[ adepti have no need of rest, or so they say. ask rex lapis, and he would have called this a half-truth: the act of sleeping isn't necessary for gods and adepti, but rest in any of its forms, unconscious or otherwise, is a necessity for any sentient being. the act of sleeping might be one of those forms.
the mortal zhongli has gotten very good at sleeping. it was a novelty like any other mortal experience he'd indulged in. if he was going to play his part, he would commit to the role entirely, whether or not anyone was watching him. that night on the ocean's pearl, he finally found an audience.
childe didn't visit often, and when he did, the two of them usually gave into their appetites for as long as they reasonably could. they would only consider sleep in the early hours of the morning while they laid in bed, spent and satisfied, pillow talking. childe would drift off first (he's tried not to, but he does), and after a while of drinking in the peaceful visage of his partner beside him, zhongli would follow after him.
it seems idyllic until it's time to wake up. childe should have learned that by now.
it's a golden morning in liyue, there are birds outside, etc etc. they're in zhongli's home this time, and sometime during the night, zhongli had the sense to pull the covers over their naked bodies. whenever childe wakes up, he'll see zhongli asleep beside him as always, long hair strung on his pillow and under his cheek. on the side of his neck, the riptide mark glows a fluorescent blue-white within a circle of teethmarks, pocked with dried gold. even as a human, he still seems to breathe deeply like a great, slumbering beast.
[It's rare for Childe to have somewhere he can sleep peacefully.
In truth, it's only here. Tucked against Zhongli's side, wrapped in his arms, or even just in Zhongli's bed, the scent and texture more than familiar by now. The wilderness doesn't bring him peace--he enjoys the constant risks, but that doesn't make them restful. Visits home, too, require a constant guard, though a different kind: the façade of "Ajax," a temporary discomfort to spare his parents his true self. Occasional visits to the Traveler's abode are probably the closest thing he has to this level of comfort, but even then, he's usually not the only person there. And no matter how much the Traveler trusts their companions, Childe's long past the point of being able to sleep deeply around strangers. Before Zhongli, he'd assumed he lost the ability altogether.
It doesn't work every time. There are some nights, still, where nightmares win out--nights when even Zhongli's warm, steady hands can't ease the tension from his shoulders. There are nights when sleep simply doesn't come, and Childe talks quietly with Zhongli until the first rays of dawn reassure him that yes, this is reality. But by now, more often than not, Childe's instincts have come to understand that Zhongli's presence is trustworthy. That beautiful, loving, attentive Zhongli, who knows so much about him and yet, inexplicably, continues to stay, is a promise of safety without the fear of a stifling cage.
(It helps that Zhongli can thoroughly wear him out, too.)
Despite all of this, Childe tends to wake first. He's never really asked why--Zhongli's sleeping habits have piqued his curiosity before, but he's usually been distracted by other bed-related things--but he savors it anyway. Today is no exception. His eyes flutter open, and awareness comes slowly, then all at once; his gaze, dark and sleepy, catches on the glow from his mark, and he can feel himself smiling before his mind even properly registers what he's looking at.
He remembers falling asleep halfway on top of Zhongli, his face pressed against Zhongli's shoulder; at some point, he'd apparently shifted off, but he can still feel Zhongli's arm slung around his waist, and his own leg is still thrown halfway over Zhongli. They probably would've overheated if Childe didn't run cold.
Technically, he's got work to do today. Nothing intense--by now, the Fatui stationed here are well aware that Childe's "jobs" here are little more than flimsy excuses for extended visits--but it would still probably reflect poorly if he didn't make an appearance at a reasonable hour. Still, he can't bring himself to rush when Zhongli looks so comfortable. So beautiful, especially in the golden Liyue sun, stripped of his guises.
Really, he should know better. They've done this enough that he should be more than aware of just how hard it is to wake Zhongli up--or worse, to wriggle out of Zhongli's grip when he's feeling clingy. What he should be doing is setting about the arduous task of trying to get Zhongli out of bed, which will probably take approximately a century. But Childe is weak to the sight of him, and not for the first time, he finds himself giving in to the urge to linger and indulge. He slides his fingers up, tracing over his marks first--both physical and elemental--then further, up Zhongli's jaw and past his ear, to brush his hair out of his face.
