꧁The Flowers꧂ ||Zhongli x Childe||

Chapter 1

A cool breeze passed by Zhongli as he breathed in the sweet air, that of which was a delightful aroma swirling around in the sky. Xiangling was up to her usual afternoon cooking in the restaurant; mixing in the oddest ingredients that were found in her kitchen cabinets, containing all sorts of unusual edible delights that she had stored away from her travels.

"Ah! Mr Zhongli, care to be the first to have a bite of my exquisite new recipe?" She beamed to him excitedly, holding up a plate for him as Zhongli came closer to have a good sniff at it.

"Mhm, I would be honored to." He flashed her a smile. "Please tell me it's for free please tell me it's for free  please tell me it's for free."

He was about to reach in a have a bite when Xiangling stopped him.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" She raised her eyebrow, placing both of her hands on her hip. Zhongli paused for a moment, his stomach made a soft grumble noise as he patted his pockets for any leftover mora. His cheeks were starting to flush up to a rosy red color, embarrassed that he was basically dirt poor.

"Ahem-..it seems I've forgotten my wallet today," Zhongli came up with an excuse, one that he used frequently when he had nothing to spare. "I suppose I won't be able to get a taste of your dish-"

"What are you saying silly??" Xiangling giggled, pulling out a fork. "I'm reminding you that you need a fork to eat this dish and not your bare hands!" She told him, grabbing his wrist from across the counter of the shop and placing it in his hand.

"I know you don't have any mora on you anyways, and this is a small meal so it's free of charge~!" She smiled at him. Zhongli sensed a smudge of trickery, but brushed it off, getting even more embarrassed than before, feeling he made himself look like a broke fool. But the thought of having a free meal made by one of the most famous chefs in Tevyat cheered him up a little bit.

"You're kindness goes beyond, Xiangling." He thanked her, scooping up a piece for a bite. The flavor was a sweet candy taste with a hint of bitterness. The flavors popped on his tongue and melted in his mouth, leaving a sticky wet after taste that he didn't quite enjoy.

"Do you like it? It's good, huh!" She grinned happily at him. "I just used some basic ingredients like sugar, mango, cream, butter, slime cons-"

"Slime what?" Zhongli questioned her, a look of horror was painted on his face. Slimy things made Zhongli gag, and he wasn't the fondest of seafood or slimy substances. "I-..think I have to go." He put on a sweet smile, placing the fork down on the counter, and desperately speed walking away to wash his mouth out.

"Oh, alright! See you next time you come around!" She called out to him, waving goodbye from behind.
He managed to find a source of water from an old well, and pulled up some water with the bucket. After gulping in at least 3 mouthfuls of water, the flavor rid itself from his tongue, and he felt at peace.

"Ah..reminder to always ask about the ingredients first before taking a bite." He said to himself out loud, though no one particular was around to hear.

He coughed rapidly as a few bloody petals were plucked out of his mouth. Now he wasn't able to wash away the bitter taste of blood. It was just about 4 petals this time and not a whole bouquet of it like yesterday. This was a secret he had to hide.

Up about a week or two ago, he had faced this insufferable pain coming from inside his stomach. It was a familiar feeling, though not completely recognizable. It wasn't until the point where the flowers sprouted out that he had figured out what was happening.