zhongli x childe short stories

of birthdays, beautiful golden-eyed funeral consultants, and ginger bullies

In which Tonia, Anthon, and Teucer come to Liyue to celebrate our dear Childe Ajax Tartaglia's birthday. In other words, Childe gets relentlessly bullied by a gang of small gingers for a day while Zhongli tries too hard not to laugh at him. 

Childe walks up the steps to his old Morepesok home. Will he be welcome there? He doesn't know. He raises a hand to knock, but cannot bear to do it. It is dark outside, meaning that the wolves will come out soon. It will not be safe outside, and the cold Snezhnayan winds don't make it any better.

He braces himself for the worst and knocks. Though he loves fighting with all his heart, after such a long day of traveling in the harsh Snezhnayan cold, he really doesn't feel like it. He missed Snezhnaya, truly, but after so long with the tender warmth of Liyue, he can't help but miss it. Not to mention, he really misses Zhongli.

There's shuffling behind the door, and Childe's heart races. The door is opened, and three little faces pop out.

"Big brother."

Childe smiles down at them, arms open and expectant. When the three make no move, however, Childe feels a chill, and not from the cold.

"Why, hello there, eleventh," says none other than Tonia. Tonia? No, no. She swore she wouldn't tell.

"Or should we say, Tartaglia?" says Teucer.

No. Not Teucer. He can't bear to look at the resentment in his eyes.

"You said you were a toy salesman, but then what are we, the toys?" questions Anthon. "Sure feels like it, with the way you've played us."

"Guys, how about we talk about this inside?" Childe practically begs. He can hear wolves howling from the dark.

"Sorry, mom told us not to let anyone but family in," says Teucer, and Childe can feel his heart trying to kill him. "And you're no brother of ours."

Make it stop. This can't be real. Somebody make it stop. He racks his head for ways to get out of this, but draws a blank. What is even happening? How could Tonia betray him like this? Sweet Tonia, who always kept her promises. But he guesses that he did this to himself. It was all his fault.

"Not so great now, huh? Childe?"

Stop stop stop. No, not from them. He could take anything from anyone else. But not from his little siblings. He was used to the world hating him, but not them. He hated himself too, but as long as he could make them happy, life was bearable.

"Childe."

Why was Teucer's voice so much deeper now? Had he really changed that much since the last time he saw him?

"Childe."

This was not Teucer's voice. The accusing tone from earlier and the calming, baritone now dripping with honey and flowers and everything nice in the world could not come from the same person.

"Wake up, darling."

Childe opens his eyes and meets those with the honeyed hue of the one he loves the most.

"Good morning, Zhongli."

He burrows into his chest. His lover will shield him from the world's troubles.

"Tough dream?"

"Mm."

"Well that's one way to start your birthday," Zhongli quipped.

Right, his birthday. Childe had almost forgotten.

"Yea, I guess so," he replies with a sigh.

It'd been forever since anyone had actually acknowledged his birthday. He was always out on some mission when the time came, and well, Tonia always did try to time her letters to reach him in time, but was never quite accurate with the actual day. The sentiment warmed his heart, but he missed his sister quite dearly.