1 - Child(e)

                                    

                                          
"You are hopeless..." A man sighs above me. I woke up in a bed once again, with the same man looking after me. My master, Rex Lapis.
                          
"Master..." I whispered and breathes in his earthy fragrance. It's been so long since I've been this close to him. I don't have my past memories but I know that I haven't been near him for years.
                          
"Hmm, we need to fix that habit of yours. From now on you should call me by my human alias, Zhongli. I revealed my identity to you only but you still have to keep it a secret from the others." He rubs my cheek with a finger, which I gladly nuzzled against. 
                          
"Still as childish as ever..." He whispers, taking threads of my hair under his nose. 
                          
"Childish?" I wrinkled my nose. If anyone were to hear of a childish adeptus, it would surely tarnish Rex Lapis' reputation. Well, for some reason that doesn't concern me much. Perhaps I was really a childish one back then...
                          
"Ah...I need to go to work soon." Zhongli looks out the window. "I'll see you at night, Y/n." He then walks out the room, leaving me in a blushing mess. 
                          
 It sounded as if we were a married couple, me being the wife who waits for him to come home from work...wait- Rex Lapis working!? He must have left so quickly because he didn't want to talk about his work...
                          
 I wonder what he works as?
                          
- 
                          
"Liyue has truly advanced splendidly..." I gaped at the numerous shops and people that surrounded me. It was so lively yet peaceful, unlike the Archon War-
                          
 I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to stop the stinging. Gruesome scenes of the war suddenly appeared before my eyes.
                          
"Oh? What's someone like you doing here?" A playful tone snapped me out of my daze. I looked up to see dull ocean eyes that stared at me in piqued interest. "This scent..." He leaned in and I stepped back, startled at the stranger. 
                          
"What is this? It's like he marked you all over." The tall man laughed but I couldn't sense any kindness in it. "Are you perhaps Zhongli's lover or something?"
                          
"L-Lover?! I could never-" My face went bright red again. Seriously...every mention of Zhongli makes me nervous. I have no recollection of my master yet I still feel flustered when he appears in a conversation or in real life.
                          
"No need to be shy..." He chuckles. "It would truly be a shame if you were though. You are quite cute..." He leans in again, boring his eyes into mine. What is with this guy?!
                          
"I can sense it...you are powerful." He laughs in amusement. "Ahh...I would love to fight with you sometime. Unfortunately, I have some business I need to handle first. And since I must leave soon, may I have your name?" 
                          
"Y/n..."
                          
"We must be a match made in heaven! I am Childe. Childe and Y/n, doesn't it have such a nice ring to it?" He smirks as if his flirtatious remark actually worked. 
                          
"Nice ring? Where?" I tried to hide my smile.
                          
"Ouch, what a meanie. Well, see ya later then!" Childe sends me a half-hearted wave before blending into the sea of people. 
                          
"That was weird..." I mumbled before continuing my walk around the town. Then, noon came and I had to go back to where Zhongli carried me to. Except...
                          
"I'm lost." I internally cried as I looked at the sky frantically. Nighttime was almost coming and I still couldn't find my way home. 
                          
"Oh no...I'm going to be in so much trouble." I bit my lip and scanned my surroundings carefully. I was in the middle of the street, four paths extending from where I stood. I didn't know which way to go.
                          
"Y/n?" A hand grasped my shoulder and I jolted, my hand grabbing the other person's hand tightly. 
                          
"Ma- Zhongli!" I quickly catch myself from exposing his identity. "I wasn't going to escape at all! Please forgive me..." I lowered my head, scared to see his expression. 
                          
"Forgive you? You did nothing wrong. Though I would appreciate it if you would let go of my hand now." He glances at my hand that held his tightly. My heart skipped a beat when his gaze pierced my eyes, causing me to blush and let go of his hand.
                          
"What are you doing around here?" He asks.
                          
"I was wandering around at first but then I got lost...thankfully you found me though!" I smiled. "What about you? What were you doing here?"
                          
"I...I was simply taking a stroll after work. Since I found you, shall we head home for the day?" He extends his hand towards me and I tilt my head in confusion at the action. He lets out a small laugh before taking my hand, his warmth spreading to me. It was so familiar and natural as if we had done this thousands of times.
                          
"Mas- Zhongli, " I coughed after making the mistake again. "How close were we back then?"
                          
"Why do you ask?"
                          
"It's just that we seem so close to the point it's unreal. An Adeptus and an Archon...I know I'm supposed to be loyal to you but our relationship seems to be more than just loyalty. Pardon me if I'm wrong but...I feel like affection and dare I say love also plays a part in this." I gulped after expressing my thoughts. I didn't even realize that my cheeks were flaming red when I faced Zhongli. "Am I wrong?"
                          
"Pfft..." He covers his mouth with a hand before sighing. "No, you aren't wrong. But it's too early to tell you everything. Focus on regaining your memories and then I'll explain what's going on between us. I should have held back on showing affection then..." He whispers to himself near the end. "It's time for bed."
                          
"I'm not a child!" I pouted, walking inside the same room I had come out of this morning. "So it's here..." I looked outside the door just to check where it was. "I will have to remember this door then."
                          
"I'll mark the door with a geo symbol so you won't lose your way again." He raised his hand and a small geo symbol was carved on the wooden door.
                          
"Wow..." My eyes sparkled at the magic. 
                          
"Now go to sleep, child." He ushers me to bed and I couldn't help but tease him too.
                          
"I am not a child! You should go rest as well, old man. Sleeping is good for your health." I smirked before dragging him to bed with me. "Night," I whispered after he laid on the bed next to me. Now we don't have to fight over the floor. 
                          
"Sweet dreams...Y/n."