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All in all, the day has started not as bad as it could. Bennett left the Wangshu Inn without so much as a scratch on his body, which was big enough for someone as prone to accidents as him. He was determined to reach the Liyue Harbour in the evening, and archons help him if he won’t manage to do so.
Sure, it sucked a bit that neither Chongyun nor Xingqiu could go with him, but Bennett didn’t take it to heart. They were both busy, Chongyun training with his teacher, and Xingqiu having to attend to some unexpected Guild matters. Besides, Bennett was used to traveling alone anyway.
So instead of moping around, he focused on the beauty of the land instead. Everything in Liyue was beautiful in his opinion, especially the sights. He felt like his neck would snap from all of the turning around, as he took in the mountains, the fields, and the rivers scattered across the land.
But what especially has caught his attention were the ruins. There was something almost mystical about them, and Bennett felt the need to check out at least one of them. Neither Xingqiu nor Chongyun discouraged him from doing so when he mentioned it the previous day, so it should probably be safe around there.
When he finally stumbled on one, near the Lingju Pass, Bennett gasped, looking around. The ruins were... Well... They were vastly different from some of the long-forgotten places in Mondstadt like the Thousand Winds Temple. The columns scattered here and there looked like they could withstand the greatest storms, which they probably did, given the fact that they still stood proudly. The leftover walls gave Bennett the impression that a huge building must have stood there once upon a time. Who could have lived here? he thought to himself, tentatively walking closer, looking through barred gates. Some royalty I bet! Wait did Liyue… Have royalty? He shook his head. He’ll ask Xingqiu about that later, he should know.
It was only after Bennett turned the corridor when he noticed that something was wrong. Those were ruins. Ancient ones at that. And so they should be protected by some machines…
Suddenly he heard a rustle in the bushes. He jumped, his head whipping to look in that direction. He released a breath when he noticed a lizard just shuffling through the leaves. It’s just my imagination, he thought to himself. Just my imagination.
But then he heard an all too familiar grunt.
He quickly turned around and saw a Ruin Hunter floating just behind him.
His first instinct was to run, but he has heard about the Ruin Hunters from the Traveler. They were much faster than the Ruin Guards that he had seen on a daily basis in Mondstadt. And much more dangerous. Of course, his bad luck would lead him straight at one of them.
He summoned his sword, not knowing exactly what to do. The machine charged straight at him and Bennett barely had any time to jump to the side. He scanned the back of the Hunter, trying to locate the weak spot that the Ruin Guards had but this one had none. That meant he couldn’t do much with his sword. Although it was enhanced, much to the courtesy of Sir Kaeya, Bennett still wasn’t sure if it could do any significant damage. But he had to at least try!
So when the Hunter charged at him again, Bennett quickly jumped to the side, trying to pierce through the machinery. His sword luckily wasn’t too dull and the boy managed to tear some of the metal plates away from the machine’s form. So he could fight it! Maybe it wasn’t this bad…
Just as he thought about it, the Ruin Hunter started to fly high through the air, and Bennett wanted to scream. Okay no, definitely not, he won’t win a fight that way.
So he started running. Somewhere in the back, he heard the Hunter’s metallic grunt and a moment later the sound of rockets flying filled his ears. He barely managed to avoid them all.
He ran in the direction of the walking path he had seen earlier. Something in his mind was telling him that the Hunter wouldn’t chase him that far. He was so focused on getting there that he almost missed someone’s voice calling.
“Hey, kid!”
He turned. His heart stopped, as he suddenly thought that if the Ruin Hunters were here, then the Treasure Hoarders might lurk around the ruins as well. However, this thought disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, when he noticed two men standing near the entrance of the ruins, neither of them looking like potential enemies. One of them was frantically waving his hand at him.
Without a second thought, Bennett ran in their direction. When he reached the pair, the one who called him leaned down, gently grasping him by the arms.
“Why are you running around like that? Something’s chasing you?” he said, his blue eyes glistening in the evening sun. Bennett nodded frantically.
“Yes, sir!” he said in-between pants. “There’s a Ruin Hunter back there, you should get out before it hurts you!”
To his surprise, the man just chuckled. He looked up as if trying to spot the machine, his smile changing to an almost mad one when he caught the glimpse of the Ruin Hunter behind a wall. His hand went to the side, summoning an elegant-looking bow. His companion lightly shook his head as if in exasperation.
