"XIAO! GANYU! HU TAO!" Zhongli shot up, trembling like mad. His face felt soaked, breath wavering and desperate.
Z: That was all a dream? But...it felt so real...
"Zhongli? Are you alright?" Childe knocked on the door the next day. He saw Zhongli huddled up in a corner of the bed, eyes puffy and red.
"Childe...I believe you know that I have children?" Zhongli stared at the floor.
"I remember you mentioning it once or twice." Childe sat next to him.
"He still has them..."
"What?"
"Xiao, the oldest, forced me to escape first. But now..." Tears pooled in his eyes at the thought of what could be happening right now.
"I get it." Childe placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Can you...get them for me?" Zhongli looked at him, eyes tearful and scared.
"Of course. Now, where do you live?"
Zhongli told the ginger his address. Childe then went and left for work, deciding to pick the brunette's kids on the way back. He reluctantly went to work, wanting to just get a break for one day. But that was impossible. He didn't hate his job but he didn't love it either, with all the staying back late and overworking on a regular basis. He continued his boring journey to work, mind still occupied with yesterday's event.
"And done." Childe had just finished his work and surprisingly, it was only 7 something rather than 11. Taking advantage of this early retreat, Childe went straight to the address Zhongli gave him. As he entered the apartment using the keys Zhongli gave him, Childe looked around for signs of people living there. The whole place was a mess. Blood stains everywhere, shards of glass and porcelain indented in the walls and floor and the smell of something musty. Looking around, he heard some noises from a locked room. He tried to use one of the keys Zhongli gave him but failed.
"Who's there?" A male shaky voice came from inside the room blocked by the door.
"I mean no harm!" Childe yelled at whoever was inside.
"Who are you?" Another voice, more feminine, asked.
"I'm Childe! Your dad is Zhongli?"
"How do you know?" The male one answered him.
"He's with me!"
Slowly, the door opened, revealing 4 teenagers, a boy and 3 girls.
"Where is he?" The boy asked again.
"At my place." Childe lead them outside the room. He could very faintly see that none of them were fed properly or taken care of. "How long were you in that room?"
"A week." The reddish brunette said begrudgingly.
"A week?! Then, you guys must have been starving?!"
"No, we had food." The light blue haired girl told him. She was holding a smaller girl with purple hair.
"Are you sure you guys are alright?" Childe looked at the 3 concerned.
"Unless you're just like Baizhu, maybe." The boy glared at him. He escorted them to his car, getting suspicious looks from the three.
"You better not be lying." The blue haired girl whispered loudly enough for him to hear and got in the car, the other 3 following her. The ride was silent with little to no conversation. Just suspenseful silence.
"Sir? We're here." The driver told Childe. He thanked him and got out of the car. As he did so, the door creaked open and half of Zhongli's face showed.
"Xiao? Ganyu? Hu Tao? Qiqi?" Zhongli gasped at the sight of them. All 4 of them ran forward, squeezing the brunette.
"Oh my archons!" Hu Tao was sobbing into his shoulder. "We thought you were dead!"
"Did he kidnap you? Or adultnap? I don't know..." Ganyu was half laughing and half crying.
"I mean, I willingly followed him and so far, he didn't do anything so..."
"But still! Please don't develop Stockholm syndrome." Xiao rolled his eyes at his dad's situation. "But anything is better than Baizhu."
Childe smiled at the family reunion, reminded of when he first got in gang involvement. This was exactly what happened when he got back.
"Now, let's get inside before some other psychopath comes and actually kidnaps your dad." Childe gave a small laugh as Xiao glared at him. They entered the house and Zhongli immediately began fussing over the 4 at their lack of nourishment.
"We're fine dad!" Hu Tao rolled her eyes but accepted the almond tofu anyway. They ate in silence, Ganyu breaking it.
"Dad...Are you sure about him? Couldn't we go back to Grandma Ningguang and Grandma Beidou?"
"We can't. I'm still legally married."
"But Yan Yan!" Hu Tao protested. Yan Yan, or Yanfei, was their local lawyer back in Liyue and one of Hu Tao's best friends.
"We need Baizhu to sign the papers. And I am pretty sure he won't. And if we leave, that will give him more of a reason to claim custody."
"I knew he was off from the beginning." Xiao frowned.
"I thank you for your concern. But that's all in the past. Let us rest our heads." Zhongli stood up and they followed him, Qiqi holding his hand.
"Don't worry. Qiqi doesn't know anything besides Baizhu is bad." Ganyu reassured him. Zhongli let out a sigh of relief that his youngest wasn't affected by everything. They went into Childe's bedroom, to which he was just coming out from.
"Hey, uh, everything alright?"
"Yes. Now, please excuse us as we turn in." Zhongli walked into the room, the rest following him. Childe went to the couch once more. As he laid down, he thought about how he actually did something meaningful at last. And that he finally had something to look forward to when he gets back.
Words: 949
YOU ARE READING
Runaway
FanfictionAs one who is trapped in a cage, when the bars are open, will they take flight of fright? Zhongli has made a mistake. And one he lives to regrets. As he runs away from the harsh conditions with his husband, he runs into a well known, rich Snezhnayan...
