The Tsaritsa's nation was truly beautiful and in the settling darkness, Zhongli was marveling his surroundings with every step he took, taking in the beauty of different shades of white that coated nature. Wherever the gaze reached, deepest winter held snowy Snezhnaya lovingly, interrupting its composition with occasional tinges of ice and frozen creeks. The air was dry enough to not make the coldness feel heavy or uncomfortable, but Zhongli was really glad about the thick clothing he was wrapped in.
To reduce his surroundings to snow alone however would be wrong and Zhongli couldn't help but also notice the silence following his steps through Morepesok, another form of eternity and beauty he'd come to recognize in other nations as well, completely different from his own nation, Liyue.
(Could he justify calling Liyue "his" nation anymore?)
Piecing together where he had to go hadn't been easy, with Childe's letters as the only indication for his destination; fortunately, Morepesok was a small village hugging the seashore of an enormous frozen lake, the only house fitting Childe's descriptions located at its far end, hugged by woods, where the forest started climbing a snow-covered mountain. So, Zhongli was fairly certain he was right when he stepped on the porch of said door, lifted his hand and knocked at the wooden door briefly.
He could hear the shuffling of feet from inside and lifted his eyes at the widening gap of the opening door that flooded the settling darkness with light from inside, meeting eyes with a young girl of maybe seventeen years old. She froze at the threshold when she saw Zhongli stand in front of the door, blue eyes widening impossibly. For a moment, they stared at each other without any movement and Zhongli was amazed by her similarity to Childe. A smile grew on his face with this thought.
He opened his mouth to say his greetings and introduce himself, but before he could say a single word, the girl slammed the door shut with a shriek, locking Zhongli out again.
Zhongli could hear her screaming inside: "AJAX! THERE IS A MAN!", her high-pitched voice growing more distant, followed by Tartaglia's alarmed, familiar voice: "WHERE?"
Footsteps approached quickly, the door was torn open again and this time, it was Childe himself at the threshold, Hydro weapons forming in his hand, ready to confront whoever was at the door, the girl peeking over his shoulder in safe distance, her face as red as their hair color.
Recognition scurried over Childe's face and his shoulders dropped, Hydro disssolving.
"Zhongli?! You here?" Childe's face illuminated in joy and he half-turned with laughter on his lips, shouting into the house: "IT'S FINE! IT'S MY FRIEND!"
"You know him?", the girl, Childe's sister, hissed in response, inching closer to Childe and digging her fingers into his shoulders, clinging and pressing against his back in search for protection from Zhongli's amused gaze. "Ajax?"
"I'm sorry, Zhongli", Childe addressed him with tight grip against the door's edge, swinging back and forth, ignoring his sister, "this must be not exactly the way you imagined your surprise to go, huh? Come in, don't stay in the cold, don't mind Tonia's jealousy." Childe tilted his head to the side and grinned at his sister, who was kicking against his shins now, repeating her questions in a hushed, flustered tone.
"Tonia, zolota, meet my boyfriend, Zhongli", Tartaglia ended sweetly, prompting Tonia to jump back with a gasp.
"WHAT?", she shouted at the same volume as before. From deeper inside the house, a deep adult voice shouted something in Snezhnayan that made Childe roll his eyes. He turned his back on them and completely faced Zhongli, who had entered over the doorway, reached out and grabbing Zhongli's scarf, pulled him down for a kiss. Zhongli closed his stiff fingers around Childe's in his scarf and softened his lips into the kiss, mourning when Childe retracted with an amused sparkle to his eyes, their faces hovering inches away from each other.
"Tonia said I lied about you", Childe explained loud enough that their curious and bewildered spectator heard, making it obvious his words were for his sister's ears.
"MAMULJA! AJAX IS STILL TEASING ME!", Tonia complained with burning cheeks, running along the hallway and disappearing in a door to the right, where two more heads had appeared to watch what was going on at the entrance door, the one child Zhongli hadn't met yet with a large wooden spoon in mouth, licking and eating dough from it. Zhongli recognized Teucer though, lifted a hand and waved.
"Mister Zhongli!" Teucer waved back, but against expectation, disappeared back in what must be the kitchen.
"I'm happy that you're here." Childe pulled Zhongli's scarf from around his throat and replaced it with his arms, tugging Zhongli into a hug and burying his face against the side of his neck with a content sigh. Zhongli could feel Childe's smile against his skin. "Did you come all the way from Liyue?"
"I wanted to surprise you. Hu Tao gave me off because I worked between Christmas and New Years." Zhongli breathed in the familiar scent of Childe's hair and reached for the earring dangling from Childe's earlobe, lifting it lightly with the tip of his fingers. It was the one Zhongli had gifted him for Childe's departure from Liyue. Seeing the ginger actually wear it made Zhongli's heart feel like it could burst from the feelings.
