As The Sun Gazes Upon The Moon [Zhongchili]

Chapter 8 - Complicated

"If you are not comfortable, then I can inform her you are feeling unwell."

"No." Childe sits in bed, his hands braced against the mattress. "I can do this. I have to. I can't let her down."

"And you are certain you wish me to remain with you for this? If you would prefer a private moment..."

"No, I need someone who can step in if anything goes wrong."

"I cannot foresee what might go wrong from a simple visit." Zhongli leans forward in his chair and rests a hand on Childe's shoulder. "It will be alright."

"I know, but—" A sharp rapping on the door interrupts Childe. With the speed of a kamera shutter, Childe's demeanour transforms, his expression morphing into a bright smile. "Is that someone at the door I hear?" he says just loud enough to be audible to their visitor. "I wonder who that could be."

"Brother!" The door slams open, crashing against the wall as Tonia flies into the room, a human hurricane that Barbatos himself would be proud of. "It's so good to see you!"

Before Zhongli can so much utter a word of welcome, she hurtles across the floor and launches herself at Childe. He catches her, letting out a light, "oof," as she collides with his chest, then chuckles and shakes his head at her. "Good to see you too, Princess."

She picks herself off of him and moves to sit in the free spot beside him, curling her legs underneath her. "Brother, how are you feeling?" Tonia bounces on her knees, excitement buzzing off of her.

"I'm doing much better than before, that's for sure! And you? How is Her Majesty treating you? If you need anything in your quarters, let me know and I'll make sure you get it." Not once does Childe take his eyes off of her, visibly filled with nothing short of adoration utter adoration. If Zhongli hadn't seen it himself, he would have never believed this to be the same man who tried to drive him from the room the day prior, cloaked in Abyssal taint.

"It's been great, and Zhongli has been showing me around the grounds. You really need to bring him up to speed though, he talks like Grandpa."

"Maybe we should introduce them, they'd have a fine time speaking to each other."

"We should! That is, if Grandpa can hear a word he says—it takes an earthquake to get through to him nowadays!"

They continue to banter and Zhongli sits to the side, listening to them talk about him, about their home, their siblings, their parents. Tonia starts to speak at length about their father's latest round of headaches and other ailments, thanking Childe for the medicine he sent them when he was last in Liyue.

Strange, Childe hadn't mentioned his father being unwell, let alone that he was procuring treatments for him.

However, Childe doesn't allow the topic to linger and redirects the conversation, reaching over to grab one of the packages waiting on the bedside table.

"Alright, Princess, time for you to be spoiled by your favourite knight." He sets it down on the bed and nudges it toward her. "A little something I picked up in Inazuma for you. If it's not the right size, let me know and I'll get you an appointment with Her Majesty's dressmakers to fix it up for you. You're getting so tall I can hardly keep up!"

Tonia gives him a quizzical look, slipping a finger under the knot. With a gentle tug, the wrapping falls open, revealing a flat box within. She tugs at the flaps and with a gasp pulls out a beautiful kimono, pastel pink with navy ribbon.

"Wow, this is beautiful." She sits up on her knees, holding the fabric against her and giving it a swish. "You even remembered that time I mentioned that I like the blue trim on that other dress I have! This is amazing, thank you." With a final swoosh of her hips, she lays the garment out on the bed, refolding it back to fit its packaging.