[ childe has never thought that, not once, because he has caught the subtle hints zhongli drops here and there… aware of it or not. how a pink blush hits the tips of his ears when childe would brush their hands or their legs, how his eyes would smile and catch the sun in such a perfect way to light his heart on fire, or how his nostrils would flare when he had gotten hurt from pushing himself to hard - zhongli having accepted that this would happen time and time again - and as childe recounted the battle he’d tend to his wounds. and all the other subtle cues that childe sees because he just can’t help but stare at him because he’s so helplessly in love. ]

[ so he immediately lets those feelings swallow him whole, accepting them into his heart only for his own to pour out and mingle with zhongli’s. ]

…c’Mere. [ he tries to coax him closer, desperate for a proper kiss. ] I love you, Xiansheng. Love you so much. [ yes the bond has probably made that very obvious, but he still wants to say it. ] You make me so happy.