Look Me in the Eyes (and tell me that it's me) [Zhongchili]

Chapter 4 - Fantasies of a Future

When Saturday comes around, Ajax is very, very good. He spends the morning on campus, getting a solid four and a half hours of studying done before he heads down to the street to meet Zhongli. On his way, he receives a 'good luck' text from Yoimiya, who couldn't have been more excited upon learning that he finally has a date.

The world is clear and still, and he's grateful that the wind from earlier in the week has died down; he's put far more effort into his appearance today than he usually does for a first date, having spent a good half hour fighting down his unruly hair with water and a comb before leaving. It hasn't worked completely—the little tuft of hair sticking up at the top of his head refuses to be subdued—but he at least looks a bit less like he crawled out of a bush backwards than he usually does.

He heads around the back of the library and scans the rows of student parking—layers upon layers of solemn monochrome—until he catches sight of Zhongli. Wearing a black turtleneck under a long, light brown coat, and topping off the look with black leather gloves, Zhongli waves him over from beside a small, blocky, red car in the back corner.

Funny, he'd taken Zhongli for a brown or grey car kinda guy. The red though? Flashy.

Zhongli had insisted on picking him up, and although Ajax could drive himself, he couldn't refuse when Zhongli offered; with only one car between his family, it's better for him to leave it free for them to use, especially on a weekend. Although it's a bit strange to be getting in the car with a near-stranger, Zhongli doesn't seem like the sort of person that'd drive him out to the forest to brandish an axe at him.

"Good afternoon." Zhongli steps forward as Ajax approaches, extending an arm toward him then hastily retracting it, instead reaching to open the passenger-side door. "I trust that your morning was pleasant."

"As pleasant as learning about import tax through the ages can be," replies Ajax, getting into the car, and Zhongli shuts the door behind him before he can reach for it himself.

So that's how it is. Zhongli is as old fashioned as he comes across, even though he can't be older than his late twenties. Not that Ajax minds a bit of chivalry, but he's usually the one enacting it. Being the one on the receiving end for once leaves him slightly off balance, and his hand is still hovering by the already-shut door when Zhongli enters the driver's side.

"Is everything alright?" asks Zhongli. "If your seating position requires adjustment, the lever is down and to your right."

"No, no, it's fine! My seatbelt got a bit stuck, is all." Ajax reaches for his belt and clips it in as Zhongli starts to back them out of the parking space.

This is fine; he'll pay for the meal later. Zhongli won't one-up him like this.

The drive to the restaurant is pleasant. To "get them in the mood" Zhongli puts on a recording of a Liyuen opera, explaining the story as the opening number unfolds. Although it's all sung in Old Liyuen and Ajax has neither heard it before nor is able to understand it, the sound fills him with a warm nostalgia, the source of which he can't quite pinpoint. He leans his head against the headrest and closes his eyes, letting the music and Zhongli's voice bring him to an abstract sense of home.

The car stops and Ajax opens his eyes, unclipping his belt and swinging his door open before Zhongli can get to it first, then steps out of the car and stretches, taking in his surroundings. They're in a small car park tucked around the back of a cream-walled, double storied building, and a sign fixed to the wall in front of him declares in bold, "Customers Only—Free Parking 4 Hours".

Zhongli gets out of the car, locks it, then nods to Ajax over the top of the car. "Shall we enter?"

"Yeah, sure." Ajax strides forward to catch up to Zhongli, who evidently frequents the place and is beelining for a gap between the trees leading around the side of the building.