Childe looked at the landscape that represented Liyue Harbor. He watched as ships pulled in and out of the harbor. He watched as trades took place and contracts were made. He watched as children roamed freely around the harbor. A child.
No-- not Childe. An actual child. One that you could give your love and affection and it would accept it with open arms. After all, children are so fragile and caring.
Childe has always had a soft side for children. He has always been good with children. Take the first and last time Teucer snuck onto a boat to Liyue. Childe managed to safeguard his childhood innocence, right?
After Childe and Zhongli got happily married, Childe can’t help but feel as if something is missing from his and Zhongli’s already perfect life. Childe and Zhongli were already married, but whenever Zhongli went to work, their home was empty. The silence was unbearable to Childe, so he pondered over this missing piece of this unsolvable puzzle.
And that was when he realized he wanted a child of his own to take care of.
That’s it! A child would bring laughter and joy and glee into their serious household. Both Childe and Zhongli were more than capable of protecting themselves and each other. Childe was the 11th Harbinger and Zhongli was mortal Archon for goodness sake!
Childe inquired Zhongli of his fantastic idea, and he agreed. Zhongli was also happy with the idea of having a child of his own, of their own. Their child. That sounds nice, doesn’t it?
That was when it was settled. They would have a child of their own, but both Childe and Zhongli are men. How are they supposed to have a child?
That’s quite an easy question to answer. They would just have to find the perfect child to protect, give affection to, and to the end of time, love.
That was when Childe found the perfect child walking through Liyue Harbor, accompanied by their floating sidekick as usual. Of course! They were the absolute perfect child for Zhongli and him!
Aether!
The mysterious Traveler and his floating sidekick. What was her name again? Pai-? Paige? Paimon! Paimon was going to get in the way of this plan, but lucky for Childe, she’ll be easy to get rid of.
“Hey there! Traveler! Childe leaped out of his hiding spot and gracefully landed in front of Aether, startling him.
“GAH! CHILDE?! What are you doing here?!” Paimon protectively clutched Aether’s shoulder.
Not quite trusting Childe after their last encounter, Aether directly went into a defensive stance.
“Relax Traveler. I’m just here to ask you to follow me! I made something really cool and I’d like to show it to you!”
Aether and Paimon glared at him, contemplating whether they should trust him or not.
“What do you want to show us?” Aether asked, suspicious.
Childe got into character, scratching the back of his head, “Heheh, it’s kind of embarrassing, but I was practicing-making some traditional Liyue cuisine to familiarize myself with Liyue now that Mr. Zhongli and I have been wedded. --I suppose I shouldn’t call him Mr. Zhongli anymore.”
At this moment, Paimon had been convinced. “Free food! Well, you’ve got Paimon convinced! A bite wouldn’t hurt, right?!”
Aether mentally facepalmed at Paimon’s quick change in attitude. “Fine, but only so Paimon can taste your cooking.”
“I’m fine with that. Let’s go.” Childe made his way to the humble abode he and Zhongli shared, the pair following closely behind.
Just saying “yes” to this was about to change Aether’s life. Poor Paimon. At least she’d have a nice last supper.
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Our Little Aether | A Dark ZhongChi Fic | COMPLETED ☑
ActionIn this world, Childe and Zhongli are married. Their lives are pretty much fulfilled, but they still feel as if they're missing something. Something very important. On days when Zhongli has to leave for work, their house is left empty. Childe finds...
