love so much. Now that he knew who Zhongli was, he could never separate this scent from the strength of the earth and the ancient tones that hinted to an unwavering calm; a steady shore for him to finally settle onto.

"You have become everything." Zhongli murmured against his hair and Childe shivered, that rumbly low tone had always been enough to turn his thoughts into a jumbled mess. "The happiness that you felt was very much real, Ajax, because it was the same happiness that I felt."

Childe felt a small reverent kiss upon the top of his head.

"You filled my days with your jovial laughter, you listened to my rambles, you showed interest in what I had to teach and you held my attention so effortlessly I thought myself enchanted. You showed me so much of yourself, Ajax, and you are so very beautiful..."

Childe looked up from where he rested upon Zhongli's chest, finding the consultant's expression to be conflicted but adoring, his warm amber gaze crinkling fondly as he raised a hand and brushed at his locks like he seemed to enjoy so much doing.

"I am... old and way past my time to find love as I thought that particular aspect of my life was well and truly over. Falling in love with you felt so natural that I could hardly believe it until it was too late. You are the piece that I've been missing, Ajax."

Childe's grip on the consultant's shirt had turned so tight that his knuckles had become white and his face felt like it was on fire, choked up on his emotions. He never thought he could ever feel like this: like he had someone, was truly not alone anymore. 

"Just kiss me already." He breathed and didn't wait for Zhongli to do it, lunging for the other's lips and meeting them for a passionate kiss, hoping he could convey all the desperation, all the turmoil, all the confusion and passion he had been feeling ever since they met. He wanted back the feeling of giving himself to another, wanted to free himself from everything else.

Childe gasped as he felt hands caress their way up his sides, sliding underneath his harness and he shivered at the heated return of Zhongli's lips, slotting perfectly against his in a dance they had already perfected before. It was overwhelming how he now knew nothing of it was one sided, that he was actually wanted and by the former Rex Lapis no less.

Something possessive and hungry was rearing its front in his thoughts, the thought of owning a God like this almost as thrilling as besting him in combat and he wondered what could actually be more impressive than having Morax devouring his lips like a man dying of thirst, grabbing at his clothes with fragile restraint as he mapped out his body. Tartaglia purred as he slung a leg over the other's lap, grabbing at his shoulders and rolling his hips slowly against the consultant's, both of them moaning hoarsely as they separated from their kiss and gazed heatedly into each other's eyes. 

"You were not too old for this, were you?" Childe teased, rolling his hips again and Zhongli's hands were soon steadying him, gripping at the exposed deep V on his abdomen and trailing his thumbs along it with a delicious amount of pressure. "I remember us having quite a lot of fun together." He whispered into his ear, licking at the shell and delighting in just how red the tip of it had turned and how visibly Zhongli shivered at it.

Quite sensitive, wasn't he?

Childe realized he didn't quite know what was it that made a man like Zhongli tick in such ways. He had always been so domineering in those few times they had been together that Childe had let himself be led by it, not having much experience with it either. 

Seeing him so visibly affected, feeling the growing hardness that tented his pants and grinded against his own, digging almost desperately into his ass and the heated, hazy glint of his amber eyes, becoming brighter by the second...Childe wanted more of it, all to himself.

"Xiansheng," He breathed out, gasping as those hands drifted to his ass and grabbed it, squeezing it at the same time he grinded down on him. 

"H-Holy shit, he's really going for it..." Childe was drawn into one more kiss, whimpering as Zhongli's tongue caressed his own and traced the roof his mouth, robbing him of his breath. One of the hands at his ass moved towards the front of his pants and started tugging at the buckle of his belt, where his Vision still rested. He moaned out loud as the gloved hand slipped inside his pants and underwear and immediately grabbed his half hard cock with a gentle grip, giving it one single stroke and finding him soaking wet, to his slight embarassment. 

The feeling of leather upon his naked skin made him shake his head, putting his own hand over Zhongli's and making the consultant stop before he continued his ministrations.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Childe's face was now entirely red, looking down at some of the books piled on the floor so as not to look directly at the consultant's disheveled state. "As in...can we sleep together?" He had never felt so foolish.

A few unnerving seconds of silence went by before he heard Zhongli sigh softly, his arms wrapping around him in a comforting embrace again. 

"Of course. I was hoping you would stay." 

He didn't know why that answer was enough to bring tears to his eyes, but it did.

Something so simple as Zhongli wanting him to stay was enough for his broken heart to feel just a tiny bit fuller and that wonderful warmth to spread in another wave across his body. He chose to simply nod against the consultant's neck and didn't even react when he felt himself being lifted and carried upstairs. 

"How does a warm bath sound? Today was a rather long day."

