More Than Meets The Eye

Chapter 17

Signora, as a matter of fact, did not kill them, though that was mostly because they'd managed to clean up the back room and get rid of the smell that something was burning before she came to check in on the café before closing. By that time, Zhongli and Childe had also conveniently left the café and left Scaramouche to deal with her, but in their defense, Scaramouche had been a massive dick to them today. He deserved dealing with Signora on the chance that she got angry about the whole baking fiasco. 

They managed to get back to Zhongli's apartment without any complications except for a very long text message from Scaramouche that consisted of him yelling at Childe for ditching work early, but to be fair, Scaramouche owed him for all the times that he'd simply not come to work, so Childe saw it to be more or less even. As always, he left the message on 'seen' rather than actually replying to it, which may be a little bit of a bitch move, but frankly, Childe couldn't bother to care enough about that right now.

He also let Kaeya know that he'd be spending the night at Zhongli's, to which Kaeya replied with a winking face and a very inappropriate way of wishing luck within the sexual field. For some reason, Kaeya could always find a way to make everything be horny. It was almost like some sort of talent of his. Childe didn't know if he was fascinated by it or disgusted. Maybe both.

The second that they'd made it into the apartment, Ajax practically melted into the floor. He'd forgotten how exhausting it could be to be Childe now that he was starting to become more familiar with Ajax again. Logically, he understood that being Childe, at least for now, would be better for him, but it didn't change the fact that it left him mentally and emotionally exhausted, and very very tempted to try being Ajax while working down at Mora Xpress. Then, he remembered that it would mean being Ajax in front of Signora and Scaramouche - granted, it might not be that bad with Signora, but there was no way in hell that he'd let himself be Ajax in front of Scaramouche. 

As exhausting as it was, he'd have to be Childe for a little longer, until he was certain that Ajax would be able to handle every-day life just fine. He must've looked pretty miserable, though, because Zhongli gave him a reassuring pat on the head when they stepped in, with a kind smile stretched over his face. He of all people understood how hard it could be to wear the mask of someone that wasn't quite him. Hell, Zhongli had been doing it just as long as Ajax has. 

From what Ajax has heard, Rex Lapis was quite different from the Zhongli he knew. It was a wonder how Zhongli wasn't mentally drained to the point of being unable to move by the end of his work days. Actually, the stress of managing Lapis Inc. combined with having to be Rex Lapis rather than Zhongli must've been pretty taxing, and suddenly, the constant exhaustion that he'd seen on Zhongli before made a lot more sense.

"I'll make dinner," Zhongli said. It wasn't an offer, more like a statement, and Ajax decided that he was more than fine with that. If he tried to cook anything now, it would probably turn out the same as those damned macarons, if not worse. Who knew that macarons were so hard to make? 

Once he mentally recovered enough to at least stand upright, he managed to drag himself away from the door and drape himself over Zhongli, which he decided was a much more comfortable way to support himself rather than leaning against the wall. He wrapped his hands around Zhongli's waist from behind, his chin resting on Zhongli's shoulder as he softly nuzzled his nose into the crook of Zhongli's neck as if he was a cat in the middle of winter, earning a sweet laugh from Zhongli as he raised his free hand to pet Ajax's hair, his fingers carding soft circles in a way that practically had Ajax purring in content.

He found his eyes fluttering closed for a little, letting himself relax into the feeling of Zhongli warm against him, into the quiet sound of sizzling as Zhongli cooked, the savory smell already filling up the room. It was peaceful like this, far more peaceful than Ajax ever possibly thought he could enjoy. When he'd been a kid, he could never sit still. He'd always be on the go, doing something, be it chasing after his older siblings or taking care of his younger ones. After The Abyss, the restlessness got much worse, to the point that there'd be days that he'd be practically bouncing off of walls from how much energy was thrumming through him. Now, though, has completely at peace.