#ZhongChi sickfic- Childe didn’t often get ill, yet a couple events happened to line up perfectly to create the situation he was in now. First it was the rain- a huge thunderstorm swept through Liyue, drenching the land in cool water and striking the ground

With small bursts of lightning. Then it was the week of work previously- a mess of collections and events Childe had to attend, a period of heavy stress and late nights that left him up till the moon was directly above him and his eyes struggled to stay open.

And finally- it was the last debt collection he did, where after collecting from the treasure hoarders, he ran into a cryo abyss mage. Needless to say, when Childe got home to the apartment he and Zhongli owned, he was feeling utterly miserable.

Already he’d been exhausted from the week of paperwork and meetings- barely having time to meet his partner for lunch or get home in time to properly sleep- but the humidity from the rain had caused a dampness to every building, leaving his joints (especially the

parts of his body he’d broken or sprained over the years-) aching dully. The cryo abyss mage was just plain mean- he walked through the harbor to his home shivering, a deep chill settling into his bones. Finally arriving home, the warmth of the house caused

Childe to sniffle, as he took off his wet coat and scarf, and boots, and shuffled further in to find his partner. Perhaps a warm bath, or just some cuddles- Ajax didn’t care, he was much too tired. Zhongli was sitting on the couch, a book in hand and a cup

of tea beside him. The adeptus looked up with a small smile at his partners return, only for a gentle frown to appear as he took in Ajax’s state. “Baobei-“ he closed his book and stood, striding over to Ajax and gently feeling his cheeks, frowning.

“It’s pretty- *snff!* wet out there,” Childe chuckled, a weak attempt to play off his suffering. Zhongli’s look of concern only seemed to intensify as his gentle hands stroked Ajax’s cheeks, then his damp hair, and then his waist- shirt still wet. “You’re soaked,”

He states, brows furrowed. “Ajax-“ Childe cut him off, pulling away and bringing his elbow up. He sneezed twice- shivering afterwards, and missing the way Zhongli’s eyes widened in alarm. “Sorry,” he sniffled, looking back up at his lover, blue eyes glassy.

Zhongli shook his head, a determined light in his cor lapis eyes. “Never mind it- I am going to run you a warm bath,” he said firmly, turning to the bathroom. “Undress, and get your robe.” Ajax blinked, but went to their bedroom, listening to the sound of the tub

filling up as he peeled off his soaked uniform and grabbed a robe- Zhongli’s, the smell was calming- before padding over to the bathroom. Zhongli was sitting on a stool near the bath, a basket of bath salts and oils next to him. The scent of mint wafted from

the warm bath water, and Ajax sniffled again, focused solely on getting in to finally warm up. Zhongli assisted him silently, helping peel off his robe before helping him into the tub, watching as his mates eyes fluttered closed once he’d settled into the bath.

Zhongli took some shampoo and slowly began to larger Childe’s hair, smiling softly as the harbinger began to relax more and more in the tub, breaths evening out. His poor mate had been so busy lately- Zhongli could see the growing shadows under those gorgeous blue eyes,

and the way Ajax barely had time to eat- stomach missing a little bit of healthy fat from regular meals. And his limbs- Zhongli gently rinsed the shampoo, before getting some skin oils and slowly massaging Childe’s shoulders- the damp weather surely hurt, but

with how busy he was, there was no time till now for Zhongli to help pamper his mate, soothe the ache of past battle scars with loving touches and warm hands. And now this- Zhongli rested his hand against Ajax’s forehead, tutting softly under his breath. A fever-

no doubt caused by the lack of rest and food, as well as the thunderstorm that soaked him so- his poor mate… The dragon curled in Zhongli’s chest growled lowly with upset, wishing to curl around his mate, to help get rid of this illness- but Zhongli pushed it down.

Soon- soon he’d have his mate tucked into bed, but for now, Ajax needed to warm up. So Zhongli continued to bathe Ajax, massaging his tense muscles and letting his hands linger till the water began to cool. Carefully, he lifted Ajax from the tub and wrapped

him in a warm towel, patting him dry. Ajax huffed softly in his sleep, eyelids fluttering slightly, but Zhongli just shushed him gently, using his thumb to carefully smooth away the tense lines between his mate’s brows. Ajax fell back asleep.

After Ajax was dry, Zhongli was quick to wrap him in his robe and carry him to their bed, settling him down among the many pillows and under multiple blankets. Then, he crawled into bed with him, allowing his form to melt away into that of his exuvia’s form, though

slightly smaller as to fit the bed. He wrapped himself around Ajax, resting his head close to the others and purring softly. He could still feel the way his mate’s brow began to grow warm, as heat started to radiate from his body- but Zhongli was sure that with

Some herbal tea, and plenty of rest and nutrition… his lovely mate would be feeling better in no time. And so, he closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest with his mate. -end I’m a big sucker for overworked Childe- I like this baby best when he’s sleep deprived,

hasn’t eaten nearly enough, on the verge of collapse, and probably a little feverish. He is so tired- please let him sleep- but he can’t he’s busy. Lol, merry Christmas