Childe only nodded again, his arms and thighs tightening around Zhongli's shoulders and waist and only detached once they reached his room and headed towards the bathroom, not wanting to be carried all the way there like some kid throwing a sleepy tantrum. He heard the sound of water rushing as he accessed Zhongli's bedroom, finding it almost the same as he had left it that one last morning and let out a heavy sigh, starting to unbutton his shirt and getting out of his rumpled pants. His nose twitched as he let the Fatui garb crumple to the floor in a messy pile, knowing he would have to request Ekaterina to do some laundry soon.

The soothing scent of violetgrass was something that he expected by now and sent his tense body into relaxation almost immediately. He turned around in time for Zhongli to tell him his bath was ready, the gentle amber gaze becoming just a tad bit hungry once again seeing him in just his underwear and Childe made a point to stretch his muscles just for a bit longer before he thanked the consultant with an affectionate peck to his cheek and went on inside the bathroom.

The bath felt heavenly, as always, and if Childe indulged in it for a bit longer than he should, Zhongli didn't say anything about it. He didn't even bother with dressing in the pajamas Zhongli had set out for him to wear, deciding to just appear with water dripping sinuously down his body and using his towel to dry his hair rather than covering himself. 

He decided that Zhongli was still too covered up for his liking by now. 

He took advantage that the other was pretty much just oggling him still and he could feel himself preen rather vainly from the way he kept trying not to look up and down his body, as if not deciding which part he seemed to like the most. 

"Ajax, you're soaking the wooden floor." Zhongli complained rather halfheartedly, closing the book he had been distracting himself with and leaning back further down on the bed as Childe advanced towards him, dropping the towel all together and reaching for the buttons of the consultant's shirt and vest. The Harbinger's hands wandered, pressing down on Zhongli's chest and letting out a pleased hum as he uncovered it, tossing the tie aside. 

"Fuck, I missed you so bad..." Childe whispered, breathing sharply as he caressed one meaty pec and flicked his finger over a dusky nipple, making Zhongli's own breathing stutter and his own legs spread slightly to accomodate Childe between them. 

Childe kept unbuttoning the shirt after the vest was dealt with, placing small heated kisses down Zhongli's toned abs, licking a stripe across the defined line of his hips and fumbling with his belt at the same time. He breathed in his earthy musk, mouthing at base of his cock as he kept pulling the pants down and heard Zhongli pratically growl as he lifted his hips to help him. Childe gasped as his cock sprang out, half hard and lapped at the length once, agonizingly slow, observing the way Zhongli's chest rose shallowly as his breathing quickened. 

"How do you want me?" Zhongli asked breathlessly, leaning back on his elbows, his cock now fully hard and throbbing in Childe's hand. 

Childe let out a huff of amusement, finding humor in how Zhongli was repeating himself from that one time yet now he was the one empowered, quite literally holding him in the palm of his hand.

The shirt that still hung from the consultant's shoulders taunted him and with another lick at the wet head, he said:

"I want you naked, pressed against me. I want to see you and feel you just as bare as I have been."

Zhongli stared wordlessly for a while before he finally nodded, straightening a bit to shrug off his shirt down his shoulders and Childe's mouth dropped slightly as Zhongli's arms were uncovered, dark and decorated with shimmering geometrical lines, glowing and pulsing with the color of geo. The dark scales faded into the gloves and Zhongli was careful to remove them, tugging at the ends on his fingers and slowly revealing the golden skin that lay underneath as well as the pointed tips of growing claws. 

Childe marveled at that, pratically starstruck, recalling all the epic tales where he saw that appearance mentioned and feeling like he was witnessing a living legend baring itself before him, trusting him. 

He crawled up the other's body as if in a trance, straddling his lap once more and rested a hand on his shoulder, trailing it down one arm and feeling the deep grooves he had felt once before yet hadn't been fully aware of what they had been. There were a few cracks that ran deeper than others and Childe ran the pad of his fingers deep into them, throwing Zhongli a questioning look.

Some of them resembled that of a pattern of crumbling stone, struggling to hold together, even if minimal.

"I am eroding." Zhongli closed his eyes, his chest rising in a deep sigh. "I have long come to terms with it."
Childe's heart felt heavy.

"Are you...?" He was almost afraid to ask, the mood suddenly shifting to an uncomfortable reality, one he didn't think much about until just now. Was this what Zhongli had meant when he tried to explain the reasons for his retirement?

Was Morax...dying?

"Tián xīn..." Zhongli said in a low tone, his golden fingers grasping at Childe's chin. "You must know that the promise of finality does not bring me any despair. It is something that I almost feel grateful for, that one day my long life will finally come to a conclusion. It gives me a purpose for all that I do now." He brushed his strands behind his ear, careful for his claws to not nick any of his skin. "So don't despair for me."

"It's just..." Childe started, surprised at the heaviness of his own voice. "I never thought it could happen to you."

There was an unspoken reverence in what he said, a deeply seeded disbelief and Zhongli felt his heart grow impossibly fuller. 

"Although the gnosis helped to stall the process, it will still be an incredibly long time before I start feeling its effects."

