Two hearts reunited

Change of heart

Preface:

Notes:

I wrote this story ages ago sometime in 2021. I'm not going to take it down now. Some things hurt, but deleting it completely hurts even more. Harbinger Trailer... Faces reveal... well cursed... damn it ><. Thought I had still a little more time before too.

It bugs me if some of the story parts are/sound -wrong- now, but it was just my idea of things at the time. And I don't feel like being ashamed of it or deleting a whole story now because of it or rewriting everything -____- (I wouldn't know how either. Should I switch Pulcinella with Capitano, but that also seems questionable and wrong to me).

Please no stupid comments about Pulcinella. Just don't say anything at all. Okay, thanks.

I just hope you all have read the story before already... if you are new to the story... just think to yourself.... he could've been handsome. I'm so sorry but truth to be told, mhy should be.

Here we go.

//

The beautifully shaped rocks, the warm light, the wide street lined with pretty lanterns.... It was still as beautiful as the first time when Childe had come to Liyue. Only was it right to come back? The young Harbinger was not sure about this. Here in the country, after all he had done there, he certainly didn't have a good reputation anymore. Besides, he didn't know if the reason for his return would even want to see him again. Of all people ever, it had also been Pulcinella's idea that he should return here now which was weird.

Thoughtfully, Childe thought back on his words. He had spoken of his destiny. It sounded so cheesy. Probably he had only wanted to get rid of him. He could well imagine how he now shittalked about him with the other Harbingers. He had two faces, of that he was sure. And not only two. For years he had tried to see his true face, but had not succeeded. Zhongli, on the other hand, had shown him his true face at some point and it had hurt him.... more than anything else. Why did people have to be so complicated? Or was love the real issue?

Childe sighed heavily and actually wanted to leave everything behind. Yet his heart yearned so much to see Zhongli again that it hurt. On the way back to Liyue, he imagined all the situations of what it would be like to face Zhongli again. He still had great difficulty with the fact that he was the Geo Archon. How could a god - fall in love with a more or less ordinary person like him? He had certainly just used him, as he had used them all, including Signora, and the Qixing of Liyue.... For his stupid contract, which he didn't understand either....

Could he even be with someone who was so different? Thoughts upon thoughts clouded Childes' arrival. He wasn't sure he could just meet him anyway. Now, after all that had happened, just showing up at his door like that seemed rude. And so Childe put it off and headed for the Northland Bank.

As he walked through the streets, he was quite surprised that everything seemed to be as usual. No one insulted him or spat at him, although they would have had good reason to do so after he had almost destroyed the city. Arriving at the Northland Bank, the Fatui also went about their daily business completely normally, as if nothing had happened. It was all so surreal as if the whole incident with Osial had never happened. What had they told the citizens afterwards?

But it was all the easier for him if he could go about his business here normally. One problem less. At work, everything seemed quiet, the staff was happy about his return. There was enough to do. Still, Childe couldn't stop thinking about seeing Zhongli again.

#

He had to prepare for it. First and foremost, he wanted to ask Zhongli's forgiveness for just taking off without saying goodbye that time. Even though he was still angry with him, he wanted everything to be okay again. And so he decided not to show up empty-handed. However, finding a suitable gift turned out to be more difficult than he thought. What did Zhongli like anyway? What would a person who was actually a god even like? Childe racked his brains and nothing seemed good enough. And neither was he himself. Why should Zhongli love him? He kinda might as well let it be. If such ordinary harbingers as Pulcinella rejected him, why should he be able to end up with a god? Sure, something had developed between them, that, with a lot of good will, might have been called a love story, but maybe he had just wanted to sleep with him? Or get more of his money? He had bagged plenty of that. He had said that he had fallen in love with him, but maybe it was not the truth. After all, he hadn't been honest about his identity either and had just let him go. Sadly, Childe remembered the day he had tried to save Zhongli from the floods, pulled him along in a panic, and told him that he loved him. Zhongli had remained calm as if nothing had happened. He had not returned his confession of love either. He had never forgotten that. And then he had revealed to him that he was Rex Lapis and had planned it all....

Childe didn't know what to believe, after all. He was terrified of the reunion. Normally he didn't avoid any conflict like this, but this one was too difficult and painful. So he preferred to take care of the work beforehand, and he had a lot to do. And so he forgot again that he actually wanted to get him a present.


Ekaterina was just discussing the situation with him when suddenly something unexpected happened. His little brother Teucer suddenly came running towards him. Childe was completely overwhelmed, as he had not expected this. Now he was kind of ashamed that he hadn't stopped by to see his family briefly after his return to Snezhnaya the other day. But he was so confused and everything was confusing him.... and now he had to learn that Teucer had taken all the risks to come here and see him. It was unbelievable... Fortunately, he had been in the company of his traveling friends. Since he had no time to do anything with Teucer, he sent them to take care of his baby brother while he accepted Ekaterina's mission. He would rather leave town to collect some debt than walk happily through Liyue with the three of them, probably running into Zhongli's arms and then going all "nothing happened and we're all getting along great."

Fatui, family, and also love...all in a foreign country.... what else should he worry about? Childe had rarely felt so overwhelmed. After he finished the job, he was also went to the border to train new recruits. He didn't know who had sent them, but if it had been Pulcinella, that he wasn't grateful to him. "Go to Liyue, it's your destiny.... blah blah you just need someone to do this shit here. I don't even have time for my family," he thought to himself at some point.

That a part of his family suddenly appeared again out of nowhere, he would not have thought of. But Teucer was very persistent. Above all, it was terribly difficult to hide his real professsion from him, since he had told him that he was a toy salesman. So he had to improvise and in the end he had no other option but to spend time with his brother as promised. Zhongli had faded into the background. But for a moment, that was certainly a good thing.... Teucer was worth it, after all, wasn't he?

In Snezhnaya, people did everything for their families, and Childe was no different. And yet, he couldn't stop dreaming that one day Zhongli would be part of his family, too. However, after his adventure with Teucer in the abandoned factory, he felt worse than ever. The fact that his foul legacy form was destroying his body like this could not be normal. Since he didn't even want to see his brother in his condition before he left, he would rather not face Zhongli. After all, how was he supposed to feel when he was falling apart not only emotionally but also physically?

It was so incredibly draining of energy to keep a mask up all the time. And on top of that, to live with those darn feelings. And so he just lay there at night, cursing Pulcinella for sending him back here. At first he had really wanted to see Zhongli again, but in the meantime he preferred to do without. He resolved that perhaps it would be better to go back to Snezhnaya, to his family, who needed him more...

#

The next day, Ekaterina knocked at his office when he was back at work. He had not yet thought about his possible departure. He had not actually expected anyone to disturb him now either. Childe was suitably surprised and invited them in. It was probably just a matter of a new assignment again.

"Sir, there's someone out there for you who would like to see you," she said, smiling slightly.

Childe looked at her with wide eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Could it really be that...?