“And here I was hoping for a calm walk…”
Bennett suddenly felt a pang of guilt striking through him. It would be all right if he was the only one affected by the accident. But here he ruined someone else’s leisure time…
He opened his mouth to say something, to apologize, or tell them that they should get away from here when the first man spoke.
“Oh don’t be like that, Zhongli! A little fight is just what I needed! Not that taking walks with you are boring” he said, flashing a sweet smile to his companion, to which he received a fond sigh. “...just the stuff in the bank was getting too redundant and…”
Zhongli simply shook his head, his dark, long ponytail swiping side to side from the gesture. Another blast could have been heard from the ruins, making Bennett jump.
“We should get out of here” he insisted, turning both of the men’s attention to him. “It’s dangerous, and I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of me…”
He felt his cheeks getting red when the pair exchanged surprised glances. Zhongli furrowed his brows.
“Young man, we are both grown adults. You do not have to worry about us” he said, his tone slightly chastising, which reminded Bennett slightly of Albedo when he was scolding Klee. He bit his lip anxiously.
“Besides, we’re both warriors” the other one butted in, flashing him a smile as he gently patted him on the shoulder. “We’ll make a quick work out of this one and get back to you, all right?”
Bennett wanted to shake his head and say that no, absolutely not, they should stick together or just run away, but he bit his tongue. Zhongli’s comment about them being adults did little to calm him down. He had traveled with many adults in his team, and none of them was prepared for a fight, they always expected him to be the strongest one. And the one who must know all about survival. Or healing. Or…
But this other male looked confident. And he already had a weapon in his hands which was much more than Bennett could say about his companions, aside from occasional trips with Albedo or Sir Kaeya.
“Promise?” he muttered, lifting his pinky finger up. The archer’s brows shot up at the gesture, but after a second his face softened. He grasped Bennett's finger with his pinky and said quietly.
“You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue off so you never lie again.”
The rhyme was unfamiliar to Bennett, but behind them, Zhongli seemed to recognize it, judging from his gentle smile. The archer stood up.
“Find a hideout, kid. We don’t want you getting hurt, okay?”
Confused at the note of protectiveness in the stranger’s words Bennett only nodded. A sudden noise of rocks sticking together made him look around and to his surprise, he saw a shield made out of Geo particles surrounding him. He looked up and noticed that Zhongli also had a weapon in his hand, while the other was lifted, a soft golden glow shining around it. So at least one of them had a Vision, which meant they had to be strong. This managed to calm him a little bit. All of the Vision users that Bennett knew were strong.
He nodded at the archer and without a word the strange pair set off in the direction of the Ruin Hunter.
Meanwhile, Bennett found himself a column that he could hide behind. He sat on the ground, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. This whole ordeal was such an unusual thing for him, that a bare thought of this made his head spin.
In Mondstadt people wouldn’t just run straight at the danger, especially if it was Bennett that bumped into them running away from the aforementioned danger. Well, maybe not if it was someone from the higher ranks of the Knights or Master Diluc, but civilians and adventurers? They would just turn around and run, cursing Bennett’s bad luck along the way.
The boy sat up at the sudden realization. Maybe that was it? The men didn’t know about his bad luck, that’s why they were so nice! He should warn them when they’ll come back, it would be unfair if he kept them in the dark about the danger that is his bad luck.
He was so lost in his thoughts that a sudden pat on his arm made him jump. He looked up and to his surprise, both of the men were standing above him. The archer had an almost mad glint in his eyes and looked like he was stopping himself from jumping as if filled with energy after the fight, which normally would make Bennett feel at alert, but his gentle smile and the composed look of Zhongli standing slightly behind made him forget about all of those feelings. Instead, he blurted out, surprised:
“You’re done already?”
The archer laughed.
“Of course! I told you we were warriors, didn’t I?” he said, kneeling before him. The mad glint in his eyes disappeared, replaced instead with something that Bennett couldn’t quite place. Was it worry? Protectiveness? “Anyway, are you good?”