"Oh? So, you're telling me that you don't know what day it is today for us in Snezhnaya?" Childe pushed his head back, keeping their bodies pressed together, and Zhongli was captivated by the upturn of Childe's lips, immediately thrown back to all the times they'd spent together in Liyue, even before they'd officially become a couple. He'd looked out for this particular smile so often, in every moment of their many meetings back then. It hadn't lost a slither of effect on Zhongli since then.
"It's January?" Zhongli cleared his throat and Tartaglia threw his head back, laughing, completely depending on Zhongli to hold them both and not have Childe fall over.
"I see, sweet! Guess you're my unofficial Christmas present then!", he laughed breathlessly, untangling his arms from around Zhongli's shoulders and wrapping Zhongli's scarf around his throat instead, cheeks painted in soft red. "We're in the middle of preparations but don't worry, bussinka, this will be a night to remember! ... Oh, uh. Do you want to accompany me? I was on my way to fell a Christmas tree for us and maybe decorate it later. You can stay with my family too if you don't want to come with me. You just came in after all."
"I'm good. Gladly." Zhongli watched how Childe grabbed his Fatui coat from a hook on the wall, similar to the ones the Fatui Pyro agents wore but warmer, and noticed past Childe's shoulder that Teucer's head had appeared at the door again. Somehow, probably brotherly intuition, Childe caught wind of his baby brother approaching, because he immediately chirped: "Oh Teucer, Zhongli and I will find the best yolka in all of Snezhnaya and bring it home! What do you say, will everyone else be envious of us?"
"Pinky promise?" Teucer had his eyes concentratedly on a mug without handle in his hands as he walked past Childe, careful not to spill the hot steaming drink over the edge. "Mama says to give this to you, Mister Zhongli, or Ajax is going to leave you cold." He extended his arms and Zhongli took the steaming mug of herbal tea with a new sense of warmth filling his insides, grateful for the beverage, especially now that his scarf has wandered from the proprietor to his boyfriend.
"Aw, that's sweet of her." Childe crouched behind Teucer and put his chin on Teucer's shoulder, nudging his brother with his chin. "Do I not get one, Teucer? Are you not worried for me, maloy?" He pouted playfully. Teucer crossed his arms in front of his chest with a huff.
"Mamatschka said you don't get one because you made fun of Tonia. She said, Dedushka Moroz and Sneguratshka will scold you too for being naughty."
"Oooooh ... are you naughty, Teucer?" Childe peppered the side of his brother's face with small kisses that made the boy giggle uncontrollably as he tried to free himself from his brother's arms around his middle to no avail. "No, my baby has been a good boy, happiness for the entire family, nobody is going to be angry with him!"
"Ajax, stop, Ajax, noooo", Teucer finally wriggled out of Childe's arms and brought safety distance between them, focusing on Zhongli instead, who held onto and sipped his tea with a fond smile. "Bring the best tree!", he shouted, turned on his heels and ran back into the kitchen, where Tonia was eyeing them from suspiciously. Childe saluted and she huffed, disappearing as well.
"Haha ... we're a bit messy, aren't we?" Childe dropped the lifted hand to adjust his scarf. Returning his full attention to Zhongli was like finding himself in unobstructed sunshine after the sun's been hidden behind clouds to him, and just as welcome.
"I like it", Zhongli confessed lowly from behind the mug's edge, holding Childe's gaze fondly. Childe calmed visibly, grew flustered for some reason, swayed back and forth on his heels and then, with lowered head to hide his blush behind the scarf, extended a hand, wiggling his fingers in silent demand.
Zhongli shifted his grip on the mug and took Childe's hand without hesitation, intertwining their fingers.
-x
-x
Stepping outside into the now darkness and cold would make any normal man mourn the loss of homely warmth, but warmed by the tea, the domestic interaction and Childe's hand in his, Zhongli didn't mind. Sipping on his tea from time to time he let himself be pulled along blindly, trusting that Childe knew where they were headed, even though it was hard to see anything in this darkness among the trees.
The only sounds accompanying the crunching of their feet sinking into crystalized snow was the low howling of wind and the occasional hoots of owls from somewhere far away.
"A Pyro Vision would be handy right now", Zhongli commented, pulling closer to Childe, who nodded his head in tact of his bouncy steps.
"Probably. But it's unwise to give away your position because of too much light in this darkness. At least until we're at the point where we really need it."
"Is that so?" Zhongli concentrated and listened for dangers that even this Harbinger wouldn't want to attract the attention of, wondering what he could be referring to. Childe side-glanced and laughed.
"Not for warriors, obviously. But Teucer would hate if I were too late and can't have my darling brother be disappointed."