Unbidden, Childe thought back to the tale of Azhdaha and how Morax had been forced to seal an old friend deep beneath the earth, maddened by the erosion of his memory. 

An erosion riddled Azhdaha had been a respectable enough threat to shake the very foundations of Liyue at the time and force the hand of its Archon. He couldn't fathom the reality of the same happening to Zhongli. 

"I know I'm being foolish, that you'll outlive me for centuries..." Childe swallowed, resting his head on Zhongli's chest and listening to the steady heartbeat. He basked in the warmth he could feel from the press of their naked skin, finally devoid of any barriers of clothing and breathing in deeply, tracing mindless patterns across the broad chest. "But I can't imagine you losing yourself like that..."

Zhongli made him to look him in the eye again, a certain mischievous glint ins his eyes replacing the soft melancholy that had been there.

"I'd rather lose myself in your pleasures...the sweet memory of your trembing thighs..." He whispered in his ear, caressing down said thighs and hiking him up further into his lap. Childe stuttered out an embarassing moan, looking down at their cocks brushing together and slapped his shoulder lightly, disguising his arousal with badly faked annoyance.

"You old fiend...how can you just say that all of a sudden..." 

"With you pressed against me like this? You don't even fathom the thoughts going through my head..." Zhongli let out a low growl, finally free to let his more beastly instincts out as he trailed his claws down and pressed a finger against Childe's entrance, letting out a delighted purr as the finger slipped in with ease. Childe shivered violently, moaning and throwing his head back as Zhongli carried on fingering him, the danger of his claws not deterring him in the least.

"O-oh my god, y-you-ah-!" Childe clung to Zhongli's shoulders, grinding his hips further down the other's hand, hoping to take him in deeper. He felt so empty, it could never be enough after all the lonely nights he endured. 

"Your song is so pretty, my lovely Ajax. It will sooth me in my darkest of days." Noticing that there was no need to stretch him any further, Childe was flipped around in one smooth motion and pressed against the matress, his dull cerulean eyes widening as he gasped and was folded in half, Zhongli pressing on his thighs enough for him to see his own ankles. 

And then he felt the head of his cock prodding at his hole. 

"You want this, don't you?"

"Oh fuck, yes, please, please, xiansheng-!" He begged, his own pride thrown out of the window as he felt the fullness of the first inches starting to slide in, throwing his head back against the pillow and panting like a dog. 

"Hnngh, you feel so amazing, Ajax, Heavens-" Zhongli groaned, pulling and pushing as he savored the wet slide of his cock inside Childe, slowly stretching his walls to fullness the more he made him take it. The slow pace he set wasn't wholefully out of concern but more of a selfish need to make the Harbinger feel him stretching him out for the longest he could drag it out, delighting in the way he made him pant and gasp and sweat. His high keening moans drew out a prolongued deep growl that rumbled from his chest, giving one sharp snap of his hips as he finally sunk all the way to the hilt.

"O-Oh my god, oh my fucking g-god, xiansheng-!" Childe sobbed and Zhongli's growls became just a tiny bit more intense as a tear of strain trailed down Childe's cheek. 

"That's it, Ajax, you're doing so well." Zhongli's claws were now digging into Childe's thighs, drawing out pinpricks of blood. The iron tang of its scent shouldn't have made him any harder but the lack of his gnosis made it all the more difficult to contain. He licked at his fangs, the position they were in allowing him to watch his length going in and out of Childe in an almost hypnotizing motion, sometimes quickening the pace if only to hear Childe's incessant moans become higher pitched. His thrusts were steady and forceful and Childe's hands were grasping at the sheets, moving them mindlessly as if he couldn't quite decide what to do with them.

"Ah, a-ah, oh you feel so good-!" Childe moaned, his thighs starting to tremble with his building orgasm.

Zhongli continued to purr as Childe finally decided to drag his nails down his back. His nails weren't long or especially sharp but the passion behind the motion was enough to leave angry red lines in their wake. It drew them closer,

Childe's ass up and his shoulders pressed into the matress and the whole frame groaned and squeaked as Zhongli quickened the pace, fucking into him so deep it had Childe rolling his eyes as if he was seeing stars.

"Xiansheng, xiansheng, you're fucking me so deep, y-you're, o-oh! you're so fucking deep-a-a-ah!" He was openly sobbing now, clinging to Zhongli's back even tighter and tears flowing freely down his cheeks. His cock twitched in almost spasms, sandwiched between their abdomens and it was an angry red, leaking with pre-cum.

"So good to me...hnn!...always so good, Ajax-! Taking me so well..." Zhongli couldn't control the deep gravelly tone of his voice anymore, their skin slapping violently against each other, wet and messy. They swallowed each other's moans in a hungry kiss until Childe drew away with an urgent shout, stuttering nonsense as his walls quivered and clenched around Zhongli's thick cock. 

