❝ 𝙎𝙤 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣, 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙. ❝ 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣. 𝐀 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐙𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐂𝐡𝐢 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 & 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬. If you're looking for Top Childe, you're in the wrong book. This may suggest some of it, but he's just a power bottom. Zhongli is the top here and sometimes a switch. But I'll most likely never write that.

For Childe, the only thing more difficult than completing a mission in a nation where he's hated, is completing a mission in a nation where he's being threatened with imminent deportation. Out of alternatives and with failure not an option, the only way he can hope to remain in Liyue is by entering a relationship with one of its' residents. He can think of only one person eccentric enough to go along with such a suggestion. OR: The inherent awkwardness of undertaking a secret mission while falling in love with the guy you're fake dating for your residency permit. Cover art commissioned from 1ss1k1_gn on Twitter!