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Childe stared at his reflection on the surface of the blue juice he had ordered as he sipped at it with a straw, willing the red-hot blush on his face to go away.
Why was he here?
“Here are your orders!” The cheerful voice of Xiangling cut through his sulking, and he looked up to watch the smiling girl place down plates of piping hot food and bowls of delicious-looking soup from two trays she balanced expertly on her hands. With it carried the mouthwatering aroma that wafted from each plate and bowl of food, exquisite and inviting, as her cooking always was. “Please enjoy! I made sure to add an extra bowl of Wanmin Restaurant's special boiled fish and a plate of spicy cream stew I learned to make from a new friend in Mondstadt, free of charge!” She sent an exaggerated wink the redhead's way, making him feel even more embarrassed.
“These dishes look appetizing as always,” Zhongli's polite voice entered the fray, and Childe stiffened and willed himself to stare at a bright red bowl containing boiled fish. “I must thank you for the amount of effort you put into this. We will make sure to leave you a tip.” More like he would be leaving a tip from Childe's wallet, with Zhongli definitely having no Mora on his person whatsoever, the attractive bastard.
Xiangling, having stacked the trays and tucking them beneath her arm, waved a hand. “There's no need! Leaving a tip would defeat the purpose of the extra being on the house, after all. But anyway, I'll leave you guys to it. Enjoy your date!” Sending one last wink in Childe's way, she skipped away cheerfully.
Followed by her leave was awkward silence, at least on Childe's part, for his date looked no less than content as he deftly use a pair of chopsticks to pick at a plate of stir-fried fillet. Not wanting to look any more awkward than he probably already was, the redhead pulled a sleek box from his pocket and flipped it open, taking out a pair of brown and gold dragon-and-phoenix-patterned chopsticks and fumbling to position them correctly between his fingers.
As he clumsily tried to steady the eating utensils, Zhongli paused in his eating upon seeing a glimpse of the two chopsticks in his date's hands.
“You kept them?” His voice sounded so surprised and almost incredulous that it made Childe look up and make eye contact with Zhongli since they took an indoor seat at Wanmin Restaurant.
“...Yeah, was I not supposed to...?” Childe asked, trailing off in confusion as he spotted the rather out-of-place awe in his date's bright amber eyes.
Zhongli seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking, shaking his head in response to the redhead's question. “No–” he cleared his throat, looking strangely elated with a faint pink blush on his porcelain cheeks.
Childe thought it looked nice on him.
Damn attractive bastard.
“It's just that.. I was surprised that you kept them, is all,” he picked up a napkin and patted his mouth almost awkwardly, even though there wasn't any bits of sauce on him as far as Childe could tell. “after all–” he cast a slightly wary glance in his way. “I thought you would have thrown them away.”
He felt strangely embarrassed by the other's words, and shoved a small Jade Parcel in his mouth to try and hide that fact. “They were a gift from you, and it would be a waste if I threw them out anyway, since they're so e-expensive and all..” he faltered at Zhongli's suddenly soft gaze, looking away with his cheeks flushed a bright red.
He cleared his throat loudly and suddenly, almost choking on his half-chewed parcel.
Childe quickly swallowed and spoke before Zhongli could say a word. “SO,” he said loudly, catching the attention of some of the other customers. “What's, ah, the plan for today?” He said in a steadier volume of voice.
Zhongli perked up, and Childe knew he chose the right conversation topic. “I was thinking that we should take a stroll in the outskirts of the harbor after we finish eating. At first, I thought to browse the markets alongside you to purchase gifts for you and your family before you go, but then I realized it is something we do everyday, and made a plan to show you a few ancient locations situated just near Mount Tianheng...” He rambled, talking about places where old gods used to sit and take in the sun, and fields of sweet flowers that still retained their scents throughout the years.
The redhead let himself relax a little, listening to the older with half an ear as he struggled to take small bites of his Jade Parcels and a bit of squirrel fish paired with spicy chicken broth that burned his tongue more than he'd admit.
“...And then we shall end the day at the shores of Yaoguang Shoal, where we shall stay to pick seashells as long as you'd like.” The ex-Archon finished, suddenly looking self-conscious as he fidgeted slightly. “...If that sounds alright with you, of course.” He added hastily.
Childe blinked mid-chew of a piece of Golden Crab, unwilling to admit that he had barely heard everything the brunette had told him. “Sounds good!” He said instead. “I trust your judgement, Zhongli-xiansheng- I'm sure it will be great.” Zhongli's face lit up at that, all softening of features and wide, un-tense amber eyes accompanied by a soft smile on pink lips. “...I'm glad, then.” The older picked up the chopsticks he had placed neatly on top of a bowl of Jewelry Soup to resume eating.
They fell into a comfortable silence, something that was uncommon between them even after Childe released Osial onto Liyue to wreak havoc and force Rex Lapis out of hiding and Zhongli revealed himself to be said god, only to give his Gnosis away to that wretched-faced La Signora, but the redhead found that he didn't really mind. In fact, he could say he enjoyed it, despite the lack of chatter he had gotten used to over the past two years that he had known the funeral parlor consultant.
Eventually, they finished their large meal, and as Childe placed down a bag of Mora immediately after seeing Zhongli's face falter when he realized he forgot his wallet, he was confronted by Zhongli's hand suddenly on his, making his entire body go still.
“..Thank you for agreeing to go out with me, Childe,” his expression was soft for what felt like the tenth time that day, and Childe felt heat rise in his cheeks once again as he swallowed back the lump in his throat. “it means a lot to me that you came. I know we haven't exactly been on the best of terms since my test for Liyue, but I-” the older gracefully sucked in a deep breath, and the redhead found himself wondering absentmindedly how the act of breathing could be so graceful.
Stupid Zhongli and his stupid attractive bastardness.
“I.. I'm very happy to be here with you. So, yes, thank you for coming here with me.” Zhongli gave him the sweetest, most genuine smile Childe had ever been given in his life, making his heart suddenly start pounding against his chest.
Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck-
“I-” Childe stumbled on his words. “I-it's no problem?” He said, though it sounded more like a question than a real answer. Despite that, Zhongli continued to smile at him and hold his hand oh-so-sweetly.
The redhead thought he might faint when Zhongli squeezed his hand softly.
“Let us leave now, and be on our way.” His face was back to normal, except he saw it wasn't all that normal, because his eyes were soft despite his stony expression.
“I-i- yes,” Childe stuttered again. “Let's go.” He stood up, following his date to the exit, head in the clouds.
(He didn't let go of his hand.)
FIN.