Zhongli pondered this, taking into account how quickly, deadly and effectively Childe was fighting and executing his enemies. He decided that there was more to the story, even though Tartaglia's love for his family was definitely heavy in the equation. Every day he'd spent in Liyue, Childe had been writing home and talking to Zhongli about his family, recounting the moments he loved and the interactions he missed. Looking back, thanks to those stories, Zhongli knew a family he had never met really well. Endearing, how Childe was weighing up with those stories for Zhongli's endless fundus of knowledge about history, gems, stones, warfare and much more.
"You know where to go to?", Zhongli asked, curious. Childe shrugged. The deeper into the woods they walked, the further from the village, the more reliant they were growing on the mild light coming from moon and stars, not nearly enough to be seeing clearly, unfortunately.
"Would you think it's a lie if I said that snow consists of water and thus, I can somewhat tell where I'm walking? Maybe the way is just so familiar to me?" After a couple of more steps, Childe stopped and let go of Zhongli's hand, rubbing his hands together, and pointed at a small fir growing out of the ground in front of him. The tree reached a bit over his head. "We'll take this one."
"How?" Having emptied his mug of tea, Zhongli carefully hid the mug in a pocket of his coat, reminding himself not to forget to return it.
"Easily. Water cuts through everything. But first ..." Instead of falling into the usual battle stance to do as he promised, unexpectedly, Childe closed in to Zhongli in short steps, grinning at him as he grabbed Zhongli's sides, pressing himself to Zhongli. "Do you remember what I said about Snezhnayan cold, bussinka? Never stand still or it'll claim you."
With his arms wrapped tightly around Zhongli, Childe swayed them from side to side, turning them in a circle slowly.
"Claim me?", Zhongli hummed. With growing pleasure, sliding his fingers along Childe's arm, Zhongli loosened Childe's grip around Zhongli's side, and lifted their joined hands to the side at shoulder height. It felt so good to have Childe back like this, being able to hold him, to feel him. Tartaglia could be a bundle of polar opposites, but he was a loving human, interesting, full of brimming passion, and addicting to have around.
(Or maybe only to Zhongli, he'd never know. It didn't matter.).
"It's not so easy to claim me, Childe." Zhongli stepped forward, putting his leg between Childe's, and the ginger mirrored the step with his opposite leg, allowing the initiated waltz, following along the dance around the Christmas tree through snow and darkness. Circle after circle they drew through the snow, round and round. They might not be able to see each other clearly even this close to each other, but they were able to feel and hear each other's quickened breaths, felt their shared heartbeats in their harmonic movements, heard the other's laughter when Zhongli dipped Childe back over his arm and pulled him back so that they were face to face again.
"I missed you." Zhongli closed his hands around the beloved face and pulled Childe closer, diving into the almost painful ache of finally being reunited. He didn't have the breath to kiss Childe and simply held onto him, reveling in the sound of Childe's giggles and his gentle hands over his chest.
"I missed you too, dove, but I was serious about not standing still. I know you're the former Geo archon and the representation of unmovable rock, but not now. Move! I won't let anyone else win over me, especially not things like Sheer Frost!"
Zhongli complied and restored some distance to his lover, and this time it was Childe who didn't let him go far. "Are you up for a challenge, Zhongli? Why don't you give us some light with one of your pillars while I get to work on the tree?"
"You said it will attract unwanted attention." He lifted his free hand, his fingertips glowing with Geo lightly, illuminating Childe's feral grin. Not that Zhongli's objection had been serious, just like Childe's worries about being attacked on the way hadn't been - fighting was one of the ways that got his blood boiling and to be honest, Zhongli didn't mind the experience of fighting side by side, back against back with his unhinged Harbinger. He loved it even. How long has it been?
So, when Childe proposed a challenge, saying No wasn't even an option from the get-go.
"Rise!" The earth obeyed and a pillar shot out of the ground.
Resonating with the snow around the freshly erected pillar, Crystallize occurred and built shields around Zhongli, who had manifested his polearm and watched the woods around him attentively, focusing on the edge where light broke into darkness. At the same time, Childe had formed a Hydro axe and gotten to work with brutal ferocity, hacking at the fir's tree trunk as if he meant to take revenge on it for a personal wrongdoing.
Then, glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. Zhongli focused on the single pair, grew alarmed when uncounted more appeared next to it, the air filling with low growling. Prowling closer, the first enemy grew visible, and Zhongli had to say, he'd never seen wolves this big before in free nature, basically rivaling Boreas, Venti's friend, in height; especially not nowadays. What were they Snezhnayans eating that they grew this big?
"Oooh, ghost puppies!", Childe exclaimed happily, still hacking away at the fir, "there must be a domain or a tear to the Abyss somewhere nearby! Leave some for me too, Zhongli, my love, will you?"
Just for Childe's happiness, Zhongli might.
"I will have order!" With this shout, Zhongli lifted an arm over his head, glowering at the approaching enemies, wind picking up and blowing snow in wild storms in all directions when a meteor appeared from above and raced toward the hounds, ready to turn them into dust.
