Whale and Dragonfly // OC x Childe Genshin Impact fanfiction

Chapter 30: The Gratitude

Childe woke up perky and cheerful like any other morning. His good mood soon was replaced with confusion when he walked out of his room to the living room, finding his jacket on the sofa's backrest. It was neatly folded, all clean, not a single blood stain seen on the fabric.

What confused him even more was the open door to his friend's room. She always slept with her door closed. Silently peeking in, he found her dead asleep.

Boy was used to waking up alone as Charlotte would always leave their apartments for her job early in the morning. Finding her in this state was beyond unusual for him.

11th Harbinger looked at his clean jacket in his hands, then back at his sleeping friend.

That was the moment he finally figured out how he could show his gratitude.

~~~

Zanni woke up at nearly midday, groaning as she still felt tired. Turning on her other side, for a moment she had a thought of going back to sleep, but then she saw the clock on her wall...

12:07 PM...

She jumped out of her bed as if someone shocked her with electricity, running to her wardrobe and dressing up in turbo speed. Not even caring about food, she left the apartments without breakfast, sprinting to the Northland Bank reception.

A few customers looked strangely at her as she nearly tripped and fell down the stairs but managed to keep her balance.

"I- Sorry, I- I'm late... Hah..." 12th Harbinger was out of breath, her outfit and hair messy from all the running and fast day start.

Ekaterina looked at her confused.

"G-Good morning, Lord Zanni. Did something happen? How may I help you?" she asked politely, showing the respect for high-ranked Fatui member that Zanni hated so much.

"I'm sorry for being late. I slept in. May I take a look at my commissions, please?"

Northland Bank receptionist was confused again.

"Uh... I'm sorry, Zanni. Didn't Master Childe warn you?" she asked, making 12th Harbinger confused as well.

"H-Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Master Childe took care of your today's daily commissions. He said you were working really hard lately and felt exhausted yesterday. He also mentioned to give you a day or two to relax and rest. I thought Master Childe told you this?"

Charlotte was staring at the blonde receptionist, unable to figure out what was happening around her. Not sure what else to do, she nodded.

"I see..."

"Zanni, even Harbingers need rest. Don't overwork yourself." Reassured Ekaterina. "Master Childe took care of literally all of your commissions. The mora earned from them has been divided and placed into your bank accounts. You got nothing else to worry about. Feel free to go and rest today."

Charlotte nodded again, thanking friendly receptionist before walking back to her and her friend's apartments. She wasn't yet exactly sure what happened, but was glad she got a day to rest after such emotionally tiring evening yesterday.

Remembering she didn't have breakfast yet, she walked to the kitchen to grab a bite. There was a plate of delicious looking pancakes with chocolate sauce and strawberries pieces. Girl felt her mouth watering just by looking at it.

What caught her attention next was a small paper under the plate. It was a small message left by her roommate:

"Good morning, comrade! You looked exhausted yesterday, so I thought I will let you sleep today. Get some rest and don't overwork yourself, alright? I will take care of your today's commissions and other work assigned by the Fatui. Take this as me showing gratitude for everything.

P.S: Hope you enjoy the pancakes I baked you. My little siblings love them, so I thought you will too. :D

- Yours one and only, Ajax"

Smile painted Charlotte's lips as she read the letter. It widened as she found a small whale doodle next to Childe's signature.

Feeling the unusual warmth in her heart, she sat down and dug in. Despite her not being a fan of sweets, pancakes tasted super delicious. Girl couldn't help but wonder where he learned to cook.

Finishing her meal in less than 10 minutes, she stood up, walking up to the sink to wash the dirty plate. By the time she was done, apartment door opened and closed, familiar ginger entering.

"Charlotte- Oh, hi there." He entered the kitchen. "How you doing? Feeling better?"

Feeling a bit awkward, brunette nodded, coming to hug him. This surprised 11th Harbinger, but he soon smiled, wrapping his arms around her too.

"Thank you so much..." she thanked.

"There, there..." 2nd youngest Harbinger chuckled, ruffling her hair. "No need to thank me. I'm the one who's supposed to be grateful."

Charlotte pulled away, smiling as she scratched the back of her neck shyly.

"So, what now?"

"I actually came to ask you something. You see, things turned out that I promised to treat Lumine and her floating fairy pet to lunch today. Would you like to come together?"

Girl was caught off guard by his words.

"L-Lunch? I-... I don't know..."

"It's okay, you can stay here if you don't want to go. Nobody is forcing you. It's just a friendly suggestion to accompany me." Ginger boy smiled friendly.

"N-No... It's fine, I will go. It's just that I didn't expect it, that's all."

"Are you really sure?" blue-eyed Harbinger came closer, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I really mean it when I say you are free to stay and not go. I don't want to force you."

Charlotte placed her hand on top of his, making him blush a bit.

"It's fine, really. After all, I need to properly apologise to Lumine and Paimon. I feel terrible for what happened yesterday... You know... Osial, miscommunication, betrayal and all..."

It made the older boy smile.

"Kind-hearted as always, are you? Haha, alright then! Ready to go?"

"Wait, already?"

"I promised to meet them in Liuli pavilion at 2 PM, it's past 1 PM now and I got to stop at the Bank reception to get some money. That floating pet of Lumine's got an endless pit of a stomach, you know? This lunch might cost me a lot..." he scratched the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly.

"Oh, I see. Okay, let me just fix my hair and clothes and we're good to go."

"Great!"