"O-oh you're gonna make me come, I'm gonna come, xiansheng, fuck, fuuuuck, I'm coming, I'm coming on your fucking cock-!" He moaned loud enough for it to possibly be heard outside Zhongli's windows and his rambling was cut off by Zhongli's hand covering his mouth, fucking him through it and allowing Childe to shout out as he came all over his stomach, his toes curling and voice muffled. 
Childe's eyes remained closed for the final rough thrusts Zhongli gave before he felt the consultant start to come inside him with a long groan, burying himself to the hilt and grinding his cock deep into him. He was kissing down his neck, biting and sucking, his hands gripping hard enough to leave marks on his thighs.

He didn't want them to ever fade. 

"Hmm...stay." Childe whined when they both calmed down, his hands trailing up and tangling in Zhongli's long dark brown hair and pulling at it when he felt the other's cock start to slip out.

He heard Zhongli chuckle in his already half asleep state, exhaustion finally catching up with him. 

"Hush, Ajax, I'm not going anywhere, my love." 

Childe melted at hearing that, an enamored smile upon his lips and let himself be handled into a more comfortable position, on his side. He sighed as he fell asleep with gentle hands caressing down the sore muscles of his lower back to then feel the secure embrace of strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him into a warm, strong body and he wished for nothing else as he basked in the feeling of naked skin pressed against his.

Well...except for one last thing.

Childe was in a good mood.

After waking up to the sight of amber eyes looking at him lovingly, a deep husky voice greeting him with a soft 'good morning', Childe could only think: "This is it, this is exactly where I always wanted to be." 

He didn't think he would ever be there, that he would even be allowed to. When all that awaited him as he closed his eyes had been darkness and agonizing fear, the incessant whispers of something foul yet irreplaceably his, he didn't think he would ever get to have something so divine and pure for himself. Something that he could protect.

Or perhaps it was the other way around.
Either way, he was certainly not the same person that had first set foot in those docks, all those months ago. He changed, or perhaps he had grown, and suddenly everything wasn't so white and black anymore. 

He didn't know what else awaited him when the Tsaritsa finally called on him or perhaps he would be forced to act, one day. The updates he received from Inazuma weren't the most promising and Scaramouche was starting to get on his nerves in particular. 

He was still in charge of the bank for now and everyday he would need to do his routine of paperwork, signing off loans and organizing the ones that were due, receiving reports now and then from his subordinates about the state of the debt collecting operations. 

For now, he was forced to lay low and had been advised to not actively participate in those operations for now. He had the Qixing up to his neck and waiting for any excuse to catch him straying from the terms he had agreed upon.

The people of Liyue still regarded him coldly and he didn't quite care for it yet he knew he still drew surprised glances when he went to meet the one Liyuen that would still accompany him to lunch.

Having Zhongli beside him certainly helped with being out of his office for once and the shift in attitude that he usually got was almost comical even if a bit infuriating. People were usually much more willing to accept his mora when he had one of the most influential and well loved citizens by his side. 

If only they knew...perhaps he would become some kind of sacred pariah, even.

Zhongli and him...they estabilished a somewhat steady pace within their relationship. Some aspects of it felt like they had never changed and others felt brand new, as if tracing new steps together. There was an unspoken respect for what each of them represented and something that wasn't very discussed and perhaps it was for the best. Although they didn't know at the time, they already revealed much about themselves to each other. Childe was happy with the renewal of the simple things he had been missing, the invitations to lunch, the quick surprise visits to the workplace, the late night drinking and the lenghty strolls with no particular destination in mind...he realized these were the things that he had truly been missing and how natural it all felt. 

For once, he felt like he belonged somewhere...with someone.

He was just about ready for the one more addition to his routine. At least once a week, the Traveler and him would meet at the Golden House, where it all began, and would spar until one of them yielded or wasn't able to lift their weapon anymore. It was an event that he had come to look forward to, simply because it was a good workout and a worthy battle for him to hone his skills. It gave him a chance to observe someone as odd as the Traveler and watch the minimal shiftings in their power, the fascinating developments that put a sparkle in his dull eyes. 

Last time, the Traveler had wielded a third element in their fight. Childe had felt the painful prickles of electro push him back and started to wonder if the Traveler would eventually be able to wield all the elements at one point. 

To have such power...he could barely imagine it. It made him all the more curious. 

It wasn't for a lack of prowess that he hasn't been able to defeat the Traveler. He would say that surviving a fight with them was already a feat in itself.

Keep the enemies closer, as they say.

Though the part of him that would indulge in a bottle of imported firewater with them afterwards was happy to call them a friend too.

And a big shipment of it had just arrived.

Seems the Tianquan couldn't maintain the oppressingly expensive fees to Snezhnayan merchants for too long. The relations between the two nations were rooted by hundreds of years and it would take much more than a botched summoning to tear them apart. He still felt the tension, of course, especially with the spreading news of the Fatui in Inazuma but nothing like before.

Besides, the new Jade Chamber floating proudly in the sky certainly helped to remind of their atonement.

