Give Your All to Me

20

Zhongli walked across the familiar pathways of the city he loved so much. But the myriad colors felt...muted. Something was different. Off. He couldn't quite put a finger on it. It was as if something was missing.

Two people walked in front of him, leading him somewhere. They felt familiar, but not at the same time. A young woman with orange hair, tipped like flames, eyes like his, and a smile that reminded him of someone dear to his heart. The other, a young man with hair like his own, but shorter, his emerald green eyes trained at the ground as his pace slowed. With some fumbling, the young man grabbed his hand and squeezed. Zhongli squeezed back.

Exiting the city, they trekked through a Liyue Zhongli couldn't recognize. Everything he'd loved in the hills and valleys was distant. A feeling built in his chest with every step. One he knew quite intimately. For so many years, he'd let it fester in his heart.

Finally, they arrived to a small grave in the mountains, a small patch of Glaze Lillies growing around it. Time had covered and eroded most of the text, but he didn't need to see it to know what it said.

The young man leaned into his shoulder and wept silently. The young woman tried not to do the same, but her amber eyes were full of tears on the edge of rolling down her cheeks.

Zhongli felt a numbed sadness. Over the thousands of years of his life, he'd witnessed many a life come into being, shine, and fade away. This grave, though, and the life it represented, were different. A life that touched his heart more than any other. A life more radiant than any other. One that took his heart with him when he...

Small tears finally slid from his cheeks, hitting the ground and sinking into the dirt.

Childe...was dead. He'd been dead for decades. It didn't matter how, all that mattered was he wasn't there. All that remained was his memory, his grave, and the Glaze Lilies. Reminders of how he'd failed to take action, and the price he'd paid for it.

He couldn't change what had happened. All he could hope was that this was some cruel nightmare, and he'd wake up soon with Childe very much alive.

He prayed, as if gods had anyone to pray to.

Zhongli woke up slowly, tear tracks lining his face. He didn't usually dream, but ever since Childe's latest accident, he'd had the same dream over and over. A world where he'd failed to save Childe, and he couldn't bring himself up to choose the life of a mortal, as their children had the long lives of half-Adepti. A world of indecision and regret. The once vibrant and beautiful colors tinged grey, as he could no longer enjoy them without his mate by his side. It would sometimes be in different places. Once, he was at the beach, holding a Starconch. Another time, it was the Lantern Rite. He'd always remember Childe wasn't there, and the tears would come. Then, he'd wake up.

Looking around, he found he'd fallen asleep in the nursery. That, and the stiffness in his neck and back from sleeping sitting upright. He walked to each crib and found their children, sleeping soundly. He smiled softly at them, brushing hair out of Chunhua's face.

If Childe...had an accident, would he be able to raise them alone? Could he?

He shook his head, dispelling the negative thoughts and went to check on Childe.

In their bedroom, Childe was sleeping just as soundly as the children he'd so beautifully created and cared for. There were no bandages on his body, but Zhongli had set up talismans and created medicine to purge any leftover black mud or Abyssal energy that stubbornly remained inside him. Luckily, it seemed as if most of it was gone. The small lighter segment of his hair had grown, turning such a pale blond, it might as well have been white. Zhongli frowned, running his fingers through the strands of soft hair. This couldn't be fixed. It would remain, a constant reminder of how far Childe would go to protect the things precious to him, and how Zhongli was too late to help him when he needed it.