[ first, childe's fingertips rouse a prickling cold against his neck, dispersing hydro like ripples in water until the riptide mark glows a faint, luminescent blue. zhongli is drawn into a hazy consciousness, aware enough to feel the slide of fingertips up his jaw, running up the edge of his face before curling around the shell of his ear. his own hair slips after it, tickling and full of errant threads, until it's neatly tucked away.
zhongli's yellow eyes slowly blink open, and over the streams of earthen hair over the pillow beside him, there's a blur of familiar colors: ochre, light peach, two smudges of azure. his heart begins to stir, an old clock slowly turning its well-worn cogs; leagues ahead of his ancient memory, it knows that these are the colors that make up the face of his greatest love. his soulmate is the warm and softly breathing weight under the curl of his arm, skin softened from sleep under slanted morning light, smiling at him with affection that reaches fathoms deep. zhongli, who's chosen to shamelessly indulge in his hedonistic pleasures, collects it like irresistible gold.
his tired eyes fall at half-mast, caught between never waking and holding that loving gaze (this could be a dream, after all) until they finally fall closed. he tilts his head until his lips brush childe's wrist, pressing a gentle, lazy kiss to his pulse. then zhongli tightens his arm like a cat curling in its sleep, drawing childe's body flush against his by the waist.
zhongli gently meets his forehead to childe's, turning his nose in towards the pillow. he breathes a heavy sigh from the depths of his lungs, underlaid with a low, contented hum from his throat. he takes in the scent of their sex, the clean pillow, the soap of childe's hair that he can never resist. mornings like these are the sweetest to savor, he's embarrassingly said at least once. in his sleep-addled mind, forgetting any circumstance or motivations that keep them apart, he thinks: let him live here for the rest of his days.
childe will feel something familiar slowly coil over his knee. first, there are the whorls of fur, snaking through empty pockets between the comforter and his leg. second, the warm run of scales, stones softened by a river floor. it doesn't stop until it's curled once around his calf, heavy and solid as a boulder.
Childe makes a small noise as Zhongli drags him closer again, stifling a laugh. It's extremely tempting to slide his legs back through Zhongli's, to tangle their bodies together again and give in to the urge to doze off again. Childe has enough willpower to resist, but before he can, he feels Zhongli's tail sneaking up, locking him in place even more securely than his arms do.
What a spoiled old dragon, Childe thinks, with no small amount of fondness. Truly, they both indulge each other far too often. No wonder everyone hates it when Childe is in town--he's a terrible influence, in the sense that he encourages Zhongli to be as selfish as he wants.
(Not that he has any delusions over how much Zhongli spoils him too, of course. Even now, it warms him--makes him feel just a little shy, something he didn't think he was still capable of.)
Of course, all that indulgence has come back to bite him now, because he is TRAPPED, even if his prison is extremely pleasant.]
Xiaaaansheng. [He drags the syllables out like honey, rich with amusement. His tone is a low murmur, and he leans close enough to speak against Zhongli's lips, a breath away from kissing him back awake.] It's morning.
[ childe's voice enters zhongli's bleary consciousness, leading him back into wakefulness like a siren song. zhongli sighs again through his nose, eyes still unopened, and then childe speaks sweetly against his mouth.
his ajax, still calling him from the waking world. zhongli hums again softly both in acknowledgment and protest, rumbling from the back of his throat. if childe won't do it first, zhongli tips his chin forward and closes his lips against childe's. his kisses are languid and slow and lazy, still halfway in sleep but meant to lull childe back into silence. he could kiss zhongli awake, or maybe zhongli will kiss him until childe comes to his senses and stays in this bed with him until the afternoon (at best).
the curl of zhongli's tail has begun to slacken. with childe's strength, he should be able to slip out from it, if he really wants to. ]
[Well that's unfair. Since when has Childe ever resisted a temptation when didn't have to, huh? He's certainly not going to start now. He lets Zhongli kiss him once, twice, then pulls away just a little--just enough to force Zhongli to work for it and lean closer if he really wants more kisses. He props himself on his elbow and cards his fingers through Zhongli's hair, a gentler touch than many people would think him capable of.]
How can I cook you breakfast if you're half-asleep, hm? [Teasing, but still in that low tone. If getting up was truly urgent, he'd make it known; still, if he lets Zhongli get away with lounging in bed without a single bit of resistance, he'll become even worse about it than he already is. Besides, who would Childe be if he didn't make everything into some kind challenge?]