In the last possible second, Childe grabbed his Christmas tree, finally having felled it, and hurried out of the destruction zone, returning to Zhongli's side with drawn bow before Zhongli could even blink, releasing an arrow blindly into the pack of hounds and being rewarded with a high-pitched howl. The meteor found its destination and dropped onto the wolves, burying half of them under stone. Only the more agile rest survived the first attack.
Those jumped, leaped through the air at Childe who's been stringing together arrow after arrow at them like breaths, dancing backwards whenever Zhongli was occupied with slaying a different approaching beast with his polearm. Their teamwork couldn't be described other than seamless, their fighting side by side based on trust that any opening would be filled by his partner.
"Teucer's gotta be wondering where we are!" In swift motion, Childe transformed his bow into a spear, twisting toward Zhongli and throwing it forcefully, impaling a jumping hound mid-jump at Zhongli against a tree, where it exploded into a cloud of dust. Accordingly, a dozen of sharp stones impaled the last attacker that started to pounce on Childe's open back.
"They're scared." Zhongli scanned the circle of light with narrowed eyes. "Of us?"
"Nah, there's probably something even better coming our way. Something that scares them." Childe grabbed the fir by the cut end and pulled it along the snow, listening into the tense silence attentively. He still spoke lightly when he asked: "Have you ever ridden a sleigh before? ... No? Okay, that's the plan. You light the way, I slide the way. It's going to be fun!"
He beckoned Zhongli to come closer and slung an arm around his waist, settling for a sideways stance that the Geo user mirrored with a hand on Childe's to hold onto their Christmas tree. They exchanged a glance, then, with an excited howl, Childe initiated their ride, forming a water way down the mountain - and since the Hydro sent before their feet was pressed against snow and away from the caster, it froze immediately, creating a quick way down between the trees. (Zhongli's hand radiated the much-needed light for their way as he casted Geo; even without Childe's tendencies for the thrill, which Zhongli shared to a certain extent, the decent was wild and unhinged, like a lot related to these individuals, somehow).
At first, the hounds were running along their ride just out of sight, flashes of fur appearing at the light's edge but never in attack; then, the village's lights came into view, the woods grew thinner, and Zhongli and Childe had arrived back at his house in no time.
Childe stumbled the last few steps when there was no ice to slide on anymore, doubled over with his hands on his knees and exhaled, his breath claimed by the cold. "Phew, that got my blood pumping. Give me a moment. I need to collect myself."
He straightened up, still panting, and squirmed under Zhongli's scrutinizing eyes, lifting his hands in defense.
"You look exhausted, Childe." Zhongli closed up to him and took hold of the lifted arms, lowering them and holding onto Childe's wrists. He tilted his head, trying to catch his lover's eyes, but Childe kept staring past Zhongli's shoulder to the ground. Zhongli knew that the man always pushed himself to his limits and beyond. He's seen the fine cracks running along Childe's heart, similar to the ones Zhongli could feel in his own soul. They've experienced and shared each other's darkest moments. He knew the exhaustion.
"I'm here. If you wish, we'll make another contract, against your sorrow. We'll start with your night's peace in exchange for your night's sleep in my arms, tonight, and every night that follows. Nobody will lay a finger on you when I'm with you, Childe."
Childe dropped his forehead against Zhongli's shoulder and relaxed his shoulders, sinking into an embrace. It lasted only moments because one mustn't stand still in Snezhnayan cold.
"I'll keep that mind. I promise, I'm fine. Just had to make sure everybody can enjoy their holidays tonight, possibly tomorrow too." Childe huffed. "Okay then, let's go. I'm positive everyone's waiting for us."
-x
-x
It was as Childe predicted. As soon as the two approached the porch, the door was opened and Teucer jumped up and down, singing something in Snezhnayan; the only word Zhongli remotely understood was "yolka", Christmas tree.
"Come, little warrior, pull this into the living room?" Entering the house, Childe put his hand on Teucer's head, calming him and earning a big, wide grin.
"We're almost done with cooking. Mama said that you can sit down now." Teucer grabbed the tree by its trunk and with considerable struggle on his face dragged it through the hallway. Childe watched him for a moment as he undid his scarf and turned to Zhongli, who'd taken off his coat and revealed an outfit that was different from his usual one. Childe's gaze got caught on the rolled-up sleeves that exposed Zhongli's muscular forearms to the elbows.
Zhongli noticed and halted. His lips quirked up. "Surprised?"
"Uh ... it looks good. You look good. Always." Flustered, Childe pressed the scarf against Zhongli's chest and threw his own coat off his shoulders, hanging it on the wall and beckoning Zhongli to come with him. Chuckling, Zhongli buried the scarf in his coat's sleeve, took out the mug he'd kept safe, and followed Childe.
