Genshin Impact - 【Oneshots】

Mortal Days (Childe x Zhongli)

Zhongli blew at the puffs of steam that rose from his porcelain tea cup. He could hear the cicadas singing in the distance as a warm orange glow enveloped the landscape. A gentle breeze blew at the gingko leaves, making them dance about. A few fell and swirled in the air. The flow of water, disturbed by the swimming koi at intervals, in the stream surrounding the islet; put his mind at ease and at that moment, Zhongli felt nothing but peace.

He had not had this peace for a long time now. Only now, as the mortal Zhongli, did he get the time to enjoy such a serene sunset without anyone or anything to disturb him. He closed his eyes for a moment and let the breeze do its duty of tossing at his long hair.

When he opened them again, a few birds were pecking at the left-over crumbs from his earlier snack. Zhongli gently crumbled some of the cookies in his hand and cautiously offered it to a little sparrow. Sensing no danger, the bird joyfully hopped into his palm and pecked at the crumbs.

Zhongli gave a small smile and watched the sparrow eat with great interest. It chirped a cute little tune from time to time, as if it was saying its thanks for the food. After it had picked up all the crumbs cleanly, it obediently sat in the palm of the man. The amber eyes shone with surprise and Zhongli let out a small chuckle. He did not expect it to be so tame.

After some time of observing the little bird, Zhongli let it fly away. The orange hue of the setting sun reflected on the amber orbs of his eyes, as it slowly set behind the horizon. As he looked after the little bird flying away, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Zhongli-xiansheng! I'm home!"

He turned around to see the orange haired man walk towards him with some glaze lilies in hand. Before Zhongli could reply, the other swiftly stole a kiss from him. As he did so, he placed a glaze lily behind Zhongli's ear. The contrast between the blue blossom and his brown hair made Zhongli more beautiful. Childe could not help but indulge himself in his partner's beauty and went in for a long tender kiss.

They separated and Zhongli felt warmness spreading throughout his body. No matter how many times they had done it, he always felt surprised by this warm feeling that he felt blossoming from his heart.

"Welcome back, Childe..." Zhongli said with a subtle smile.

"I found some Glaze Lilies so I thought I'd pick some for you~"

Childe held a small bundle of Glaze Lilies in his hand and handed it to Zhongli. Zhongli accepted them and admired the blooming flowers.

"Hm, yes. They are indeed of the best pick..."

Childe let a small chuckle as he took a seat on the opposite side of the stone table. He had poured himself some tea and was now admiring his partner, Zhongli who always admired on the smallest things.

Ever since Zhongli had started living as a mortal, he had told Childe the things he wanted to do - to live peacefully. That, Childe granted to him by settling themselves in the secluded mountains near Liyue Harbour. They woke up beside one another and every waking hour was filled with needy cuddles. Zhongli enjoyed the quiet life of an elderly scholar while Childe lived in the thrill of fighting.

Sometimes, they would walk down the streets of Liyue city, simply enjoying each other's company and nothing more. Anything that caught Zhongli's eyes, Childe would buy for him. The two of them were enough for one another.