He nodded, subconsciously scanning the pair in front of him, looking for any injuries. Bennett almost frowned, when he noticed that both of them looked completely unphased from the fight. Zhongli’s ponytail looked perfectly intact, as well as his makeup and clothes, which Bennett only now noticed how rich it looked. His companion wasn’t any different. Ginger locks were a bit tousled, but the grey jacket and trousers weren’t ripped or anything, just like the red scarf draped across the stranger’s chest. Bennett also noticed a blue Vision shining brightly at his hip.
“I’m fine” he said after an awkward moment of silence. “Also, I’m Bennett!” he added, smiling cheerfully and extending his hand toward the man. The stranger grasped it with a soft look in his eyes.
“I’m… I’m Ajax, nice to meet you Bennet” he said. Bennet was so focused on him, that he missed how Zhongli frowned behind them. “What are you doing here? You don’t look like someone from Liyue.”
“Oh um… I’m not” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m an adventurer from Mondstadt!”
“I may be mistaken, but shouldn’t adventurers travel in teams? To avoid such unpleasant accidents as the one you have stumbled upon, Bennett?” Zhongli asked, walking a step closer to them. Bennett laughed nervously.
“Yeah, you are right, sir” he admitted sheepishly. “But… But…” he stuttered, looking anywhere but the pair standing in front of him. He released a breath. He just promised himself that he will tell them about his bad luck. He should go through it but… He also didn’t want them to stop being so nice to him when they know the truth. Something in the back of his head was calling him stupid for even thinking like that, but he couldn’t stop himself. He sighed. “But I’m quite um… Infamous for bringing bad luck to people, you know?”
He risked a glance at the men, and when he noticed them staring at him, surprised, he bowed his head low. He felt Ajax sitting in front of him.
“What do you mean?” he prompted.
“Well… You just met me, so you don’t know… If anything can go bad, it will for me. Like I got food poisoning so many times that I stopped counting, I always run into some hillichurls, some of the slimes are mean to me and attack me for one reason or another, lightning once struck me… And if it was only limited to me it would be fine, you know! But the same things happen to people that I travel with so nobody wants to join my team anymore and um…” he risked yet another glance. Ajax looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his mouth shut, while Zhongli only stared at him, his expression unreadable. “And um… I’m so sorry for ruining your walk! I didn’t think it would happen, Chongyun and Xingqiu didn’t warn me about the Guards and the Hunters, but it isn’t their fault, it was mine for not thinking about that earlier, and sorry for running at you, and I’m just so sorry, I didn’t mean to… “ his rambling was put to a stop when he felt a sudden hand on his head, that began to gently ruffle his hair. He looked up, and he was met with Ajax’s soft expression.
“Don’t worry Bennett, we’re not mad” a pointed cough made him chuckle. “At least I’m not! That’s the best walk I’ve had in weeks, at least when I'm not walking with Zhongli” he looked to the side innocently. Zhongli simply shook his head. “And stop apologizing! I called for you, remember?”
Bennett nodded, still not quite convinced. He looked at Zhongli.
“And you, sir? Aren’t you mad at me?” he asked hesitantly. The man put his hand on his chin, chuckling.
“No, not at all,” he answered. “While I cannot say, I expected this walk to be so energy-consuming, it would be a lie if I said it was an unpleasant turn of events. Ajax was getting restless anyway.”
At that Ajax gasped, putting his hand on his chest, as if deeply hurt by his words.
“Zhongli! I never expected you to sell me out like that!”
Bennet felt himself relaxing. It was nice, knowing that he didn’t exactly ruin their day. He smiled. Seeing that, Ajax turned his attention to him.
“Anyway, you said you were from Mondstadt?” Bennett nodded. “And from this hm… Accident, I assume that you’ve never been in the Harbour?” he tentatively shook his head. Ajax nodded to himself, and stood up, flashing him a smile. “Well then, do you want us to take you there? Zhongli would make an excellent guide, I assure you” he said with a hint of tease in his voice, which made the other man sigh. Bennett lifted himself up from the ground and looked hesitantly at Zhongli.
“Only if it won't be much of a problem” he muttered. The man, feeling his look on himself shook his head and the gentle smile returned, as he glanced at Ajax, who looked really excited for some reason.
“No, not at all” he assured, which made Ajax’s smile grow even brighter. He reached out a hand to Bennett, which the boy grasped.
“All right, with that settled, let’s head off!” he commanded, and all three of them left the ruins.