Even though he seemed calm to the outside, his heartbeat picked up the closer they came to the living room and the voices coming from there. How would Childe's family react to him? He did visit them unexpectedly and even though Childe always asked him to come ever since his departure from Liyue ...
Zhongli was nervous.
The living room was beautifully decorated, a big wooden table making out maybe half of the room, ladden with a variety of dishes which Zhongli had never tasted most of. Tonia and Teucer were together with a man of the size and build of a wardrobe in the corner of the room, putting up the tree so that it would stand upright. Zhongli stopped at the threshold and took in the atmosphere for a second, feeling touched by the orderly chaos the scene emanated.
"Sorry, let us through!" Hands pushed Zhongli gently to the side and a middle-aged woman with a considerable number of freckles all over her skin carried a big steaming plate of chicken past him to the table, ordering the second youngest to push some other dishes to the side so that she could put down the chicken. The boy, the only one in the family whose hair was a dark brown, did so, and Childe's mother placed the plate down, wiped her hands on the dish cloth hanging from her skirt, turned around and broke into a wide smile, hurrying over to Zhongli. The next moment, Zhongli found himself hugged tightly by the woman, who in size reached some inches above his navel.
"Welcome to the family! It is good to meet you. Ajax told us much about you." Instead of letting go, she grabbed Zhongli's elbow with an unexpectedly hard grip and pulled him to the table, effectively manhandling him to sit down and pulling different dishes closer to him, continuing about how there's different dishes because Liosha insisted on the meat but Tonetschka preferred fish and vegetables, while the younger ones loved dough and dry sweets.
Childe wrapped his arms around his mother from behind and tried to coax her away, saying that Zhongli would find what to eat later, but she slapped his arm and broke into what had to be Snezhnayan reprimand, because Childe started looking guilty.
"Oh, blin, I forgot. My name is Darya. But you can call me mother." With another happy smile, she pressed her warm calloused hand against Zhongli's cheek for a second, then turned and said, waving her hands: "Nu ladna, I must go to the kitchen. Sit down, sinulja, I come back in a moment."
"I'm sorry. She was really excited to meet you." Childe sank down next to Zhongli, the outsides of their thighs touching, but Childe's attention was at the door, his voice lowered so that his mom wouldn't overhear them. "She said that her son's lover is basically another son to her, and she was so happy that somebody could love me. Not as an insult, naturally. Cried the entire day when I told her." Childe turned and laughed lightly. "You seem happy, Zhongli."
"Your mother is a very sweet woman. Now I can also tell where your freckles come from." Zhongli bumped their knees together. Then, Zhongli noticed the silent stare from across the table, locking eyes with the last of Childe's siblings, the one with dark hair, who'd watched on all this time without saying a word.
"Hello", Zhongli greeted. The boy nodded, walked around the table, and sat down without paying any more attention to their guests. Zhongli tilted his head.
"Anthon", Childe introduced his brother. "He's shy", he explained. "And my dad, Aleksej, he doesn't really talk English, but he should be able to at least understand most of what you're saying, should you two ever talk to each other. Batya isn't a man of many words. Mom and Tonia do most of the talking around here."
"I wish you could've experienced my family gatherings too. You were at Mondstadt once, weren't you? Have you ever met the bard, Venti?" After Childe nodded, Zhongli continued. "Then you can imagine how Barbatos was during our gatherings. We adepti, the yakshas, sometimes the other archons, we liked gathering and feasting together. Until this day, I still think of a lot of them as my family, even though many have passed and some ... well, some are not how they used to be."
Finished with the tree in the corner, the rest of family came over to the table, getting themselves seated. Tonia dropped onto the seat next to Zhongli's other side, propping her head against an angled arm on the table and leaning to Zhongli, drawing his attention to herself.
"So, you're from Liyue, Zhongli?", she asked, a rhetorical question. "Are all men in Liyue like you?" This one, however, was seriously asked. Zhongli pushed the plates Darya had pulled closer to him absentmindedly further from his plate to restore some space, thinking about the nature of this question.
"I fear you will have to be more precise than this, Tonia. I'm unable to answer your question to your current satisfaction."
"Nah, don't get her hopes up, bussinka. Tonia, you won't find another one like Zhongli in all of Liyue no matter how hard you look, because Zhongli's the only one and he's mine." Childe lifted a gloved hand, waving around the ring with enclosed pure Cor Lapis on his ring finger, leaving no doubt about what he meant.
"And I will go to Liyue. What can you do to stop me?", Tonia asked angrily.
"Are you made out of rock?", a new, shy voice asked between the siblings' bickering. This was the first time Anthon had decided to speak up, and he pointed at Zhongli's forearms, rubbing over his own, shoulders lifted to his ears. Zhongli shifted his attention to the boy.
"I'm not made of rock. I can command it, however." Zhongli extended a hand past Tonia and produced a small pretty colored stone out of the palm of his hand, reaching it over to Anthon, who looked on with big eyes and took the gift with bated breath. "I once even gave eyes to a rock so that he could see the sunlight. Look, you can touch my skin to see if you want to. It's flesh."
