[TIMESKIP TIMESKIP. It's tough to act (more-or-less) natural when they return to the public eye, but Childe is nothing if not a professional, and Zhongli--well. Zhongli perfected the art of nonchalance centuries ago, Childe is sure. As long as Childe doesn't look directly at him, everything will be fine.
(If he were to look, he's not sure he could keep his desire off of his face. And even though Childe's hardly the sort to be easily blackmailed, old habits die hard.)
He will not tug them off elsewhere, tempting as the thought may be. The heat, still ridiculously oppressive, actually works in their favor this time--Childe is far too eager to take refuge indoors to cause much mischief on the way. Zhongli's place isn't far, but that doesn't much matter for a native Snezhnayan. By the time they arrive, Childe's wilting again; he can't resist the urge to slump against Zhongli's shoulder with a quiet laugh.]
I have to admit, this isn't quite how I thought this would go.
[Which is... something he would have never admitted to thinking about, had this never transpired between them. He hadn't let his fantasies run too wild, of course--but it would be a lie to claim he'd never noticed their mutual attraction, that he'd never let his thoughts wander in the dead of night.
Of course, he hadn't pictured himself drenched in sweat from the weather like this, his skin still gently stinging from the mild injuries inflicted by his harness (and Zhongli's teeth). SURELY THIS IS NOT SUAVE AND SEXY... TCH... trust Zhongli to make a move when Childe's off his game. (He has no game.) Open the door before your shiny new boyfriend becomes a puddle on the floor, Zhongli]
[ zhongli's not ignorant to childe melting like a wax figure beside him. he can only lead them there quickly, ignoring his own discomfort and the lingering, phantom feelings of childe's mouth against his, his hand on his thigh, his gasps against his ear. definitely ignoring that. just like he's pointedly not looking lower than childe's face. or at the dots of red just above his shirt collar. unfortunately being sweaty and gameless and un-suave is exactly what zhongli is into.
childe leans against him. at any other time, this would have been a friendly gesture, cute but unassuming. now, he can't help noticing the sweat sticking and seeping between their clothes, how childe's skin still feels hot underneath his shirt.
he glances at him and smiles as he unlocks the door. he's always liked his laugh. ]
I had the same thought. I'm curious as to what you might have imagined.
[ he tucks away his key and opens the door. he steps aside from it, gesturing inside. ]
Please.
[ go ahead and imagine what zhongli's home would look like bc we talked about it. in general it's a small space, meticulously furnished and decorated. the blinds on the windows have been drawn, leaving only strips of yellow-orange light against darkwood floors. the best part: it's shaded and cool inside. once childe's in, he'll lock the door behind him and move to turn on the lamps and candles. ]
Which is to say, despite his slightly pathetic appearance, he at least still has the energy to tease. Typical. But he slips inside without complaint--he even remembers to toe off his shoes in the entryway.
He discards his jacket immediately, too, unpeeling it and hanging it neatly to the side. What a housewife. After that, though, he lingers, watching Zhongli with something like quiet anticipation.
It isn't awkwardness or hesitation that keeps him still; rather, given a moment to rest and recuperate, Childe can't help but feel a charge in the air once again. The few times he'd visited in the past, Zhongli's home always felt like a respite--somewhere they could, he'd thought, lay down the burdens of their identities and simply coexist as not-quite-more-than-friends.
Now, of course, he knows that there was little truth to that outside of his own wistful thinking. If he'd returned here under different circumstances, the thought would have been sobering and dampened his mood. But with everything that transpired between them at the restaurant, it's difficult to summon up such feelings. And Childe, rarely one to dwell on grudges, doesn't particularly want to.
They have a lot to talk about, he knows. But right now, with his skin cooling to a much more bearable level of warmth and the soft lights bathing Zhongli in a golden glow, Childe doesn't want to talk at all.
So, after Zhongli lights up the room, Childe makes his way back over to him. He catches Zhongli's hand in his own, tugging slightly; wordless encouragement. He takes a moment to drink in the sight of Zhongli--at ease, yet just as beautiful as always--but he doesn't close the space between them; this time, he leaves that up to Zhongli.]
