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Zhongli didn’t often go out drinking, but tonight was a special occasion. It was an old friend’s birthday and he had been invited to the party at Venti’s favourite bar. Zongli was taking that claim at face value, though, since Venti’s ‘favourite’ bar seemed to change on a weekly basis. He should probably be more concerned by that, but after knowing the cheerful man for so long, he tended to just ignore it when he could.
Venti was the kind of social butterfly that Zhongli wasn’t, but perhaps that was why they got along despite all their differences. They had been roommates in college, and somehow the other man still looked as young as he had back then, but Venti had been the one to drag Zhongli to all sorts of social gatherings.
Of course, Zhongli had plenty of embarrassing stories about him to tell should anyone ask, but he didn’t particularly want to listen to Venti drunkenly crying when Zhongli said something about the time he had climbed the statue in front of the college and drew a mustache on it in neon pink. It was quite an impressive feat, especially considering that Venti had been so sloshed that he couldn’t walk straight at the time, but Venti thought it was humiliating.
Perhaps Zhongli should clarify: Venti wasn’t embarrassed that it happened at all, he was ashamed that the mustache had been crooked.
That was just the kind of person Venti was, and he rarely took no for an answer so Zhongli had no choice but to agree when he was invited. He did drink on occasion, and there was no shortage of good drinks available, but someone had to get Venti home safely at the end of the night.
Zhongli sat by the bar alone, keeping an eye on his friend while he sipped a glass of water. There were plenty of people around, and the music thankfully wasn’t loud enough that everyone had to shout at each other to be heard. The last time Venti had convinced him to go out, it had been a nightclub. They shouted so much that both of them could barely talk the next day.
Someone slid into the seat next to him: a young man with reddish hair and a handsome face.
“This seat isn’t taken, is it?” he asked, and Zhongli shook his head. He had chosen a spot that was mostly out of the way, so he was quite surprised that anyone wanted to sit near him.
The man grinned and waved a bartender over. He leaned on the bar so he could be heard clearly and ordered a drink or two, something that wasn’t too strong to start off.
Zhongli took another sip of his water, finishing what was in the glass.
“I don’t mean to be too forward, but could I get you a drink?”
Zhongli glanced over at the man, a confused frown on his face. “You wish to buy me a drink? I don’t even know your name.”
He chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I’m sorry if I seem too pushy but… you’re really pretty and I kind of wanted a reason to talk with you. And sorry, I’m Ajax, by the way.”
“Zhongli.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Zhongli,” Ajax said. “You don’t have to decide right away either, take your time.”
Zhongli thought it over for a moment and glanced over to where he had last seen Venti. His friend seemed to be drinking wine straight from the bottle, practically chugging it, with some of the other guests cheering him on.
He turned back to Ajax, deciding that sitting here was very much preferable to going over there.
“Very well.” He turned to the bartender. “Could I get a cup of tea?”
Both the bartender and Ajax looked at him strangely before Ajax started laughing.
“Who orders tea at a bar? That’s hilarious!”
The bartender also looked quite amused. “Unfortunately we don’t have any tea.”
Zhongli frowned. That was truly a shame, but he supposed he would have to brew his sobering tea for Venti later anyway. He could just take some for himself at that time, then.
“Oh. Well then, what would you recommend?”
He didn’t know much about Ajax, but he seemed like the kind of person who would likely have one or two drinks he preferred. Apparently, he was right, since Ajax looked pensive for a moment before he brightened.
“Do you like strawberries?”
Zhongli closed his eyes and smiled. While he wasn’t all that experienced regarding botany, he still thought it was an intriguing field.
“I do quite enjoy them, yes. Strawberries themselves, aside from having a delectable taste, are very interesting fruits - especially once one considers the misnomer, as they are not, in fact, berries at all. Instead, they are actually part of the rose family and can come in several colours other than the classic red. Additionally, they are very good for your health, since they can increase the flow of blood and oxygen to your muscles, and contain no cholesterol.”
He smiled at Ajax, who seemed to be a little stunned.
“If you do wish to eat strawberries with our drinks, may I recommend that they are kept at room temperature instead of ones out of a refrigerator? They are much sweeter than when they are cold.”
Ajax giggled for a moment before breaking into a full-out laugh. He wiped away a stray tear from the corner of his eye and looked back at Zhongli in amusement.
“Well, I was going to recommend a strawberry daiquiri,” he said, “but all of that is very interesting. I’ll definitely be eating more strawberries from now on.”
Oh. So he had been asking in relation to the alcoholic beverage. That was slightly embarrassing.
