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"This is beautiful, Sensei," Childe said as he stared at the view below.
Standing high above the clouds on Qingyun Peak, Zhongli looked at his lover with a soft smile. The colours of sunset blended perfectly with Childe's flame red hair and grey uniform, enhancing his features and beauty. The sight was something he would never get tired of and something he wanted to encase in stone to preserve forever. Actually, every moment with Childe felt that way given how he knew how short a mortal's lifespan was.
"Indeed it is," he replied softly.
There was a flock of cranes flying in the distance. Childe turned to grin at him, before pulling out his bow. His form as he prepared to shoot a crane was stunning. Like a perfect predator ready to shoot his prey. Everyone knew what a sharpshooter Childe was, and how adept he was with a bow. Which was exactly why Zhongli waited for the precise moment that Childe was going to release his arrow before making his move.
"Wha- Hey!" Chile lost his focus as Zhongli pulled him in by the waist and gave him a kiss on the lips. Their eyes met and Zhongli felt like his heart was going to explode. Clear, blue eyes stared back at him with warmth, passion and affection. Zhongli would give anything to make sure those eyes always stared at him with the same brightness it did now. Zhongli closed his eyes and placed his forehead against Childe's, feeling the warmth against his. He brought one of the other man's hands to his lips and kissed it. The words flowed naturally out of his mouth. "Will you become an adepti, my love? To be with me, forever."
He felt Childe freeze in his arms, and his heart sank. He tried to control the disappointment in his expression and decided to brush it off for the moment. His hand was still around Childe's waist, holding onto him. However, it was more out of worry that Childe would walk away than an affectionate gesture. He hurriedly tried to rectify his error.
"Ah. Merely a passing thought, I misspoke. This is neither the time nor the place to discuss such a matter. I mean, of course you would need time-"
Childe was looking at him, brows furrowed. He felt a finger on his lips as Childe interrupted him.
"I know it's been on your mind. You don't have to hide it from me, my love. I only hope you respect my decision."
Zhongli felt a heavy feeling in his chest. A hunch that he was not going to like what came next. But he still nodded, because it was Childe, his Childe, his light after hundreds of years in solitude, and he would make sure that fire burned bright when they were together.
"Let's sit."
He felt Childe hold his hand, intertwining their fingers as he was pulled towards the stone seat. It was now getting dark, with the silhouette of the moon becoming clearer. The fading sunlight was giving way to approaching darkness of the night. Zhongli didn't realize he had lowered his head until Childe cupped the other hand to his cheek. The glove was in the way, blocking Childe's warmth which Zhongli craved. However, he still instinctively rubbed his cheek against his lover's hand.
"I don't want to be immortal."
Zhongli was disappointed, of course he was, for now he knew his love had a expiry date, but he also knew he couldn't chain Childe based on his own selfishness. Childe seemed to take his silence as anger, as he started fidgeting.
"It's not because I don't love you. I do, more than anything. But I'm given this time in my life, that's what it is. I'm not one to face away from a challenge, and we'll make our time together one of your most lasting memories, yeah?"
For once, Zhongli didn't know what he should say. A dark voice inside him echoed to mark him, to possess him. Zhongli needed Childe like how every living creature needs the Sun. It would be so easy to dominate Childe, a mortal, even without his gnosis. Shaking his head, he immediately crushed that thought and focused on the man in front of him.
"Zhongli?"
"No."
"Huh? Right, okay-"
Zhongli stood up, placing his hands behind his back. Looking down at Childe, his Childe, the wind blowing gently against his hair, his cheeks slightly pink due to the altitude, his heart felt like it was going to burst from how beautiful his lover looked. To be honest, he could rival the looks and bearing of any adepti. To Zhongli, he outshone them all. In that moment, Zhongli knew exactly what he had to do. Using a small fraction of his energy, Zhongli forged a ring that would fit Childe's hand perfectly.
"Sensei?" Childe looked a little confused. That was a rare look on him, for someone who was always so sharp. Zhongli loved it. He loved it even more when he knew it was only him who got to see these sides of his lover. He gave a small laugh as Childe frowned at him.
Dropping to one knee, Zhongli took in the sight of Childe's face that was twisted in shock. He wanted to laugh so badly, but he calmed himself.
"My dearest Childe, no, my Ajax. Will you be willing to spend the rest of your lifetime with me? As my husband, my partner. You are the heart that I have been waiting for, and no one else has made my world as bright as you."
Childe was staring at him. However, it only took him a second to regain his senses. The younger man slapped a palm to his forehead and muttered under his breath, "Of course I will! What the hell, i thought we were going to break up-"
Zhongli shut him up by pulling off his glove and sliding the ring on.
"You're mine now. For this lifetime."
"And the next too, always".
Zhongli couldn't help it, and he pulled Childe in for a kiss.
"You will let me go when the time comes, right?" Childe asked quietly.
"I will."
But Zhongli hoped that day would take a long time to come.
Fifteen years later
"Please, Childe, please accept my energy. You will die if you don't!"
Childe's eyes were shut from the pain, his breaths coming in short gasps. The freshly changed bandages were starting to blossom red, despite the healing charms that Baizhu had put on them. Zhongli could feel Childe's life force weakening every second and he wanted to scream from his helplessness.
