As The Sun Gazes Upon The Moon [Zhongchili]

Chapter 1 - Doki Doki

Author's Note: As a lot of people seem to have missed it, a reminder before we start that "Friends with Benefits" and "Sex Scenes" is in the tags. Yes that means in the first chapter. This fic is rated Mature for a reason. If you're okay with that (or if it's a bonus for you 😏), then please enjoy!

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Humans are trouble.

"Nu-uh, I don't believe a fancy-wancy old guy like you has never courted anyone." Hu Tao leans over the front desk of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, sporting a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, you're old enough to have at least been with someone, haven't you?" Lounging against a windowsill by the doorway, Childe enters the fray, taking his place on the dastardly Team Hu Tao.

To be more specific: These humans are trouble.

"Unfortunately I cannot say that I possess a sufficient understanding of what such a relationship might entail," says Zhongli as he slips on his coat. "This business of 'liking' a person... There are many people I 'like', some as friends, some as colleagues, some more and some less. However, I find it impossible to imagine another way in which one might distinguish 'liking' a person."

"Wow, you really are clueless." Hu Tao drums her fingers on the desk and shoots a wink at Childe. "You going to explain, Pretty Boy?"

Childe scoffs and presses further against the wall, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey hey, don't look at me. You'll find me entirely devoted to Her Majesty, The Tsaritsa. As the finest weapon in her arsenal—no, the world—I don't have time for distractions."

"Men." Rolling her eyes, Hu Tao hops off over the desk and skips across the room, inserting herself far too closely into Zhongli's personal space, and Zhongli takes a moment to ponder how he let himself be dragged into this line of conversation.

She pats her chest over her heart. "It's a feeling like...oh! I was reading some light novels from Inazuma and when someone sees someone they like, their heart goes 'doki doki'. It's a fluttering feeling, like there's hundreds of butterflies hatching in your chest! Your heart beats really hard, and you'll do anything for that person." She stands on tiptoe, peering up at him with mischief in her soul. "Has your heart ever gone 'doki doki', Mister Zhongli?"

"Doki doki?" Zhongli contemplates this new turn of phrase. The youth partake in some intriguing trends, such as the delightful music known as 'Rock 'n' Roll' that the lovely young Xinyan plays, bringing a rousing energy to the streets of Liyue.

Zhongli likes Rock 'n' Roll.

But he knows not what to make of this 'Doki Doki' expression.

"Alright, no doki doki then." Hu Tao shrugs and looks to Childe. "Sorry, can't say I didn't try."

"Aww, Zhongli xiansheng. No doki doki? Not even for me?" Childe strikes a pose, flexing his arms and puffing his chest. "I'm very strong and handsome, you know."

Zhongli cannot fault Childe's words. In physical terms, he is an exemplary example of the human body. A symmetrical face with a charming boyish smile that lights spark in even Childe's lightless eyes, his body a marvel of athletic conditioning, a chiselled figure of defined musculature, and the scars trailing across his body add a certain artistic flair to mechanical perfection.

"You are indeed strong and handsome, Childe," says Zhongli, "but unfortunately I am unable to comprehend how these features might correlate with this 'doki doki' feeling."

"Oh well, you win some, you lose some." Dropping his pose, Childe saunters over to Zhongli and Hu Tao. "Anyway, we're going to be late for lunch if we don't head out soon. You got everything, Zhongli? And no, I don't mean your wallet—we all know who's paying."