[ the lights are lit, shoes emptied. zhongli's coats are hung beside childe's, and his gloves and other items are carefully deposited in a stone dish on one of the tables. among them is the leather harness with its broken metal rings, carefully laid on top of the pile.
he can feel childe's eyes on his back. the reason why they've arrived still suffuses everything. it's the current that pulls them together, promising that they both wanted this, and there was no sense in waiting any longer for it. it feels impossible to ignore.
there was a period of time where zhongli hadn't known if childe would return to liyue. osial was defeated at the expense of the jade chamber, the qixing assumed governance over liyue, and zhongli's bargain with the tsaritsa was properly executed. there was no reason for childe to stay in liyue other than to oversee continued operations at the northland bank if needed. when zhongli attempted to approach him, he seemed bitter—something only a person who knew him well might be able to discern.
zhongli's heart was leaden in his chest. he always paid the price of remembering. he couldn't forget the feeling of cultivating his first relationships as a human, when they knew him only as zhongli. it's especially impossible when the tension between you and your new friend is magnetic and relentless, palpable between every lingering look and brush of their hands and shoulders.
childe returned to him. his feelings quickly blossomed again, more relentless than before. and now they're here.
he searches childe's lightless eyes, rapt with affection and awe. zhongli tightens his grip on childe's hand and takes a step closer. he slides the fingertips of his free hand across childe's cheek, over his ear, into the back of his hair. it feels damp over his scalp, the strands sleek between his fingers. he tips his head, closes his eyes, and leans forward to kiss childe deeply on his beautiful mouth.
he feels weightless again, longing filling him like air. he deepens their kiss even further, breathing in sharply. he'll move them away in a moment. he needs this first. ]
[It's the easiest thing in the world to open up for Zhongli. The kiss is a slow, heady--a pace that matches the syrupy heat they'd escaped from. Childe parts his lips willingly, his hands falling to rest on Zhongli's hips, thumbs slowly and lazily easing up beneath Zhongli's shirt. One kiss becomes two, then three, until it's useless to try and keep track. Childe can't resist the urge to nip at Zhongli's lip, to chase his tongue--but for the most part, he keeps it languid. Unhurried, but sensual all the same.
It should feel unbelievable, being with Zhongli like this. Instead, it feels inevitable.
It would be a lie to say that Childe doesn't want more--that anticipation doesn't tingle beneath his skin, much the way it does before an exciting battle. But for now, he's content to linger here as long as Zhongli wants. Childe has nowhere else to be, and no desire to rush this.]
[ initially, zhongli is just as indulgent. childe's lips are thin and pliant, and the inside of his mouth is soft and hot, the clean and earthy taste of tea still beneath his tongue. childe nips at his lips and he smiles briefly; he answers when childe's tongue pushes against his. he meanders in their heavy kisses, over and over, as he does with everything else he adores.
that isn't all they're here for. his muscle tenses beneath the childe's fingertips. anticipation curls in his stomach where it laid dormant. childe would briefly feel the sharpened canines in his mouth, grown to points behind his lips.
zhongli had his (correct) assumptions about the nature of their relationship, but he keeps them to himself. what they're doing now only concerns their surface-level attraction—the age-old thrum of tension between their bodies, reaching into the pitch blackness, finding out what would happen if they came too close together. for all zhongli cares about the art of conversation (aka hearing his own voice), he wouldn't let this be interrupted, even by himself.
zhongli's freed hand smooths over the curve of childe's back and draws him in, flattening their chests together. whether or not childe stumbles, zhongli walks him against the bare spread of wall nearby, crowding childe against it and muffling the crack of childe's head against the wall with his hand. their bodies crush together and zhongli kisses him hard, savoring, breathing him in.
his hand slides from behind childe's head to the base of his neck. his thumb runs against the dried flecks of blood where his bite still festered. the wound gently reopens underneath it, painting a smear of red over his skin.
zhongli finally breaks the line of their kisses. mouth still hovering close, his sharp, golden eyes open and settle on childe. he cleans his lips and murmurs: ]
In the tea house... Would you have let me have my way with you there?