"Ajax. Please," Zhongli knew he was begging now, but he was desperate for his lover to accept his offer. The contract of immortality could only take effect if the other party was willing. If he forced the binding, Childe would be bound to his every will, his actions controlled by Zhongli, and he would be nothing but an eternal puppet.
Did he want that? Of course not. To be enslaved to another's will, Childe would never allow himself to be put in such a position. But surely that would be better than Childe being dead. Nothing but a cold body in the ground, turned into dust. As the his thoughts were wrecking havoc within him, Zhongli felt a light squeeze on his hand pull him back into reality.
"Remember our promise," Childe coughed out. Specks of blood flew onto Zhongli's shirt.
No grave, no monument, nothing should be left of me. Burn my body into ashes when I'm no longer here, Sensei. I won't let myself be used even in death.
Zhongli nodded his head. A contract with me will always be honoured.
Zhongli regretted agreeing to those words in the past. He wanted to kill his past self who had agreed so readily.
"Shui... promise me. He loves you, don't ever doubt that. Don't fight if I'm not here."
Childe seemed to be summoning all his energy just to speak, and Zhongli could do nothing but hold his hand and listen as his heart felt it was tearing itself apart. The pain he felt as Childe started crying at the mention of their son was worse than wound he had ever experienced. Shui could not even enter the room to say goodbye, and he had to be temporarily restrained in a domain far away from his home. This was because only Zhongli's shield was enough to withstand the corruption from the abyssal influence currently killing Childe.
"Protect him. Our baby. Please promise me... "
Zhongli stroked his lover's hair with one of his hands. His hand was shaking. The other hand still held on tightly to Childe's hand, their fingers intertwined.
"Always, my love. Always. Don't worry about Shui. I'll take care of him and protect him like how you did. He won't be short of love, or anything at all."
"Yourself too, my love," Childe managed to say. His voice was barely a whisper now.
"I promise," he replied instantly.
Childe seemed satisfied to hear that, and his breath started to slow. Zhongli shut his eyes the moment he felt Childe's life force fade. It was not as gentle or serene as falling asleep. He could sense every pulse of Childe's life, fighting hard to stay alive, to hang on, but the corruption ate away any chance he had.
The moment he felt that he was the only one alive in the room, it was as if his world had been silenced. For a split second, the entire ground of Liyue trembled, as if the very foundations of the earth had been broken. Zhongli took a few moments to breathe again, and to try and act as if his world had not just been changed forever.
He stroked Childe's hair one last time, brushing it aside so he looked as handsome as he did when he was alive. He helped his lover close his eyes, before he kissed his lover's forehead softly, with reverence one would treat a God. Gently, he removed Childe's earring, his vision, and put it into his pocket. He then picked up Childe's gloves, scarf, jacket and mask that had been thrown on the floor. He then slid the wedding band off Childe's finger and clenched it tightly in his palm.
Then Zhongli sealed the room, and he teleported himself to where his son was.
Shui was currently unconscious, as he had been trying to escape to see Childe. He knew about the corruption only at the very end, but he had been using all his efforts to try to see his mother. He was lying still on the bed, his fists clenched by his side. Someone spoke quietly from the shadow in the corner.
"My lord. I'm sorry, if I didn't knock him out, he would have-"
Zhongli cut him off by raising a hand.
"I understand, that's not your fault. And." Zhongli paused before continuing. He felt that saying the words would make what just happened an undeniable reality. For a few minutes, the words were stuck in his throat.
Xiao said nothing, but stood silently waiting for orders.
"Please inform Director Hutao that we need her service. A cremation."
Xiao's eyes widened at the instruction, but he said nothing. His hand tightened on his polearm, and he briefly nodded before leaving.
Zhongli turned his attention to his child, who was still unaware that his entire world had just been destroyed. Everyone always said that Shui was a carbon copy of him, from looks to personality, and with his eyes closed, there was not a trace of Childe that could be seen. Zhongli knew better, that Childe was reflected in Shui's refusal to back down from any challenge, in the way he was sharp and witty, in how he could charm anyone around him with just a smile.
Zhongli sat on the side of the bed, and he said softly, "I'm so sorry," as he patted his son's head. Then he used a tiny amount of energy and tapped Shui's forehead. The boy awoke with a startle. He looked at Zhongli for a spilt second before trying to get up, and he tried to push past Zhongli as soon as he was sitting up, looking to see if there was someone standing behind. His legs were still under the blanket, so he was stuck.
"Where is Mama!" Shui shouted. He tried to push Zhongli again, but his father was immovable as rock.
Zhongli said nothing but reached into his pocket and placed the earring and vision onto the blanket. The white blanket was a stark contrast to the belongings, and the moment Shui saw the colourless vision, his face crumpled. With a trembling hand, Shui picked up Childe's vision.
"Mama..." Shui cried out sorrowfully as he held on the vision. The sharp edges would have cut into his palm had Zhongli's protective barrier not been active. That was his protection for his son against any physical wounds as he had promised Childe since the day Shui was born all the way till his deathbed. But the wounds of the heart? That he was helpless against.
Soon after, Zhongli felt his son's tears on his neck, but all he could do was hug him tightly.