[ zhongli really is being forced to choose between his two great loves: ajax and delicious food. harbingers really are ruthless... also, if childe wants to leave, he shouldn't pet zhongli's hair. that's just asking for him to go full dragon and trap childe on the bed.
he hums again softly as his hair is brushed back, still keeping his eyes closed as he thinks. ajax's wonderful cooking, or ajax in bed? he's too tired to pick one. why has fontaine not found a way to cook in bed.
fine. he goes for what's easiest.
he rolls them until childe is on his back and zhongli is lying on top of him. he kisses childe's neck lightly and
[Childe "can't say no to his loved ones" Tartaglia Ajax suffers the consequences of his own actions, part 837598735
Zhongli's little maneuver knocks a laugh out of him, and he can't help but hook his leg over Zhongli and press his lips to Zhongli's head. The swell of warmth in his chest is still something he's unaccustomed to, but in moments like these, he only finds himself wanting more of it, with none of the wariness or doubt that sometimes crops up.]
Zhongli. [Playfully scolding--he twines Zhongli's hair around his fingers and tugs lightly--well. Their definition of lightly, anyway.] If only your devout worshippers could see you now.
[Zhongli expresses such sentiments now and again, and they never fail to stir a little something within him--something hard to accept, but that he wants, more than anything, to trust. He's gotten much better about not deflecting out of reflex; on lazy, loving mornings like this, he even lets himself believe them.
It helps that they speak to the greediest parts of him. Childe isn't really that possessive, all things considered, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy every little reminder that Zhongli is his. That he wants to be here just as badly as Childe does, that he's more than willing to walk beside him with all his usual serene regality, unapologetic about where his affections lie.
He enjoys this too, of course. He laughs as Zhongli sinks his teeth into his skin, easing his leg over until he can draw his toes along Zhongli's tail.]
I see how it is. You've decided I'm your breakfast, is that it?
[AT LEAST HE'S CONSCIOUS even if he's refusing to let Childe get up. A win is a win, or something like that. This definitely counts as winning in Childe's book.]
[ Zhongli's learned the different undercurrents of Childe's laughter: unease, amusement, manic delight. This bright, clear laughter is for friends and family; Zhongli can't lay claim to it, but he can still gather Childe's laughter like iridescent gems. Zhongli has no reason to be possessive, being so self-assured in their relationship. It's just his nature to collect and treasure his precious things—to sit on a stone beneath a Pearlroot Tree just to hear the roosting birds, or to drink the freshwater from the waterfalls of near Stone Gate, or to conjure Childe's golden laughter from his lips again and again.
He soothes the bite with his tongue, smiling at the slow crawl of Childe's toes along the smooth scales of his tail. He wags the end of it a little over his other foot. He's really trying to tickle him...
At least Zhongli is slightly more awake now, since they're talking about food. Slightly. He's still a sleepy old lizard. ]
Indeed, I'd thought Liyue cuisine to be the paragon of gastronomy in Teyvat. I now realize that I shouldn't underestimate certain Snezhnayan delicacies.
[ Kiss, bite. Childe will have fun covering these up, if he even bothers. ]
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zhongli's sleepy bitch disease
the mortal zhongli has gotten very good at sleeping. it was a novelty like any other mortal experience he'd indulged in. if he was going to play his part, he would commit to the role entirely, whether or not anyone was watching him. that night on the ocean's pearl, he finally found an audience.
childe didn't visit often, and when he did, the two of them usually gave into their appetites for as long as they reasonably could. they would only consider sleep in the early hours of the morning while they laid in bed, spent and satisfied, pillow talking. childe would drift off first (he's tried not to, but he does), and after a while of drinking in the peaceful visage of his partner beside him, zhongli would follow after him.
it seems idyllic until it's time to wake up. childe should have learned that by now.
it's a golden morning in liyue, there are birds outside, etc etc. they're in zhongli's home this time, and sometime during the night, zhongli had the sense to pull the covers over their naked bodies. whenever childe wakes up, he'll see zhongli asleep beside him as always, long hair strung on his pillow and under his cheek. on the side of his neck, the riptide mark glows a fluorescent blue-white within a circle of teethmarks, pocked with dried gold. even as a human, he still seems to breathe deeply like a great, slumbering beast.
he won't wake up easily. good luck, childe. ]
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In truth, it's only here. Tucked against Zhongli's side, wrapped in his arms, or even just in Zhongli's bed, the scent and texture more than familiar by now. The wilderness doesn't bring him peace--he enjoys the constant risks, but that doesn't make them restful. Visits home, too, require a constant guard, though a different kind: the façade of "Ajax," a temporary discomfort to spare his parents his true self. Occasional visits to the Traveler's abode are probably the closest thing he has to this level of comfort, but even then, he's usually not the only person there. And no matter how much the Traveler trusts their companions, Childe's long past the point of being able to sleep deeply around strangers. Before Zhongli, he'd assumed he lost the ability altogether.