He was finishing with his stretches when the doors of the Golden House started to open, the sound loud from the sheer size of the reinforced doors.

"I believe you're late, comrade! That means I get to draw first." Childe called out lightly, too distracted with his exercise to truly look at the one that was meeting him this time.

"That seems more than reasonable."

Childe's eyes widened and he whirled around to see none other than Zhongli in front of him, dressed in his usual attire, minus the long coat, with his arms crossed and a gentle smile in his face. 

"Xiansheng! What are you doing here? Where's the Traveler?" Childe asked, his gaze turning weary as he didn't quite know what to make of this surprise.

Was it because they were doing this at the Golden House? Was he about to be told off because he was using a priceless government building as a training ground?

Ah, well...when you put it like that...

"I get it, xiansheng, I can move us somewhere else. This place was just convenient, that's all." He sighed, starting to put away his bow.

"Draw your weapon, Harbinger."

Childe blinked, looking at Zhongli again, only to see him materializing a heavy looking spear in his hands, gold tipped and resonating with power. He twirled it once and set it in an downwards position behind his back.

"Zhongli...what...?" Childe frowned, but materialized his bow anyway, a Hydro formed arrow starting to shape in his other hand. 

"I was told you come here to fight. So," And with that Zhongli took one step forward, his amber eyes starting to glow a bit more brightly and the tips of his hair shimmered. "Let's fight."

Childe sputtered, feeling all kinds of confused but deep inside he was also starting to feel the begginings of pure excitement. His heart raced and a sharp smile stretched his lips.

"Did you change your mind? About fighting me?" He grinned, his gaze becoming predatory as he swept it hungrily across Zhongli's form. 

"You have put my nation in great peril with your reckless actions, Harbinger. I am here to settle your debt and make you suffer the Wrath of the Rock." Zhongli intoned, his voice clear and authoritative, his posture sending a different kind of message than what Childe was used to be the subject to.

Childe blinked in confusion at the strange detached way Zhongli was talking to him, finding the sudden change in his behavior to be...odd at best. But then he noticed the familiar spark of amusement as he seemingly broke character for that one second.

Childe blurted out a laugh.

"Xiansheng...Xiansheng, are you roleplaying right now?" His laughter echoed across the great halls of the Golden House and the corners of Zhongli's mouth twitched but he recovered remarkably well and their surroundings started to vibrate with a steady hum as the ground visibly shook beneath their feet. Childe let out a yelp, taking a few steps back.

"You are laughing. You won't be laughing once I'm through with you." Zhongli's cold tone and the words that came with it would probably send anybody else scurrying with piss soaking their pants by now. 

But Childe's grin only widened, the muscles of his arms flexing as he notched the arrow on his bow and began to pull the string taut. 

His aim was right at his opponent's head, a clean shot between the eyes. 

"Well, then, Morax. Let's see what's you're really made of."

And with that he released the string, sending the arrow flying towards its target. 

The arrow never hit, flying past as the opponent all but vanished and stuck violently on the Golden House's wooden doors. 

Childe blinked, readying another arrow before his instincts screamed at him to jump away. He did so just in time as a barrage of golden spears unearthed from underneath the floor and threatened to skewer him with blinding speed. 

As he dodged, his eyes landed on Zhongli by his side, already drawing back his spear, and was forced to dodge again. This time he drew his bow and shot and the speed which he did so would have certainly hit the target yet the arrow dematerialized as soon as it touched a golden shield that suddenly appeared around Zhongli. 

Not even a full minute into the fight and Zhongli already had managed to close their distance, rendering his bow useless. 

Truly impressive.

But he had his own tricks.

He jumped back as the ground started to shake once more and started to sprint away, his Hydro vision glowing brightly as ripples of water began to form across the whole expanse of the floor. It stalled Zhongli for a while, who was forced to back away as the waves made the ground unsteady. 

He drew his bow again as he ran, turning around and sending a barrage of arrows at Zhongli. 

Zhongli decided to block most of them with his spear, his now bright golden gaze following him with deadly intent as he predicted his course, meeting him halfway. Childe grunted as he blocked the spear's attack with his bow. The weapon suffered a crack from the impact and sent him dragging his feet back a few steps. He blocked another attack and the string broke.

That wouldn't do. 

He threw the bow away in the few seconds between Zhongli's attacks and conjured his Hydro blades, crossing them in front of him and catching the blade of Zhongli's spear. 

Zhongli only frowned and did an intricate motion with his wrist, sending the spear into the air with the force he applied, freeing himself from the weapon lock, and catching it with a graceful kick of his heel. 

"I thought one of the Tsaritsa's Harbingers would pose a greater challenge." Zhongli tutted, circling Childe and assessing him, now that he had his blades out and ready. 

Childe wasn't one to be easily provoked by the taunts of his enemies but the fight had his blood singing already and he was itching to draw a God's blood. He sensed he was so very close, that he could finally prove himself to Morax. 

