DUTY | 𝗔 Chili 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗰 | GENSHIN IMPACT

13. The Date (Finally!)

"UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA IT'S 4PM. I'M MEANT TO MEET ZHONGLI AT 5!!!" 

Childe threw his iPhone 12 across the room, Paimon and Lumine covering their ears, making a futile attempt to block out Childe's shriek. 

"What the fuck, Childe?" Lumine yelled. The female's nail polish was now covering every inch of not only her nails, but also her pillow. 

The male clambered over Lumine's bed, dashing for the door, mumbling incoherently over and over.

"Did you hear what he said?" Paimon asked.

"Something about 'I'm going to be late'." Lumine replied mocking Childe's panic induced voice as she wiped up as much of the nail polish her tissues could soak.

---

Childe arrived at the meeting spot that him and Zhongli had agreed upon at last, only to find no trace of Zhongli. 

He glanced around. Surely he hadn't come to the wrong place, right?

Or what if Zhongli decided to ditch him for some.. hotter guy, or worse, a hotter woman? Childe's eyes lit up with fury as he reached for his bow--

"I love you too, I love you too, I love you too"

Childe's phone rang, his Zhongli ringtone filling his ears with the serene voice he had been dying to hear, his anger ceasing at once.

'I bet Zhongli's calling! I wonder what kind of face he'll make when he sheepishly apologises for being late, hehe..'

However, to Childe's dismal, it was not Zhongli who was calling him. 

Lumine.

Childe reluctantly accepted the call.

"What now, Lumine?"

"Childe, you dumbass, your date doesn't start till 5."

"Well, I left your house at 4, and it takes me an hour to get to this place, so surely it's 5pm by now."

Childe heard Lumine let out a big sigh of annoyance.

"Paimon, explain." 

"What's going on..?" Childe uncertainly questioned.

"Childe..!" Paimon's squeaky voice stammered sheepishly through the phone. "Well, eh, you see.. I actually messed with your phone's time... I set it back by an hour... It was just a prank, I swear!"

"SO you're telling me that I left your house at 3... thinking that it was 4pm?"

"Ehhh.. Yes..?"

Childe sighed, rubbing his temples. No wonder Zhongli had yet to arrive.

"Paimon, If I wasn't in such a good mood right now, I would've come over there and shoved my arm so far up your ass that your teeth would've fallen out." Childe said, only half jokingly.

"Nooooo-" The line cut off, presumably by the hands of Lumine.

"Guess I'm waiting another.." Childe checked his phone for the time, "Thirty minutes.."

---

Zhongli arrived at the meeting spot, immediately scouting the area for Childe. A mess of familiar ginger hair caught Zhongli's eye. Childe was sitting on a nearby bench, presumably waiting for him. Zhongli strided over to Childe, sitting on the bench next to him. Peeking at his face, Zhongli realised that the male was in fact, fast asleep.