Our Thorned Fate

The Madness of a Nymph

"Yahoo! I'm back, Fatui boy!" Venti yelled while carrying a basket of vegetables. Childe sulked a little.

"You're late," he said.

"Sorry, I need to be careful since Azhdaha patrolling around the Mondstadt geez. Guess Zhongli tried to snatch you again even Guizhong sealed him for a while," Venti said.

"Poor you," he mocked while checking the vegetables. "Oh, great. I miss meat."

"Brought you the best meat. Ehehe, I'm hungry," he said without hesitate. Childe let a laugh slipped and smiled.

"I'll cook something then."

"...you gonna be a good wife someday," Venti blurted out. Childe almost choked himself and glared.

"Me?! Wife?! I prefer to be a husband!"

"But you're the bottom, right?" Venti asked.

"Only with Xiansheng, my dick still properly works for women," Childe said. Venti only shrugged and showed a bottle of wine.

"Let's have a sip of this baby after lunch."

"I pass. I don't want to drink in the middle of the day," he said while chopping the ingredients. "So Zhongli Xiansheng is in confinement, huh?"

"You could say that. Guizhong was furious enough to destroy a small village, so with Qixing's help, we caught him."

"Haha, that's better," he rejoiced. Venti stared at him.

"Your complexion is far from better, huh? Come here, let me see you closer," Venti said. Childe simmered his stew and walked closer to the archon.

"My, he sucked a lot of blood from you, huh? I should've give you blood supplement just in case you have anemia."

"I have no anemia so maybe I can endure it a little," Childe replied.

"Alright~ just ask anything if you need something okay? I'm your guardian now, ehe."

"A stupid guardian to be precise," he murmured. Venti walked toward a piano and played it. Childe looked outside and sighed a little.

"Worry about that blockhead?" Venti asked out of blue.

"...is it obvious?"

"Duh, boy. You're in love with him, no one can't notice it except for a dense one like him," Venti yawned. Childe blushed a little after heard that. "Just give up."

"I'm trying right now," Childe replied calmly. Venti stopped his play and looked at him.

"You what?!"

"Didn't you say to give up on him? I'm trying now."

"...ahaha, right. I did say that, but... it's shocking enough to hear that word from you. So you ready to bear the pain of broken heart?"

"It's too late to say no," Childe replied after tasting the stew. He cut the bread and toasted it with butter and garlic, then fried the bacons.

"I thought you gonna kill Guizhong in order to gain his heart."

"I'm not that heartless to do that," Childe opposed. "I prefer do it fairly rather than using cheap tricks."

"Nice judgement, no wonder you're different from other Fatui."

"Less talk, eat more," Childe replied while serving the food on the table. Venti jumped from his chair and enjoyed the food.

"I'm such a lucky guy!"

###

"Xiao, please give this to Zhongli," Guizhong begged while handing a bag full of blood packs. Xiao stared at her.

"Why don't you give them by yourself, my lady?" Xiao asked curiously. Guizhong smiled bitterly.

"He doesn't want to see me, Xiao. Please, you're the only one I can ask help," she answered. Xiao nodded and walked toward Zhongli's apartment. Several guards standing right in front of his place.

"I come to bring him meal," Xiao said firmly. The guards let him pass, Xiao walked in and found his lord sitting on the couch with sour face.

"My lord," he called. He lifted his head and nodded. Xiao put the bag on the table and took out the inside.

"...how many people she killed just for these?" he asked.

"Pardon me, my lord, I have no idea about this," Xiao replied. Zhongli took a pack and sniffed it.

"Still fresh," he whispered. Xiao bowed and about to leave, but his voice stopped him.

"Disgusting."

"M-my lord?" Xiao scared and trembled in front of him. Zhongli put back the pack and grinned.

"Can you pass my message for her, Xiao?"

"A-anything for Lord Morax."

"... forget it. Tell the undertakers to take care of their dead bodies."

"Yes, my lord," he replied. After Xiao left, Zhongli grabbed the blood pack and sucked it fast.

"...blergh."

He finished one pack and put the rest in the fridge, then walked to the bedroom. He found a shirt lying on the floor and hugged it.

"Ajax, I miss you," he softly called him. He laid down and embraced the clothes as if he's there. He sighed a bit hard and closed his eyes.

"I wish I could embrace you, one more time."

Guizhong was cleaning her hands when Xiao came back after running an errand. She turned around and smiled.

"Welcome back, Xiao. How is he?" she greeted. Xiao bowed and looked down.

"He's not good, my Lady. He was furious after checking the blood you gave," Xiao reported. Guizhong stopped smiled and glared.

"He was furious?"

"My apologies, my lady," he knelt down before her with trembling body. Guizhong gripped her hands too tight till bleeding. "My lady!"

"..it's not enough, huh?"

Xiao lifted his head and found her murderous intent seeped out around her. She turned her back and looked down.

"I need more humans to die."

"My Lady, no! It's against the agreement! You will suffer the consequences!" Xiao persuaded her.

"I have no choices, Xiao. He made this things hard and the simple way to stop his addiction is feeding him more blood," Guizhong said.

"My lady, you can't do that. Master will upset!"

"Xiao, who do you belong to?" she asked in rage. Xiao looked and and gritted his teeth. "Xiao?"

"I belong...to Master Morax, my lady."

"Oh, I know that. Maybe your blood can be the substitute for today," she cheered. Xiao looked up and shocked when Guizhong held a long sword on her small hand. "Now, be a good boy and offer me your life, Xiao."