Chapter Text
Childe knew he should’ve ignored the man that sat motionless down the alleyway, but for some reason he felt as though he couldn’t just leave him there. Even from a distance, he could make out the pool of blood that surrounded the stranger and judging by the size of it, the man would surely be dead by sunrise if left alone.
“Ahhh godammit.” Childe muttered under his breath as he ultimately decided to walk closer after pondering about it for another a minute or two.
More red flags arose around the situation with every step he took. The man was still conscious, though he didn’t make any movements when Childe got down by his side, only slightly opening his eyes to glance at the other. By his side was a gun, also covered in blood and sitting in a pile of empty shells. Childe saw the stranger’s hand grip his firearm when he crouched down and for a second that made him hesitate. If it wasn’t obvious before, it was definitely obvious now that this guy was probably some sort of criminal. But stubborn as he is, Childe ignored the warnings and pressed onwards.
“Hey man, are you okay?” No response. The stranger’s eyes slowly closed and at this point and Childe thought he was actually going to die. “Please don’t close your eyes, I’ll get some help-'' The man suddenly grabbed his wrist as he was reaching for his phone, causing him to flinch and pull back, though it did nothing to loosen the grip.
“Don’t call anyone.” The man let go and Childe fell back onto the ground in shock. “Leave me. Just go.” The man seemingly used every bit of energy he had left into those words and before Childe could fully process his words, he slipped into unconsciousness.
“W-what? Hey!” The man was out and Childe was left alone to his thoughts. In all honesty, he really should’ve heeded the man’s warning and left like anyone else would’ve done. But Childe was just too damn stubborn to simply leave. “Fuck it.” Childe got down and grabbed the man’s waist, lifting him up as he stood. If the guy has a thing against hospitals or something, that's understandable, but to hell is he going to just leave him here.
Childe’s apartment was only a couple blocks down and the man was surprisingly lightweight so carrying him home wasn’t really an issue. Plus, it was also almost midnight and the streets of Liyue were practically dead during these hours so Childe didn’t have to worry about being quick.
Unlocking the doors to his apartment proved to be a challenge and Childe was growing exhausted from hauling the man home. Once opened, he rushed to his bedroom and practically threw the man onto his bed before collapsing onto the ground himself. For a while, Childe just sat there, staring at the still unconscious stranger as he rested his body. The bleeding had lessened but there was still a steady flow that began to stain his bedsheets. Childe was going to have to patch it up tonight. Getting up, he went back out into the kitchen and retrieved his first aid kit. There should be basic stitching tools and some bandages he could use to temporarily address whatever injury the man had suffered.
The sudden realization of the situation hits Childe has he entered his bedroom again and a wave of embarrassment washed over his face as he started to unbuttoned the man’s shirt. This brief sensation was quickly pushed away since he needed to focus up, he had to be careful and try not to cause any additional injuries. He started by cleaning the wound, wiping the area around it with a wet towel and sanitizing it with a little bit of rubbing alcohol. With the mess all cleared, the deep cut that covered the side of the man’s abdomen became visible and Childe takes note that the man got stabbed, not shot. He took a deep breath as he prepared the needle. Childe has never had anything medical training prior to this but having grown up taking care of his siblings has given him enough experience to know how to patch things up.
The man stirred when the needle pierced his skin. Since Childe did not have any sort of anesthetics, he tried to work slowly and constantly checked for any signs of pain throughout his process. It didn’t take long for him to finish up but it felt like hours. He was able to breathe easily only when he could finally wrap up the wound. It was his first time stitching up such a gash and he hoped it would be his last. He wasn’t even sure if he did a good job or not but he was too beat to care. He was at his limit and before he knew it, his body gave out and he ended up falling asleep by the side of the bed.
By morning, the man was already gone. All that’s left were the blood stains on his sheets and a handwritten note on his desk. Thank you for your kindness, I will forever be in your debt . Zhongli. Even though Childe held no attachments to the man, he still felt a little upset that the stranger, Zhongli, just left without saying a word. He didn’t let it bother him much however and moved on with his morning. It was just one strange encounter and Childe was sure they wouldn’t meet again, even if the man had owed him a favor. By the time he got to campus, Zhongli was already a forgotten memory.
A couple weeks went by and it was peak exam season. Childe was up late pulling his third all-nighter to study for the last of his final exams. He was about to doze off on his desk when he heard a faint knocking on his door. He sat up and stared at the door down the hallway from his bedroom. Surely he must be hearing things since who on earth would be visiting him at this hour. Childe was ready to call it a night at that instance but the knocking returned, only this time louder than before. Now he was sure it wasn’t just a hallucination and like an idiot, he went to open the door without any precautions.
Standing on the other side stood a tall man, leaning against his door frame and clutching the side of his abdomen tightly. At the moment all his distant memories came flooding back in and there was no mistaking it. The man was Zhongli.
“Z-Zhongli?” For a moment the two stood still and looked into each other’s eyes.
