Operation: Make Zhongli Smile Forever

Part 19 - Kisses in the morning reveal more than you would think

Zhongli awoke to a gentle kiss on his forehead and a face full of scruffy ginger hair; he chuckled first at the slight tickling sensation, before opening his eyes to Childe's own azure pair, followed by a slight smile.

"You seemed to be having a good dream. You were smiling like an idiot," Childe chuckled, gently tracing a finger over Zhongli's cheek, poking slightly at the very subtle dimples the man below him had, small indents in his cheeks.

"Good morning to you too, Ajax," Zhongli only responded, swiping Childe's hair away from his eyes, "I was having a good dream, you're correct." Childe dropped a soft kiss to Zhongli's jaw, just a gentle flutter of his lips against soft skin.

"Mhmm, what about?" the Harbinger pestered on, dropping another kiss in the same spot, still perfectly gentle and feathery.

"You," Zhongli responded simply, pulling Childe away to look him straight in the eyes, "just... you." Childe dove down and planted yet another kiss on Zhongli's lips, slightly forceful yet not uncomfortably so; the feather on the tip of his earring tickled Zhongli's neck, causing the Liyuen to laugh into the kiss. Childe pulled away as Zhongli lost more and more composure with each movement of the feather against skin.

"Was my kiss that bad? So bad that you're laughing?" Childe groaned, exasperated as he sat himself on Zhongli's lap.

"The feather on your earring is tickling me," the man chuckled in response as he gently took said piece of jewelry in his hand and ran it through his fingers; Childe released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"I forgot I was still wearing it," Childe admitted, joining his hand with Zhongli's, "actually... that does reminds me- who actually got this for me?" Zhongli recoiled his hand.

"Do you have any ex-lovers that could, uhm, perhaps be in Liyue?" Zhongli asked awkwardly, slowly shuffling up the headboard into a seating position. Childe coughed.

"Uhm, n-no. I really can't think of anyone," Childe muttered, sliding closer into Zhongli's lap, "are you sure you don't have something to do with it? It's very much to your tastes as the penmanship on the note was undoubtedly yours." Zhongli chuckled,

"I think I would have remembered buying you something, considering how bad I am at handling Mora," the Archon stated, still delicately fiddling with the jewelry; Childe perked up suddenly.

"Hold on, I think... I may have figured it out," he grinned, "so, uhm, I kind of told your boss that I may or may not have been kinda, uhm, falling for you a few days ago. And... well, she's quite known for pranks, isn't she?" Zhongli's eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"She may be mischievous... but I don't imagine she would pull a prank so risky if... if she didn't know that I reciprocate my feelings," Zhongli mused, tapping a finger to his chin, "but I never told her... I told Venti."

"You don't think they're in on this together, do you?" Childe questioned, suddenly very flustered.

"There is a possibility... but I prefer to think that this would've happened eventually regardless of her interference," Zhongli smiled sweetly, leaning in to leave a gentle kiss on Childe's lips.

"How very forward of you, Mr. Consultant. So, were you planning something?" Childe teased as Zhongli pulled away from the kiss, "or were you just gonna continue pretending to go along with our previous arrangement." The Archon simply chuckled.

"I never thought that far ahead, but I could not imagine my life to come without you by my side, so I may have simply deluded myself into thinking we would become a couple," Zhongli mused, sliding his hands down to Childe's waist, gripping with a gentle force just above his hip bone.