Childe x Zhongli OneShots

The Shabby Hotel || A Tale From Detective Squad (Part 2)

Childe shrieked and pulled his arm back. A tall man emerged from the shadows. "Sorry, my dear guest. But personally I like the curtains closed, I always thought it made the room more romantic." said the man. Childe looked at him, bewildered and fascinated. Childe's hand was on the hilt of his pistol in his pocket.

The man tilted his head slightly to the side, a smile plastered on his face. "You're not thinking of shooting me with that toy, I hope?" the man asked. His voice was warm, soft and honey-like. Childe withdrew his hand from his pocket, but was watching the man on alert. He had sharp features, brown and gold hair, golden and red eyes, and pale skin. Childe lowered his eyes a little, looking at his broad shoulders and the muscles that were visible in his suit. Before Childe could lower his eyes further, the man snapped his hands.

"My eyes are here, dear. Now that you've finished your eye feast, why don't I introduce myself? I'm Zhongli, my dear guest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Venti gave you room 106 because we don't have any other rooms available?" Zhongli asked. Childe nodded. "Yes... I am Childe." Childe said. He was a little more relaxed now, but he still hadn't let his guard down.

Zhongli chuckled. "Oh, how nice. You see there's only one bed, but it's too large for the two of us. It is okay with you, I presume?" Zhongli said. Childe shrugged. "No problem. If it's comfy, that's enough for me. I've slept in worse places before." Said Childe, letting down his guard completely. A smirk ran over Zhongli's face. "Well, I can show you around if you want." Zhongli said.

Childe shrugged. "With your permission, I want to rest. Thank you for your offer." Said Childe. Zhongli nodded and left the room. Childe waited until the door closed, then he grimaced. "With your permission? Where did that conversation come from!?" He mumbled. Then he collapsed onto the bed. He could take a nap, besides he was too tired to walk around.

***
Childe woke up with a loud bang. His eyes shot wide open. It took a while him to process what was happening. His whole body was numb in a satisfying way and he was under the warm covers. "I don't remember getting under the covers...?" Childe thought as he kicked the covers and got up. He tried fixing his messy hair and clothes as he approached the door. He opened the door with a shock expression.

A bored Kaeya, an Ayato who was raising his eyebrows in disapproval, a not shocked Diluc and an angry Aether was in front of the doorstep. "What were you doing!? Having some fun with the manager?" Aether asked angrily, showing Childe's clothes. Childe blushed and frowned. Kaeya and Ayato chuckled at his expression. "What!? No! I just wanted to sleep and I overslept!" Childe defended himself.

Aether sighed. "Whatever, classic Childe. Since we are here, let's plan in your room." Aether suggested. Childe stepped aside and let everyone in. He closed the door and went into the royal suite. He made a 'shush' sign before Aether opened his mouth. Everyone watched Childe with curious eyes. Childe looked at Diluc and pointed the torch which was next to the bed. Diluc approached the torch and touched it. With his touch, the torch lit up immediately. Diluc's pyro vision lit up with a wild red and faded away in seconds.

Childe took the torch from it place and pointed at the shadows. He did not want Zhongli lurking in the shadows. After he checked every corner, he sighed in relief and put the torch to it's place. "Sorry about that, comrades. But when I arrived here, Zhongli showed up from the shadows." He said. "So you got his name, eh?" Kaeya said with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh, shut it Kaeya. We are already an hour late from the schedule, we better start planning." Diluc said, rolling his eyes at Kaeya. "Yeah, Diluc is right. I came up with a schedule of some sort. But before that, how about we talk about the hotel? What are your first impressions?" Aether asked.

"Well, it is weird that they have no available rooms. Their rate dropped when people started rumoring about the lost people, hotel isn't in it's glorious days." Ayato stated. Diluc nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I am pretty sure that this hotel must have millions of rooms. Some of them must be empty but used for another intentions. That is why guests can't stay there." Diluc said. Aether hummed. "Anything else?" He asked.