"I remember you once told me not to be so quick to underestimate an opponent." Childe hissed, following Zhongli's steps. His muscles tensed, ready for the first strike. 

Zhongli smirked, the hint of an enlarged fang peeking out. "I am not underestimating you. On the contrary, it's been a while since it took me so long to draw first blood."

Childe felt emboldened by that, Tartaglia pratically singing in his thoughts and his pride inflated. He spotted an apparent opening in Zhongli's shield and with a need to further impress he dove right in.

The shield wavered from his strike and Childe continued his flurry of attacks, having Zhongli block the ones that managed to pierce the shield with his spear. He backed him into a corner and twirled the blade in his hand, making a bold move towards the neck. 

Zhongli retaliated with a strike of his own, his spear going through his own shield with a powerful thrust. They dodged at the same time yet their blades grazed each other.

They stood still for a few seconds. Childe touched his side, feeling the warmth of blood and seeing the shallow cut at his side, right where his old scar laid. His dull eyes widened and a sense of vertigo took him, his heart pouding loudly in his ears. 

He looked up and saw Zhongli slowly touch his own cheek, the fingertips of his gloves returning bloody. 

Something changed in Zhongli's eyes. The cold calculation was replaced by a crescendo of excitement, outrage and pride as well as the despairing danger of a provoked predator.

Childe's chest rose and fell rapidly, watching in a daze as Zhongli's tongue started to lap at his fingers, long and serpentlike, forked at the end. 

His tongue had never been like that.

"Hmm, you have my attention now, Harbinger." He purred, a deep growl starting to come out and Childe's eyes widened as Zhongli suddenly advanced, beggining an unforgiving offense as he struck with his spear over and over again.

Childe yelped as he barely dodged several skewers to his gut, a definite killing blow and joined his blades together, now in equal level with Zhongli's spear as he was force to parry with blinding speed in order to keep up. 

"Rise!" Zhongli shouted and Childe stumbled as the floor rose unevenly. With a startle, he realized he had almost fallen.

Something told him he shouldn't fall, at any cost.

His limbs were starting to ache, his body felt weary and his heart was racing like crazy. Drops of sweat mingled with the blood that fell from his wound. Zhongli didn't seem any closer to being that affected, the only change in his demeanor being the dangerous look in his glowing eyes and the way his nostrils flared as if drawn by the scent of his blood. 

It was an entirely new feeling, as if fighting Morax wasn't just physically taxing but also terrifying.

And Childe wasn't one that was used to being scared.

"Calm down. You gotta calm down."

This was still Zhongli, after all.

And because this was Zhongli, he was starting to feel a different kind of excitement. 

"Fucking hell, how can I calm down when he's looking like that..."

Zhongli looked positively divine in the midst of battle, his hair having long become undone from its ponytail from his quick movements, his muscles flexing underneath his tight clothes as he moved so gracefully, the way he gripped his spear and wielded it, full of untested confidence and thousands of years of prowess. 

He was looking more and more like the wet dream Childe had been fantasizing about ever since he came to Liyue.

In his momentary distraction, Zhongli advanced again, now being the one to back him into a wall. Childe parried a strike and swept his Hydro spear at the other's legs, making him jump away.

He panted, his eyes betraying his exhaustion but retaining the awareness of cornered prey.

Guess he didn't have an option.

He started to reach for his mask, deciding he needed to use his Delusion if he wanted to keep on. 

Yet before he could even touch it, the ground rumbled under his feet again and rose with a speed that he couldn't avoid this time. It built up into a loud booming sound and he yelped as he was hit and fell to the ground on his back. 

An enormous cloud of dust lifted all around him as the ground beneath him was pretty much ruined, cracks and holes tearing at it from the abuse it suffered at the hands of geo. He stared at the high ceiling for a few seconds, the fall had been rather sudden and violent and it had been enough to knock the breath out of his lungs. He panted, wincing as he clutched at his side and felt the blood rushing out in a renewed stream. 

"Damn, I'm done for."

Just like that.

He tried to lift himself anyway, groaning as he rose to his elbows. 

The golden spear struck the ground inches away from his face and he stopped, his eyes wide open.

"Yield."

Above him, Morax stared down at him with a heated gaze, the golden glow almost blinding in its intensity. 

Childe breath hitched, gazing at Zhongli dressed in his ancient robes, his arms on full display. He looked like the Morax he had seen in his vision in Guyun Stone Forest yet also different.

There were horns sprouting from his head. The tips glowed in amber and they curved elegantly upwards. 

He also seemed to have grown a rather impressive looking tail, long and thick with a tuft of soft amber hair at the tip. It thumped once on the floor and the sound of it told him how heavy it must be. 

The sound of their heavy breathing was the only thing that could be heard around the Golden House as they stared each other. Morax growled in warning, his grip tightening around his spear as he repeated himself.

"Yield, Harbinger."

