Operation: Make Zhongli Smile Forever

Part 16 - I care about you too much

Little did Childe know, however, as he drifted off to sleep on the Archon's chest, was that Zhongli heard him. He chose to ignore it however for the time being, pretending to be asleep as he held the ginger man in his arms, his soft cheeks, shockingly unscarred, gently laying in the crook of his neck; his lips were parted gently, little breaths falling on the Archon's bare skin. Every once in a while, Childe shuffled slightly, subconsciously moving closer and closer to Zhongli, making the space between them impossibly tighter; with each such movement, his lips brushed against Zhongli's neck.

Zhongli traced his fingers across Childe's back in small strokes and circles, skin rubbing against skin softly; it was a feeling Zhongli had grown to enjoy, since the majority of the time, both men wore gloves. It was only during intimate moments like these they were finally free from the confines of work. Like this, together, they were almost immortal, Zhongli had thought. The Archon decided to finally tighten his arms around the sleeping man above him, letting his eyes close to drift off into sleep.

For once, Childe woke up first; it was strange not being met with deep cor lapis irises, looking faintly draconic in nature with the split white pupils. In hindsight, the Harbinger should've known that Zhongli wasn't who he said he was upon their initial meeting, a warm summer day over six months ago; their meeting had been planned, calculated, and fully diplomatic, weekly meetings taken in relative business-like atmosphere, before over time finally dissolving into, well, whatever they had now.

Zhongli's breathing was shallow and warm; it suited him, so serene, peaceful, beautiful- everything Childe liked. The Harbinger pulled his hand from under himself to gently caress Zhongli's cheek, cupping his face and letting his thumb move back and forth, feeling his smooth skin. He slowly twirled some of Zhongli's hair between his fingers, feeling the soft, silky strands; perfect, he thought, absolutely fucking gorgeous.

Zhongli's eye peeked open, meeting Childe's own only a few centimetres from his face; the Harbinger jumped back a little, though still kept in place by the Archon's slowly tightening arms around his waist. Childe lay his head down on Zhongli's chest, staring upwards into his eyes.

"Hi," Childe sighed out, all breathy and dreamy as Zhongli caressed his lower back.

"Morning, Childe," Zhongli spoke back, completely low yet still proper, accentuating his words with ease, despite just waking up, "do you have work today?" Childe shifted in his arms slightly.

"Debt collecting from some treasure hoarders in Guili Plains. Boring stuff," Childe groaned into Zhongli's chest, wiggling himself free from Zhongli's grasp, "but at least it's fighting! Bloodshed, battle, all the good stuff!" Zhongli chuckled a little, slipping out of bed. Both men got dressed in their own clothes, with Childe being extra sure to check that he had all his necessary belongings, twirling a knife around in his hand before chucking it into a small pocket on the side of his boot.

Venti was sat in the kitchen when the two men left their room; he was eating a perfectly round, crimson red apple, all while swinging his legs from his chair and tapping his fingers on the table in an upbeat rhythm. His teal half-tone eyes fell upon the two entering the room, a wide smirk spreading across his face.

"Good Morning Barbatos, is Director Hu awake yet?" Zhongli asked politely, all while Childe shot the green bard a quick 'hi'. Venti snickered.

"She's already gone to work, ehe; she did try to wake you up to tell you but your door was locked," he explained, voice melodic as always, "did something perhaps go down last night~" Childe's cheeks turned red, all while Zhongli kept completely straight faced.

"What did I tell you about the innuendos and making assumptions?" Zhongli sighed, completely deadpan; despite the clearly intimidating and demanding tone, Venti's smile did not falter.