It doesn't work every time. There are some nights, still, where nightmares win out--nights when even Zhongli's warm, steady hands can't ease the tension from his shoulders. There are nights when sleep simply doesn't come, and Childe talks quietly with Zhongli until the first rays of dawn reassure him that yes, this is reality. But by now, more often than not, Childe's instincts have come to understand that Zhongli's presence is trustworthy. That beautiful, loving, attentive Zhongli, who knows so much about him and yet, inexplicably, continues to stay, is a promise of safety without the fear of a stifling cage.
(It helps that Zhongli can thoroughly wear him out, too.)
Despite all of this, Childe tends to wake first. He's never really asked why--Zhongli's sleeping habits have piqued his curiosity before, but he's usually been distracted by other bed-related things--but he savors it anyway. Today is no exception. His eyes flutter open, and awareness comes slowly, then all at once; his gaze, dark and sleepy, catches on the glow from his mark, and he can feel himself smiling before his mind even properly registers what he's looking at.
He remembers falling asleep halfway on top of Zhongli, his face pressed against Zhongli's shoulder; at some point, he'd apparently shifted off, but he can still feel Zhongli's arm slung around his waist, and his own leg is still thrown halfway over Zhongli. They probably would've overheated if Childe didn't run cold.
Technically, he's got work to do today. Nothing intense--by now, the Fatui stationed here are well aware that Childe's "jobs" here are little more than flimsy excuses for extended visits--but it would still probably reflect poorly if he didn't make an appearance at a reasonable hour. Still, he can't bring himself to rush when Zhongli looks so comfortable. So beautiful, especially in the golden Liyue sun, stripped of his guises.
Really, he should know better. They've done this enough that he should be more than aware of just how hard it is to wake Zhongli up--or worse, to wriggle out of Zhongli's grip when he's feeling clingy. What he should be doing is setting about the arduous task of trying to get Zhongli out of bed, which will probably take approximately a century. But Childe is weak to the sight of him, and not for the first time, he finds himself giving in to the urge to linger and indulge. He slides his fingers up, tracing over his marks first--both physical and elemental--then further, up Zhongli's jaw and past his ear, to brush his hair out of his face.
Surely he will not come to regret this...!]
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zhongli's yellow eyes slowly blink open, and over the streams of earthen hair over the pillow beside him, there's a blur of familiar colors: ochre, light peach, two smudges of azure. his heart begins to stir, an old clock slowly turning its well-worn cogs; leagues ahead of his ancient memory, it knows that these are the colors that make up the face of his greatest love. his soulmate is the warm and softly breathing weight under the curl of his arm, skin softened from sleep under slanted morning light, smiling at him with affection that reaches fathoms deep. zhongli, who's chosen to shamelessly indulge in his hedonistic pleasures, collects it like irresistible gold.
his tired eyes fall at half-mast, caught between never waking and holding that loving gaze (this could be a dream, after all) until they finally fall closed. he tilts his head until his lips brush childe's wrist, pressing a gentle, lazy kiss to his pulse. then zhongli tightens his arm like a cat curling in its sleep, drawing childe's body flush against his by the waist.
zhongli gently meets his forehead to childe's, turning his nose in towards the pillow. he breathes a heavy sigh from the depths of his lungs, underlaid with a low, contented hum from his throat. he takes in the scent of their sex, the clean pillow, the soap of childe's hair that he can never resist. mornings like these are the sweetest to savor, he's embarrassingly said at least once. in his sleep-addled mind, forgetting any circumstance or motivations that keep them apart, he thinks: let him live here for the rest of his days.
childe will feel something familiar slowly coil over his knee. first, there are the whorls of fur, snaking through empty pockets between the comforter and his leg. second, the warm run of scales, stones softened by a river floor. it doesn't stop until it's curled once around his calf, heavy and solid as a boulder.
congrats! childe is now trapped. ]
blows dust off of this
Aaaaaaand there he goes.