"Thank you." Anthon did not touch him. He simply took the offered stone, put it into the middle of a small puppet and to Zhongli's great interest hid this one in a bigger one that looked like an exact replica, repeating the process until all smaller puppets were inside the biggest one (Snezhnayans called this a "matroyshka", an artfully made toy).
"And I will go to Liyue."
"You will go nowhere, Tonetschka", Darya interrupted, threatening her daughter with a raised finger. She sat down at the table as well, and as if this was a starting order, everybody reached for their favorite dish. "Worse that Teucer went, ay when I think about it, pfui diavol, what could have gone wrong! But no, we will not talk about this. Tonight is eating! Everybody, have a good meal!"
During the meal, Zhongli let alternately Childe and Tonia explain to him what the dishes he tasted were made of, chattering with mainly those two. Like Darya had explained, there was a little bit of everything on here, way too much to eat in one evening - not that stopping was an option, really.
"You have eaten nothing! Come, taste some of the Olivje. Or take a Krebel with honey. We have berry marmalade from the market, freshly made!" Darya would always rise from her chair and put something else on Zhongli's plate, arguing in Snezhnayan with Childe when he laughed at her and said that she was trying to make Zhongli fat. On the other hand, Zhongli had never eaten so many different flavors and he enjoyed the attention, but soon declined any more bites.
"Can I make myself some tea instead?", he asked and was released from the table.
"Everything's in the kitchen. If you need something, shout", Childe said, and Zhongli slipped away.
The kitchen looked like a battlefield. Zhongli was impressed by the chaos of used kitchen utensils on every free surface but considering how many different foods were in the Christmas feast, this should've hardly been a surprise. It took a while to find a kettle and another while to figure out how the stove worked (must be a machine from Fountaine? Zhongli hadn't seen something like this before, but the machine was handy, no question).
The hardest question was where Zhongli could find tea leaves. Earlier, they'd made him tea, so they had to be somewhere, and yet Zhongli failed to find any as he went through the cupboards. He tiptoed and looked onto a higher shelf, which must've been handmade judging by the quality, when he felt another's presence in the room and looked over his shoulder, instinctively freezing.
Childe's father, Aleksej, took up the entire doorframe and had to bow under it to get into the kitchen. Now, Zhongli wasn't unfamiliar with tall muscular men because apart from Xiao, the other yakshas had all been taller than Morax, not to mention Azhdaha, Osial or other beings the Geo archon had met in his life. Yet, there was something in the proud way the man held himself that impressed a deeper sense in Zhongli (and if that only was the knowledge that this man was part of the reason why Childe existed).
Aleksej approached the low cupboard, folded into himself and pulled out a tin from a small space next to the stove, opening it and turning it so that Zhongli could see the tea leaves in it.
"Oh. Thank you." Zhongli took the tin, grabbed a mug and put in some leaves. Wordlessly, Aleksej placed two liqueur-glasses on the counter and poured some clear liquid, offering one to Zhongli.
"Fire-Water", he grumbled. Politely, Zhongli accepted the glass and held onto it. He'd heard that this was strong alcohol, and nothing compared to lovely Dandelion or Osmanthus wine. Drinking it would have a cleansing effect to the variety of flavors he could still taste, unfortunately so. Honestly, Zhongli preferred tea over Fire-Water right now. Would it be rude to decline?
"For family." Aleksej toasted to Zhongli and downed the liquid, pouring another glass full. "Drink for bond. One."
"I will. Later."
"Mn. For health." Aleksej toasted to Zhongli and downed another, poured a third. "For love."
"Batya, matushka said you mustn't drink. It's not good for your blood pressure." Childe leaned against the doorframe, having entered silently. His father made a face, took a third liqueur-glass and poured it to the rim, stretching it out to Childe.
"Don't tell her. Eta secret."
With a sigh, Childe took the glass and father and son crossed their arms at their elbows, downing the Fire-Water in this entangled grip.
"For love", Childe repeated. The kettle started howling and Zhongli picked it off the fire, turning the stove off. While pouring himself tea, he heard Childe's nearing footsteps and then felt arms wrap around his waist. Childe pressed his head to Zhongli's arm, watching him pour the tea. "Won't you drink on something, bussinka?", he hummed.
"Later."
"Matushka will confiscate the alcohol if she finds it. I mean, I won't push you if you don't want to."
"But ...?" Zhongli returned the kettle onto the stove and turned, feeling that there was something else that Childe didn't say. Childe shrugged.
"Can I drink for you, then?"
"Suit yourself."
"Okay." Childe loosened his grip, leaving one hand on Zhongli's waist, and picking up the last glass. He lifted it, locking eyes with Zhongli. "This one goes to my god."