The Liyue Harbour was big and lively. Bigger than Mondstadt, which came to Bennett as a surprise. People were walking around, looking busy as they walked past them. Most of them seemed to go out of their way, looking like they were avoiding looking at Ajax, but Bennett completely missed that, too absorbed in listening to Zhongli’s stories about the Harbour.
It made sense now why Ajax would say he would make such a good guide. The man was very knowledgeable. It seemed like he had a story about every rock that was used to build the city. Every time that Bennett would have a question, he had a lengthy answer to it. Also, aside from being a good storyteller (which Bennett has also found out was a profession in Liyue), he knew a lot about Liyue’s cuisine. Bennett was a little bit hesitant when he saw the order that Zhongli placed for him (and Ajax paid for, which Bennett tried to protest, but the man just waved it off as nothing) but after he tried it, he had to admit it was one of the best dishes he has ever had, although he promised to himself that he’ll never mention it to Sara.
But the art of using chopsticks was completely lost to him. Zhongli was extremely patient with him, showing him the proper way of holding food with them, but each time he thought he grasped the shrimps properly it would slip off. His only consolation was that Ajax seemed to struggle with them even more than him.
When they reached the harbor itself, it was already getting dark, but that didn’t seem to affect the liveliness of it. Vendors were settled on seemingly every scrape of free space, selling everything under the sun. Bennett’s eyes shone brightly, trying to take in everything, mentally doing a check up on his savings, thinking if he can afford to buy gifts for every one of his friends and to himself as well.
“What are you thinking about, Benny?” he heard Ajax say. He looked up at him. The man’s pose looked relaxed, as he seemed to take the Harbour in.
“Oh, just thinking about the gifts for my friends!” he answered truthfully.
“Oooh, you better be mindful of them” Ajax muttered and glanced at Zhongli. “You might accidentally propose to someone in that way” he added with a tease in his voice. Zhongli’s ears grew red, while Bennett gasped in surprise.
“Wait really? Is that possible?!” he asked, shocked. Zhongli cleared his throat, as if embarrassed.
“It is, of course” he answered, his voice calm and collected. “But don’t fear Bennett, I’m sure you won’t make such a hm... Mistake . Unless you want to?”
While Ajax glanced at the man with an almost kicked puppy look, Bennett flustered.
“I’m a bit too young for that, but um… A little help would be appreciated” he looked at the Harbour again. “There are so many vendors here, that I don’t know where to start... And I don’t know if I’ll have enough Mora to buy something for everyone…”
“Oh, that won’t be a problem!” he heard Ajax say. When he looked back at them, he had his arm hooked under Zhongli’s elbow, while the other man had an almost shy look on his face. “I’m used to being someone's walking wallet.”
“Oh, stop it… It only happened once…” Zhongli muttered, turning his head away. Ajax chuckled softly and leaned in to gently kiss the other man’s cheek.
“I’m just kidding, xiangsheng ” he muttered. Zhongli, seemingly placated, smiled. “But I want you to promise me one thing, Benny'” Ajax added, a stern look in his eyes. Bennett frowned.
“What is it?”
“Pick a gift for yourself first, please.”
Bennett looked at him, frowning. Why was that so important? He just clearly said that he was thinking about his friends, not himself, so why…
Seeing his confused reaction, Zhongli added.
“We have both noticed your selflessness from the start of our trip, so I think what Ajax wants to do is to give you a chance to be selfish for once. And don’t be mistaken, this trait is a very admirable one, but just in healthy doses.” He glanced at the ginger beside him with a fond smile. “It’s good to be selfish once in a while, and besides I’m sure your friends would say that to you as well.”
Bennett chuckled under his breath, remembering how Fischl once scolded him for taking all of the blame on himself when one of their missions went bad. Even though Albedo saw right through his lie, Fischl still felt the need to give him a whole speech about how he cannot protect others at the expense of himself. He wasn't sure how choosing a souvenir for himself first would help him with, but if that would make Zhongli and Ajax happy…
He nodded, and after a moment, he walked closer to them.
“Can I hug you both?” he asked, suddenly feeling shy. Ajax laughed, while Zhongli smiled.
“Sure thing,” Ajax said, lifting his arm up, making space for Bennett, which the boy gratefully leaned into. Feeling both Zhongli’s and Ajax’s arms encircle him, he smiled. Yeah. This day really wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.