[Childe, fortunately, does not stumble. He's far too attuned to Zhongli right now for that--he matches Zhongli's movements with the grace and instinct of a dancer matching their partner, and only when his back hits the wall does he relinquish a degree of awareness. He catches a hint of Zhongli's sharp teeth just as Zhongli's thumb grazes his tender neck, and he shudders violently, nails digging into the flesh of Zhongli's waist.
He can't let himself think too deeply about any of this. Not right now. Like Zhongli, the last thing he wants is to break them out of this spell--there will be time to doubt, worry, hesitate talk later. Right now, he doesn't care about anything beyond the hard lines of Zhongli's body against his own, the swipe of Zhongli's tongue against his and the warm palm resting on his spine.
It takes a minute to catch his breath when Zhongli breaks away; the question makes him lean his head back and laugh even as his pulse soars.]
Let you? I think I should be offended. [He very clearly does not; his tone is mischief personified, sweetness and bite blended together like potent wine. His voice is steady aside from that hint of breathlessness, but he dips his head back down and watches Zhongli's lips intently, a betrayal of his easy humor. Any possible traces of balm have long since rubbed away, but Zhongli's mouth is so beautifully damp and shiny.] Do I seem so passive?
[He punctuates his question by dragging Zhongli closer, lifting his hips from the wall to press them forward, against Zhongli's. Between the teahouse and their kisses just now (and, y'know, the fact that it's Zhongli), it's probably no surprise that he's already half-hard. He leans forward, pressing his forehead against Zhongli's and dropping his voice to a low murmur.]
If we'd gone any farther in there, it would've been just as much me as you.
[ arousal lances through his body. just as childe looses all sense of what surrounds them, zhongli's attention hones in on the slick feel of childe's skin, his delighted laughter, the wine in his voice. childe knows how he feels about wine.
to answer those pointed looks at his lips, zhongli takes another long, deep kiss from his mouth. he savors the soft give of his lips, the resistance in his teeth, the thump of childe's head against the wall as zhongli stops beseeching and finally takes what he wants.
when he draws back, there's only a small hint of breathlessness. he smiles. ]
You seemed content to keep still once I sunk my teeth into you.
[ he punctuates this with a slow, tight roll of his hips. zhongli is just as hard, and the drag of their cocks runs electric through his hips. his eyes are incandescent in their abject want, boring deeply. he remembers the dazed, beautiful look in those eyes.
he makes quick work of the remaining buttons of childe's shirt. ]
You were breathless. I've never seen you in such a state. ...I want for you to look at me that way again.
[It shouldn't feel so good. Not with so many layers still between them, even with Zhongli dressed down for the heat as he is. Not when they've just barely begun--but then, maybe that's part of the reason. Maybe the thrill of something new has interwoven with the already-considerable attraction he feels (has always felt, no matter if he's ignored it) for Zhongli. Perhaps he could think it through more, if his attention wasn't so completely stolen by Zhongli's tongue, his hips, his nimble fingers.
Not to mention his words. Childe's always been weak to the way he speaks--smooth and elegant, like a storyteller. He'd had no idea what it would be like, pairing that with such blatant, abject desire. For someone who laughs in the face of his own limits, it's dangerously intoxicating.
The air indoors is so much cooler on his skin than it was outside, but that hardly matters when he feels warm all over again. He can't be mad, though, when it's Zhongli's doing. Even the slight ache from the marks left by his harness have faded from his attention by now.]
You caught me by surprise. [That playful lilt is still there--he sounds as confident as ever, despite the clear want he isn't trying to hide in the slightest. He lets his hands slip up beneath Zhongli's shirt, exploring by touch for now.] It won't happen again.
[An incredibly predictable challenge, judging from his grin. But he can't help it--give him a sleeping beast, and he'll tear heaven and earth apart just to find a stick to poke it with. They both know he can't hope to win against Zhongli, not if Zhongli actually puts his mind to something, but that's the whole fun of it--and besides, Zhongli deserves to do a little work for what he wants, in Childe's completely, totally, definitely unbiased opinion.]
we can timeskip or drop this!! next time childe wears the harness it's on sight
[ it's tempting to finish what he's started the moment before they left the tea house. he could let his kisses trail from the column of childe's throat down to the middle of his chest, bare now that his shirt's been opened. he'd memorize every scar through his lips and fingers, and he'd draw out every octave of sound from childe's voice.