He coughed and looked away to try and cover up his flustered state.
“Ah yes. In that case, I would like to try one.”
Ajax chuckled and turned back to the bartender. “I’ll have a firewater plus the others I ordered earlier, and he’ll have a strawberry daiquiri. It’s not tea, but I hope it’ll be okay anyway.”
A round of raucous laughter erupted from the other side of the bar. Zhongli didn’t really want to know what was happening, but he could tell that Venti was in the middle of it. He just hoped that things wouldn’t get too out of hand.
He made some small talk with Ajax while they waited for their drinks and he learned that Ajax worked at a local branch of a large Snezhnayan company, although he wasn’t very fond of some of his coworkers. In return, Zhongli told him that he worked at a small local museum where he specialized in working in the archives.
“Did you ever consider working anywhere else?” Ajax asked him right before their drinks arrived. Zhongli hummed thoughtfully for a moment.
“Perhaps it may seem strange, but I nearly ended up working at a funeral parlour.”
Ajax laughed, then stopped when he realized that Zhongli wasn’t laughing with him.
“You’re serious. Wow. That’s definitely not what I would have expected from you.”
Zhongli chuckled and looked away from Ajax as the bartender returned with their drinks. He took an appraising sip of the daiquiri and smiled. It was quite good, though the strawberry flavour was obviously artificial. It had a sweet taste, but the rum that made it alcoholic ensured that it was not overly so. Ajax had good taste, it seemed.
“Well, I have never been the best in social situations,” Zhongli admitted. “I find it comforting to work in silence. Indeed, working in a funeral parlour would be almost as quiet and peaceful as the archives are. However, I have a particular fondness for local and foreign history so, in the end, I decided to work at the museum.”
Ajax quickly took his shot of firewater then nodded. “That’s fair. I wanted to be an actor when I was younger, but then my dad got sick and I had to find a more stable career. I don’t hate it, it just isn’t what I would have chosen if I had been given more of a choice.”
“There is value in that, as well,” Zhongli told him. He drank a little more and set the alcoholic beverage down on the bar’s counter.
“There is nothing preventing you from pursuing amateur theatre or making videos for fun. You are allowed to have hobbies.”
Ajax grinned at him. “That’s true. Maybe I have to look into that. It’s not like I do much else other than play video games over the weekends anyway. Thanks.”
Even though they had only just met, Zhongli felt warm inside when Ajax thanked him. Perhaps he was still slightly flustered from being called pretty earlier, or perhaps he was finally feeling that spark that Venti always used to talk about every time he went on a date.
They continued making small talk for long enough that the bartender had come to take away their empty glasses several minutes beforehand. He wasn’t sure what it was, but Zhongli had never felt so comfortable talking with someone he had just met. Ajax was polite, funny, and even looked interested when he started talking about a new ancient artifact unearthed in Sumeru. It was as if something clicked between them, and Zhongli already knew that he didn’t want this to be the only time they saw each other.
There was a crashing noise and Zhongli flinched. Someone tapped on his shoulder - one of Venti’s coworkers, presumably - and they looked really apologetic.
“Um, Venti said that you’re in charge of making sure he gets home safely tonight… I think we can all agree that he’s had enough to drink.”
Zhongli sighed but nodded anyway. Turning to Ajax, he put on an apologetic smile.
“Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to go ensure that my friend is alright. I apologize for leaving so soon and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
Ajax simply laughed and brushed away his fears with a wave of his hand.
“It’s not a problem at all. Here-” he grabbed a napkin and pulled a pen out of his pocket, scribbling something down furiously “-take my number. If you want, I’d love to take you out again - maybe even to someplace that actually serves tea.”
Zhongli took it and smiled back. “Of course. I look forward to it, Ajax.”
As he helped carry Venti out of the bar to catch a taxi back to his house, where he would help his friend handle his hangover in the morning, Zhongli couldn’t help but feel thankful that he had been invited. Of course, if he did end up dating Ajax in the future, he likely wouldn’t tell Venti that they had met because of him.
Perhaps it was hasty of him, but once they were seated in the taxi, Zhongli pulled out his phone and added Ajax to his contacts. One hastily-written message with the location and hours of his favourite teahouse later and Zhongli’s heart warmed when he felt the telltale buzz of an incoming reply.
Ajax: I’ll be sure to get us a reservation soon and I look forward to seeing you again!
Yes, he thought as he pocketed his phone after composing an affirmative reply, he was also looking forward to meeting up with Ajax again soon. Maybe, just maybe, this budding relationship would grow and blossom like the flowers of a strawberry plant - into something sweet and beautiful.