In Zhongli's life, many people had given offerings to the Geo archon, had made sacrifices and Morax was used to their worship. But Zhongli wasn't exactly Morax anymore. The biggest part of Liyue had moved on into a new era and few people left offerings to Rex Lapis. So hearing those words from Childe had so much more meaning than he might know, than he might imagine.
To my god.
Zhongli pressed an urgent kiss against Childe's lips, tasting the Fire-Water on his own after all.
To their side, Childe's father made a deep sound and said something in Snezhnayan. Childe's eyes softened and he said: "Da, batyushka. You're right."
-x
-x
How long into the night they sat together, Zhongli didn't know because he'd lost track of time quickly. What did time matter when you were having fun?
At some point, there was a knocking at their door and a white-bearded man with a beautifully made coat and heavy boots and a sack with presents came in, accompanied by a very beautiful, tall blonde lady, Sneguratshka. By the way they glanced at Childe, Zhongli pieced together that these were Fatui, but he could also tell that there was only respect for their Harbinger and real joy when they handed out the presents Childe must've selected and bought beforehand for his siblings. Because that was how the tradition went: Dedushka Moroz came with presents and rewarded the good children.
Childe himself didn't get anything, but when Zhongli asked, he answered sincerely: "I did get several presents today. I saw my family happy, and I had the time to spend Christmas with them. And then, as a surprise present, you came to spend Christmas with us too. My family loves you. What else could I wish for?"
It was part of the tradition that the children stepped up one after one and gave back a little present for Dedushka Moroz in form of a poem, something they've learned, or a song. Teucer, as the youngest, was first, and he laid out all kinds of toys in a circle around himself, sat down in the middle and started telling the hair-raising story about his travel to Liyue.
"I missed my big brother very much, so I travelled to the Institute for Toy Research in Liyue and then there were Mister Cyclopses!" He picked up his small Mister Cyclops and retold his entire travel, picking up a small Rex Lapis figurine next. "And then I saw this land that had no snow at all and was really warm! Ajax said that Liyue was a bit too warm for our clothing, but because I had to go back, I couldn't buy new clothes. That was sad."
He continued, talked about the Traveller and Paimon who helped him during his adventure, and ended with a small windcatcher, blowing against it so that its individual parts turned around themselves.
Dedushka Moroz and Sneguratshka exchanged glances, then she clapped into her hands happily.
"That's an amazing story, little Teucer! You have a vivid imagina-..." She accidentally made eye contact with Childe and broke off, shrinking under the glare.
"O-oh. We mean to say that such travels are really dangerous, and you should be more careful!", Dedushka Moroz saved the situation. Teucer smiled at them brightly.
Next was Anthon. He stood proudly before the guests, controlled his breathing and then sang in a clear voice. Even though he wasn't singing very loudly, he had a beautiful voice that Zhongli was sure would make Glaze Lilies bloom, and he listened in silent amazement. Zhongli had always loved the performance, thus the Geo Visions to people like Yun Jin or Inazuma's oni Itto. There was a beauty to it that couldn't just be put into words. One had to experience it.
Last, Tonia wanted to perform a traditional dance. She slipped away during Anthon's performance and when it was her turn, she returned in Snezhnayan traditional clothing and an instrument in hands that Zhongli didn't know.
"Play for me?" Tonia stopped in front of Childe and extended the instrument, a box with folded parts in the middle and buttons to one side. Childe sat up straighter, taken aback by her request.
"It's been ages, Tonia ... I don't think I remember how to play the accordion anymore ..." He took the instrument in both hands and lowered it to rest on his knees, head lowered over it as he slipped his hands into a sling on one side and put his fingers onto rows of buttons on the other. He pulled those sides in opposite directions and somehow, there was music coming from the accordion through this motion. Zhongli would need to ask later how it worked.
"Tschepuha! As if you can unlearn something like this."
"It seems my fingers remember." With a reminiscing smile, Childe played a tune and after a couple of beats, Tonia started dancing, waving a handkerchief in one hand. If she ever did go to Liyue, Zhongli was sure she'd love Yun Jin's opera performances and vice versa. Tonia had a graceful way of holding herself, similar to how Childe moved when he fought - clearly showing the passion the siblings had for their respective fields.
-x
-x
Later, after they've washed all dishes and replaced the leftovers on the living room table with sweets and more tea, Anthon asked if he could braid Zhongli's hair and Zhongli talked about Liyue, told stories about his life, learned more about Snezhnayan culture.
"What does 'bussinka' mean?", he asked Anthon. Anthon's fingers threaded through Zhongli's hair as he tried his best to make a perfect braid.
"It's like ... this round thing on a necklace. I don't know the word for it."
"It's called a pearl!", Teucer provided helpfully from his place on the ground, where he played with the new Mister Cyclops and the Mister Titan (which looked quite similar to Abyss Lectors). "And those are actually from the sea. Ajax once showed me a seashell and opened it and it had one in it. It's like a stone from the water and very precious."
