The Autumn Winds Are Sighing

It’s been two months since the storm, and Childe hasn’t seen Zhongli not even once, not since that fateful meeting with the Signora where the truth is finally unveiled. And what a fun little kick to the gut that is, the realization that not only had he been played by all sides, but he's also being tossed aside like trash now that his use had run its course. It’s not that Childe doesn’t get it. He’s a Harbinger. He knows first-hand what it means to do his duty, to put the mission first and his personal feelings far, far away, preferably locked up in a box, where it wouldn’t interfere with his job. He knows what it’s like working with vipers, to scheme and plot and lie in wait for the opportune moment to stab his opponent in the back. But this time, this time Childe can’t help but feel a little (a lot) gutted. Stupid. He’s gotten himself stupidly attached. -- A story about Childe trying to move on after the events of 1.1 Update, but some of his actions have consequences, and those consequences have followed him back to Snezhnaya. NOTE: THIS FIC WAS DRAFTED BEFORE 1.1 UPDATE CAME OUT. MIND THE CANON-DIVERGENT TAG FOR THIS REASON.