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Childe, the terrifying Shneznyan man, who has a single soft spot for the priestess of watatsumi. It gets to the point where fatui grunts and fatui soldiers hunt down the priestess when the harbinger is in a bad mood. "Ma'am, please, we need your help" one would beg out of the small group. "Bad mood again?" A collective nod. "I'm on my way..."

Childe, subtle accent everytime he speaks. He had been in Liyue for so long; he lost his thick accent he once held proudly to terrify fatui grunts. Though that doesn't stop him from dipping into it whenever he is alone with Kokomi. His little rambles and insane rants about how to cook a dish slowly turning into Shenznyan tongue.

Childe would 100% call her petnames in his native tongue. So would Kokomi. Both of them slowly just forgetting to slip into calling eachother by their actual names, and just being used to call eachother 'love' in their own languages.

(Little story drabble idea kinda)

"Isn't it true your shrine was underwater at one point?"

The ginger man would question, his cold eyes growing warm at the mere sight of her beauty. A bit of life entering his once lifeless soul.

"I'm surprised you know of that. The fatui must have alot of information about it?"

The priestess questioned, a slight sense of unease in her tone. Though, Childe just simply smiled and shook his head. As though their conversation topic was as innocent as a child.

"No..Far from it actually. Your people were good at keeping their secrets under lock and key, we just know of the things that happened here on the surface."

Childe explained, subtly scooting closer to Kokomi as his arm hovered around her shoulder. When he saw no protest, he settled his arm around the back of her neck. His wrist hanging limp on her opposite shoulder.

"Hm..I see."

Zhongli 100% makes her tea after a long day of her duties, being retired certainly helps him have enough time to make any kind if tea she may need. Relaxing? Boom, done. Melatonin? Easy with a few herbal purchases.

Zhongli and Kokomi wouldn't REALLY start dating until Kokomi one day accidentally slips up and says "My partner" instead of "My companion" within earshot.

Zhongli feels comfortable enough with her to keep his sleeves rolled up and showing off his geo markings. She loves to doodle them when she is having a long day

Kokomi subtly asks questions about his time as Morax and Rex Lapis while spending time in the shrine together in the late nights. Zhongli 100% notices her subtle questions and provides hour long explanations about a simple question.

LATE NIGHT SECRET SECRET STARGAZING TOGETHER!!!!

Never sleep in the same bed until their forced too. Mostly because Zhongli is a respectful gentleman and would sleep on concrete before letting Kokomi go without comfort. And Kokomi would end up doing the same..

Imagine them sitting together for tea and Zhongli taking his gloves off because he feels safe enough around Kokomi to do so ToT

Zhongli sitting there with glowing geo marked hands, unaware of the morbid curiosity that Kokomi was practically swimming in. Her eyes flickering down to the beautiful geo markings dancing across his palms and knuckles. She hadn't realized how long she had been staring until a low chuckle came from the very one she was admiring.

"My priestess...You're staring.."

His tone was a light tease, and it threw Kokomi off guard. She set her teacup down and flushed red, covering the bottom half of her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.

"A-....Apologies. I was just curious of the markings on your hands.."

Kokomi carefully explained, worried of Zhongli pitting his gloves back on in spite. But she was pleasantly surprised when he gave a small smile and nodded.

"These markings I have don't just rest on my hands, they travel up to my shoulders..Should I so choose too, they can reach down my back. Though I have enough control of this mortal form to limit the spread to my arms.."

Kokomi listened intently to Zhonglis explanation. nodding as she set down her cup she had been taking a small sip from. She looked abit timidly to her companion, and asked with a slight bit of hesitancy.

"Would I be permitted to seeing these markings?"

"Yes..Yes you would.."

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Zhongli, who was taking his jacket and shirt off. Not minding the stares he got from Kokomi in the process. To him, this wasn't intimate or embarrassing. Hell, his statue has his chest on full display.

Zhongli motioned for Kokomi to walk over to him, and she sat beside him. He held out one of his glowing arms to her to examine, and she carefully touched it. Her hands at first remaining in one area, before exploring up and down the tough skin. Her thumb tracing over the long lines of pure geo energy just barely reaching the surface.

It was akin to touching a rock, that is if the rock was ticklish and let out an amused chuckle everytime you ran a thumb upwards on his inner arm.