but zhongli has the rest of the evening for this. for the moment, he's drinking in that mischievous grin, knowing that response is meant to goad him. show me, childe whispered before, and zhongli hears it again. and yes, he'll work for it.
the buttons on childe's pants are fingered open. zhongli smiles, sultry and warm, and he leans forward to close childe's smiling lips with his own. his hands fall to childe's hips, over his ass, and he pulls him in as he grinds forward. he pushes his tongue into his mouth, to silence him and taste everything again.
he shouldn't reward this behavior, but zhongli can't help it. there's too much of childe suddenly within his reach—so many imagined things that can finally take root in reality, more visceral than even an ancient god's imagination can conjure. the way childe grins at him makes him crumble.
he draws back, cleans his lips, and smiles again. his gaze bores into childe's, endlessly hungry. ]
I see. Then I will only have to surprise you once more. I believe I can manage it.
[ his teeth glint between his lips. he'll drag childe to his bedroom eventually. their night will end with the two of them naked and sprawled on his bed, come stuck to their skin and in wet strings over the sheets. the comforter and pillows will be unceremoniously pulled and pushed and thrown over the bedside. their bodies will be covered in bites and scrapes and bruises, well-loved and worshipped. zhongli will look like morax again, having given up on hiding it long before. (he gave up on hiding many things that night. what's one more?)
right now, he kisses childe again as if to devour him whole and guides them back into what they already started. ]
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(If he were to look, he's not sure he could keep his desire off of his face. And even though Childe's hardly the sort to be easily blackmailed, old habits die hard.)
He will not tug them off elsewhere, tempting as the thought may be. The heat, still ridiculously oppressive, actually works in their favor this time--Childe is far too eager to take refuge indoors to cause much mischief on the way. Zhongli's place isn't far, but that doesn't much matter for a native Snezhnayan. By the time they arrive, Childe's wilting again; he can't resist the urge to slump against Zhongli's shoulder with a quiet laugh.]
I have to admit, this isn't quite how I thought this would go.
[Which is... something he would have never admitted to thinking about, had this never transpired between them. He hadn't let his fantasies run too wild, of course--but it would be a lie to claim he'd never noticed their mutual attraction, that he'd never let his thoughts wander in the dead of night.
Of course, he hadn't pictured himself drenched in sweat from the weather like this, his skin still gently stinging from the mild injuries inflicted by his harness (and Zhongli's teeth). SURELY THIS IS NOT SUAVE AND SEXY... TCH... trust Zhongli to make a move when Childe's off his game. (He has no game.) Open the door before your shiny new boyfriend becomes a puddle on the floor, Zhongli]
no subject
childe leans against him. at any other time, this would have been a friendly gesture, cute but unassuming. now, he can't help noticing the sweat sticking and seeping between their clothes, how childe's skin still feels hot underneath his shirt.
he glances at him and smiles as he unlocks the door. he's always liked his laugh. ]
I had the same thought. I'm curious as to what you might have imagined.
[ he tucks away his key and opens the door. he steps aside from it, gesturing inside. ]
Please.
[ go ahead and imagine what zhongli's home would look like bc we talked about it. in general it's a small space, meticulously furnished and decorated. the blinds on the windows have been drawn, leaving only strips of yellow-orange light against darkwood floors. the best part: it's shaded and cool inside. once childe's in, he'll lock the door behind him and move to turn on the lamps and candles. ]
no subject
[WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW, DRAGON BOY.
Which is to say, despite his slightly pathetic appearance, he at least still has the energy to tease. Typical. But he slips inside without complaint--he even remembers to toe off his shoes in the entryway.
He discards his jacket immediately, too, unpeeling it and hanging it neatly to the side. What a housewife. After that, though, he lingers, watching Zhongli with something like quiet anticipation.
It isn't awkwardness or hesitation that keeps him still; rather, given a moment to rest and recuperate, Childe can't help but feel a charge in the air once again. The few times he'd visited in the past, Zhongli's home always felt like a respite--somewhere they could, he'd thought, lay down the burdens of their identities and simply coexist as not-quite-more-than-friends.
