Two Sides Of The Internet

» Sleepover «

The ginger made his way back to check on his lil siblings. They were sleeping like angels which fell from Celestia to face this world. He remained looking at them quietly, leaning his back on a wall behind him.

Soon, he left them there sleeping. He didn't want to wake them up by crushing into some object or his yawns. Ajax yet again found himself in the place where he and Zhongli parted ways. Now, Ajax was looking where the other one walked off not long ago.

He set his foot in the darkness ahead of him, walking slowly as there were some bear traps near him. He was walking his way there not really confidently, stopping after each step to take a deep breath and to take another.

He didn't want to switch on the lights. It was a dark night and the light would only blind him and alert others.

Ajax managed to put his hand on a wall on his right, now tracing the brick-layer with plaster with his fingers as he walked. Suddenly, hard plaster was replaced by a metal material, probably another door frame. There was a room with no light source, that was all the ginger could say. He wasn't sure if it was big or not. In that poor lighting, more like no lighting, only bats could say with their sound waves that they use instead of their eyesight.

After crashing into a threshold on the underside of the door frame, he was walking further and further from the wall he was touching before, although Ajax felt very bad that he was moving around friend's corridors without permission. He said that he can sleep whenever he wants. Well- true but he wasn't sleeping, he was investigating now.

Soon Childe got a hold of a wall in front of him. This room was small, now he could say it. It took him only a couple of steps to reach it. His fingers started to trace the wall, to find his way out because of the complete darkness. Moving his leg to the right and taking mouse-steps was slow but probably secure. He reached a corner and turned in that direction to continue his path.

..!

Ajax tripped over something, falling down, feeling a blanket under his hands, remaining in that position for a good while to gather his thoughts together.

"Ajax, is that you?"

A deep sleepy voice called out which Ajax immediately recognized.

"Uhh. Y-yea- sorry." He said an informal sentence with a few breaks, feeling a little embarrassed by the situation he was in.

"What are you doing here?" Ajax felt the blankets move under him and after that he heard a slight groan after, more like a tired whimper.

"I… couldn't sleep." He lied, staring somewhere, where he expected him to be.

Ajax received a sleepy hum and a few words after. "I apologize for the lack of beds..."

"N-no, it's fine. I was just thinking." Ajax said, sitting on his heels to get off him and rubbing the back of his head with a slight smile. He imagined every possible scenario where he could have fallen and his face heated a bit.

"And what were you thinking about, Ajax?"

Ajax froze in one place, without the courage to speak up.

Zhongli got a hold of his phone to check time. A weak light from the screen illuminated the surroundings.

"No need to press yourself. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."

Ajax hummed in understanding, soon making his way closer, as his sight fell onto the phone's screen. "I..."

"I am worried about my parents.. More like… my mother." He continued, bowing his head slightly down.

"That's understa-" Zhongli wanted to say some kind of a comforting line but got cut off immediately.

"I left them there without letting them know and my mother has terrible health problems.. and I- I.. I left her there a-alone." His hands clenched in fists, shaking a little.

"If you want to go check on her, feel free to do so." A slight smile appeared on Ajax' lips.

"No, it's fine.."

"Do as you please.. Though, at least write a message. You can ask her if she is okay but mainly, let her know where you are so she won't need to worry.." Zhongli said in a calm voice, making the ginger stop worrying much.

"Mhm…" Ajax stretched out his back, got up and took out a phone from his pocket.

"Also, are you sure you want to sleep on the floor, Zhongli? You're a very good obstacle when you're lying there." He said after a while.

"Yes. It is quite fine. Feel free to switch the lights on. I don't want you to get injured by tripping over something." Zhongli let out a slight laugh at which Ajax chuckled.

"Alright! Let me find the switch then." He stood up and started to get his hands on the nearest wall, again tracing the plaster.

"No need."

Ajax heard some footsteps pass near him and a moment later, a light illuminated the whole room. He got blinded for a second, rubbing his eyes to get used to the light faster.

"Ah, sorry.. I should've said something before-" Zhongli let out a slight chuckle as the other one was standing, facing the wall.

Ajax slowly opened his eyes which were still adapting to it, turning around to look at the brunette. He smiled, saying: "Nah, it's fine." and he bowed his head down to unlock his phone and open messages.

"Uhm…" Ajax remained looking at the screen, not typing anything.

"Something wrong?"

"I- don't know what to text" His sight got up, his eyes now meeting with other ones.

"Try texting something… common." Zhongli said after a while, remaining in thinking position.

"Common?" Ajax asked and the other male just shrugged.

"Ohhhh! You mean like: 'Hey mom! I am fine! Tonya, Teucer and Anthon are with me, they are sleeping already. We will be back tomorrow, I hope you are doing well. Love you, Ajax'?"

"Well, yes. Something like that. Though I wou-" His words got interrupted by the ginger again.

"That's a good idea! Thank you." He smiled, already writing down the text, sending it to his mother. "Done." He sighed in relief, putting his phone back into his pocket and standing in one place, not moving.

A couple of minutes passed, the ginger remained in the same position and a dead silence started to take its form which was slightly being interrupted by a thunderstorm that was about to come.

"Alright.. Is there anything you need or you still have on your heart, Ajax?" His voice sounded a little uncomfortable as a lightning just struck into the ground, making a creepy noise, accompanying as a second layer for Zhongli's voice.

"Actually.." His sight now landed on the brunette, then he sighed, words coming out from his throat. "I.. I am worried.. " He yet again came back to that topic.

"Ajax.. It will be fine. If anything I am here.. If you want me to, I can go and check on her with you, or alone, to make sure she is well."

"N-no… that's fine, I.." Ajax rubbed his palm, taking a deep breath before saying some words. "Can I sleep next to you?"

"I don't see a reason why not, but I doubt it will be comfortable to you, Ajax."

"Then let's move on a couch then, I don't want you to have back pain." Childe said with a small chuckle, grinning a bit.

"Ah, alright. As you say."