“Such a beautiful shade of blue…” And with that, Zhongli’s strength gave out and he would’ve fallen onto the ground if it weren’t for Childe’s quick motion to catch him. Luckily, Zhongli wasn’t quite unconscious yet and Childe was able to help him move towards his room and lay him down.
This time, Childe wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest when he began undressing the injured man. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the sense of urgency or simply because it wasn’t his first time. The gash that Childe had stitched up for Zhongli reopened before it could fully heal and had started to bleed out again. His fingers moved quickly and within a couple of minutes, he was able to finish restiching the wound. In fact, Childe was so focused on the task at hand that he had forgotten that Zhongli was still awake.
“Little fox, may I ask for your name?” Childe jumped at the sudden question, his face turning a bright tomato red. Zhongli was staring so intensely at him even with his eyes only half open. Childe got nervous and broke off the contact, opting to look down at his hands that were fidgeting with the first aid kit.
“I go by Childe.”
“Childe…” Zhongli paused as though he was tasting the word on his tongue. “I’m sorry for coming back here, Childe.” He spoke slowly and deeply like he was saddened by the thought of being here. Childe tilted his head in confusion.
“Why are you sorry?” Zhongli avoided Childe’s gaze and looked out the window. It’s clear he was avoiding the question so Childe did not press it further. For a moment, the room fell into a peaceful quietness. Childe began putting his kit away as Zhongli rested and steadied his breathing. Just when Zhongli was about to break the silence, the two heard a firm knock from outside. Childe was the first to get up but Zhongli was quick to stop him from leaving the room.
“Stay here.” It was a firm order and Childe froze. He watched as Zhongli steadily got up from where he laid and moved towards the door quietly. He pulled out a gun from within his jacket and checked for available rounds before placing the clip back in. He was quick but light on his feet and reached the door not long after the first set of knocks came. His hand hovered over the doorknob but didn’t move to open it. Childe wasn’t sure what Zhongli was waiting for but he remained silent and patient.
“Morax, please open the door.” An unknown voice, more so unknown to Childe, came from the other side. Childe noticed the immediate drop in guard within Zhongli’s posture as he pocketed his gun and opened the door. Standing behind was a rather short boy dressed in all black utility wear. His long mullet matched his clothes apart from a green streak underneath the many layers. His cat-like eyes were a menacing bright yellow and Childe felt a little sheepish upon seeing them. The boy greeted Zhongli but did not enter the apartment.
“Xiao.” Childe didn’t understand the relationship between the two and he wasn’t sure if Zhongli was happy to see the boy. “Was the site cleared?”
“Yes, all remaining targets were cleared. Hu Tao is cleaning up what's left.”
“And Ganyu?”
“She’s still looking for you.” There was a long pause. Zhongli tensed up and struggled to find his words. Even if he was able to formulate a sentence, Xiao wouldn’t have given him the chance to speak. “Everyone is ready for your next orders. Don’t take too long here.” Childe didn’t miss the glare Xiao gave him before he left. The worst part is, Xiao wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it when he glared. He wanted to make sure Childe was aware of his hostility. Silence filled the room when there were only the two left once again. Zhongli was the first to speak.
“He’s a lot tougher on the outside than he really is. Don’t mind his harshness.” Childe didn’t respond, only giving an awkward nod in acknowledgment. Truthfully, it didn’t matter what Zhongli said about him, Childe would still be wary of the boy regardless. “Childe,” Zhongli continued as Childe remained silent, “truly words can not express how grateful I am for all you’ve done. Thank you, thank you so much.” At that very moment, Zhongli got on one knee and bowed with his hand on his heart, as though he was a returning knight greeting his queen. Childe blushed hard.
“I-it’s okay! It was nothing-really it was nothing!” Childe frantically swung his hands side to side in denial as he tried to contain his blushing, though it did nothing to lessen the redness. “Zhongli, please get up.” To his surprise, Zhongli actually got up, though his hand remained on his heart. Even though Childe was very much still flustered, he maintained eye contact with him.
“It’s selfish of me to ask this, but…” This time it was Zhongli who looked at the ground, “if it is alright with you, may I come back here again tomorrow?” Childe didn’t know why but he got excited at the thought of seeing Zhongli again and he could’ve sworn he saw the man blush.
“Zhongli, you’re always welcomed here.” Childe’s heart warmed at the faint smile that appeared on the man’s face.
“Thank you Childe. I will see you soon then. As for now I must depart as my family awaits my return.” Zhongli bowed once more and turned to leave. “Good night.”
“G-good night.” The two exchanged one last glance before Zhongli closed the door behind him. Once alone, Childe stumbled back against a wall and slid down onto the floor. His heart was racing and he couldn’t escape this weird sensation. It was hard for him to think of anything reasonable and he was still having trouble taking in everything that’s just happened. It was Childish, but Childe was sure of it. He has fallen for Zhongli.