Kokomi was utterly fascinated, and would take times to pause and write down her findings in a tiny notebook she carried on her everyday. Sketching out his arm designs, the way they glow, anything she can note down is written on the paper. Eventually, she starts trailing to his back. Her hands gently running down the smooth surface as if studying a mysterious wall.

In reality, it was her companions back. But it certainly did feel like a wall. So much so that she even knocked on it with an impulsive thought. Which caused her companion to let out a small laugh just before he spoke.

"Are you knocking on my back?" He questioned.

"Maybe...it's as solid as stone. I didn't know you could feel it.." She mumbled embarrassingly.

Zhongli could only chuckle and shake his head, before his hands reached back and a motion for Kokomi to grab his hands. When she did, her hands were carefully lead to the front of his body and tenderly wrapped around his torso. A hug from behind.

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Kokomi watching as pillars of geo ruse from the ground when their surprised by hillichurls, and not even seeing a flicker of light go to Zhongli's vision. Questioning how on earth Zhongli was able to harness such a powerful meteor of geo without the use of a brightly emanating vision. Zhongli simply replying "Don't worry of it priestess" before offering a night out for dinner because of the sudden hillichurl attack.

That very night leaving them at the end silent in eachothers company, sitting on the high mountains of liyue and Zhonglis telling stories of the adepti in the mountains. Speaking of ancient cities, army's, generals. The funeral parlor consultant looking happily down at his inazuman companion as he talked fondly of an old general he "heard" the tales of.

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Of course eventually Zhongli would drop subtle hints about his true identity when Kokomi begins questioning things she hadn't noticed before. Zhonglis nearly perfectly detailed stories, his knowledge of everything Liyue, his amber eyes, his aura, his elemental form, his geo abilities, and not to mention the Traveller and Paimon being so Hush Hush about the topic when Kokomi catches them wandering the streets of the harbor.

Kokomi one day deciding to look closely at the statues littered across the land of contracts, finding the similarities between the statue of Morax and the man Zhongli almost identical. Aside from...Clothing.

Kokomi eventually finding a time where Zhongli couldn't run from the questions. A night under an apple tree soon turning into a massive deep dive into the mystery man's past before she has to leave for her shrine again with her general.

"I know your hiding something from me.."

She would subtly begin, her faded pink and purple eyes looking over into the familliar amber glow that belonged to Zhongli. Zhongli looking down at the priestess with that gentle smile on his slightly wrinkled face, his voice holding a slightly playful tone.

"Hiding something? May I ask what you believe I am hiding from you, friend?"

The words were court, kind, yet Blunt. Zhongli had known this topic would arise eventually, and it only took roughly a few months for it to happen. This encounter had happened once before with the traveller, though now it was different.

"The statue's..You and Morax look so much alike. Not to mention the geo constructs you can produce, the lack of use needed of your vision, the way your hair glows when you unleash the geo meteor, your eyes, your knowledge of ancient cities, it all is so...odd.."

Kokomi placed a thoughtful hand on her chin, thinking of what she could say next. Though her train of thought was broken when Zhongli held out a gloved hand into the air. A small geo crystalfly gently fluttering into his hand, unafraid.

A light chuckle escaping the older man's lips as he turned to the priestess.

"Well.. I have been told my appearance is quite similar to the late archon.. Your observance is indeed true, and a solid proof of evidence."

Zhongli wasn't agreeing or denying anything, he had no need to. As more crystalflys began to flutter around them, a few landed on the high priestess and gently rested on her head and shoulders. Their sparkling wings fluttering with the passing breeze.

Kokomi turned her gaze away from the other, looking around at the glowing creatures that fluttered around them; then nodding. She needn't require a simple blunt answer, that wasn't how she or Zhongli worked sometimes. Right now was just simply a time to enjoy another's company. Archon or mortal.

"Then.. Will we still have stories over tea together? One last time?"

The woman turned to Zhongli, her question being heard loud and clear. Him and her both knew the truth was unspoken, but there. A secret well hidden yet in plain view. He was the geo archon, and she was from the electro archons land. Granted, she worshiped a god long passed from this world. Not much changed. Though yet it still felt so much different.

His smile still remained the same, and he reached a hand out to gently tuck a hair behind her ear. His voice going almost silent as he whispered.