Childe makes a small noise as Zhongli drags him closer again, stifling a laugh. It's extremely tempting to slide his legs back through Zhongli's, to tangle their bodies together again and give in to the urge to doze off again. Childe has enough willpower to resist, but before he can, he feels Zhongli's tail sneaking up, locking him in place even more securely than his arms do.
What a spoiled old dragon, Childe thinks, with no small amount of fondness. Truly, they both indulge each other far too often. No wonder everyone hates it when Childe is in town--he's a terrible influence, in the sense that he encourages Zhongli to be as selfish as he wants.
(Not that he has any delusions over how much Zhongli spoils him too, of course. Even now, it warms him--makes him feel just a little shy, something he didn't think he was still capable of.)
Of course, all that indulgence has come back to bite him now, because he is TRAPPED, even if his prison is extremely pleasant.]
Xiaaaansheng. [He drags the syllables out like honey, rich with amusement. His tone is a low murmur, and he leans close enough to speak against Zhongli's lips, a breath away from kissing him back awake.] It's morning.
[Zhongliiiii they have to get uppppp]
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his ajax, still calling him from the waking world. zhongli hums again softly both in acknowledgment and protest, rumbling from the back of his throat. if childe won't do it first, zhongli tips his chin forward and closes his lips against childe's. his kisses are languid and slow and lazy, still halfway in sleep but meant to lull childe back into silence. he could kiss zhongli awake, or maybe zhongli will kiss him until childe comes to his senses and stays in this bed with him until the afternoon (at best).
the curl of zhongli's tail has begun to slacken. with childe's strength, he should be able to slip out from it, if he really wants to. ]
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How can I cook you breakfast if you're half-asleep, hm? [Teasing, but still in that low tone. If getting up was truly urgent, he'd make it known; still, if he lets Zhongli get away with lounging in bed without a single bit of resistance, he'll become even worse about it than he already is. Besides, who would Childe be if he didn't make everything into some kind challenge?]
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he hums again softly as his hair is brushed back, still keeping his eyes closed as he thinks. ajax's wonderful cooking, or ajax in bed? he's too tired to pick one. why has fontaine not found a way to cook in bed.
fine. he goes for what's easiest.
he rolls them until childe is on his back and zhongli is lying on top of him. he kisses childe's neck lightly and
falls back asleep right there. ]
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Zhongli's little maneuver knocks a laugh out of him, and he can't help but hook his leg over Zhongli and press his lips to Zhongli's head. The swell of warmth in his chest is still something he's unaccustomed to, but in moments like these, he only finds himself wanting more of it, with none of the wariness or doubt that sometimes crops up.]
Zhongli. [Playfully scolding--he twines Zhongli's hair around his fingers and tugs lightly--well. Their definition of lightly, anyway.] If only your devout worshippers could see you now.
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Only you will see me this way.
[ thats precisely how he likes it. he believes childe feels the same.
anyway. he slowly bites into the side of childe's neck. revenge. ]
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It helps that they speak to the greediest parts of him. Childe isn't really that possessive, all things considered, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy every little reminder that Zhongli is his. That he wants to be here just as badly as Childe does, that he's more than willing to walk beside him with all his usual serene regality, unapologetic about where his affections lie.
He enjoys this too, of course. He laughs as Zhongli sinks his teeth into his skin, easing his leg over until he can draw his toes along Zhongli's tail.]
I see how it is. You've decided I'm your breakfast, is that it?
[AT LEAST HE'S CONSCIOUS even if he's refusing to let Childe get up. A win is a win, or something like that. This definitely counts as winning in Childe's book.]
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He soothes the bite with his tongue, smiling at the slow crawl of Childe's toes along the smooth scales of his tail. He wags the end of it a little over his other foot. He's really trying to tickle him...
At least Zhongli is slightly more awake now, since they're talking about food. Slightly. He's still a sleepy old lizard. ]
Indeed, I'd thought Liyue cuisine to be the paragon of gastronomy in Teyvat. I now realize that I shouldn't underestimate certain Snezhnayan delicacies.
[ Kiss, bite. Childe will have fun covering these up, if he even bothers. ]
This may be my favorite meal of all.