Chapter Text
Childe isn’t sure whether he wants to laugh or cry, but he knows that if Zhongli tries to talk to him, he’s going to kill something. Preferably the funeral consultant. Or should he say, Rex fucking Lapis. It had been less than an hour since Zhongli handed his Gnosis over to Signora and revealed himself as Rex Lapis. During the entire exchange, Zhongli didn’t look at him a single time. He kept his eyes on Signora and handed her his Gnosis.
As soon as the whole exchange was over, he bolted from the scene, running back to his office in the bank, not bothering to wait for anyone to speak to him. He has locked himself in his office, which was where he now was. So many things were wrong with what had happened. First of all, Signora coming to Liyue to just take Rex Lapis’ Gnosis even though Childe had been sent to retrieve it? If Signora was going to take it anyway, why was Childe even sent? Second of all, Rex Lapis just willingly gave away his Gnosis. From what he had heard from Signora, she had to kick Barbatos in the stomach and rip his Gnosis away from him. Not to mention that a Gnosis is what makes a person a god. So why would Rex Lapis give something like that away? He mentioned some kind of deal he made with the Tsaritsa, but Childe couldn’t imagine what the Cryo Archon could have offered in exchange for something so vital to godhood.
And then there was the biggest problem. Zhongli was Rex Lapis. Looking back on his time spent with Zhongli, he feels like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. The long speeches about Liyue’s history, talking like he was actually there for major events from the past, even the fond smiles when someone had mentioned the Geo Archon. In hindsight, it all made sense. So how had he been so blind?
A faint knock from the door pulled Childe out of his thoughts.
“Sir? Are you alright?” Childe recognized the voice as Ekaterina. “Can I come in?”
Childe hesitated before slowly making his way over to the door and unlocking it. He opened the door slightly, just enough to look at the woman outside the door.
“Sir, I…” Ekaterina paused. She then grabbed the door handle and opened it enough for her to slip in. Then she closed the door behind her. “What happened?”
Had Childe not lived in Liyue for months and gotten to know the Fatui that were employed at the bank, he would have snapped at her for her disrespect. But over the course of his residency in Liyue Harbor, Childe had grown to see his employees as a secondary family.
“Katya,” Childe heard himself say. Was that really him speaking? His voice sounded hollow and broken. “I need you to book me a ticket to Snezhnaya as soon as possible.”
“You’re leaving?” Ekaterina gasped. “But, sir…”
“I have to leave,” Childe interrupted her. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Ekaterina stared at him. Childe tried to give her a convincing smile, but even he knew how fake it looked. A few beats of silence passed before Ekaterina spoke again.
“Of course, sir,” Ekaterina finally said. “I’ll… get right on that.”
“Thank you,” Childe said gratefully. It would break his heart to leave her and the other employees, as well as the beautiful country of Liyue, but he knew what he had to do. “Tell the other employees as well while you’re at it.”
He watched as Ekaterina opened the door and left the room. Thankfully, she closed the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Childe’s mind began to race.
Had he really been a pawn the entire time? Was his fate set in stone before he even stepped foot in Liyue? But why would the Tsaritsa send him to Liyue if she was just going to send Signora to do the job anyway? But most importantly, did Zhongli know what his mission was the entire time? Had Zhongli just been playing him for a fool the entire time? So all of the times they had gotten lunch together or walked around Liyue… was that all just a ploy to earn Childe’s trust? Childe was disgusted with himself. He had let himself become tricked by Zhongli’s long speeches and subtle touches. Was a few words and glances enough to render a Harbinger useless? Apparently it was. But Childe wouldn’t let himself be tricked anymore. Not that it mattered now anyway , his mind supplied.
Any fondness or trust Childe had for Zhongli was crushed beyond repair. He wouldn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth any longer. Not that he would speak to Zhongli again. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t have to see that lying scumbag ever again. All he had to do was just continue work at the bank until his ship left. Then he would never have to think about Zhongli again.
Now all he had to do was hope a ship was leaving for Snezhnaya tomorrow.
He looked up to see Ekaterina entering his office. Had he been so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear her open the door?
“So when is the next ship leaving for Snezhnaya?” Childe asked as Ekaterina closed the door behind her.
The woman in front of him looked down at the ground. Childe had never seen her so nervous. Even with her mask on, he could tell that she had a troubled expression on her face.
“Sir, if I may be so bold as to ask a selfish request from you,” Ekaterina spoke softly.
“What is it?” Childe asked. If there was anything that she needed before he left, he would gladly give it to her. She deserved it, after all.
“The next ship leaves in two days…” Ekaterina said, but she wasn’t finished. “I told the others about your… unexpected departure. And I speak for everyone that works here at Northland Bank.”
