Genshin oneshots~

Marriage [Zhongli x Childe]

Zhongli POV:

I took a sip of tea from the ancient porcelain cup in Liuli Pavillion, I looked out the window and saw the ginger headed harbinger walking towards the restaurant. He arrived right on time, a few days ago he requested for us to meet because of a rather important matter. The waitress walked up to me and looked like she was about to break down, so I asked her calmly what was wrong, "I... I love you Mr Zhongli!" she said suddenly, I was a bit shocked, but I only had eyes for Childe, so I said, "Sorry, but I have someone already", she walked away disappointed, as Childe immediately came in after that, "Ah, Mr Zhongli..." came the oh so familiar voice, I looked up and smiled at him.

"So, the thing I wanted to discuss is... I'm getting married!" As soon as those words left his mouth, I choked on my tea. I started coughing and spluttering uncontrollably. Has the past few months been nothing? I had clearly shown that I loved him, and he has also done the same to me, now he's getting married to someone I don't even know? I tried not to cry inside. "Zhongli sensei, are you alright? I was saying if you could help me with the decor and venues, since she and I wanted one Liyue style" he continued staring at me as my voice floated away from me. "Ahem, yes of course..." I said, I tried to not show the disappointment in my voice. My head was still spinning as I blurted out "Who is she?!", yeah I had the audacity to question it directly. He then explained to me it was a Snezhnayan girl coming in tomorrow, he looked so sincere every word felt like a spear to my heart.

After the meal, Childe and I went to pick out some traditional Chinese hanfu for him and his soon to be bride to wear. The bell jingled as the door swung open, a kind lady named Tingxue welcomed us warmly, "so you are here for the hanfu, right?" Childe nodded his head, Tingxue then took his measurements and handed him a brightly coloured hanfu, it had splashes of red and gold with hints of blue, He drew the curtains closed to try it on, a few minutes later, he came out and asked me to help tie the bow, as it was a bit tricky, I handled the knot swiftly and easily, occasionally my fingers would brush against his slender back, I felt an electric shock go through my fingers, and I had goosebumps. I could tell he jolted as well. Childe then went back inside to put the other accessories on, as Tingxue guided me to a changing room to get changed as well. I came out a bit earlier than Childe, when his curtain finally opened, my heart soared. "You look so handsome" I said, he smiled and said, "Well, you look good in everything". He really knows how to make me smile, he and I continued to stare at each other lovingly, our hearts screaming words we daren't say out loud. "Wow, you two make such a great couple" Tianxue said while gushing over us. Suddenly, Childe's expression turned cold, "Uh, we're not a couple," he said.

"Oh, you're not? I-I'm so sorry..." Tianxue stuttered, becoming anxious. My heart started hurting again, those words kept echoing in my mind eating me away like a carcass of an extinct animal. He then ran out of the shop still wearing the hanfu, Tianxue apologised again, I assured her it was complicated and it's alright, I gave her the mora and left the shop as well. The next day, I went to the ports with Childe to welcome his soon to be bride, the more I thought about the word bride, and that not being me, the more fury gurgled inside of me. The bridge was lowered down and a girl with sleek auburn hair in curls, snow white skin, and rosey lips ran down the bridge and into Childe's arms "MY TARTAGLIA~~" she said excitedly. The sight of it was enough to make me want to throw her into the ocean, I stopped myself since violence is never the answer. After the meeting, I went to a flower shop with Childe to pick out suitable flowers for the bouquet, then an idea popped up in my head, I need to stop the wedding.

In the end, the choice of flowers were Qingxins, as we parted ways I saw Childe's hand reach out for me, then paused, then he left. The next few days kept going on like this, the jealousy kept building up, until one day I couldn't handle it anymore. When Childe and I were picking out the venue, I cornered him and pinned him to a nearby wall. I stared in his lifeless eyes intensely, his eyes flickering in fear. "Childe, call off the wedding" I said seriously, "What? Why? I ... love her", then I snapped. "Okay, then say it directly to my face, tell me you don't love me" I turned my stare into a glare. "I-..." he said, then trailed off. I couldn't control my emotions, "TELL ME YOU DON'T LOVE ME" I roared.

"I CAN'T!!! OKAY? I CAN'T, NO MATTER WHAT I CAN'T" he roared back, tears started forming in his lifeless eyes, I was taken aback. I slowly let go of him, I brought him into a warm embrace until the sobs died out. The wedding was on the day after tomorrow, if this wasn't able to win him back I don't know what will. The next day, the expression on Childe's soon to be bride changed towards me, I was beginning to feel uncomfortable until she asked if she could speak to me alone, I agreed. She then asked me in a hush tone, "do you have feelings for Childe?", I felt my cheeks burn at this sort of confrontation, "Y-yes" I said nervously. Her expression softened, "I've seen the way you two look at each other, and I've got a plan!" She then explained that she and Childe had made a deal, so if Childe marries her she could make her parents proud, and Childe said that he overheard me saying to the waitress that I had someone else so he was going to move on. And, the plan was that I was going to wear the bridal red hanfu with the veil covering my face completely, and when Childe reveals it, it would be exactly the way it was meant to be. I did try suggesting just me appearing in a normal suit, but she insisted on having the surprise feel, so I went along with it. "You will seem a bit taller, but it's not noticeable, since you know, women wear high heels" she said, I nodded in agreement.

That night, I tossed and turned wildly on my bed, I had to brace myself for rejection or worse, I did some mindfulness and calmed all the way down, tomorrow is going to be a big day. Before the wedding, I snuck into the bride's changing room and met up with her. She applied some light makeup on me and pinned my hair back and secured the veil so it doesn't fall off halfway down the aisle. The music began as I made my way through the aisle, I could see Childe's happy face but somehow, I could spot that the smile was fake. I held my breath as he slowly lifted up the veil, his ocean blue eyes met with mine, his face registered shock. "What are you doing here?" he said, then the girl's mother stepped in and explained the whole situation to him, he still seemed shocked. So, I took his hand and announced to the whole cathedral, "I have loved this man from the moment we met, I love him with all my heart, we've been through the good and the bad and nothing can ever replace him, I would even go as far as telling the whole world how much I love this man right here, I sincerely do, with my heart and soul" then I gave him a look that said, 'Please Ajax... remember the old times...", his face then lit up and came to life, his eyes had a little shine in them, his lifeless eyes came into life, he grabbed my face and kissed me passionately in front of the whole cathedral, we said our vows and exchanged rings, I put the ring on him calmly and elegantly, while he was a ball of excitement, he quickly slid the ring on my finger. I took a moment to stare at them in awe, then he pulled me in for a final kiss before the celebration began. The rest of the night was magical! The fairy lights, lanterns, and the petals made the scene all fuzzy, romantic and warm. Childe and I danced hand in hand slowly, I could feel his warm breath against my face, as the song faded away, we embraced. We fed each other mouthfuls of cake and released a special Xiao lantern, both Childe and I put our hands together and made a wish, I wished for a safe and happy relationship. I watched as the lantern slowly floated into the starry sky as everyone shared champagne. I put my hand on my chest, soaking up the joyous feeling inside of me. I haven't felt this way in the past 5000 years, Guizhong would have never made my heart feel this way, so I wasn't too disappointed about the outcome in the past. Childe then dragged me into the crowd to throw the bouquet, everyone counted down from 3, I let the beautiful bouquet of Qingxins sail through the air, everyone turned to see who caught it. A young male with teal hints in his hair stepped out of the crowd, adeptus Xiao. I smiled at him supportively as his face turned red, that's another happy ending I am willing to witness.