Now, of course, he knows that there was little truth to that outside of his own wistful thinking. If he'd returned here under different circumstances, the thought would have been sobering and dampened his mood. But with everything that transpired between them at the restaurant, it's difficult to summon up such feelings. And Childe, rarely one to dwell on grudges, doesn't particularly want to.
They have a lot to talk about, he knows. But right now, with his skin cooling to a much more bearable level of warmth and the soft lights bathing Zhongli in a golden glow, Childe doesn't want to talk at all.
So, after Zhongli lights up the room, Childe makes his way back over to him. He catches Zhongli's hand in his own, tugging slightly; wordless encouragement. He takes a moment to drink in the sight of Zhongli--at ease, yet just as beautiful as always--but he doesn't close the space between them; this time, he leaves that up to Zhongli.]
no subject
he can feel childe's eyes on his back. the reason why they've arrived still suffuses everything. it's the current that pulls them together, promising that they both wanted this, and there was no sense in waiting any longer for it. it feels impossible to ignore.
there was a period of time where zhongli hadn't known if childe would return to liyue. osial was defeated at the expense of the jade chamber, the qixing assumed governance over liyue, and zhongli's bargain with the tsaritsa was properly executed. there was no reason for childe to stay in liyue other than to oversee continued operations at the northland bank if needed. when zhongli attempted to approach him, he seemed bitter—something only a person who knew him well might be able to discern.
zhongli's heart was leaden in his chest. he always paid the price of remembering. he couldn't forget the feeling of cultivating his first relationships as a human, when they knew him only as zhongli. it's especially impossible when the tension between you and your new friend is magnetic and relentless, palpable between every lingering look and brush of their hands and shoulders.
childe returned to him. his feelings quickly blossomed again, more relentless than before. and now they're here.
he searches childe's lightless eyes, rapt with affection and awe. zhongli tightens his grip on childe's hand and takes a step closer. he slides the fingertips of his free hand across childe's cheek, over his ear, into the back of his hair. it feels damp over his scalp, the strands sleek between his fingers. he tips his head, closes his eyes, and leans forward to kiss childe deeply on his beautiful mouth.
he feels weightless again, longing filling him like air. he deepens their kiss even further, breathing in sharply. he'll move them away in a moment. he needs this first. ]
no subject
It should feel unbelievable, being with Zhongli like this. Instead, it feels inevitable.
It would be a lie to say that Childe doesn't want more--that anticipation doesn't tingle beneath his skin, much the way it does before an exciting battle. But for now, he's content to linger here as long as Zhongli wants. Childe has nowhere else to be, and no desire to rush this.]
no subject
that isn't all they're here for. his muscle tenses beneath the childe's fingertips. anticipation curls in his stomach where it laid dormant. childe would briefly feel the sharpened canines in his mouth, grown to points behind his lips.
zhongli had his (correct) assumptions about the nature of their relationship, but he keeps them to himself. what they're doing now only concerns their surface-level attraction—the age-old thrum of tension between their bodies, reaching into the pitch blackness, finding out what would happen if they came too close together. for all zhongli cares about the art of conversation (aka hearing his own voice), he wouldn't let this be interrupted, even by himself.
zhongli's freed hand smooths over the curve of childe's back and draws him in, flattening their chests together. whether or not childe stumbles, zhongli walks him against the bare spread of wall nearby, crowding childe against it and muffling the crack of childe's head against the wall with his hand. their bodies crush together and zhongli kisses him hard, savoring, breathing him in.
his hand slides from behind childe's head to the base of his neck. his thumb runs against the dried flecks of blood where his bite still festered. the wound gently reopens underneath it, painting a smear of red over his skin.
zhongli finally breaks the line of their kisses. mouth still hovering close, his sharp, golden eyes open and settle on childe. he cleans his lips and murmurs: ]
In the tea house... Would you have let me have my way with you there?
no subject
He can't let himself think too deeply about any of this. Not right now. Like Zhongli, the last thing he wants is to break them out of this spell--there will be time to
doubt, worry, hesitatetalk later. Right now, he doesn't care about anything beyond the hard lines of Zhongli's body against his own, the swipe of Zhongli's tongue against his and the warm palm resting on his spine.It takes a minute to catch his breath when Zhongli breaks away; the question makes him lean his head back and laugh even as his pulse soars.]
