Can't Stop Loving You | Childe x Zhongli | Genshin Impact [COMPLETED]

Arc 3: Chapter 31: The Tea

The second shard was thawed out easily. Zhongli had already unlocked the force field around the ice shard. Looking at the number of hilichurl and abyss mage bodies, Zhongli fought hard to achieve it. Tartaglia could only wish that he had been around to help out. Everything seemed to have changed after Zhongli reappeared in his life. Now it felt like he was constantly in need of help and saving.

Aachoo!

Tartaglia paused and turned around, looking incredulously at Zhongli. Did he just sneeze?

Zhongli looked back at him, his nose red and runny. This man could withstand a full hit from a ruin grader but not the cold? He had got to be kidding.

"Are you cold?" Childe asked.

"No."

Tartaglia burst out laughing at the blatant lie and Zhongli scowled at him. He knew that if they were still together, Zhongli probably wouldn't have hesitated to use the cold as an excuse to stick to him. Now he was lying to probably not lose face and embarrass himself.

There was a playful and amused smile on Childe's face as he unclipped his beloved scarf from his shoulder and took it off. He went over and gently wrapped it around Zhongli's neck. Really the only part that was exposed to the cold apart from his face. "You're the one that said it's okay to get help." Childe said, making sure his scarf was wrapped nicely around him. It was his favourite scarf after all and he wanted to make sure it was used properly. He also hadn't realized his true feelings were leaking out again as he made sure it was wrapped properly.

Some habits were just really hard to get rid off, especially since Childe didn't exactly change how he felt.

"Thank you, A... Tartaglia."

The mention of Childe's real name made him pause. Hearing Zhongli use his other name instead made his heart ache. To remember that they were once together and Tartaglia had loved him enough to give him his real name made his heart break. He glanced away, stepping back again. "Your welcome."

They spoke so formally that it felt uncomfortable. The changes were so abrupt that Tartaglia still wasn't quite used to it. He continued walking but Zhongli didn't.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Zhongli finally asked, his voice sounding really hurt and confused. "Why do you always do that?"

Childe paused and turned around, frowning slightly. "Do what?"

"Hide things from me. Keep things from me. Why do you keep hesitating and pulling away just before you tell me anything? You never tell me anything, even when we were together."

"I am not—"

"Are you not?" Zhongli interrupted. "You said you'd tell me if anything was bothering you. I told you I'd help, no matter what."

"Zhongli—"

"It doesn't matter what it is. You know I'll always be on your side. Why don't you want to tell me?"

"Zhongli!" Tartaglia cried out. "You think I don't want to tell you? You think I don't? I can't, do you understand? I can't. And even if I could, you can't do anything about it."

"Maybe if you tried to even talk—"

"The Fatui don't want us together. The Tsaritsa doesn't want us together. How are you going to help with that?" Tartaglia interrupted loudly and angrily. "They Fatui want me to be harsher against people that are in debt. Your people. Can you help with that? I needed to go on secret missions to find things that might help the Tsaritsa in her work. And that might mean going against the Liyue government or killing more of your people. How are you going to help with that? I tried to go against the rules and I was threatened, okay? I didn't have a choice."

Zhongli fell silent, staring at Childe. "You always have a choic—"

"Don't give me that bullshit. They will hurt my family if I don't do what they want. I..." Tartaglia's voice broke at the thought of it. He turned away so Zhongli wouldn't see his miserable expression. "... I've lost one already. I can't lose anyone else."

Zhongli listened quietly. He knew Childe cared more than anything about his family. Maybe even more than him. He also knew about what had happened in the past and knew it was a painful memory for Tartaglia. He slowly walked over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tartaglia..."

Childe turned around and shoved him away. Zhongli stumbled backwards and sighed. Why was he still trying to handle everything alone.

"And then there's you. If I stay with you, they can come hurt you." Childe noticed Zhongli's mouth opening, ready to speak back but he interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah whatever, powerful god, amazing fighting skills but that doesn't mean they can't make your life miserable. You don't understand what they can do. There. I've said it all, everything I shouldn't or should, what are you going to do about it?"

Zhongli stared at him, unsure of what to say at all. After hearing the situation, it certainly wasn't good at all. Not a single bit. And Zhongli couldn't think of any solutions either.

"See. I told you. Let's keep moving." Childe said bitterly, turning away and starting to walk again. This time Zhongli followed along, grabbing tightly onto the red scarf Tartaglia had borrowed him. There has to be a way to solve all this. Now that he knew where the problem was, he needed to solve it, somehow. Because that'd mean that Tartaglia would return to him, right?