fortuity | zhongchi

08

"OH MY GOD, DID YOU... DO IT??"

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the ginger quickly fastened his seatbelt as zhongli pulled out of the front gates. childe aimlessly gazed out at the scenery, slightly surprised. "hey i know this place... it's the one near the famous wangshu inn right? the luxurious hotel many idols such as alberich and ragnivndr, stayed at?" zhongli chuckled, "you sure do know your stuff, huh?"

childe looked like a derpy little kid dreaming of that toy car he's always wanted, "oh of course! those two are my favorite song artists, although they are complete opposites. but anyways, how did ms. guizhong manage to afford a home around here?" an expression just like the younger one's sat on zhongli's face, "that, is quite a mystery for me as well i'm afraid."

he gave the ginger a quick grin. as zhongli drove through the busy part of town, childe spotted a familiar figure. "ning..?" he mumbled.

zhongli was too focused on the road to notice the boy. childe put his cheek against the window, trying to confirm if it was really her from afar. however, he failed to do so and laid back on his seat.

his long sigh finally caught the driver's attention, "is something the matter?" childe closed his eyes, looking somewhat beaten, "no... it's probably nothing." zhongli opened his mouth but didn't get to say anything as he suddenly pressed the brakes. childe was startled, eyeing the red light above them, "h — hey, are you —"

"yeah sorry, i must've missed that." the brunette apologized. childe added, "take it easy, it's sunday today. we don't have to get there so early!" as soon as the stoplight turned green, the next corner had elements and buildings childe's more familiar with.

"isn't that — we're close! how'd we get here so fast?" this was pretty far from campus." zhongli's unamused expression suddenly switched to a lighthearted one, "indeed. i've grown to know a... shortcut, being a resident here for a while."

arriving at their destination, the brunette parked the car and the two hopped off. from the window, childe faintly spotted venti, who gave him a bright smile. zhongli stood next to him returning his keys, "he seems enthusiastic." childe scoffed and head in. they were greeted by a brush of cold air and the braided man grinning wide. childe walked over to the counter, the older one following behind.

"morning uppercla —"

"just venti, childe." he corrected. the ginger nodded and laughed softly, "alright, morning venti." the short one returned the greeting and briefly eyed zhongli, "if i recall correctly, you two met about a week ago and you're already at it huh?" childe stood there flustered and frozen while zhongli handled the situation, "no, there's nothing going on. you're making him uncomfortable."

venti gave him a smug look, "then why'd i see you guys come from the same vehicle?" childe bat his eyelids, "...it's a long story. anyways, i'll get the usual." he jerked his head to the one next to him, signaling his turn. "i'll take care of it." the brunette opened the entry to the counter. childe watched him take off his coat and put on an apron from the closet.

the braided guy laughed, shaking his head, "i don't know if you two are obvious or just oblivious but it hurts to watch." zhongli checked the order on the cashier and proceeded to prepare his materials. childe avoided the statement and placed himself on a vacant table. venti laid his chin on his hands, "so, care to tell me what happened?" childe's cheeks slightly reddened, attempting to shield it with his arm.

the shorter one hurried beside him, intruiged by his reaction, "oh my god, did you... do it?"childe's jaw dropped, making a short but loud sound. he caught a few eyes on him, including zhongli's, but they didn't last very long. childe relaxed his shoulders, "no definitely not. i'm planning to keep this a professional relationship, nothing more." venti pouted his lips, "damn, you two look good together though, a shame really."

a few moments of silence passed until zhongli laid down their drinks on the table.

"oh wait the payment —"

"it's on me." zhongli said somewhat sternly. childe seemed to find it attractive whenever zhongli acted serious, but also intimidating. venti sighed at the sight of the two men just staring at each other, "and you deny it." they heard him and zhongli left the scene.

since there were only a few customers at the moment, venti accompanied the two during their stay. into a coversation, childe realized, "venti, you weren't here last friday were you?" the shorter one nodded, his fingers dancing, "oh right! your humble waiter was sick the other night therefore the day after, one was not in sight." "is that so? i'm glad to see you are feeling better then. also, you took poetry in high school right?" childe responded.

venti raised his thumb, "sure did!" he stuck his tongue out. the waiter then glanced at the quiet teacher induldged in his phone, "come to think of it, grandpa here teaches at your university now yeah?" the ginger nodded, "mhm." the braided one exclaimed, "why, what a coincidence! who know a worker of mine would end up being one of my good friends' instructor?"

zhongli then joined in, "it's simply a chance occurence." childe sensed hesitation in his tone but kept quiet. venti agreed, "a fortunate one!" he grinned brightly. zhongli managed to change the topic, "by the way, childe. you had a young boy along with you in one of your visits?"

a smile appeared on childe's face, "oh val? yes, he's my nephew. i was running a bit late that day so i had to get my coffee while on the road to drop him off at school." zhongli engaged more, "so you have siblings?" venti listened along with the brunette. "yup, val's my 20-year-old brother's son." the two were taken back upon hearing the age, "wow."

"no matter, he's been a great parent. sure he's made mistakes but he's doing his best." childe defended, a soft expression seen on his face. venti couldn't help but feel the same, "i bet he's fulfilling his job as a father, he's got you for support after all."

zhongli agreed with the statement. their conversation then drifted to a few other topics until childe decided it was time to leave. this time, the ginger and brunette seperated paths. "i have to do something in preparation for tomorrow's exams, the teachers need materials so i'll go fetch them," was what zhongli said. childe offered to drive him however he refused so the boy headed straight home. still somewhat tired, childe grabbed a few textbooks and laid on his bed.

he was just reminded to review for his upcoming finals so while he recharged, he went over some topics he wasn't the most confident in. although, childe was already knowledgable enough and he knew that, so did zhongli. as soon as he felt energized, childe did his chores and workout. the rest of the day resumed as a sunday usually would — just today... was a bit more special.

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