{Zhongchili} what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right?

maybe eyeballing the increments of poison was a bad idea

It was all in a day's work for a Fatui Harbinger.

Childe looked distastefully at the various toxins set before him. A vial of regisvine sap, venomspine venom, rifthound acid, you name it. He'd grown used to the bitter tastes as they burned down his throat, but, well, drinking poison was never a pleasant experience.

Today, however, was the first of the month, which meant increasing his daily dosage of venom. It was always a horrible experience. His skin would turn waxy and he always had to take the next day off due to an inability to read, which was awful. Not to mention the way his insides would burn, and the rashes that spread across his skin in colorful angry splotches. But it'd been years since he'd thrown up, so he figured it was well enough. Anything to make himself stronger.

He poured out the measurements. It was important to pace himself so he didn't get hurt, but Childe was never one for patience. Perhaps it was stupid to eyeball the increments of poison he was consuming, but if he wanted to spend his time measuring things he would've signed up to be the Doctor, not the Vanguard.

His hand slips a little as he pours the toxins into a cup. He's taking more than he should, but who can blame him for wanting to be a little ahead? The more poison he consumes, the more he'll be able to tolerate.

It would only make him stronger once he pulled through anyway, he thinks as he downs the poison. It fights through his throat as if it knows it doesn't belong in his body. To your average human being, even a single dosage of one of the venoms he'd just dumped down his throat would be lethal. To take so much together would be an excruciating death: like being torn apart from the inside, which wouldn't be that far off, but Childe is used to drinking poison.

His head starts to spin. Ah, it seems the numerous toxins he's consumed have started to kick in. He wonders just how bad it'll be tomorrow. He was fine last month. Sure, he had to take a day off, but he hardly minded. More time to spend with Zhongli. Of course, he'd have to wait till the man got off from work and whatnot, but he'd have plenty of time to spend with him now that he didn't have any obligations for the next day.

He crawls into bed, planning out his day tomorrow. He'll feel like shit when he wakes up, but it's been years since he's been bedridden. Besides, he sleeps the best when his body is worn out from fighting poison.

He'll meet Zhongli for lunch like always, but perhaps he should do something special for him since he has extra time off. Should he buy him a present? Zhongli would pretend to be embarrassed, even refusing his gift a couple of times and telling Childe to keep it for himself, but Childe saw right through him. He knew that Zhongli liked receiving them if the smile on his face when he finally shoved the gift into his hands was any indicator. Childe had just come to learn that it was common manners in Liyue to refuse a gift a couple of times before accepting it.

Yes, buying a present for Zhongli seemed like a fine idea indeed! And when Zhongli got off from work, they could take a nice stroll in the harbor. Yes, that'd be very nice. It's settled then.

He sighs happily in his bed as the poison muddles his brain. Tomorrow would be a good day, even if all his muscles would ache and a deep chill would settle into his bones and he wouldn't be able to see straight or breathe through his nose.

While the day off is nice, his dreams are always the worst when his body is wracked with venom, for they are not truly dreams, but memories. Childe is back in a dark place with poison in the air, eating it to survive. Everything is out to kill him.

The rules of the abyss are simple enough to understand. Kill, or die. The creatures there will eat anything that moves, so you either claw your way to the top of the food chain or accept your fate.