it's all we know, all we know, the hurricane

[adulte]

[Childe is staring at the contract in front of him. He hadn't actually expected Zhongli to write one out, but maybe he should have. A verbal contract would be just as binding to the former archon, but he doesn't like to leave room for misunderstandings with these things, either.

And Childe wants a contract. He wants to know that what they have is real, instead of some trick, a game between Zhongli and someone else that Childe has been caught in the middle of. He wants their friendship, or what he thought their friendship was before Childe tried to destroy Liyue. He wants to listen to Zhongli talk about boats while they wander around the harbor, even though it should be boring, even though Childe is just itching to pick fights with the sailors instead. His voice is... grounding. It keeps bringing him back.

He wants Zhongli to touch him while he talks in that voice.

But -- ]

If you decide I need a break, I'm not allowed to argue? Should I be offended you already think I won't be able to handle it?

[He's restless again, legs moving under the table, twirling the pen between his fingers. He wants to start a fight (that's not what he wants), but Zhongli made him promise to stay seated until he's given permission to move. He probably saw Childe's restlessness coming.

But the point of this is to negotiate. The contract isn't fully written, there's room to make changes (if approved), space left open for Childe to make his own requests (if Zhongli agrees to them). He has no idea what that could even be when this seems so thorough.]

Don't tell me some of these would apply outside of sex, too.

[Can they get to the sex?]

Comments

[xiansheng]

[Zhongli is meticulous about these things. Well, the important things; he’s never made a contract quite like this before. An exchange of goods, an offer of casual service, for those things a simple verbal contract would suffice. For this? He’ll do it properly.]

It’s not that I don’t think you won’t be able to handle it. It’s that I think you’re too stubborn to admit when you need a break.

[He knows Childe, knows that he pushes himself and gets caught up in the thrill of
things. On this, Zhongli doesn’t plan on budging.

[Of course, he is expecting Childe to want to move on to the physical part of this. Or, to put it more crudely, the sex.]

It applies when it applies. The words don’t specify that it is limited to sex for that exact reason.

[Zhongli had spent a lot of time penning this out. There is room for changes and additions, of course, but he’s confident he was quite thorough, to avoid any misunderstandings. They’ve already dealt with that sort of thing before, and he would rather not go through it again. Not that his own deception was necessarily a ‘misunderstanding’… ]

[adulte]

[Childe isn't surprised by that answer. Still, he's not exactly happy about it, either.]

If I backed down every time something was a little difficult, I'd never grow stronger at all.

[And Childe is always seeking out bigger and more dangerous challenges because of that attitude. Zhongli is right - he'd never admit to needing a break, not unless he physically can't walk. And what's wrong with that? Hasn't that strategy worked for him so far?

Isn't that what ultimately led him here?]

You did say you can offer me a real challenge.

[Despite the buzzing in his brain that never really stops - the reason why he's known for being impossible to control, for causing so much chaos everywhere he goes... He keeps his expression light as he looks up at Zhongli. He doesn't like to show that internal frustration much, and prefers to face people with a friendly smile.]

[xiansheng]

[Well, that's not an issue then. Childe is plenty strong as it is. And there is a distinct difference between a healthy amount of challenge, and pushing yourself to the brink in some self-destructive personal quest.]

Mm. Since I'm offering you a real challenge, then there's no need to seek it elsewhere, is there?

[To be honest, Zhongli doesn't quite understand Childe's constant need to fight. He knows it's there, has seen it, and has felt it buzzing under his skin. Maybe he's too old for that sort of thing, having lived out his 'wild' days centuries ago.]

[adulte]

[That's definitely an issue. More of an issue than being made to take a break, but it's the same cause for both of it. Childe doesn't want to explain the reason why.]

I won't make a promise I can't keep.

[And he knows he can't keep it. That's in the contract, too - Zhongli doesn't want him picking fights with just anyone, doesn't want him causing any major destruction (even though everything Childe did was part of Zhongli's plan, so he can't be upset, can he?) - and that's not something he can always control.]

But there's enough people out there who want to fight me. What's wrong with giving them what they want?

[xiansheng]

[Zhongli folds his hands neatly on the table, the contract between them. Perhaps he’s fishing for a reason, just a little, as to why Childe is so insistent on fighting.]

I didn’t say you can’t fight at all. Obviously, there is a time and a place for that.

[Zhongli might be retired now, but he had his days, too.]

This is for your own good. If you can’t tell when you need to take a break, I’ll do it for you.

[adulte]

[It's not surprising that Zhongli wants to know. Childe wonders what he'll think, if he tells him the truth. He finds himself looking at the contract instead of the man in front of him.]

You're more than capable of stopping me by force.

[Should he tell him? Zhongli has his secrets, too, shouldn't Childe be allowed his? He taps the pen against the table, absently, considering. When he speaks again he sounds almost unsure.]

What would you say if what you want from me is impossible?

[xiansheng]

[Yes, that's true. But why would Zhongli want to stop him by force if he could avoid doing so? He likes Childe; Zhongli wouldn't be entering into this sort of contract if he didn't. And he's far too old to be fighting whenever Childe's whims strike.

From across the table, Zhongli watches. The tone of Childe's voice, when he finally speaks again, seems different than usual.]

Impossible? I would ask you to explain.

[adulte]

[Of course he'd say that. But that's not reassuring at all. Childe laughs, like he wants to lighten the mood a little, the way he often does.]

You might regret the deal you made to get me here.

[Still with a smile. Childe wonders what deal Zhongli made with the Tsaritsa for him, but he doubts he'll ever know. He's pretty used to secrets like that being kept from him, at least.

Smile. The uncertainty is still there if you pay attention.]

Since you deserve to know, I'll put it this way: Even if I didn't start fights, fights would still break out around me. And if I somehow didn't fight, I would lose my mind.

[He wonders if that will be enough of a hint for someone as knowledgeable as Zhongli. Not much is known about the abyss or its corruption, and the people who go there usually refuse to talk about it at all, just like Childe. But there are still some people who have tried to research it, and a few stories that have managed to survive.]