"A pearl ..." Zhongli looked on the other side of the room, where Tonia, Childe and his parents were loudly playing cards at the table. Reading from Childe's thrilled expression, he was being challenged and enjoyed every second of it.
And again later, Aleksej was playing a Snezhnayan instrument that, when Zhongli had to describe, he'd compare to a Liyue pipa, but which sounded completely different. In a poetic way, the sound of the balalaika was like icicles, very fitting for Snezhnaya and the Tsaritsa's domain: clear, ethereal and completely see-through but for the artistic surface. And like ice, it sounded high and vast, and its sound filled the room with a melancholy Zhongli hadn't known he could feel; but as they sat around Aleksej, Childe leaning against Zhongli's shoulder, head against head, Zhongli felt so captivated that he wanted to cry.
-x
-x
Childe's house was big enough for guests to stay over in separate rooms. But when Childe offered that they share a bed, Zhongli gladly took him up on the offer.
This was also the first time he'd ever been to Childe's room that was entirely made by his tastes. Zhongli closed the door behind himself and stopped to look around, taking in the familiarity of it. There were photos of Childe's family in wooden frames all along the wooden walls, and Zhongli spotted souvenirs from Liyue he'd picked back then. But there were also prototypes of weapons hanging on the wall, most made by child hands and worked on over the years; and there were faint traces of Fatui work, like Childe's mask or his former uniform in the wardrobe, where Zhongli put his own clothes too.
The biggest surprise was the plush in form of a dragon next to Childe's pillow, and not any dragon, but Rex Lapis' dragon form.
"I need something to hold when you're not here." Noticing what Zhongli was looking at, Childe dropped onto his bed and picked up the dragon, pressing it against his chest. He nuzzled the cheek, smiling down on the plush. "I'm Snezhnayan's greatest toy seller, aren't I? Can't go back from Liyue without new toys now."
"But now I am here." Zhongli dropped his arms left and right of Childe and leaned forward, eyes almost shining with intensity. "You don't need any plush when you have the original, Childe."
"I guess I don't." Childe leaned back onto the bed onto his elbows, away from being caged between Zhongli's arms, and wrapped one leg around Zhongli's, pulling Zhongli closer in order to make him lose balance. Childe grinned teasingly. "Are you jealous of a plush, my love?"
"Yes." Zhongli lifted one hand and pressed the heel of his hand on Childe's exposed stomach, pushing his shirt up and exposing his abs. "Yes, I am jealous. How do you plan to change that?"
He leaned over the rock-hard muscles and pressed his lips on them, lingering, retracting minimally to return his lips to Childe's skin a bit to the side. He'd wanted to count the freckles that were hidden away from sight, but he always lost count and always had to start anew.
Fingers slid along his temple into his hair and no response made Zhongli lift his gaze. His lips quirked into a smile. There weren't many things that threw Childe for a loop, but being able to see this side of the ginger as well was like being indulged into a personal secret and fully realizing the extent of their deeply established mutual trust.
"I take kisses as repayment." Zhongli lifted himself onto the bed, taking Childe's hand by the wrist and pressing it down next to Childe's head, sliding his thumb over the soft part of skin. "You must repay me in an equal number of kisses and hugs that you used for your plush and then you won't suffer the wrath of the rock."
"... how could I possibly say no?", Childe asked with husky voice. Zhongli felt his heart squeeze violently in a wave of feelings. He leaned down and claimed his first kiss, shivering against Childe's sigh.
Childe left his eyes closed and when no second kiss followed the first, he cracked one eye open. Zhongli was hovering above him, only looking - no, drinking Childe's appearance like a man who had found a source of water after weeks in a dry desert. In Zhongli's case, the time period was maybe even bigger than that. "What's wrong? Are you cold? Come into my arms."
"I'm not. I'm simply ... full of wonder." Zhongli sank down onto the bed, tracing Childe's features with his eyes. The lines of Childe's face were like made by a highly skilled mason, formed by the finest stone, art to be admired. His hair was like Cor Lapis kissed by fire and his eyes were like deep waters, often doing the talking his mouth did not. And yet ... Zhongli couldn't always read him and used every second they spent together to learn more, to memorize, to discover.
He'd never grow used to this.
"Hm?" Childe pulled at Zhongli's gloved fingers, pulling the glove off with one hand, the other playing with Zhongli's hair tail.
"I learned what bussinka means today for example."
Childe reached his own gloved hand to his mouth and pulled off his glove, throwing it off the bed and intertwining their naked hands. He turned his head to meet Zhongli's gaze and his eyes narrowed in amusement.
"If you stay over for a couple of weeks, you will learn more than just a couple of Snezhnayan words, bussinka", he promised, returning another kiss.