Eyes of Perception

Chapter 25

"Tonia, get the door please," he shouted as he finished cutting the remaining peppers. "I'll be there in a sec!"

He vaguely heard Tonia shout something before going to open the front door. As quickly as he could, he finished up with the peppers and tossed them onto the skillet before covering it quickly with a lid. The creak of the door opening was barely heard over the sound of the crackling fire on the stove. He doused the flame - he still had a lot of time before dinner would have to be ready, he'd just deal with this visitor first and then reheat the stove. He washed his hands in a rush and wiped them on his apron as he walked out the kitchen to the front door.

He was one step away from turning into the hallway when he heard it. That voice. What was he doing here? How did he find him? He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. The urge to punch something as hard as he could came back. He stayed still.

"I understand you're wary of me, but please allow me to speak to your older brother." That was Zhongli's voice. He was certain of it. He didn't think he'd ever be able to forget it. How had he gotten here? Why wasn't he back in Liyue?

"I have no older brother," he heard Tonia reply. Her voice was stern, cold. It left no room for argument. 

He could practically see Zhongli's pained look, but he didn't move. He pressed himself into the wall, praying that it would swallow him up. He couldn't deal with this. Not now, not ever. 

"Please, Miss Tonia. I understand you are protective of him, but it is necessary for me to see him. As his lover, I-"

"Don't you dare," Tonia hissed out, her cold demeanor immediately replaced by seething hatred. "You have no right to call him that. Do you know how much pain you put him through? Do you know how much he suffered because of you? He was a wreck when he came home, and it's because of what you did to him. You say you're his lover? Then where were you when he needed you most? You have no right to even think of yourself as his lover, because I know for a fact that his lover would never, and I mean never do something as cruel as you did. So thank you for coming here, Rex Lapis, and get the fuck out of my face while you have the chance."

He wanted to cry. Tonia was all grown up now. Tonia was protecting him. That wasn't right. How could that be right? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't he be the one protecting her? That's how it's always been. She was the dazzling princess Tonia, and he was her knight in shining armor. Why was it different now? What changed? His knees went weak. He braced himself against the wall for support. 

"I understand," Zhongli said. Everything else was silent. There was no wind, the hurricane outside. He couldn't remember the last time Snezhnaya was silent. "What I did was horrible, and I cannot even begin to imagine how he must feel. Still, I wish to make things right. All I ask for is five minutes of his time."

'You've had enough," Tonia spat back, her tone poisonous. "You had a whole year with him, and then four months to fix your mistakes. Your time's up. Get out."

Panic rose in his chest. Was Zhongli leaving? Already? No, no, no, not yet, not before he even got to say anything to him. He wanted to hug Zhongli. He wanted to punch him in the face. He wanted to kiss him until he ran out of breath. He wanted to hurt him. He just- he missed him. He wanted him. 

He let himself take a shuddering breath to calm himself down before walking out from his hiding spot, a fake smile plastered onto his face and the mask of Childe threatening to take over. This was fine. He's done it hundreds of times before. 

"Tonia, you didn't tell me we had a guest," he said with an aura of calm that didn't match his eyes. 

Tonia whipped her head around, expression panicked. "Ajax I- I could've handled it. It's not important."