"You're beautiful." Childe blurted out, hypnotized by the golden and amber glow of the being in front of him, feeling like he was witnessing something that no mere mortal should ever witness.

Morax faltered at his answer, his eyes widening a fraction. 

"I'm so in love with you." Childe whispered, a hazy smile stretching his lips and his gaze became half lidded. "With every part of you."

Childe sighed, looking around at the level of destruction around them and his smile widened. Any outside person would have found it to be the actions of a crazy man. 

"I want you to understand that. I fell in love with you, Zhongli, Morax, Rex Lapis. You. There's nothing about you that you need to change. You are all those to me and whatever else you wish to be from now on." Childe caught his breath, finding that talking while recovering from an intense battle with a God wasn't as easy at he thought it would be. "That's why you managed to break my heart. Because at the end of the day...it's always been you."

Morax was looking down at him like a deer caught in headlights, as if still digesting what Childe just said. The grip around his spear loosened. 

"So," Childe breathed. "Don't ever hide yourself from me again."

"Ajax..."

The spear next to him scattered into thousands of wisps and Childe's gaze was drawn to them, some of them landing on the piles of Mora laying around in the pits. The golden reflection of them glinted in his dull cerulean eyes before he was suddenly picked up and held against a wall, gasping as Morax grabbed at his thighs roughly and searched his lips, drawing him into a hungry kiss. 

"Ajax...Ajax..." He kept on saying, repeating the name like a mantra between his devouring kisses, trailing down to his neck. His sharp, enlarged fangs nipped at the skin, pulled and sucked almost viciously and Childe let out a breathless moan, squeezing his eyes shut and throwing his head back against the wall. 

"Morax..." Childe moaned, the adrenaline of battle still running fresh through his veins yet quickly converting into overwhelming arousal. There was something so wrong about it feeling so right to be at the mercy of someone more powerful than him. 

Morax was now murmuring words in what could only be ancient Liyuen, as Childe couldn't understand not even a letter of them, tearing at his clothes with his claws. Childe stuttered out a small outrage at seeing his beloved uniform being destroyed and fleetingly thought about sending Zhongli the bill later. 

That is, if he survived how horny Morax seemed to be right now.

"You are so perfect, baobei, my treasure, only mine." He could barely let the words out in his lust, his growls getting in the way at times and Childe shivered visibly as he now stood entirely naked in his arms.
His strong, glowing, godlike arms.

"H-Holy shit, this is so hot-" He started to squeak out but drifted off into a drawn out moan as Morax lifted him to the level of his shoulders and buried his tongue between his ass. 

"Fuck!" Childe cursed, his hands grabbing at the horns in front of him and pulling at them mindlessly, letting out small moans everytime that long, wet tongue dragged painfully slow along the rim of his hole. He felt himself quiver and his face was burning with shame, not expecting to enjoy something so dirty. Some part of him still balked at the thought of enjoying doing these things with another man but he was quick to shut it down because Morax wasn't just another man.

Morax was his.

Childe's cock twitched everytime he felt the god lap at him, purrs coming out of him. Childe sobbed loudly as he felt the long tongue start to prod his hole, sliding the tip in and out and sending shocks of pleasure from deep inside him. He pulled more forcefully at Morax's horns with one particular lick and heard the dragon's muffled moan, burying his face deeper into it. 

"I'm-a-ah!I'm close...!" Childe warned, his breaths quickening as he started to squirm. 

Morax stopped right before he could actually come though, licking at his lips with that long tongue and looking up at him with steam drifting out of his nostrils. He let out a hissing growl and dropped him to be at the level of his waist again, pressing the large tent in his robes against Childe's naked skin. 

And Childe couldn't help but notice it felt significantly larger than usual.

Nevermind that Morax's whole form was just...large but this part in particular was definitely not what Childe had been used to.

"You don't know what you do to me, Ajax." Morax groaned, nuzzling at Childe's neck and starting to undo the pants of his robes. 

"I think I can guess..." Childe joked, although a bit scared, looking pointedly as Morax pulled down his pants enough for his cock to spring out.

And then another.

Childe's eyes were abnormally wide by this point, feeling his legs starting to shake to his embarassment. 

"W-What the fuck-" He breathed out, openly ogling Morax's cocks, as dark as his arms and just as similarly decorated.

He had never been one to openly admire a cock. 

But he reasoned that it was impossible not to in this case, especially when it came in two.

"You don't need to take both." Morax almost sounded embarassed despite his voice not being anywhere close to his normal humanlike tone by now. He took his cocks in one hand and groaned loudly as he stroked them once, one of them dangerously close to Childe's entrance.

Childe's thoughts were racing, his whole body was tinted red and he couldn't decide between misplaced arousal at an obvious challenge or just outright fear at the size of them pushed together like that.

His hand was drifting downwards before he could think about it, joining Morax's in another stroke and both of them moaned, looking at it as if entranced. 

