Two Sides Of The Internet

» A bit of past «

    "Are we there already?"

Ajax groaned as he was still walking behind Zhongli on the infinity stairs. It felt like a game of random generation of the world, as soon as you went from room to room. He tried to not to trip because he was holding Teucer. He couldn't risk any injuries and he must be careful. Too careful. No mistakes allowed.

    "Yes." Zhongli answered after a while, stepping on the floor with three doors. One in front of them, another on the left and the third ones on the right. Tonya was standing in front of one of them.

    Zhongli was now walking forward slowly, taking out the card as Tonya was waiting for him as they agreed.

    "That fucki-ng railing…" Ajax trailed out quickly as Teucer groaned a little bit. Did he wake him up?

    Zhongli and Tonya turned their heads to him in a confused look as Ajax was kinda jumping his way to them still somehow managing to not wake up his little brother.

    Zhongli just sighed at this sight he saw, opening the door and immediately scanning the card which turned off the cooldown to alarm.

    Now Tonya knew what he meant. If she stepped in without having a card with her, it would alarm even the police. That's what they didn't want.

    "Make yourself at home, I will accompany you in no time." Zhongli's words were spoken quietly, but they were still understandable. It would probably be a little of a problem if they weren't.

    Zhongli passed through the door and others followed him. After he put Anthon on the couch, which was a few meters away from their location, he walked past Ajax and Tonya, locking the main door to his apartment.

    Ajax did the same with Teucer, putting him right next to his youngest brother. Tonya sat down near them, her eyes were already blinking slowly, slightly closing, but she was still trying not to fall asleep. The oldest, Ajax, remained standing, his back leaning on the wall behind him. With his arms crossed on his chest, he was quietly watching his little siblings in the weak light created by a moon that was still passing through the window.

    As Zhongli walked off somewhere, now he was back, holding a mattress in his hands.

    "I am sorry I do not have enough beds.." Zhongli said in a worried voice when he passed behind Ajax. He was walking away with a white mattress, disappearing around the corner to the next room of his apartment.

    Ajax followed his classmate along with Tonya. Both of them were holding their younger siblings, putting them down on the only bed in that room after getting there.

    "I am truly sorry, one of you must sleep on the mattress." Zhongli's sight landed on the oldest one. He could still see his amber eyes even in this poor light.

    "That's fine. Tonya, are you willing t- oh…" Ajax trailed off as he saw his sister already sleeping on the mattress. He approached his three little siblings, putting a blanket on them. He slightly chuckled and walked out of the room with words 'thank you' coming out from his throat.

    "What about you, Ajax? Are you not going to sleep?" Zhongli said after he closed the door and approached his friend.

    "Hm, y'know. I don't mind being awake now and I am not tired." He answered the question, looking out of the window at the setting moon. Soon, the night sky will be filled only by an infinite amount of stars. "Can we chat for a while?"

    Zhongli simply shrugged, switching on a small lamp somewhere in the room they were in. It looked like a living room and dining room at once with a table and four seats in the middle, a TV not far away and a couch.

___

    The setting moon was casting the severely creepy shadows of some objects at the walls.

    "I am sorry for what I did. A-also I'm also sorry we came here in a hurry, we'll stay home next time." Ajax said rapidly, crossing one finger with another from nervousness. Zhongli didn't say anything, he was just sitting right in front of him, which felt like he was staring, simply said; it wasn't comfortable.

    "That's fine. No need to apologize." His classmate spoke up after a while, crossed his fingers and put elbows on his knees, leaning forward to support his head.

    "Where are you going to sleep?" Ajax asked and now he was the one staring at the other, well, he was always the one staring, what to say. His eyes remained on Zhongli, simply studying his every move. Doesn't matter if his friend just blinked or moved his finger a bit.

    "Is that really the only thing you are interested in right now?"

    "Actually, yes." Childe smirked and leaned his back to meet the backrest of the couch. "Y'know. I don't want you to risk your health because of me."

    "Risk my health?" The other male raised an eyebrow and the two pairs of eyes met each other.

    "Oh, that sounded stupid, forget it. Where are your parents? I said I want to meet them and I'm still insisting on it. Wouldn't they mind us here? Aren't you going to get any trouble out of this?"

    His classmate was not talking for a good while now since the question was spoken. His eyes remained pinned to the ground and Childe was just waiting patiently.

    "Ajax, I.."

    A few words escaped his mouth. He sighed and took a deep breath. His eyes went upwards to meet Ajax'.

    No, I can't do this...

His head fell slightly downwards again as if it was made of concrete. Slowly closing his eyes, he tried to calm down, clutching his hands firmly. In this state, with his mind somewhere else and with old memories, what still hurts deep, was sorting some words and forming an understandable sentence in his head too hard for him and Ajax' eyes pinned on him weren't helping.

    "It is not possible."

    Ajax hummed and continued. He hasn't noticed Zhongli's weird behavior. If he had, he simply called it 'tiredness' and moved on. "Why not? Are you living too far away from them?"

    "Yes, too far away…" Zhongli's voice faded out.

    Was that a voice crack? Ajax straightened up and walked over to him. With his genial kneeling down, he asked with a worried face expression, putting his hand to rest on the other's shoulder. "Hey, you good?"

    "Ah, sorry. I will be right back." With that being said, Ajax let him go and he walked away from the room, ending up in the bathroom.