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Zhongli is usually very calm and collected, by right now he is anything but.
“Where is he…please, where is he?” He mumbles, frantically scanning the torn battlefield.
There’s so many bodies, there’s so much blood, Childe must be terribly hurt but he’s survived worse.
He can survive this.
He finally spots the familiar orange hair that always makes him stand apart from the people of Liyue.
“Childe!”
Zhongli rushes over.
“Childe, Childe get up. We can go home and I’ll tend your wounds like I always do.” He breathes.
He knows what he says is a lie.
Everything has to be ok. They have their whole life’s together ahead of them. Zhongli holds Childe in his arms, the warmth slowly fading from him.
“Hey…Zhongli.” Childe coughs, crimson blood splattering from his mouth.
“Who did this? I’ll find them, I’ll make them feel the wrath of the gods. Then we can go home and-“
“Zhongli. It’s ok.”
Childe weakly grabs onto his hand.
“I went too far. You always warned me about doing that.” Childe chuckles. “I’m not very good at listening, am I?”
Zhongli frantically shakes his head.
“You did everything right Childe. You were… you are amazing.” His eyes are burning with tears.
He is supposed to be the geo archon, able to fix anything.
But that went with his gnosis.
“There was a lot of them-“ Childe coughs again violently, red dripping onto his already bloody and beaten clothes.
“I guess I thought I was ready for foul legacy again. Even the strongest person can’t do anything when they’re severely outnumbered.”
“Stop it Childe.”
A tear falls onto the gravely hurt mans face.
“Stop what, my love?”
“Stop pretending you’re going to be alright. Please.” Zhongli chokes back tears.
“Zhongli-“ He is abruptly cut off.
“I wanted to spend so much more time with you. I want to show you more of the nation I raised, I want to teach you everything I know!”
Zhongli is shouting now and he’s not sure how much time his lover has left.
“Why is fate so cruel Childe? Why does the world take and take until people have nothing left and give nothing back in return? All I wanted was to be happy with you!”
Childe is pulling at his coat now but the words are tumbling from his mouth like a storming sea that he can’t stop.
“I’m a former archon! I should be able to fix this, but I don’t have my gnosis and even then!”
Even then death is an unstoppable force and he couldn’t stop it.
“Zhongli.”
He wipes his tears.
“Zhongli, please kiss me. Just one last time, kiss me like you always do.”
So Zhongli does.
Curse the world, curse fate, curse destiny.
Curse whatever people may call it.
But it will not take this away from him.
It won’t take another person from him without him saying goodbye.
So he kisses Childe with everything he can muster.
He tastes like iron and mint.
He is warm despite being a cold tool for the Tsarista.
He is everything Zhongli wants but can never seem to have.
When he finally breaks away, Childe feels cold.
Zhonglis arms can feel the last of the warmth leaving.
“I love…” Childe exhales. His last breath cut short.
He is no longer breathing.
His heart no longer beats.
He is no longer here with the man he loved.
“I love you too Childe.” Zhongli whispers.
That’s when his world finally shatters, and Zhongli, so calm and composed like always, finally lets it all overwhelm him.
It’s been two weeks.
Zhongli and the fact that that barely any fatui members showed up makes his blood boil.
His family had traveled all the way from his home nation of Snezhnaya, and he had given them his regards.
Hardly enough for the people who had only heard about him from letters.
He barely has the strength to stay after the funeral.
“Hello my love.” Zhongli says softly, sitting down next to the grave.
“I still can’t accept that you’re gone. I expect to wake up in the morning to you by my side.”
He’s crying again, but it blends in with the rain that’s soaking him to the bone.
“I have something I don’t think you knew the meaning of. Maybe I should have explained sooner.” He wipes some water from his forehead before planting a kiss on top of the gravestone.
Zhongli reaches into his pocket and sets the gift in front of the grave before getting up and walking away slowly.
A pair of dragon phoenix chopsticks stick out amongst the wet flowers.