"Please..." Childe whispered against his lips, brushing against them and his tongue snaked out to flick at them. "Please, put them in me..." 

He noticed Morax's hold seemed to be trembling, as if he was fighting himself, restraining himself. 

"I can take it...I'll be a good boy." He teased, moaning out at the end and Morax lunged with a growl, steadying the tips of his cocks and slowly started pushing in.

Childe was far from prepared, despite being soaking wet from Morax's tongue. His saliva seemed to be more viscous in this form and it acted as a lube of sorts but it still didn't stop him from shouting out at the stretch he was being forced into, his shivering becoming more violent as he felt all the ridges of those lengths sliding into his ass. 

He choked and sobbed, tears at his eyes as he tried to relax, yet his cock remained hard, some pre-cum beading at the slit everytime Morax jerked further into him. 

"You're a good boy? Yes, you'll be a good boy to me..." Morax hissed out, pratically halfway in and groaning as he felt Childe squeeze at him, making him want to just sink inside and never let go.

Childe couldn't really articulate anything, stuck in whimpers and sobs, clawing down Morax's back and moaning as loudly as he could. Morax was attentive to his expressions, looking out for the possibility of Childe begging him to take them out should it become unbearable. 

But Childe only rolled his eyes in pleasure, looking down at the bulge visible in his stomach and the two cocks that now had sunk to the base inside him.

"O-Oh, fuck, o-oh my g-god-!" He whimpered, grinding his hips slowly as he accomodated to the stretch. He felt numb yet his insides were tingling all over.

"Please, move." He begged. "Please, Morax, please fuck me...!" He bared his neck as he threw his back, as if in offering and Morax growled out his approval, snapping his hips into a brutal pace, his tightly bound control finally breaking.

"Oooh you feel so good..." Morax purred, closing his eyes for a moment and enjoying the sounds of their rough mating: Childe's beautiful moans and sobs, the slap of their skin, the frantic movements and lovefilled confessions. This was what he had been craving all along and to be free of his disguise while doing it felt amazing.

He never thought Childe would actually satisfy him like this. He was perfect in every sense of the word.

Childe clung to him for dear life, his whole body bouncing up and down his cocks as Morax lifted him efortlessly, thrusting up into him with mindnumbingly force. His speech became messy and he couldn't even tell if he was coming until he felt it hit his belly and he groaned loudly when the god didn't stop and instead quickened his pace.

"Come inside me, please, Morax, sir, please, fill me up, yes, just like that, yes-!" He shouted at the same time Morax growled, long and deep and thrusted roughly into him in a few more jerky motions. One of the cocks started to come inside his hole, filling it to the brim and slipping out while the other continued to thrust roughly into him, soon following the other in a few more deep thrusts.

Morax sunk his fangs into Childe's shoulder, his whole body trembling and his tail clutched at Childe's waist, helping him support his weight. His claws trailed angry marks across the fleshy cheeks of Childe's ass and they both slumped against the wall, panting loudly.

"Xiansheng," Childe started, his lips stretching into a languid smile. "That was some really good roleplay."

Zhongli's rich laugh reverberated across the walls of the Golden House.

They laid in bed, fresh and clean after Zhongli had teleported them out of there. He tapped into his 'bullshit adepti powers', as Childe had called them, and reconstructed the floors of the Golden House, to the point that it seemed as if their battle had never happened. It wouldn't do to spread havoc among the Qixing from a destroyed heavily guarded Golden House, when he was supposed to be retired and keeping a low profile.

Childe was trailing patterns in his chest, both of them simply savoring the feeling of each other and Zhongli's heart felt fuller than he believed he had ever felt. It was an astonishing feeling, a miracle in itself, all thanks to this one fascinating mortal whose eyes were as deep as an abyss yet his smile could light up the darkest of skies.

He was sure now, there was nowhere else he'd rather be. 

"Xiansheng," Childe began, sighing happily as he nuzzled further into the other's chest. Zhongli hummed, tracing the tips of his claws lightly along the Harbinger's back, rising goosebumps in their wake. 

"Let's make a promise to each other, here and now." Childe whispered, listening to the steady heartbeat underneath his ear.

"Promise that we'll always be clear with each other. That we'll always be transparent and not keep secrets, that at the end of the day, there is still one person we can always trust." 

Childe smiled fondly, giving him a pointed look. "That we will always be clear in our intentions and not cause any more unecessary misunderstandings."

Zhongli returned his smile, sighing. "You have my word, for it is as solid as stone."

He drew him close into his embrace. "Besides," Zhongli began, his eyes crinkling fondly as he seemed to be recalling a fond memory. "I was starting to truly despair thinking I had lost my husband."

Almost half a minute of silence went by as Childe tried to process what he had just heard, his cheeks burning red by the second before he jumped up suddenly, his eyes wide.

"Your WHAT?!"

As they started to banter, a pair of chopsticks laid innocently in their pristine case at Childe's desk.