𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 [𝘼𝙐 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙞 +18]

12: The party

Zhongli woke up because of the light coming through the hall door. He opened his eyes, blinking to get used to the soft light that had managed to interrupt his sleep. In the end, he managed to fall asleep sometime in the morning, although he was still terribly tired. Beside him, Childe had disappeared. Zhongli ran his hand over the cool sheets, turning his head toward the open door. He yawned, reaching out and brushing away a tear of sleep, wrinkling his nose and relaxing his muscles. He stood up, stretching his legs. His stomach made a loud noise, so far he had not realized how hungry he was, becoming aware at that moment. Some noises in the room caught his attention, causing him to hurry to go see what was happening.

He found the redhead rummaging through the mini kitchen cabinets, where there were opened drawers with many of the objects placed on the counter and table in a disorderly manner. Childe didn't notice his presence until he got closer to him, turning startled.

"Ah, Zhongli..." He looked him up and down as if it were a surprise to see him there. The brunette raised an eyebrow, not knowing the reason why he was making such a mess.

"What are you doing?" Zhongli asked, putting the things back into the drawers.

'It's already noon, and since you were still asleep I thought I'd make something to eat," Childe explained. "You know, for I not asking for anything and you don't spend more money."

"How thoughtful of you," Zhongli answered, closing a drawer and turning to look at it. "And what were you planning to do?"

"I don't know, you're the one who always cooks and I don't know where are the things so I was looking to see what was there," Childe replied, leaning on the counter. "You have slept a lot anyway."

Zhongli yawned again, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm fine, I'm glad you were able to get to sleep." Childe helped him re-organize the mess he had made, without continuing the conversation.

They would have to prepare for Ningguang's party after eating, just thinking about that made Zhonli's stomach churn with nerves. He decided to ignore his justified nerves and concentrate on the clothes Childe could have bought with his money.

They finished ordering, allowing Zhongli to cook something quickly. He decided on something light, figuring there would be plenty of food at the party. He began to prepare two omelets, taking the eggs from the fridge and some glasses to beat them. Childe set the table, having searched the drawers for cutlery.

It didn't take him long to have the food ready, arranging the omelets on plates and serving them, seeing the other's expectant look. Zhongli took the frying pan off the induction cooktop, dipped it in the sink, and then sat down in front of the redhead.

It didn't look like Childe was going to talk about what they'd talked about the night before, right before they both ended up falling asleep. He decided not to bring up the subject.

"Aren't you going to ask me about the clothes?" Childe asked, picking up his fork.

"I don't see it necessary, I'll see you in a few hours with whatever you bought," Childe made a face, snorting.

"How boring."

"Do you want me to beg to show it to me or something?" Zhongli questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I know you won't, though I still don't understand why."

"To annoy you, obviously," Childe smirked, causing him to roll his eyes in response.

"You look better sleeping," Zhongli said indignantly, as he speared the omelet. Childe scowled disapprovingly, smirking.

"Have you been stalking me? Creepy. I let you sleep with me and on top of that you look at me while I'm defenseless, I didn't know you had that filiation, Zhongli," the brunette took a deep breath, squeezing the fork in his hand too hard. Childe was lucky the taser wasn't nearby. The redhead laughed, letting out a few laughs as he held his stomach. "What a funny face! Should I bother you more times?"