Let you? I think I should be offended. [He very clearly does not; his tone is mischief personified, sweetness and bite blended together like potent wine. His voice is steady aside from that hint of breathlessness, but he dips his head back down and watches Zhongli's lips intently, a betrayal of his easy humor. Any possible traces of balm have long since rubbed away, but Zhongli's mouth is so beautifully damp and shiny.] Do I seem so passive?
[He punctuates his question by dragging Zhongli closer, lifting his hips from the wall to press them forward, against Zhongli's. Between the teahouse and their kisses just now (and, y'know, the fact that it's Zhongli), it's probably no surprise that he's already half-hard. He leans forward, pressing his forehead against Zhongli's and dropping his voice to a low murmur.]
If we'd gone any farther in there, it would've been just as much me as you.
no subject
to answer those pointed looks at his lips, zhongli takes another long, deep kiss from his mouth. he savors the soft give of his lips, the resistance in his teeth, the thump of childe's head against the wall as zhongli stops beseeching and finally takes what he wants.
when he draws back, there's only a small hint of breathlessness. he smiles. ]
You seemed content to keep still once I sunk my teeth into you.
[ he punctuates this with a slow, tight roll of his hips. zhongli is just as hard, and the drag of their cocks runs electric through his hips. his eyes are incandescent in their abject want, boring deeply. he remembers the dazed, beautiful look in those eyes.
he makes quick work of the remaining buttons of childe's shirt. ]
You were breathless. I've never seen you in such a state. ...I want for you to look at me that way again.
no subject
Not to mention his words. Childe's always been weak to the way he speaks--smooth and elegant, like a storyteller. He'd had no idea what it would be like, pairing that with such blatant, abject desire. For someone who laughs in the face of his own limits, it's dangerously intoxicating.
The air indoors is so much cooler on his skin than it was outside, but that hardly matters when he feels warm all over again. He can't be mad, though, when it's Zhongli's doing. Even the slight ache from the marks left by his harness have faded from his attention by now.]
You caught me by surprise. [That playful lilt is still there--he sounds as confident as ever, despite the clear want he isn't trying to hide in the slightest. He lets his hands slip up beneath Zhongli's shirt, exploring by touch for now.] It won't happen again.
[An incredibly predictable challenge, judging from his grin. But he can't help it--give him a sleeping beast, and he'll tear heaven and earth apart just to find a stick to poke it with. They both know he can't hope to win against Zhongli, not if Zhongli actually puts his mind to something, but that's the whole fun of it--and besides, Zhongli deserves to do a little work for what he wants, in Childe's completely, totally, definitely unbiased opinion.]
we can timeskip or drop this!! next time childe wears the harness it's on sight
but zhongli has the rest of the evening for this. for the moment, he's drinking in that mischievous grin, knowing that response is meant to goad him. show me, childe whispered before, and zhongli hears it again. and yes, he'll work for it.
the buttons on childe's pants are fingered open. zhongli smiles, sultry and warm, and he leans forward to close childe's smiling lips with his own. his hands fall to childe's hips, over his ass, and he pulls him in as he grinds forward. he pushes his tongue into his mouth, to silence him and taste everything again.
he shouldn't reward this behavior, but zhongli can't help it. there's too much of childe suddenly within his reach—so many imagined things that can finally take root in reality, more visceral than even an ancient god's imagination can conjure. the way childe grins at him makes him crumble.
he draws back, cleans his lips, and smiles again. his gaze bores into childe's, endlessly hungry. ]
I see. Then I will only have to surprise you once more. I believe I can manage it.
[ his teeth glint between his lips. he'll drag childe to his bedroom eventually. their night will end with the two of them naked and sprawled on his bed, come stuck to their skin and in wet strings over the sheets. the comforter and pillows will be unceremoniously pulled and pushed and thrown over the bedside. their bodies will be covered in bites and scrapes and bruises, well-loved and worshipped. zhongli will look like morax again, having given up on hiding it long before. (he gave up on hiding many things that night. what's one more?)
right now, he kisses childe again as if to devour him whole and guides them back into what they already started. ]