[ Zhongli blinks up owlishly at the kiss to the forehead, brow crinkling in confusion before it smooths to an affectionate smile of his own. Something feels... off, though he cannot place it. He does not believe Childe is lying to him - or at least not about taking care of him and the promise to stay by his side. Promises were as important to Childe as contracts were to the land of Liyue. He would not go back on them. But there is something else. Something that buzzes in the back of his head and throbs when he tries to concentrate on it, so Zhongli does not. Perhaps it is the shock of Zhongli's illness - he was renowned throughout Liyue about being to remember even the most minute details of culture and history so it must be quite an adjustment. So maybe---
(No. No, it is not that. There is something larger lurking in the shadows and empty spaces of his memory Something that he needs to address. Something that he came here to do. Something that prompted him to head toward these snowy lands.
Ah, but why can't he remember?)
He reaches up to catch Childe's face in between his hands, thumbing over the apple of his cheeks softly. ]
Your generosity is as bottomless as I remember, and believe me when I say I appreciate it wholeheartedly.
But I do not need to be treated like such fragile glass. Ill though I may be, I made the journey here from Liyue, did I not? I came here to make new memories with you, not to add to your list of responsibilities. Which must be quite long considering the opulence of your current station.
[ Zhongli lets out a small chuckle, unbearably fond. ]
For each kindness that you show me, will you allow me to reciprocate one in return? A contract of sorts - but in Snezhnaya we should label them properly as promises, yes?
no subject
(No. No, it is not that. There is something larger lurking in the shadows and empty spaces of his memory Something that he needs to address. Something that he came here to do. Something that prompted him to head toward these snowy lands.
Ah, but why can't he remember?)
He reaches up to catch Childe's face in between his hands, thumbing over the apple of his cheeks softly. ]
Your generosity is as bottomless as I remember, and believe me when I say I appreciate it wholeheartedly.
But I do not need to be treated like such fragile glass. Ill though I may be, I made the journey here from Liyue, did I not? I came here to make new memories with you, not to add to your list of responsibilities. Which must be quite long considering the opulence of your current station.
[ Zhongli lets out a small chuckle, unbearably fond. ]
For each kindness that you show me, will you allow me to reciprocate one in return? A contract of sorts - but in Snezhnaya we should label them properly as promises, yes?