heart of stone - zhongli/tartaglia

depreshun

^inspired by pride and prejudice

-

"I love you."

The breeze blew past them at that moment, the commotion around them seeming to fade away until nothing remained.

The words hung in the air, and the following silence felt suffocating. Childe had just blurted the words out— tired of holding them in all of the time.

Zhongli just stared at him, his amber eyes searching for any sort of deception, any sort of thing to prove that he hadn't just been confessed to— by the 11th Fatui Harbinger, of all people.

They stared at each other, a small pink coating his cheeks and expectant eyes, which soon turned regretful and disappointed as time passed without an answer.

Zhongli sighed, blinking slowly. He knew this day would come. It was so obvious, the other's feelings for him. It was his own fault for allowing his little crush to manifest. His long hair flew behind him, the words coming out in a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

-

It's been 2 weeks since that happened.

Zhongli sat on a bench, the moon high in the night sky. Childe had been sitting next to him just moments ago, a sad smile gracing his features. It felt terrible, to have been the reason for such a pitiful expression on such a beautiful face. If only that hadn't happened, if only he did have feelings for the young man.

If only.

His eyes slipped closed, concealing the glowing amber behind them. The wind has never been something he enjoyed, but tonight, it felt comforting. Like an old partner when times get tough.

Barbatos— or Venti, as he seems to go by now— should be drunk in the Dawn Winery in Mondstat, ignoring his nation for some alcohol.

It wasn't like he was doing any better. Having given up Gnosis, he was left wandering around Liyue, appreciating the effort put into mortal creations and lifestyle. It was that, after all of these years, he's finally come down and truly indulged in the life of mortals.

That is if Childe wasn't a major thorn in his side.

He cared for Childe, of course. The way he listened to him, the way his freckles stood out more when he smiled, the way his voice sounded when he laughed, even the way his rough, calloused hands felt in his.

The only problem was that Childe saw him as more than just a close friend. As a lover, and love just wasn't a feeling he thought he could hold.

Not since Guizhong.

She's dead.

And what was he going to do about it? He should just move on, live life normally, but not after all of these years living in her city, he couldn't let her go.

He didn't feel strongly for her, at least anymore, but he felt regret. Regretful that she didn't live past the day she died, couldn't live to see her nation grow into what it is today.

Now, shoving himself back into the present, Zhongli caught sight of a Glaze Lily, the blues and whites of the petals mixing into one of the prettiest flowers native to Liyue. It has always been one of his favourites, the gentleness that one brought.

It wasn't fully bloomed yet, no singing, pleasant voices, nor anything to allow the Glaze Lily to spread its petals and show off its true beauty. It's such a shame that these flowers have so few areas that they can grow peacefully.