“Yes?” Childe pressed. Ekaterina took a deep breath.
“We would like you to stay for just a little longer. We’ve grown accustomed to you as your boss and we enjoy your company. So, if you could just reconsider the time of your departure, we would all appreciate it.” Ekaterina said, still looking down. Her hands were clasped into fists by her side.
Childe stared at her. The employees… wanted him to stay? He sometimes wondered if his familial affection towards the other Fatui employees was fairly one-sided. As an older brother, Childe couldn’t help but feel some sort of familial attachment to the people he had spent time with over the past few months. So the only one who didn’t return his affections was Zhongli , his mind unhelpfully piped up.
“You’d like me to leave later?” Childe asked numbly.
“All of us at the bank would truly like you to stay for a little longer,” Ekaterina nodded.
Childe went silent. He did love Liyue as a place and the bank staff made him feel at home. Maybe he could stay for a little longer. His siblings would be alright without him for a few more days, right? He’d been gone for a few months already. All he really needed to do was avoid Zhongli the entire time he was here. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?
“If you really insist,” Childe smothered a laugh when Ekaterina’s head snapped up, “I’ll leave on the ship after tomorrow.”
“You will?” Childe could almost hear her smile from her words. “Of course, I’ll go get your ticket and inform the others.”
“Thank you, Katya,” Childe watched as she left the room and closed the door behind her.
He listened as Ekaterina excitedly told the other employees. But his mind began to swell with unnecessary thoughts. Would he really be able to avoid Zhongli for as long as he was still in Liyue for? Liyue Harbor was a fairly small city. But then again, Zhongli played him for a fool and used him as a pawn.
He just hoped that the next ship would leave fairly soon.
Ekaterina came back into his office after a few minutes, holding a paper. She handed it to him, and Childe took it.
“The next ship after tomorrow leaves in a week, sir,” Ekaterina simply said, “so please enjoy your time here until you have to leave.”
“I’ll still be working here, so I’ll still come in every day to collect debts,” Childe said. Before Ekaterina could say anything, he put up his hand. “I do this because I want to.”
“Of course, sir,” she said. “If you’d like to continue working until you leave, I can’t tell you otherwise.”
Childe thought that would be the end of it, but Ekaterina didn’t move. Normally if she was done talking, she would have left.
“Is there something else?” Childe asked.
“Have you told Zhongli about your departure? I’m sure he’ll miss you,” she spoke softly. Childe felt his body freeze up. No one else other than Signora, himself, and Aether knew that Zhongli was Rex Lapis.
“He doesn’t know. And I have no intentions of telling him,” he said icily. He didn’t want to pretend or lie to Ekaterina. She had been the one to listen to his lovesick rambles about the ex-archon.
“What?” Ekaterina’s hand flew up to her mouth. “Did something happen?”
“I don’t want to have this conversation right now, Katya.” Childe hated having to be so cold and rude to her, but there wasn’t anything else he could say. “I doubt he’ll ask or come by, but if he does, I don’t want him knowing a single thing.”
Ekaterina looked like she wanted to argue, but she just sighed instead.
“As you wish, sir,” Ekaterina paused. “And thank you. For staying just a little longer for us.”
Childe merely nodded. Ekaterina said nothing else, and left his office. He looked down at the paper Ekaterina had given him. It was his ticket for his boat ride back to Snezhnaya. The Tsaritsa hadn’t given him direct orders to return yet, but surely he was expected to return soon? Now that Rex Lapis’ Gnosis had been taken (not by him, he had to add), there was no reason for him to stay in Liyue.
But one thing was for sure. Before he left Liyue, he either wanted to beat the everloving shit out of Zhongli or never see him again. Part of him wanted to never see Zhongli again because he didn’t know how he would react. But another part of him wanted to fight Zhongli and make him hurt the way Childe was hurting.
Had it been Zhongli’s plan all along to spend time with him? To make him feel loved for who he really was for once in his life? He was sure it was. Zhongli must have known what Childe was there for. So he must have spent time with him to gain his trust.
Childe looked down and noticed that the hand holding the paper was curled into a fist and his ticket was starting to crumple. He smoothed the paper out and placed it in a drawer, where it would be safe. He would finally be leaving Liyue once and for all in exactly one week. He would miss the scenery and atmosphere, that was for sure. But he didn’t regret his decision. He wanted to leave so badly. He couldn’t stay in a place where someone like Zhongli was. Childe hated Zhongli with every fiber of his being.
He just hoped he would never have to see him before he left for Snezhnaya. Because he wasn’t sure what he would do if he saw him again. Best to just throw himself into his work instead so he didn’t have time to think about anything.