Xiao hunts Childe for sport

16

Childe quickly realizes he's utterly lost.

He has no clue what he's looking for. He has to be overlooking something! It takes him until dinner time to realize he made absolutely no progress. La Signora would laugh at him and call him a stupid bitch.

The book is a sea of Liyuen trivia and he has no idea how to proceed. He started reading the whole book but quickly realizes that that's a stupid idea. Childe groans into his hands.

Maybe he shouldn't skip dinner. A break sounds like a good idea. Childe stretches and gets up.

He spots Zhongli in the living room as he heads down. Is it just him or does he seem... nervous? Childe frowns - he abandons his plan to head to the kitchen and approaches Zhongli instead. "Yo."

Zhongli startles. Childe's frown deepens. Zhongli usually isn't this easy to spook. "Ah, Childe. I apologize, I didn't notice you." A short pause. Zhongli is frowning at his teacup. "How is your... reading going?"

"Haven't found anything yet." Childe can practically see the tension flying out of Zhongli. "But I won't give up." There is a soft smile on his face now - Childe relaxes.

"I see." Zhongli nods with a smile. "I wish you luck then." Childe wonders - does Zhongli know what Childe is looking for?

"Thanks. I'm taking a break now though... Wanna help me prepare dinner for everyone?" Only after the sentence left his mouth he realizes how domestic that is. Oh no, this was a mistake.

However, Zhongli is already nodding and standing up as Childe regrets his life choices. "Of course, I've been getting restless." He walks to the kitchen and Childe walks after him like a lost puppy.

He's going to make dinner with the man he knows loves him. That Childe also loves.

He could easily resolve it by confessing but that's too easy.

"Okay, what do you want to make?" Childe has absolutely no plans. Good job, Childe.

Zhongli's expression brightens like he was waiting for the question. "How does slow-cooked bamboo shoot soup sound to you?"

It sounds like it's extremely complicated to make. "Sounds like something you would suggest." Childe laughs and shakes his head. "Okay chef, what do we gotta do?"

Zhongli has that look on his face again - that one where he's about to launch into an unnecessarily long explanation and get sidetracked by more trivia. Childe loves that expression. "Ah, allow me to explain..."

He starts explaining all these refined techniques Childe had no idea existed at all. Making this dish sounds like a challenge - Ajax was never one to back down from a challenge.

Noting his determined expression, Zhongli chuckles slightly. "I see you're quite ready to try this?"

"I'm gonna show the soup who is the boss here!"

Childe, in fact, does not show the soup who is the boss. The soup is the boss and Childe ruined four perfectly fine bamboo shoots by over or undercooking them.

Zhongli takes pity on him and helps by the sixth attempt.

Childe has never felt so defeated in his life.

"Don't be discouraged." Zhongli is heating the damn shoots like a pro, doing things with his hands Childe didn't think where possible. "This dish is old and complicated. It takes years to master."

"How many did it take you?"

"Ah, around 500 I believe?" Zhongli says nonchalantly like that isn't a giant number. "Even now I could still fail it easily if I don't pay enough attention."